He Knows All Things

2 Nephi 2 : 23 - 25

And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy , for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they know no sin.

But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

Adam fell that men might be; and med are, that they might have joy.

Abayye yee. (It shall be well.)

My dear family and friends, I started this email with that phrase because I can't tell you how many times I said it to myself this week. I just kept repeating, "It shall be well Elder Bergeson, it shall be well." Sometimes that is what we need to do so that we can get through each day. Elder Kambwiri and I had another great week but it was full of many disappointments. We were supposed to have a baptism but the candidate had an issue with one of the commandments and was not ready. We also started the week with many investigators but after the first day they had all told us they were just to busy to meet with us. So Elder Kambwiri and I spent a lot of time on our feet knocking on gates and talking to anyone who had the time for us. And through it all I knew that everything would be well because this is His work and He is with us.

I'll start first with a good experience. On Wednesday the Zone Leaders called and told us that they would be going out with us that day. At 10:00 they were walking with Elder Kambwiri and I in our area and we had a very difficult day. Every investigator that we went to see was not home or they were busy and told us to come tomorrow. It was hard and we contacted (talked to about the gospel) a lot of new people that day! At 6:00 they left and that happened to be when we were meeting with some of our investigators. We told one to come to the chapel at 6:00 and the others were supposed to come at 7:00, but they both showed up at 6:00! Elder Kambwiri and I knew that we couldn't teach them together because their needs are very different, so we picked some chairs from the chapel and Elder Kambwiri taught Eric at one end of the parking lot and I taught Ovia and Stanley at the other end. Both of us were very nervous because as missionaries you are almost never separated from your companion, especially when you are teaching lessons. But this was our need so there we were in the church parking lot, doing our best to answer their many questions and to share our testimonies with them. We taught each of them for two hours. We finished at the same time and then we shook hands with our friends and they went home. Elder Kambwiri and I were just standing in the parking lot kind of speechless. "What a wow" was all that we could say! We were both so happy that we had been able to teach and feel the Spirit as we taught. Our investigators were happy and we felt so blessed that although we were apart we still had the companionship of the Spirit.

As I said before, Elder Kambwiri and I spent a lot of time on our feet trying to find people who have been prepared for the message that we have. We went finding for new friends in the Estate this week. We normally don't spend to much time in the Estate because the people are very wealthy and most of the time they are at work during the day, but I felt that we needed to be out there. So one morning we were in the Estate doing our best to talk to people. The first opportunity we had was with some sisters that were all sitting around these huge cooking pots. We tried to talk to them but they said that they were working and that they didn't have time. We asked if we could give them something and one said, "Can't you see we are busy?" Alright. We moved on. Next we saw one of the biggest houses I have seen in Teshie and we thought we needed to definitely try knocking on that gate! I knocked and then I saw through the crack in the gate a fleet of 8 cars. That's when I got worried but a young woman answered the door. We explained who we were and she invited us to sit in their veranda while she went to get her parents. A veranda?.... In Africa?! Oh it was cool but as soon as the mother saw us she told me that she was sick and asked us to leave. I gave her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and I bore my testimony that we could one day live with God again. I felt good as she slammed the gate behind us with a crash. Then Elder Kambwiri said we should go down a road. It was a dead end so we knocked on the house at the end. A young man answered and we bore our heartfelt testimonies that God has once again called a prophet to lead His church in these last days. He told us that he was just a worker there and that he needed to get back to work. But still Elder Kambwiri and I were smiling. We were on our way to our next appointment on our way out of the Estate when I saw an old couple sitting on their porch and I thought I should try one more person. I walked up and went to knock on the gate. My fingers were inches from knocking when I heard, "Latter-days! We're busy!" I was really laughing after this because I hadn't even knocked or said anything yet! We left the Estate and as sucky as it really was I was somehow happy because I knew that we had tried. We were doing the Lord's work and I knew that I had done my part in sharing His message so I couldn't feel bad. I put a smile on the rest of that day and no matter how hard things go I knew that all would be well.

