The Sweet Spot

Alma 32: 42

“And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.”

Family and Friends!

There are some weeks you have where you might feel like a piece of gum. Like the world just took you, chewed you up, and spit you back out. And then there are weeks where everything just seems to be so sweet, like biting into a delicious pear. Last week I felt like a piece of gum, but this week I can say I was having fun and enjoying The Sweet Spots of my mission.

Last week the Ghana Accra Mission and the Ghana Accra West Mission had the opportunity of hearing an Apostle of the Lord teach us and show us what we can do to improve in our work as missionaries. As Elder Gary E. Stevenson spoke with us, he asked many questions, giving the opportunity for missionaries to comment. As each missionary stood, he asked them how long they had been on their missions. The answer varied for each missionary. They said they had been out for 3 months, 11 months, 13 months (like myself), or even 20 months. And to every missionary Elder Stevenson said, "Oh wow. You are in the sweet spot of your mission!" Of all the things that he taught us, the greatest thing that I picked from him was his ability to see each day as an opportunity to find those who need to be helped personally by you. As we live each day like this, we develop a desire to be more and to serve more. We truly see each day as an opportunity to go and do. Each day brings new challenges, new triumphs, new people and new knowledge to be gained. You see each day is your own little spot of sweet. Elder Stevenson taught me that no matter where we are in our mission or in our life, we are living in the Sweet Spot.

This week Elder Hanberg and I were enjoying the sweet spot. Because of time I will talk about the most precious moment to me, and that was seeing two of our dear friends choose to come unto Christ by being baptized. Brother Samuel Addo and his daughter Valentia Addo were baptized this Sunday. It was so special to me to see as these two children of our Heavenly Father faithfully pressed forward in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We met Brother Addo only 5 weeks ago. Valentia came to Church with a member family. We were introduced to her and set up a day to meet her at her home. That next week, we met her family and her father Brother Addo. In our second lesson we invited him to come to Church, which he accepted. Elder Hanberg and I were overjoyed as we saw him walk into the Meeting House, proudly holding his Book of Mormon. The second Sunday he came to Church our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Isaac, gave him a copy of the Gospel Principles book. The next time we met him in his home he had studied several chapters and knew that everything that he had read was true. He had prayed about it. Brother Addo only had one question, "Elders, what is a D&C?" We explained that it was the Doctrine of the Church and included many of the Covenants we make. Hence the name, Doctrine and Covenants or D&C. Immediately he said, "Then I need to get one of these books so that I can study it, because I will be a member soon." After only 4 weeks he wanted to be baptized with his daughter. It was special to see them standing by the baptismal font together, both dressed in white, and ready to show their love for their Savior, even by following His example. It truly is sweet to have experiences such as these. As missionaries we work diligently each day to find and teach those who are prepared to come unto Christ. Many people are not yet ready and even turn you away. But the moments like the one we had with Brother Addo and Valentia this week was worth all of the work and patience we have given. Just as Alma teaches, as long as we show our faith by working diligently with patience, we will taste the fruit that is "sweet above all that is sweet."

Elder Hanberg and I have been seeing miracles here! It has been said that I am in the sweet spot of my mission. I have been out for a few months and I have a good understanding of what we teach and how to teach it. Truly it is sweet! I sometimes think that many of you are experiencing "sweet spots" in your own lives. I'll speak of my dear parents, who I love, as an example. For the past year my parents have been living as "empty nesters." This is a very accurate term for those who have had a very full nest which suddenly seems to be empty. The nest is left for just the two parents. Some people might see this as a boring time or sad in some way, as they have lost a large piece of their entertainment (high school is an entertaining time, I must say). But my parents always express how fun it is! They find new ways to enjoy together. They have time to grow as friends. They must be creative and find ways to do more work with fewer hands. It is a sweet spot to them. My oldest sister is living in Texas with her husband and 3 beautiful girls. The girls love helping Tanae and Garrett work together on their patience, love, and endurance, what a sweet spot! My brother is now a newlywed going to Medical School. Garin and Morgan are both working but still find time to grow in love, what a sweet spot! My middle sister is raising her darling little girl while her husband is in harvest. Mattie and Andrew serve and care for each other through it all, what a sweet spot! The youngest sister is at college, working, dating and preparing for her future employment. There is a lot of pressure for Dayna but she always smiles, what a sweet spot! Wherever you are, whatever you are going through, as we open our hearts to Christ, every moment can be a sweet spot for us.

