This week was nuts, really up and down. Down because we had like 30+ appointments that failed and up because everything else is just simply amazing. Things are going so well right now I just can’t believe it which only means I will probably be transferred this week. Every time I go into an area and get things moving I get transferred so I will probably be transferred this week. The Lord has his way of keeping me humble.
This week I gave instruction on how to be a successful missionary. That is always a good topic to go over every now and then because Preach My Gospel says that a successful missionary is based on how committed you are personally to helping people to come unto Christ, be baptized and endure to the end. It doesn’t say that a successful missionary is measured by how many lessons are taught or how many people are baptized. In my mission I have been able to baptize quite a few people, so does that mean I am a good missionary? Maybe, maybe not because most of the things that make a good missionary go can’t be measured by numbers. Yes in my mission baptisms will come pretty easy no matter what happens because the Lord has prepared the people of Ghana to accept the gospel. At the end of the day if I am tired because I have worked as smart as I can and as hard as I can without teaching a single lesson then I consider that a good day. Why? Be cause sweet is the work! Sweet is the Lords work!
This week was ruff because of all our failed appointments, but I was tired at the end of each day. Usually we teach so much that most of our time is sitting, but this week the Lord saw something that I didn’t. Instead of teaching we were all over the place contacting and meeting old investigators and teaching members about missionary work and giving referrals. I believe that the Lord was showing us who we need to focus on this upcoming month in order to help our investigators be baptized. Yesterday we had nine people come to church and more of Kwamie Martison’s family. (The man I contacted a while back.)
This transfer has flown by. The past six weeks we have come a long way and now we are pretty set for plenty of people to be baptized in August, which means I will probably get transferred. We should be getting transfers notices tomorrow so I guess we will see if I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor one more time in Teshie!
So this week when we were doing some contacting after our failed appointments, we met these kids that were coming to eat a cat!! Yes, a CAT! So my companion and I decided to wait small and watch them kill this cat and cook it over the fire. WARNING any one who loves cats stop reading and remember where I am now. Animals have no rights in Ghana. So these kids killed this cat by cutting its throat and then cooked it over an open fire. This was probably one of the funniest and most horrible things that I have seen since coming here. But we got to do what we got to do to chop. I put some pictures of this on the web thing. So again view at your own risk. Just in case you were wondering, cat doesn’t taste as good as dog. Dog is really good it is probably my meat of choice now in Ghana!
In my Book of Mormon reading I have been all over the place studying things that will help resolve the concerns of my people. This week I was reading in Alma 13, verse 27. This has been going through my head now for a while. This scripture describes how I feel as a missionary for my people that I am teaching.
Verse 27 says "and now my brethren I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto PAIN, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance”.
As a missionary it PAINS me when people just don’t care, or wont do anything about what they know to be true.
Verse 28 “but that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord and call on His holy name and watch and pray continually that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear and thus be led by the holy spirit becoming humble meek submissive patient full of love and all long suffering”.
So the part that has been in my mind a lot lately is the part where it says that we need to pray continually that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear. So for us it is possible that we can be tempted above that which we can bear; however, our Heavenly Father will always provide away for us to escape temptation to a point, but it is when we get so far into sin and doing wrong things that we are tempted above our ability to which we can bare. So it is import for us to pray and make good choices so the small, small things don’t lead into BIG things that we can’t bear.
Verse 29 says “Having faith on the lord; have a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of god always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.
Faith is something that is hoped for but is not seen. We can’t see the kingdom of God but we can HOPE for it, and that hope will drive us to do what is right. Faith is the first principle of the gospel because we first have to develop faith or hope of those wonderful things to come. What’s the point to follow something if it is not there? For me I know that it is there. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, and I know that this is the only true church on the face of the earth.
One might ask how you know. Well I know because I have prayed and I have re-prayed and I am still praying and every time the answer is the same and it comes though the Holy Ghost. There is no doubt in my mind.
This weekend I have been kind of down on my self because I just have this feeling that I am probably leaving and as you can tell I don’t really want to leave. I love it here. This morning I was reading the talk by Elder Nelson and he quotes President Monson and this quote helped me out. "Brothers and sisters fear not, be of good cheer, the future is as Bright as your FAITH.” Its time that I face what is coming next with faith so that my future can be as bright as I am willing to let it be!
Joseph smith went in to the grove with faith that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were real and he came out with that perfect knowledge that they are living! Until I have that perfect knowledge I guess I will just keep doing what I need to do since it will probably take me the rest of my life to gain that perfect knowledge. It sure would make the world a better place if everyone had a little more faith.
Well sorry to ramble on. This letter probably doesn’t even make any sense. Ha-ha Sorry for that but anyway have a good week. I love you guys you are all the best.
Thanks for EVERYTING!
Love Bbear
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