I would now like to share with you the scripture that has brought the most peace to my heart this week. It was really a struggle to stay positive through all of the trials but as I remembered the words of a prophet from the Book of Mormon named Lehi, I was able to stay focused on what matters. Lehi teaches us in 2 Nephi 2 that Adam and Eve needed to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that they would be able to learn and grow. If they had not eaten of the fruit then they would have had "no joy, for they knew no misery." Many times the Lord allows us to go through experiences that bring us pain and misery so that we can be thankful for the times that we feel joy and happiness. He allows us to have these feelings so that we can be humble, so that we will always remember him, in joy or pain. And the part that brought great peace was hearing that everything has been given to me from "him who knoweth all things." Our Father in Heaven knows all things. He knows what we are going through and he knows why we need to go through that thing. He knows how He needs to help us and also when we need that help. He hears us when we pray to Him and He will always send His Spirit to comfort us. But the greatest reminder is found in verse 25. "Men are, that they might have joy." Our loving Heavenly Father has given us this life that we might learn and grow from our experiences and that we might find joy. Joy comes from keeping our lives centered on Christ. As we rely on Him and ask for His strength, we will be blessed. As we turn our thoughts to Him and what really matters, like our families and our relationship with Him, then we be able to find joy. I know that our Savior lives and that He loves you and that He loves me. 

I am so thankful for each of you and your prayers in my behalf. When I think of giving up I think of those at home who are lifting me up. I love you all.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Hope

Romans 8 : 24 - 25

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Abusia, etisen?! 

My family and friends, I hope you are all doing well! Happy Valentines Day! I woke up Sunday morning and I completely forgot that it was a holiday and I just went to church and everyone was wearing red, and then I remembered. I was talking with a member and I was saying, "Charley, I forgot it was Valentines Day! I don't even have a date." Then I looked to my left and saw my companion, Elder Kambwiri and realized I always have a "date." But I am very thankful for Elder Kambwiri. He is always laughing and it is easy to stay positive around him. He finished his training this week and we will be staying in Teshie 2 together for a few more weeks! I love working in this area. I know that there is still a lot for me to do here and I am thankful that the Lord has called me to be here and on a mission. 

We had many great experiences this week. The first was that the Ghana Accra Mission was blessed to be visited by a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, Elder Vincent. He is the first councilor in the Africa West Area Presidency and he is a great man! He taught us so many things and I learned even more from the Spirit that he brought. Well we had been preparing for it for a few weeks and then last Sunday evening I was asked to sing a musical number at it. I didn't know how the Mission President knew that I could sing but I gladly accepted. I asked an Elder to play for me and another to sing with me. We practiced only a few times on Monday and on Tuesday I was able to sing I Know That My Redeemer Lives in front of a General Authority, my Mission President and many of the missionaries in our mission. I've done a lot of singing but as always I was nervous. But as soon as I started singing those words the Spirit was with me. 

4. He lives! All glory to his name! He lives, my Savior, still the same. Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: "I know that my Redeemer lives!"

I can hardly sing those words without having the Bergeson genes kick in. And as I was singing the Spirit testified to me that my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, lives. And the joy that this knowledge brings to me is sweeter than any thing in this life. I know that He lives and that He loves me and each of you. He has saved us from our sins, our pains and our imperfections and He can help us become the people we want to be. We must only ask Him and He will be there for us.

Last week we found a new friend, Selassie. She is a Ghanaian and she is from the Eastern Region. She lives in Teshie with her husband and her many children (I think I counted 6?... There were many running around the house.) But this week we went back to visit her. We got to her house and the sisters sitting outside told us that she was very sick and that she was laying down inside. They then grabbed our hands and led us into the small house where the family stays. Selassie was laying on the small and only bed in the house wrapped in a thin sheet, obviously in great pain. She said, "Hello Elders. Will you pray for me." Elder Kambwiri and I weren't sure what to do. We've never prayed for anyone but in the moment I felt that Selassie had asked us in faith to pray for her. I knelt down at her bedside and started one of the most heart felt prayers I have given. I began praying and I heard Selassie whispering. I realized that she was repeating everything that I was saying and she too was pleading with the Lord that she would be strengthened in her weakness. We finished and she thanked us and we left. We came back two days later and there was Sister Selassie just washing her clothes and singing and yelling at her kids, just like normal! I was amazed and I know that her faith in the Lord was very great. She asked in faith and because of her unshaken hope, she was blessed. 

