Aiko!

Aiko!

So this week is totally killer. Just a couple key fantastic stories and some pretty routine days. Also, for the title, "Aiko!" here in Ghana, Aiko is the greeting. It translates to "well done" and it's just whenever you see other people, or somebody who's done something good even not for a greeting. The acceptance of said greeting is "Iyae" like eye-eh(hard a sound). Also, finally uploading a picture of doing the laundry by hand! Africaaaa! Totally feel like I'm in the groove here now. It's a good day. 

So, for the week, it actually went really well. Now, I have to talk about what happened when we went home the last Monday. It was totally insane! So we got on the tro-tro(bus),

to take the boat across one city to take a taxi to get to another city, when all of a sudden Elder Ojaide stops to ask about some plantain chips and buy some, which he doesn't even go for most of the time. I also spontaneously look at the sweet bao, and want to buy some, only to find that my wallet is not in my pocket. I'd left it in the tro tro! We chartered a taxi and started chasing the bus like nobody's business, and only had enough money to get to K. Then we had this random thought to see if the travelling AP was staying there somehow, and by His grace he was there! We went to the K apartment and got in his car and as soon as we pulled out (a little after) we see the tro-tro BEHIND us. We get out, and it turns out that somehow the guys had identified us as Elders(even in our soccer clothing) and managed to visit both the Senchi church building to drop it off to other missionaries, and they were now passing by the K building. Totally awesome! Totally a miracle! If the taxi had let us keep going, we never would have seen the tro tro, and if Elder Garside had been quicker getting ready, or if he hadn't been there in K, we also would have missed them. Totally a miracle from God!

Tuesday

I printed out this talk entitled "Self Image, Self Love and Salvation" that totally gives a new view into the perspective of pride.  (Talk found here:  Self-Image, Self-Love, and Salvation - James Faulconer ) I would say it might have totally changed my life. I also got a package from home that totally contained everything I need! Skittles man! I never knew I would like them so much. At first I thought "Oh, Skittles" but then I started eating them. I guess I'm sugar depraved! Haha Anyways, we came back from our district meeting and taught a lesson to P and his wife, who we hope will become more interested in the church. Then we taught JJ about the Priesthood, and how he would soon hold it. 

Wednesday

Again, continued to have my mind blown about that talk. On Wednesday we gave R a baptismal date, that we think she will take after a year of teaching.(she even brought her mom to church! Great!). Then the B's popped by with sandwiches, pringles, fruit snacks and cookies for lunch. Have I mentioned how much I love them? Then we taught L for the first time, and what we thought would be a disinterested lesson actually turned out to be fantastic. She had so many questions and seemed to be taking everything with an open heart. Hopefully with more lessons we might come to learn a little more with her. Then we taught Li and B.  L also shared an experience of travelling to Nigeria and being healed after 13 years of coughing blood. Total faith on her part, so powerful to hear about. Then we taught B about the Priesthood as well, and I feel like we are beginning to really catch him! His baptism and church service will really get him on the path to a better life.

Thursday

After eating coco porridge for breakfast, we went to teach S, and ended up teaching a large crowd actually. And S was answering most of the questions by herself actually! (she has been attending church for a long time, but just came from Tema, hadn't been baptized because of a bit of confusion and policy change) and we think it is totally time for her! Then we taught J and N about Degrees of Glory and the Atonement, and they took it in. We asked them if their churches talked about these things and they said no, and we are going to talk to them about the restored gospel next time. Then we watched The Testaments for our Doctrinal Class, which had a good turnout.

Friday

Crazy long light out. No power from when we woke up to like, 5 in the afternoon. It's been super frequent lately. We talked to G and extended a baptismal date, which we think she will keep, but it has to be once she's done tavelling. Then we talked to JJ, who had a concern since one of the members fell asleep in gospel doctrines(just about gave us a heart attack when he said something was up) and then talked to P about the beginning of lesson 2. 

Saturday

Went on exchanges with the district leader, Elder Tyokolwana, to S/A.   Basically whitewashing the area, and only had one appointment for the day. Spent most of the time tracting. Fuun. Man, though, it was pretty good. We taught this kid H, who just had so many questions, we ended talking about the millennium! Then we taught a few other people (ended up having 6 lessons for the day) and we went back to write my talk for church on Sunday and get ready to exchange again.

Sunday

Gave a talk in church on being witnesses of Jesus Christ, which was pretty good (the district 2nd counselor quoted me in the district training meeting, haha) and then went to see a sick investigator and give her a priesthood blessing. Then we went to the district training meeting and learned about operating a branch a little more. Gotta magnify my calling!

Monday

So today, I did laundry for a while, and we went to brother M''s for a stew (sauce) we payed him to make for us, and it turns out that for us to try it out, he made both of us a packet of spaghetti EACH. Holy cow, that took some effort to pile all that down. I ain't really complaining though. I'll also have enough stew to last a while! Good day.

As for this week's spiritual thought, you guessed it, based on that talk I read I'm totally thinking of pride like nonstop. Pride is such a powerful thing in so many ways, but our society is far too concerned with it. We are all so concerned with having a "positive self image", even in the church, but then we look at the scriptures and realize that there are absolutely no references to self image at all. When looking at God and Jesus Christ, they never talk about themselves, or how they see themselves. When Moses asks God who he [Moses] is, He answers that He will be with him. When Moses asks who God is, He answers "I am that I am." He simply is. He does not define Himself by his own positive self image. He simply is, and works for our Salvation. The only time He talks of Love in the scriptures is when He talks about His Son, or His love for the world. In the same way, we should spend more time focused on our love for God and for the people around us, and less on the way we see ourselves, and working on our pride. 

Anyways, Love you all, you are the best!!!

  

-Elder Harris