I love and thank you all for your support.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

Baptism of Valentia and Mr. Addo

Dancing the Kpalago 

(the fishermen pulling the net)

Conference with Elder Stevenson

Enjoying some delicious food at the 

Conference

Let Us Be Faithful

Kaden is doing well. He wrote me and said that some investigators gave him some water to drink and he has been sick from the bad water but he is on the mend now. Also, his camera is broke so he hasn't been able to send any pictures but his companion actually took a really short video of him dancing which I attached to this email. 

Thank you for the many prayers offered in behalf of all the missionaries serving all over the world. It amazes me how many are serving at this time and wonderful miracles happening. 

1 Nephi 7: 12

 

“Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.”

 

Mi Abusia, me pacho why.

My Family, forgive me okay. I want to thank each of you for the strength you have given me as I've been serving as a missionary. When I think of you I remember that I am not the only one to pass through what I am passing through, and that many of you are also struggling through more difficult trials than I am. You give me strength to continue and a knowledge that all will be well in the end. I am continuing to enjoy serving with my companion Elder Hanberg in our Area, Agbogba. We love the members here and the many friendships we have made. As we serve them we feel all of us coming closer to our Heavenly Father and it is the greatest blessing to experience. 

 

Elder Hanberg and I have been witnessing miracles here! We got a call one night as we were getting home to prepare dinner, it was from one of our dear member friends Sister Naomi. She had introduced us to a family a few months ago; a mother and her two sons, Eva, Patrick and Joseph. Patrick was baptized in our Ward and Eva had been to Church a few times but has not been able to meet with us for some time because she had become so busy with work. She is a seamstress and work does not always come. But when the work does come for them here, they jump on the opportunity, not knowing when their next job will be. Sister Naomi called us and told us that Eva was suffering severe back pain and that she wanted the Elders to come to give her a blessing. She had done all she could to relieve the pain but it was not going as it usually did. Elder Hanberg and I grabbed our sandals and hopped on our bicycles to go see our friend Eva. She was not doing well. We had Sister Naomi give us a prayer and explain to her that we would give her a blessing and that she would be blessed according to her faith. She understood well and Elder Hanberg performed the anointing and I followed with a Priesthood Blessing. As you rely on the Spirit, you will touch the hearts of those you are blessing. Towards the end of the blessing I remember feeling Eva nod her head slightly as if faithfully affirming that she knew that what I was being prompted to say would come true. As we left her that evening I knew that we had healed her heart, and that was the greatest blessing. We met her the next afternoon and she was strong and healthy again. As we trust in the Lord with all our heart, we can have faith that He will bless us according to His will. 

 

I've come to have a family here in Agbogba, a Ward family. You know that you are close with them when they invite you to do a cultural dance with them in a Stake Competition. Adenta Stake was having a Cultural Activity that each of the 13 Wards/Branches of the Stake were invited to. I was invited to dance with my Ward and we danced the Kpalago. The Kpalago is a dance of the Ga's, the tribe of Accra. They are a fishing tribe so the dance goes something along those lines. And through it all the women are shaking their bottoms. I'll just throw that in now and try to imagine it. I have never seen a Relief Society President move herself quite like Sister Sheri can. And there is no greater shaker than our Young Women's President, Sister Fianko. It was so much fun to see all of them just move and show the culture of Ghana so well. There were 5 women and 5 men. The women walk in carrying their bowls on their head, preparing to go and get the fish that the fishermen bring in. Then the 5 men walk in, dressed as fishermen, carrying their net. We wore short shorts, a nice big sun hat, and a flower button up shirt. We set our net and then pull the fish in. The women come and we give them the fish. Then as they are going to sell, we see how beautiful they are. We do our best to fix our hair but the women go to sell anyway. Then we decide to go and change. We remove our flower shirts, and put on a white shirt, bowtie, and suspenders. And then we go and try to dance and impress the ladies. They deny us a few times but we finally catch one! :) And then we dance with them away. We have one solo part and my move was to shave off the back side of my partner, Sister Milicent, because it was "too big". The whole crowd loved to see a white man dancing like a Ghanaian and we enjoyed learning that culture.

 

This week I learned of faithfulness and exercising faith. I had been a bit sick so I was not able to jump rope as I had usually done. Well this morning I jumped rope for my normal amount of time and I about died, because I had been lazy and had not been maintaining the strength that I had had. This applies to showing our faithfulness. If we are not careful we might get distracted and forget the purpose of our lives. I pray that we will not forget. Remember who you are, and remember who those around you are. Love them, pray for them, and serve them. They are often praying to God for someone to help them and you could be that person. But we must be faithful. As we are faithful we will have the strength, the courage, the desire to become more. We will trust in our Savior. We will love our Savior. And in return we will feel His love and trust. Whatever comes to us, always remember Him and be faithful to Him and those that have helped us as He has.

