Conference Maximus…

We had three multi-zone conferences this week with all the missionaries.  I did not have to worry about a presentation.  I was focused on money and bikes; Sandy was making beads for sisters, managing food, and cleaning everywhere we went.  I appreciate that she will not let me catch anything.  After shaking a few hands, she is always there with hand sanitizer for me. 

I spoke with a good friend this week who is a seeker of truth.  He studies the Bible and has learned Hebrew to understand it better.  He has started reading the Book of Mormon as a gift to me for serving my mission.  He told me he was going to go to church this weekend for the first time…I laughed because he would have gone and found an empty building.  Twice a year we have General Conference when we watch the apostles and leaders of the church on TV on Saturday and Sunday.  So I invited him to take the liberty of not going to church this weekend and watching Conference on TV.  His first church visit can wait for another time…

It is on regular TV here in Ghana.  Or you can watch it on YouTubeTV or stream it on www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.  9am and 1pm Pacific Standard.  That is 4pm and 8pm in Ghana if you want to know when we will be watching it.

Cliff Notes from the last conference in October 2024:

“Faith is beautiful because it persists even when blessings don't come as hoped for. We can't see the future, we don't know all the answers, but we can trust Jesus Christ as we keep moving forward and upward because He is our Savior and Redeemer.”

-DIETER F. UCHTDORF

“Mortality works! It is designed to work! Despite the challenges, heartaches, and difficulties we all face, our loving, wise, and perfect Heavenly Father has designed the plan of happiness such that we are not destined to fail.”

-BROOK P. HALES

“There is no pain, no sickness, no injustice, no suffering, nothing that can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants with God in the house of the Lord. It is a house of light, a house of hope.”

-NEIL L. ANDERSEN

“Being filled with God's love shields us in life's storms but also makes the happy moments happier. Our joyful days, when there is sunshine in the sky, are made even brighter by the

sunshine in our soul.”

-KARL D. HIRST

“The Church is simply ordinary people, disciples of Jesus Christ, gathered and organized into a divinely appointed structure that helps the Lord accomplish His purposes.”

-DALE G. RENLUND

“When we find it difficult to understand or embrace God's will, it is comforting to remember that He loves us as we are, wherever we are. And He has something better for us. If we reach out to Him, He will assist us.”

-DAVID P. HOMER

“We can provide a sense of joy that is reflected in our countenance; a joy that we share with words of love and acts of kindness. Let us be good neighbors, good employers, and good workers. Let us strive to be good Christians at all times.”

-GREGORIO E. CASILLAS

“We need to love and do good to all. We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications. This does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities, but to cease harshly attacking others for theirs. That is what our Perfect Role Model did in His ministry. That is the example He set for us, as He invited us to follow Him.”

-DALLIN H. OAKS

“When it comes to matters of salvation and eternal life, our theme song ought to be, "I did it God's way," because truly there is no other way.”

-D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON

“As we reach out to Him in faith, He will always be there, and in His time, He will be ready and willing to grasp our hands and pull us up to the safe place.”

-JUAN PABLO VILLAR

“Even as the storms of life in an often troubled world pound upon us, we can cultivate a growing and abiding sense of joy and inner peace because of our hope in Christ and our understanding of our own place in the beautiful plan of happiness.”

-PATRICK KEARON

“Our unique gifts and talents that differentiate us in a secular world unite us in a sacred space. The Savior has called upon us to help one another, lift one another, and edify each other.”

-DAVID L. BUCKNER

“When we are receptive to the guidance of the still, small voice, we are better equipped to more effectively minister to those in need.”

-D. MARTIN GOURY

“Ours is a gospel of joy and

holiness in everyday life.”

-GERRIT W. GONG

“The Lord is not done with us when we make a mistake, nor does He flee when we falter. Our need for healing and help is not a burden to Him, but the very reason He came.”

-KRISTIN M. YEE

“For all the beautiful truths we might learn from that First Vision, perhaps Joseph's main takeaway was simply, "I had found the testimony of James to be true-that a man who lacked wisdom might ask of God, and obtain."

