When We Pass Through Waters

Isaiah 43: 1 – 3

“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name...

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned: neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

For I am the Lord thy God... thy Savior.”

Mi Abusia,

What a week Elder Hanberg and I had. It was filled with a lot of fun and a lot of work. This week Elder Hanberg was the acting "senior companion" as he led in the lessons, planning and even riding bikes. It was nice to sit back and watch him go through many of the same emotions that I went through during my last week of training. I call this a confidence test. At first you realize your short comings, then you pray more than ever before and plead with God to help you, and then you act in faith and you see the hand of the Lord in your life, which brings great confidence. Elder Hanberg is becoming the great missionary and man God wants him to be.

I'll first talk about the hard work we put in. As missionaries our desire is to share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone so that they can feel the same joy and peace that we have in their lives. The best way of doing this is working with the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana and in our Area, Agbogba. It has been such a blessing getting to know the faithful members here and learning of how they joined the Church. This week we met with our dear friend Brother Aqua. He has been a member of the Church for about 10 months and is now preparing to enter the Temple, the House of the Lord. Here is a little bit of his conversion story.

The missionaries met Brother Aqua when they were going to teach his 25 year old daughter Benice. Brother Aqua drives taxi and is around 42 years old. He is very religious and had heard a lot about the Church, mostly negative things. Whenever he came home from work and found Benice with the missionaries, he would send her to go and pick something from the store, or would call her to come and start dinner or do some chore. He did not like the missionaries or the Church. Finally Benice said something. The next time the missionaries came, Brother Aqua grabbed his Bible and listened to the message of the Restoration. Two weeks later he was baptized. He said that as soon as he heard the message he knew it was true. And since he heard this message he has been waiting to share it with his friends.

That opportunity to share of the peace that this message has brought Brother Aqua came this week. We got a call from him that he had a friend he wanted us to meet with. We agreed on the time and place and prepared ourselves. That afternoon Brother Aqua picked us in his taxi and we drove to meet our new friend. His name is Rockson! He is a pharmacist and is 32 years old. Brother Aqua became friends with him and whenever he needed a break from driving he would go and see Rockson. They talked about everything and eventually the Gospel and the Church came up, which is where we came in. I was thankful that we had spent time with Brother Aqua and that he trusted us. We opened with a prayer and from that point Rockson was hooked into our lesson. We started talking about how we have a loving Heavenly Father and that we know He loves us because He gave us His Gospel, or a way to return to Him. We talked about prophets and even about Jesus Christ, all of whom brought this Gospel. We were talking about the foundation of the Church that Jesus Christ established in Ephesians 2: 20. He was holding my Bible and reading. We explained how this foundation was taken away and the Church and Gospel shattered. This was not something that could be repaired, it needed to be restored. He was so involved in the lesson. He was asking questions, sharing ideas, and there was Brother Aqua doing the same thing! At one point a customer walked in while Rockson was asking a question. Then Rockson turned to help the customer and the customer said, "No, no. I want to hear their answer for this question." The Spirit was there, thanks a great deal to Brother Aqua. Sharing this message does not have to be difficult. Elder Hanberg at the end of the lesson said, "I really just shared what I knew. Then you backed it with scriptures." That is in essence what we do as missionaries. We share what we know to be true.

I found strength this week from the words of Isaiah, or the words of the Lord to Isaiah, and to me. The Lord says, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." Those words spoke peace to my heart as I always seem to have the rivers of fear and doubt trying to overflow me. But I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. He hears us as we pray to Him and He sent His Son so that we would be able to return to Him. Christ came to carry us in His arms, back to our Heavenly Home. I love how the scripture does not say that "if" we pass through waters, but "when" we pass through them. As we live and follow our Savior Jesus Christ we will undoubtedly be called to pass through deep waters and ever deepening rivers as we journey back Home. But we are not asked to walk alone. And as we rely on Christ, He will not let them overflow us. I know that Christ lives and that he loves each of you. We must pass through pain, sickness, sorrow, and sadness. But we are promised that these will not overflow us. One day we will stand with our Heavenly Father and rest in joy, if we endure well. Be faithful. Have hope. Endure with joy.

