Always Follow Your Promptings. It is God Helping You To Do The Right Thing.

We held three Multi-Zone Conferences this week for 8 Zones.  It is so much fun to see all of the missionaries in a short period of time.  It helps when we go back to back to back to remember their names and put those names with their faces.  170 missionaries is a lot to remember.  I love their enthusiasm and their love for each other.  Jill and I actually did one of the workshops for the Zone Conferences this time around.  The title of our presentation was “Where Did All My Money Go?”  We had some fun slides and comments about how to budget your money and how to protect it from getting stolen.  We have had 10 missionaries in the last two months get money stolen or lost…..and even one had their bank account drained by someone who figured out his pin number somehow. So, we talked to them about helping their money to last longer and more importantly, how to keep it safe.  Jill showed a video clip on self-reliance and how to get the Savior involved in money issues "through prayer". We are trying to teach them self-reliance and how they can be resourceful and budget their time and money…..something that will help them when they go back home…..and for the rest of their lives.  If these missionaries, especially the ones from Africa, can learn self-reliance…..it will be a blessing to them and their families and their communities in the years to come.

I wanted to mention one experience I had this week regarding sharing the gospel and our message of Christ. It involves a prompting I received. After being here four months, I have seen only three fast-food restaurants that are from the United States.  I have had pizza at Pizza Hut, chicken at Kentucky Fried Chicken, but no burger at Burger King.  Those are the only three fast food places that we have in the states that are here in Ghana.  I never really ate at Burger King back home, but after seeing it so many times here…..I was prompted to go and get a burger.  I passed up the one by our home but was at the Mall and saw another one and again was prompted to go inside and see how the burger would taste.  I ordered my food from a young lady and sat down. When my order was ready, the shift Manager called me up and gave me my food personally but also wanted to talk to me about who I was.  He saw my missionary badge, white shirt, etc. when I ordered the food. He now looked at me, (in front of his colleagues) and said, “I would like to know more about your church”.  I pointed to my badge and said, “this church?”  He said, yes. I asked if he knew much about it…..he said "no.  I want to learn more about it”. I asked if I could get his name and number and I would have the missionaries call him and set up an appointment.  He said he would like that. I looked him in the eyes and said, “this church could change your life more than you can even imagine. It has changed my life for good”.  He smiled and I smiled back…..he was kind and very sincere, and I do think he has a genuine interest in learning more.  I plan on going to his first meeting with the missionaries and sit in on their discussion.  I don’t think we are prompted many times to get a burger at Burger King.....I know I’m not.  I don’t even go there in the States.  But for this week, I was prompted, and I am glad I followed through.  Only time will tell if it leads to something. 

Let me share one other experience a sister going home next week shared with us. She has given me permission to share her story.  It is also about a prompting she felt as they were walking the streets in her area.  On this day, all 7 of their planned lessons fell through.  These are her words.

 “When our plans fell through, that means God has other plans for us.  As we prayed for guidance as to what to do next, we began walking down the road and I glanced over and saw

an old man sitting on the steps to his door.  I thought, not him, he’s too old, let’s keep walking. Then a voice came into my mind, “He needs the gospel too, go and talk to him right now”.  We had already passed by him, so I am thankful of the prompting, and we headed back to meet him. We introduced ourselves, asked for a minute of his time, and took our seat.  During the next 30 minutes we shared the most powerful lesson ever in our small, small English so he could understand the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ.  I felt the spirit so strongly and so did my companion and our new friend said he would come to church the next Sunday.  He also said he wanted to be a part of the "true church" of Jesus Christ.  He was a man of his word.  He showed up at 7:00 am sharp for church…..he did not want to be late.  Every single Sunday for the following weeks and months, he was there early in the morning before anyone else.  I have never met a man of such great faith in all my life.  He had been seeking for the truth for many, many years….. stopped going to his own church many years ago…..and was praying to God to help him know what to do.  Our visit with him was an answer to his prayers. In the next two months, he read the entire Book of Mormon.  The more he read the more he was afraid he was going to die before he could get baptized because he knew baptism was so important and essential to God’s plan. He was soon baptized and has attended church every Sunday since last March.  This good man has changed his life and is now inviting other members of his family, friends, and neighbors, to do the same.  He is eagerly searching for family ancestors to do their work in the temple.  He is one of the brightest lights of my life.  He has changed my life and has taught me so many lessons of life just being around him. I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father led me to Brother Mensah. I was given permission to go back to my old area and say goodbye to Brother Mensah this last week.  I met him on the same steps I met him months earlier.  I shared my appreciation for him and said goodbye for the last time. But he looked at me and said, “ Yebesan in Heaven (which means we will return or we will come back)..... We will meet in the Celestial Kingdom.  I know it’s true”.  His conversion has strengthened my own. He is incredible. I hope and pray that I can develop faith and determination to serve God the way he has”.  A picture of Brother Mensah is below. 

