The Sweetest Faces of Ghana

April 2026

 

I loved this artwork hanging in the mission home. I had never seen this particular picture before, but something about it stirred a deep love inside me.

The children in Ghana were absolutely adorable. They were curious about us and sometimes brave enough to say hello, come touch us, or hold our hands. Then they would squeal and run away. Most of the children were in school during the day, but we learned that some have to stay home while their families save enough money for uniforms or school supplies.

While we were visiting one of the villages, a little group of children followed us for about a block. One girl, who looked to be about five years old, had a paper bill clutched tightly in her hand. I playfully reached over and tugged on it, but she quickly pulled her hand away. I immediately felt a little bad because I could tell she had probably been given strict instructions to keep it safe.

She told me the money was for water. In Ghana, small plastic bags of drinking water can be purchased from the little shops.

Of all the children I interacted with during our trip, only one ever asked me for anything. She asked if I had any water. I didn’t, and at that moment I was separated from Brian and Parker, who had the money. I still feel badly that I wasn’t able to help her.

I think Parker was especially happy to hold this little guy—particularly since holding children wasn’t something he was allowed to do as a missionary.

The children seemed to have so little, yet they also seemed happy and resourceful. Some were playing with old tires. I remembered a picture Parker had sent home during his mission of a child playing with a sardine can that had tiny wheels attached to turn it into a car.

At one school, the children were playing in an enclosed dirt courtyard. When they saw us, they ran up the stairs to a window so they could wave. We were every bit as happy to see them—to smile, wave, and say hello—as they were to see us.

I also loved watching the women carry their babies on their backs while they worked. This little guy was Edmund, our driver’s son.

At the bus station, we saw two tiny babies nestled close to their beautiful mothers.

And this sweet little doll was blessed in Accra on the Sunday we attended church.

The children were a sweet and memorable part of our time in Ghana. Their curiosity, big brown eyes, and simple happiness found a permanent place in my heart.

Aubrey's First Week in Argentina

July 2026

It was so great to hear from Aubrey this week. I was feeling somewhat anxious about my girl and how she was adjusting to her new missionary life in a foreign country. Her time in the MTC definitely spoiled us because of Father's Day and the Fourth of July holidays, we were able to talk with her twice each week. Going a full seven days without hearing her voice—or knowing how she was feeling—was much harder than I expected.

Argentina is two hours ahead of us, so I loved waking up Wednesday morning to find an email waiting in my inbox. She sounded happy, positive, and like she was settling into her new life just fine.

Later that day, we were able to video chat with her as well. Seeing her smile and hearing about her first week in Argentina put this mom's heart at ease.

Here are a few pictures from our video call, along with her very first letter from Argentina.

Everyone was able to pop on for at least a hot minute and say hello. (Erin Noel too...but no picture) It's going to be tricky for Brian to join group calls because he is working at a hospital outpatient clinic as a Physical Therapy Assistant. So, he is with clients from 8-12 and 1-5 everyday. Luckily, Aubrey had a pretty flexable p-day today and was able to call Brian and I in the evening to visit a bit more.

July 15, 2026

TRAVEL DAY

The last days of the CCM (Missionary Training Center) were so fun and busy. I miss my district so much, rip.

I got a combined 5 hours of sleep Monday and Tuesday night. The plane ride from Mexico to Argentina was 9 hours, and it was actually so fun; it flew by. We had movies, music, meals, and got to talk the whole time! But I had to say bye to the Salta missionaries from my district, and that was really sad. I miss them. When we landed, we got to stay in a super nice hotel and had such a good breakfast, but I was lowkey freaking out about actually being a missionary. The CCM was awesome but nothing like actual missionary work.

ARGENTINA

We went to the mission home Wednesday and got to meet our trainers. My trainer is the absolute best ever. She is a grinder. She is so dedicated and a hard worker, and she has taught me so much. I feel so bad because I know barely any Spanish, so I am no help. She has been so patient and serves me every day. When I got here, she got me a basket and a welcome sign. She makes us food, she buys me facturas, and is so encouraging and answers my 1000+ Spanish questions. My favorite part about her is that she is bold and not ashamed. She will baja la cañe, no shame.

