86 New Investigators!!

So all of the people that are progressing in our area have left our area and have been sent as referrals to the missionaries in their new home villages....... That has been a lot of fun - NOT - just a whole lot of work and concern for us. Hopefully they all turn out okay and their new Elders love them like we did.

1. When you are called up to speak in sacrament meeting five minutes into sacrament meeting, it sure is fun to throw things together (John 21:15-17 saved my life)

2. Having three exchanges (times where leaders go with other Elders to proselyte) in a week makes the week fly by.

3. As a zone we were able to find 86 new people who will now be taught about the Gosple (the highest weekly amount this zone has ever achieved)!!!

4. When you cut your hand open weeding for people and then have to wash clothes in soapy water and even bleach at times, your hands are not too happy with you.

Wow! Lots happened this past week, luckily no one died. There was no way any one could have passed on but I thought i would make it clear because just about everything else that could have happened this week, did happen, but no death. 

As a mission we are trying to move our focus from individuals to families. It has really sped up the work. My companion and I have been using 3 Nephi 18:21 to teach families about the importance of being one. It is so fun to see how people react when we invite them to pray as a family to gain blessings with each other. I never realized how that was not a big thing here in Ghana, most people do not do such things as a family. Hopefully Ghana Cape Coast mission can change that fact.

Unity has been on my mind recently, unity with God, family, Church leaders, etc. I have come to realize the importance of being unified. Though I have always understood the phrase "a house divided cannot stand", I never saw the personal responsibility to unite with others. As individuals we are each separate puzzle pieces, we can either choose to unite and join the fabulous masterpiece that we are meant to be a part of, or we can fend for ourselves as individuals. I can see how I have struggled with this in the past, there are times we see other puzzle pieces around us, all of which seem dull or boring or, at times, far too vibrant for us to join with. We decide that it is better to be individual and separate rather than have to join these others in what they are seeking. However this mentality is removed when we come to see that there is a bigger picture than just our piece of the pie. As we see how all of the colors around us will join together to create a spectacular work of art we are more willing to link arms and become one. A picture, however, is only as good as its parts. We find that without shading, a picture will be lifeless and unimpressive, however if the shading itself is dull and does not match the color scheme, it will be viewed as a disruption to the overall piece of art. There are times when pieces that seem to have no big role to play make the greatest difference. We are all pieces with different colors and shapes, finding our spot may be difficult but as we work to unite with all the good things around, us our purpose will become clear.

My Sister Molly is an incredible artist. She can draw like none before her! However, as I have viewed her artwork and the process at which she accomplishes it, I have come to understand that the picture lies in the artist's hand and mind and cannot always be seen at once. Many a time I would look at her work confused at what she was doing, As the work began it's completion, I could see the true purpose of the individual colors appearing. Just as my sister's art is hard to predict at the beginning, God's work is nearly impossible to predict at the outset. We may see miracles and great leaps of faith but the true picture lies only in the master's hand. We have to understand at times there are things we cannot effect or control no matter how hard we try. Instead, we have to trust that the greatest of all painters (God, not my sister Molly) knows why color or shading has been used. A friend shared a quote with me: "Everything is happening exactly as it's supposed to, with hidden blessings that you'll soon understand. Sometimes what appears to be the problem is actually an answered prayer in disguise."  Be what God made you to be, if there is only darkness around you while you have been called to be vibrant, do not change to fit the picture you know nothing about. For all you know, you have been chosen to be the stark contrast in a great design. Stand the way God has called you. To conform is different than to unite, God is not asking you to be anything different than your best, you are the best you when you play the part God has designed for you. 

Love you all Not sure why i wroite like i do hope someone understands.

Elder Butters

Zone Conference Speakers

1. Snakes with blue heads are fun to spray with bleach and kill when in the Apartment.

2. Exercising and eating right, really do make a difference.

3. When a storm comes in the middle of the night, it makes rooms a lot colder.

4. When you have a Tongan in your apartment you eat a lot of really nice foods that you had no idea existed.

5. Scheduling internet time for everyone is rough.

6. When giving instructions in zone conference, talking about the Atonement and its effects in missionary work is always the best of topics in my opinion.

So people of Earth we meet again. I miss you all a lot but I love it out here. Because my companion is a Ghanaian we are able to teach a lot of people that I could not communicate with on my own. It has been so much fun to see Gospel conversations change people's lives. It is sometimes difficult to follow lessons fully but that's when you have to rely on the Spirit, I guess. 

This past week, as you can see from my notes, my companion and I had to instruct at zone conference. It was so much fun! I love the topic that we were given from our Mission President: Atonement. My companion and I worked so hard to make sure that our priorities were to teach people about how to be worthy to use the atonement in their lives and how we have to see the potential of our callings in Preaching change, repentance, and the other gifts of the Atonement. When preparing. it was so cool to see how we were using Scriptures and planning great discussions (that actually happened). We had a lot of fun and hopefully helped to make some people more hopeful in their callings.

