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Monday, July 28, 2014

July is Almost Gone!!

Dear Family,

This week was insane!!! so many things happened and i don't know where to start. Tuesday was Elder Moleme's last day in Swedru so it was full of goodbyes and food appointments hahaha. Ghanaians love to feed us. we were also able to have some good lessons and the work is progressing.

This week We were working to prepare 3 investigators for baptism this Sunday. About half way through the week the spirit said it would be better to move the baptism to next week. we were bumbed cuz we were gonna miss our goal for the month. but these are souls were dealing with here...so needless to say the decision wasn't hard. so we postponed them and it was good in the end. Sunday we had rainstorms, baby blessings, funerals, and everything else you could possibly imagine happen. so needless to say had we tried to have the baptism it wouldn't have happened anyway. We have also been working with a lot of less actives lately and that is going well. We have this one Grace, she is 18 and was baptized very young and then stopped just a small time later. she said it was because she moved but she doesn't live far from the church. Sunday she finally opened up to us after a month of teaching her and she told us she was in class one day and she was mocked by her classmates and her teacher for the clothes she wore. it was traumatizing for her 9 year old mind so she never came back again. She remembers it like it was yesterday. but thankfully because she opened up to us she is much more happy around us and we hope this means she will be coming.

My new companion is Elder Oluk from Uganda and he is great. He only has 3 weeks left but he is still working and hard and we are having fun together. I miss moleme because we were really enjoying our time but i like my new companion great.

This week we also were planning for an activity that we had today that was amazing. We had a combined zone activity at the beach with 2 zones. We roasted 3 pigs and had a lot of other food and it was sooo awesome. But it was a TON of work and stress. luckily we handled everything okay and we made it through with no problems. it was great.

This week in the missionary work i have really noticed the importance of listening. sometimes people dont need big inspiring scriptures or the testimony as powerful as you can get it to be. they just need you to sit and listen. and when you listen you dont have to wonder what to say or how to say it because as you pay attention and you focus on how much  you love the person the response naturally comes. Listening is great!!!!

i am happy in the missionary work right now and i am just loving life. im so happy to hear about how all of you are doing and all the fun, the hard things, and the inbetween. This is life!!!! live it! and Enjoy it! everyday try to improve and become more like christ and you will be happy!!! i love you all!!!!

love,
Bradley

Monday, July 21, 2014

So Fun, So Tired!!

Dear Family!!!

IT is insane to me that another week has already come and gone!!!! days have turned into hours and weeks into days! it seems like i got to swedru just a few minutes ago and it has already been a full transfer!!!!! IT sounds like everyone is doing great! you cant imagine how it makes me feel to hear good things from all of you. There are alot of missionaries in my mission who dont get mail at all they have all been disowned because of their decision to come on a mission or they just come from such small places their families dont know how to use computers! i really am so blessed to have all of you to support me and i am so grateful! i couldnt do it without you!

So this week for me was actually really normal. there was nothing  big out of the ordinary or anything like that. the work was somehow slow but its still incredible!!! We are working really closely with our investigators right now we are preparing 3 for baptism on sunday and a family for next month. They are all progressing its just been slow. but we are taking what we can get. we struggle out here because in my area not a lot of people speak english and we dont have too many people to help us translate. im no where near good enough to be able to teach in Fante so its been a struggle but we are making it work.

We did have the opportunity on wednesday to go to a district meeting in the zone and it was great. we were able to see the other elders in the zone and speak with them. they are all doing well and its great to hear the stories about the work they are doing. We also had an amazing district meeting this week. WE talked about the atonement and it was just incredible. I think my favorite point brought up is that one of the reasons that Christ had to suffer was so he could Succor us. And if you think about that you can learn a lot from it. If you have never experienced a particular trial it is very hard to comfort those who are passing through it. Christ did it and he knows how it all is. He truly does know how to succor us in our trials. Another thing i noticed is that at least out here members of the church dont have much. and Everywhere members pass through trials everyday that are staggering to comprehend. and when you look at the outside world they seem to just be skating by doing what they please. Now there are many reasons why we are tried but i believe that one of them is because in the church we are supposed to "mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" and how would we be able to do that if we haven't passed through trials ourselves??? it would be hard! The ultimate thing i love about the Atonement is that Jesus Christ did it because he loves us and he loves heavenly father. It is our responsibility to appreciate the Atonement by humbling ourselves and repenting of the things we do wrong. I love this gospel!!!

I hope that makes sense! haha

in other news. Elder Moleme is being transferred this week. we were so surprised to get the call. but he will be going on wednesday. My new companion is going to be Elder OLUK (O LUKE) he is from nigeria. He only has 4 weeks left. he is going home a lil early for school. so this is gonna be interesting. but im excited and ready to work. mission is amazing and im learning new things everyday. i love what morgan ellis said and its so true. our mission is to come closer to christ. There is a commandment that we should be perfect even as our father. there was only one perfect person! Jesus Christ. But Even Jesus Christ in his perfection did not achieve it all at once! he went from grace to grace! so thats what all of us should strive to be doing!

Family i love you all so much and i hope you have a great week!!!!!

love, Bradley

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Another Crazy Week!!

