"I Know Who the Lord Calls, The Lord Qualifies"

September 23, 2013 Family, Well it was a nice week but a little stressful Haha. On Wednesday we went to Accra for transfers and I got my new companion. His name is Elder Steinman and he is from American Fork, Utah. I’ll try and send a pictures of us :) He is a super awesome guy and we work hard together! I also got a call from President Judd the night before and he asked me to be district leader, I was really surprised! I didn’t think they would split our district but they did. I was called to be the district leader of the new district. I know who the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies. Well we were supposed to have a baptism for Sister Pat, her son and brother. Everything was going good except on Friday Sister Pat’s pastor from her previous church came and visited her. The last 2 months he hasn’t made an effort to come but right before she was supposed to be baptized, there was lots of opposition! They decided to postpone the baptism to next Sunday, hopefully it will be ok for the 29th! But I know Satan does not want this family to join the church because of the great things that this family will do! We were still able to have the Zone Leaders from Ho come down and do the baptismal interviews on Saturday, so all should be good for next Sunday I pray! That’s crazy about that storm!!! I can’t believe it blew over our tree in the back yard! Well I love you all and pray for you every day!! Have a good week! Elder Eppich

Training again in Kpong

zone in Kpong

Zone in Kpong

September 16, 2013 Family, Well everything here is going great! and I’m happy that you guys have had light off for a few hours!!! (Our power went out during a huge storm last night and was out for 13.5 hours) Now you kinda get a little taste of me here in Ghana. Although its being doing really well these last few months! (no lights off) Sister Pat and Dominic are doing good! I got a picture with Sister Pat and her white baby that I will send to you guys. It’s so cute and something you don’t see. And as for transfers, Elder Halavaka and I will be split up! :( Kind of sad but that normally what happens once they finish their training. President Judd called me Tuesday and asked me to train again and I accepted! I went to Accra on Thursday for a small trainers meeting! It’s always nice to go to Accra from Kpong because there is a little baboon sanctuary type thing and so when we drive by this forest there is always baboons sitting there or walking on the road Haha. It’s funny because people will just walk right by them and the baboons don’t mind them at all! I’d be freaked out that one of them would attack me. Oh before I forget do you think you could send me bishop Edmonds email address? I want to email him. Thanks. Since this was Elder Halavaka and I last week we wanted to work hard so we taught a lot of lessons and plus we needed to see everybody frequently. We will be having a baptism on Sunday and so please pray for the success of all that. I know your prayers back home really help as well! Mom, we will have more than 10 new investigators each week but some of them aren’t very serious but just want to sit down with white people and learn about Jesus. That’s awesome that Bryant came home! I miss those guys Haha he looks good! And yes President Judd is an amazing guy! You will definitely meet him one day! That’s cute that you took me and Kraymer to primary on Sunday! I bet they loved that :) I mean who wouldn’t :) Haha. Well I love you and I’m grateful for everything you do for me! The church is true! Elder Eppich

zone in Kpong

"The Game Don't Leave the Player"

Baptism of Emmanueal in Kpong Ghana

September 9, 2013
Family,

We had a baptism yesterday but it was only for Emmanuel! Sister Pat and her son Dominic decided to wait a little longer before they get baptized! Hopefully on the 22nd! But I'll still get a picture with their family as soon as I can and it would seriously blow your mind how white her baby is. Its so funny and makes me laugh every time! The package was very nice, but I haven’t really used much of it though! The Mike and Ike's reminded me of my four wheeler accident Haha and I hadn’t eaten any for so long!! The zone activity was way fun and all I can say is that..... The game don’t leave the player hahahaha jk but I didn’t do too bad for not playing for so long! We seriously played for like 5 hours Haha I was literally dead the next day Haha my body hurt so bad afterwards!! But it was a blast! Even Elder Cosgrave came and played with us so that was way cool! Then we went to Elder and Sister Cosgrave house and ate spaghetti and it was super nice! Plus we had garlic bread as well! That’s awesome you had your first violin lesson! I bet you’ll pick it up fast!! That’s too bad about the football game. I can’t believe it’s been 2 yrs since I started my senior year! Wednesday we had zone conference in Kpong and it was way awesome! One thing that president Judd told us that stuck out to me is that the reason they split our mission is because "the window of Ghana is rapidly closing" and so we need to hasten our work! It’s so true what he said because Ghana is getting more westernized if that makes sense. People are trying to make more money and care less about religious things. Obviously it’s not going to change instantly but my guess in the next 10 yrs the success here in Ghana won’t be the same as it now! We have transfers next week and I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen. We know they are splitting the Kpong branch into 3 branches, one in Akuse, Kpong, and Odumase so idk what’s going to happen to me. If they open a branch in Odumase it will struggle at the beginning because I think there is maybe 20-30 or so members there, but the work will increase because people will come to church from Odumase and Somanya because it doesn’t cost as much. Our zone is a growing area where there has never been branches or missionaries before. It’s an exciting time for the Ghana Accra Mission and its cool to think that I’m a part of it! I had a cool experience this week where I think I figured out another one of the many reasons why I’m here in Ghana and in Kpong especially! Not just a spiritual experience but kinda of an experience of what I want to do in life and how I can help the people in Ghana in the future once I become established in my occupation. I won’t tell you now but maybe in the future time :) Well I love you all and I’m glad all is going good with everyone home!

Elder Eppich

Loving Life as a Missionary in Africa

September 2, 2013 Family, Well it was a good week, yesterday both Vanilla and David showed up to church 15 minutes early so that they can be confirmed! This is way awesome because African time is like 30 minutes late to everything Haha and so we really focused on getting them to church early! And yes I got the package! Thank you so much I’m blessed to have such amazing mother and family :) and also support from cousins and friends! I still get letters from them and it helps so much! Thank you :) and yes Elder Avery gave me a hug yesterday when they stopped by in Kpong Haha it was funny, he said I have something from your mom....and then I’m like what? And he gave me a big hug it was really funny Haha. I’m testing out that oxi clean-stain remover later today! I think it will really help to make washing a little easier. So the coolest thing happened a few days ago! We were sitting at an investigators house in a small town outside of Kpong called Nuaso and I see this lady in the distance and I’m like oh she looks familiar and when she got closer I realized it was Sterling!!! One of my very first baptisms in Kaneshie!! I’m like what the heck?? she came running over and yelling my name Haha she said she just came to visit a friend and when she was walking she saw elder Halavaka and she was going to ask him if he knew me and when she got closer she saw me Haha! It was so awesome!! She is doing well in the church but her father died last month which is sad! The whole time I’m just thinking in my head, what are the odds that we would run into each other!!!! It was a way cool experience to see her again :) So yes the investigator with the little white baby is still doing great! She spoils us every time we go there! Like a nice full meal Haha. Her and her son Dominic will be baptized on the 8th!! I’m really excited because she is going to be an amazing member of the church! She is really good friends with one of the counselors at the branch and so that helps very much. Then another boy name Emmanuel, David| (the RC) best friend, will also be baptized on Sunday by God's grace! His father is actually a member of the church but stays somewhere in Accra. Elder Halavaka and I are still doing great! We talk all the time and so the weeks go by way fast!! We have a funny little thing where we always start laughing about and that is when one of us trip over a rock, the rocks here are all over the ground and so they stick up maybe a few CM but we’re just so tired that we kind of drag our legs or don’t pick them up high enough and so we trip over something small and look at each other and just start to laugh Haha. We ended up not going to Koforidua because one of the missionaries got chicken pox and so they kind of isolated him so nobody else gets it. A lot of missionaries here, especially the Africans, haven’t got the chicken pox and so they are being extra careful. So they moved zone conference to Kpong on this Wednesday. We're in Ho right now emailing early because we’re having a zone activity here. We have a lot of missionaries who love sports and so we put everything together to come play football, American football, basketball, etc. I’m way excited and then Sister Cosgrave is going to make spaghetti for all of us missionaries! Booyah Haha That’s cute about little Reagan Haha she is going to be big by the time I get home! And I’m glad grandpa is doing so well now! I told President Judd about him when he wasn’t feeling very well, and he said he will keep him in his prayers and I know that really helped! Alright well I love you all and I’m grateful for the prayers, love and support!! Have a great week Elder Eppich



Break the Fast meal and they made their own french fries



Sterling and Elder Eppich