Patrick Asked the Golden Question to the Missionaries

The way the missionary program works is that missionaries approach people not of our faith and ask them the golden questions.  What do you know about the Church?  Would you like to know more?  In  Patrick Appianti-Sarpong's case, he asked them?

 Mathias Eguko and Patrick Appianti-Sarpong (Patrick is Mathias's assistant at the MTC and supervises the teachers and arranges for all the missionaries' needs - an essential job)

Here is his conversion story:

Patrick is from Kumasi.  At the end of three years of boarding school he went home to Kumasi and saw a new church building being constructed near his home. He approached the builders and asked them what they were building.  He thought that was nice and that he would like to attend that church.  He was with two friends, so they all concluded that it would be great to have a church nearby where there is alot of singing and dancing (as they do in other churches)  Well when they finished the Church and when he passed by, it was quiet inside even though cars were parked outside.  Patrick had researched a little about the Church and knew to wear a white shirt.  So he visited the Church and because of his white shirt the members did not know he was an investigator.  He approached the missionaries because he thought they were resource people with name tags.  (Elders Lawson and Thomson).  Because he did not stay all the time in Kumasi (his Dad lived in Tema), he lost contact with each pair of missionaries that taught him and in two years went through 4 or 5 sets of elders.  He did read up to Alma 5 after his first meeting with the first two missionaries because they gave him a Book of Mormon.  In Tema while driving down Hospital Road, he spotted the Church in Tema and was pleased to have found the Church in Tema as well.

Patrick was baptized in 2005 after having been proactive and having introduced himself to missionaries each time he got back to Church.  He was finally taught by Elder Wama and Elder Terangi (who performed the baptism).

As a young convert preparing to serve a mission, Patrick accompanied the Elders to visit recent converts.  One of them had a less active daughter named Elizabeth.  Not only did he reactivate her, but wrote her on his mission and they were married on January 1, 2011 (sealed on January 4, 2011).  His mission was from November 2007 to November 2009.

Patrick and Elizabeth have a 5 month old son named Yaw (he was born on a Thursday).  Yaw is the name of Patrick's father, so the baby is called Papa Yaw.

Elizabeth, Patrick and Yaw