-KYLE S. MCKAY

“Let us not wait for things to get hard before turning to God. Let us not wait until the end of our mortal life to truly repent. Instead, let us now, no matter which part of the covenant path we are on, focus on the redemptive power of Jesus Christ and on Heavenly Father's desire for us to return to Him.”

JORGE M. ALVARADO

“Please remember that The Book of Mormon looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for me and you in the circumstances and

challenges of our day.”

-DAVID A. BEDNAR

“Placing your trust in Heavenly Father and in His prophets whom He has sent will help you to spiritually elevate and push you forward towards God's expanded horizon. Your vantage will change because you will change. God knows that the higher you are, the farther you can see. Our Savior invites you to make that climb.”

-TRACY Y. BROWNING

“Your covenant relationship with God and Jesus Christ is a relationship of love and trust in which you have access to a greater measure of Their grace -Their divine assistance, endowment of strength, and enabling power. That power is not just wishful thinking, a lucky charm, or self-fulfilling prophecy. It is real.”

-BRADLEY R. WILCOX

“If you pray, if you talk to God, and if you plead for His help for your loved ones, and if you thank Him not only for help but for the patience and gentleness that come from not receiving all you desire right away or perhaps ever, then I promise you that you will draw closer to Him.”

-HENRY B. EYRING

“The sacred scriptures and living prophets are a major way a loving Heavenly Father makes His plan of happiness available to all His children.”

-QUENTIN L. COOK

“Every time we are taught about our divine nature and destiny, the adversary of all righteousness tempts us to call them into question. How different life, our decisions, would be if we really knew who we really are.”

-RUBÉN V. ALLIAUD

“The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.”

-RUSSELL M. NELSON

Other thoughts from the busy week...

“Mind the Gap…between you and the Lord…get closer if you can…”

-SJ teaching about the Spirit

“You change the world by changing yourself…”

-President Jacobsen 

“We’re not promised tomorrow”

-Meghan Trainor song

“If you don’t find it, you weren’t meant to find it….”

-…truth learned by AB

“I can’t watch you eat with your fingers.” 

-SMB at a fufu lunch 

Never settle 

Do the right thing

Better together. 

-Standard Chartered Bank ads

…I sit in the bank a lot

“We get more inspiration than we give ourselves credit for.”

-P. Jacobsen at Zone Conference to Missionaries 

Reality:  I was asked by a friend back in California to help them recruit more senior missionaries.  I love our mission, but real talk…It’s long. It’s hot. It’s a lot. It’s tiring. 

Good things come from doing hard things.  It has caused my wife and I to step up our discipleship.  We have been tested, we have learned, and we have been supported physically and spiritually for doing this.  We love it and would not trade it for anything - Just had dinner with the mission president and his wife.  We are all tired…it was a hard week in a shorter than normal 5-week transfer. Sister Bertha has to arrange for emergency travel home; the medical advisor is busy as usual; I have to make sure we get bikes fixed and rotated out and all the finance and bills are done in the evening after we get back from a long day.  It’s a good thing being busy, but tonight…the Friday before Conference, we are all tired…that is the reality today…But I invite my friends and family to watch Conference if they can…

“I just want to go home, take a shower, and fall in bed”

-Sister K after the last long zone meeting

“Strength and honor”

-Gladiator Movie

-Heber Bike Group remembering our fallen comrade William Henry Howard IV

Elder Bertha

April 2025

“Mayhem and Miracles”

April Fools Day in Ghana.  No pranks here at all.  It is, however, a special day for me as it is the anniversary of my baptism 48 years ago.  April 1, 1978.  It was a good day, and it is a better day now that I look back on all the good that has transpired in my life because I made that choice to get baptized then.  I wish I could say that I had a great spiritual conversion then, but I did not.  I followed my Mom and my brother who had joined 2 years before.  They introduced me to some good kids in the ward and I was loved into the church.  I did not know much, but I knew enough to have some faith, and faith is all you need to nudge you in the right direction.  I have picked up a lot more over the years, having served a mission or two, and now I fully have my own faith, my own testimony, and my own belief in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I joined because I wanted a good family, as I had seen around the church.   By joining and taking it on faith, I got what I wanted by following the precepts and teachings of Jesus Christ. I am a happy member.  And here I am in Africa.  The quote “Mayhem and Miracles” comes from one of the mission leaders using it to describe what it is like to be a mission president.  We have witnessed mayhem and miracles this week and often during our stay here…

Mayhem 1:  Kids getting sick, but not as bad as you might think.  Mystery ailments you have to take seriously, but then you wonder.  No malaria this week, but Cholera is on the move.  What a great incentive to wash your hands.  Missionaries that disappear for a few hours and blame it on low phone battery; a trip to the doctor that is an excuse for a 2-night, 3-day getaway…Like herding cats to get them out of the office at times.  But just craziness that makes us laugh.

