Week 75 Berekum

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

It is so crazy how the year has gone, just like that!!! 2018 is in the books! 2019 is getting underway. It's just crazy to say the year 2019. The most important word is "Remember" for sure. So just remember the good, growing moments in 2018 and use them throughout the next year!

This week was a great one! Christmas is always a day to remember in Ghana. We don't have anything out here that is really “christmasy”!  There aren’t lights or decorations or many Christmas trees or snow! Ha!  It’s just a little different day when all you really have is to remember the Savior and be with family.  But I have to say that overall this Christmas was a great day!  Elder Morisho and I were invited to our Branch President’s home for dinner. We had a great time!

Elder Morisho, President Ofosuhene and Me!

This is Danny our Branch Clerk with Me and Elder Morisho

This week had some really good days! We've been a little busy moving from Sunyani to Berekum, going back and forth.  This was a week of trying to catch up on the work!  We even got three nice referrals! We taught some solid lessons, which was cool.

But......... We did have one day............ the most insane day I've ever had as far as teaching. We taught 4 lessons.  It felt like all four were borderline Bible bashes!! hahaha! One “PASTOR” was claiming that we don't have to be baptized anymore. He said Jesus Christ is the water of Life and he was baptized for us! Whoa! One guy refused to believe that the Holy Ghost does not always strive with men. I asked him if the Holy Ghost would follow him into a club and he didn't say a word!  Another had a difficult time believing that Jesus established only one true church, while the last had a hard time understanding that His one and true church was taken from the Earth! He even said that the Holy Ghost was the replacement for his Foundation of the church!  ALL IN ONE DAY!!!  Kinda funny huh?  Elder Morisho and I couldn't do anything but laugh at the end of it all..... HAHA! 

When people lack knowledge of the Book of Mormon and the fullness of the Gospel they will begin to ask themselves these questions. That’s why it is so important for everyone to read the Introduction and apply it. Truly! 

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true."

It should be the mission of every member in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it’s hard back home in everyday life.  I know I’ll have a hard time too but its gotta be done. 

This week I started to read New Testament.  It’s something I've never really focused on before. I thought I'd give it a try and it seems to be going over well!! 

Happy New Year everyone! 

Elder Turner

Week 74 Berekum - Christmas Eve!

Just like you back home with all your errands for Christmas, we too were running around the great city of Sunyani trying to get stuff done! We weren't able to spend a lot of time in our area this week due to some of those “stuffs.” We had a lot of time doing Baptismal interviews as well. So we were just running around for two days on exchanges getting all of those prepared as well. To be honest it was a very busy week! Now we have Christmas and Week 6 of the transfer! 

Notice our Christmas ties!

First we were planning to have 6 baptisms this week. We spent time in our area meeting with the candidates and seeing if they felt that they were ready. Unfortunately, one was feeling like there is more then just one true church with authority to baptize. So we postponed for him.  Another guy’s work is super unpredictable, so he had something important come up and couldn’t make his baptism.

Felicity, Remsey, Monica and Ebenezer with me and Elder Moorish

We got 4 people to Sunyani for their baptisms and it was cool!  However we only baptized three people of the four.  The fourth was a 10-year-old girl named Monica who is frightened of water. She was creating a small scene so we decided next time she can go!  The other three were two 11-year-old cousins, Felicity and Remsey and a guy named Ebenezer.  So overall we ended up with three baptisms this week! Not bad! Can't complain! 

We also had our Zone Conference this week! We got to watch the Christmas Devotional! MAN! It was so nice! President Nelson’s message was amazing!! It was nice to talk about the Savior and the true meaning of Christmas you know!? I also got to see a bunch of mission buddies as well so it was all cool!

Well, I could share a lot of things about the Savior this week. I guess I can just remind you people about how PERFECT the Plan of Salvation is! I have thought and thought and taught and taught about this plan. I am still yet to even find a small fault in it! It's so amazing. Of course it wouldn't be possible without the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Tomorrow we celebrate the start of the most perfect and important life in the world! Please spend some time this Christmas Season thinking about the Plan and how the Savior makes it possible. Everything was prepared from the Foundation of the World. 

Have a Merry Christmas!! 

Elder Turner

Week 73 Berekum

Week 73 is down.  It’s just kinda crazy to think that I've been out here that long. This week was just so interesting to be completely honest. It was one of those odd weeks that felt like nothing significant happened, but somehow a lot was accomplished. I have no idea how to explain it! Seriously!  

During this entire transfer here in Berekum we have been looking forward to December 22nd.  We have been working with a number of people and that is the day we have set for the baptisms.  All week long we have spent most of our time trying to make sure that everything was ok for that day.  To be honest that has been the main focus, going over the lessons to make sure each investigator knows everything!

