Week 52 - Friends

Family and Friends,

This was such a great week as we traveled to Takoradi to teach Pathway students and 15 recently returned missionaries. So many great stories and friendships developing it would take hours to write about them so here are a few favorites....

We met Robert as a newly returned missionary back in February, then again in June, when as a Pathway student he told us about a "special someone" who was serving a mission in Accra West. In the meantime we also knew Emma Smith Mensah. I mentioned her in a letter sometime ago as a departing missionary whose father died just hours before her return home to Takoradi. Well, Emma is the "special someone" and on Friday we enjoyed spending time with them both at the RM Orientation. They are so cute together (see picture below) and are planning a wedding for next year!

Also at Takoradi we became reacquainted with another RM, Michael who is an awesome, self motivated young man. It's so fun to follow these young people and see where life is taking them. Michael completed Pathway and is now taking BYU-I on-line classes. He is really good with computers and has a small business going around to companies to see if they need help with any IT problems they are having. He would really like to attend school in America and has researched his options, but is struggling with the decision/cost. I became a sounding board as he shared his goals and thought process on the subject of studying in the USA. Sadly, he knows if he leaves Ghana he probably would not return and as I told him, that would be a loss for Ghana.

Many times as we meet with these young people they will pull us aside for a little conversation as they seek personal counsel on their lives. We try our best to encourage them and make small suggestions but it always pulls at our heartstrings. Life in Africa is just simply hard. Michael is fully aware of the costs and challenges of going to the States but many think if they can just go to America all their problems will be solved. 

Sunday was exciting as we planned to attend Maamobi branch to hear Christiana give her talk on Charity. Maamobi is a mysterious place to find. Previously we had it pinned on our GPS and drove in circles looking for the building where they hold church. We thought the pin had to be wrong because we could never get to the exact location. On Sunday we followed the Munro's who attend church there every week, but the excitement started long before getting to the church. We got caught up in the middle of a political parade (Ghana have elections in December) and our car was honestly vibrating from the noise as hundreds of people paraded around us. It wasn't scary, Ghanaians have a great time when they gather together and they danced and waved as we cheered them along. So after we emerged from the sea of people we continued down these narrow streets when all of a sudden the Munro's vehicle "disappeared" down this blind ally which we never saw. Oh, it was an adventure! We followed them and sure enough we came to a gated compound and there was the mysterious Maamobi meeting house! Anyway, after all the adventures of the morning Christiana didn't give her talk because the Primary children presented the program. And it was amazing! Apart from one teacher on the back row the kids did everything themselves, from leading the music, to talks and memorization readings. My favorite was the nine year old who led the music, his smile was contagious and he acted like an old pro as he directed the singing. Oh, it was fun!

Besides Christiana, another friend from Maamobi is Halima. Elder Lambert and I have helped her record her personal history, so we took the opportunity on Sunday to review the draft before typing the final copy. She has quite an interesting story by our standards, but not uncommon to people here. How can you let your child be raised by someone else? At four years of age Halima was given to be raised by a relative. It was tough. She was reunited with her family as a teenager. I love Halima and the joy she emulates. Robert is a new friend who joined the church just a few weeks ago. After being introduced to us, he insisted on carrying my bag into the building. He is delightful and was happy to pose for a picture with Elder Lambert. Following church we met with "Africa is Life Changing" board members including our old missionary friend Gloria Terry. We discussed how their NGO and what we do in self reliance might be a match in helping some individuals. We admire these good people who have the desire to give their time and energy in helping support the African people, even one at a time. The day still wasn't over because we had another meeting in Ofankor stake with their self reliance committee. These brethren warm our hearts. They are passionate about helping people understand the principles of self reliance. Brother Adiimani used the analogy of a student who needs to retake a class in school. The teacher has not changed, the course has not changed, but someone has to change. Likewise, Heavenly Father has not changed, the Gospel has not changed, but someone has to change. It takes Ability, Commitment, Effort to ACE the class. 

We feel blessed to call so many "friend"

With Love, 

Elder and Sister Lambert

Pictures:Robert ans Emma

Takoradi RM's (Michael is on the far right)

Halima

Robert

Week 51 - A Drop in the Ocean

Dearest Family,

Before I forget, we had a weird experience on Saturday in our local little shop when we saw halloween costumes!!! Then we remembered this neighborhood has many embassies, one of them being the American Embassy so I guess they are trying to cater to moms who need to dress up their kids in two weeks. Oh, the memories of creative costume design and time at the sewing machine. I never could bring myself to buy a costume and with each year "the dress up box" grew to include more crazy options! Can't wait to see the spooky pictures of our next generation in a few weeks.

