Choose to be Cheerful

2 Nephi 10: 23

Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves - to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

Mi Abusia, mi do wo pa.

Elder Hanberg and I had a funny week. I taught him some Ghanaian dance moves, we kept trying the new Ghanaian food and we spent time among the Ghanaian's, learning of their culture of faith. I love it here. Of course everything is different and adjustment is hard, but it makes life exciting. You never know what will happen. 

I had a very interesting experience this week as Elder Hanberg and I were going out to find some new friends to teach. We approached one sister and began to share our message. Elder Hanberg finished explaining what is found in the message of the Restoration and I bore my testimony, finishing with "I know that this message can bring you closer to Christ." This is almost a memorized statement, that I know to be true, but that I had not given much thought to until after her comment. The sister, Efia, immediately got offended and quickly retorted, "Does that mean you are closer to Christ?" I didn't know how to respond because it is not me that brings people closer, but our message, that is completely centered on our Savior. But after that I realized how important it was for me to be closer to Jesus Christ so that I can show others the joy that comes from living His Gospel. I know that the message the we the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share, is true and that it will bring any who desire, closer to Christ. And I also know that each of us need to be closer to our Savior so that we can help others on their path back. Christ is the light but he also told His disciples, "Ye are the light of the world." (Mathew 5 : 14) He was our first example, and as we follow Him each day, we can help others to see the light. I hope that when anyone asks you "Are you closer to Christ?", you can say, Yes, I am close! But I am coming closer each day.

It is rainy season now. This is not like any rain I have seen though, this is more like flooding season. We were heading back towards our apartment last Sunday and we made it to the only bridge that crosses a large canal that flows through the middle of Agbogba. In Agbogba, as well as most of Ghana, they build gutters that line the sides of the streets, so that when it rains the water will moves through the gutters to the canal. The canal was full, too full. So once the water had backed up enough it just went right over the top of the bridge. We got there and saw a crowd standing at the bridge, I thought maybe there had been a car crash, but they were all just standing, watching the water flow. There were only a few of the strong men who crossed the current because if you make one wrong step you will be in the canal. Elder Hanberg and I were debating when one of our investigators showed up and said, "Elders, you have God on your side, don't fear." We took our shoes off, gird up our loins (rolled up our pants), and crossed. It was refreshing to walk in the canal water, that is full of all kinds of garbage. We walked to our next appointment barefoot where we were able to wash off our feet. It was great walking in the mud! The next Tuesday it was raining as well. This time though, Elder Hanberg and I were prepared. We went out in our slippers (flip-flops) so that when we reached the mud holes we didn't ruin our shoes. We learned a valuable lesson that day about why they are named flip-flops, because when you walk they flip up the mud and it flops on your white shirt. Ghana is going to make me a very good hand washer. We got to our first investigator and it was still raining. She said, "Elders, it's raining! Why aren't you sleeping? Jesus would understand." We laughed so hard and she refused to see us because she would be going to sleep right now. But Elder Hanberg and I were happy to walk in the rain because we were on the Lord's errand, rain or shine.

This weekend was the 8th Annual Adenta Stake Conference. It was wonderful. My favorite thought came from Sister Heid, the wife of our Mission President. She was talking about baking bread and the importance of Yeast. Without Yeast the doe will not rise and it will never be able to be bread. If I remember right, she related it to the Atonement, that without the Atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we would never be able to become what God desires us to be. I loved that  and as I continued to ponder on Yeast in the process of making bread, I found another important lesson. The Parable of the Yeast is this, that in this life we will always be surrounded with people, many different types of people. They have different personalities, thoughts, feelings, and purposes, but all are important to life and to God. There are even many in this life who are unhappy, and because they are unhappy they enjoy to make others unhappy also. Because they are down they bring others down. Our goal though, in the recipe of life, is to be the yeast. Be the one that although everyone around you is down, you will rise and when you rise you will allow others to rise with you. Choose to Cheerful, as 2 Nephi states. You have the power to choose and to cheer up your hearts, no matter the challenges that come. We will all pass through the and be a part of the recipe called life. We will be put through trials and tribulations, but my hope is that in every situation we can be the yeast. Rise, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And as you rise, you will help others too. Be you. Be Yeast. 

