Week 19 - Elder Gadoy, Gathering Place & Sheep, Parables & Prayers

We recently attended a devotional where Carlos A. Gadoy spoke. He and his wife have just been assigned to the Africa West Area (AWA). They are very happy about this assignment, have hoped for it, dreamed of it, wanted it. These amazing men and women dedicate their lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ for many, many years. They go about their service quietly without fanfare. They help organize and manage the affairs of the Kingdom of God. It is with great admiration I share this. They truly are consecrated to the Lord. Some of my take-aways from his message:

--There is a difference between Profession and Vocation. 

Profession seems to be a personal choice, what you decide in the way of business, a way to make money.  A more rational approach to career.

Vocation seems to be a particular career, sometimes even a divine call to God's service, your personal mission in life, a way of life, personal duty, you feel that you must do it, you have a great desire to do it. 

Elder Gadoy wanted the church employees and missionaries to know we are all doing a great work. To feel rewarded from the Lord. To know that God loves us! 

We are so grateful to be serving here in Africa. We have dreamt about missions, wanted and hoped for the time we could serve missions together, planned and prepared for that day. It isn't easy to be away from family and friends, but we know that our consecrated service is seen and known by our God and we feel His love in our hearts.     

GATHERING PLACE

YSA missionaries in our AWA, have been hard at work over the past many months, working diligently to establish and then roll out a pilot program here in AWA, called "Gathering Place." One of our fun senior missionary couples, Barry & Lori Platts, shared their thoughts in a Family Home Evening. Here is Elder Platt's testimony of the principle of gathering and an experience, which he gained as just a ten or eleven-year-old boy on the family farm in Wyoming:

Elder Barry Platts: One day he discovered a ewe who had fallen into a ditch and lost her will to live. Panicked, he did his best to turn her over and heft her upright, but even after she was on her feet, it seemed too late to save the sheep. She was limp, despondent, and her tongue hung. Young Barry learned a valuable lesson when his father "gathered" the other sheep around the failing ewe and quickly the power of being surrounded, of belonging, revived her. When Elder Platts received this mission call to work with "Gathering Places", he immediately recalled this lesson learned in his youth.

For Gathering Place...So far, the results have been amazing! Many YSA are attending regularly and increasing their knowledge in so many ways. Education, institute, personal finance, photography, learning to drive, cooking, wig making, etc. What a fantastic program and one you may see "coming to an area near you" in the future! Run to help!! You will love it!!

 

 

I have always been drawn to the word GATHERING. It speaks to me. I believe there is so much we can do to surround those in need, find the lamb who is lost, bind up the wounds of those who have been hurt, bring all into the arms of God. When we surround each other in love, we can feel revived and have a greater desire to do good and be good. 

PARABLE WISDOM

In our Come Follow Me "listening-while-eating-lunch in our office study" this week (admittedly, we are a little behind on our favorite podcast Follow Him), I loved learning some new concepts about the prodigal son.  

About parables in general - Parables are aimed at the conscience and the heart, not the intellect. No wonder Christ taught with parables.

When the prodigal son returns after a long while of riotous living, the father welcomes him home with open arms. The father's arms were always open, never closed. The son is given the ring, the robe the shoes. The celebration was great. There was an intensity of love shown to the prodigal son. It may seem unfair or unbalanced for the other sons who have lived good lives and stayed consistent. But what I realized is this...

There is an intensity of love shown when a lamb who has strayed is found. Sometimes those lambs for one reason or another, are emotionally unable to receive constant love. They may not recognize their reward, even though it has been there waiting for them all along. 

There is a constancy of love shown to those who have stayed on the path and have not been "lost."  They have more easily been able to accept this emotion of love, and felt it more regularly. Their reward has always been and will always be great. 

We all need love. We all want love. We all stray and we all struggle, some more than others. But the reward is waiting if we will but accept the love and the conditions that follow. Those conditions keep us on the path to return to our Father in Heaven. His arms are always stretched out, waiting for us to return to Him. 

Progress - It is not about the distance.  It is about the direction.    

THOUGHTS

"Celebrate all the good in life and forgive and forget everything else."

"Create a spiritual inheritance for your children and grandchildren, not a monetary inheritance." 

Please pray for our family. We are all struggling with some situations within our family that are very difficult. We need your faith and prayers. 

Love you!

