"...it's what we do"

Faith is not a crime is open for business again. Since coming back from my mission, I continue to learn and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I met a woman at the airport who said that she “missed my musings.”  So, I read between the lines of her comment and thought that I should write some more. You don’t have to read it; but it’s good for me to write it and remember.  If I don’t take a picture of it; it did not happen.

Grateful:  The main thing I remember is how grateful I am for the life that I’ve been given and for the life that I get to live with my wife Sandy. Who is still my companion even though we are off our mission from Ghana.  It’s been 9 months already.  We have traveled, spent time with our family, and enjoyed life…but we miss Ghana.  We miss the missionaries—most of whom we worked with, are home now.  We came home with the Mission President and his wife, and we miss seeing them daily….but we do see them.

Mission leaders, part one:  We actually got to fly home from Ghana with our mission leaders. There was a big hug in Amsterdam when they went to Utah, and we continued on to California. Around general conference or so, there was a homecoming for the Jacobsen’s.  We came and it was so crowed they put all their missionaries on the stand so they could sing together.  The talks were good as always, but what moved me was the singing of the Ghana missionaries.  US congregations hum or barely say the words in a hymn.  Remember a hymn is a prayer to God—in Ghana the people SING, and they SING loud and proud.   When the missionaries on the stand were singing, it was loud, powerful and the spirit was there.  I was crying it was so powerful.  What an amazing feeling to be with those good young missionaries again and hear their testimonies.

Mission Leaders, part two:  Erik Jacobsen went back to the company in a similar, but different position. He had to travel again it was hard for the couple that were together always to be apart.  It was hard for my wife to be away from Sister J. also.   We talked them into coming to the Cayman Islands with us—amazing that President J had time in his calendar that we could pull it off. Which is heroic when if you remember, President Jacobsen is not a big one on recreating. We had a great trip to the Cayman Islands.  Sister J and Sister B went down to the beach and sat on two lounge chairs with their books…and never read a page…they just talked.  We were able to hang out with Alan and Laura, and Alan‘s father who baptized me into the church.  Sister Jacobsen and Sister Bertha are still the best friends and pretty much are in their own little world leaving Eric and I to go for Man Walks.

Mission leaders, part three. The church opened 55 new missions, bringing the total number of missions to 506. If mission leaders serve for three years, that means that they need to call about 170 new couples every year to serve for three years as Mission President! It is amazing the sacrifice these people make for the Lord and His Church…just like President and Sister Jacobsen did. Our friends, the Savages are going to Malawi, our friends, the Fullers, are going to Liberia.

“5 years in San Diego is better than 3 years in Liberia.”

-My son’s comment

Insightful quote:  We got to attend church in the Cayman Ward. I got to see one of my really good friends, who’s my attorney and is in the Bishopric there. Then we left from church to go to the airport and fly home. Before we left for church, we came down the elevator in our white shirts and ties with my next-door neighbor. They are from New Jersey and they come down and literally camp out on the island around the pool and on the beach for four months. And when I told her we were going to church and what we were doing, she said “we’ll will be here from November to March.” “It’s what we do.” And that kind of comment lingered with me. It’s what we do. She was enjoying her life on her own…We go to church, we gather as believers, it’s what we do. It’s what we do, and there’s a lot of different things that I thought about that we do as a church and has disciples of Jesus Christ.

It’s what we do. We serve other people. I came back to California and thought I was going to be back in the young men’s area.  I had been out on my property making new trails, setting up camping. But then I got a call from the stake president and he talked to Sandy and I and asked me to be a Bishop for a mid-singles Ward. That is not something I would volunteer for, nor is it something I really wanted to do, but it was something that was needed. And when the stake president tells you that the Lord calls you to that position. You do it. It’s what we do. We are obedient and we know that we serve for a time. My son said “five years in San Diego is better than three years in Liberia.” Both are good opportunities, but I’m glad that I get to stay in my own house.

“Don’t look at them as singles, they know that, look at them as disciples of Christ.”

