Monday, December 26, 2011 "Afihyia pa! "

It's pronounced [ah-fee shi-ah pa] and means Merry Christmas! Just like last year; remember? I also learned how to say it in Ga, which is Afioo Afi, but the response is ridiculous, so I stick with the Twi.

So, this Christmas was great. On Friday we had Christmas Conference; on Saturday, we finished it at Elder Ahadgi's house (honestly, not sure on that spelling; haha) where we had another awesome meal, and then on Christmas we had Sacrament and then the District - along with the Nungua Sisters - went to Mamma Owoo's place for dinner. 

To break things down, Christmas Conference was very nice. We had a talent show - I recorded a lot of them and will put them up... when I get home, probably - and then a devotional, with an awesome meal in-between. At the devotional, Elder Curtis, of the Area Presidency, joined us and spoke to us. It was kind of weird; his entire talk was about death. That's givin' the Christmas spirit, right? Haha; Spirit of Christmas yet to come! Anyway, he spoke how death is a part of life; we will all die. No one escapes that. But it's Jesus who overcame that death. He overcame physical death, spiritual death, and "hurting," as he put it. Christ is the greatest gift we've ever been given. It is through Christ that we overcome that "awful monster,... death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit" (2 Nephi 9:10) and receive eternal life. It is also through Christ that we are able to overcome all our hurting, as Christ suffered those things for us as well (see Alma 7:11-13). Because of Christ, all our pains, sicknesses, infirmities, temptations, sins, and even death can be overcome; we have no need to fear. We have no need to mourn when people die. We have no need to worry about the future. Granted, we do mourn when people die, and we do worry, but we can take comfort and solace in the fact that Christ will restore all things unto us. In that way - and this is my own observation here - the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith was a type of the restoration that will come to all of us, to a fullness of joy, through the Lord Jesus Christ. I love how all those things connect. BTW, Christmas Conference was on Joseph Smith's  206th birthday. Apparently, according to my BYU Bishop, it's also my baptismal date! I had forgotten that; that's pretty cool though; haha.

Pres. Judd made an interesting promise. Speaking in the name of the Lord, he prophesied concerning the mission two things:

1) Elders attending the conference now would be called to serve in Tamale, one of the most northern cities in Ghana - very, very far from our current mission zones.
2) Before the end of Pres. Judd's service, the Ho branch, in the Voltar Region, would become a Stake.

This was all based on our willingness to become pure. He said that many of us work hard, and work smart, but we need to be more pure. If we do that, miracles will happen here. Ghana is a chosen land, a very blessed land, and the Lord has amazing things in store for it. Sounds awesome! I think we're up to the task, God willing. And He is!

The next day, Christmas Eve, we went to Adenta, to Elder Ahadgi's house. He's a member of the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy, I believe. His house is very nice; he's a major contractor in West Africa or something like that. He's a very nice guy. We got there around 11:30, and it didn't start until 13:30, so we had lots of time on our hands. Elder Beaufeaux and I used it helping Sis. Ahadgi and the others prepare the food and the tables and everything; I prefer that than to sitting around and whatnot. Honestly, I've never been a big fan of parties unless I was doing something in the back. But yea, it was fun. We got to finish the talents that weren't finished from yesterday, and my MTC was one of them! We did a parody of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer pertaining to Elder Kiiza. It was fun; I recorded that one, too, and will put it up... eventually.

Finally, on Christmas, we had Sacrament meeting. One of the speakers made an interesting comment concerning Christmas that I hadn't thought of before; it was Bishop Koomson, I think, which is my Ward's Bishop. He said that Christmas is literally "Christ-Mas," or in other words, celebrating Christ's Mass - the Sacrament. We celebrate the birth of He who makes us sacred, of He who provided a more excellent way to come unto God. It was an interesting thought; truly, all things point to the Atonement, even Christ's Birth and the holiday we have to celebrate it. It was very interesting to think of it that way.

We later went to Mamma Owoo's place and had dinner with the Sisters, as mentioned; it was Teshie District and the Nungua Sisters. Later, of course, I got to call home; that was very nice; haha.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. I love Christ and all that He has done for me. I testify that this is His Church, His Kingdom. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and that through His Atonement we may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. I know that these things are True. The Book of Mormon provides a powerful witness of Jesus Christ that you simply cannot find anywhere else. There is a spirit of godliness in that book that cannot be found in any other; hence, "a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" (Pres. Joseph Smith, Introduction, Book of Mormon). I testify that this is true. Give the Lord a gift of yourself this Christmas. Celebrate the New Year with a greater resolve to follow the commandments. Give the Lord a sacrifice of your time this year; read the Book of Mormon. Read from it each and every day. I promise you, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that you will find greater love and peace in your life. The direction you should take will become more clear to you, and you will have greater joy in your heart. You will have strength to overcome trials and temptations. You will have a greater determination to keep the Lord's commandments. You will feel the love of God in your heart more consistently and with greater strength and clarity. You will know that it is true, if you simply read it, pray about it, and ask God if it is.

I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful Year this year!

--Elder Collings