From Ghana With Love

Hello Everyone:

This week is going to be really weird around here. There have been a lot of new changes that have happened in the missionary communication arena and I am sure you have all heard about it by now.  I don't know how it will effect our mission but lots of the guys seem interested in the change. We are now allowed to communicate in a lot of ways. However, I will probably stick with the way I have been communicating; to change now and attempt to call or video chat every week would cause far too much of a hassle for me and those I work with.

1. People here love to party during funerals! They put the fun in funerals with drinking and dancing. It is crazy. Also people go to the funeral that did not even know the person who passed away so they can partake of the party.

2. Trying to find  people to teach when there is a funeral going on is very difficult when the majority are running away from you because they know that we do not approve of the drinking and getting drunk.

3. When you make fried rice, just go for it because it will work out. (it did for me - I managed a great fried rice dish this week made from all sorts of things that we have in our apartment)

4. When a presiding person is still being trained there are times the missionaries are called on for some really awesome experiences, like helping plan the agenda for sacrament meeting.

This past week has been cool to say the least. I have gotten a new companion, his name is Elder Mununga. He is a really cool guy and is still new enough on mission that he still wants to work and he is ready and willing to work with me in this crazy area. We have been re-finding a lot of the people who we had been teaching and they are finally progressing so we will continue to help them along the way to ensure they are baptized.

I want to talk about studying the Book of Mormon and other Church materials. This past week I have been trying  lot of new ways of studying. However, as I attempted to find the way that best worked for me, I came to the understanding that I was doing things and studying the way my past companion have been studying. Now I have begun to understand that even though this was not a bad way to find the best way for me to study, if i just mimicked their techniques, I would only ever learn what they would have learned as well. 

God has prepared the greatest treasure trove of knowledge with a very unique attribute; of course, the gospel is the same but the pieces of it are different for everyone at different times and necessary for everyone at different times, and must be found in different ways. We are all individuals; all made in the likeness of our Heavenly Father, but we were all made differently. We have been called to do and become different from others around us. If we limit the way God can teach us, to how he teaches others, we will limit our personal revelation. Only when we discover for ourselves the way we must uncover the treasures hidden and written plainly in the scriptures, can we find where and what God needs us to find. 

Each of us have a very different perspective that has been derived from both the nature we were formed in, and in the way we have been brought up. God talks to each of us differently, often times in ways that make sure we are paying attention or in ways that ensure we act. However, it may be that we need to understand that as we increase our knowledge we have to be doing so in God's will and in the way He needs us to be. Mimicking another's study habits may help us find a better way for us to learn and grow but if we let ourselves stop there, we limit the knowledge that God has in store for us as individuals. Never forget that God made you like no one else alive because He knew He needed you to do something else that no other could do. He gave you different talents; some more vibrant and some hidden beneath our knowledge to make sure we were prepared for our path, not the path of another. Never hate your gifts or covet others', your gifts and weaknesses will make you what God has planned for you to be. Never wish to be another because your job in this life is just as important as theirs.

Love you all hope you can understand all my crazy ideas

Love, Elder Edison

The Church is True!

HI

1. When a new branch presidency has three weeks of Baptisms every sunday they are incredibly happy about it.

2. People here hate it when missionaries leave because many work hand in hand with us to fufill callings and even help us teach.

3. Referrals work so much better then people missionaries find on their own.

4. There is a lot of work to egt done with many people but when they are actually willing it helps.

The Church is true! I am now going to write about that statement alone. A missionary just said it behind me so i am going to take it as my topic. Many times on my mission i have found people that have had trouble seeing that if the Church was true at their conversion it will still be true even when something they do not agree with happens. They are times when i have seen individuals fall away just because they took offense with what someone had said to them or about them, this causes a large drop in blessing that you recieve, if you can imagine. One hard tradition for many here to egt past is that Church is not suppose to be based on social expectations. It does not matter if you are a big mn in the world, having money does not mean you should have position. Having friends does not mean you should have control. 

The Chruch is true because of the Power and revelation that still direct it today. We have to be willing to follow and obey even if we do not think it is right because our leaders have been called by God not because they are popular. We even see in 1 Nephi 16:2 that when we take truyth (knowledge shared by God) to be hard it is because in some way we are guilty of disobedience. We have to see that at any time God is in charge of his Church and will not let go of that control. This is how he teaches and guides us today, not through poularity or position but by those he knows are the ones who can and will lead.

taking offense and using that as an excuse to hinder your own progression to try and hurt the person that offened you is worthless. the only one who gets affected by that is you and people you do not mean to hrut. Our personal progression is based on truth and knowledge tghat God has and will continue to give to us. When we allow another to stop us recieveing direction we only injure ourselves more. When offense happens let truth bind up your wound, no offense is worth your salvation. 