Week 18 - Turboprop, Religious Freedoms, Palladium Angel & Goats in a Tro-tro

Ivory Coast update... 

Well, we last left off whilst sitting in our apartment on Mother's Day after our legal group headed off to Ivory Coast for the Africa Religious Freedoms Conference.  Throughout the day, the travel department at the area offices went to work.  By 9 pm they had solid confirmation that our visas had been corrected by the embassy and we would be on a flight out the next morning.  Other than trying to catch a taxi in the deluge of rain that greeted us outside, we were once again on our way.  Instead of flying Emirates, we flew Air Cote d'Ivoire, a turboprop plane.  The ride was bumpy and crazy and at one particularly severe drop, the passengers let out audible screams.  We've had worse than that coming into SLC from time to time, so it didn't phase us!  Everyone else thought it was possibly their last breath.  The flight home on Emirates was much less adventurous. 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS CONFERENCE

Our conference was interesting.  Lots of classes.  Lots of comments.  Classes consisted of people sharing their studies, findings and opinions on various topics, all centered around RELIGION & RECONCILIATION.  Elder Klebingat from our Area Presidency here in Accra was a guest speaker. 

Elder Klebingat taught, "Three things are essential for social harmony to prevail-- The first is respect for religious freedom of all faiths. The second is that all faiths must feel free from fear of persecution. The third is that freedom of worship and religious expression should be encouraged both in public and in the home. God is watching over the nations of Africa. God is our Father and He aches when we suffer. The Lord has His hand over Africa."

Conference-on-african-law-religion-and-reconciliation-in-abidjan-ivory-coast

I believe, looking for opportunities of reconciliation in everything we do with and for others, is essential.  This effort helps us to repair fractures caused by an absence of trust.  We must be willing to take the time necessary to build bank accounts of trust with those we have the privilege to associate.

Respecting differences is the answer.  It is the key to creating a peaceful existence.  Differences are good.  I love learning from all people, all cultures, all experiences.  💙  

A few pics from our weekend in African dress...

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST TEMPLE & SILVER MORONI

On our way out of Ivory Coast, we rented a large passenger van and crammed all of us and our luggage inside.  We drove to the construction site of the Abidjan, Ivory Coast temple, scheduled to be finished some time in 2024.  Ever seen a silver angel Moroni?  This was definitely a first for us!  Palladium!  The temple in Abidjan is the only temple to have a palladium-leafed statue of Moroni instead of the traditional gold leaf. And, just in case you are wondering, palladium leaf is a pure alloy - a silver colored metal. Since it is very resistant to corrosives in the air, it is often substituted for silver or white gold, for exterior gilding - a perfect choice for a temple in the humid climate of West Africa!

 

THOUGHTS FROM CHURCH TODAY

I love how everyone in Ghana begins their testimonies, talks or conducting with, "Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters in the gospel!" And they expect a hearty reply!

A darling young woman named Liberty spoke in our Trade Fair Ward today. She spoke with such confidence and conviction. She can't be more than 14 yrs old, but her spirit soared with that of a fully mature adult in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was so touched. A few of her thoughts:

"Walk in God's Light. The divine influence from God gives light and life to all things. The Holy Ghost helps us see clearly. Covenants strengthen our connection to God. Pray, study & live by what you learn. Your worth comes from being a child of God, not from social media. Walk with God every day! Walk in His Light! He will comfort, guide, warn and sanctify us. Practice listening and hearing His voice. Look for opportunities to feel God's light. Love, joy and peace all come from walking in God's light."

This was also our week to attend the Young Single Adults (YSA) gospel doctrine class. We are so impressed with these young single adults. They have strong testimonies of faith and are not shy about sharing their beliefs. Their comments are thoughtful and sincere. One of the YSA less active men named Richard Mensah, came to church today for the first time in over a year. We were able to meet him in his humble home a couple of months ago, not far from the church. As we walked between sheds and make-shift shelters, which are their homes, we were humbled at the conditions they see as daily life. We sat with Richard and just talked, encouraging him to return to church where he would have support of friends. He was struggling with sadness and depression. We gave him a blessing. We have kept in touch with him and continued to invite him to join us. Last week he let us know that he felt ashamed he didn't have proper clothing for church. Jordan took one of his white shirts over immediately and Richard was very happy. Not that he needed a white shirt to attend and we had made that clear long ago. But today, as he walked into church for the first time in a very long time, he was greeted with love and acceptance, encouragement and friendship. The ward members and YSA embraced him and welcomed him warmly. I believe and hope he will continue to join us. We could see the light returning in his countenance. Sharing the gospel is a beautiful thing. We love our time and experiences here!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

While taking a taxi from the Abidjan airport to our hotel in Ivory Coast, we actually saw what everyone jokes about!  Goats in a Tro-tro!  Proof below!

