Be a Crutch…

Be a Crutch…

Good week!  Started last Sunday in Domeabra Branch. It was their first ever Branch Conference.  You have a “conference” once or twice a year and it helps set the tone for the year or it allows the Branch President and the Stake President to set or reset a focus for the branch/ward.  This branch has been growing, and it should be a ward by the end of the year.  With that in mind, they have been looking for a building to rent to house the branch.  For now, they share a building with another ward and there is some travel involved. 

Untimely protest:  Domeabra is a young branch that currently shares a building with another branch. This is their first Branch Conference, and the Stake President is there to speak and celebrate with those in attendance.  Our Elders here are a threesome (Three Elders when it is not an even number in the mission).  They were planning on 12 investigators coming and they needed the members to help greet and sit with them, but it was a sparsely attended room.  The new building that was almost rented for the Branch was found to be structurally unsound so it was abandoned and they are looking for a new building.  There was a group of members that really wanted a building now, and not showing up to church Sunday was their protest.  The Elders told us of the problem.  People not showing up to church?! - Sam Smith would never do this!  The Mission President and the Stake President were aware but said nothing, which speaks volumes.  Let’s have our meeting with those in attendance.  Nothing more was said, but the actions were great and miraculous…I will row with the people that are still in the boat!  The ones who missed the meeting missed a good meeting…

“80 percent of success is showing up”

-Woody Allen

What can we do?  The missionary asked for us to sit with the people visiting for the first time.  They were a little worried about these visiting investigators….so this is what happened…9 out of the 12 they expected showed up (If you have been on a mission, that is heroic). Don’t bring it up and do the best you can.  Like when only one missionary is released and goes home, the celebration is the same…the One Sheep.  We had 9 sheep to care for…so we stepped up the Love meter and shared the sabbath with them…it was a great day!

No one sits alone:  Sister Bertha sat with a woman and her kids—by the end of any time with Sandy they are fast friends!  I sat with Emauael Quartey (no relation to Susie Q?).  It was his first day so I wanted to make sure he had a good experience.  He is a school teacher maybe in his 40s and rode his motorcycle to church.  I sat with him and explained some things, but he just took it in. President and Sister Jacobsen sat with a woman named Patience that they met at a gas station months ago.  The Elders split up and were taking care of other friends also…the room was sparse, but all of them seemed to be covered and no one was alone.

“…the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.”

-D&C 25:12 …songs are prayers

Music brings the spirit:  I had the Hymn words out for him to see, and I was trying to sing extra loud to make up for the missing people, but the branch had its own little choir for the Branch Conference and they were great!  The music was so nice and it really brings a reverence to the meeting.  In some of the wards, we hear the churches near us on Sunday because they are really loud…it is a different spirit.  The spirit of the hymns calms you and sets you up to hear a good message from the speakers.  I was trying to sing loudly, but it was not needed, the room was filled so nicely with unified voices…

Theme:  the theme was ministering.  We minister with our members when we reach out and spend time with them, we serve them, we chat it up, and we just let them know that they are important—love our fellow man...When a ward is too big, we split it so that we have a good size so that the ward/branch/group does know about everyone.  When someone knows your business, it is not being nosey, it is love and concern for your welfare.  It is the way we roll in our church.  We DO care what you are up to and we want to help, support, and keep you on the covenant path.  Both the Branch President and the Stake President spoke on the importance of unity and ministering to each other…good messages.

Handoff:  President Alote came down and talked to my new friend Emanuel.  They kind of hit it off so I backed away and started talking to another visitor-Saloman.  Saloman was actually a student a few years ago of Emanuel’s.  Small world.  For Sunday School I sat with Saloman and President Alote sat with Emanuel.  Small in number, but filled with friendship and love, it was “a great day to have a great day” as Sister J would say.

Wards:  President Alote said something interesting.  Where else do you find “wards”?  Hospitals.  Hospitals are places of healing—that is what a church, or one of our wards is...a place of healing.  We gather to take the sacrament, remember our Savior, and let him heal us from the week and prepare us for the next.  The Sabbath day is a time and a place to heal in our own ward.

Primary:  Sister Bertha was in with the Primary with 5 of the investigator kids. She had so much fun.  She told them stories and sang with them. The meeting was run by the Stake so that the mothers could go to the meeting they usually miss because they are serving others.  They taught the kids a new song and had them memorize it, sing it, and understand the message…wish I could do that with the Priests back in San Diego.

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.”

-Jim Rohn

Plan to help out:  We teach the missionaries to plan their week and their day with goals and targets.  Planning and preparation and going and doing what you can…helping others is helping God.  When the missionaries talked about the Branch Conference, one said “There was Elder Bertha doing what Elder Bertha does..”  It was a compliment and validation that our efforts matter and we are being put in places where we can help.  If you are willing and you show up, God will use you.  Sister Bertha was doing the same and even more with her connection with the kiddies.

