So, this week was very... normal. Or rather, uncomplicated, I guess would be the better way to say it. It actually wasn't normal at all; we taught 31 lessons total, which is a mission all-time high for me, which is pretty awesome. It was weird; the week kinda flew by, cause no one was failing their appointments. They were just there, we taught them, moved to the next appointment, same thing... It's kinda weird. Most of the stories come from complications and resolutions, it seems. This week, everything just worked out, so there's not much to report; haha.
Something... odd, I guess, happened this week. More like humorous, but either way, it's worth telling. We were teaching an investigator named Isaac, who's 15 or so. He's been reading from and praying about The Book of Mormon for a while now, and he still hadn't gotten an answer. He kept asking how he would know, and we kept answering "The Holy Ghost will answer you through your thoughts and feelings." But he couldn't figure out if he was being answered or not. We first found out he wasn't being specific; he just asked to 'know the truth.' So we told him to ask, specifically, "Is The Book of Mormon true?" Then we found out he was praying and then leaving, not listening / feeling for the answer. So we told him to pay special attention to that. Then we found out he was listening in noisy places where he couldn't concentrate and feel those delicate feelings from the Holy Ghost, so we told him to read, pray, and listen in his room where it would be peaceful. Then we found out he simply wasn't feeling it. Having exhausted everything, we were finally led to leave him Alma 32, where it teaches about what Faith is. He read it, and when we came, we sat down and started discussing about faith. We read the part in v 28 where it says "it becometh delicious to me." We asked him what that meant to him, and he said he had no idea. So... I got prompted to use one of my crazy parables that seems to work here. I asked him what his favorite food was - he said jollof rice (Ghanaian dish, really awesome and simple; tomato stew in the rice water while cooking it. I'll make some when I get back; it's awesome) - and then asked him what he feels like when he eats it. He says he likes it and wants more. I asked him why, he said because it's sweet (Ghanaian term for nice, delicious, etc etc etc; it's all they use here; haha). I then asked him how he felt when he ate a nice big plate of jollof rice and then sat back and was fully satisfied. He thought for a moment, and then said he feels very nice. I compared that to how the Holy Ghost testifies to us that The Book of Mormon is True. After we read or pray, when we sit back and peacefully see how we feel, we feel nice. It isn't a very loud feeling, and if we aren't paying attention we wont notice it. But when we sit back and just listen to our heart, it just feels nice; it feels satisfied. That is the Holy Ghost. I then asked him how he felt about what we were reading, and he thought and then said "I feel that it's true." We testified to him that that was the Holy Ghost telling him that it is true.
It was one of the most random 'parables' I've ever used (I've made some crazy ones before) but it worked wonders for him. He was able to relate the Holy Ghost to a feeling that he has on a normal basis, and is now able to better recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and It testifying of the truthfulness of things. We couldn't help but laugh afterwards though, in sheer amazement. We just taught someone how to feel the Holy Ghost... using a food parable (technically, metaphor, but I'm on mission; parable is more fun to use).
That's about it for this week. Well, for the most part. I do have good news though! Celestina and Angela both passed their baptismal interviews and will be baptized this Saturday! I'm very happy to see them get baptized; they're wonderful people. Now for the interesting / complicating part.
One big thing DID happen this week, and that was on Sunday at the combined Teshie 1st and 2nd Ward meeting. The Stake President came and announced that they will be splitting the wards again and forming a Teshie 3rd Ward! It's crazy; I've never heard of a "3rd Ward" in the Ghana Accra Mission before. He mentioned that it's 'quite the historic event' and it truly is. If this keeps up, they'll have a Teshie Stake very soon. My response to that was a sarcastic-but-very-serious "If they would do their Home Teaching, they'd have had a Teshie Stake a long time ago!" Which is true. But! I'm very happy to see the Church growing so much. Now, what makes it so interesting is that the mission area boundaries are all out of wack. Teshie I (E. Malley and I) are now in Teshie 1st and 3rd, while Teshie II and III are now in Teshie 2nd and 3rd (they split the old wards in half, and then combined the Northern parts into one ward, the 3rd Ward). So now, Teshie 1st has 1 set of Missionaries, Teshie 2nd has 2 sets of Missionaries, and Teshie 3rd has 3 sets of Missionaries. Kinda seems fitting, actually; haha. Anyways, Celestina is now in Teshie 3rd Ward, and Angela is - I think - still in Teshie 1st, so it's going to be interesting how things work out this Sunday for confirmations. I'll let you all know. It's also interesting, because Teshie 3rd will meet from 1200 - 1500, until they can get their own rental building closer to them. No church in all of Ghana meets that late. I don't even think that's hyperbole, either; it's an incredibly late meeting time for any church in Ghana. So, it should be interesting. Plus, we'll have 3 wards in one chapel, which has never been done before here. At least, I think. Either way, it will be very interesting to see what happens. More updates as it comes.