Mayhem 2.  When you try to do good, there is another person that wants you to do bad.  That character is the Dr Evil AKA Satan.  When you come to a fork in the road and you take the wrong way, you reverse course, try to get back on the covenant path, and then Satan says, “Hang out here for a while.”  He wants us to hang out at the fork in the road, to linger, to loiter, to scroll a little longer…It looks cool and fun, but when you are coasting you are going downhill.  Get on your bike and ride away…fast.  When Satan can get a missionary to do nothing, he wins…Mayhem.

“Satan does not need mass destruction, rather he wins with mass distraction”

Dr. Evil

Special days. This weekend, we ended a 40-day mission fast that started in February.   At any time during the 40 days, we had missionaries fasting and praying.  Fasting without prayer is just going hungry; Prayer with fasting is turbocharging your communication and your show of commitment to the Heavenly Father.  Miracles all over.  The wards and branches saw the commitment of the mission and participated when their missionaries were fasting for their unit and they broke the fast together.  People were found, permissions were granted, and a busy guy was available for all the lessons in one week (rare).  A different story every day….

Dyslexic Goal:  This year, we set our mission goals with each unit (church/ward/branch).  The wards and the stakes were involved in the goals and they owned the goals just as much as the missionaries.  We had a stretch goal of 158 baptisms a month.  That has not been done here.  January we had 92 baptisms, February we had 122 baptisms.  After 40 days of fasting and expecting a miracle, we achieved 185 baptisms.  Completely did not see that coming.  We get no bonus except it does increase our faith that IF we do all that we can, the Lord will do the rest.

“By small and simple things are great things come to pass” Alma 37:6

Greater Testimony. Not all prayers are answered the way you want. He hears all our prayers, but He answers in His way in His timetable.

Sabbath Miracle:  Jessica and Randal Jacobsen were looking for a particular area to stay in their ward in Florida.  The right house came up on a Saturday. Come tomorrow. Sunday. As he hung up the phone he felt the voice in his head say “Do you really want my help with this?” He called the agent back. Sunday, he told the agent, is the sabbath and time for faith and family.  They went to see the house Monday after work….perfect house and they made an offer that same day. The owner accepted their offer over the full price offer that came in the night before…I just feel good about that family. I want them to have the house. Honor the sabbath day. Are you going to do it my way? Faith, obedience… Acting on promptings. 

Good people. I was baptized by good people.  I told the first young man who asked for my daughter's hand that he needed to promise to go to church every Sunday.  “This is my club, these are my people”.   I was loved into a group of really good people.  Fellowship before the faith.  Faith before the miracles.  I continue to pass tests and I am standing on my own light.  But you have to do things every day to add oil to your lamp.  

“Friends at First, are Friends at last” J.S. When a friend may check out and choose to get off the church path, they are still my friend. Unless they are a negative influence, I stand by my friends.  They have to work hard to get me to delete their contacts.  If they show up at church and keep on with their good friends, they may just reconnect. 

Service Unknown: PJ told us a story about when he was exploring the church.  He was in an arena at an event.  Two missionaries in white shirts and ties came in and sat down in front of him.  They just looked around and left after a bit.  They must have felt they needed to be there but did not know why.  PJ saw them come in and he received a distinct impression that he needed to pay attention to them.  PJ felt he was a good. Guy, but he had the impression that they were better. Had the missionaries not walked in there, PJ would not have had that impression.  We sometimes will never know what we have done or not done that has had a positive effect on people.  Just follow the promptings and do your best.  Good things are happening all around us.  If you are willing, God will use you in some ways you don’t even know.

