Dear Fam,
Thanks for all the letters, I'm excited to see all of
you and talk and talk. Saturday we had the baptism of Christopher, it
was wonderful! He is a completely different man now then from the first
time I met him. He is so, so happy. He has entered the gate and is ready
to follow the path to eternal life. He was telling us about a dream
that he had, where he was running on a strait path and all of these
people were trying to confuse him and hold him up but he said he didn't
mind them but he just kept running. He had know idea why he was running
or where but he knew he just had to keep running. Sounded a lot like
Lehi's dream to me.. he later read about Lehi's dream and said he was
just amazed. It was a great lesson. The ward is taking great care of him
and with all of our recent converts, they have really stepped up and
I'm so grateful for that. I was not able to go to the temple with Pedro,
he will go either later in the week or next week, I was a bit
disappointed because that would have been a great experience but its ok.
I am going to see him today. I'm going to give him the general
conference cd's he is doing great and I am so excited for him. I was
able to go and do baptisms for the dead with a few of my recent converts
on saturday and that was a wonderful experience, it was so fun to watch
them look around with amazement, it was a day I will never forget. We
did confirmations and then baptism. Yesterday I bore my testimony and as
always I couldn't really say what was in my heart but I told them what I
knew to be true and thats what counts. A few of our recent converts
were able to take part during sacrament meeting and that ment a lot to
me. Kelly is giving a talk in two weeks, i'll be sad to miss that and he
really is going to be the Elders quorum secretary which still doesn't
really make sense to me but I'm happy that it will be a great learning
experience for him. I feel like some of my most recent converts have
been some of the strongest of my whole mission and I'm grateful for
that. Thanks for all the support you have given me throughout my
mission, I could not have done it without you! I forgot my paper with my
flight plans on it so I could tell you the number but I'll have Sister
Barney Email it to you.
Love,
Elder Andrew K. L.
Tonight i'm going to lean on the Tape...
Monday, August 13, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Hello
Dear Fam,
Thanks for all the letters. This P-day was been very busy, we had to do our usually P-day things. Washing, Cleaning ect but on top of that I had to do a few things to get ready to come home which also took some time. I also had to write my letter to President Judd and then include a short story about one of the Recent Converts from my mission. I figured I would include that in my letter today. This past week has been pretty good, Elder Rane has been working me pretty hard which I am grateful for. I have just tried to enjoy this past week and soak it all up. Christopher is really doing well, he has continued to stay clean and I'm proud of him, I'm hoping we can have his baptism on saturday but there was a little misunderstanding between the ward mission leader and the bishop that might delay it a little. If it happens after I go, its ok because I'm just happy we have been able to help get him to this point but I really am hoping everything works out. Joy came to church yesterday and Clifford came again, he has had many question regarding his ancestors and about the plan of salvation, its been a lot of fun to teach him. This past week we went teaching with the Judd's. We taught Paul, it was a powerful lesson and I had a lot of fun being with them. I think they are the best companionship in the whole mission. On thursday was my final Zone Leader Council, their we five of us there from the same MTC. Elder Afu, Anderson, Wicho, Collings and myself. We all had the opportunity to bare our testimonies, as I bore my testimony I had so many thoughts running through my head but my heart was full of Gratitude to the Lord for allowing me this opportunity to serve. Friday I'm hoping to go to the temple with Pedro Williams when he receives his endowment. I'm so excited I can't even explain it! Then on friday I'm going to go do baptism for the dead with a few of my recent converts in the Cantonments ward. I'm hoping and praying everything will work out!
Much Love,
Elder L.
Conversion Story of Pedro Patricks Williams
I remember the first time I met Pedro Williams, I had just come on transfer from Ho to Osu. Elder Chamberlain and his former companion had been teaching him for a little bit but he had a very difficult time with the Word of Wisdom. He had been trying to stop for several weeks but he was not able to give up smoking. As we taught him we helped him to see the bigger picture, we taught him that if he tried to battle his addiction alone he would lose but with the help of the Savior he could become clean. We planned with him and set goals of people and times and places he should avoid, and he stuck to it. We told him to call us before he smoked no matter what time of day, so that we could talk about it with him. He later told us that that was one of the things that gave him the most strength. He knew he was not alone, but that we were their to help him and most important he could fell the savior helping him. Pedro means so much to me because I remember at this point of my mission I was really facing some hard times even though I had adjusted to Ghana I still felt an inadequacy to do missionary work, in finding, teaching and everyday life. I was still unsure if I would have the strength to fulfill my calling as a missionary and I did not yet have it in my mind that I would be able to finish my mission. I had always planned on serving a mission since I was a little boy and I was so excited to come to Ghana but when I came it was nothing that I expected so I was struggling to say the least. But as we were teaching Pedro and I saw the changes he was making in his life, I also saw a change in me, in my attitude towards mission. After his baptism, when were in the bathroom he just kept saying how good he felt and how happy he was. His joy brought me great joy. The joy he received was because he developed faith in Jesus Christ, Repented, was Baptized and Received the Holy Ghost. When I saw his joy I knew that that is what its all about. In that moment is when I loved being a missionary, that is when I truly lost myself and got to work. I am happy to report that to this point in his life Pedro has continued on the strait and narrow path. He is now an Elder and this week he will be going to the temple to receive his endowments. I don't know of anything that could bring me more joy! Being a missionary and doing the Lords work is the greatest thing I have ever done. I would not change my mission experience for anything, I have love serving the Lord and Pray he will continue to use me to do his work throughout my life.