What we have loved most about our Mission is the stories and experiences we continue to hear from our missionaries.  Jill receives one conversion experience from each missionary the week before they go home.  It could be their own conversion or the conversion of someone they met. They are the ones out in the trenches doing the work.  The are the ones looking into the eyes of the people that are looking for something else in their lives…..something that will bring purpose and hope. I know what that something is….. and I am very grateful that I have found it here on Earth.

Sharing it with others is what the Savior would want us to do.  The pictures and videos below are mostly just showing a week in the life of our Mission.  There is always so much going on…..the culture differences, the streets, the people, the poverty, the missionaries, the excitement, the enthusiasm, and yes, the faces of these wonderful people. We also have a beautiful picture of Brother Mensah and the Sister missionary that changed his life.....Sister Kendrick.

Still Hanging in There !!! And Jill with her new Dress that she had made.....and my matching Tie.

Two Competing Churches Singing.....I Think.....and Preaching during our Meetings.

I'm asking a Guy How Do they Know which Tro to take.....We see no Signs.....Just in Case We Want to Take a Tro sometime to See what it is like.

They sure do like the "peace" sign.

Patrick and his Daughter. He's a great man and a great help to us.

I Love the Primary.....and They Look like they are always having some fun.

When We are parked at a red light.....we see lots of kids begging for food or money. They do like their pictures taken and we show them and they just laugh.

Asian Food is good in any Country. This was a very nice restaurant called "Shogun".

This is right after Stake Conference. Either they are glad the meeting is over or they just want to let it all out. They love to sing and dance.

Here they are again. This was pretty funny.....but very fun.

Traffic Jams are in every city around the world. I like that we get to do some shopping while we wait. We have only purchased one thing.....and it broke.

The Tech Elders. I bought them some Hamburgers and Fries and they were happy.

Great sister Missionaries at one of the Zone Conferences.

Jill likes to talk to everyone.....which is what I also like to do. No sense standing around watching everyone and not engaging with the missionaries. Their stories and experiences are incredible.

This road was right out of the parking lot of a Stake Center. I wanted to walk the streets and see what was out here. The church property sticks out like a sore thumb.

This is more of the neighborhood around the Stake Center.

Same road.....someone asked me who I was. "Are you the Mission President?". No.....I'm just an old, white guy walking down the road. He laughed.

This looks familiar..... Mom with a broom cleaning up the floor.

More Sister Missionaries.

This is one of our gate guys. Jill gave him a book to read and he is liking it. He sits here all day long and wanted something to read.

Jill is out sporting her new skirt that she bought here in Ghana.

Young Men playing soccer. Not quite like the soccer fields in America. We get upset if we see brown spots on the grass or whether or not it is mowed. Not here.....they just love to play.

The guy on the left was tired. The woman on the right passed away and her family is announcing her memorial service. She was 97. I expect a huge billboard with my picture and details of my service when I die.....the sign says at the top....."A Celebration of Life".

This Elder on the left was getting tired.....his companion is huge and he is very small. They are having a great time together. Zone Conference in one of the Stake Centers. And Patrick works so hard, he does deserve a break once in a while.

They were playing a game..... that when they got the answer correct, they had to see who could make a basket first. The winning prize was lots of candy. And the games are fun after sitting a lot during the conference.

More of the same. I was holding up the backboard to make it easier to make a basket.

This Elder goes home this week to Kenya. He doesn't have anyone to go home to.....it breaks our hearts.....He has been a tremendous missionary.....and even learned English and passed what he needed to do to enroll in the Pathway Program. But He is alone and that is sad to us.

This Elder was gluing his shoe back together. He said they still have more time left on them.

They like Her. So Do I. We don't know what they think of us.....but I do think they like us here.

Training by the Sister Training Leaders and eating some Kentucky Fried Chicken at Lunch.

This is Brother Menseh and Sister Kendrick. She was prompted to approach him and it has changed his life forever. It has also been a huge blessing in the life of this Sister Missionary. She did what she came here to do.....bring others unto Christ.