Let us be faithful.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

The Master

Mosiah 5: 13

“For how knoweth a man the master who he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?”

Me Lo Wo Tso Dzi Me. (I love you with all of my heart.)

This is in Ewe, another local language in Ghana, and it is a statement I have been using this week for investigators, as well as for my companion and my Heavenly Father. But we learn that love, like faith, is action. You are either growing in love, or it is dying, just like your faith. This week I have been working on showing my love to my Heavenly Father and Savior as I show my love to those I have been called to serve. 

I loved an experience Elder Hanberg and I had this week with my dear friends, and new members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gifty and Ezekiel. We stopped by Gifty's sewing shop around 5 in the evening, and it was closed. We went to the house to see if we could just say hello because we knew she would be busy cooking. We came around the corner and met her on the porch in front of her home and she was so excited to see us! Since we had been sick I hadn't seen her in a week , it was fun to be reunited. Her husband Ezekiel is usually gone during the week because of his work, construction work or POP work on ceilings. But out from the house came Ezekiel and he had a large smile on his face. It was getting late and time to cook, but Gifty set all that she was doing aside to sit down with us in the shop. The last week they had gone to the temple with Agbogba Ward and they were so happy. They kept speaking about how beautiful it was! We spoke about the temple and about the ordinances and blessings that are waiting for those that have prepared themselves to enter. Elder Hanberg and I shared a wonderful lesson on family prayer. We know that many families and couples feel like their family is not close to each other or to God. One way that we can feel the love of our Heavenly Father and the love of our family or spouse, is to get on your knees and to pray together. We gave Gifty and Ezekiel that challenge and they promised to start praying together each night. The next time we saw them was on Sunday. That Sunday they were both called to serve in Agbogba Ward. Ezekiel was called as the Young Men's Secretary and Gifty was called as a Primary Teacher. They were sustained holding hands and felt a joy that can only come from the presence of our Heavenly Father. As we act in faith, whether kneeling together to pray as a family or accepting a call to serve, we will feel the love of our Heavenly Father radiating in our lives.

Elder Hanberg and I are always being asked if we are twins... And how old we are... No one believes us when we say we are not twins and they especially do not believe us when we say we are 19 years old. I was with Elder Horne when a sister asked how old we were. I said I was 19. She said, "Obuwa!" Which means "You lie!" She finally said, well if you are 19 then Elder Horne is like 15! They think we look 30 or 35 because we are grown more than they are. This week we met a new friend named Joyce and I told her that I was 19. She just laughed and said, "You are babies! I am old enough to born you." We laughed at that one and it is very true! We really are young, men. Called to do a work that is helping us to grown into young, humble, faithful, and diligent men. It is great to be able to help everyone around us, even if they are about 3 times our age! 

As I have been out serving as a full-time missionary, I have learned the importance of coming to know who you serve. That is, coming to know our Master. Each day we wake up and study about the Master, we go out and teach about the Master, often not noticing that we are in fact becoming like the Master, our Savior Jesus Christ. As a missionary it is rather simple for us, if we choose, to come to know our Savior. We have the time and opportunity to devote our attention to serving Him as we serve our brothers. But I know that many of you do not have this blessing of time in your life. I love the advice given by King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon, that we can come to know the Master as we keep Him close to our hearts and in our thoughts. The scriptures teach us that we should "always remember Him." I've been applying this principle and I can testify of the joy that comes from keeping the Savior in your heart and mind. We will all pass through the storms of life and we will often question "Why?" But when we stop to think of Him and the sacrifice that He gave for us, then we can find the strength to continue. Serve Him. Keep Him close to your Heart and always have Him in your Thoughts. His strength will flow into your mind and His joy will radiate from your heart.

I love you all and am thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside the Master.

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

If Thou Wilt Be Perfect

Kaden hit his year mark this week! He always sounds happy and glad he is serving our Father in Heaven in Ghana. We are proud of him and hope his next year is a wonderful one. Thank you for your prayers in his behalf and for all of the missionaries around the world. 

