3 Zone Conferences

#3 Saturday letter.   Sister Bertha and I were involved in 3 Zone Conferences.  This happens every 6 weeks or every transfer.  This allowed us to meet ALL the Ghana Accra West Mission missionaries.  We gathered at a Stake Center (bigger church building) and then the President and his wife (they work as a team as Mission Leaders) presented their message.  This time, the message centered on keeping the “Main thing the main thing” and our purpose as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Sandy and I were asked to present a class on being 100% responsible.  It was a great week, and we are learning to love where we are and the diversity of the missionaries.  These are just 18 to 26-year-old young men and women—they are “adulting” very well!  They come from all over, and most have sacrificed a lot to be here.  We realize more how blessed we are, and grateful to be here…We owe back so much.  Be grateful; we are.

“You wear the badge, be an example of the believer.” 

Sunday Church 2X.  We were lucky to go with the President and his wife on our second Sunday.  The first Sunday of every month is called the Fast and Testimony meeting.  We fast for 2 meals or 24 hours and donate that money to the bishop to help people in the ward.  They also have an “open mic” so anyone can speak.  We went to both wards in that building, and they asked Sandy and me to bear our testimonies.  I was slow and direct in my speaking because even though this is an English-speaking mission, I felt like I needed a translator.  I am sure I will learn, in time, how to speak Ghana English. 

“Today we learn plenty things”  Polynesian speaking English. 

Big Smiles: The county looks dirty as we drive here, but the people are clean and have the BIGGEST smiles.  The opposite of teeth, in England, (think Austin Powers) is teeth in Ghana.  They are not just black, they are dark black, and when you say hello and they smile, the teeth are perfect and white.  It makes you happy to greet them.  The people have soft hearts, and behind the smiles are kind people.  It's so awesome.

What’s in a name?  We have been able to introduce ourselves to many groups.  “Al and Sandy, married 36 years, California, 4 kids, 7 grand, and favorite Ghana food is Mango.”   Then Sandy and I try to meet all the missionaries and people in the church who are there.  I like the missionaries because they have a tag, and I try to say the name (Say My Name/Destiny’s Child). I am better with Polynesian names than African names.  I am getting better when I know what country they are from.  Sometimes I have no idea where the county is, and I have to Google it.  Are we really that bad at geography?  Yes!  Did you know that the king of Swaziland decided to change the name of the country to “Eswatani” because it sounded too close to “Switzerland” …so is a country that sounds like “martini”  any better?

Rare:  We have more nationalities than any place I have ever been.  It’s like the United Nations.  I love how they all intermix and are the same when working as servants of God as missionaries with the same purpose to share, invite, and teach.  There are a lot of Polynesians who have no problem with hot weather and hard work.  Some come from the DRC and African countries that are not allowed to travel to some other countries.  One from Spain, one from England (ManU!) Then there is ONE elder from the Central African Republic.  The branch started there around the USA embassy, and they have one branch.  There are around 200 people in the whole county, and this elder is the FIRST and ONLY missionary from that county.  I think that is amazing!  This young man is being trained to go back and lead and serve in his county.  A modern pioneer.

“Don’t bury your weapons with the handles sticking out.”  Deep commitment to leave the past in the past

Fence Builder:  Erik Jacobsen knows how to build fences.  That’s what he did in Florida, and it led to his work on ranches and being the man he is—a quiet cowboy.   Building a fence is not complicated, but it takes consistent effort and it requires following the strait (Straight) and narrow path.  You dig and dig: some holes are easy and some have more rock and take more effort…just keep pounding.  When a ranch foreman came to see how the fence builders were doing, the other guys saw it as an opportunity to stop and visit. Jacobsen said hi and kept working post by post.  When the Forman was looking for a manager, he looked to the man who just kept digging.  Consistent effort and work are so important for building a successful life.  These missionaries have a quiet cowboy who knows how to work.  His conversion story is about digging to find the true church.  When he found it, he committed and kept working.  It's an honor to work with him.  He is worth looking up to and building a connection for the people of Ghana to Jesus Christ and His church.

“Faith is a principle of power and action.”