This Sunday we met again with Sisters Georgina and Ekwa and her 4 children. At the end of the meetings they asked us if we would accompany them home. The Bishop asked us to go with them to see where they stayed because they are not in our area but he needed to know what area they are in. We left the chapel and because it was very far away we had to take a car. I had only carried 2 cedis with me that day and Elder Kambwiri and only picked 5 so we were praying it would be enough. The taxi driver wanted 8 cedis but I am getting better at bartering so I got him to take 7. It was an answer to my prayers and we were on our way to their home. We drove for probably 20 minutes and then we were dropped off. We walked for 20 more minutes to their "home". I was amazed as I saw where they stayed. It was a small shed, about the same size as my closet at home. And there was no floor and they told me that when it rains they just stand up because they can't sleep with the water flowing around them. I am amazed at the Faith these people have. They have been walking to church each week because they love the Spirit that they feel. After that Elder Kambwiri and I started our long hike back to our area. I believe that missionaries can never get lost because we had no idea where we were but I kept going forward. And about an hour and a half later we came into sight of our area! I love the opportunity that I have here in Ghana to serve the Lord. We had only a small taste of what those faithful sisters were experiencing each week and I know that the Lord will bless them for their diligence in coming closer to Him.

From both of these experiences I learned a lot about Faith and Hope. I was reading in Romans this week and I found the wonderful scripture above. From it I learned that if we act now, the blessings will come. As we put our faith in the Lord we can hope and know that He will fulfill the promises that He has given us. This brought a lot of peace to my heart, especially as a missionary. I sometimes don't know what to do, but I ask in faith, hoping that I will receive His blessings. I know for each of you that you all face adversity. Life would not be life without it. We can put our faith in money, friends or even ourselves. But one day all of these things will fail, because they are temporal. Each of us need to put our faith in something or someone that will never fail us, Jesus Christ and His Atonement. He will always be there for us. He loves each of us greatly, that is why He gave His life for us. We must have faith in Him and patiently wait for His promised blessings. Help might not come right away, but it will always come, because He has promised help. 

I love you all and I am thankful for this wonderful experience given to me by my Lord.

PREPARE IT

Mikwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Work Together for Your Good

Romans 8: 28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

My Family and Friends,

The work is great and I am continually being blessed with great people to teach. I am just very satisfied with the work right now. It is definitely not always easy but it is always worth it every time I see someone coming closer to our Savior. I love the work and I love my family that I now have in Teshie. As I have served them I have come to love them for who they are. We have come together and I always know that I have family here in Ghana. 