Updates

-The food is so good. I can't stop eating. The facturas, empanadas, bread, alfajores, mate, literally everything is so good. I genuinely eat wayyy too much.

-The sidewalks and roads are not smooth at all, and I keep tripping. The other day,we thought we would be time efficient and cross the railroads. We practically climbed a mountain and were tumbling down the side

- I went on an intercambio (where you switch companions for the day), and I was with a solo Spanish speaker. It was a long day of trying to come up with words I knew to talk to her. Shoutout to the EI test at the CCM for helping me have 1 minute responses about movies, family, books, etc

-On my first actual day, I started by saying "Podemos compartir una tarjeta de Jesucristo". It felt like such a big deal. Now, a week later, I am talking so much more. I help in lessons, try to add a new contacting line every day, testify, pray, etc. I want to learn so badly. Never in my life have I had such a desire to learn. I want so badly to share with the people where they can find joy and learn more about Jesus. It has been hard not understanding or being able to say what I want to say. I'd greatly appreciate prayers about me learning Spanish.

-I love all of our friends and members. I'll tell y'all about two of them.

Ramiro-He is a convert of 8 months and speaks English and is in his 20s. He is so willing to help and learn, and we are working with him on reading The Book of Mormon and going to the temple. The other day we made a bet that we would read more chapters of the BOM out loud in Spanish than him. This way we could get better at Spanish, and he could read more. The loser had to buy the other facturas. He stayed up all night and got so far. And then he slept through church, so it kinda backfired lol.

-We met Carlos on my first day here and stacked a fetcha with him. He has had us over for lessons twice, and it is so cute. He sets up a table with tea, crackers, facturas, and makes sure that his sister comes over so we can go in. Sometimes we have friends who are more interested in the company rather than the gospel which sucks, we might have to drop him (move on to find others more interested) if he doesn't come to church this week so 

Speaking of that, asistencias are the death of me. Pretty much we work hard and have so much hope and so many friends all week, but if they don't come to church we have to decide if we are dropping them. This week only 1 of our 5, CONFIRMED btw, friends came. It was really sad cause that sets the work back a lot. But it was a miracle. We woke up to everyone saying they weren't coming or ignoring us. It was really defeating. We said probably 10 prayers together before church at 10am, walked and knocked on their doors, and we walked into church and Ivan was there!!!! We were so surprised and happy. God hears prayers and answers them. My testimony on that has already grown so much.

Spiritual Thought

President Fewkes, my mission leader,  gave a fire message on our first day. He said there are two big questions as a missionary.

Are you willing to leave everything behind?

Are you willing to give everything?

He said y'all have already left your family and friends and life and country. Give everything. I love this so much. We have focused so much on consecrating our time and going to work. I have the unique opportunity to focus on others and serve them and my Savior for 18 months. I am grateful for that. I can't wait to give everything I have, forget myself, improve, and show others the love and joy this gospel brings.

Alma 26:12

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

Love Y'all

Nos vemos pronto

Ps My p-day (preparation day) is Monday but got moved to today because of the World Cup semi-final game. Vamos Argentina

Idk if I want Argentina to win or lose. If they win, it will be hard to talk to anyone, especially with another game on Sunday. If they lose, we might have to stay in cause we are white, and there might be some chaos. So kinda a lose-lose situation. 

Hermana Naulder from Rupert, Idaho 

Her p-day will usually be on Monday, but her mission leaders moved it to Wednesday and gave them permission to gather as zones to watch the game. Argentina did win against England and the final game will be on Sunday against Spain. The missionaries had to gather 10 days of food so they would be prepared for chaos/unrest if Argentina lost. I'm sure they will need to do that this weekend as well.

The other missionary she went out with for a day.