I love you all and I feel of your love and prayers. We are pressing on with cheerful hearts.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Flooding season in Agbogba

Wading through the mud

Elder HanBERGson - companions

Be of Good Cheer

John 16: 33

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Mi Abusia,

In life you sometimes just have to smile through the pain, or "be of good cheer" as you pass through the tribulations. Elder Hanberg and I experienced this each day as we were serving the people here in Agbogba. The best was at our Agbogba Ward Missionary Fireside. They met at 5:00 and prepared Banku with Pepe and Fried Fish and then had the meeting at 6:00. As soon as we got there the members sat us down and gave us two balls of Banku with the Pepe and they all gathered around just waiting for us to taste the food. These Ghanaians like HOT Pepe, which I am very used to. However, Elder Hanberg has only been here for two weeks... As soon as I took a bite I knew we were in trouble. The Pepe was fire; my tongue, lips and fingers were burning and my nose started running instantly. I smiled and said it was delicious, as usual. Elder Hanberg tried to do the same, unfortunately the tears coming from his eyes told the members different. They were laughing and so were we, laughing and crying because it was so hot. But we finished it. We also had to smile a lot as people rejected us. It is disappointing but we have a peace in our hearts and we know that we have done our part. I love serving the Lord here in Ghana.

This Wednesday we contacted a man named Alfonzo. We were walking down a back road and we saw a sister carrying two buckets of water. I jogged over and offered to carry them for her. We picked them up and followed her down the dangerous Ghanaian roads. When we reached her home we met her father, Alfonzo. He called us over and invited us to sit down and asked if we were evangelists. We explained that we were missionaries and that we had a message to share with him. We started with a prayer and began teaching him the lesson of the Restoration, my favorite lesson for the work here. We only made it through how God calls prophets before we needed to go. He had many questions. We saw him again on Friday and we started out by reading Mathew 16: 15 - 19 and talking about Apostles, Revelation, and the Priesthood. Christ gave His Apostles the "keys of the kingdom of heaven." Without this key you can only bind things on Earth, but not in Heaven. We talked about how Christ and His Apostles were killed and that these "keys" were lost. I said this and instantly Alfonzo got irritated. He finally said, "Then what are we doing here, right now?! If there are no keys then what are you and every other Church doing?" I was very grateful at that moment and in every moment for a loving Heavenly Father who would not leave His children here on Earth without the keys to bind things here on Earth, and in Heaven. Elder Hanberg and I testified that our Heavenly Father has again called a prophet, in which He has restored those priesthood keys. He was not convinced by the end of the lesson, but his question has not left my mind, "Then what are we doing here?!" I am thankful for the peace this Gospel brings.

Now for the cultural and funny story of the week. Agbogba Ward is part of the Adenta Stake here in Ghana. In July the Stake is holding a cultural presentation where each Ward will be performing a cultural dance. We were assigned the Pasana. So this Sunday after Church they had a group come to teach our Ward the dance. The group came with two drummers(like African drums), one bamboo flute player, and one dancer who we would follow. After Church Elder Hanberg and I were teaching a lesson with Sister Gifty and Brother Ezekial and I thought we would miss it. After our lesson though I ran upstairs and went out on the balcony to find my Ward doing the funniest dance. These Relief Society sisters were getting down to the drums and their husbands were moving like they were young men again! When they saw us they pushed me to the front with the teacher and told me to follow. The dance involves a lot of hip moving and chest popping. Luckily I learned how to do both from my sisters at home! :D  You start first by doing fast feet in place, like what you would do right before you do an up-down in football, and you move your arms in slow circle. Then the drums stop and they do a big BOOM, and that is when you pop your hip to the right. Then a BOOM-BOOM, you pop your hip left right. Then you pop your hips slow to a boom boom boom. Then you step back and pop the chest. It is hilarious. The Ward was cheering and they told us we would be joining them in the presentation. I'm here to serve and I am making a family here in Agbogba.

