Precious and Bright…

Albert Bertha
Mar 2
9 min read

Meanwhile in Ghana...we had a busy week that ended with a Saturday of going to the market in the morning (Selfish) and then working with the missionaries in the field (Selfless-not about us). We love working with the missionaries and teaching the gospel; it is a unique opportunity we do not turn down. I am told by the other mission president who lives across the street that it is unusual, but we love it. It’s the mission's highlight, especially when you see them join and change their lives for the better. The church is growing right in front of us every day…. Sister Bertha wanted to go on a proselyting mission and was so enthusiastic when she got to teach.

You said yes, right? Sandy told me that the President and his wife wanted to go on exchanges and teach with some of the missionaries on Saturday (our P day or our only day off). They asked if we wanted to go…they asked Sandy. I love that she knows that my answer will be yes to that question every time here in Ghana. I also love that there are some things, I am not comfortable with her making my decision for me (and vice versa). I love that she has learned the difference; mission miracle. We are here to serve and working with the missionaries is the best thing we do here. In Ghana, the opportunity to go out with the missionaries is not just knocking on doors. If we are finding, we are at least talking to people. They are not trying to avoid us. They will always talk small small (for a little). When we go out with the missionaries, we get to teach…every time! It’s amazing!

Precious: This was a 17-year-old girl who was not embarrassed to sit with a 60-year-old gray-haired man, a white kid with red hair (Nile-style) in a bucket hat, and an African still learning English on the side of the street (really in the street) about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Gotta start with prayer; I heard that Pragia went by while the missionary was praying. It was funny that we three were on a bench we pulled from the store and she was on a stool. We taught her about the Doctrine of Christ…Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, Enduring to the end...I told her that repentance was turning back to God; we can do that every day when we get off course. Super nice girl and open to learning. Then she taught me…

Give when asked…. During the lesson, an older woman who was obviously poor or looked at the part interrupted us where we were seated on the road and wanted 2 Cedi, Precious just got up and patted her pockets and then started to cross the street and was looking for the money. I had a 2 Cedi coin in my pocket so I gave it to her and she then gave it to the beggar. I asked, “Did you know her?” “no.” She sat down and was ready to go back to the lesson. She was just doing the right thing because that is what she does. Wow. Pure love in action.

Walk this way: After the first lesson with Precious, we walked (maybe 20 yards away) by a girl selling rice and our missionaries had started teaching her already. She was not ready to have a lesson right then, but they made an appointment for later. They asked if she was reading her Book of Mormon and she reached out and tapped it! It was right there next to her station. Elder Roche dog-eared a place in 3 Nephi for her to read. Then we kept walking to see if we could teach a new member…

“A good name is to be cherished even more than riches”

-Proverbs 22:1

“Bright”… Is that really your name? I asked. We had just taught Precious the scripture from 2 Nephi 31 about having a BRIGHTness of Hope. We worked it into getting our lesson started. He was 15, similar to the age when I joined the church. I told him how much I did not know when I was first baptized. You don’t need to know everything! All you really need is faith in Jesus Christ and that this is his church and to keep moving forward and follow the feelings given to you by the Holy Ghost to guide you. You learn along the way by acting on and exercising your faith. He was baptized a month ago; we were there that day to teach him a little more and make sure he understood. It was like most lessons, 20-30 minutes, simple and easy, and try to leave them with the feeling of the spirit. He has his own brightness and as a new member, he is just discovering how to feel it and follow it…

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect BRIGHTness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”

-2 Nephi 31:20

Pragia rides: Kasoa is a unique area that is mostly flat and they have a lot of 3-wheel Pragia. It’s like the Vespa Ape, but made in India and it’s the taxi of choice for short rides. It was my first time in one and I was happy I survived and needed no stitches (Tannahill). They charge by the person and there is no limit to how many people you can cram in. Elder Roche told me he had fit his whole District (6-10 people?) in one…those have to be small people. We sat three in the back seat and you had to alternate the front and back parts of the seat to make it fit-ish. Grateful for short rides. Would not want to travel a long way in these things. No extra credit for comfort.