Sorry everyone, I have been completely slammed all week! Here is this week's letter from Elder McGuire!!! He even sent pictures!!!!!

Dear Family!!!

Holy cow this week was so crazy for all of us!!!! i cant believe you got to meet all of those amazing people!!!! I'm glad you did they have all had a huge effect on me out here! that's too bad that bailey got bit. and Dad is Selling the boat??? what happened to all those fishing trips we were gonna go on!! hahaha just kidding that's cool! i know we'll still have fun anyway like we always do.

Like i said this week was crazy! On Tuesday we went to the church at 9 am and there we met with pres. Stevenson for our interviews and they went well. he is a great man and i cant wait to work with him more. at 10 we started district meeting for the Odoben district in our zone. Elder moleme and I instructed and it went great. then when we finished we took a break. the other district came while we were having our break and so the Assistants instructed both districts and it was great. then Odoben district wrapped their meeting up and Swedru District began their meeting. We instructed again and it was a little different than the first time but it still went well and i learned a lot in both the meetings. This entire time President Interviewed all of the Elders in the Zone and then instructed each of the districts for a minute on various subjects. So we finally finished up with all of that at 4:30 in the Afternoon. just in time to run with Pres. Stevenson and the Assistants to our Stake PEC meeting where missionary work is discussed. We gave our report and came back in time to go to our bishops house and meet with his wife to talk about some investigators we are working with. Pres. Stevenson and his Wife tagged a long and it was cool having them with us. but that was the whole day and it was a long one!!! i collapsed on my bed at the end of the night asleep before my head hit the pillow. haha

Wednesday was great because we actually got to Proselyte! Our first lesson was out in Manso a lil village about 20 minutes walk from home. we taught a man whose son is on mission but he himself is not a member. the lesson went great and we made some progress with him. on the way home Elder Moleme's shoes took their last steps and totally wore out. so we went into swedru and I got him some new ones. He was so happy. he hasnt had good shoes for months! so back into our area we taught for the rest of the day and just had fun doing regular old missionary work!

Thursday we woke up and caught a tro tro to a place called Asikuma. its a town about 2 hours away and we have 4 elders in there. We did splits with them and they were great. I love being able to get out and see the investigators of the other missionaries. They are really working hard out there and there is a lot to be done! We spent the night there and it was fun talking with the Elders There.

Friday we woke up and went to Odoben, a city half way between Swedru and Asikuma, where we have 4 more elders. we did splits with them as well and we had much the same experience as the first. We left Odoben that evening to get home just in time for a YSA activity at our ward. It was combined with the other ward in Swedru and it was led by the Ivie's the mission couple and it was great. A lot of ysas brought friends and referrals and we got to here advice about finding an eternal companion hahaha always nice!

Saturday we finally got back into our area and things were business as usual. Our investigators are doing great and we have 3 progressing towards baptism on the 27th of this month. we are confident that they will meet that date and we are excited for it! Also on Saturday we went to Farm with and investigator and we did work! we cleared more land than i ever have before! probably because it was just tall grass instead of real bushes! but it was fun!

Sunday was amazing as ever and the spirit helped us out a lot!!!! a bunch of things fell through but one way or another we were led to people that needed to be taught and work was done! Elder moleme and i have just been having a blast and doing missionary work and i am really loving this part of my mission right now. Some sad news was that hi found out this week that Heidi is coming home, she has been really sick lately and things havent been getting better. hopefully the doctors at home will be able to help her out.

Shar sent me pictures of Brins wedding and it looked like it was Great!!!! im happy for her! Anyway family im gearing up for a pretty normal week this week so im excited!!!! i hope you all have a great one!!

I love you!!!

love, Elder McGuire


Pig Roast!!!

 



Farming!



I LOVE GHANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!






Monday, July 7, 2014

Crazy Week!