Matthew 19: 20 - 21

“The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

Family and Friends,

I think I am officially a Ghanaian. I have been living in Ghana for 1 year now. I've been eating the food, washing my clothes by hand, my skin is even turning a bit dark, but I am still working on the language. Sadly, my stomach is still trying to adjust. This week Elder Hanberg and I went to a send off party for the first missionary ever to leave Agbogba Ward (we have been a ward for a little over a year). It was exciting and we had lots of food, Bergeson style! I ate all of my favorite local dishes. That night I might have gotten about 2 hours of sleep, and most of that was on the toilet. I was sick. Elder Hanberg was fine for that day, but the next morning he was vomiting. We didn't get to go out much during the middle of the week.... But the Lord was still blessing us in many ways. The work is moving now and we are just trying to keep pace. It is great!

The highlight of this week was definitely the All African Service Project that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participates in. Stakes, wards, branches and districts all over Africa find a project in their community and spend the morning working and serving where they are needed. Agbogba Ward, and many of the Wards in Adenta, were called to serve at the Pantine Hospital. This is a Mental Health Hospital that has been running for about 50 years. The grounds are very large, so there was much work for us to do. There was weeding, sweeping, cleaning out the gutters, raking up leaves, shoveling dirt, filling in potholes, and mostly just having fun. Missionaries don't always get to do this kind of work because we are busy, so I came ready to get dirty. I bought my own cutlass (machete) and came ready to show them that white men can work too. We opened with a prayer and a hymn, then we separated to our work sites, I went with the weeding crew. A few men started weeding, the rest were watching me to see if I knew how to do it. Weeding here is different. What we would use a tractor to cut down, the Ghanaians use machetes to hack and cut it down. I tried my best, unfortunately they stopped me and taught me how to weed as you should. For the next hour we weeded. By the end I had popped 4 blisters on my fingers and I could not hold on to the cutlass anymore. I cannot remember having been more tired. But by the end the men around me kept asking me what Ward I was from and who taught me how to work like that. I learned that from my parents for sure, now I'll be able to teach them how to weed as the Ghanaians do.

For the past two weeks Elder Hanberg and I have been meeting with our dear friend Brother Addo. Three weeks ago his daughter Valencia, who is 17 years old, came to Church with her Auntie. We introduced her to the Young Woman and she loves coming to Church to see her friends and also to learn. We set up an appointment to come and see where she stayed. That is when we met her father, Brother Addo. The first time that we met he didn't seem to have much interest in us, not really knowing our purpose for being in Ghana. He is a cassava farmer, and so the next time we came we met him farming. He said that he was busy at the moment digging up the cassava. We offered to help, he declined, but he allowed us to come and see the process of harvesting cassava. Elder Hanberg and I ended up hauling the cassava in from the field. We reached his home and said, "Well, let me wash my hand and we can sit down." We testified of the Book of Mormon. At the end of our message he asked when and where he could get a copy of the Book. Luckily we had a free copy with us and he was so happy to receive it for himself! He had me write his name so that it was his very own. That week he was not able to make it to Church and this last Sunday he was not sure. Elder Hanberg and I were sitting in Sacrament meeting when we saw Brother Addo come in, proudly carrying his Book of Mormon and a great smile on his face. At the end of the meetings we sat down for a lesson. I asked him what he thought of Church. He said that he had learned more in those 3 hours than he had learned in attending different churches his whole life. He was so happy. And we were too. We were happy because the Lord was able to work through us to help others come closer to Him and to feel of his love.

As I was studying this week, I was really looking at what it means to be a follower of Christ. Everyone says that we must follow Christ but I was looking for answers on how I personally needed to change to be more like Him. I found great insight from an encounter found in Matthew of a very young and rich man, who asked Christ what he might do to be better. Christ listed the commandments that he should follow. He said that he was already doing these things, what else did he lack? That is when Christ's counsel came personally to him, sell what you have and give it to those who lack, then you will be able to come and follow me. As a missionary, you do your best to follow Christ. You live a high standard of obedience and you change your desires to follow him. Sometimes you think, I am better than I have ever been, what else do I lack. I learned that each day, if we want to be perfect, we must give all that we have to those who need it. There is much work to be done in the lives of those around us. There are many looking for truth. There are many looking for meaning in a confused world. And there are very many who are looking for comfort, peace, and love. We can often be the one to bring this joy into the lives of others, but we must be willing to give of ourselves. We must sacrifice just as Christ did for us, and we will be able to bless the lives of others. I know that Christ lives. I know that He is a supporting us and even helping us to follow and become like Him. Just have faith and willing give your heart to Him.

I love you all and ask for your continued prayers. The work is moving and we are keeping pace. :)

PREPARE IT

Mi Kwaba,

Elder Bergeson

The "Kool Kids Klub"

Elder Bergeson with his new machete, 

used at a Service Project

Dirty and then cleaned up after Service Project

The Fianko Family