As members and non-members we have to remember that for us to progress in this life, changes have to be made. In all aspects of life you have to be able to adapt to the circumstances around you. Change is a part of our nature as humans. We are programmed to change (sometimes not for the best).  For those of us with the message of true and everlasting change, we have a responsibility to go out and teach it. All of us can say that change, in the long run, is essential, but if you do not believe in a continuation after this life then change is a pointless aspect of humanity. This is why we have to stand up tall and raise our voices like a trump. We can show people that change is not just for this world but also for the world to come.Without change and development we will falter and fail. Never be stagnant. I have watched many movies on super heroes but the power that has always stood out to me is "adaptation". Many villains have this power as well. It is a gift that allows them to not be defeated the same way time after time, or to be able to fight against the hero more effective ly. This has always made super hero movies fun to watch. When we become better at changing (for the better) we will see that the Atonement can now take full effect. We are no longer just asking for forgiveness but we are using it in our lives. We go from being acted upon to acting. No longer waiting for the next sin to take place but preparing ourselves to fight against it entirely. Adapt to act and go out and change everything.

I love you all - Elder Edison

*Check out the Mission President's New Blog:  www.hillamsinghanacapecoast.blogspot.com

There are photos of our zone conference and my companion and I teaching!  

My Mango Tree

To everyone. My mango tree is dead it got sprayed with poison and is gone.... Next time I need to build a fence around it!

1. People spray poison a lot here......for all the spiders and snakes, that's a good idea but not for mango trees.

Not much to report on. Stay powerful and keep being amazing. Search for opportunities to repent and change and you will be surprised how much you can do to really move this world forward. Opening your mouth to confess the Christ and His gospel is not easy but even as I have tried to put it to practice the results have been amazing. 

We all make mistakes even small ones. For example, last week I sent a picture of me without my name tag on.... mistake and something I need to fix and work on. Too often we let the little things pass. But as we focus on what is right we will be lifted.  I will hold myself to a higher standard this week and challenge you to do the same.

My letter is short but it is late here in Ghana and I have to lock up the building and still need to finish planning for the week ahead. I will make my final (and fourth) phone call home next Sunday if the technology on my end holds up.  In a few weeks, I will be 20 years old. So many milestones and it often feels very strange.  I love it here, I love the people and I love the strong lessons we have taught this week with as much power as we can muster through our obedience and hard work.

Thank you for your letters.

Elder Edison

Time To Type!

I actually have time to type today!!! On the Fourth Monday, my companion and I have so much to do to prepare for the coming month that we are allowed extra time on the computer.  We have arrived early today and I am able to get some things done and communicate with all o you. My mom tells me that it is 3 am where you are in the United States, so Good morning!

1. The train that connects my area and Takoradi is amazing. It even has air conditioning!!!  Luxury!!  We didn't want to get off.

2. When you go on a diet in Ghana, there is not much for you to actually eat.... It makes trying to be healthy very difficult.

3. People here think the word "saints" means some type of Spirit that is sent by the Devil. It makes calling ourselves Latter-Day Saints very difficult to explain. Even if they read the definition in the dictionary, they will still have a hard time believing that we are telling the truth. 

4. When you eat two fufu meals in a row it is very difficult to finish.....

5. I had a member fix me chocolate cake and an egg pudding! It tasted so nice. In return I taught her how to make a makeshift oven so she can start her hand at baking rather then steaming a cake. (steamed chocolate cake is still better then no cake)  

This past week has been very nice. I have had to go on exchanges three times this past week to make sure everyone is trained and doing all that they have to do to be great missionaries. I have had so much fun working with so many of the Elders in the mission. I have gotten to see so many different ways of doing the work and changing lives for the better.

Today I want to talk about understanding the Savior. When we understand Him, that is when we know how to follow. As a challenge from my mission President, I have started memorizing more scriptures on Jesus Christ. So far I have: Helaman 5:12, Mosiah 15:8-9, 3 Nephi 9: 21-22, 2 Nephi 2:6-9, and The Living Christ. Doing this challenge has helped me come to see really what the Lord has done for all of us. As we DO our best to understand his life and his sacrifice and victory, we will better see how our relationship with him should be. He is a loving Brother who wishes to save all that come unto him, but there have been laws given to be able to access his Great Atoning Sacrifice. As we follow and fulfill our part in this contract we will have the promise of Eternal life. Yet we must make sure that at all times we are working towards this goal. As we take steps down the path of life, many small and simple decisions change the outcome of our salvation. It is easy to say I will not steal or kill, but these are not usually the deciding factor for most of us to get to Heaven. Many of us have to focus mainly on the Simple Doctrine of Christ: Faith, Repentence, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of The Holy Ghost, and Enduring to The End. Wherever you are along this path, we must be fully aware and conscious of our decisions to follow Him.  When we hold even a little back, we are no longer worthy of all the blessings that God wishes to give to us as his Children. There is a song that I have heard (sorry I forgot the title) which states "How much can i give Lord, without losing all control?". It is a question referirng to the desire to follow God and Jesus Christ but the want to still have the life we decide is best wants...This is the wrong type of thinking. It is not about how much we can give while we still hold ourselves back. The Lord does not ask for 99% but he requires 100% to save our souls. There have been many times in my life where i have been required to work with people or to do certain assignments yet many of these instances I have always tried to be in control even when I am suppose to be a follower. So being able to give all that i am up and become exactly what others want me to be is very difficult. My fear is that i will become a cookie cutter cookie, not allowed to grow in my own way. (this is one of the main reasons i did not go into military when i was back home). Individuality was so important to me that it scared me to think i would just become like everyone else. However this fear does not need to be placed within the Savior's plan for you. We were all raised by God to be who we are today. When we give it all to God we become not one of a million but we are blessed to be one in a miillion. God does not want individuality to be taken from you. On the contrary, he wants you to be you, but he knows the best you that you have the potential of becoming.  Give all yourself to God and The Lord's sacrifice will take effect (when you ask for it) and you will become the greatest individual that you could ever be.