Until next time, please keep all horns and hooves inside the windows!

💓💛💚

Week 17 - Mother's Day, Triple A's & Ga Mantse

Happy Mother's Day to ALL of the amazing women in my life!! Thank you for the incredible examples you have been to me in my life.  If you are reading this, you have touched my life in more ways than you can ever know.  I'm so grateful!  💜

President James E. Faust said: “There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation” (“Fathers, Mothers, Marriage,” Liahona and Ensign, Aug. 2004, 3).

President Joseph F. Smith said, “The love of a true mother comes nearer to being like the love of God than any other kind of love.” 

TRIPLE A's (Another African Adventure!) 

#1 - As I sit here writing this, we should actually be on a flight to Cote d'Ivoire.  We were supposed to travel to Abidjan, Ivory Coast with our Legal group here from Accra.  Upon arrival at the Kotoko Airport this morning, we learned that amongst our group, only our visas were given the wrong date.  Although all 6 missionaries traveling together had passports given at the same time to the embassy, and visas requested identically, everyone received correct travel dates except ours.  Since everything is in French, we only saw the stamp of Apr 27 on our visa and assumed we were good to go!  NOT!  We watched as our entire team disappeared from site and then we took a sweaty taxi back home.  The small little taxis do not have air conditioning.  Can you say HOT!!??!!      

Legal teams from all over Africa are gathering for the African Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ACLARS) conference, beginning Sunday evening, May 14 and ending Tuesday evening, May 16.  This 3 day conference is held yearly.  The mission is to help secure the blessings of freedom of religion and belief for all people.  

Depending on the embassy being able to remedy the situation tomorrow morning, we may or may not go. 

#2 - Air Conditioning leaking like a sieve!  Friday morning, we awoke to find our small desk that sits below the main AC unit, covered in water.  Luckily the laptops and phones we plug in there nightly, were not completely drenched.  We contacted management and they assured us our unit would be serviced while we were away in Ivory Coast (whoops...still here in Accra!).  Now, as I sit here at the side of the desk where the only plug-in for the room resides, working on my old laptop that won't stay charged, water drips into a bowl beside me and splashes every so lightly upon my skin and computer screen, keeping me refreshingly cool.  Always something to be grateful for!!  Just FYI, the amount of water filling the bowl is about 1 quart per hour.  Surprisingly humid here!!! 

GA MANTSE

As mentioned in previous posts, the Ga Mantse (sounds like Gah-mawn-chay), the Ghanaian King of the southern area, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru ll, visited Salt Lake City and attended General Conference in April 2023.  He and his chieftans met with President Nelson and many of the apostles and authorities.  

Back home in Accra, we have been working tirelessly on the Humanitarian contracts associated with a large 3 part project, where the church is providing Hospital supplies, renovating a very old school, and putting together a sanitation project.  The hospital supplies were delivered in March.  Now on to the 2nd project, the renovation of Tackie Tawiah School with new classrooms, new library with updated equipment, new boreholes for water, etc.  

https://gna.org.gh/2023/05/latter-day-saints-to-refurbish-mantse-tackie-tawiah-i-cluster-of-schools/  

Jordan was requested by Elder Nielsen to be in attendance.  I had the option to go or not, I chose to remain in the office.  Knowing the heat situation, it was a good choice.  After 3 hrs in the sun listening to every person in attendance (may be a slight exaggeration), Jordan was dying of heat and dehydration (I did encourage him to take water but he refused!).  He wasn't the only one who experienced some slight heat-stroke symptoms and came home to a cold shower.  None-the-less.... some great pictures were captured!

Cheiftan and Priest 

King Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru ll

 

Stay safe, avoid trouble, be cool! 😎

A few quotes on Religous Freedom

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/official-statement/religious-freedom

Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right that protects the conscience of all people. It allows us to think, express and act upon what we deeply believe. But around the world, and in the United States, this freedom is eroding. Churches, religious organizations and individuals face increasing restrictions as they participate in the public square, express their beliefs or serve in society. But there is much good that Church members and people of goodwill can do to preserve and strengthen religious freedom.