Delete negatives:  I know really bad people but they are few and far between.  Narcissist people, who are inward-looking, are rare but we need to be careful. They hold less light. Look to the people who hold the light in their countenance.  Just a thought.

Mind the Gap:  Try to make sure you are getting closer to the Lord rather than moving away. We should lean toward God…Listeth to do good. 

“Are you willing to let God prevail”.

“Will you allow his voice to take precedence in your life?” 

Continuous improvement:  Japanese love continuous improvement.  1% better every day?  Can you give your Very Best Effort?  I think I am better through consistent diligent efforts. Striving…

Every day,

Every day,

Every day.

“We teach people, not lessons.”

-Boyd K. Packer. (Let the spirit guide). 

HOT Zone conference.  Every classroom smells like a gym. Sweat and lots of it.  The messages about using the spirit in teaching were good.  I get to see the same presentation 3 times, so I darn better learn some things.  Gave out 2 bikes, fixed 4 bikes, and took two spoiled bikes back.  The Bike-master is getting better every time.  I love these get-togethers.

“…For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good”

-Ether 4:11

”….I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do”

-2 Nephi 32:3

Salvage Title Part 2:  My friend Patrick’s brother had a bad crash Sunday.  He flew off the side of the road avoiding another Ghanaian driver in the wrong lane.  The truck rolled 5 times before knocking down a cinder block wall at a housing compound.  On Monday, his brother was still in the hospital and the truck was taken to the police station.  He cannot get the truck back until the wall is fixed.  The Dad and a friend were out on Monday doing the block and cement work to get the wall repaired…24 hours after the accident.  The car is “totaled” in my world, but Patrick says, “For sure we will fix it.”  (see photo)  They fix everything here!  They hit the wall; they need to fix it and make it good so they get their truck back.  Restitution is a good thing.  If you have wronged someone, or borrowed and broken something, replace it with a new one or fix it so it is like new.  Repentance does that for us personally.  Fix it fast and get it over with…. If we repent, Christ will remember it no more.  If you repair what you break, people see your character and trust you.

Growth:  Another miracle is watching these missionaries grow. Looking back I must have looked this young and known so little when I was in Japan.  I empathize with these elders and sisters learning a new language.  Growth comes over time and testing. Grateful for many tests. Sometimes I failed and learned, sometimes I barely survived, and other times I was better prepared. Whenever I rely more on the Lord and do all I can do, it turns out the best. The kids here are growing. I’m still growing. Sandy and I, as a couple, are still growing. “Cleavers, believers, never leavers”. 

Spiritual guidance. Some experiences where you know the spirit guides you are sacred, and you would only share if the spirit tells you it is safe. A blog?  Not a safe place. How do you know if it is the spirit?  “It mattered not”. If you feel like you should do something good, just do it. Anything good comes from God. Anything that entices you to do nothing, or to do evil, is from Satan/father of lies and second-guessing.  God give you hints, do you listen?

48 years: …more years as a member of the church than not.  Still learning.  So very grateful. Good day to just remember those who helped me along the way. Parents, siblings, girlfriends, teammates, roommates, surrogates (Busby, Howard, Flake), my wife, my kids, cousins and in-laws, fantastic friends, and now grandkids to keep me dancing and adventuring. 

No April Fools in Ghana

Elder Albert Bertha 

April 1, 2025

Sisterhood...

Last Sunday we went to the Gbawe ward.  They were celebrating the birthday of the Relief Society that day and I was impressed at the women, their faith, their strength, their patience and mostly their presence.  I have been thinking about them a lot this week so I did a little dive into sisterhood. Sister Bertha experienced more of it, so I asked her to edit and improve on the impressions I had that day.  It is a mission miracle that I will willingly let my wife edit my work.  I really, generally, always, and typically never let her edit my work.  But this experience on our mission has been a joint affair and we have both grown.  She does her thing and I do mine, but we are in the same vicinity and interact with the same people; interestingly, we often have the same “bing” or impressions. 

Joseph’s Wife:  Joseph Smith was the first prophet of the restored church of Jesus Christ.  His wife Emma lost children, had her house burned, was run out of towns, and had to pull the tar and feathers off Joseph twice as angry mobs continued to harass “the Mormons.”   She had a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the work so she did not back down.  She had it so rough in so many ways, but she knew the Lord loved her and she had an important work in the church…she kept on doing the good she could do.