“Thank you so much for yesterday.  Elder Bertha and you (Sister Bertha) were literally our crutch.  Thanks is not enough for what you have done. May the Lord bless you”

-Elder Bey text to Sister Bertha

Glad that we are here to be leaned on like a crutch…

Island Visit:  The biggest guy in our mission is from Tonga.  I can speak “Eyebrow” with him.  He is such a good gentle giant and does not complain.  He had a really small bike and all he asked for was a bigger seat.  I got him a bigger bike and a bigger seat.  He was happy.  His companion has some happiness issues so I tried to cheer him up.  I brought Peanut Butter and Jam to make some PB&J.  Big Islander has never had one.  His kitchen was filled with coconuts.  He gave Elder Kaaen a frozen one…they do not thaw that fast.  I think he wore more of the coconut juice than he went to drink because of the bouncy road going back.

“Are you happy!”  “no”

“Are you happy!”  “no”

“Are you happy!”  “no”

-Stubborn Elder

“I do not want to go on the N6 again!”

-Elder Kaaen, after a bouncy 2 hour ride

“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.”

-Muhammed Ali

March Madness:  In the tournament of life or rather in God’s Bracket, you are in if you choose so; you are out if you choose not.  Agency is a key to the great plan of happiness.  Choose to be happy and to be in the bracket of life…we all are winners and seeded right where we need to be if we follow Jesus Christ…we are better and more useful to Jesus if we practice our beliefs…

Make each day your masterpiece:

- John Wooden

Benchwarmers:  I have no problem being on the bench ready for a time that the Lord might need me.  I am here to serve and go in and do whatever is needed.  I am signed up for His team and currently, we are on the Ghana Accra West Mission team.  I love our coach, President Jacobsen, and “the spouse.”  They are kind about making sure we do the right thing and know the rules of the game.  This week they talked to both the women’s teams and the men’s team to reiterate the rules/standards and the expectations.  The practices will improve for sure.  Sometimes you need a reminder of why you are here, and how to play the game correctly.  When the Lord can trust you and the Coach can trust you, you will get more playing time.  Wait for your time and be ready when you are called off the bench…keep your uniform and spirit clean and prepared…practice what you preach/believe.

“Practice, we talking about practice!”

-Alan Iverson historic rant…(IYKYK)

Practice your religion:  You can have a belief and a faith, but it takes some forward motion and action and commitment to Practice your religion.  The Church of Jesus Christ is not a meditation religion.  Jesus himself set the example by traveling around teaching the plan of salvation and “going about doing good.”  We are not here just for ourselves, we are on God’s team.  You don’t see a basketball team win with just one person, it is a team effort with each person filling gaps, setting picks, communicating, and taking their best shot.  Practice leads to a game…. In practice and in a game, you miss some shots, you trip, you double dribble, you make a foul, you generally make mistakes, but you keep going and you rely on, and work with, the teammates (Ward members) you have, and you succeed better together.  We practice our religion to play the game of life, but we do not keep score.  We try to play better and we make the points we can as we teach each other the gospel, and add more good players to our team with every baptism.  Jesus is better than Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Lebron put together!  And his teammates are you and me…he picked us first!

“The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known.  There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard.  The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here trying to decide which team jersey we want to wear.”

-Jeffery Holland

Evolution:  I do believe in evolution--The evolution of the soul, as we grow up and learn things. And as we grow in understanding of ourselves, in our relationship to God, and understanding how we fit into His plan, we strive to be better “small small”…(little by little).

“Don’t ask what your church can do for you,

ask what you can do for the Church of Jesus Christ”

-JFK was a Christian

Called off the bench:  My Head Coach called at 730am Saturday morning and asked for me to join him to go see some baptisms.  Elder Mbuyi and Elder Tupa had 5 baptisms scheduled at 830 am.  “Put me in coach!”  I’m ready!  I would rather go out and see the fruits of our missionaries’ labors than go to another market.  There was a delay because two of the people scheduled to be baptized were walking… a long way.   President and Elder Tupa drove to get them. I was in the front with Soloman and Emanuela; I helped teach them last week on exchanges with Tupa and Tanner.  So rewarding to see people get baptized that you actually got to teach a little also.  I told Emanuela that I was her age when I was baptized--that got a smile.  The blessings keep on coming.  Brother Oso gave the talk on baptism; he has been a member since 2004 when the Temple was built in Accra.  He is a pioneer in the church in Ghana.  So glad we drove out to see this…

“I don’t need a day off, I want another day on of work”

-Big Joe on MLK day

P-Day:  It is no longer a preparation day and a day off—It is now our “Participation Day.”  We do office stuff during the week and we participate with the missionaries and do teaching and exchanges on the weekend.  We are much more happy when we are out serving and taking advantage of the opportunity we have here.   What an incredible blessing!  Sisters Marufu (Zimbabwe) and Bibomba (Congo) took Sister Bertha and Sister Jacobsen to teach and they went and taught 4 lessons with different people.  These women know how to work and get around.  I was dropped off to go out with Elder McLean (Idaho) and Elder Vave (Tonga) and President went farther out to teach with the Trio we were with Sunday Bey(Ivory Coast), Shook(Texas), and Vitale (A. Samoa).  President taught 2 good lessons and then came back to gather me then gather our wives….

