Aboni eta sin? Interpretation: (white people how are you?)

Aboni eta sin?

Interpretation: (white people how are you?)

So how was everyone’s week? It still sounds like everyone is super busy with school and basketball and everything else that is going on. For me and Elder Wing we have been busy right along with all of you. We have been all over our area this week visiting members that have fallen back small.  Our ward has a hard time doing their home teaching so a lot of the people stop coming to church when the missionaries finish the lessons. Our Bishops has asked us to go and see some of the less active people and try to work with them small again and get them back to church. For the most part it has been a great thing; we have found lots of new people as we have taught the less active members.

Two weeks ago we contacted this man named Frank. The main reason we contacted him was the shoes he was wearing. He was wearing some kind of Doc. Martins like the ones I used to wear back home. It was really random but whatever starts up a conversation and gets people talking we will use. Frank lives up on the hill and we contacted him as he was on his way home one day and he gave us his number and told us to call him. We called him like everyday for a week and his phone was either off or he didn’t answer. On Friday we went to a couple of appointments that fell through and we were near where we met Frank the first time, so we deiced to give it one more try and by the grace he answered. He came and met us and took us to his place which turned out to be just a bunch of blocks stacked up with a roof. He explained to us how he has wanted to come to the Church of Jesus Christ for a long time, but he just never knew how to do it or how to join. Elder Wing and I looked at each other and smiled and I told him that we can help you with that but first you have to be baptized. He accepted and then he wanted to know if it would be alright if he brought his whole family. Of course we said “yes”.  We are blessed to be able to continue to work with him this up coming week. 

As a young boy all the way up to leaving on a mission I enjoyed looking at the plaques of the missionaries to see where they were serving and to see what the flag looked like and the shape of the country they were in. I would also take the time to read the scripture they had engraved on them but I was more interested in where they were serving.  I haven’t seen the one in the Highland 10th ward case that say's Elder Berry with the red, yellow and green flag with a black star in the middle and the small picture of the wonderful African country of Ghana. I hope that when you boys walk down the hall and see the plaques that you will look forward to the time when your plaque is hanging up in that case which represents your willingness to serve the Lord.  I would like to talk about the scripture that I chose to be have on my plaque; a scripture that has been in the family, and has been taught by our loving parents. The scripture is one of mom’s favorites and its
Doctrine & Covenants 130:19-21. 

19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
 20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

I have learned a lot from being on a mission and serving with many different companions and people from countries around the world. If there is one thing that is consistently the same, other than the truthfulness of the gospel, is what this scripture in section 130 teaches us.  And that is all blessing that we receive come by obedience to laws. As missionaries, we have such a high law and high expectations that we are to live by. I have seen missionaries who choose to live them and I have seen missionaries who choose not to, and I have even seen missionaries who go beyond the mark. I have seen the difference in all of them and even at times in my own life as a missionary.

One of Satans’ traps is to have us believe that unquestioning obedience to the principles and commandments of God is blind obedience. His goal is to have us believe that we should be following our own worldly ways and selfish ambitions. This he does by persuading us that “blindly” following the prophets and obeying the commandments is not thinking for ourselves.

We are always having people tell us that drinking is not bad because it’s a choice and God has giving us freedom to choose.  Satan teaches that it is not intelligent to do something just because we are told by a living prophet or by prophets who speak to us from the scriptures.  Our unquestioning obedience to the Lord’s commandments is not blind obedience. We have to explain to people why as members of God’s church that we don’t do some of the things that other people do. We explain that we are not obedient because we are compelled to be obedient. We are obedient because we know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of our own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. … We are not obedient because we are blind; rather we are obedient because we can see. I know that we are not perfect. I am far from it but I do know that as we try and do our BEST to be obedient to the covenants that we have made, God will bless us. I know this to be true.

Obedience along with most things in the gospel goes back to faith. When we use our faith to be obedient we can call this “faith obedience.” There are many examples of “faith obedience” in the scriptures. With faith, Abraham was obedient in preparing Isaac for sacrifice; with faith, Nephi was obedient in obtaining the brass plates; with faith, Samuel the Laminite was obedient and went back in to the city to cry repentance. “Faith obedience” is a matter of trust. The question is simple: Do we trust our Heavenly Father? Do we trust our prophets? Do we trust our priesthood leaders? Do we trust our parents?

For me I have been working on my "faith obedience" most of my mission.  At times I have a hard time seeing why my leaders want me to do certain things and I often ask questions like “what is the point of doing that”.  I have found that my perspective is only what is right in front of me and I can’t see what is in store for me because my heart and mind is closed.  The Lord will always know what is best for me because his perspective is different. He can see everything.  Now it is up to me to act in “faith obedience” to have faith to always be obedient.

I just want everyone to know that I am doing fine! I have had my fair share of up's and downs with my health but I am doing as well as I ever have been. We will keep fighting the storm to get through to the other side. I want to thank all of you for your support! I wish you all the best and I love you!

Love bbear