Keep working to grow and progress yourself so you do not hinder those you love. salvastion is a personal matter but exaltation is a family matter. DO not be a weak ink, let anger greed and fear move away and jump head first into the trtuth of the Church. Imbrace the teachings and the love held within.

The Church is true and nothing in this world would ever be able to change that. So use the Truth you have been given and follow it, never let anything small or big get in the way of what you know to be right. Move to God nevr try and force him to move to you. God's rules never change his requirements do not alter, never expect him to lower his values because sothings is hard. The Bar God sets up will not fall. In the high jumop the bar is set the smae for every jumper just because you cannot jump that high they will not lower it to let you keep competing. Keep pushing yourself to reach the bar, train if you cannot pass it yet. 

Become the Child God needs you to be.

Dry Season....NOT!

Hey people. Miss you so much.

Well this week has been awesome, over the past two weeks we have had two baptisms and even have one planned in two weeks from now! It is so great to see amazing things happen in God's plan. We have been working so hard and have been pushing ourselves well past our limits (thanks to God) and have been able to see fruits from our labors. 

We have been trying to help many people see the need of repentance in their lives especially the part about restitution and enduring to the end. Many people have struggles but the more my companion and I try to help them, it seems the better and better they progress. The Power and influence of the Spirit is real. We are going to see some amazing things happen in the coming weeks. We even had ten people that we are teaching come to Church on Sunday!!! I have never had so many people follow through with that challenge! HARD WORK AND Prayer pay off.

Tidbits of my life in Ghana:

1. When you eat fufu many people will bring well water for you to drink - it is supposed to help wash it down....doesn't really work but it is kind of them to help us.

2. Giant spiders do not like being sprayed with water - and, I do not like giant spiders.

3. The Snakes here come at the worst of times - and all of the time! 

4. When you wash clothes, running out of bar soap makes it very difficult and very time consuming.....

I have seen a lot going on while I have been on mission. There have been a lot of changes and different developments in the areas I have worked in, in myself and in my companions. With so many changes I have found myself downtrodden at times and frustrated. However, what I love about mission is that it shows me how to love the little things. Many people forget that it was simple acts that fueled a giant miracle. 

For example: Alma going back and finding Amulek; Ammon asking to be a servant; Lehi praying; 2000 warriors fighting battles against armies far greater; and how the Book of Mormon was written over the span of 1000 years. This book may not take too long to read but it took a lot longer to write. 

We have to see that there is more then just what we read going on. There were days that Helaman and his army trained. Days where Samuel the Lamanite felt sick. All the heroes and people we talk about have their changes, their frustrations and their hard days. Many times we just see that they had power and success but what about the days we don't hear about. 

Many great heroes have a few amazing stories but they had days in between. They probably had moments where they felt tired and would rather be sleeping. They had times where they must have asked where is the miracle I was told would come from following God. Think about it: we hardly hear about the daughters of Ishmael while they had to have children in the wilderness!!!! That must have been hard but we are never told of the days where they got up because they knew they needed to and kept walking while holding their child's hand while he or she screamed "are we there yet". These alone could be seen as battles.

The reason I am writing this is because we all look at the victories of so many heroes around us but we forget that the victory is only the end of the story. Many of all the heroes we love have been through all that we are going through. Moroni was a child once who wanted nothing better then to go play. 

Your story may seem slow and hard but do not worry, your victory is coming and that is what you get to remember. The dialog of your life is happening but that is just giving you time to prep for the on coming storm (shout out to Helaman 5:12). Keep working, everyone lives a story and everyone has battles they win and lose. Just do not let the days that seem to mean nothing go without your personal growth. Everyday is your story even if the fight is the best part.

I love you,

Elder Edison

Soda Bags and Life Choices

People of the world outside of Ghana:

1. We eat and drink out of bags!  Soda comes in bags, chicken comes in bags, rice comes in bags, water comes in bags......we snip the end with scissors and drink through the hole....no straws polluting the waters of Ghana.

2. The hornets here seem like monsters!!! Tracker jackers from the hunger games are real!

3. Mondays are our hardest and longest days because we have far too much to do and we have to add laundry, cleaning, email and Pday stuff to our normal list.

4. People in Ghana like to believe that God justifies their actions when they feel it is hard to make the right choice; we have the job of helping them understand that they need to make the right choice especially when it is hard.........