One of our recent converts, Sister Comfort, recently had her baby. She was 10 months pregnant and it was a hard pregnancy for her. With her first child she had a c-section and she was praying she wouldn't have to get one this time because the more you get, the smaller your chances get of having more children. But the baby wasn't coming so they cut her. She was so sick through her pregnancy and her husband had to leave her when she was at 5 months and returned a week before she delivered. She has passed through so much, and most of it was alone. But every time that we went to see her, she was smiling. I was amazed by this. Not matter what she was going through she was always smiling and showing love to us and those around her. I asked her this week how she did it. She said, "Mr. Begasin, I know that God is watching over me and so I don't worry. I have peace inside." Comfort reminded me of something our Savior said, "ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." We will all pass through tribulations. It is a part of life and we are meant to learn from them. But we should pass through these trials, pains, sicknesses, disappointments and shortcomings with peace in our hearts. We can have peace in our hearts because we have a Savior who has passed through them too, and He has overcome them all. So be of good cheer. Put a smile on. Eat some food that makes your nose run. Shake your hips to your favorite song. Pray to your Heavenly Father, He hears His children. Pass through this life with peace in your heart and each day you will find joy. I know that our Savior lives and that He will help you through His Atonement. He loves you and as we love Him, we will feel of that peace in our hearts in every moment.

I love you all and ask for your continued prayers. Be of Good Cheer this week. :)

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Dancing the Pasana

Charles, Comfort and Chibuike (new baby)

Upon the Rock

Matthew 7: 25

 

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”

 

My family and friends,

Missionary work is full of change. Missionaries leave their homes to serve the Lord full-time in foreign lands, a great change. They make plans each day but it doesn't go as planned. Missionaries try to meet with investigators but they keep running away so we change to new ones. Missionaries also become great friends with their companion and then that companion is changed. But it makes Missionary life pretty exciting. The great part is that we don't fall even with all of this change as long as we are built upon a rock; the Rock. This week I started training my new companion, Elder Hanberg. It is always a little different serving with a new missionary. They are almost completely dependent on you for the first few days but he has helped me learn so much. I love him and I am grateful to have him serving by my side.

 

Elder Hanberg is 19 years old and from Utah. He is the last born in a family of 6 boys. His father is the owner of a family farm that they all worked on growing up. He played outside linebacker on his American Football team at home. He loves the Gospel and he knows that it is true. Because he grew up in a very small town (they only have one stop-light there) he is very reserved which is the opposite of how Ghanaians are. But he is here for the right reasons and is ready to work. We get along great and we are learning a lot from each other. It has been so funny to be able to see his reaction to everything and then remember what it was like to be in Ghana for the first time. The first thing I did was buy him Ghanaian food to eat. After every food he tries I ask him, "How is it?" And he responds the same each time, "It's.... different." Your tongue has to change when you come here. The food is HOT and SPICY. He is also beginning to understand that. It is also a big adjustment to the culture. Women breast-feed openly here and he saw it for the first time the first day he was here as we sat down to visit with the Relief Society 1st Councilor. I couldn't help but laugh at his startled reaction. Adjusting to the heat has also been a challenge for him. He sweats like I do and whenever we are in the apartment he has a fan running full blast on his face. I laugh but I remember when I experienced it. I love how much the Lord has asked us to grow as we serve Him. Missionary work is difficult and doing it in Ghana makes it that much better.

 

Elder Hanberg and I are having a great time teaching and learning how to teach here in Ghana. During one lesson there was a recent convert who asked a great question, "What can we do if we see one of our fellow members losing faith?" I asked her what she had done to grow her own faith. She responded and had a few great comments on her conversion process. Sister Hannah used to be a singer in the Pentecostal Church, a very prominent and popular calling. She loved it. She travelled for some time though and while she was away she attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with her brother. She felt something there and when she returned she found it in Agbogba and started attending. She said that it was very difficult to adjust, sometimes she just wanted to stand up in the middle of sacrament meeting and start singing her Gospel songs, but she said she felt the Spirit more as she was reverent and tried to listen. I was impressed and then she asked what we had done to grow our faith. I turned to Elder Hanberg and asked him to share his thoughts first. He turned to Hannah and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand any of that. Your accent is still different to me." I laughed again. I told him her question and he shared a wonderful testimony. I love that the Gospel brings people from all different walks of life together so that they can feel of God's love. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve my brothers and sisters here in Ghana. 

