Wishing everyone a beautiful Easter Sabbath!
This morning we were filled with the love of God and our Savior Jesus Christ as we pondered the true meaning of this wonderful day. Because our Savior suffered and died for us, we have the knowledge of a glorious ressurection for all! There is great hope and peace that comes from knowing we have the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. He offers all who come unto Him... hope, freedom from discouragement, relief from despair and pains of every kind. No challenge is too great for the Lord to guide and direct us, giving us understanding and comfort.
The Savior came to save others, not himself. We must likewise seek to save others! To reach out and find those who are suffering and need our kindness and love, offering our support and help. How we treat others, speak to others, interact with others, must be in a higher and holier way. We are called to find those searching for truth and invite all to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.
Visit from a King
Last week at General Conference, a special visitor from Ghana attended! He was recognized from the pulpit by Elder Rasband. His Majesty King Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse and President of the Ga Traditional Council of Accra, Ghana, visited the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 2-5, 2023. The Ga Mantse is greatly revered in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana and is one of the most prominent traditional rulers in this country. During his visit, he had the opportunity to tour Welfare Square and Brigham Young University, but the highlight of his visit came when attending the Church’s April 2023 General Conference and a meeting with the First Presidency.
Gã Mantse is the title of the Ghanaian king of the Gã State in the southern part of Ghana, where the Ga-Adangbe people dwell with Accra as the capital city. His role is to better the lives of the people, creating opportunity and equality, focusing on continued education and progress for his people.
This is a sweet video of The Ga Mantse's visit to Utah. We were thrilled to see Ghana represented in the Tabernacle Choir also! Tubo Oreriba Elisha Joseph was chosen to sing with the choir for conference.
The 2nd picture is Elder Nash, previous area president here in Ghana,
and our daughter-in-law Megan's uncle.
LIGHT IN THEIR EYES
There is a light in the eyes of the people in Ghana! There is much to be discouraged about in life. We see homelessness, hunger, illness, deformity and so much more all around us. Depsite this, the light in the eyes of everyone we meet is bright and radiant. A sweet mother with 3 boys has been living on the street just a few blocks from our apartment. After seeing them a couple of times as we were going to and from the office, I couldn't pass them by another time. My next time out, I prepared a bag of warm food and a few supplies with water and kleenex. I stopped and met Akusa (mom), Emmanuel (oldest boy about 11), Gilbert (middle boy about 9) and Christopher (the youngest about 4). Akusa is Pentecostal, a woman of faith. She has no home, no family to care for her, and has charge of her 3 young boys. My heart breaks for her. It is difficult to know what to do in these circumstances. But I do know how to show love, kindness, offer some food and supplies and a friendly wave as we go by.
We must always look around us! There are people waiting for our love!
MISSIONARIES in the AFRICA WEST AREA
Our official mission call is as legal missionaries in the Africa West Area. We have 17 countries within our area: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Western Sahara. We are offical in 12 of the 17 countries. We mostly see and associate with senior missionaries. This is mainly because we are in an Area assignment and not assigned to a particular mission. However, we just learned last week that we will be rolled into the Ghana Accra Mission for ocassional conferences and missionary related activities. It will be fun to see the young missionaries in action a little more!
Our cute sister missionaries, one from Nigeria and one from Ethiopia!
Gye Nyame indicates the recognition of the supremacy of God over all beings, and therefore is the one that is feared and revered by all. This is one of the many Adinkra symbols of West Africa, Ghana, and is used by the Akan people in various decorations, clothing, and artwork. The Gye Nyame symbol is the best known adinkra symbol from Ghana. It means “except for God” and signifies the all-knowing power of God. It is a reflection of the religious character of the Ghanaian people.
I found this bowl at a market and loved it! It reminds me that without God in my life, I am missing the most vital part of who I am.
May we all be focused on coming to know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ more personally each and every day!
No comments:
Post a Comment