Coconuts Instead of Mangoes and Say Your Prayers!

People of Earth! It is good to once again talk with you.

1. Fresh Coconuts nearly make up for no mangoes (nearly)

2. Fresh coconuts are so much better then store bought

3. When you invite everyone to come to Church and a fraction show up, it lets you see the miracle of even one investigator coming to Church

This week has been normal, to say the least. We have been busy with a lot of things and many exchanges but no giant things seem to have unfolded this past week. I am not sure if that is good or bad. I have realized that on my mission I have been waiting for the picture perfect (Golden Investigator) baptism. I can now say with a lot of confidence that those stories are rare. 

Being in Ghana, Baptisms are common; however, throughout my mission I have seen so many great and wonderful people struggle with singularities and personal obstacles that stand in their way. While they seem to be so prepared to enter into baptism, there is always something that seems to be getting in the way of them making the full commitment. However, this seems to be more of a blessing then a curse. 

I have decided to look at these singularities as God's way of trying them. No person we meet is perfect, all must be prepared. We all know one of the ways that God likes to prepare his children is by testing them. To prepare many for their first covenant many going through a trial of faith. It takes the missionaries, God, and even Satan to see that this person is ready to follow God at all times.

As we give up our natural man we are testifying to God that we are going to give our all to him. Giving up our personal desire for a greater one and being willing to follow the Father, is hard but possible and it is what God requires of all of his children if they wish to inherit all that the father possesses. 

My Mother mentioned prayer in a recent talk that she gave. I wanted to mention it here. To pray with real intent is what makes the difference in my mind. As Moroni 10 3-5 states when we pray with real intent and a pure heart that is when we get a manifestation of our answer. A story was given in a recent Liahona that talked about a little girl praying that her brother's bird trap would not catch anything. When her father heard her prayer he was worried because he had made the trap and he assumed that it would be successful in catching something. When he talked to the daughter about the possibility of the trap catching something, she proudly proclaimed that it would not. The father tried to help her understand that it very likely would catch something but she declared with unwearyingness that it would not. Finally the father broke down and asked how she could have so much faith. the Girl replied that she knew the trap would not work because she had already gone out and broken it to pieces!. I loved reading this story. It shows so much more then a common amount of faith. Faith without works is dead. When you pray you better be ready to do something about it. If you don't who knows maybe you're the reason it will go unanswered.

Love you all 

Elder Edison