Last Monday at Family Home Evening we learned of the work one missionary couple does with LDS Charities. "Working with local organizations they improve the services for the physically disabled and provide manual wheelchairs or walking aids that are appropriate to individual needs and circumstances.They volunteer to train and help local organizations to assess individual needs, select and fit appropriate wheelchairs, train individuals and caregivers, provide support for repair and maintenance, and implement World Health Organization guidelines. Where it's feasible, LDS Charities seeks to support local production of wheelchairs."  

This couple, the Finley's (?) travel between the USA and West African countries every month or so to provide wheelchair training. They have been volunteering for over 20 years... so remarkable!!! On their slide presentation they had a great quote attributed to Mother Teresa, "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing one drop." 

Our contributing drop this week was to help Christiana, our reading student, prepare to give a talk in church later this month. She has been practicing it by reading and by memorization and tomorrow we will get a dress rehearsal. This is a big deal to this sweet lady.

On Tuesday evening Sister Constance Sama accompanied us to the Kaneshie stake self reliance committee meeting. Sister Sama is a SR manager from Sierra Leone/ Liberia. She is in Ghana on a managers swap. Each of the SR managers spend ten days in a different West African country learning new ideas and sharing their home country experiences. It was interesting for us to learn of the challenges in the countries she has responsibility for. Ebolla and civil war have devastated these lands but they are slowly coming back and the church has been a good influence. She told us how the Ebolla wiped out whole families and villages. Courageously she travelled through some of the hard hit areas to reach and teach members of the church, even though she was advised against it. She attributed her safety to hand washing and Heavenly Father's protection. Another drop in the ocean...

Side note: Have you seen the movie called "Freetown"? It was filmed in Ghana (we recognized many of the filming locations) and tells the story of African missionaries serving in Sierra Leone during the civil war. It portrays the situation of tribal conflict and prejudice they were faced with and how they managed to escape. It's based on a true story.

On Wednesday we were back in Kaneshie presenting a devotional to Pathway students. We introduced the evening using Steven Covey's "old woman-young women" pictures, then Elder Lambert did an awesome job getting the students to participate in a discussion on "Perception"- the way we see the world around us including people, places, right and wrong... the way we see everything in our world. 

Here is a quick summery of what we discussed...

Perceptions are highly influenced by our past experiences, and it can be difficult to change a perception because we see the world not as it is, but as we are. We used the example of football (soccer) being Ghanaians favorite sport while Americans favorite sport is also football... only the American version. Some perceptions don't matter, some have temporal consequences and some have eternal consequences. To fully accomplish our purposes in life it is important to see things as they really are, to see things as God sees them. Since He has experienced all things, His perspective is different than ours. His ways and our ways are not the same. But the closer we come to seeing all things as God sees them the happier we will be, and.... the more successful we will be in what really matters. 

How do we change our perceptions? 

To make changes in perceptions- the brain programming that causes us to think, feel or act in ways that are not best for us (anger, jealousy, dishonesty, judgements, prejudice, materialism etc...) we must:

1 Humbly recognize the need, and desire change

2 When we find our thoughts are inaccurate correct them

3 When we find our behaviors are wrong change them

4 Be patient and give change the time it deserves

5 Remember that many changes only come through the Grace of God and the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

6 Pray for awareness, reminders, and strength

"If any of us have imperfections it is our duty to pray for the gift that will correct them. If I am an angry man it is my duty to pray for patience and kindness. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity which envieth not. No man ought to say, "Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature." He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth." George Q Cannon

I love the experiences this mission is giving me to learn more about myself, my faith, my relationship with my eternal companion, my weaknesses, my need for change (repentance) and my dependance on the Lord  " And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." Ether 12:27

Hugs to everyone,

Elder and Sister Lambert

Pictures: Kaneshie SR Committee 

Pathway students

Week 50 - On the Move

Family,

This week we were on the move, traveling to Abomosu to the north of Accra and to Cape Coast to the west. 