-Sally Read giving sage advice to a new Bishop

It’s what we do. We listen and care. We listen to other people and love them wherever they are. One of my favorite quotes was from Elder Holland. Sometimes people, in their repentance process, need to have their membership restored. And they have to go to an apostle. What President Holland says is “I don’t want to know the stories. I want to know where they are now and what direction they’re headed in.” One of the things I loved about my mission was the explanation of repentance. Repentance is turning to God. If we turn away from God and we do some things that are disobedient that require us to repent, what we need to do is not inflict pain upon ourselves, but we need to turn to God and lean on his atonement. It’s what we do.

Repentance is turning to God.

It’s what we do, We love people unconditionally. There’s a young man in our ward who will be given the priesthood soon, and he said something like, he never thought that somebody like him would be receiving the priesthood and I had to correct him that somebody like him, is somebody like me. We are both of Divine lineage. We are sons and daughters of a loving, heavenly father. When we go to the temple, we’re dressed in the same white outfit. They call him brother, they call me brother, they call Sister Bertha sister. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord and we are his children. We love each other like family. It’s what we do.

It’s what we do. We use the priesthood to bless others. You never know when you will be able to use the priesthood that you hold. The priesthood is a power to act in the name of God. But I can’t really bless myself, I can only use it for the purpose of blessing other people or ordaining them.  My good friend called me, because he was diagnosed with a type of cancer. I had just been to the temple, and I was in my white shirt at work. I said, “will you let me give you a blessing?” And he said “yes.”  So I had to find somebody that had the oil and I needed somebody else to stand in the circle, so I called the local bishop, who called the local Elders Quorum President, who called his counselor, who invited me to his house after work. I picked up my friend, and I took him to a random person’s house that I never met. He was standing there in a white shirt, ready to help a stranger. Also, we used consecrated oil that had been set aside for the healing of the sick. We had the opportunity to lay our hands upon his head and give him a blessing. He’s not a member of our church. I’ve never met that person, but we both held the priesthood and we had the ability to share a blessing with my friend. It was a wonderful experience both because I could share it with my friend, but also the appreciation of being in another county and making a couple of phone calls, and there were many of the priesthood who would stand up. It’s what we do.

It’s what we do. We ask God more than ChatGPT; we kneel in Prayer.  You can do a deep-search on almost anything now, but revelation still comes from prayer.  The connection is real and the help is amazing.

“You are not the voices in your head”

Sister Runia reminding us to ignore Satan and negative self-talk

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”

-President Nelson 2018

Stay Faithful:  I have questions that I cannot answer, but the core doctrines of our church are pretty simple. God is our heavenly father. He has a plan for us to return to live with him again in heaven. That is the Gospel. That plan is dependent on the sacrifice that was given freely by Jesus Christ that made him our savior and redeemer. The original Church of the apostles was restored to the earth and there are prophets and personal revelations today. Joseph Smith was the first prophet of the restoration. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and his divine mission. That is all I really need to know. The other things will work themselves out in the eternities. 

“The fundamental doctrines of the gospel are few in number, simple to understand, and powerful in their application.”

Elder Bednar when he was a professor

Faith Hope and Charity. 

DO your best every day

….it’s what we do.

AB in Encinitas, but better because of Ghana

Spring Board

Springboard…a jumping off point for missionaries…it’s both a starting and an ending, or rather, an ending that becomes a new beginning.  This is the name of a special meeting held for missionaries who are going home in the next transfer.  About five weeks before departing, they’re invited to the mission home to have a meeting with the mission leaders.   You want to finish strong and also prepare to start strong in your life after a mission.  There is a definite coming transition that has to happen, and the president and his wife take this time to counsel us and to have us sit down and WRITE out our own goals for the last weeks of our mission and for the first months back home. (One of my goals is to share the adventure for the 6 months after the mission on Faithisnotacrime.com)

Spot your landing:  I like the springboard analogy because I really enjoyed watching my son, Alex, diving in high school.  Actually, I have been watching him dive all his life.  He used to ask me to judge his dives off our springboard at our pool.  If I gave him a 6 out of 10, he would protest and say “no way” and go and do a better one.  He was, and is, really skilled because of the years of practice on the diving board and on the trampoline.  I think he was good because he looked at where he wanted to go and went there.   He knew where he was in the air at all times and where he was going to land at any point.  You could see him in a spin, looking at where he planned to land his feet or hands in a dive.  If you know how to see where you want to land, you have a better chance of hitting that goal or mark.  Writing your goal(s) is like looking at where you want to land in the future.  Your takeoff will be with the “end in mind,” and you can do the little things to twist and turn and adjust to reach your goal and land where you want.

