Atonement

Luke 22: 42

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”

Mi Abusia, mi do wo pa.

I've been transferred! I said goodbye to Asutsuare last week and was welcomed this week by the Branch in Asokore, Koforidua. Koforidua is a District that is made up of 12 Branches, but we are hoping to make it a Stake before July. It is going to be a lot of work but the missionaries here are prepared and willing to press forward in this great call. 

My new companion is Elder Harris. He is 21 and from Idaho. He attended BYU Provo before coming on mission and was the beat boxer for an acapella group there. We haven't had much time to try anything out but I am looking forward to some great singing sessions with him dropping the beat. He is a wonderful guy, very funny and very enthusiastic. I sometimes get tired just watching him because he is energetic, but there is never a dull moment with Harris. He will be going home in May so I will be making the most of the time we have together. Lots to learn.

Elder Harris and I had a wonderful lesson this Sunday after Church with a Sister named Gloria. She is 28 and has been progressing towards baptism for a few months. As we visited with her we were asking her a few questions about the Plan of Salvation, or our Heavenly Father's plan for bringing His children back into His presence. Gloria was having a difficult time understanding the Atonement and how it can be a part of our daily lives. We felt prompted to open to Luke 22 to read about Christ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. She read it but did not understand so I shared my own comparison with it. I told her of my many summers spent working on my Uncle's farm. I was the youngest and not skilled so much of the labor/cleaning jobs were passed to me. I remember a time when my Uncle dropped me off at a field with a shovel, asking me to walk around it weeding the nightshade from the edge. This was not my first time doing it. I knew how tired I would be and I did not want to do it. I was tempted even to complain, but I knew it was what my Uncle needed me to do, so I did it. I compared it to her. Children in Ghana grow up fetching water for their family. They will spend many mornings walking to water tanks to fill buckets that they will carry on their heads back to their homes. Gloria had done that many times and could relate to not wanting to do it, but doing it because that is what was needed. As we talked about this, understanding of the Atonement came to her eyes.

The Atonement is something that we need every day. Because of Christ our sins can be taken away and we can be made new again. But each day we have to choose Christ. We must make the choice to follow him, even when we do not want to. We make the choice to follow him because we love Him. In our lives we will always be tested to see who we will follow, but I pray that each of us can look to the example of Christ and make the choice to do God's will. It will never be easy, but it will always be worth it.

I love you all. Thank you for your support and prayers. You are in my heart.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,   

Elder Bergeson