Monday, April 23 "Multi-Stake Conference and Mission Meeting"

Not a very creative title, but I don't have much time, but I do have much to share.

 First off, we had a multi-stake conference Saturday/Sunday. The Accra Ghana and Tema Stakes were added from 4 stakes to 6; we now have 6 stakes in Ghana Accra (and Tema). It's the largest number of stakes in one city in Africa, I think is what Elder Curtis said. It was great; we heard from many of the 70 (there were 7 there) and Elder Callister especially focused on family prayer (morning and night), companionship prayer (morning and night with our spouse, holding hands), and FHE. He emphasized that, according to Pres. Packer (I think; the old FHE manual from '76 or something) if our families hold meaningful, consistent FHE, we are promised that "not 1 in 100 of [our] children will go astray." He said they may temporarily go astray, but they will always remember what we taught them and will come back (See Enos 1). It was really great.

To make an amazing day even better, I saw so many of my old Ward Members and converts! It was so amazing; truly this is the joy only found in serving the Lord. I saw Mummi Aku! Her English is amazing; I also saw Br. Martinson and his son Peter, from Teshie; they're being baptized this Saturday! It's great. I saw many members from Teshie, Korle-Bu, and even Mc'Carthy Hill. There's a benefit for spending your entire mission within 30 min. of all your other areas; haha. It was really great; I was so happy to see all of them.

Finally, today we had a Mission Meeting with the Africa West Area Presidency, E. Evans (head of THE mission department for the entire Church) and Pres. Callister of the 70 Presidency. It was great; I even got to help Pres. Callister demonstrate how the Atonement worked pertaining to Christ's mortal and Godly parentage. He taught that Christ could have deflected every sin, every sorrow, every pain using His divine authority - but He didn't. The only thing He used His divinity for was to keep the mortal "release valve" - that 'thing' we all have when, if we suffer too much, we will either pass out or die; Christ used His divinity to keep that valve 'open' and suffer everything for everyone, so that the Atonement might take place. He did not lesson anything; rather, He increased the pain, the suffering, the sorrow, until He could descend below all things, so that He might raise us all up. There's a lot more to it, and I'll write more on it some other time, but it was great. I really enjoyed it. We heard from Elders Dickson, Sitati, Curtis, and their wives as well. It was really amazing. I loved it.

Well, that's all the time I have for today. I love you all! I pray you're all immersing yourselves in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon; I pray you're reading the Book of Mormon every day. We were instructed on how we have to get our converts more converted with the Book of Mormon - it is the tool the Lord has prepared for the gathering of Israel in these last days. It is the book for this dispensation. We must treat it as such. For more on that, I would encourage everyone to read A Witness and A Warning, and follow Pres. Benson's counsel. It's true; I bear witness of that.

I love this work, and I love you all! Take care, and God bless!

Picture of Jake with his previous companion Elder Beaufeaux

--Elder Collings