In other news, transfers are tomorrow. I'll let you all know what's up next week.
Hope all is going well! I love you all! Take care, God bless, and read The Book of Mormon! I know this Gospel is True; experiment upon these words!
--Elder Collings
Something... odd, I guess, happened this week. More like humorous, but either way, it's worth telling. We were teaching an investigator named Isaac, who's 15 or so. He's been reading from and praying about The Book of Mormon for a while now, and he still hadn't gotten an answer. He kept asking how he would know, and we kept answering "The Holy Ghost will answer you through your thoughts and feelings." But he couldn't figure out if he was being answered or not. We first found out he wasn't being specific; he just asked to 'know the truth.' So we told him to ask, specifically, "Is The Book of Mormon true?" Then we found out he was praying and then leaving, not listening / feeling for the answer. So we told him to pay special attention to that. Then we found out he was listening in noisy places where he couldn't concentrate and feel those delicate feelings from the Holy Ghost, so we told him to read, pray, and listen in his room where it would be peaceful. Then we found out he simply wasn't feeling it. Having exhausted everything, we were finally led to leave him Alma 32, where it teaches about what Faith is. He read it, and when we came, we sat down and started discussing about faith. We read the part in v 28 where it says "it becometh delicious to me." We asked him what that meant to him, and he said he had no idea. So... I got prompted to use one of my crazy parables that seems to work here. I asked him what his favorite food was - he said jollof rice (Ghanaian dish, really awesome and simple; tomato stew in the rice water while cooking it. I'll make some when I get back; it's awesome) - and then asked him what he feels like when he eats it. He says he likes it and wants more. I asked him why, he said because it's sweet (Ghanaian term for nice, delicious, etc etc etc; it's all they use here; haha). I then asked him how he felt when he ate a nice big plate of jollof rice and then sat back and was fully satisfied. He thought for a moment, and then said he feels very nice. I compared that to how the Holy Ghost testifies to us that The Book of Mormon is True. After we read or pray, when we sit back and peacefully see how we feel, we feel nice. It isn't a very loud feeling, and if we aren't paying attention we wont notice it. But when we sit back and just listen to our heart, it just feels nice; it feels satisfied. That is the Holy Ghost. I then asked him how he felt about what we were reading, and he thought and then said "I feel that it's true." We testified to him that that was the Holy Ghost telling him that it is true.
It was one of the most random 'parables' I've ever used (I've made some crazy ones before) but it worked wonders for him. He was able to relate the Holy Ghost to a feeling that he has on a normal basis, and is now able to better recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and It testifying of the truthfulness of things. We couldn't help but laugh afterwards though, in sheer amazement. We just taught someone how to feel the Holy Ghost... using a food parable (technically, metaphor, but I'm on mission; parable is more fun to use).
That's about it for this week. Well, for the most part. I do have good news though! Celestina and Angela both passed their baptismal interviews and will be baptized this Saturday! I'm very happy to see them get baptized; they're wonderful people. Now for the interesting / complicating part.
One big thing DID happen this week, and that was on Sunday at the combined Teshie 1st and 2nd Ward meeting. The Stake President came and announced that they will be splitting the wards again and forming a Teshie 3rd Ward! It's crazy; I've never heard of a "3rd Ward" in the Ghana Accra Mission before. He mentioned that it's 'quite the historic event' and it truly is. If this keeps up, they'll have a Teshie Stake very soon. My response to that was a sarcastic-but-very-serious "If they would do their Home Teaching, they'd have had a Teshie Stake a long time ago!" Which is true. But! I'm very happy to see the Church growing so much. Now, what makes it so interesting is that the mission area boundaries are all out of wack. Teshie I (E. Malley and I) are now in Teshie 1st and 3rd, while Teshie II and III are now in Teshie 2nd and 3rd (they split the old wards in half, and then combined the Northern parts into one ward, the 3rd Ward). So now, Teshie 1st has 1 set of Missionaries, Teshie 2nd has 2 sets of Missionaries, and Teshie 3rd has 3 sets of Missionaries. Kinda seems fitting, actually; haha. Anyways, Celestina is now in Teshie 3rd Ward, and Angela is - I think - still in Teshie 1st, so it's going to be interesting how things work out this Sunday for confirmations. I'll let you all know. It's also interesting, because Teshie 3rd will meet from 1200 - 1500, until they can get their own rental building closer to them. No church in all of Ghana meets that late. I don't even think that's hyperbole, either; it's an incredibly late meeting time for any church in Ghana. So, it should be interesting. Plus, we'll have 3 wards in one chapel, which has never been done before here. At least, I think. Either way, it will be very interesting to see what happens. More updates as it comes.
In other news, transfers are tomorrow. I'll let you all know what's up next week.
Hope all is going well! I love you all! Take care, God bless, and read The Book of Mormon! I know this Gospel is True; experiment upon these words!
--Elder Collings
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