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