“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