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

Last-ing – 1

Beg-End-ing: Another made-up word that means The Beginning of the End.  That is what we are doing now.  June 1 was the first day of the ending month of our mission. The first Sunday in June was the last Stake Conference we will attend in Ghana (on this mission), and it also marks the first day of the beginning of the rainy season. So what did it do as we were making the long drive home? It rained.  Roads under construction and big puddles just slowed us down on an already bumpy and long ride. It was worth it to be with the stake members and our missionaries in an area rich in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ's first pioneers in Ghana.  Abomosu was one of the areas they wrote about in church history that had the first strong members who grew the church.

Start with the end in mind: I have all the weekly calendars, and I plan out a month ahead.  I need to anticipate the cash we will need, when, and layer in the delay that happens when I try to reload the cash.  I need to make sure all the money is in place for the missionaries.  I have less than 1 week's calendars to look at!  I know President is more advanced in his planning because of transfers, conferences, and trainings that he has set up for the new mission president, but the Jacobsens have said the (mission) calendar “goes dark in August…”  The new president will be up to speed and doing his own things by then.  As for me, I want to leave this place better than when I came.  I have to work backwards so that there is something done every day to achieve that.

“Lasting”: We are doing things for the Last time in the last month of our mission.  President and Sister Jacobsen have lived in Ghana longer than in their house in Utah.  They have been here for 3 years.  The Judds sold their family home and are TBD as to where they will settle again.  They have been here 18 months.  The Berthas have been here 12 months, and we are going home to “whitewash”, an area we love and have been before, but we will look at it a little differently as we have both become individually, and together as a couple, better versions of our former selves.  I think we are in good shape to go home and start again from a different viewpoint.  Like coming home from graduating from University…you’ve learned some things, and should be able to make some better decisions.

The Last Last?  We are in the final stretch.  We are seeing the things that are the last _____... fill in the blank.  It is hard-ish and there are some tears, but I can’t cry for 3 weeks.  Even though we are doing things for the last time, it’s not the last week, so we will finish strong until the last last thing.  There is so much to do and learn still…still on the last stretch and there is so much still to see, do, enjoy, and soak in here…it’s hard to write it all down in a timely manner…

What’s last to do?

Last Bikes:  I picked up my last order of new-ish bikes from Isaac, but I gave him two to repair and a back tire to rework, and I picked up two selectors.  The BikeMaster will live on with Patrick and Elder Kaaen.  I am sure that the bikes will last longer now because of all we were able to do to improve and standardize our bike fleet here.  There is no real last…it’s going to be a mess when I leave with parts, but they are all ready to use.  The bikes are better, and the missionaries are taking better care of them…Hopefully, this month’s crash was the last bike crash for a while.

Last Finance Work: The bikes and the finances are moving targets.  I may have done the last working fund check this week, but I will train the NEW Elder B to do his first working fund check.  The finances, like the bikes, need constant attention to keep rolling.  I am trying to set it up so my last and Elder B’s first are the same.  So we can go and do it together.  I am training him the way I would have liked, but could not because of a visa.  I have it set up and ready to train him like our missionaries train new elders fresh out of the MTC (which is where he and his wife are now)

“In Process”:  There will be an inventory of bikes, cash, and bills that we can account for at one moment in time, but it never really stops…it is an ongoing process.  We are all on this earth to do your thing, whatever that is, while we are here.  And when we are gone, life and “it” will go on with someone else in charge.  That is the circle of life (Thank you, Elton John).  More than finding things and more stuff, what I want to do is to serve my God and serve, and love my fellow man.  I can’t take any of the stuff with me to heaven, but I have a lot more friends from Ghana and the missionaries from around the world.  “So I got that going for me”-Bill Murray

Last MLC:  Mission Leadership Council.  The Mission Leaders gather the zone leaders and the STL (Sister Training Leaders), and they discuss what is going on in the mission and what they need to do to improve and adjust.  This will be the last meeting of this kind, and that means…we have done our last pancake breakfast.  Wow, how many people have been fed by Sister Bertha?

Other Last days coming: I don’t know when, but there will be some important “lasts.”  It will happen, but I may stretch these out…. last swim in the pool, last walk in Ghana, Last hug with Sandy in the office, last time to see each missionary (that is happening this week and next with mini zone conferences) Last 80/20 Burger, Last time to log on to the computer, last time to be allowed on IMOS the Church System, last trip to the trash, last dishes being clean, last exchange with missionaries, last time to smile at the kids at church. Last time to see a baptism in Ghana.  Will it be the last?  Some of these things are last for now, but maybe they will come again.  President and I want to come back in 10 years, in our 70s, and see all the buildings that are partially built and see if they actually get finished? See if the road to Abomosu and the road to Winnebah actually get finished…. Or will Jesus Christ come and the last days begin…I hope they still have a flight to Ghana then, because I want to come back and see the growth that is, and will continue, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

…So blessed to be here at this time with these people.  Perfect for us.

“It is not a matter of knowing if I can trust the Lord; it’s about if the Lord can trust me.”

-paraphrase of what the President said…

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”

-Matthew 6:22

“There is always a seamstress in the ward, if not 5.” 

-Ghana truth

So slow. Sometimes the trucks are going so slow uphill that you think they are parked, but when you get close, they are just driving so slowly. They are overloaded and barely making it.

Final cookies:  Last batch of Heath Crunch for Sister Bertha’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies.   She planned out the use of her ingredients well.  But when will I take the last cookie from the freezer?  I have been rationing the last chocolate-covered bananas also…Yum..  I have my last Monster in the refrigerator…I might get another. (Both are gone now!)

Lasting memories:  So fun to see and truly a special part of the Lord's garden right now.  It will leave me with lasting memories that have changed me for the good.  I only write in this so that I can remember them.  We want to enjoy each day to its fullest…and we are.  #grateful.

Elder and Sister Bertha

Ghana Accra West Mission

June 1-5