Well this week was like a roller coaster. There were some
very great moments and days, yet also the other end as well. I am telling myself
almost every day that trials are making me a better man. Let's just say that
these days the trials are plenty. This week, we have had power the total of
20-30 hours and none of those hours are during the night when we need a fan. The
next thing during the week was that our water ran out twice and the well where
we fetch water has dried up.. so we were using drinking water to bathe and do
our wash... and on top of that the apartment refrigerator died. This is almost at the point of being too
much to handle. So, those are the down/dips in the roller coaster week.
Now lets talk about the ups. I did have a nice experience
while teaching this week. I have one investigator that is very intelligent and
is a Seventh Day Adventist. He loves asking questions and
loves arguing with us missionaries. We have been teaching him for some time now
and he is starting to realize through his efforts of coming to church and
praying that the things we teach him are true. This last Saturday I went to his
house with the 1st counselor to the Branch President. We were just teaching a
simple lesson about the scriptures and how we use more than just the bible (The
Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price). He has always had many questions, but I was able to answer them to his
satisfaction. Then he presented a question that I have heard many times in
Ghana being: Why do you missionaries always go around house to house and not
just get on the radio or television stations and preach. When he asked this
question, I felt the spirit immediately give me the answer. First the 1st
counselor tried answering the question and then my companion tried answering the
question, but he still did not understand to his satisfaction. Then I told him
something that the current apostle had stated in a stake conference video. I
told him that the work we are doing is actually not our work but the Lord's work. When the Lord was alive on the earth, he sent missionaries two by two to
preach the gospel. And now he still sends them two by two to declare his
message to everyone. I told him that we have a modern day prophet who is
President Thomas S. Monson who leads the church by revelation. I told him that it
has been revealed to the prophet that missionaries are to go around and teach
individuals and not be broadcast on radios for Ghana. My investigator mainly wanted
the message to get to everyone and to everyone fast so that certain confusions
would cease. Now I told him that this is the Lords work and that the Lord
will be the one leading it and guiding it and not man. We missionaries are only
doing what the Lord expects.
Now through this lesson, my
testimony about our current prophet Thomas S. Monson really deepened. It also
deepened the testimony of the member that was with us because yesterday in
testimony meeting at church, he bore testimony about our current prophet and
what it means to him to have a prophet. He even retold the story a little and
it just proved to me that the spirit is the one carrying our message into the
hearts of others.
I know that God loves us and
gives us trials to make us stronger for things to come. Heavenly Father has
given us His son to die for us and redeem us. He has given us prophets from the
time of Adam down until this present day to teach us and help us return to live
with God. Heavenly father has given us the knowledge of how to return back to
him and it comes in a form of scripture. He has placed each individual in a
family and cares for each individual. He even gives us commandments or
guidelines and when we keep His commandments. He is generous enough to give us
blessings as well. I know that God loves us equally and is trying His best to
return each of his children to live back with Him. Count your blessings and you
too will know that you are loved by your Father in Heaven and many more.
I love all of you and miss y'all much!
~ Elder Cornelius ~
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