5. There are people who we have recently been referred to who are so powerful and just make their way to baptism really fast; this is great especially if they are willing to keep the lifestyle required after baptism.  Some do, some don't....just like at home.

This is a cool experience to share: today I read a letter written by my mother for all the missionaries in my ward and she talked about how God is preparing all of us at all times for the things he needs us to do. Following on from that, I decided that I want to expand my own understanding on this topic a bit.  As a result, my thoughts are coming to you in this email and I hope that we all learn together. 

God has prepared all of us to do certain things in this world and has even showed us what some of those plans are through our Patriarcal blessing.  Even before I emailed today, another missionary and I were discussing how our obedience or disobedience can alter God's plan for us. God has perfect foreknowledge but He asks us to stretch and build. My mission President's favorite line to use is "God likes beginners". We are all asked to do things that God knows we can do but He also wants us to grow to be up to those tasks. He knows we can do the things He asks but He doesn't ask us the easy ones; He pushes us just a bit every single day.  Everyday is a choice to either follow His plan and prepare ourselves for the times He needs us or to fall short of what He sees in us. We have all been called to do a great work but many of us never rise to the chance. Many times we talk a big talk and walk a big walk but fall short of what we know we would be able to do with a little extra effort, a little more work, a little less sleep, a little more straining. It is our choice. God has a happy ending planned for all of us, but many of us settle for mediocre.

I am happy that God will always plan for the best, it gives hope and joy. It is amazing to know we can all work well with God. For us to reach that end though, we have to be able to spend all day giving our all to God. We must spend our time reaching His goals and desires, which means at all times we must know what He wishes for us, which in turn means we have to be worthy of His guidance. Yet even when we are worthy it is up to us to ask for His help and put our own thoughts and actions forward. With the brother of Jared, he was worthy and ready to do all that was asked of him but when he forgot to ask of God what those plans were, God did not tell him but waited three years for Jared to come asking!!!! We have to take the lead on God's plan because He will not just give us every step if we do nothing to show we are ready for it all. 

I am happy to have been able to finally send some photos home to my family. That took much of my time at this slow, ancient computer but I think it worked!

Ghana is great!  We got a new Group Leader this week and my companion and I have been asked to help him weekly with his farming chores so that he can do what he needs to do for his new calling.  If labor becomes too time consuming for the leaders here, they forego doing what their Group or Branch needs them to do.  We will work hard to relieve some of his chores so he can focus on his calling.  I don't mind one bit!

Thank you for your letters and prayers.  Ghana has become my home.  I would love some variety in the food but this place rocks!!

Love, Elder Edison

SO HOT!!!

Hello Everyone:

Oh my goodness, it gets far too hot when fans go off at night. I would have never guessed that any place could be this hot and humid!!!! It is going to make for a lot of awesome stories about sweat and sleepless nights and never enough water to drink and sleepless nights....and mice...most of you are in snow right now.  Please don't complain.  I am SO HOT!!!

 

1. There are things here called ball floats - fried dough!!!! It is so amazing and so unhealthy but they are cheap and fill your stomach. 

2. Eating food here can actually leave you tired because all food here expands in your stomach and makes you wish to be asleep (like Thanksgiving constantly but not as yummy). It is hard at times to enjoy all the food when it makes working more difficult.

3. People will not let males wash dishes here unless they are single. If they have a wife or a sister, she will do it all. It is hard to get people to let you do their dishes when culture prohibits it all!!!!!  But, I guess I should enjoy it.....watch out Molly and Dorothy.....when I get home I will be pretty used to having my dishes done for me.....

I love you all. Today I wanted to thank you all for what you have been doing for me and for my mission efforts. I know that most, if not all, of you have continued to pray for people to find the truth. I want to let you know that it is making a difference! 

To prove my point, I want to bring us a story that happened this past week: As my companion and I were getting to our last lesson of the day, we came to the knowledge that the person we were trying to meet with was not around. As we attempted to find out what to do, a lot of small children ran up and started trying to get our attention. After pleasing them with laughs and some silly play time, we started walking away, when out of no where the man we were trying to meet with showed up! He told us to wait inside a different building then we had met him the first time but as he sat with us, a young woman walked up and joined in our lesson. Me and my companion talked about the actions of Jesus Christ in this Life, the Apostacy and eventually the restoration of it all. As we talked, though tired and a bit frustrated with the children making noise and many other emotions, I noticed that the Spirit was so strong. 