What a week.This Saturday was Elder Madsen's birthday (he stays in our apartment) so of course we made some pretty great birthday plans for that evening. But before that Elder Kambwiri and I put in a lot of hard work with finding, teaching and serving the people that the Lord has given us to watch over. I know that as we were working hard we were also being blessed. We were out one morning trying to see some people that we had contacted earlier in the week but they were not home when they said they would be. I was feeling a little saddened but I never lose faith that it is all part of the plan. But while we were trying to figure out who we would see, I received a phone call from Mama Owu, my grandma in Ghana. She called and told me, "Elder, I need you to come to my house right now. I have two people here for you to teach." Yes ma'am. My companion and I were excited! We ran there and met the two sisters that were sitting with Mama O.; Sister Georgina and Ekwa, Georgina is Ekwa's mother. They don't speak English but they understand small small so with the help of Mama O. we were able learn about them. They met Mama O. some weeks ago when they were walking by her home selling some snacks. She called them over and started talking with them. They left Mama O. that day but they said they couldn't stop thinking about her because of the light that was in her eyes. They came back that day and asked Mama O. what it was that made her so happy or that made that light shine in her eyes. She told them that it was because of her relationship with Christ which she gained through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And then she had two people that she would call to come and talk to them. I was amazed by this. Just by talking to Mama O. they had noticed something different about her. The first time they met they didn't even talk about religion, it was just the light in her eyes that brought them back wanting to know what she had. This truly inspired me. You don't have to always be a missionary by just talking about the Gospel or sharing scriptures. Sometimes you can be a missionary just by smiling. Georgina and Ekwa met with us this Sunday at Mama O's before church and Ekwa brought her 4 children. They loved our message about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then we were able to walk with them to the chapel. It was inspiring as I sat watching that small family sing the hymns in Sacrament Meeting that I truly gained a testimony of how the Gospel blesses families. Here they were, together, worshiping their Savior. It was so sweet and special as I looked down at her son sitting next to me and saw him smiling with all of his teeth, so happy to be at Church.

Elder Kambwiri and I love doing service and we look for opportunities each day for service. We have an investigator who came to church but because of work he stopped because he felt that he was too busy. Well we stopped by to see him last week and he wouldn't let us through the gate because he said he was too busy with things. We visited him on Tuesday and found him outside watering his peppers. I immediately offered to help and even added that I had been working on a farm so I knew a few things. He was hesitant but he let us through and we spent about an hour with him watering his peppers. We tried to sit down and have a lesson but he said he was busy so we left him with a scripture and a return appointment. Thursday we came back again and helped him water but this time we noticed the weeds that were quickly growing. I asked him if we could come and help Saturday morning and he gladly accepted. So on Elder Madsen's birthday the 4 of us went and weeded Abraham's garden, or "farm" in his mind. It was so much fun and we had Abraham smiling the whole time! He loved having us there and although he didn't come to church this Sunday I know that our example of joy that comes from living the Gospel will always stay with him.

That evening we returned to the apartment and I started preparing an American Feast. I had been saving my money through the weeks and I was able to buy Irish Potatoes, Carrots and live Chicken. Yes, live chicken. It was alive but as most of you know, you can't eat a live chicken. Well luckily we have an expert in that area and he happens to be my companion. He killed it and quickly cleaned off the feathers. He started cutting up the chicken and I started on the potatoes and carrots. A few minutes later I heard him yell and I turned around to find his thumb bleeding! The knife slipped off of a bone while he was cutting and he sliced his thumb. Deep. And then three Eagle Scouts went into action. I held pressure while the others got bandages. We wrapped it tight and then Elder Kambwiri said he was going to sit down. He said, "Elder Bergeson, you're up." There was only one small problem, I have never cleaned the inside of a chicken. He told me to just cut it down the back, through the bone and then to rip out all of the intestines and liver and heart and stomach and eggs. Yummy. I cut right down the spine and then ripped the chicken open and the smell that hit me... Woof. The whole intestines were just full and as I was cutting, I accidentally cut the stomach so out burst corn, seeds, plants and bugs. But I just kept cutting. I finished that birthday dinner and man it was delicious. Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Gravy with Fried Chicken and Carrots. Yes, I bought a Potato Masher.