Love you all

PHOTOS FROM APRIL 22, 2019

Loving Mangoes!

1. I can get 11 mangoes for less then a dollar!!!!

2. Mice are in our apartments.

3. I am trying to grow mango trees in our yard. I will not be here for the fruits but future missionaries will thank me.

4. washing becomes easy after a year and a half.

Okay ointo my topic, I was shown a talk today by a missionary and in it a saying was disscussed. It said, I will wage an all out war against Satan. I loved this idea. I use to just try and annoy Satan every day but now things have changed it is time to have a war. This saying alone got me thinking about how missionaries us their time and even plan it out. I realized that the lessons and people i plan in a day are all my battle plans that i have laid out to be able to destory satan and his work. This is not just a laid back situation but an all out war. We better be ready to fight. What is your battle plan everyday? What is your plan to stoip Satan's plan everyday? These are some of t5he questions going around in my head now. I cannot wait to see how they change me. Even after hearing the talk i went out and taught a lesson and it felt as if i was testifying in a new way, it felt like i actually was trying to save someone. 

I want to see if i can commit all of you. Will your wage a war against Satan? If yes, perfect. Now this war i have come to register quickly will not be fought with swords and cimiters (too bad for me). But we will be fighting for every life we see. Now you do not have to be a full blown missionary to fight, all you have to do is find a way to reverse something Satan has done. A greeting or words of affirmation may be enough to change negative feelings he has placed in someone. If that is not a victory i do not know what is. Go out everyday with a battle plan, make every moment about wining your war and help others do the same. 

This battle may not be life and death but it is more, it is damnation and exaltaion that are in the balance. We all better be ready for a fight, luckily God has given us the power to be able to win. Being his children we have the right to banish Satan form, our thoughts and feelings, we have been born with control to do that. Exercise that power and fight him while God and your Brother Jesus Christ stand by your side.

I love you all, LETS WIN THIS WAR

Act And See

1. Mangoes are the greatest fruits that have ever existed and I eat them like junk food here. Unlucky for me, I just got moved out of an area with amazing mangoes and have to suffer with mangoes that are less then sufficient for my junk food needs in this place.

2. When your companion says, "I want to buy fufu" and your first thought is "what stew will I have with it"? You know you have been in Ghana for a long time.

3. When your whole zone emails at two computers and you have a strict schedule for computer time, power going out at every five minute mark, makes it very difficult to work on things (my entire zone was limited to 30 minutes of computer time today and now that it is my turn, the power is fine and working great but I need to abide by the same time limit they had, to keep things fair)....

I still have not seen General Conference. When I do, I will definitely send something about it. 

Patience versus lack of effort is what I wish to talk about today. I have seen, recently, that there is a difference between the two behaviors, especially when it comes to revelation that can be received. Though we are told that we have to be on the Lord's time, that does not mean that we wait for instruction in every little matter. For someone like me, someone who likes knowing they are in the right from a leader's perspective, we can find this fact frustrating. I see myself waiting for revelation too often. Even in many Liahonas and talks that I have read it has always told me the same thing: We are not always given all things that we desire; more likely than not, we are expected to act in our best judgment and move forward making progress, doing good things and serving God's children. However, it took my mission President telling me that very same thing to my face to have it finally sink in. Act and see. I have talked a lot about this before, but I want to re-state it. God needs you and me to grow and if He made every decision for us, we could never grow at all.  Being in Ghana, I have seen myself grow so much because I have no one to turn to but myself, my determination and my God.  

We may decide that God would want to give us an answer but we also have to make sure we are giving our appropriate amount of effort. If we justify our laziness and call it patience on the Lord, we will falter in the end. Don't justify, but if you get told to wait, then wait. God is in control. Do not disobey what He has asked you to do. Follow through with the thoughts He puts into your heart. Act, do not be acted upon and the world will change around you and because of you.

Have a wonderful week.  I hope to have more time to write next week (if the electricity cooperates).

Love, Elder Edison