Brian and I were laughing so hard listening to Aubrey talk about all the food she's been eating. Brian finally joked, "What have you done with my daughter?" 😂

Anyone who knows Aubrey knows she would have never tried a dish like the one above at home. Her list of foods she didn't like was always a mile long! But during our phone call this week, she excitedly told us about several foods she's discovered she loves—different meats, onions, sauces, and other things she would have completely avoided before. I'm happy to see her becoming more adventurous. I know when I served a mission and had members feed us dinner, I realized I actually liked a lot more variety than I thought.

I know mission life will stretch her in so many ways. I am glad she has a trainer she loves and had a good first week in the field.

Making Time for Friends

July 11, 2026

Tonight was our third game night together over the past several months, and I hope it's a tradition that continues. We used to gather with friends when our kids were little, and I think life got too busy during their teen years to keep it going. It's been fun to start up again. 

February gathering at the Winfreys: Kara & Ryan Thompson, Debbie Carlston, Natalia Winfrey, Dave C., Mike W., me and Brian

Our little group is made up of the Relief Society presidency and our spouses. It's one of those combinations where everyone just clicks. (We were a little surprised by that, to be honest. The ladies are friends— but not besties, and we didn't know it would work so well with our husbands.) 

Conversation is easy, laughter comes naturally, and nobody has to work hard to keep things going. We all happen to be about the same age, enjoy playing games, and have a lot of shared experiences, which makes getting together simple and fun.

We've played all sorts of games: Taboo, Compatability, The Newlywed Game, The Sock Game, Wavelink, Clairvoyance and more.

Everyone brings snacks to share (although one time we made it a dinner night), and we probably eat too much. Between the friendly competition, the stories, and the laughter, the evenings are a lot of fun--it's good for my soul.

I'm grateful for these couples. They make ordinary evenings memorable and remind me that it is important to make time for relationships. Here's to many more game nights

Our Ghana Adventure: Day One

April 2026

We spent 10 days in Ghana, and I don't even know where to begin. It was such a different world from anything I have experienced. The people were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and I always felt safe.

Accra, the capital city, was loud, busy, and full of energy. There were cars everywhere, constant honking, people filling the sidewalks, and countless small shops lining the streets. Many of the gutters were open, so when we were walking, there was occasionally unpleasant smells. Also, the air was often filled with exhaust from the heavy traffic.

Traffic laws seemed to be followed... loosely. Everyone drove on the correct side of the road and generally obeyed traffic lights, but beyond that, drivers seemed to communicate almost entirely through honking their horns and confidently squeezing into any available space. Somehow, it all worked.

In some areas we saw women and children begging or selling items along the roads. Our driver told us that most were not Ghanaian and explained that some had been trafficked from neighboring countries. Later, I read more about the situation and learned that while human trafficking and child labor is a real problem in the region, many of the women and children are also families who have migrated from northern countries because of poverty, conflict, or instability. It was sobering to think about.

 

One of my favorite parts of riding through Ghana was simply looking out the window. There was always something unexpected to see. At one point, we passed a man standing beside a busy street, casually talking on his cell phone while hanging out with his cow.

The vehicles were interesting too. We saw cars, vans, and trucks packed to the brim, carrying just about anything and everything imaginable. It was amazing what people could transport with a little creativity and determination.

We stayed in Accra's business district, just a few blocks from the temple. Our Airbnb had a beautiful view of the city, and it was a nice (air conditioned!) place to come back to after exploring each day.

On our first evening in Accra, we went to a local market and a few neighborhood shops to buy bottled water and breakfast supplies. I was hot, thirsty and beat from our Senegal flight, but I was also so interested in the sights and sounds around me. 

This is Monique. She is a member and has a hair shop on one of the main streets. Parker said the missionaries would stop by and visit her if they were in the area. She was so surprised to see Parker. She jumped up from her seat and started screaming and crying. It was pretty starteling and cute.

This is a family who from his ward who lives near the main street. They helped us buy fresh eggs from their neighbor and gave us grocery shopping advice.

One of my favorite parts of that evening was seeing Parker so happy to be back in Ghana. He was confident and comfortable and just seemed at home. It made me look forward to our Ghana adventures even more.