Dear Family,
Fourth of July week sounds like fun but quieter than normal. I guess
that's good seeing how crazy everything has been lately. I'm glad you
guys got to wind down a little bit. Things here have been great and
all over the place.
We had missionary leadership council on Wednesday in cape coast and it
was great. It was actually super long and we talked about a lot of
stuff. President Stevenson is great and I'm excited to work with him!
He was a CFO at home and is really efficient and smart in the way he
works. He wants to change a lot of things but it’s going to be good and
I'm interested to see how these next few months go. During the meeting
we talked about the purpose of councils and some other things and it
was nice. but it took all day! because we had to travel so far we
didn't get to proselyte at all. the joys of meetings!! ha ha I never
realized just how tiring it is to sit on your bum all day at
meetings!!! definitely not what I want to do for a living! Ha ha ha but
for church callings I guess it’s alright.
Our investigators are all doing pretty well. Their marriage issues have
been resolved and everyone has been progressing steadily for the last
2 weeks so we are excited, we are hoping that we will be able to have
their baptism by the end of the month. none of them speak English so
our challenge has been translators. I actually don't have a Ghanaian as
a companion now so we have to find people to help, but it’s alright
because the members help a lot.
On Friday I went on splits with our district leader who stays in our
apartment, we had a good day of splits and learned a lot from each
other then that night we went to a restaurant in town that sells
pizza....it was so good!!!1 I haven't had pizza since I left Tarkwa it’s
been 10 months!!!!! so needless to say I was happy! hahaha
Saturday was a pretty crazy day. WE were teaching a lesson at a fruit
stand on the side of the main road and I looked up from my scriptures
and I noticed in the middle of the road that there was a kid lying on
the ground convulsing and foaming at the mouth. he was having a
seizure! we ran and got him off the road and on to the cleanest floor
nearby in a bar and calmed him down. it was crazy! the worst part was
that people saw and weren't doing anything about it! luckily the kid
stabilized after about 30 minutes and was okay but it was serious! I
felt bad because I had been taught how to handle that stuff in school and
I forgot a lot of it! got to study a lot when I come home! After that
the day was pretty normal but we had some great lessons and people
were talking to us a lot about what had happened, hope some missionary
work comes out of it!:)
Fast Sunday was sweet! I love hearing the testimonies of the members
and the little kids. they are all great and it reminds me a ton of
home. Fasting truly works miracles. we've been teaching a young man for
a long time and he has promised to bring his family for a while but
they've never made it. on Sunday they came and we were stoked! we're
excited to keep working with them closely.
Today has been awesome. this morning the entire district came over to our
apartment and we roasted a pig! everyone put their money together and
we put together this huge meal. we had Pig, cassava, yam, cake (made by
Elder Jones from Arizona) and ice cream!!! it was incredible! I
reminded me so much of home! hahaha but we had blast and it brought us
closer as a district!
That would be incredible about the dresses! we have an orphanage just
down the street called Helping hands orphanage, it’s sponsored by
members and the Mission couple here in Swedru works there a lot. so
ill give them your email and tell them to communicate details to you.
it would be so great!
Well family I'm sorry its short but my times up I hope that you guys
have a great week and remember that I love you so much!
Love, Elder McGuire!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

4th of July Plus Pictures!!

Dear Family,

So were double dipping on the missionaries now huh?? that is so crazy!!!!!! im glad she was doing okay in the first 8hours i remember how humbling those first few days were.......good thing mission was never supposed to be easy!!!! if it was we wouldnt learn anything!!! im so grateful to be having a sister serve a mission alongside with me and for the great support and example you all set for me without you we couldnt do it!!!! the summer seems to be awesome for all of you guys. that is so sweet that you are sending dresses here! there is an orphanage just down the street sponsored by church members called helping hands orphanage and its sweet. how cool would it be if they went there??

this week was good for us. the work is still slow but its still improving bit by bit. we are working with 4 main people right now and they are all having issues with traditional marraige stuff. luckily its starting to get sorted out so they all have baptismal dates for the end of next month, i hope they make it! we are gonna work our hardest and hope it all works out. We did get to participate in a baptism for a member this week though. his son just turned 8 so it was a child of record baptism but it is always so special to witness such an incredible ordinance.

The ward here is amazing and the members are incredible! Our Bishop here is especially sweet. He studied criminal law in utah for 7 years. 2 at ceu and the rest at Weber state university. He is so amazing and helps us a ton in the work. just this last sunday he called a new ward mission leader, an instructor for our investigators class, and 2 ward missionaries and we are excited! they are gonna boost this work a lot for this area. Another cool thing is that Bishop is going to be in utah next week so he can surprise the Shulz's and go to their homecoming. He lived with and knows the shuls's extremely well. SO if you guys go to the homecoming on the 13th you will get to meet him!!! how cool would that be?!?!?! you guys at home could meet the bishop of my ward here in ghana!!!! he even says hes gonna take an empty suit case to fill with candy and stuff hahaha. he loves american food! but yeah it would be sweet if you could meet him!!!

The Shulz's left this morning to get on a plane so they are officially gone. President Stevenson got here on saturday and is rearing to go. on wednesday we are going to have mission leadership council so all the zone leaders will meet him and talk. im excited for that! i know there are gonna be a lot of changes but im excited to see how its all gonna be and im excited to learn from him.

Today for pday we got to go to the beach!! it was so awesome we went as a zone and played football and just had fun. we took some fun pictures and luckily they worked today so ill send them. the only drawback was that i got fried!!!! i havent gotten burned in a long time! its so funny that i can proselyte all day and not get burned at all but then i go play football on the beach under the same sun and it burns! there seems to be a contrast between when im proselyting and when im not;) hahaha the lord helps us so much out here!

Everything really is going great and i hope it is the same for you guys. i cant believe its the 4th this week! on saturday ill be at 15 months!!! so crazy! i thought time would have slowed down by know but its just speeding up!!!! i just want to work hard and do all that i can to further the lords work. i hope you have a great week and never forget that i love you!!!!

love, Elder James Bradley McGuire

One Last Picture with Sister Shulz...

...and President Shulz!

John Ewusies baptism the last Saturday I was in Aba Krampa

The Chapel!

I guess it means, "See no evil, speak no evil, smell no evil!"

Beach...

... Beach...

... and Guess what?? More Beach!! :)

Like my tan line?? Me too!!