Relief Society:  On March 17, 1842, the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo was organized under the keys of the priesthood. Emma Hale Smith, Joseph Smith’s wife, was called to be the first president. She stated that "we are going to do something extraordinary.”  It is said to be one of the largest and oldest women’s organizations in the world with over 7 million members in 180 countries.  What do they do?  It’s a women’s organization so what do you think they do…the same things that the men’s organization does, but better, faster, more organized, and with better food.  They serve others.

“Relief Society creates a sisterhood for women in the Church and opportunities for rendering service to all members of the congregation, as well as to the global community.”

-History of Relief Society

Gbawe Ward:  During sacrament meeting the ward’s young women’s president spoke and two other women.  One woman, Sister Annoh got up and told the congregation how she was loved into the church by the women.  She was baptized 31 years ago. Someone had invited her to church but it was hard for her to understand so she decided she wouldn’t be returning the next Sunday. The next Sunday she stayed home and did her laundry. Around noon, 18 Relief Society women showed up at her house and asked her if she was ok and asked why she didn’t come to church.  They invited her to go on a special field trip they were taking as a group that coming week.  It was a place that interested her so she said she would go.  Everyone was so inclusive and made her feel so loved that she thought about going to church that Sunday. She was also worried if she didn’t go, the LDS women would be back, and they might be seen by the women in her neighborhood who had been part of her church congregation for years, and they may start questioning her.

Choice to go:  So she went to church and she had such a wonderful time in RS with the sisters.  And she said she has been coming ever since!  Talk about a sisterhood! Talk about beautiful fellowshipping.  This woman is a powerhouse!  She has an incredibly strong testimony and her husband is the Stake Patriarch.

Children Raised Well:  She raised her kids in the church and they know what is right and wrong, but there is agency in all of us to make our own choices.  Consequences are embedded in the choices we make, but God lets us make our bed how we want.  She has two girls that might visit another church, “but they only go once.”  Too loud and not the same spirit…

An Invitation: She told us that the stake president, Francis Sosu, whom I work for and my friend, calls the girls before the conference (twice a year) and invites them to watch the conference.  Momma says they always do because of that invitation.  The power of the invite is real.  I told President Sosu the story so he knew that he was making a momma happy, and he smiled.  I then gave him a Lokai bracelet and he was still wearing it later in the week so I gave him one for his wife.  She just had twins…the same night as hosting one of our returning missionary's family for dinner.  Ghanaian women are strong.

“An Elect Lady”:  The Lord called Emma Smith an Elect Lady.  I too live with an incredible woman who sets a good example, not by nagging, long texts, or unwanted counsel.  She is direct concise and just does what is right and kindly invites me along.  If I am doing something else, she is good to go.  Not all the wives drive on the mission in Ghana - Sandy does.  Not all the women get into the teaching with the sisters - Sandy does.  She is a great example for our sister missionaries and the only one who can match up with Sister Jacobsen for energy and commitment to the gospel.

Motto:  The motto of the Relief Society is “Charity Never Faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:8). I think that if you do people right, you are doing God right.  You can never do wrong doing right and being kind. If my memory is correct there was a BYU club called CDS: Chicks Dig Service.  Might be wrong.

Women who sing together:  On the RS Birthday Sunday, the Relief Society Women got up to sing.  They always bring the spirit.  I remember at our ward in SD there was a group of four women that would sing at church that I always would look forward to…Laura Eddington was in that group and often sang solo…a real treat, sharing her talent and bringing the spirit into the meeting.  The women sing songs of the spirit and bring the spirit with their singing.  What if there were no women…it would be priesthood meeting and you need A LOT of the men to make it sound good (JMO).

Women and the Priesthood:  Men hold the priesthood.  Women have a claim on their husbands and rights to the priesthood.  They officiate in sacred ordinances in the temple and do many things under the keys of the priesthood.  Men need women and women need men.  The priesthood needs the Relief Society to function well in a branch or ward.  Like a Mom and a Dad, they have similar and different roles that work best when they complement and work together.