If any of you know me, you know that I struggle with feeling the Spirit (Maybe we all do at times) however, I could not deny that feeling in the lesson. As we closed, both my companion and I used questions they had asked (some really far out there) to relate back to how God will communicate with all of us as we need Him and in the manner that will help us the most. We testified of the feeling we were having and the truth of our message. We even had them talk about what they were feeling and were able to teach them further about how the Holy Ghost works. It was such a powerful lesson and I wanted you all to know that I could not have done it without you all and your faith and prayers for me and the people I am meeting.

There are times when I know I am too tired and too frustrated to really access the Spirit and then when someone starts to talk I forget all about those things. Your prayers are really helping me and the people I teach, I have always found it strange how prayer works like that. Even when you are over half way across the world, you can ask God to help someone else and they can receive the power of your prayers. It just proves to me further the actuality of God. He is there and He listens.

As I have studied how to talk about prayer I have come to learn so much more about it. If you know the movie Bedtime Stories, you will remember that the man in the story tries to force the kids to tell certain stories to him to make them come true the next day.  Only when the man listens to the children and fills the stories with their ideas and not his own, do the stories turn out to be real.  This makes me think a bit about our relationship with our Heavenly Father and how we pray to him.

When we pray we are not forcing our will on God, but conforming to His will (God's). 

Pray for what you know is right. DO not pray to elimate anyone's agency because that will not be granted but instead, use your prayer to soften their heart. People have choice, so when you pray, pray that they will be prepared and found by the missionaries! Lets get some teamwork going!!!!

Love you

Elder Edison

Alive and Well and Living with Lizards

Well Hello everyone!

I am so happy that you are all alive and so am I!!

I am so sorry that I have not been able to email at the normal times. It has been some really amazing two weeks. Too busy and too crazy to be able to do all that we have to. 

GHANA INSIGHT:

1. Lizards commit suicide under people's feet while walking (yes this happened)

2. People have to fetch water from wells here that are large distances from their homes and they carry these large basins of water on their heads without spilling a drop.

3. When a missionary carries water on their head, they (we) get drenched in water - this is a skill I am trying to perfect but it usually means I get a shower on the way home from the well....

4. Carrying rocks on your (my) head is a lot easier but far more heavy... (again, this did happen - I do not recommend trying this)

This week I am going to talk with you about Change. This past Zone Conference my mission and my zone were told that it is now the standard for each companionship to have three or more Baptisms every transfer!  You may have heard me gasp just then.....that's lots of baptisms!

When I first heard this, I was really put off and all I could think about was how hard it will be. As I was thinking about this new demand, my companion leaned over to me and said ten or so names that we could put on our list to do that with..... It was at this point that I felt so stupid. Instead of having faith and believing that all things are possible with Christ, I had already decided to let my limitations and doubts enter into the equation. I know this goal is not going to be easy but they also set the standard to find seven new people every week, which my companion and I have already been doing.  So, we were half way there already and that felt good!

This experience and my reflecting on it, showed me that I had a lot to learn still about faith and hope. Later that day we visited a family to help them start the New Come Follow Me teaching guide. When we went to the home, the Father lead the discussion and it was incredibly powerful and it was all in twi ( a language that I do not know). When he was done, I bore a simple Testimony about what I had understood and then my companion followed up with an amazing game for the Children to play.

In Ghana, when Missionaries sit outside a house it attracts a crowd. In this family gathering we also had all the town kids show up! We ended up having an amazingly fun time all laughing and playing with on another. 

I have come to the conclusion that all of these changes in the church, in our families, in my new standards for missionary work with my district, are to bring growth. Many changes are happening in the way the Church and families are Working together. But just realize, just as I had to that: When we have faith, all things can work out to our good even when we do not see how that is possible. Hope, Pray and have faith that even though you cannot fix it your Father in Heaven can. No problem, however large and great it may seem, cannot dim the light that Jesus Christ has offered for all of us. Let change into your life, into your expectations, and anywhere else that may come to push you to be better. We all have a choice at every moment in our lives to fall or grow to a challenge. Even when you cannot seem to grow enough, get on your knees and pray.... You will be surprised when you stand again to find that the problem is no match for you and your Father.

This is not the topic I wanted to talk on today. I was going to talk on expectations but as I wrote, I couldn't stop what was coming onto the page. Perhaps it will be meaningful to someone.  Yet, to stay fair to both of my impressions, I will also say that as you change to face things and as things change around you, do not forget that the big picture is always too large for you to handle, take it a pixel at a time and bring Heavenly Father into battle with you.  Whatever you expect of yourself during these times of change, He can double and triple your capacity.  He has certainly done that for me while I have been in Ghana.  Thank goodness!

 

I love you all.  

Elder Edison

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