GILBERT....HIS LIFE FOREVER CHANGED

Elder Denny Blodgett
13 hours ago
6 min read

Last Sunday was a very special day for Jill and I. She wrote about it in her weekly email to the family. I have some pictures below showing a young man that we met a few months ago and now his life is changed forever. His name is Gilbert Azeborah. He is from Ghana and this is his story….from my point of view. He is 19 years old. He needed a job and was out looking for one…..the unemployment rate here in Ghana for this age group is 40%. Jobs are hard to find. He walked by our gate that protects our street and our homes. He asked Eric, who was the head security guard, if there were any job opportunities. Eric told him he would ask…..and low and behold, they offered Gilbert a job. He is one of our security guards. It is not an ideal job, but it is a job and he is grateful to have it. He works very hard…..mostly in the night…..as he is going to college during the day. He thinks he was guided to this street. Why? We now know why?

This particular street in Accra…..has four houses that are owned by the Church. One home is where the Mission Leaders of the Accra East Mission live. One home is where the Area Communications / Temporal Affairs Director lives. He is a very powerful man in Western Africa for the Church. Everything regarding temporal affairs goes through him. Everything regarding communication goes through him. He and his family live down the street from us. Another home is where the Mission Leaders of the Accra West Mission live. And then there is our home…..which is also the office for the Accra West Mission. That is a lot of church members within a few houses of each other. And members of the church that have some major callings right now. I personally think it is very unusual to have so many of us on the same street.

One day Jill was walking through the gate and Gilbert asked her if she had anything he could read. She said yes…..she was inspired.....and brought him a copy of the Book of Mormon. But she also came with an assignment….. and give him a few scriptures to look up. He did look them up….. wrote a paragraph or so on what he learned….. and then gave her back the paper which said, “assignment done”. A few days later, Jill then gave him a copy of the Liahona. He enjoyed that. He then began asking some questions, and one day asked if he could go to church. The Beeson’s, Mission Leaders of the East Mission, took him to church. Keep in mind, this area we live in is not a part of our mission. It is the East Mission. Gilbert enjoyed church very much and said to Jill, “this is a day I will never forget”. He felt something he had never felt before. And, of course, it did help that he was escorted to church by President and Sister Beeson. He also was introduced to Elder Ojediran of the Area Presidency, the Accra Temple President, and the wife of Elder Morrison of the Area Presidency, and many members of the YSA class….where he was able to see many kids his age. The next Sunday, Jill and I took him. And we have been with him several times at church. He has not missed a Sunday in the last 9 weeks. He loves going to church. I don’t blame him…..why not go to church and see people that are friendly and kind and you feel the spirit……with the other option being…..just standing outside at your post as a security guard?

Three Sundays ago, after church, two missionaries came up to us and asked if the following Sunday would be a good day for us…..to have Gilbert’s baptism. We were surprised as we did not know he was talking that much to the missionaries. Because of his job, he does not have time to leave work or meet with anyone…..so they did much of the teaching online. We said, YES, of course. And then for the following week, Jill and I did what we could to prepare him for his baptism.....mostly Jill. She talked with him every day. Sunday came and it was a special day. It was a day.... “I will never forget”. And we could see the light in Gilbert’s eyes as he sat and waited for his turn to be baptized. You can see his beautiful smile below. And then afterwards, he was on cloud nine. He told his Mother…..and she approved because she was so happy he was going to church. Tomorrow will be two weeks since his baptism and he will be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood.

It says in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 20:37, “And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism…..All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve Him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into His church”. I have learned over the many years in the church and with many callings, that it is not up to me or anyone…. to determine if someone knows enough about the church from a doctrinal standpoint in order for them to become a member. The knowledge of the doctrine will come as they feel the spirit in their lives and listen to the gift of the Holy Ghost, which they have received. Their testimony and knowledge will come. The desire to be baptized is all they need. And that is what Gilbert had…..the desire…..and he said to Jill, “I have made the right decision, and I feel good about my baptism”. Now his life has changed forever…..and he has a renewed hope…..a purpose. Elder Mensah, the Area Director of Temporal Affairs, confirmed him a member of the church and blessed him that one day he would prepare himself to serve a mission and share with others the light and knowledge he now has. That brought tears to my eyes. Jill and I know that a mission would even change his life even more than he can imagine. If we had no other reason to come to Ghana…..it would have been to meet Gilbert…..introduce him to the Book of Mormon and the Church….. and watch the change that is taking place in his life. One person at a time. That is how the Lord is “gathering Israel”.

In addition to the excitement around Gilbert’s baptism, we had MLC, which is where all the leaders of the mission come into the Mission Home for training. We also had “First Transfer Training”, which is where all of the new missionaries that came six weeks ago and their Trainers come in for training. We have the pleasure of feeding them breakfast and hanging out with them most of the day. Our mission responsibilities continue……even though it may seem to you that we do a lot of the same things over and over again. We do. But with different missionaries and there are plenty of new experiences we get to enjoy with each of the passing weeks…..Gilbert being just one of them.

My final thought is that in a world with a lot of problems, a lot of sadness, loneliness, fear, and difficult situations we all go through……isn’t it nice to feel the love of the Savior in our lives? He can give us comfort through the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. We just need to keep praying and keep asking for help and relief. It will come. Heavenly Father hears those prayers and understands their needs. He and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Jesus Christ, have promised help. Jesus gave this promise: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” I feel the Savior’s love in my life. I know you can feel it also. And now Gilbert is feeling something he never knew existed….. and he is a very happy young man. His future…..and all of ours….is very bright. As President Monson once said, “Your future is only as bright as your faith.”

Gilbert.....feeling pretty good right now !!! He is a very well-mannered young man and is kind and thoughtful. His mother taught him well. President and Sister Campbell in the background.