Sandy’s exchange:  Sandy and Sister J. went out with the sisters to teach their 4 lessons in the afternoon. Whenever Sister Bertha is out, she invites every person in earshot or nearby.  Some people joined in and heard today that would not have heard, had she not invited them…throwing her net wide as always.  Sister Bertha said, “They loved the messages we shared.  They listened with open hearts and accepted all that was taught. They all hope for a better life.  They like to learn what the will of God is for them.  They too are confused as to why there are SO many churches. They want to be closer to him but don’t always know how to do that.  We give them tools to strengthen their faith in Christ.” When we drove up to get them a few hours later, after being taken down crazy dirt roads, which the sisters walk to meet with people, they were teaching a new member outside her home (we mostly always teach outside).  They were all sitting on gathered plastic stools and chairs and wooden small benches amongst noni bushes and mango trees. It was quite a site. It was cool to see the love of this woman with the sisters. When Sister Bertha got in the car she said, “This sweet new convert is so full of Joy!” The four sisters together just exude love and kindness…. Worth getting gritty and dirty to be with these good people. 

Albert’s exchange:  We first said hi to the guy across the street.  “Do you know my friends?”  He was doing his laundry and grew up in the house we were looking at (a very humble home, not much to look at).  He was nice and may listen at another time.  Stopped by a member who was also doing laundry next to a retired policeman who was selling “stuff”…I bought biscuits for the missionaries I was with.  We then taught Matilda about prayer and reading the scriptures.  She lives in a classic Ghana compound with one woman doing laundry next to us and the other making palm oil over a fire.  They listen, yell out, and generally keep an eye on all the kids running around.  Then the next lesson was with some great kids, but a random guy that was drunk came in asking for money and was wasted.  No chance to get a word in with the kids so we ended rather than have to engage with the drunkard.  He left and followed us, but no big deal.  A first odd situation like that.  It’s not all perfect, but more good than challenges, so count it as good for our side.

“Say my name, say my name…”

-Beyonce Song”

Fasting Miracles Continue: We are seeing great things happen every day with the 40-day fast we are doing as a mission.  Every day a different ward or branch is fasting with their missionaries.  Then we all pray that day by name for the missionaries that are fasting.  So many have mentioned that they could feel the strength of the prayers of others on their behalf.  It is a good idea to be specific about your prayers and use the names of those you are seeking help for.  And if you want to really ask and make prayer work better, you use the twin power of Prayer with Fasting.  Heavenly Father loves effort…

Final Charge: Score points with God, by helping your fellow man.  If you foul, repent and be ready to play on the court again.  With God, you cannot foul out, there is no limit to his mercy.  Stay in the right gym—His Church with all His players.  Love the players around you and share the ball.  There is a great irony that Church Basketball was how I was first introduced to the church.    Do your best in whatever game you are in…

Elder and Sister Bertha

Sweet 16 in March (Go BYU!)

Salvaged Title…

I love cars.  I know they are really just golden caves that we should not covet or make into a distraction from the important things in life.  BUT, I still like cars…a lot.  I see some great vehicles here, and I think of the movie Gone in 60 Seconds about stolen cars.  I always assumed they were stolen and shipped here…but I learned some different things about it recently.  Some may be stolen, but more often than not, they are cars that get in crashes and are “totaled” in the USA or Europe. Then, they are purchased cheap and brought to Ghana with new parts to be resurrected and reborn….Just like the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no such thing as a “salvaged title” here.   Everything is of worth and they do more to reuse and repurpose things than anyplace I have seen. (where are you Patagonia Brand?) Recent sightings - Ferrari, Audi RS8, Lamborghini SUV, Audi R8, New Corvette…here are some random thoughts…

Totaled? In the USA, when a car is more expensive to fix than to rebuy, they total the car.  Some cars don’t look that bad and they still get totaled by the insurance company because it is easier. It is just a financial and risk calculation (…their trade).  Then they sell the heap or the totaled car to anyone who will buy it for scrap or to fix it.  If they fix it and re-register the car in the USA, it is considered a “Salvaged Title.”  It is like having a scarlet letter on your registration.  Some people will not buy a salvaged title car because there is more risk that there is some unseen problem…as if?  Is the soul of man ever totaled?  Not in my faith.  The great healer and fixer is Jesus Christ.

What do they call a Ferrari that has been totaled in the USA and rebuilt and fixed in Ghana?

…A Ferrari!

Monica’s Truck:  Monica got in a crash when a guy T-boned her running a stop sign and hit her Toyota Forerunner.  (She was safe. Tough girl)  The car was “totaled” in the eyes of the insurance company.  They just sent us a check for the agreed-upon value of the vehicle.  Monica loved her truck.  She did not want a newer version; she did not want a new color; she did not want leather seats; the only thing different she wanted was CarPlay on her stereo, but she wanted her truck.  I did not want to look for her unicorn vehicle so I had a friend look at the truck and he said it was fixable so we fixed it and made it right again.  It was of great worth to Monica and it is still her baby.  The truck was better than new to her now that it had CarPlay.  It has a “salvaged title.”  Is it really a bad truck now?  …well you must be damaged goods?  Monica doesn’t care…she sees the good in the vehicle.  I have good mechanic friends who see the good in a wreck.  Jesus does the same...he can see what we can be…again with a little work…

Magazine: There is a place in Kumasi Ghana called Magazine which is all about redoing cars.  They buy totaled cars and parts from all over the world, ship them to Ghana, and then rebuild them…they are as good as new.  They do not always have to replace the metal…they still have craftsmen who know how to pound out dents and creases to make it smooth and ready to paint.  This is a place I want to visit.  They take the damaged goods and make them new again.  Just like Jesus Christ does with us.  Jesus has a whole different kind of body shop.  He can take a broken soul and rebuild it back into a happy and confident person again.  He will take all the dents and broken dreams, fix them, and give us a new paint job.  There may be scars on the back side of the metal, but the outside is smooth and clean.  He is the best at taking a “totaled soul” and making it new again.

CarFax:  This is a service that they have in the USA to give you the full history of a car to let a buyer know if it has been in a crash.  It might be good for buying a car, but it would not be good if it was on people.  I would hate if my wife could order a CarFacts on me and get a full list of all my sins of the past and mistakes I would like left in my past.  That brings all that dirt back into my life so I have to relive it.  If I repent of my sins and mistakes, the Lord has said he will “remember them no more.”  When I married Sandy, she did not ask for my CarFax and I did not ask for hers.  We were starting our future together and the past has been left in the past.  Sandy is also true to her faith by forgiving fast and not bringing up the past.  That is a big reason why we have a future, and our marriage is not stuck in the past.  It allows us to put more miles on a good marriage rather than broken down on the side of the road.  If you are a person driving down the road, assume they are in good working order, not about to crash.  You can see a CarFax on a moving car…

Leave the past where it belongs, in the past…

“If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”

-taught by our mission leader;

good for mission companions,

good for siblings,

good for marriages

We might all be Salvaged Title, but the owner is God. To Him, I am of great worth.  Jesus already paid the price…

Subaru:  I love my Mom and she loves her Subaru.  She sometimes hits things and sometimes things hit her.  …driving by braille… “they call it a bumper, it's ok to bump!”  The corners of her car may have some damage.  When she lived near us in California, we would fix it yearly and paint the corners so it was as good as new.  When I visited her in Florida, some of those same things had reached out to scratch some of her paint.  I went to AutoZone to get some rubbing compound and spent an hour fixing all the scrapes and scratches.  With some effort, we can fix any scratch.  With more effort, and the help of Jesus and maybe a bishop, He can fix any totaled or wrecked car/soul.  We do not need to live with the scratches and dents of our lives, but they happen, and really they should not slow us down.  Keep doing the best you can.  If your car/soul is scratched and it still runs, that is a win for you…keep moving down the road and carry good people with you.  Be grateful for the good that a car/person does. Don’t focus on random imperfections.

Look at me from 15 feet!  I look better that way.  I bought an old ’72 Caprice Classic (never did look at a CarFax) and it was an ugly (highly judgmental of me) color so I changed it, just like we can change our story and our outlook.  It is a cool Lexus Blue, and it looks great…from 15 feet.  If you look too closely, you can see the original sky-blue color at some of the seams and the joints.  But it is a good car and has given me and my family awesome top-down memories.  It is fulfilling its purpose on earth as we should also as we do service for others.  I am happy to see my friends — as they are; where they are; and who they are --  I do not care if they wear stripes with plaids of white shoes after Labor Day. …or they show up to church in shorts…Glad to see you and you're great from 15 feet.  If you get closer, I will hug you and try to look at you as God looks at you…see the good only.