Our trip to Abomosu was assisted by Elder and Sister Mintah. Elder Mintah has family in England and he is a diabetic like our son-in-law, Blade. Sister Mintah was a minister in the Methodist church, she joined the church 12 years ago and married Elder Mintah. Both of them lost their first spouses. They are Church Service missionaries and speak Twi a lot better than us, (haha!) so we engaged their services to come along and translate as we presented a My Path devotional to the members of Abomosu 1st and 2nd branch. I wish I had taken a picture of Samuel, the youngest participant at 14 years of age. He joined in, filling out the information and answering the questions on his level of self reliance. At the end of the evening he asked me if he could join a group and he wanted the Foundations book. I told him that the book cost money and he said he will get it and buy the book! The next morning I told his mom how impressed I was with him. She told me he is a good boy and has high aspirations of becoming a doctor. Another example of Goodness in Ghana!

While we were at Abomosu the missionary couple there; the Bingham's received the sad news that their young friend, Raymond (14) had died that very afternoon. We met Raymond on our first visit to this community. He was very sick then, spending time in and out of the hospital. The family said that on the day he died he had been playing with his little brother and had colored in a coloring book. He was happy. We are glad this was their final memory of their son. 

It is hard for us to understand some practices here. When death occurs, children are buried within hours of dying (as if their lives have little value? We don't know why), while older people are not buried for months after they die. (Yes, I said months), and at great expense to the family. The Bingham's helped purchase a little casket and Raymond was buried before nightfall. How grateful we are for the knowledge of life after death. Because the Savior's resurrection bought total victory over death, we too can have that hope. One church leader expressed it this way, "The Resurrection is brought to pass by the Atonement of Jesus Christ and is pivotal to the great plan of salvation. We are spirit children of heavenly parents. When we come to this earth life, our spirit is united with our body. We experience all the joys and challenges associated with mortal life. When a person dies, their spirit is separated from their body. Resurrection makes it possible for a person’s spirit and body to be united again, only this time that body will be immortal and perfect—not subject to pain, disease, or other problems." We have total confidence that this will be Raymond's experience.

At Cape Coast our favorite activity was to meet with 5 recently returned missionaries, and one had just gotten home the day before! Working with President Davies of the new Yamoransa stake, we oriented these RM's to various options for their futures and taught principles of SR. We love these young people and want so badly for them to be successful. Pres. Davies gave them some wonderful counsel on careers and education (he is a high school teacher) He also told them, "The time will come in Africa when all the leaders of the church will be returned missionaries." We have no doubt about this. The church is only 36 years old here in West Africa but already many of those in their 30's-40's are RM's and hold leadership positions.

It's a great time to be in Africa!

"Whatever our age or circumstance, let service be our “watchcry” Serve in your calling. Serve a mission. Serve your mother. Serve a stranger. Serve your neighbor. Just serve." Carl B Cook

Love you!

Elder and Sister Lambert

Pictures: The Mintahs

Cape Coast/Yamoransa RM's with Pres. Davies 

Week 49 - Dance in the Rain

EMAIL FROM SEPT. 25

Dearest Family,

This was a planning and preparation week as we anticipate getting really busy in the next few months. Our self reliance team is planning a big event for November entitled  "Self Reliance- A Week of Celebration" It will consist of a panel discussion, workshops and exhibitions, and everybody is invited so we are hopeful a large crowd will attend. Currently advertising is in progress and we are contacting potential exhibitors.

We understand Utah has had a wet week with rain and even some early snow! Accra has also had some good soaking rains which I love to watch because the weather is always hot and humid. Not that the rain cools the temperatures down, but it breaks up the "sameness" of the weather we experience every day and just makes my heart happy! (Elder Lambert will testify to this!)

 I think it's interesting how we often equate the trails and challenges of this life with rain. And it's true; "rainy days and Mondays" can get us down. But what if our blessings come from the rain and hard times? Maybe God is blessing us by not giving us those sunny days, because He knows rainy days will actually cause greater growth as we struggle, humble ourselves, and wait patiently upon the Lord for promised blessings. This week I randomly clicked on an app on our iPad and found a song our daughter Kristi had downloaded several years ago. It expresses beautifully the concept of the trials of this life being God's mercies in disguise. (something we rarely recognize until the storm clouds have passed by.) The song is titled "Blessings" by Laura Story. It's on Youtube. Listen carefully to the words and then go outside and dance in the rain! 

