SNAKES!

Well Hello Everyone I love you all so much. I am so glad that I still have the opportunity to talk to you all even this close to Christmas. I love being able to stay in touch and hear all tyhe updates tht you have given to me. 

So this week I want to tell you all more aabout Ghana.

1. Random snakes hide in garbage cans and will run into your apartment when found.

2. If you stand under tess here do not pull on leaves because qwhen you do random snakes will fall from branches and nearlly land on you (yes both of these are experiences )

3. When you are in Ghana on Christmas not much happens....... Thats fun.

4. fake tress here even small ones are too expensive for us to buy.

5. People Love Fufu in Christmas.

6. The main greeting at this time is A fish a paa, the reply is A fink Oh matre ay (spelling is inaccurate i wrote it how it sounds.)

So this past week has been a lot of fun. There have been a lot of ups and downs however we have had a lot of success with Frank this past week. He is a man that wee are teaching that was given handbook 2 from his friend to learn about the Church, when we found him he already knew everything about how the Chruch ran just nothing about what we believed in. He is super powerful and he is quickly making his way to baptism. 

I have been thinking a lot about the Saviour this past week and i want to share an insight that i found for myself. This reference can be found in the hymn There is a Green Hill far Away. Now as this hymn goes on there is a single line that i want to point out: He only could unlock the gates of heaven and let us in. Many times a child i read it wrong, it acme into my mind that the only thing he was capable of doping was unlocking the gate and nothing more. When in reality he alone could unlock that gate. Now this relization that i have had has opened my mind to an issue plauging our minds. I say ours but i really mean mine. Too often we wish that this path and journey of life was easier and simplier, however this way of thinking is showing disrepect and a lack of faith to both God and Jesus Christ. When we wish for an easier way we are really hoping to just eat drink and be merry, whether or not we realize that. This plan was designed by a perfect God if we wish it to be changed we are saying we think we have a better way, now the one persoin that stood up against the plan goty cast out of heaven and took a third of the host of heaven....... So lets not go against this plan. We have been gifted a chance to enter into the rest of our Lord but insted of being grateful and being willing to pay the small price for that greeat gift we try and rebel, we attempt to enter in our own way. Do not lose track of who lets you enter through those pearly gates, when you look beyond that mark you have missd the full purpose of Gods plan for you. 

We must always remember that Jesus Alone could opern that gate, and whatever price we are told to pay is miniscule compared to the price that he had to pay for those keys. Why ask for things to change, God gave you the power to change them. Why ask for thing to be easier, God gave you the power to grow for challenges. Why ask for a faster easier way into heaven when we hardly have to pay a price at all. Too often we wish things were just magically changed and edited by our creator while h3e has already given us the power to fight against any battle that we are faced with. We are straight up told that we will not be tempted above what we are able. He has already stopped life from being too hard for us to bare, your challeneges are only able to reach you because God knows you are someone that can handle what you are about to go through. This is the amazing gift that has been given to us. This perfect plan full of mercy and justicve. Made possible because He Only could unlock the gate of Heaven and let us in.

I love you all so much. I hope that all my ideas make sense, i just want us all to see that we have to be moving forwardf knowing God is already backing us up rather themn feeling beaten and tired. Remember your relationship with God and His only Beggotten son this Christmas, remeber all that they have done for you. Stand up and help sopmeone see as well. Love you 

Busy and Crazy Weeks!

I love you all so much.  I appreciate you all more than you can imagine. I remember things about each of you on hard days and I am grateful for your friendship and support while I am in Ghana.  I mean that!

1. It does not snow here so it is very difficult to remember that it is Christmas time.

2. The special greeting for this time of year is Aficiapaa and the reply is Afinkomatriay.

3. It is very easy to run yourself into the ground doing missionary work, especially, when there is enough dust in the air to block out the sun!  It feels like the ground is all around us all the time. Makes turning our white shirts into "white" again on Monday, almost impossible.

