GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE

We have been in Ghana for three weeks. We are finally feeling more comfortable as to what we are supposed to be doing and we feel much more comfortable driving. I posted a video below of one place we went this past week and to say the traffic is “congested” would be an understatement…..and how about the video with goats! Crazy. We just go slow, move into the congestion, and eventually make it through and on our way. It takes some getting used to for sure.

We had a lot of visitors this week to the Mission Office. There is a “Mission Leader Conference" held each month for all of the Zone Leaders, District Leaders, and Sister Training Leaders. It keeps us very busy, but we like hanging out with all of the missionaries.  Jill fixed breakfast for 24 people on Tuesday and then 16 people on Thursday. We just fix them pancakes (with chocolate chips of course), and then they have meetings until 3:00 at the Mission Home….lunch is served over there. It is easy to love these kids…..that is all they are…..19-22 year old kids.  But so powerful in their testimonies, their confidence in the work, and their desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with whomever they can. They are here because they chose to serve a mission and the Lord has sent them here to Ghana. They are definitely led by the spirit in the work they are doing. Because we spend so much time with them, we have had some great conversations. Here are a few examples. (1) I asked two of the sisters how they found people to teach?  Answer, “We don’t find them, they find us. They come up to us and ask if they can have a copy of that Book (the Book of Mormon).  And then we begin teaching them". (2)  I asked two Elders how they were doing in teaching the discussions and how many each week …. “We don’t have enough time to teach all the people that want to be taught in our area.  It is frustrating, but that is a good thing…..that we have so many people to teach. We are very busy". (3) On an exchange, an older Senior missionary began talking to everyone he saw or would engage with him, one of the young missionaries said to him, “that is not how we do it. We look around and see who might want to listen, we are guided by the spirit, we watch them for a few minutes, and then we go to them and ask “would you like to know more about Jesus Christ and the restoration of His church?” They say sure, and that is how they begin teaching. Finally, (4) Two sisters were teaching a woman and her family for the first time. As they began talking, a few minutes into their discussion, the woman said, “I saw the two of you in a dream. We were sitting under a Mango tree, like we are today, and you were talking to me”. She listened further to what they had to say, wanted to learn more, and after two months was baptized. These are the kinds of experiences these young people are having in a nation of very "christian oriented people" that love God. They want to talk about God, just like Nephi said in 2 Nephi 25:26…. “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins”.  Nephi also said, “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do”.

It has been a great week and even though we are busy, working 10 hours a day, it makes us feel good inside that we are doing something to contribute to the work in the Ghana Accra West Mission. Just think of 100,000 people just like us, serving in over 450 missions across the globe, speaking 150 languages, trying to spread the word of God to as many people as we can. 

There is not a better feeling. I just can’t express it well enough in words…..one has to just experience it themselves. And if you do……you will “feel” it.  I promise. 

The pictures below show more of the women walking with large containers on their heads, more pictures of missionaries, of women and their little kids, Jill out and about doing her thing with her beautiful smile, the crazy traffic jams, the goats standing along the road, and a picture and of the Accra Ghana Temple.  Have a great week. I love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know He loves each of you. Share that love with someone.....anyway you can. It will make your week !!!

Breakfast twice this week.

Love these pictures of women and their little ones.

Why Goats along side of the road?

Three Sister missionaries from the Ghana Accra East Stake

Jill doing her morning walk.....and the people are so friendly.

Crazy traffic jams

Woman we buy bagels from each Saturday.

Choose the Right !

The beautiful Accra, Ghana temple. The first one built in the west.

This woman actually wanted a picture with this strange, white woman that came to her church.

Our first Ghanaian food, cooked by the Mission President's cook. Chicken, rice, plantains, and vegetables. It was good.