“…you really can change your stars”

-A Knights Tale

You are what you drive:  I love the movie Cars and the characterizations of each car and the personality of the cars.  There is a relationship between what you drive and how you think about yourself.  One day I am a Mini; one day an old convertible; a really fast Mercedes Wagon (Favorite); a Bronco; or an F-150.  It depends.  Some cars don’t fit me.  There has to be utility in some way and can’t be too flashy—it has to carry some friends and family-no two-seater sports cars.  I see a car, and I size a person up (dang, judgmental again).  I can even make judgments on color.  What you wear and what you drive is a way you send a signal of who you want to be.  Does it matter if your clothes or your car are purchased used?  What about a mended jacket or a fixed car?  No, they have utility when they are fixed.  Whatever you have, you should take care of and fix…including yourself.  Repentance lets you get your dents taken out, a new paint job, and puts your alignment back to drive on the covenant path…

“Repentance isn’t part of the plan...Repentance is the plan.”

-Neil L. Anderson

Repentance:  It’s the whole reason that Jesus died for us. He already paid the price, he salvaged your title, and you are a car in good standing in the garage in heaven; you just have to go in and know that when you’re resurrected, you’ll be resurrected in a perfect shape, no matter what type of hail storm, muddy roads, car crashes, or dents you have run into on the road of life.  Jesus Christ gave up his body so that we can go to His body shop and be perfect in him. He paid the price and we will be shiny and new with all the horsepower to serve him, through the millennium and through eternity.

Good “car-ma”-- That which you put out, comes back to you.

My Car Now is an SUV:  Spiritual Utility Vehicle.  I can take 5 people in it: two companionships to Circle where they take a tro tro to wherever they are going.  It has 4-wheel drive so I can climb up dirt roads and ford muddy closed roads.  It is a mid-size pickup with a cab so I can take luggage from the airport or packages to the missionaries or I can take 6 bikes to act as the BikeMaster for the missionaries.  It is a useful, well-used vehicle.  I really like it and I keep it clean (really Bengamin cleans it).  I am happy to have a ride.  I had to give it up last week so they could do what I used to do for my mother…I have collected my share of scratches and dents and a bent bumper from a tricky offroad maneuver.  Clean as new and ready to continue serving on my mission…We all need to look at ourselves and clean up once in a while…a good day to do that is Sunday at church…We go in for a spiritual tune-up of sorts…

“Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.”

-D&C 107:99

“Oh Boy”

-Elder Kaaen when we see a crazy Ghana Driving Experience

Checkered flag:  We all get paid (blessed) if and when we finish the race.  If you look at a race car at the beginning of a race, it is shiny and pristine like a new baby-all the stickers are perfectly placed.  When you see a car at the end of a 24-hour Lemans race, you have a tired and sweaty driver and a very beat up, scratched, pockmarked car with worn tread and oil and exhaust stains all over…but the race is done and something hard has been completed.  For us, the race is living life as best we can and when it ends, the finish line of life has been crossed.  There is a loving Heavenly Father who waves the checkered flag for you.  Life is a staggard start so you really don’t know what place you came in until later and there are all these extra time points you get for your service to your family friends and citizens of the world.  You will still be short, but we have to remember that where we fall short, we are never out of the race of life.  The only one who wants to see us quit is Satan.  We are in the race, when we crash or get dented, we can rebuild and be reborn…we are NEVER TOTALED by Jesus Christ.  He has already paid for the sins and crashes of whatever life we created whether it is a train wreck or a well-cared-for Toyota…THE PRICE HAS BEEN PAID BY JESUS CHRIST.  That is the beauty of the atonement and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Drive your best life and know that there is a body shop that will make it all right in heaven.

Kachow!

Elder Bertha

Ghana Racing Team

Lucky Bugs

St. Patrick’s Day!  The Chicago river is green.  I get to remember my Irish heritage and the traditions of Chicago where my parents come from.  This letter is all about being lucky.  I am a “lucky bug” to be here in Africa, to be with my best companion Sister Bertha, and to be with the Jacobsens and the other missionaries here.  It could not be better in any way.  It has to be hard to be worthwhile in many ways.  You are faced with a challenge and you do your best to learn from it and to help with it.  So much to do in Africa, and so many blessings and miracles every day!  So grateful to be here and grateful to those who came before us to prepare the way…

Lucky Family: When Sister Bertha married me, I had one brother, one mom, and one grandparent living at the time.  Kind of easy to add them into the seating chart at the wedding.  I now have my own kids and grandkids and also I have my cousins and aunts and uncle and my growing extended family.  Maxwell is added in this weekend with Anne!  I love all my family members and extended family too.  There is the luck of knowing our pioneer heritage (grafted into the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints) and the luck of being able to create your own pioneer heritage with every challenge you tackle - win or lose.  Things may not work out the way you plan, but the movement and the diligent effort toward a goal make you a pioneer in your own life.  This mission has given us a chance to pull a handcart in a way…grateful for the path of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to give us some pointers to direct us in the correct way.  Grateful to have the family I have to travel this journey through life…

Baton Rouge.  POV: If you think of a person, count it as a prompting and just act on it.  I reached out to my friend, Joe Griggs, in Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission.  He is also having a Terrific time on his mission!  He is even extending his time there.  Years ago, Sandy and I visited our friends, the Davis', when they were living there; you need a visa to go to that part of the USA it is so different.  Elder Griggs “and the wife” are managing 88 cars the way I manage bikes.  My mission bikes break because they are old.  His cars are all Toyota and are used for 12-18 months and traded out.  I would love to do that with bikes, but I think it’s better that we use the franken-bikes and keep rebuilding them.  I think the bikes last about 6-9 months before they wear out and need to be refreshed.  It was fun to talk to another person who loves his mission the way we do.  There are people all over doing good things.  Wardle’s in Berlin, Parsons in Poland, Browns in France. So much to do. If you want to help, there is an opportunity for you just waiting.  It’s a good way to say thank you to God for a good life and for being Lucky… 

Balance out:  I have to throw some money in the mission kitty (the petty cash account) once in a while to make it balance and I don’t know why, but I really do…it can be chaotic, and I round things up and down to make it go faster with the missionaries.  But I am sure it is the fact that I have 3 cash balances that move around a lot and also two phones we use for payments that never balance right with a corrupt and stupid (Just my expert opinion) Electricity Company of Ghana (I made a check that was written “Electric" Company instead of the proper Electricity Company. They kicked the check back to rewrite it!!.)  The other odd thing is that they ONLY take mobile money in some areas with a special card that you hold up to the phone.  Give that to a missionary and they might lose it or take it when they get transferred.  I am getting better at reconciling daily and double-checking, but when the Ox is in the mire…I just pay it…Lucky that it is not much and the work is getting done…

WWJD?  (What would Jesus do?) We had Mission Leadership Counsel (MLC) this week.  Each zone leader and STL has a zone pouch with cash to pay for emergency or unplanned travel and events as needed in their zones.  At this MLC meeting, I reconcile them all.  I take all the pouches, count the cash, add up the accounting on the small slip of paper I include, and then hopefully it balances.  Elder Wharakura said, “It might not balance.”  It did not, and at lunch I said, “Hey, I need to talk to you about the balance. It did not match up.  (1-5% I don’t care and I just make it good because the coins are a hassle and get lost.)  This was 13% and out of that range.  He said, “Whatever it is, I will pay it…”   I thought about it as I went back to the office.  He said what I would say after doing this for a while and knowing the gaps in the balances…then I looked at his situation. He just got a new companion. The other Zone Leader, also responsible for the cash, just went home and that Zone had to deal with another bike accident with emergency travel and the ensuing chaos.  There was a lot that he could have blamed it on…but he did not.  He was a leader and said, “I will take care of it.”  He is doing the best he can for his zone and the missionaries he is serving.  I thought that it was such a Christ-like attitude.  I just filled up his pouch with the right amount of money and let him start over.  That same things happens every Sunday when we take the sacrament.  We give our pouch of cash (good things) and rocks (sins and mistakes) and we give it all to Jesus Christ.  He (Jesus) says, “I’ll take that, let me refill your pouch, and let’s get rid of these sins…thanks for remembering me and keeping your covenants, have a good week…please strive to keep my commandments and serve others with love….” He fills up our pouch with the right amount for us to make it through another week.  Don’t make the mistake and hold onto your rocks (sins)!  He has already paid all the prices for all the sins…he only requires a broken heart (open to Him) and a contrite spirit (Humble and changeable to His will).  Another good trade from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Lucky in the Saviors Love…

Springboard:  The Misson leaders bring the missionaries that are going to depart in 1 or 2 transfers and make sure they finish strong and also are better prepared for when they get home.  I was helping (watching Sandy do it) with brunch preparation and eavesdropping on the messages.  They have them set goals for their last transfer (month) and also start thinking about after a mission.  They need to look for a H.O.T. spouse…one that is Humble, Obedient, and Teachable.  They also stress that they need to look for covenant keepers.  I once told Megan if the guy can’t make it to church on Sunday, he has disqualified himself to date a Bertha.  If that is too hard, they are a bad bet on a good life.  The Jacobsen’s have a great story with Sister J dropping a returned missionary for the rancher.  Erik Jacobsen went to the temple a year after he was baptized, on his own, and is a strong “covenant keeper”—who was attractive and an important item for Sister Jacobsen.  The missionaries are lucky to get advice from these good and faithful mission leaders.

Accra Temple.  We ran into Betsy Thorton (PC, Utah) this week.  She is at the halfway point on her mission!  How can that be?  The time is going so fast; we both just talked about how good the people are.  We are learning more from them then they from us, but it still goes both ways.  The best part of today was sitting hand-in-hand with my wife in the temple.  I really like her and she is so good to me that I am happy being here and not rushing to get home…Lucky us.