I love you all and ask for your prayers. Sweet is the Work.

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Mi Kwaba,

In Whom I Am Well Pleased

Matthew 3 : 17

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Wo nea eho tew.

This saying is quite a complement to give someone. It means, "You are perfect/without blemish." Elder Hanberg and I learned it as we were teaching a lesson this week with Emmanuel and his family. As I pondered these words I started to think of our perfect example, our Savior Jesus Christ. Because of Him we will one day be perfect, but for now we can only be perfect in trying. And as I thought on that remembered the words of our Heavenly Father to His "beloved son, in whom [he is] well pleased." As I went about serving and changing myself into the man I desire to be, I tried to imagine my Father in Heaven saying those words to me. 

I continue to see the hand of the Lord in my life each day and especially as I look back on these weeks. Elder Hanberg and I have felt such great joy as we have seen others come closer to Christ and we it is so humbling to be a part of it. We just get up each day and do our part and the Lord works through us to bring joy into the lives of His children in Ghana. This week we had a baptism for our dear friend Patrick. We held it Saturday morning because he would be leaving this week to travel and wanted to do this all before he left. On Friday night we called him and he said he would be there by 8:30 Saturday morning to prepare for the baptism at 9:00. We arrived at the Chapel by 8:15 and arranged the place and prepared for the meeting. 8:45 came and still Patrick was not there, so I called, and called, and called. No answer. Great. I was worried but we had nothing to do buy wait and pray. At 9:05 we are standing at the gate looking down the road hoping to see him coming. Then we see someone run around the corner of a building about 200 yards away; it was Patrick! He was sprinting to his baptism! He ran in sweating but ready and we went to change. He came down and I asked what happened. His grandmother had asked him to fetch water for her and when he had finished he looked at his phone and it was ten minutes to 9:00 so he grabbed his Book of Mormon and ran the 3 kilometers to the Chapel in 15 minutes in his sandals. I was asked to give a talk on baptism and I shared the verse above with him. I know that as Patrick was lowered into the water and as he came out, his Father in Heaven was so proud of him because he was following the example of his Savior. Patrick, like many others, showed his love for his God as he ran to make it too his baptism. 

What an adventure we have each day. We went to see our Mama Hotor and we met her daughter there named Portia. Portia is a member of the Church also and one of our great friends. She is an actor and has been involved in many Ghanaian movies and commercials. We were talking with her one day and she shared with us that she was dating a Ghanaian singer named Klem. He is very popular here and his songs are great! I told Portia that I was also a singer and joked that Klem and I could sing together one day. Wellon Saturday that day came. I met Klem. And he sang for me. I have never before heard a professional singer in real life, unless you count my dad who sings Les MIserables very well. It was amazing to hear such a trained and beautiful voice. I just sat in awe and watched him. He finished and then he turned to me and said, "Well before we go on I think you should also sing for me." No no no no no. I am very shy of my voice and it is difficult for me to sing in front of my friends, how much more in front of a professional Ghanaian singer! But I remembered that I am supposed to share my talents. So I sang for Klem. I finished and He said, "Wow. That was so good man! Your voice is very unique. I did not expect you to have such a groove. That was great." I was blushing bad but it was worth it and I am no longer embarrassed to sing in front of people.  

This Sunday Patrick convinced his mother, Eva, to come. We have been asking her, serving her, praying for her, and even pounding fufu for her, hoping that she might give us a moment to share our message. And then this Sunday she just came to Church. After Church we shared the message of the Restoration, and by the end of the lesson Eva said, "I was baptised once already, will that stop me from being baptised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?" She accepted to be baptised at the end of this August and I again thought of the words of our Heavenly Father to His Son. When we do all in our power to follow our Exemplar, we can be comforted to know that Heavenly Father is well pleased with us. Many times as we follow Christ we will pass through trials and tribulations, but this is to help us grow, and to see if we have faith to endure. Our faith must be centered on Him and His Gospel. We must must change our hearts and choose Christ each day. No matter what trials come, have the faith to choose Christ. What ever temptations come, have the faith to choose Christ. Then you will have the peace in your heart and you can hear your Heavenly Father say, You are my beloved Child, "in whom I am well pleased."