Why We Need Religous Freedom

Religious freedom, or freedom of conscience, is critical to the health of a diverse society.  It allows different faiths and beliefs to flourish.  Religious freedom protects the rights of all groups and individuals, including the most vulnerable, whether religious or not.  

Week 16 - Meeting Jesus, Pictures & a Priceless Book

This was a banner week!  I met Jesus!  Although he was younger and shorter than I imagined, I was not disappointed!

We have a new intern that just arrived in Ghana.  She will be working in the Legal Department with us for one month.  She is a BYU law student and was chosen out of many applicants for this position.  I've been working all week to make sure her small but adequate apartment that sits next to the Area Offices where we work, was ready for her arrival.  The young man that oversees this ancillary building is named Jesus.  He is a kind young man and met me over at the apartment to make sure it was ready.  The first time, it was still dirty from another patron using the room.  The 2nd time it was also dirty from another temple patron visiting the night before and needing to use the space.  Finally, I texted Jesus and let him know our young intern would be arriving Saturday evening and we really needed it cleaned and ready!  He assured me it would be ready by 5 pm.  A final check revealed that indeed, Jesus had kept his word.  Everything was ready and prepared for her arrival.  

As I sent a final text saying, "Thank you Jesus," I was reminded how grateful I am for my Savior, who has prepared a way that I might return to Him someday.  I feel chosen in so many ways.  Chosen to receive under favorable conditions, the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life.  Many do not have this privilege.  Chosen to serve Him each day, trying to serve and share the gospel with those who are less fortunate and searching for truth.  He assures me that everything is prepared and waiting for my arrival, as I live worthy of this great gift and blessing.  Jesus will keep His word and His promises are sure.  I can truly say without hesitation, "Thank You Jesus!"

PICTURES SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS

I love the many different images of Jesus Christ portrayed throughout the world.  This is the Chinese-born artist James He Qi’s ”Peace, Be Still.” 

"KEEP THE BOOK.  WALK HOME."

Oral traditions make it possible for a society to pass knowledge across generations without writing. They help people make sense of the world and are used to teach children and adults about important aspects of their culture.  These oral traditions in diverse forms (stories, art, dance, folk tales, music, etc) have played a large part in giving the African people their cultural identity.  However, at some level, if everything is only passed on through generations orally, much can be lost.  

We have some good friends and missionaries here, Jack & Diane Nelson, called to Ghana to help the people in our region understand the importance of Church History in their own lives and how to record memories and important events. For the last year they have traveled extensively and recorded hundreds of hours of experiences, teaching members how to record their stories, so these moments will now become part of church history in various parts of Africa.  

Here is one of the stories they related to us:

Liberia is a country that has long been torn apart by war and civil conflict. Liberians have historically been deprived of peace and safety. During a time of civil unrest, the mission office in Monrovia, Liberia, was closed and the Mission President evacuated to Sierra Leone. Looters entered the mission office and pulled out everything of value to sell to people walking by. A young man from Bushrod Island, near Monrovia, was on that street that day in front of the mission home and was offered a book for sale. He read the title, but it was the subtitle that caught his eye, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. He repeated the title and thought to himself, "You know, I should buy that!" So, he reached in his pocket and surprisingly had just enough money to make the purchase. He continued on his way to where he could hire a transport to his house, but soon realized he didn't have the fare, his money was spent. The only reasonable option was to return the book and get his money back so he could pay for a ride. However, as he turned around, a voice came to him, saying, "Keep the book. Walk home."

He listened. He walked. What faith! Now, it wasn’t quite a fairy tale ending. He didn’t stay up all that night reading. It took a while before he finally read The Book of Mormon, but he remembered how he felt during his two-hour walk home to Bushrod Island, with a treasure in his hands. That purchase from a looted mission office was not a random or accidental event. It was evidence of our Father’s love, guiding and directing His children through the whisperings of the Spirit. All the money in his pocket was a bargain price! That book changed his life. He was converted and joined the Church and now is serving in a Stake Presidency.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE

Until next week, keep walking!  There is much to discover in this big, beautiful world!! 💙