Carry the Book of Mormon

(2/23/15)

Looks like the cafe is working this week! First off, before I move on, I wanted to mention to the Tucker's that their friends are area couples here in Ghana. Elder and Sister Sander's! We spent some good time together following the hospital trip with the sister in our zone.

Second I got a phone call from Elder Grissignon, sister Barbara got baptized! Not sure if I mentioned it before, but I was stoked! She is the one that we met in the most odd way. Her sister, Comfort, was a ward missionary in Kwabenya and she was teaching some people with us. We called her to go one day and she told us she had sprained her ankle (only those words aren't in Ghana so she told us that her foot had broken haha) and wanted us to give her a blessing. When we showed up, her sister was sitting there and had some questions. We explained the Priesthood (mostly in Twi and small small english with the help of Comfort) and how the blessing works. After the blessing, Barbara had questions and was excited to learn with us and visit the church. As time went on her husband gave wahala. He has some serious addiction issues and is somehow losing his mind. Not sure why, but in Ghana wonderful people sometimes have the worst family situations, just like Barbara. Well, she kept trying to come from time to time and even supported us as we helped to move Comfort out of the house (for safety issues, one day I'll explain more, but let this suffice). The day I left she was super sad, and so was I. It hurt to leave during such difficult times. I was still praying for the family after we left and now she is a member! Keep her in your prayers, she is a good woman and has a wonderful heart :)

Third awesome thing, I was calling some of my recent converts and seeing how life was, helping them to keep progressing. I remembered that some of them are over and nearly over one year, meaning they can be endowed. I am trying to arrange for Kafui Sevor-Gbanglo to be prepared (another difficult family situation). I was calling Esinam, remember her? The miracle baptism, with Ceaser, in the dark in Ho? As we talked about endowment she paused and said 'OO I tried to call you! I was endowed this week!!!' Man it was the coolest thing ever to hear that! She is awesome and is progressing so well! That day was a tiring one and to have that phone call made everything seem so worth it! :)

We read a quote in church about Mother Theresa and her work in Calcutta. It was in the teachings of President E T B. She noted how her work was about love, not about statistics, in reply to a reporter telling her that 'Statistically you are accomplishing nothing'. This work never has been and never will be about the numbers. Those just show us where to focus our efforts. This work is concerned with the Individual, as President Hinckley once taught.

We followed the advice of Sister W. Van Wagoner, and tried carrying a Book of Mormon in the hands, not just in the bag, this week. Last monday we were going to contact and got rejected a lot, so we decided to go to where the light was on in Community 4. We talked with an old man, John Addo, and showed him the Book and immediately he asked us to sit down. Then as we said amen a man walked by and Elder Ezieme talked to him, his name is Sammy. He doesn't go to church!!! So we have met with him twice and he is sweet! His issue is time, he works sundays and so he could only get time to come to the 1st service and still he would have to leave early. Hoping that he has that faith to come for the first service, worth it to go to church twice if he will come!

So try it out, carry around a copy of the Book of Mormon. Not just on the phone, but out where people can see and ask about it. You may be surprised who God puts in the path :) Thanks Sister Van Wagoner!

I love you all from Ghana and back and to eternity!

Elder Van Wagoner