Serving A Mission Is The Greatest Decision I Have Ever Made

Maakye!

So, first I hope you are enjoying the snow and cold weather. It has gotten pretty cold here..... just kidding! The air is getting more dry and is getting hotter by the day.

It was another good week in the Telecom area with my "son."  The success was not much, but we worked hard and we know that we will see the fruits of our labors someday!

Elder MauMau and Johnson
Interviews with President Stevenson

Tuesday was the first meeting for the "Telecom zone" and in my own opinion it was very spiritually uplifting. We received instruction from a few sources, but my favorite was from one of our zone leaders, Elder Kanongata.  He had us share some reasons why we are out here. He put them in graphs from least important, like for our lady friends back home (joke that an Elder said), to the most important reason, which is because we LOVE our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Elder K shared a story the President Stevenson shared when he was a stake president back in Oregon... an Elder came home from his mission and did the usual go meet with the stake president to be released. When President Stevenson said for him to take off the tag, the Elder looked down at it and started to cry, and looked at the tag for 10 minutes. At the moment Elder K shared that story the spirit filled the room and some started to shed some tears.  It hit me that one day when I take off my tag it will be for good and not just when I get home at night then put it on again the next morning.  Serving a mission is the greatest decision I have ever made.  It has brought me closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. What a honor it is for me to wear His name on my chest everyday.

My son ate his first fufu on Tuesday and finished it!!!  No surprise, father like son!!! Just kidding, I did not finish my first one.  Shout out to my trainer Elder Hanson for helping a son out :P  Elder Hanson recently got called to go with other missionaries in March to open back up the Sierra Leone mission after the Ebola evacuation 18 months ago. I'm sad that I will not see him again til I get home :(

On Thursday we had the normal weekly planning session to talk about the remainder of the week and this coming week. Instead of sitting there and talking we kneeled in prayer and prayed for each person we teach, recent converts, and less actives.  Lets just say, it will be how weekly planning sessions are done with Elder Johnson from here on out.  My testimony grew that day that Heavenly Father is mindful of us all!!  We are His children and He LOVES us.  All He wants is for us to pray and ask for help. He will send the spirit to touch our heart to help us when we pray and ask with a sincere heart.

Time with Sister Stevenson

Sidenote--- Tuesday night a older man pulled up in his SUV and started saying some rude things to us. Saying the Mormons are polygamists and all that usual untrue stuff that people say about us... Elder Maumau was angry, I was thrown back since I have not heard that kind of rude stuff since I left home. Turns out he lived in New york for 25 years and just came back to Ghana. So everyone, spread the word and fix those false truths!!! 

On Friday we had a pretty hard day! No one really to teach and we both felt that something different needed to be done. So we went back to the apartment and prayed for help and guidance. This work can not be done by any missionaries own wisdom. It is not our work, it is God's.

Yesterday the Ward Council met together and my companion and I were invited to attend. The meeting lasted almost 3 hours, BUT there is a new plan in place to help us as missionaries with referrals!!! In the Cape coasC mission, 60% of our baptisms each year come from referrals from MEMBERS. Keep that one in mind.

This mission is so hard, but it is sooooo sweet.  And I would not trade this time to do anything else. From my 6 short months in the field I have grown to know more than ever that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of His children. That Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Without Jesus Christ we would forever be lost and could not return to live with Heavenly father one day. The Book of Mormon is ANOTHER testament of Jesus Christ. It is given to us from God and I know that 100%.


Elder Johnson