On Saturday we took the Munros to our favorite outdoor place in the city and introduced them to the botanical gardens. Sister Munro is just about the sweetest person I have ever met. She is without guile and 100% outwardly turned as she watches over the young missionaries, fixes food for the security guards at Coco Palms and has a kind word for everyone. On our walk through the gardens she even patiently taught me the name of one plant- bougainvillea. It's flowers come in all colors and it's found throughout Ghana ... and Brisbane, Australia. We also found some cool dragonflies and I was surprised that one held still long enough for a picture! 

Looking forward to attending some broadcasted sessions of General Conference next week  :)

Elder and Sister Lambert

Pictures of the Botanical Gardens

At the temple with the Binghams, and Elder Frempong from Abomosu.

Week 48 - Conference Messages

Dearest Family,

Isn't technology fantastic!

We were able to watch all of the General Conference broadcasts from Salt Lake City, minus the last hour of Sunday afternoon session (due to the time being 6 hours ahead and it was getting close to our bedtime!) This was the first time Ghanaians have had the opportunity to watch more than one session so it was a great blessing and was well supported with packed, standing-room only stake centers. Barring a few hicups the connection came in loud and  clear. Favorite talks? Elder Lambert said Jeffrey R Holland's talk on home teaching impressed him the most. I found words of wisdom and counsel for me personally in many of the messages. 

The other reason I say technology is fantastic is because in the last few weeks we have been using social media (WhatsApp) to keep various self reliance groups "in the loop" with what is going on, sharing ideas, posting committee meeting times, and giving small training reminders. We challenged each of our WhatsApp groups to find something related to self reliance in the General Conference talks, including any encouragement to take charge of our own temporal and spiritual lives and post it on their platforms. Here is our contribution: 

"Essential to the plan is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Without His atoning sacrifice, all would be lost. It is not enough, however, merely to believe in Him and His mission. We need to work and learn, search and pray, repent and improve. We need to know God’s laws and live them. … Only by doing so will we obtain true happiness." Pres. Monson 

And another one...

“The great beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the reality of eternal progression-we are not only allowed to change for the better but also encouraged, and even commanded, to continue in the pursuit of improvement and, ultimately, perfection.” ( Jean B. Bingham 1st Counselor in the Primary General Presidency).  

As we move through life we can remain as we are or each day choose to refine and perfect our nature. Only we can direct our lives to be more like the perfect example of the Son of God. 

Good things are happening here in Ghana! There is not time to share all the wonderful experiences we are having, but please know we are well. Together we testify of the reality of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ through the prophet, Joseph Smith and that God speaks to us through living prophets today. 

Love,

Elder and Sister Lambert 

Week 47 - Self Reliance Missionaries- Jack of All Trades

Family,

This week was transfers. For those of you who don’t know, transfers occur every six weeks when the mission president may choose to transfer missionaries to a new area and change their companionships. It is also the time when we say goodbye to those who have completed their mission and when a new intake of missionaries arrive. It is a busy time! 

So, on Monday Elder Lambert and I taught a self reliance lesson to the nine departing missionaries (three Americans and six Africans) We researched who they can contact in their home countries to receive SR services and explained the PEF loan available to them if they choose to continue their eduction. It was a productive meeting and gave hope to these sweet African brothers and sisters.  Over the next several days we also fixed numerous sack breakfasts and lunches for the new missionaries and their trainers. Just to make this transfer extra complicated the African missionaries arrived on Tuesday from the Ghana MTC in Tema (half hour from Accra),  and the Americans who came from the Provo, Utah MTC arrived on Wednesday. To add another element to the equation, Elder Gary E Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to all 350 missionaries from Accra and Accra West missions two hours after the Americans plane had landed! 

Elder Stevenson, Elder Soares and Elder Nash, plus the two mission Presidents taught from Preach My Gospel. It was an inspiring meeting!

On Thursday we were privileged to take a newly set apart missionary to the Ghana MTC. Elder Joel Frempong is from Abomosu District and will be serving in Sierra Leone. He is a delightful young man and it bought back a flood of memories of when we had delivered our missionary daughters to the Provo MTC. As we got to know this young man I felt all the feelings of a proud mama, without the roller coaster of emotions I experienced back home.

On Friday we were back at the MTC on a family history assignment and Elder Lambert helped Elder Frempong enter his family names onFamilySearch.org. We will also accompany him to the Temple next week. So, along with Lucy Acquah our African daughter serving in Liberia, we now feel like we have an African son too! Lucy is doing well and we stay in touch with her through email. We will do the same with Elder Frempong. Most African missionaries rarely receive mail of any kind so it's nice for them to open their inbox and find a personal message. 

