So, this week was pretty good, more or less. We were able to teach 7 lessons with a member present, which is exceptional in and of itself, not to mention the fact that we got 10 last week. I've never had such a good record with MP's on my mission; I'm very happy with the efforts of some of these Ward members. We are still working on bringing people to Church. We're getting some each week, but most of them - if not all - have their own reasons why they can't be baptized yet, either illiteracy or being a minor or whatever. So, we're working with each of them and hopefully will be able to eventually lead them to baptism. Otherwise we're working with some part-member families that are doing fairly well.
One person we met is Bro. Adansi. He was baptized back in 1987, but soon after that the Freeze came (the Church was banned from Ghana for a little under 2 years) and he fell away. He finally found the Church again this year and has been coming since Jan 1st or so. His son, Andrew, is brilliant! He's working on some stuff in the community and around the world, and he's only 11! He has some serious interest in the Church, and is doing more investigation that almost any investigator I've ever taught. He's asking many deep, thoughtful questions and really loves the readings we leave him. It's wonderful. His sister is pretty smart too, but she's only 7, so we can teach her, but can't commit her to baptism. Hopefully she can be a child of record! The wife is a wonderful lady as well, but she's heard some rumors about the Church so she's a little hesitant with it all; we're doing our best to help answer her questions and resolve her concerns.
Elder Bies is doing very well. He's really progressing in his teaching skills, and is really working hard. I think he's very much prepared to be leading and training by the time he finishes his own. That is the goal, after all. It helps that Elder Beaufeaux was able to help me fine-tune how we do this whole 12-week program thing. I think I better understand how it works, so I can better adapt it to Elder Bies' needs.
Finally, the scriptural thought. We hear a lot about the armor of God, how we need to have "your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And...the helmet of salvation" (Eph. 6:14-17). All of these things are defensive. They help us withstand the blows that come from Satan. But, they leave us on the defensive. We cannot strike back with these things, and sometimes that's all we use. We feel a temptation coming, we brace ourselves, and we fight it off, only to have it come back for a second attempt. We must evict Satan immediately.
This is why we have "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (v. 17). We use it to strike back, to destroy the temptation that comes our way, and to evict Satan from our midst. In the Jan. 2009 Ensign, it says:
"We should wield the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17; see D&C 27:18). A sword is a weapon used to strike at the enemy. The word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and the power of the Spirit can “carry [the truth] unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1), help people to “know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5), and even “thrash the nations” through the preaching of the gospel (D&C 35:13). With our testimony and the power and peace of God’s Spirit, we can strike against and conquer the enemy of all righteousness."
When we encounter temptation, it's not enough to simply withstand its initial blow with our faith. We cannot use our own might and will to face it. And we alone cannot evict Satan. Only the Spirit of the Lord can do that; thus, we "must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in [Christ's] name" (3 Nephi 18:18-19). In so doing, we evict Satan out of our midst, and we thwart his temptations and emerge victorious. Only in this manner can we not simply withstand temptation, but press forward and strike against him. Life is much easier when we do not allow Satan to hover over us, striking blow after blow. Instead, we must pray the moment we feel a temptation coming upon us, and ask God to remove Satan and give us strength to withstand it. In this way, Satan will "never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (Alma 48:17), so long as we are righteous.
I know these things are true. I love you all! I exhort you all to pray always, and to read the Book of Mormon daily! Next week is Elder Holland, so I'm not sure if we'll get time to write. But I'll do my best to be back in time.
Take care! Love you!
--Elder Collings
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