Sisters two: Sister J and Sister Bertha spent their time with a sister trainer, Sister Bello from SLC, and Sister Kuphe from Zimbabwe (first transfer!). When Sister B and Sister J came back in the car to go home, they were brimming with excitement for what they had just experienced…I will let Sister B share the experience from her perspective. So happy she is having these experiences. So often we try to share the gospel in California and we get shut down by our friends…which is agency in action. The Lord has asked us to invite…we do that.

President Jacobsen: The President taught with the Zone leaders and one of them had just been called to be his Assistant. He picked up me and then we picked up his wife and Sister Bertha. They got in the car and spilled about how cool it was.

“Thanks for coming out…I think you are the only ones doing this in Western Africa.”

-President Jacobsen

“Ghana is the perfect place for a cowboy. I don’t think I could survive in a US mission.”

-President Jacobsen

Barbie in Ghana: one of the cutest things I saw this week, but I did not get a picture of it was a young girl with her Babie doll strapped to her back like her mother. The women strap the baby to their back with 2 yards of fabric and the baby is with them every step of their day.

Art Market: Went with the Mission Presidents on Monday and some missionaries on Wednesday. I feel like an advanced man who is making sure that my friends do not get taken advantage of; the color of our skin increases the price of everything. I met a former ambassador from Ghana. He was happy to see that we were supporting the economy. Ebony is a unique wood that is hard and only found here in Western Africa. But is also a color. They sell “ebony nativities” but it is not the wood, it is the color. Honesty and integrity are still a fluid thing in Africa. Buyer beware.

Pruning: …we got 40 mangos of our tree last month and Sister Bertha thought it needed some pruning because of a disease (It was still producing?!). The workers pruned it with machetes, destroyed the electric fence along the Uruguay Ambassador’s residence, and covered over our generator. How many leaves are left? ZERO. The mission couple after the next couple might see a mango…The master of the vineyard, Sister Bertha, wants new branches!

Elephant: You have to be careful what you say around a Ghanaian. “That looks nice” can be thought to mean, “I want that” or “I will buy that.” Sister Kaaen ended up with two dresses she did not know were coming and my woodcarver started on an elephant “I liked”…now I will own. He asked when I wanted to see my elephant. What elephant? The one you wanted…I had it made for you…Oh well…It was worth the experience of getting behind the curtain where they make things. It was interesting seeing how he was making it. I thought it was clever that he used a magnet to hold all his tools and the nails used for plating. I like my new elephant…he’s coming home with me.

First Transfer Training: It has been almost 6 weeks since the new missionaries were introduced to their trainers and started the Ghana Accra West Mission adventure. They all come in for this training and they are paying attention now more than the first day. They all mentioned how hard the first week is and I think hearing the same thing from others helps them know they are not alone in feeling that it is hard. After the first week, they settle in and get used to it and start to grow from there…Sister Bertha was there Thursday morning to greet them with a hearty pancake breakfast. I gave away DR Pepper to the two US elders out in the bush as a reward for toughing it out.

Fast goes slow. We, as a mission, are doing a 40-day fast with different wards and rotating companionships fasting on different days. Sister Bertha and I have some people we always fast for and we did it on the day that she was cooking and the new missionaries had pizza. Two sisters were on schedule to fast that day also, so it was good that they had Sandy and I join them in their fast. A fast makes you focus on others (Laura, Geoff, Dan) who are going through something. It is also used to plead for a blessing or get clarity in an answer to a prayer. Jesus did a real 40-day fast for all of us. We are just doing a 1 day fast… It can go slow…but like many hard things, it is worth it.

“Only the good die young”

-Billy Joel

“…another one bites the dust..”

-Queen

Remember: “Remember” It’s one of the most used words in the Scriptures. It’s the reason we go to church on Sunday--to renew covenants made at baptism and to remember Jesus Christ. The other way to think of Sunday is that it is like a funeral—we remember a good friend and all the good things we shared with that person. With Jesus, yes he died for us, but he overcame death so he still lives for us and he still communicates with us through the Holy Ghost and Prophets. Sunday, we remember him, we check in, and we express gratitude for his life and his death and the plan of happiness. It’s good to go to funerals and remember our friends and family. It’s good to remember that we are all connected as part of God’s family. When we go to church on Sunday, we remember our Savior and what he did for us…we can also remember our family and friends that have already passed on….RIP Steve Fryer. I love Seal Rock in San Clemente…Will, Gilbert, and others…you will be remembered and now you can say hi to Jesus yourself…