On Saturday we were involved in a Self Reliance training for Church Service Missionaries and SR Specialists. It was thrilling to see representatives from 12 of the 14 stakes that were invited.  We are impressed by the sacrifices made by so many to attend! If we can train local Church Service Missionaries to do what we are doing then we will have worked ourselves out of a job and SR will function in this area without Obruni (white man) missionaries.... we are making small progress, but still have some challenges to overcome. 

At the conclusion of this training we slipped into the cultural hall to watch a music/ drama competition for Kaneshie stake.  Within a minute we were asked to join the judging panel and critic the various performances of each ward. What?!!! It took us back to the days of Gold and Green Balls and Roadshows, the completion was fierce back then and it was fierce on Saturday!! Each ward sang the same hymn; “Master the Tempest is Raging” with their own arrangements/adaptations. It was pretty fun to see their creativity. Then they presented various stories from the Book of Mormon, including Lehi’s dream of the Tree of Life, Wicked King Noah and Abinadi, Alma and Korihor, and Joseph Smith’s First Vision. The plays were great, with some humorous interpretations of some of the events, and we were not surprised by the memorization of lengthy passages of scripture which these people are so good at doing. When the winners were announced the audience resembled fans at a world cup soccer game. It was crazy!!!

So from teacher to sandwich makers to missionary ma and pa to family history consultants and "Africa's Got Talent" judges; we do it all!

Loving our mission...

Elder and Sister Lambert

Enthusiastic missionary- Elder Frempong

Pointing to Sierra Leone 

Levi borrowed my camera and took 20+ pictures at the activity on Saturday. This is one I took of him.

Week 46 - Village of Afgame

Family,

What a week! It started off with a great discussion in Sister Scripture Study as we compared Zion's Camp to our own challenging experiences, having unrealistic expectations and learning to be content with our circumstances. One sister put it this way, "If you can't scrub the floor and be happy with it, then you haven't learned anything from it. Even the small and simple things of life contribute to our experience. We need to find holiness in all we do." Another comment sent a wave of laughter through the room. Pres. Kimball once said, "One day you are a peacock, the next, a feather duster!" So I guess the message from that is not to take yourself too seriously! 

On Tuesday we did a business visit with Hans who works for an NGO. We took him to Christiana's shop and discussed her idea of putting toilets and showers on her property- there are none in the surrounding area and the government encourages these facilities to be built. Hans is helping her do the ground work for the project and will allocate the loan. We are hopeful this will be a profitable business for our sweet friend. 

For months we've been hearing about the Kente Festival; an African cultural event in the Volta region that showcases the kente weavers and traditions of the people of the Agotime Traditional area. Kente cloth is woven on a loam, in strips about 4-5" wide and then sewn together. The patterns and designs can be traditional or original. The master weavers are highly respected for their skill and expertise. So, on Thursday we travelled 3 hours to Ho and then on to Kpetoe. It was well worth the drive! At Kpetoe we witnessed the best Kente weavers compete in competitions consisting of speed weaving, quality, and creativity in weaving the kente strips. It was amazing to watch how fast they could weave, know when to change colors and see the pattern unfold before our eyes!

In the afternoon about 70 of the local women participated in the traditional 'fetching of the water." Dressed in beautiful kente clothing they walked to the riverside to fetch water, then in a single file carried the water in bottles and clay pots to the forecourt of the Paramount Chief where the water was poured into a traditional pot. It was an amazing sight!

On Friday we caravanned with several other missionary couples to another village, this time crossing the boarder into Togo! The village of Afgame was 30 km down a dirt road. Here we watched a ceremony remembering the ancestors who fought in wars between the people of Agotime and the Ashanti region. In the olden times invading other lands showed your strength as a tribe, and captured villagers were sold as slaves. Dressed in red and black the various clans acted out battle scenes. Gunfire, drums, music and dance kept us mesmerized. 

On Saturday we attended the grand finale in which the Paramount Chief and 37 traditional leaders from surrounding towns and villages of the area converge in procession at the "Durbar" grounds. The kente regalia with entourages in tow was quite a fantastic sight. I am so grateful we had the chance to go and see some truly authentic African culture. I took so many pictures I hope you will indulge me if I share them in several emails. It was so fun to photograph such a colorful event!

 

Back to reality now, and refocusing on the work....

Love, 

Elder and Sister Lambert

Pictures: Kente weaving.