Since Elder Morisho and I came into this area we have found a lot of part member families and people that have not yet been baptized and are completely ok with it!  I was wondering what we could teach these people so that they could really be touched by the spirit.  They have been hearing the lessons from the missionaries, which is good, but we just wanted to present something really special. So we took a bunch of pamphlets about the temple and eternal families and focused on the necessary ordinances we need, like baptism, to live with their families in the Celestial Kingdom. We had a guy named Ebenezer tell us that it was the best thing that he has ever learned in his life and that right when he is baptized he wants to do proxy baptisms for his deceased family members!! So we have been having a lot of success with that!! It was a testimony building couple of weeks about the temple!

We also moved from the place we have been staying to our new apartment this week.  Now we actually live in the area we serve in, the town of Berekum.  For the past 4 weeks we have been traveling from Sunyani to our area, which is about a 45 minute drive, everyday.

Me and Elder Morisho

I have been reading the October Conference talks in the Liahona for my personal study.  In Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s talk, “Our Campfire of Faith” he talked about painting a model of a campfire with Elder Scott. Elder Gong said, "We used as a model his beautiful watercolor titled Campfire at Sunset. As we painted, we talked about faith—how as we face the light and warmth of a campfire, we leave the darkness and uncertainty behind us—how on sometimes long, lonely nights, our campfire of faith can give hope and assurance. And the dawn does come. Our campfire of faith—our memories, experiences, and heritage of faith in God’s goodness and tender mercies in our life—has strengthened us through the night."

I love the connection they made! I remember listening to this talk but never realized the exact connection they made.  In today’s world we just need leave the darkness and uncertainty behind and have HOPE! 

Anyway, I guess next time I write it'll be Christmas Eve! Hahaha! Weird! 

Merry Christmas! 

Elder Turner

Week 72 Berekum

We have had such a crazy fast week with a lot of things happening! It was another successful week in Berekum! We had many people to follow up on from the past weeks and were still able to find some new people to teach this week.  My companion and I had 7 people come to church this week. So that’s great!

Elder Morisho and I have been teaching a man named Isaac who has been progressing nicely towards baptism.  When we saw him this week he told us that he just wants to come to the church and not be baptized.  We couldn’t figure out what his reasoning for this was.  We told him that he needed to be baptized so he would receive the Holy Ghost and be able to feel the spirit all the time, but he just wasn't picking up on it.  We explained the situation to our Branch President.  He sat down with him and apparently just "layed" it on him.  Isaac came out of this interview with a big smile and told us he wants to be baptized! Sweet! December 22nd is his date!!  We are praying everything works out. 

We got a referral from Church Headquarters this week. A guy named Clinton was referred from a member in the US over Facebook. I thought that was cool. This lady in the US was trying to promote her business and the got talking about the gospel.  Clinton wanted to learn more! Our first lesson was very spiritual.  Like, crazy spiritual!  I think the guy was prepared for our message!  He really doesn't know much about the Bible or anything religious, so it's nice to teach someone without any apostate doctrine in them!  Hahahaha! It's just crazy how everything unfolded with this referral.  It makes me think of how the Lord works in mysterious ways for the Salvation of his people! 

This week I was reading in Helaman and 3 Nephi. I love what Christ says to the Nephites in the Darkness. 

"14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." 

I just think that is a great verse of scripture! Think about it!! 

I love you all! Get into the Christmas spirit both fun and spiritual!!

Elder Turner

Elder Brimhall from Snowflake Arizona!

Week 71 Berekum

Well, what a week out here in Berekum. The Christmas season is coming up and everything is leading up to some miracles just before Christmas!!  

To be honest, I'd say this was the most successful week of my mission by far! My companion, Elder Morisho, is the MASTER finder!!  The guy can just see  someone anywhere and just say, "lets go talk to this guy" and BAM, a new person being taught!  We were able to find 10 new people to teach this week and 7 of those came to church! Berekum is really progressing. 

This transfer the only thing that has been on my mind is to find a family! That is seriously the only thing that is on my mind. We had a little contacting session in our area and we found a man named Gyan. We taught him alone and he was very happy with our message. The questions he was asking were just amazing. He even started to shed some tears because of the joy he felt after learning about the Restoration.  After we taught him all was well and then he called over 3 kids that I'd say were just over the age of 8.  He introduced them as his children.  Elder Morisho just looked at me and smiled!! Hahahah! He told us he is interested in baptism so I guess we'll see what happens with Gyan!  But we are very excited about them!! 

We also have tons of part member families within the branch that we are looking to complete this transfer as well. So Berekum is just going well right now!

I've been studying the Book of Mormon almost everyday of my entire mission. I found an Elder in our zone had “Saints” the new church history book. So I asked him if I could borrow it! Reading that along side the Book of Mormon is the most amazing formula to building a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. I'm telling you, the things that he went through were just amazing! So many trials and hardships and yet he never ever thought about denying what he had been experiencing. It's just such an amazing book to see how everything panned out!!! I'd highly recommend it! 

Anyway, I hope everyone is trying to “Light the World” wherever you are!

Elder Turner