4. Internet is spotty at best that is why I could not talk last week.  Looks like it might work this week.  Please pray that it works on Christmas so I can talk with my family.

5. Reading through two weeks of emails in the same amount of time is nearly impossible but "keep 'em coming, folks".

6. Second Christmas out and still miss snow as much as the day I left it.

7. When you and your companion are foreigners, it is easy to get cheated on prices but when we both don't take crap it is funny to see how fast others will change.  (Brings back memories of my China days and watching my parents bargain for things and my brother, Harrison, who was expert at it.)

So my discussion for this week is based on my own study during the week.  This past week while teaching, I ran into a scripture chain that teaches about the Apostasy and the essential need for us to change and follow the truth that God gives to us. 

It is in 2 Nephi 28 verses: 3-4,13, 21, 30, end half of 32. Now this scripture chain allows people to see the need to follow God's path, not their own. But I wanted to use it today to remind each and everyone of us of a few influential points. God's plan is first, when we know or recognize the need for a change we must act. Even when we are not the ones in the wrong or the ones causing the problem, if the problem around us or the situation we are dealing with is not aligned with God, it has to be stopped or changed in order to match God's will.  We talk a lot about the need for change with our investigators. Especially one man we are teaching right now who really wants the gospel to bring him peace. We have tried to teach him the need to be committed and worthy in order for the greatest changes to come his way. 

Just as King Benjamin did, he called all his people together to make sure that when he taught the, his own hands were clean from the blood of their sins but also from any offense against God.  King Benjamin was an example of a teacher to bring converts to the joy of the gospel but he was also an example of what the gospel looked like in his daily life and behavior among his own people. We cannot be content in Zion, as verse 21 says. we must work to make things celestial even when difficult. Verses thirty and thirty two show us just how God will use us when we do act on what we have been given. To those who follow, more will be given. To those who say that someone else must change or someone else must improve, or someone else must do the will of God, i will just work and be content in my current knowledge and behavior, they will have even that knowledge taken from them.

In this life, fence sitting is impossible. It is not just looked down upon, but is literally impossible. In Scriptures we read Jesus Christ saying that those that are not for me are against me. We have to act at all times in favor of His law and His rule. As we follow His path we will gain far more than we can comprehend. 

This Scripture chain (when presented in a good way) has really helped people see that my companion and I are not here just to teach, but we are here to guide others to change just as we try to do everyday. Too often people that we teach, even when we tell them we expect them to change and work with us and when they know what we teach is true to be baptized, somehow they still do not make the connection but when we show them that God expects a change each and every time He increases our wisdom, they seem to understand. 

On that topic, it is plainly obvious that this is the way that God works. I will use a common but maybe the most influential example, Joseph Smith. A small boy, wanting one answer was then expected to act on it. If Joseph Smith was told that no Church was true but then just laid back and said one day God will do something, I can guarantee that at one point in time he would have been talked into another Church. We see this happen all the time - folks get caught up in loud prayers, shouts of praise and the peer pressure of those around them to join the larger churches here.  But that is not what Joseph Smith did. When he received that answer, he acted on it, he kept turning to God and because of this he received more. His actions lead to miracles that cannot be numbered. Even in The Doctrines and Covenants we see that he did more for the world save Jesus Christ than any other man could do. 

As we wait for others to act on knowledge, just remember that God gave you your insights for a reason, not to be shelved and stored until some undetermined future period but for the here and now. What we are given from God we are not just expected but commanded to use. Talents grow throughout your life so even if you have already gone to meet your obstacles and challenges with what you had, when your Lord gives you more, guess what he wants you to do..... Go back, do it again, grow a few more inches, and then come and receive more for your time. Progression is one eternal round and it will never stop. The only limit on what we can become is on how we use what we are given. 

Love you all so much. Keep growing and hopefully I will do the same.

Love, Elder Butters

*This week was crazy busy!  Three exchanges and two district meetings. Lots of visits to a farmer we are teaching right now and he has decided that we are trustworthy.  That is great news around here. We work hard to get to that point. He spoke to us about things that are happening with his farm and that is about as personal as these farmers can get. We will help him all we can.