This week we were walking to a lesson and Elder Kambwiri and I passed a young girl washing dishes and he said that we should go and talk to her. Her name is Grace and she is 14 years old. Her father died a few months ago and her mother just got remarried to a man with two small kids. The father then pulled her out of school so that she could babysit the kids while he and the mother worked. She was telling me how much she missed learning and seeing her friends and then she said something very interesting. She said, "I just keep wondering if there really is a God listening to me, and if there is, then why He keeps letting these bad things happen to me." I shared one of my favorite scriptures with her from Romans 8: 28. Almost always we wonder why, if we have a loving Heavenly Father, He allows us to suffer here on Earth. Why aren't things easier? This scripture might not completely answer this question, but it does bring a lot of peace to my heart when I am going through trials. "All things work together for good to them that love God." What a powerful promise. We go through much suffering here on Earth and sometimes things never seem to be easier. But we must keep in mind that as long as we love and put God first in our lives, these trials will be for our good. When I came on my mission I heard a great quote, "If you want to be stronger than do something hard." And as we look at life with an eternal view we see that these hard times are making us better people and helping us become more like Christ. We went to pick Grace upthis Sunday for Church and as we walked into her compound we saw her run inside her home, just sobbing and we saw her father right behind her with his arm raised to hit her. My heart sunk into my stomach. I've been praying ever since that she will remember this scripture. Most of us will never be in this kind of situation but we have our own difficulties. I hope that we will always remember our Savior during these times and know that these things will work for our good. You are never alone. Your Savior is with you and He will always be there because He loves you.

I love you all and ask for your prayers in my behalf.

PREPARE IT

Mikwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Family Home Evening with the Asante's

Weeding Abraham's garden or "farm" in his view

Elder Kambwiri and Elder Bergeson after 

their football match in the Estate

Elder Bergeson bought a chicken and ate it

Delicious birthday dinner with potatoes, gravy, carrots and 

fried chicken

We Walk by Faith

2 Corinthians 5: 6 - 7

 

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

 

My Family and Friends,

Nyame Adom. This means "God's Will" or "God's Grace" and people usually respond with it when you ask them how they are. I really love that because the people here in Ghana always are thinking of God. One of my goals this year was to always remember Him and the people of Ghana are a great example of that. Elder Kambwiri and I had another wonderful week serving the Lord. Teshie 2 is full of people that need to hear our message and Elder Kamwiri and I are trying to find the ones who are prepared to hear it.

 

We began teaching 2 new investigators this week named Ovia and Eric. I will first start with the story of Ovia. Ovia is a Nigerian and he is 32 years old. He came to Ghana this last December because one of his friends called him and told him that he had work for him here. He gathered all of the money he had and paid to drive all the way from Lagos to Accra. He came with few clothes and even fewer money, expecting to start working right away. He met his friend and the friend showed him the work he would be doing. The way Ovia described it was that they were running a scamming business on their computers, something to do with getting credit card information, and they wanted him to help. Ovia told his friend and the 4 other guys in his house that he wasn't going to be doing that kind of work, it wasn't right. So now he lives with them and he is trying to find work so that he can go back to Nigeria but it is almost impossible for a foreigner to get work. He says they treat him terribly. They smoke and drink but he won't do it and so they insult him at all times. We even asked him to go home and pray about the message we taught him and he told us that he started to but when they saw him they laughed and threw food at him. But that is just his story here in Ghana. As always we were talking to him and trying to get to know him and he really opened up to us. We were talking about our Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement when he stopped us and told us that he had to tell us something. In 2000, Ovia lived in a village in Nigeria that refined oil but there was also a village nearby who was also in the business, so there was a lot of competition. There was so much contention that the villages actually went to war. He was there with his mother and friend, and one night he and his friend were sent to guard the oil. That night there was an attack and his friend was killed some few yards from where Ovia lay sleeping, but the men did not see him. He woke his village and they were furious. He told me, "They put a gun in my hand and told us that we were going to the village to take revenge. Do you understand? We killed 40 - 50 people that day. I didn't want to do it but I was a part of the village. I wish I hadn't done it. I just felt like I needed to tell you that. Thanks." Elder Kambwiri and I sat in silence for a few seconds just staring at Ovia in shock. I shared the first scripture that came to my mind, Alma 7:11. I told him that Christ suffered pains, afflictions and temptations of every kind so that he would know how to help each of us. I shared my testimony that Christ can take away all of the pain and guilt that we feel if we will humble ourselves and ask Him. He loves each of us and He knows exactly how we feel. Many times I question why our Father in Heaven allows things like this happen but I know that Ovia has truly been humbled because of it and as he is learning how to rely on his Savior, he will be able to endure all things. He is an example to me of endurance. He meets with us 3 times a week and comes with a smile every time. There is a lot that he could be unhappy about but he has hope that one day things will get better, and I know that they will. He has Christ now.