 

Last Monday was my last day with my former companion Elder Ferrell. Elder Ferrell has never been to the ocean before, and because I wanted him to remember our companionship we decided to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and go to watch the sunrise on the beach. It was our Preparation Day so this is our free day to prepare for the week. We picked up a car from Agbogba and made it to the Accra beach just as the sun was peaking through the clouds. We hiked in through the sand dunes and then ran to the water from the top of the dune! We took pictures and enjoyed splashing around in the water, since we are not allowed to swim. As we were enjoying on the beach I started to look around and noticed that the sand dunes were filled with small sand-houses. Basically they were just wood posts that had sand packed around the base, like a small wall that went up to my knee in height, and tied at the top of the posts were pieces of fabric. They looked like sand tents. I was looking at these and thinking how cool these were. People were waking up and coming out of them and just going about their life as normal. I thought how great it would be not to have to pay for a house and just to be there. Then I thought about the rain. It rains often in Ghana and I can only imagine what it would be like to be inside one of these "houses" when it was raining. My mind immediately went to Matthew 7. Everything in your life would be fine, until the rain and the floods and the winds came. When they came you would see how mistaken you were in building on the sand. But in verse 25 it tells of what would happen if the house was built "upon a rock." Each of our lives are filled with rain, and floods, and winds that continue to beat upon us; sometimes it feels like there will never be an end. But it tells us that all of these things "beat upon that house; and it fell not." As we build upon Christ and his Gospel, no matter the trials, sicknesses, death, shortcomings, changes, or heartaches, we will not fall. I've seen it in my life that as I have passed through my own struggles and disappointments, I have felt a peace in my heart that comes from my relationship with my Savior. As you come closer to Him, and as you build upon Him, you will feel His love for you and a peace that will come to you in any storm you are braving. You are loved by your Heavenly Father and your Savior. They know you. They smile with you as you come closer to them. Even when life beats upon you, as you build upon Christ you will not fall.

 

I love you all and I ask for your continued prayers. Even if the work is not moving, know that we are.

 

PREPARE IT

 

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Elder Bergeson doing a toe touch. He said, 

Boys Club paying off in Ghana."

Ghana is full of pure water. 

This is garbage on the beach.

Elder Bergeson's new companion he is training, 

Elder Hanberg from Utah.

Faith in Every Footstep

What a fun Mother's Day treat for me to hear Kaden's voice and his African accent! He is doing great and really enjoys working hard to serve the Ghanaian people. Our Father in Heaven knew the place he needed to be, I have no doubt. He fits right in and is positive and happy. His testimony of faith, courage and perseverance touches me and I see blessings in his life and our lives as He does his best to serve on this mission. Thank you for all the prayers you offer in his behalf and all those who are serving missions at this time all over the world. Enjoy his email!     Love, Janet

Alma 32: 21

And now as I said concerning faith - faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

Ma dam fo, etisen? (My friend, how are you?)

I pray that you are all doing well. I know how my family is because I had the opportunity to talk to my mother yesterday. I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending me to such a wonderful woman. Her example to me of love, charity, patience, endurance, humility is something I will always keep in my heart. But the thing that impresses me most about my mother is her FAITH. Each day I experience disappointments but my mind always turns to my mother and father, and my Savior. I think about  how they would react and I follow their example. I know that my mom is not perfect, I know that she falls short  sometimes, just as each of us do. Nevertheless, I know that my mother has Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She has Faith that if she follows Him that she will find true joy and that she can one day be made perfect. Even though many times we think our mothers "have a perfect knowledge of things," I know that they walk by Faith, leading us back to our Father in Heaven. Thank you to all mothers and future mothers for your Christ-like sacrifice as you follow and lead with Faith. I love you mom.