Thanks for all the letters. This P-day was been very busy, we had to do our usually P-day things. Washing, Cleaning ect but on top of that I had to do a few things to get ready to come home which also took some time. I also had to write my letter to President Judd and then include a short story about one of the Recent Converts from my mission. I figured I would include that in my letter today. This past week has been pretty good, Elder Rane has been working me pretty hard which I am grateful for. I have just tried to enjoy this past week and soak it all up. Christopher is really doing well, he has continued to stay clean and I'm proud of him, I'm hoping we can have his baptism on saturday but there was a little misunderstanding between the ward mission leader and the bishop that might delay it a little. If it happens after I go, its ok because I'm just happy we have been able to help get him to this point but I really am hoping everything works out. Joy came to church yesterday and Clifford came again, he has had many question regarding his ancestors and about the plan of salvation, its been a lot of fun to teach him. This past week we went teaching with the Judd's. We taught Paul, it was a powerful lesson and I had a lot of fun being with them. I think they are the best companionship in the whole mission. On thursday was my final Zone Leader Council, their we five of us there from the same MTC. Elder Afu, Anderson, Wicho, Collings and myself. We all had the opportunity to bare our testimonies, as I bore my testimony I had so many thoughts running through my head but my heart was full of Gratitude to the Lord for allowing me this opportunity to serve. Friday I'm hoping to go to the temple with Pedro Williams when he receives his endowment. I'm so excited I can't even explain it! Then on friday I'm going to go do baptism for the dead with a few of my recent converts in the Cantonments ward. I'm hoping and praying everything will work out!
Much Love,
Elder L.
Conversion Story of Pedro Patricks Williams
I remember the first time I met Pedro Williams, I had just come on transfer from Ho to Osu. Elder Chamberlain and his former companion had been teaching him for a little bit but he had a very difficult time with the Word of Wisdom. He had been trying to stop for several weeks but he was not able to give up smoking. As we taught him we helped him to see the bigger picture, we taught him that if he tried to battle his addiction alone he would lose but with the help of the Savior he could become clean. We planned with him and set goals of people and times and places he should avoid, and he stuck to it. We told him to call us before he smoked no matter what time of day, so that we could talk about it with him. He later told us that that was one of the things that gave him the most strength. He knew he was not alone, but that we were their to help him and most important he could fell the savior helping him. Pedro means so much to me because I remember at this point of my mission I was really facing some hard times even though I had adjusted to Ghana I still felt an inadequacy to do missionary work, in finding, teaching and everyday life. I was still unsure if I would have the strength to fulfill my calling as a missionary and I did not yet have it in my mind that I would be able to finish my mission. I had always planned on serving a mission since I was a little boy and I was so excited to come to Ghana but when I came it was nothing that I expected so I was struggling to say the least. But as we were teaching Pedro and I saw the changes he was making in his life, I also saw a change in me, in my attitude towards mission. After his baptism, when were in the bathroom he just kept saying how good he felt and how happy he was. His joy brought me great joy. The joy he received was because he developed faith in Jesus Christ, Repented, was Baptized and Received the Holy Ghost. When I saw his joy I knew that that is what its all about. In that moment is when I loved being a missionary, that is when I truly lost myself and got to work. I am happy to report that to this point in his life Pedro has continued on the strait and narrow path. He is now an Elder and this week he will be going to the temple to receive his endowments. I don't know of anything that could bring me more joy! Being a missionary and doing the Lords work is the greatest thing I have ever done. I would not change my mission experience for anything, I have love serving the Lord and Pray he will continue to use me to do his work throughout my life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)