 

Eric is 22 years old and is a Ghanaian. He works with his brother in an auto repair shop and he is like my brother. We had our first meeting at the chapel and after we had talked and were preparing to begin the lesson he says, "Elder Bergeson, can we sing a hymn?" This was a first for me and of course I said yes! I asked him if he wanted to pick and he opened up to Hymn 89, The Lord Is My Light. I asked him if he knew it and he said that his mother had taught him how to read notes so that if I gave him the tune he could sing along. I gave the tune and Eric, Elder Kambwiri, Beneficent and I started singing. "The Lord is my light; He is my joy and my song. By day and by night He leads, He leads me along." What a wow. We sounded like a beautiful men's choir. We finished and immediately Eric said that we needed to sing at church! Haha, I told him that we would talk to Bishop. The hymn truly brought the Spirit and we had a great lesson. Eric now learns 2 hymns every lesson and soon we will have sung them all. The work is great!

 

Elder Kambwiri and I had a baptism this week. Esther Boadu was baptized by her husband Prince. Prince recently moved to Teshie from Osu (another town in Accra) and we met him the first week he came to church. We went by to see him one evening and that is when we met Esther. She is 26 and we asked why we weren't able to meet her at church also and she told us that she was not a member. Wonderful. We scheduled a time to meet with her the following Sunday, and slowly we watched as she changed. She began with the mind that she didn't want anything to do with us but slowly she started to change. She started to smile more and by the end she was even making us Banku. It was so special as I was able to hold their 15 month old daughter, Sewah, and watch a husband baptize his wife into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That is what it is all about, bringing families together forever. I looked at Sewah and kind of teared up as I thought of one day having my own family to raise and teach them to know their Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ. I thank them for the Gospel and that I am able to know the truths that I know.

 

This week I learned a lot about Faith. I felt really prompted to go and visit an investigator named Lydia one day. I was so excited but as we were walking up I saw a lock on the door. I felt a little confused as to why I felt like we should go there but I decided I would leave her a little note. I took out my pen and started writing, and then a neighbor across the complex yelled out from inside her house that she was not home. I thanked her and told her that I was just leaving a note. I finished writing and we were about to leave, and then I thought of the neighbor, so we went over to the house. I knocked and Gertrude came to the door. She was holding her 8 month old son and I was able to tell her that I had some nieces who were his age. She was laughing and smiling and then I explained who we were and gave her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet. I asked her if we could come and visit her on Friday. She said she wouldn't be home on Friday because she would be at her sisters funeral. That's when I realized why we were there. The Lord is in charge of his work and He sends His Spirit to guide us as we humbly try to serve Him. I had felt prompted to see Lydia but that prompting came because it put me in a position to find someone who was prepared for our message. I was very humbled that I was worthy enough to receive and act on that prompting from the Lord. It reminded me of the verses in 2 Corinthians 5 : 6 - 7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." In life we are asked and prompted to do things, many times not knowing why or how we will accomplish it. We are expected to do many things. We serve in church callings, we raise families, we have demanding jobs and with all of this we must still find time to read our scriptures and pray. We might ask ourselves why and how can we do it all? The answer is Faith. As far as we are here on Earth, we walk by Faith. We have Faith that He will guide and direct us as we journey in life. Our Savior, Jesus Christ loves each of us and He will help us become the person we were meant to be. When times get hard remember to have Faith that they are for your benefit and one day you will stand before your Heavenly Father and thank Him for all that you were able to experience. He is with us. We are absent from Him for a short time, but we must walk each day with Faith that we will one day live with Him again.

 

I love each of you and ask for your prayers. You are all the best.

 

PREPARE IT

 

Mikwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Elder Kambwiri and Elder Bergeson 

in matching Christmas ties

sent from home in November....

but good news.....they finally received them. 

Having fun on the swings in Ghana