Now to the week. First off, Elder Ferrell and I had a very humbling experience with two evangelists from a Christian faith. Last week we had a man named David stop us and tell us that he was an evangelist of Christ and that he wanted us to come by to do Bible study. We expressed that our desire was not only to study the Bible and other scriptures, but to learn of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and to live it. He said that he would be happy to hear our message. We went to see him the first lesson and he had a great question on Agency, the freedom to choose, and predestination. Thankfully the Spirit works through the Lord's servants and we taught a powerful message. We left him with a Restoration pamphlet and a Book of Mormon, committing him to read and pray about them both. Elder Ferrell and I came back a few days later and David told us that he had read and prayed and that he knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon was true. We were shocked. We all just kind of looked at each other and blinked. After a minute David then followed by saying, "I know that Joseph Smith was called of God, but I don't believe that he is the only one that is called. God would not only call one man to do his work or it would never get done." He then asked many questions about priesthood and the Church that Christ established, and also about prophets. We shared the scriptures we felt answered his questions perfectly, yet nothing was helping him. I was praying for guidance as Elder Ferrell taught but still nothing came. The lesson was not progressing and David was getting frustrated, as I was also. I was just praying that I would know what to say but it seemed as if nothing would come. I shared my testimony of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His Gospel through Joseph Smith and then we closed with a prayer. Elder Ferrell and I were confused why we could not speak. We both had felt the Spirit but we couldn't say what we felt needed to be said. We met with David two days later and this time he also had his friend Dalentine. We prayed to begin and they started asking questions, but this time when we answered they understood. We actually used the same scriptures in that lesson as we did in the lesson before. We felt the Spirit working through us and we could see that it was touching David and Dalentine. After the lesson I was trying to understand why we could speak the second time, but not the first? My conclusion was that their hearts were ready to receive our message this time. The Lord knows what His children need and when they need it. I know that the Lord blesses us when we are obedient and although things might not work the first time we should always keep trying. Things will work out in His time. He will work through us in His time.

I had a hilarious experience this Saturday at Chapel cleaning. Our Chapel is a two story building that is in a nice compound which has a fountain, flowerbeds and a grass field. Every few weeks we weed the flower beds and cut the grass in the field. This week was our first time to help the Ward in this part of the cleaning. The Bishop brought out the tools; cutlass, hoe, and shovel. I grabbed my most favorite farming tool, and one that my mother taught me how to use very well, the hoe. I picked it up and walked over to the flower bed and started going at it like we did at home and on the farm with my family. I finished the first flower bed and turned around to find everyone watching me. One of the members, Brother Johnson, spoke up and said, "Elder Bergeson, how big is your farm??" I died oh! I am thankful that my hoeing skills have come in handy here in Ghana. 

I learned a great lesson about Faith this week as we met with our great friend Paul. Paul is the greatest examples of hoping for "things which are not seen, which are true." This week we shared with him the lesson of the Plan of Salvation. Our first statement was that God has a body of flesh and bones like us, except His body is perfect. He was very surprised by this because this doctrine went against everything he has ever known about God. He has learned his whole life that God is a Spirit. We did our best to answer his concerns with scriptures but in the end we asked him to pray. We gave him a place to read in the Book of Mormon, Alma 40, and set up a meeting for two days later. He called us the next day and told us that he was traveling to the funeral of his mate form college who had been murdered. I could tell he was a little depressed and I encouraged him to pray and even read because that scripture would give him great strength. When we met with him again after the funeral, I could sense this peace about him. After we had prayed to open our lesson, he bore his testimony to us of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. He said that just the one page he read answered questions that he did not even know that he had. And because he know those things were true, he knew that the other things which we taught were true. Alma 40 talks about what happens to our spirit after we die, and also how we will one day be resurrected and live with our Heavenly Father again. This brought great peace to him at the time of his friends death. He had faith that these things really are true and that we will live again. Paul is full of faith and I hope that we can follow his example. In this life we are asked to walk by faith, not by sight. We do not know what lies ahead of us, we don't know what will happen or what trials we will be asked to endure, but as we walk with faith we will know that all things will work for our good. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father and that He knows what we must pass through to be better servants of Him and His Son. Your faith will be tested each day and you will have to choose to believe, even if you cannot see. But always remember that you are being watched over by one who sees everything. And He loves you. Walk with faith each day and you will be walking with my mother, Paul, my self, and my Savior. You will never be alone.

I love you all and ask for your continued prayers. I have been called to train a new missionary from the USA who I will meet tomorrow. Everything in this life is temporary and I am grateful for this learning experience.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Hiking and seeing a spot that reminded Elder Bergeson

of the First Vision

Working hard at chapel cleaning with Jo-boy