The Pink Tent:  Mason likes to grab her mom’s phone and talk to Honey and Pops. When her mom tries to get the phone away, she runs away and we see her bouncing face on the screen.  She goes into her pink tent and has us all to herself.  Sister Bertha has a pink tent that is our room where when she gets her work done, she hides and spends time in the scriptures (Thanks Ivory Family).  We should all be so fortunate as to have a pink tent to escape to and talk to who we want to talk to…hopefully, you make a little time for your Heavenly Father…he wants to hear from you and he does hear and answer prayers (in his way and in his time).  It’s good to have a place to read and reflect, pray and ponder.

Backgammon.  Sandy and I play a lot of backgammon here.  I could not get Disney+ to work so we just played game after game.  She pointed out that we would not do this at home in a big house as we have other distractions and places to go in the house. Here, we have an office below and our one room above.  It’s nice to spend so much time with my companion.  Sandy Time is Good Time.  She is nice to me.  Lucky Me.

Wrong time, Long time?  We showed up at Kotoba Airport Thursday to pick up a returning missionary from Nigeria.  The flight said “delayed” and there was no other information.  I just drive, but Sister Bertha always has documentation (fake ticket) to get in the departure area.  She went up to ask about Africa World Airlines flight 211.  Apparently, they haven’t flown that flight for over a year.  You would think they might take it off the arrivals screen.  You can go there every day at 9:10 am and that same flight will be “delayed”…for over a year.  Whacky!   When I went to get the returning missionary at 1:30 pm, the AWA 211 flight was still on the screen as delayed?!

Right time: Because that pick-up was later than planned, the President had to drive to Oda earlier, so we were sent to pick up the missionary and her family and take them to the TroTro station and give them some snacks and bus fare for the ride we had planned on giving them with the President.  The mother had a 2-year-old with her wrapped on her back in the matching material of her dress.  Beautiful colors.  The sister missionary served in Nigeria and a friend from the same mission came to meet her.  I drove them to Kaneshie market to let them catch the TroTro.  They have never been there, but like all missionaries, they just figure it out.  They will meet the president at night in Oda where she will be released.  President Jacobsen is the District President (a smaller version of a stake) and releases missionaries and also interviews perspective missionaries.  Gabriel, the brother, is turning 19 in July and he had to wait for his sister to come home before he could go on his mission.  The family has to work it out together.  Great faith. 

Token:  Remember the black kid in South Park?  Or if you get on a flight with Delta and you see the posters on the wall, you can check the box for every gender, ethnicity, and marital status.  Very DEI.  As I was looking on Africa World Airlines for information on our “Ghost Flight”, it was clear there was no DEI or token Abrone.  There was not one white person on any web page…there are plenty Abrone in Africa, so why haven’t they decided to put us in advertising?  I recall Gaijins (foreigners) going to Japan for modeling work.  Being a white model in Africa is akin to being an orthodontist in England…just not used or needed.

“What happens in the fishbowl stays in the fishbowl…”

-Elder Roldan

“SYL” - Speak Your Language was what we would say in the MTC when we were learning a language.  It forced us to struggle with what little language we had and to use it with our companion and other missionaries going to Japan.  It was practice (yes it is important Alan Iverson!).  We have two South Americans (Chile & Argentina) and I have to remind them to SYL once in a while.  This is an English mission (in a Ghanaian way) and they need to practice.  They work in what is called the fishbowl because there is a sliding glass door between our office and their office (it was once an outdoor sitting area). I sometimes get to hang out with them and share stories.  They like it and I realize that I really have had a great life and so far a great mission.  My focus is to make sure they are strong men when they return.  Elder Roldan has a friend from Argentina on a mission who wrote about anxiety.  They just don’t have it as much here in Ghana.  “By His grace…” is the answer for most everything.  If they have a meal for today, life is good.  If they already have a meal or money for tomorrow, life is grand!  We can learn from that faith.  SYL can also mean Share Your Love…

Familiesmentoringfamilies.com:  An interesting woman came into our office this week.  She was raised in Provo Utah; married a guy from the same street in Provo; had 10 children together; made a major move from Provo to Orem Utah.  Then, when she had half of the kids at home, decided to move to Kumasi Ghana.  (She had a son who served a mission in Ghana).  They did not know what to do for 18 months, then they started doing literary centers in Ghana and now have 300 around a few counties in Africa.  They do a good thing, but what a story of faith and action.  Crazy!  She is doing good things in Africa with a God-will-provide attitude. Burn your Boat Faith Part 2!

New Elders in New Places:  After a transfer, I have to figure out where people are and I got some invitation to go and teach with elders I have been out with before.  He invited me and then on Saturday I got to go out with them - President with one companionship and I took another.  We walked the hills of New Gbawe (near the Wrong Roads miracle) taught three lessons and gave away two Book of Mormons…SO good to see these good kids.  Aside from the fact I drank 4 bottles of water in the 3 hours while I was out with them in the hot sun and sweated it all out, it was another great day of teaching.  Sitting in the shade on chairs and benches they pulled out, we just taught the basics.  It is so good, that I don’t care how much I am sweating.   Sister Bertha and Sister J. also jumped at the chance to go out teaching with the sisters because that’s where we get to see miracles and see the gospel change lives.  They also taught three lessons to the open-hearted Ghanaians in New Weija.  Lucky to teach. 

Teach small:  The way we teach the gospel now is different than when we were in Japan 40 years ago.  With the world of people like me who grew up on MTV and SportsCenter highlights, we have killed attention spans.  It is worse with my kids' generation with Twitter’s 140 characters, Reels, Instagram, TikTok, and the like.  We teach the principles of the gospel in bite-size principles and leave it to the person to decide if they want to chew a little more.  Our missionaries teach 8 to 10 lessons a day in 15-40 minutes.  Then if the person investigating isn’t progressing, they pause for a while.  It’s interesting that they drop 10 people a week to make room for 10 new people to teach.

“Can we learn small with you today?”

-Ghana English from an Idaho Missionary

“If you haven’t been pulled over in Ghana, you really haven’t lived in Ghana”

-SJ after hearing the Kaaens were pulled over twice in one day

“It does not take baptisms to make a difference”

-The Browns doing their thing in France!

“Do you have the Mormon Bible?”  We were walking to our next appointment and we started to talk to a man walking in the same direction.  He didn’t want to talk to us at first and said “I am a sinner…” We responded, “Great, so are we…” I don’t think he expected that and we talked a little about it.  He was standoffish but softened a little.  Then he asked if we had the Mormon Bible.  I pulled out the limited edition Sandy and Al copy I carry with me and wrote my number and name in it.  He said he would read it and the missionaries got his number.

Parenting Advice:  Elder Tanner asked me what to do as a parent.  I am not an expert, but I married one and she is good.  But it still comes down to love and teaching them all you can and they should be able to make good choices.  The older they get, the more agency you release to them, but when they are young, you need to parent (verb not noun).  It’s an action thing that you do to share the gospel in your own home…

“And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.  But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.”

-Mosiah 4:14-15 (Book of Mormon)

Lucky Events:  I missed a great wedding this weekend with Maxwell and Anne.  I wish them the best, but I was selfishly happy to see all my kids together supporting their cousin and the family.  These are important events that bring people together.  If you are invited, you should try and attend…they are not likely to be repeated.  Glad my family shows up.  Lucky Dad and Mom sitting in Ghana with smiles!

Bat walk. I like doing the bat walk loop.  I have never walked it at 6 pm on a Saturday while the sun is going down.  All the market people are loading up their cars after a long day of selling (Yes I supported the cause today).  There are outside furniture makers (woven ratan-like) and wood carvers that just cover their stuff with plastic. Some workers just keep going. They might have been sleeping in the heat of the day and want to make more stuff to sell.  So many people walking.  Only white people like me walk for exercise and do a loop and think it is a good idea. Everyone I see is coming from someplace and going to someplace. There is no evening exercise…that is just life.  The first tree I took Mo to on the bat walk was completely empty. There were a lot of bats in the air, but it was weird that these two very large trees did not have any bats hanging around.  The other trees on Liberation Street were loaded with bats and they were all flying in and out of the trees.  They move at this time of night….

“May I have a ‘proximity blessing’?”

“What is that?”

“I am his companion, I am close to him, I would like one too…”

-Elder Abule when I gave him a Dr. Pepper to take back to his new companion he is training…I gave him a Mt. Dew.

“… get on with it, If you want to change the world, shut your mouth, start this minute”

-Cracker (Translation: Talk is cheap)

“We want to come back exhausted; not going on a mission for holiday.”

-A Maverick in France

St. Patrick:  Saint Patrick to me is Patrick Botchway who is the other BikeMaster for the mission and the mission driver and supplies person.  He really does everything and serves in his church as a Bishop so he has a lot of people to take care of.  The Mission President had two long road trips - Thursday and Friday. It rained hard Thursday and was a muddy mess for Friday.  He was out early Saturday washing the car so it would be clean for the President when we went out to teach on Saturday.  He looks out for others.  My challenge to family and friends is to go do something unexpected for someone this week.  Be kind and minister with your actions rather than your words.  Good luck…

“You are a lucky bug!”

-Mushu in Mulan

Elder Bertha

Wearing a green tie

Happy St Patrick’s Day