Quiet Cowboys:  My best friend Alan Flake is a quiet cowboy also, and it's interesting that two of my best friends are these solid, faithful men of God.  Alan was instrumental in his influence on me as I was looking at the church, and I was baptized without having the missionary lessons.  I was a long-term project with friends and adult leaders teaching line upon line.  Erik Jacobsen learned the same way.  Grateful for these two important men in my life.  Alan got me to do a mission in Japan, and now I am on a mission in Ghana following my friend Erik.  #blessed

“Better to shoot for the stars and miss than to shoot at manure and hit it”. Ken Flake

Strong Women: Sister Bertha and Sister Jacobsen are so alike.  It's like Erika and I were shopping in the same catalog.  Both these women took a risk on a convert, and we are blessed to be with them.  They both taught seminary for a decade!  They both take no crap from kids that don’t want to work.  They are God First/Protect my Children/Women of faith!  Sister Jacobsen taught about having Joy and working to bring others to the joy.  The Sister Training Leaders taught about teaching with the Spirit.  I am grateful for strong daughters, daughter-in-laws, Mom (My mom is super tough!), G Nancy is a legend! But Sandy is the best, and she makes me a better me.

“No crying, no whining, I love you, but I don’t care,”   Sister Jacobsen;  daughter of a Ukrainian mother

“If you don’t believe me, go ask God”.  The Ukrainian mother of Sister Jacobsen

Sandy Sanitation. I tease her, but now I follow her.   We shake everyone’s hand, and they have this custom of snapping fingers at the end.  A lot of clammy hands and kids getting sick here.  I had just shaking hands with Elder B…then I asked Divis, "Is that kid sick?"  "Oh ya, weird sickness we still haven’t figured out."  "WHAT?  Sister Bertha, can I have some hand sanitizer?!"  I am ready to go back to the elbow or fist bump of Covid days.  People have hands out like Karen Marriott looking for her punctuation in a conversation … sorry,  just give me the run-on sentence. I just cleaned my hands.

“Did you wash your hands?  … with soap”.  Sandy to me daily!

Doctrine of Christ:  We teach the Doctrine of Christ as it is taught in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Not complicated, but can be difficult.  Love God, Accept Jesus, Repent, Be Baptized, Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the end.  Endurance can be hard, but it's what we are here for, to do our part in mortality.  Every day has 24 hours, we only have this season in life to do what we are doing today.   Time is precious.  Use it.  Christ taught us for 3 years on earth and then left it to the rest of us to share it.  Peter left his nets and went to work.  Paul did a big turnaround and spent his days in ACTS of love and service and sharing the Doctrine of Christ, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  AKA The Good News (NOT CNN!)

We are here to invite everyone to follow Jesus Christ.   Live it, don’t just get baptized and stop.  Being safe is not crossing the finish line once in your life.  There is a long race to run in our life…keep running, keep studying, keep serving, keep helping, keep starting over, keep the FAITH.   Faith is an action word.  God cannot steer a parked car, keep it moving… Endurance takes constant work and effort, and we GET constant JOY and the support of the Spirit/comforter.

100% responsible.  -Light to the world, not a shade maker. 

3 days (part two): lost my comp today.  I was told about it three days ago.  I may have the next comp for 3 days.  He has a bad back, and he has been down for a week.  If he does not get better, they send him home to get better, and when he gets better, he can come back.  I wanted to have him come stay with us to make sure he did not go home.  I had a bad back on my mission, and I was in the mission president's house for a week.  But I did NOT want to go home.  You only have this time to be a junior missionary. I hope I can turn him around in 3 days.  The elder is part Samoan, so I can hear my partner Fred or even Sister Jacobsen saying… “Here is your straw. Suck it up!  Get back to work.”  The Quiet Cowboy would just raise an eyebrow, and the translation is basically the same thing.

 “I am a child of God before I am Samoan”.   Elder P’s father…that’s good teaching

“Win the day.”  Our presentation was about being 100% responsible.  Taking ownership and doing your best.  Be like Nephi and keep going back to get the plates rather than complaining and blaming, like Laman and Lemuel.  It's so easy to use the playbook provided by Satan to blame others and rebel, and have an excuse for everything.  David B Haight (He Married Us in 1988) said, “A determined man finds a way; the other man finds an excuse”.  Yes, it is hot and dirty in Africa, and the missionaries do not have air-conditioning, but most do not complain—they work and know that the people they are looking for are already prepared by the Lord.  We are just doing the final work to introduce them to His Restored Church.  Sister Bertha and I are 100% at making the bed every day and having our prayers together.  One win at a time.  VBE…Very Best Effort (the other E Jacobsen)

“Stay in your lane.”  