I love you all and am thankful for your examples. Continue to do the things that would make your Father proud.

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Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Charles and Comfort

Elder HanBERGeson

Elder Bergeson and Elder Handberg

Foundation

Helaman 5 : 12

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. 

Me ye ke kyere!

In Twi this means, I am the last born in my family. Usually this means that you love your mommy and that you can't do much of anything because you have always relied on your older siblings to do it for you. That is all very true for me. I love my mom and my siblings help me A LOT, but whenever I say I am the last born none of the Ghanaians believe me. They say that I am too confident to be a last born. I just thank my Heavenly Father for giving me that confidence. My confidence comes from knowing who I am. And that confidence comes from knowing who my Savior is. As we come to know Christ and as we build ourselves upon Him, we have the confidence to become who our Heavenly Father needs us to be. 

Elder Hanberg and I are loving the area. We have made life-long friends and have come to learn who they are and the things they have passed through to get there. We are teaching a young man named Patrick. He is 18 and is preparing for his baptism this Saturday. We were sharing with him the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He lives near Sister Naomi, a 26 year old sister who is in our ward. She is married to Brother Johnson and they have the cutest 9 month old named Alpha. We began our lesson with the two of them and started talking about Faith. When we have Faith in Jesus Christ, we show our Faith by acting. We act in Faith as we Repent of our sins. We shared Alma 12 : 34 and talked about how we can soften our hearts so that we will even desire to Repent. Sister Naomi joined the Church about 4 years earlier and so I asked her how it was for her when she was softening her heart and changing to become more like Christ. She shared the funniest story. When Sister Naomi finished Senior High School she when to hair school away from her parents. That is when she came to love going clubbing. She told us,"I used to wear my short knickers and my tight tops and go and dance. Even when I met the missionaries I would wear my hot knickers during the lessons!" We laughed and she continued to say that she listened to the missionaries and began to feel a change. She started to change into modest clothing when the missionaries came, and then when they left she would go and change back. Then she started just wearing the modest clothing always. Then she started coming to Church and coming to know Christ. Her heart changed and she started building upon Him. She was baptised and a few years later met Brother Johnson, and now she is happier than ever. Her heart was softened and she chose to come closer to Christ. We were all touched and we felt the Spirit in her words. We all have parts of us that sometimes take us from Christ, but as we learn of Him we will be changed.

This Sunday we were in our Priesthood class, that is all of the males ages 12 and up, and we were talking about the Priesthood. The teacher asked, "What is the Priesthood." Everyone looked around, not really wanting to answer. Then Patrick, our investigator, raised his hand and said, "The Priesthood is the power and authority given to man to act in God's name." The class was shocked because Patrick has only been attending Church for 3 weeks. Then the teacher said, "That is correct! The missionaries have taught you well. If their Mission President were here they would have gotten an A+++!" The whole class laughed and we sure felt happy to know that we are helping others to learn. It is a special feeling to know that God has worked through you to find those who are ready to accept His Gospel. 

Gifty and Ezekiel have now been members of the Church for 4 weeks and they love the peace that has come into their lives. We love them and continue to see them as we share our testimonies with them. This week we sat down in Gifty's shop and she was very nervous and finally said that she had a question. Her question was, "If someone sees something in your life, like something evil, and they warn you, should you do what they ask?" Elder Hanberg and I were perplexed. At first she was just trying to ask like it wasn't involving her, but finally she told us the story. She had been walking in the Market and she was stopped by a pastor who told her that he had seen a vision of her and that there was evil in her house. He said that if she did not come and see him and bring an offering, then the evil would harm her. She was nervous and wondering what she should do. We prayed and I shared the scripture that has been in my mind all week, Helaman 5 : 12. We talked about Christ and how He is our rock. We only need to have Faith in Him and then whatever storms come, they "will have no power over you... because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation." Christ is the rock and He is always there for us. Our purpose in this life is to prepare to meet God. The only way we can do that is by being perfected through Christ. As we work and pray and sacrifice, we will find Christ and we will be able to build on Him. Then whatever storms come; sickness, sorrow, death, unemployment, embarrassment, miscarriage, temptations, doubt, and fear; they will never overcome us. We are built on Christ. He knows what we need to become like him. Have faith. Be believing. Christ is your rock and He will never fail you.