Dive in: Sometimes we dive into the water with enthusiasm, not knowing what to expect.  Or we see someone else’s success, and we just assume it will be that easy.  Some people dive into a mission and immediately want to go home…and do, and there are many reasons that is OK.  Not my place to judge.  Others dive in and struggle, but they twist and turn and adjust until they find a comfort zone that allows them to go on.  This is the time that we need to reach out to Jesus and lean on Him and let him support us and teach us what we need to do to help him and become a good disciple (follower) and missionary.

Stay focused and make sure you land somewhere near Jesus Christ…

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

-2 Nephi 31:20

“If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

-Tuilimu Siaosi

Go ahead, dive right in…I remember a fun boat trip with the Browns (Now serving a senior mission in France).  Someone on the boat dove into freezing water in Alaska, swam over to a small piece of ice, and climbed on top like it was a paddleboard. It looked fun. I thought I should be able to do that.  I dove in with confidence, only to be shocked at how cold it really was. My body constricted. I barely made it back to the boat.

Lesson learned…Easy Cowboy, you will not be able to do everything, but pick the important things and strive to do those things well.  Maybe do less and do it better. 

Powder skiing:  Something I can’t wait to do again is powder skiing—about as different from Ghana as you can get. I love skiing in the trees.  Some people get freaked out about skiing in the trees because it is dangerous.  But here’s the key: don’t look at the trees. Look at the spaces between them.  That’s how you get through.  Ski/Follow the covenant path and make sure you follow the guides/Jesus Christ so that you end up at the right place…

Questions:  When you start your mission, the Mission leaders will ask the incoming missionaries the question, “What kind of missionary do you HOPE to become on your mission?”  It is a big question, and most missionaries start with a lot of enthusiasm that can grow or diminish depending on the twists and turns in their mission and how they choose to react or respond to it.  We are agents unto ourselves, and we are not compelled to be here.  But we are here, so make your mark while you can…

“Finishers Wanted”

-a sign at a furniture store and the subject of President Monson’s talk

“There are two kinds of people in the world, finishers and everyone else…”

-Unknown

“There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don’t.”

-Robert Benchley

“Finishers are few.”

-Steven Covey

“You are leaving…we are leaving too.”

-Sister Jacobsen with Intro to departing missionaries in the LAST Springboard

“Be exhausted…We can sleep on the plane…”

-Sister J on not letting up…

“We can sleep when we are dead…”

-Elder Blodgett (my replacement), who would rather go directly to a baptism than rest after a long flight to Ghana…I like this guy already.

“Leave it all on the field.”

-Coach E. Jacobsen…there are two in my life, but they both say it…jump ball!

“I will miss the people, the missionaries, and their redneck abilities”

-President Jacobsen

“I eat a lot of Garlic.”

-Missionary on why he doesn’t take anti-malaria medicine

“Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your eyes on Christ.”

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Let us be spiritual finishers—not just those who start the dive of discipleship, but those who fix their gaze on Christ and land faithfully, cleanly, and with joy.

Elder Bertha

Ghana Accra West Mission

June 4, 2025

Last-ing – 2

There’s another dimension to the word ‘Last-ing.’ The first was about doing things for the last time. The second is more three-dimensional.  You have to step into my shoes to understand my meaning and to see what I have learned here in Ghana.

“I want to be an old shoe worn out in the service of the Lord.”

-President Spencer W. Kimball

A shoe Last is the 3D form or mold that a shoemaker uses to make a shoe.  A shoe last defines the outside shape of a shoe…that also helps to define the structure, fit, and purpose of the shoe.  A rock-climbing shoe is tighter than a cross-country running shoe.  A last is rigid, intentional, and foundational.  Your feet support the whole body, so a good shoe that fits makes everything balance out.  When your inner self matches your outer actions, you fit—and avoid the blisters that come from imbalance or inauthenticity.  God has promised that he will shape us into the person we need to be if we let him.  If we will shape to His will…

"Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

-Missionary Purpose from PMG:

A New Size Shoe:  When I was in the MTC a year ago, at the beginning of this adventure, I had some shoes that did not fit well, and I had a new knee that was also not fitting me well.  I needed a change for my mission, so I bought a nice new shoe with a thick, soft sole.  (Think REM Hokas with a Colehaan top.)  I am wearing them now for the last time.  Elder Pheta (South Africa) will “morau”(Inherit in Japanese) them at the Zone conference.  They are size 13, and I was always a size 12, but I did not look at the number; I just wanted a good fit and less pain.  If you let the gospel in, you can remove pain and feel a fit with God.  We shouldn’t care about the logic when discussing spiritual things; we should just go by the fit and feeling.  My well-fitting, comfortable shoes have LASTed well. They’ve changed shape from wear, just as I have.  I come home, and the shoes stay in Ghana.  The Albert has happily lasted this long in Africa because I adjusted myself to fit what God wanted me to be, do, and feel.  I will be coming home in His shape…a better shape inside me than I left.  My Last, or inner form, has been refined and polished to fit me better, and I am grateful for it.

Better-fit Me: I look the same as when I left, but maybe a few more greys and a few more pounds (Sandy cookies), but I look the same or similar…on the outside.  But the inside is different. The Last, or the shape of my spirit and my testimony, and my beliefs that are inside of me, make me different.  Like my shoes, I think I have grown, but more importantly, there were some rough edges in my form/character that needed to be sanded down.   The first month in Africa, God was using a low-grit sandpaper ripping at my last or internal form.  I needed to be reshaped to do his will and work.  Now I am more polished inside, and I think the fit between my inside and the outside is pretty close.  The last that is used to create the form for the Al & Sandy show has also been reformed to be a kinder, softer, more unified set of shoes.  If I am a left shoe, she is right (correct, leading off, and kicking the ball)  She needs a good, strong plant foot -that’s me; I think we balance each other out better now.  A better fitting last makes room for new growth, strength, and character traits…in time.

"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

-Theme for youth 2025 from D&C 6:36

Rainbow Sandals:  When I was in HS, a guy I knew down the road from me on Beach Road had a small sandal company in San Clemente.  His name was Sparky.  His sandals were popular in Southern California then, and now they are sold all over the world.  I used to think they were “cruel shoes” (a reference to Steve Martin’s first album circa 1979).  Rainbow sandals, like the gospel of Jesus Christ, take some work to make them fit perfectly.  Like Rainbow sandals, the gospel takes time to break in. You don’t just get it—you have to open your heart, live it, and walk in it awhile. When we choose to get fit, we will shape ourselves around the form of Jesus Christ.  Rainbows take a while to get perfect, but then you guard them with your life.  (kind of like a testimony of Jesus Christ; it is precious and you need to protect it). A well-worn Rainbow can fit your foot perfectly…in time.

Pre-fit?  You can buy softer sandals, but they don’t survive as long.  In life, some things, most good things, need time to be earned.  I like Sam Smith’s Rainbow Sandals – because he took the time to wear them in.  When I wear them. I like the fit.  I borrow his shoes when I can, but in life, you have to make your own choices and wear in your own sandals and shoes.  I can borrow your light, but not for long.  If you let Jesus INTO you as the Last for your character, he will form the best you possible.

Step by Step…Interestingly, there is an easy way to shape the footbed of a sandal: you have to stand in them, and take your steps--travel a bit to get them to wear in to where they need to be.  You need to travel as a disciple, or follower of Jesus Christ, to get yourself to fit into your membership and align with the covenants that you make when you choose to join His walk.  Everyone is different, but the goal is to head in the same direction on the covenant path… The Last helps you put your foot (your effort) into the shoe that fits for you.  There is no easy way around a good fit on your sandal; you have to live with them… This goes for ski boots, too. 

“Stand in Holy Places”

“Stand in the place that you are…”

-Talking Heads

"Like a cobbler shaping a new last, we must reshape the framework of our soul. What once supported us may now pinch and restrict. Change isn't just new leather on old forms—it's a whole new mold for a better fit."

Shapes and Patterns:

"And they gave thanks to God, yea, they did cry unto him and were filled with joy because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God."

-Mosiah 24:20

“And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs...”

-Mosiah 24:14

Slavery:  There are plenty of stories in the Bible and Book of Mormon about people being taken as slaves.  Jews and Nephites.  The Lord delivered the people of Alma from bondage, helping them carry their burdens and then setting them free. He can also help reshape the “last” of our soul — the inner mold that determines who we are becoming.  Before their deliverance, the people of Alma were pressed, restricted, and burdened, just like how a shoe can be too tight when shaped by an old or improper last.  Their deliverance came not by their own strength, but by God's mercy — He eased their burdens, just as He can ease ours when we surrender our broken or outdated molds to Him. 

“He will shape our backs to carry any burdens.”

-Sister J teaching the principles

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets”

-Amos 3:7

The Prophets preach repentance, and we invite people to follow Christ…why?  So that we are not slaves to sin and the mistakes we make in life.  The invitation to become free from the bondage of our mistakes and accept the Grace that allows us to be a cleaner, better person.

“You need to get these boys in shape.”

-Coach Mike at SCHS to the JV Coach

“Round is a shape.”

-JV Coach

Shape: The last is used to shape the shoe's upper of a shoe and your standing and wearing a shoe or sandal shape the insole (Inner soul).

What shape will we leave this place when we at Last leave?  

I am confident, notwithstanding the efforts before by good men and women, that I am leaving it a little better than before.  Each person or missionary builds on the foundation that was built before them.  They learn something new and improve the process. 

Each person wants to leave it in better shape than when they started.  The shape of ME is a better shape from the inside, and that may reflect on the outside, but as a shoe gets old, it may look worn out on the outside, but inside, it can be a better mold or shape of their true self. 

I am giving away my shoes; what’s next?

“Africans are healthy because they walk barefoot.”

-William, the Landscape guy

If God has a shoe collection, I want to be in it.

Air Force One: A Great Nike Shoe that went viral with a great shape and became part of hip-hop culture.  Liza Bertha gave me an Air Force One custom shop experience for Christmas.  We went to a hip spot in LA to customize our Air Force One shoes in whatever way we wanted.  I love to customize things.  The shape is often the same, but the look can be changed on the outside.  The inside still needs to be fitted.  What does this have to do with Africa?  I made the shoes and I left them in the box…waiting for a special occasion.  What a waste!  When it comes to my faith, every day is a special occasion, so I need to take my faith and my Air Force Ones out of the box and start wearing them in and using them up in the service of the Lord.  If I were that shoe, West Africa was exactly the place to get broken in and refined for God’s work.  We need to walk in our faith…

“Better to burn out (in service to others) than to rust.”

-Bob Dylan

Patterns of Christ.  He (Jesus Christ) came and served in a small part of the world, for ALL of the world.  He did not worry about the necessities of life (like we do).  He was about his Father’s work at all times.  It is hard for us to be about it at all times, but more than we were yesterday, and being available for when we are called upon to answer a prayer for someone…that would be good.  Be a better version of our yesterday’s self.  It is a lighter journey when you do not carry the past with you.  Through repentance and turning to Jesus Christ, we can get rid of our sins and mistakes.  Drop it and move on in the best direction you can see or the best direction you feel.  Reading the scriptures is like looking at a compass and a map.  GPS…God’s Positioning System.  Ask for help in prayer, find the answer in the book…the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Let God shape you….Jesus is the first and the Last…

"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

-Martin Luther King, 1963, the year I was born

Elder Bertha

Ghana Accra West Mission

June 2025