Look forward. Don’t look in the rear-view mirror. The past should stay in the past.

Do all you can and let the Lord mold you and create a better you.

Look for the Good:  If you own your situation, you should look for the good that you can work with.  We taught the missionaries that it is not a 50/50 relationship; it should be 100% and 100%.  “Be building, not tearing” -Greg Madson.  If you look for the good in people, it makes it easier to stand being with them and help them grow.  If she shines, I shine.  What can you do to accentuate and build upon another person’s (Wife, Husband, partner, friend, companion) strength?  Take ownership of your situation and do your best with it.  Complaining will not change it.

“God looks on the heart. Our will is all we can give to God. He’s given us everything else.” -Neal A Maxwell

Let Her Lead:  We were given a topic, and we were given some direction for our presentation.  We have not taught together often/ever.  We are in love because we are different.  She does her thing, I do my thing.  To prepare, we both did our own presentations and used our own ideas, and then shared them with each other.  Interestingly, there was good overlap.  I was praying hard about how we could work together on this….the answer I did not expect was “let her lead”.   This is Sister Bertha’s first mission.  She is an organized woman, and part of what we, as a couple, are doing here is being an example of a good marriage and an example of how women can, and do, lead.  The Sister missionaries here are so powerful and faithful.  I hope they can find men who will be able to keep up with them.  I can keep up with my wife, and she can keep up with me, but it is much better when we are running at the same pace.  The answer for this presentation and for many things is to let her set the pace…if you are familiar with my wife, keeping up with her is not always easy.  She and I both had to talk slower so they could understand.  Sister Bertha did amazing as usual, and I was just proud to be in the room with her…I will follow at times, and I will lead at times.  Drafting in cycling makes us go farther and faster together.  Stay close to each other’s wheel.  I have no problem getting close to Sister Bertha!!

“I love our room.”  -Sister Bertha  “ I don’t need new lamps anymore.“

Prayer Square:  In our home in CA, we have a prayer circle and a prayer square - both just rugs at each end of the hallway.  That is where we would gather for family prayer with our children.  I often, almost always, pray in bed or in the car.  Part of my commitment on the mission is to work on praying on my knees, even the recently replaced metal knee.  We have a “prayer square” that I use for my exercises in the morning here.  We had our first companion prayer there today.  Does it matter where you pray?  I don’t think so—I think God wants to hear from us, and wherever we are and however we pray is better than not praying.  God has blessings and gifts for us that He wants to give to us, but we often need to ask.  Also, if we pray and talk to God, don’t forget to listen.  You have two ears and one mouth.  Try to listen twice as long as you pray…he will respond by the “still small voice.”

“Ask for help from the lord. Sometimes he doesn’t help until YOU ask.”

Walk the walk:  Once we have someone join the church, we see if they show up in the first year.  After that, it is no longer a missionary effort, but a ward effort.  At some point, you have to make your own decision to attend church.  President Jacobsen and I had a conversation about our daughters.  When they were dating in college, they encountered returned missionaries who were too lazy to show up at church or to stay the 2 hours (leaving early).  I told my daughter the same thing that he told his daughter. That boy just disqualified himself from dating you.  You should keep the main thing the main thing, but there are simple things we should be able to do, like brushing our teeth and attending church.  We have our agency, but there are consequences for our decisions.  As a missionary, you are given authority, but your power is conditional.  Showing up and doing the little things matter in life.

“Spiritual resilient

Deeply converted.”   -the way a missionary should go home 

 “Be-ta-“  what they call me in Twi

“No matter what excuse you have for non-performance, no matter how valid, it weakens character.”

“I read pee”.  The health advisor about knowing if the medication is working based on the color…

“Put all the lines in the water.”  Like fishing, we use all ways to reach people.  Jesus likes fishermen (Jose!)