*I love my companion. We have become great friends!  This is a very happy thing.

Don't Trip Your Friends

I can hardly believe that it is nearly Christmas.

1. Funerals here are giant parties that just allow for a lot of people to get drunk.

2. When people are dancing at funerals they usually try to chase down the missionaries to dance with them......not good

3. When you are a district leader over two units: a branch and a group, there is a lot of mental work to do to make sure everyone likes you a lot, so they will work with you willingly.

4. Washing by hand (again), is not too bad as long as you do a little during the week so Monday your hands do not bleed.  I have gotten better at this since my early days.

5. People love the Bible here with more than all their heart and will try and prove that they know more than the others around them. It leads to awkward situations.

Going back to what I said at the beginning.... it is nearly Christmas! I can hardly believe it. It feels like I was just talking about Christmas and dealing with my first one in Ghana but that was nearly a full year ago when I was still in Dunkwa On-Offin. 

Wow time sure flies! Of course, Christmas is a special time of year but I wish to talk more about following the Man that we spend time remembering on Christmas. We all know that we must try to be as Christlike as possible. This is no easy task. While we can be Christlike in particular areas of our lives, it is terribly hard to be perfect. But that is what we have been asked to do. We have been asked to be as Christ was.......... somehow that is a large pill to swallow. Luckily, as Elder Holland said: Perfection is pending. (I feel like I quote that a lot). This is not an excuse for us not to work on our own perfection but it does allow us to have hope that we can actually reach our goal. As we move forward, everyday, there are small things that we can alter in ourselves or our surroundings to get closer to that goal of Christlike perfection. However small the changes our, God is happy with any change or improvement. 

Christmas is always a time of happiness and joy. It is a time for everyone to change even if just for a moment. Use this time, (do not wait for New Years) Christmas puts everyone in a mindset of peace and laughter. Do not let it stop there! Patterns that happen during this time of year should never leave our lives. Visiting someone, even just to sing at a doorstep because you know it makes someone happy, is the feeling that we should have in ourselves all year. I would always find ways to do things to help people during the Christmas season but most of the time I let the feeling leave once the lights were gone and the snow melted away. This has been one of my biggest mistakes. 

Jesus Christ did not just serve during a few months of the Year but all year round. I know that caroling may not be possible during the summer not to mention plowing a driveway, but you can find something to do to brighten a day for others. Make everyday Christmas for someone else. My father and mother would do something amazing while we were in China. My Father loved dressing up as Santa and taking all of us with many of our forgotten toys to the Hospital during the Christmas season. He would enter a room with bells and the biggest smile I can remember being on his face. He would go in and even if the child didn't care, it never stoped my Father from being happy. He would give a toy and move to the next room. 

We may not all be able to pull off a Santa costume but we all have things that we can do. Though we may not be in a hospital, we should never let time get away from us. We should move from room to room (moment to moment) with haste to change the world one light at a time. "Ye are the Lights of the World, a city set on a hill cannot be hid..... Let your light so shine" Matthew 15 ( I think). Be amazing. Make everyday leading to Christmas and any day you can after, as Christmas-like as possible because as Thomas S. Monson said, the Christmas Spirit is the Christ Spirit. Make every day like Christmas and you will be surprised to see how easy it is to be Christlike.

I appreciate your letters and your prayers. I can use every single one of them.

Love, Elder Edison

*Experience of the Week:  I have made friends with one of our investigators - actually we have a really terrific relationship.  He walks everywhere we walk and goes along on our visits.  We have begun to play the "tripping game" as we walk.  I got a great swing in the other day and managed to knock both my friend and my companion to the ground!  We were laughing and joking with each other and a lady on the street yelled at us to "Go Home", thinking that we were drunk. I felt terrible that someone thought that a missionary was drunk but in the end, I was glad for such a fun relationship with our investigator.  And, he knows that we weren't drunk so all is well.