Strong women are not a threat:  I have a wife that shines brightly.  When I am near her or when others meet her, I look better and smarter.  I hope that I help her stature also.  We are better together.  We have worked to get there and we work to protect that strength in our relationship.  No award is better than “the number” I keep growing with her.  It will be 37 years in May…closing in on 40.  You cannot buy that number. I have survived and thrived with a shiny strong woman in Sister Bertha.  She has survived and grown and adjusted to me.  Different does not mean incompatible.  I love how Sister Bertha is loved and looked up to by the sister missionaries.  She leads with love and she is a service machine.  Always doing good.  I stay out of the way to not cast any shade on this amazing person. Who can you encourage in the woman around you? 

Invite and they shall come:  Joy was a 23-year-old investigator that Sandy invited to Relief Society after the sacrament meeting.  She has been a few times to church but has never stayed after, said the missionaries.  Sandy put her arm around Joy and said, let’s go to RS, you will love it! And Joy went. Sandy sat with her.  Joy was completely engaged the whole time, said Sandy, and was learning how to be a better disciple of Christ as she listened to these amazing women testify of how RS had blessed their lives.  She loved it and at the end said she was going to come to RS next week.  There were so many mentors for her in there.  It will only better her life!

Daughters that rock:  I have been able to see my daughters grow into their own unique women who have been raised by good women in our church relief society. (Moma Shamrock at Youth Conference and others).  My girls (Yes I can call them that as their Dad) are great examples of faithful women who have held on to the brightness of hope that is given from faith in Jesus Christ.  I am proud of them for serving missions and doing hard things. 

Sister Tough-it-out: I witnessed an inspiring sister this week.  We had a couple of elder companionships come in with ailments like a sprained ankle etc.  Our health adviser will get the X-ray and then it was hard getting them to leave our office.  Free Lucky Charms and air conditioning and Sister Bertha’s compassion are drawn.  At the same time, we had a Sister who did not want to come in, but she was required by the area doctor.  Then Elder Kaaen and I were called in to give her a blessing.  She was sick!  She spent the night in the Hospital getting IVs to rehydrate her and some anti-biotics to fight whatever she had (Ghana has many “bugs”).  We expected that she was going to stay overnight at our place, the Bertha B&B.  When she arrived, she was only thinking of the people she was teaching.  Just give me my travel money so I can get back.  She could have rested, but was an outward-looking missionary more concerned with those she was teaching and service.  Van Der Awesome Sister! 

Powerful Momma 1:  Elder Bertha was raised by a great momma.  As an adult, she lived near us for 17 years and actually worked in my office with me and was part of our children’s (her grandchildren’s) lives.  So grateful we had that time together.  Looking back, I see better, or rather, I choose the best memories and delete the others.  She was a powerful source of good.  She did her best as a single mom; she fed us both food and education on current events; and she was a pioneer for women in aviation as one of the first female airline pilots (in the 70’s!).  I am really proud of her son.  Her example and her using priesthood members in her Texas Ward when I was a teenager to cover her flank with me helped me come to the church.  She needed help from her ward and that is why we gather and care for each other in church.  It really does take a village.

Powerful Momma 2:  Sandy comes from Pioneer stock and is a mom who will pull a handcart when needed.  She is a general in a skirt and strong enough to command a brigade of handcarts.  She raised her girls to be charitable and to sing with strong women like in the Relief Society.  Sandy and her sisters were raised with an ethic of service and charity unmatched by many women I have met.  It is good practice to follow their lead…because they will lead as they have been taught (drill sergeant GG) growing up.  Great leaders are bred from great leaders who do the little stuff consistently and with an unbending standard.  That is what I think of the mother of Sister Bertha.  I would just say… “Yes mam’ I am on the same page.”

Support your local girl:  A smile, a compliment, playing catch, or just hanging out with a girl near you, be it your daughter, a neighbor, or a co-worker.  Share the love as they do in the Relief Society.  It falls under our ministering to the one.  The second great commandment, “Love your fellow (wo)man”

Grateful for the women in our lives,

Elder Bertha and his Ladyday Saint companion Sister Bertha 

March 2025 Ghana