Some Stories and thoughts

This week has been powerful. The Lord has definitely showed his hand (But not in a cool Brother of Jared kind of way but you know what I mean). Every Day is super busy and packed and not long enough for all the investigators Elder Harris and I have. Agona is so buzzed our branch now has exactly 90 members with 5-6 more coming in the next month. We will definitely hit a hundred soon. Recently we found out that we have been put on the list to get a building! For right now we are meeting in a an old school house. The deal for a building is to have over 80 members present each Sunday and 40% tithing for 2 years. So I will never see it is a missionary but it will come! The members are super excited about the work.

Our Mission President really stressing the importance of teaching lessons with a member present. This past weeks we had 26! In one day we had 11 lessons out of 9 hours of proselyting! I am very blessed with success. To put the name of the The Church out and bring people we thought about what we did to bring people at home: Basketball! We found an old tennis court with a stick and found a ring that could be a basketball hoop. So we asked around and prayed for someone who could weld a basketball hoop. Basically, through a big effort with some branch young men we have a hoop, a backboard, a pool and paint for the court. We should be putting it up soon. It should bring a lot of youth in just teaching them how to play and then inviting them to church! But don't worry Dad, it won't be like the baseball baptisms in England. These will be solid.

The other day we had a district activity and we watched a movie about The Willie Handcart Company called "17 Miracles. Wow, powerful movie. It is even cooler that it is about our ancestors. I would definitely suggest watching it. I hope you are all doing well! Ghana is a great place to be right now. It looks like you guys are having a fun. Summer has come. Do you guys have any summer plans? Don't have too much fun without me :). I hope letter writing is ok. I just don't have enough time for email.

SOME STORIES

In Ghana on the sides of streets there are gutters about 3 feet deep. They are kind of the worst plan ever because they just fill up with trash and urine and . . . other bodily excretes. Every once in a while there is enough rain that the gutters overflow and flood the street. One particular day we were caught in a especially bad storm in a city called Takoradi after a District Meeting. The water in the street was about 1-2 feet deep and just smelled terrible. But I am used to bad smells. We were walking on the "sidewalk" (A narrow strip next to shops) and we wanted to cross to the other street. We turned and at the last second some people shouted to stop and they were just laughing. Next moment we were 3 feet down in the gutter the water was a foul smelling brown now black death flowed up to the surface around us. Boy did we get out of there quick! The funniest part about it was all the people on the whole street was it coming and died laughing. The whole way down the street people were just laughing and I just did a little queen wave. I looked like "oh yeah. I totally meant to fall in that gutter".

Over the past few weeks I have been able to give and witness many baptismal invitations. They are my favorite because the spirit is so strong there. We have been fortunate not to have a no yet. But I have noticed there are three ways to say yes. The first is kind of like a "uh, of course!" They already know they want to be baptized and is an easy answer. The second is a reluctant yes. They say yes, but they really don't know if they want to or if it is right. I have only gotten one of those and they are disappointing a little bit and it just means we need to work with them more. The third is the best. It is when they pause, think about it and whisper a solid yes. That is when the spirit is the strongest and it si hitting them what they are saying yes to. I love teaching and giving the gospel to people. I love the transformation people have when they find the truth. This work is so true and I am so glad to be a part of it Everyone needs to go on a mission.

SCRIPTURE THOUGHTS

Alma 7:23-25 "And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works. And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with ^aAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments ^bspotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.
Invitation
Be humble, submissive, gentle, full of patience and long suffering, temperate, faithful, hopeful, always abounding in good works
Blessing
Your garments will be made spotless
You can hang out with Isaac and abraham and Jacob and Gordon B. Hinkley and Joseph Smith and Ammon!
THAT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD IDEA!

2 Nephi 31:10 (Shall we be willing to Keep The Commandments of the Father?)
"And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?"