I love you all. Christ is my rock and you are my supports. 

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Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

He Carries Our Sorrows

Isaiah 53 : 4 - 5

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Me di fo,

My family and friends how are you? Me di fo means "I am satisfied" and Elder Hanberg and I say it a lot now that we have learned it! The Ghanaians are so kind and when we go to see them they love to feed us. We went to see one sister and after we had finished the lesson she brought out the biggest balls of Banku I have ever seen. It was about 3 balls in one. We ate it with Ground-nut soup and cow intestine (which happens to be very sweet). When I finished I could hardly move. Then she opened a container and pulled out another ball and started to bring it to the table for me. I about shouted "Me di fo!" because I was done for the day and luckily she laughed and placed it back. Twi is great.

This week was full of learning. Elder Hanberg and I had some unforgettable moments as we did the work of the Lord. The first was with Mama Hotor. I don't know if I have spoken of her before or not, but I love my Mama and she is so strong. Mama Hotor is a less-active member of the Church. She became less-active first because her husband died and going to Church only reminded her of him and it was very painful to be there. He has been gone for 2 years now. A few months ago Mama Hotor was feeling tired easily so she went to the doctor. After many tests they found that one of the holes that allows blood to flow into the heart was blocked. Surgery would be needed to fix it, but the surgery cannot be done in Ghana, so she went home. She cannot walk more than 30 yards before she needs to sit down and rest. Now just living for her has become extremely difficult. We have been visiting her for the past few weeks and just becoming friends and sharing messages about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She shared with me how difficult her life has been. She said, "The fingers in my right hand are numb and every night I wake up to my arm just pounding with the beat of my heart. It is very painful. I cry but it does nothing to help. I can only pray and wait for the pain to go away." We have all felt similar sicknesses but I tried to imagine having this permanently. My thought were directed to Isaiah and we bore testimony of the Atonement. She gained strength from that lesson and this Sunday I couldn't stop smiling as I saw her walk into the Sacrament Hall to take the sacrament. Mama Hotor has a testimony of the Savior and His Atonement. I pray we can grow our own testimony.

Elder Hanberg and I had many opportunities to serve our friends this week. We went to go see our friend Mariam this week and when we came to her house we found her fetching water from the well into a 10 gallon bucket, then lifting it onto her head, and carrying it 50 yards to her door. We wanted to help her. At first we only pulled water from the well and filled it for her and helped her lift it. I was really nervous about carrying it on my head because I wasn't sure if I could balance it. It was the last bucket and I could tell Mariam was tired so before she could get the bucket Elder Hanberg helped me lift it onto my head. Then I began the 50 yard journey with 10 gallons of water on my head. I don't know if you have ever seen a bobble head before, because I looked something like that. You have to keep the water straight, no matter what you body is doing. I was stepping over gutters and down steps. I spilt water all down my right side when I had to squat and walk into her porch but I finally made it and Mariam helped me put it down. Oh, I was tired! I didn't stop sweating for about 20 minutes and the compound was just so surprised the white men could do it! I had carried the burden for Mariam and with that I was able to more deeply understand how Christ has carried our burdens.

This week I pondered a lot on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how Christ was able to do this miracle of taking our transgressions, our iniquities, but also our pains and sorrows upon Him. He did this first in the Garden of Gethsemane where He suffered these things spiritually, and then on the cross at Calvary where He suffered them physically. He bled from every pore when he carried our sufferings. He was scourged and forced to carry His cross. He had nails driven through His hands and feet. He suffered beyond our understanding, yet He never once complained against His Father. Why did He do it? Because of His love for us and our Heavenly Father's love for us. He did it so that we would never feel alone in our sufferings. He did it so that when you are suffering and crying out "O my Father" (Matthew 26 : 39), you will not be alone. Christ has promised you that He will carry your sorrows, and He will bear your griefs. You were not meant to carry this weight alone. Christ's love surrounds you and He is willing and waiting until you ask Him, to help you carry your seemingly impossible trial. Christ lives. His Atonement is real. He loves you and will always be there to carry you.

I love you all and am thankful for your prayers. Keep the faith.

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Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson