...comfort of the good shepherd...

Kwaku Obuobi was set apart as the first District Executive Secretary. To many this may not seem like much of a miracle but I testify this was a miracle in his life and in the districts history. Each of our District Presidency meetings since January, we have discussed men that the Lord would have as the District Executive Secretary. Many were considered but still no confirmation from He who directs this great work. Last month President Oppong called me on Sunday evening and said as he was visiting Abomosu’s meetings that day, he was touched by the spirit to interview a man who had been less active for some time. He had recently become active again and President Oppong was so happy to see him again in the fold. He asked the Branch President if he had a calling yet and was told he had not issued a call but would do so in the future. During the meeting President Oppong witnessed a vision about Brother Obuobi and his great future in the Lord’s kingdom. It brought tears to his eyes as he shared those tender feelings with me that night. After the meeting he welcomed Brother Obuobi and asked to visit with him in his office. President Oppong was impressed as he told of his wonderful visit. They reviewed the years before when he had raised his family in the fullness of the gospel with all being active and supportive of the Church. They shared times of working together on a service day for a widow woman who has passed on now and the feelings of her gracious love as she gave them a sugar cane stock from her humble house. In brotherly kindness, they spoke softly of Brother Obuobi’s beloved wife who had passed on some 5 years earlier. They shed tears together as they bore testimony of her faithfulness and love of the Book of Mormon and the healing words found within its pages.  Brother Obuobi with humble heart relayed why he had not come to church for over 4 years and now had recently come full circle to full activity once again in Fathers kingdom.

Bernice was his life; he told President Oppong, the sun rose and set on her every movement during her life. They were blessed with 4 children who are now grown and moved to various regions in Ghana.  He spoke of his wounded heart as he placed her in a grave at their childhood village in the Eastern Region. For months he grieved for his beloved and began to justify his anger towards the Lord. The grace of God was for others and not for him, he had reasoned. Why would a loving God want him to be sad and unhappy, after her examplenary live of cheering others? More and more he became bitter towards the Church and the members who seemed so happy despite his devastating loss. He alienated himself and felt justified in doing so. He said he was a broken man in spirit and heart. Life marched forward as not to care about his feelings and he was lonely in spirit and soul. During Christmas of 2011 he was invited to services at another church. Their meeting did not have the spirit of love he often felt when he and Bernice sat together on a bench in the Abomosu chapel. He went home and found the tattered Book of Mormon they once read together with passion and fondness. Opening its pages, he felt a warm glow enter his heart and mind and felt as if his beloved Bernice was holding him once again as he began reading the account of Jesus and his accession to the Americas after his resurrection. As he bowed his head, his eyes were opened to see his beautiful wife clothed in purity as she smiled from afar. He wept as he begged her to stay or take him with her. At that very moment Brother Obuobi saw the Ghana Temple off in the distant behind his Bernice, and the dream closed.  Reverently he sat and pondered the vision he had just received. Slowly he arose and walked to the Abomosu Chapel which was locked for the night and just gazed at the heavens while leaning on the front gate. It was there he covenanted to his beloved wife and to the Savior himself, that he needed to be healed form his errand ways and prepare for the temple ordinances he never had time for when Bernice was alive.  President Oppong was notably moved and he held back tears as Brother Obuobi asked for a blessing from his priesthood leader he had always loved. A blessing was pronounced and brothers once again embraced in the fullness of the gospel promises.

Brother Obuobi was called and set apart Sunday April 22, 2012, but more important is a date in May for the entire District Presidency to accompany Kwabu Obuobi to the Ghana Accra Temple for his own personal endowments. Sister Dalton will be proxy for his beloved Bernice and her endowment and then the two will be sealed by heavenly power and authority for the eternities. It is a fulfillment of a dream given to one humbled man who loves the Lord with all of his heart and soul. O what blessings will follow!

 

 

 

 

...the small and simple things...

There are missionary tools that we are so thankful for here in Ghana. As I have pondered this week’s edition, I have felt we are truly blessed to have 3 tools that help the work move forward. I would hope you will consider your missionary tools as you live your daily lives.

Sister Dalton and I have a bed with a mattress, no box springs as we first noticed when we first arrived here, but now after months of service we are so thankful for our 6” foam mattress on a small wooden frame. Now you might think of, why would this would strike me as a missionary tool? The human body is truly a wonderful gift from Heavenly Father that each of us must carefully maintained. Sleep is a rejuvenating necessity the body needs. I remember sleeping on the cold ground one night in the deep woods of Idaho during a hunting trip. Each stone, branch limb, and small log, I tried to sleep on, is still recollected even today. It was a miserable night, but I did survive. I remember rising at daylight and aching all over because my body was not use to the hardness and lumps I had endured during the night. As I hiked towards the camp, I ached and even groaned a bit until the body got warmed up with exercise. But still I was really tired and felt as if I had not slept at all. It could be the same way here as we strive to keep our bodies in good order to do the Lords work. A good night’s sleep is a must for Sister Dalton and me. Most children here sleep on a small bamboo mat on the ground, with their parents sleeping upon a 6’x5’x2” or 3” uncovered piece of foam, also on the ground. Many people we see will be sleeping during the day on benches, old tires, along the side of the trail or road and on the ground at their farms. We have only noticed very few bed frames in homes. People will sleep when they need sleep wherever they are at the time and it is their culture that you not disturb them while they sleep. Sister Dalton and I are truly grateful for a good bed that allows us to rest and regenerate our bodies to work in this part of Fathers vineyard.

We are thankful for a small Ranger 4x4 truck for transportation. This missionary tool is most valuable to us as missionaries but also to the community and members. There are 2 dump trucks, 2 pickups, and 1 1972 four door Mercedes that are privately owned. Our 2010 truck is the 20 years newer than all the rest. There are a slew of totally junk taxis that run the roads between the small villages in the district. They are a hazard too, as they drive these small roads because they breakdown or parts fall off, all of the time. When that happens, the driver walks away or begins to rebuild the broken part while the car is still in the middle of the road. It is bazar to see the different types of break downs. Wheels coming off is the most common and Sister Dalton and I have dodged a wheel rolling towards us on a number of occasions. The taxi then stops in the middle of the road and the driver jumps out and runs after the tire and wheel. Usually the lug nuts and wheel studs are sheared off so the car will set there for days as they locate and repair the broken parts. Contaminated fuel is a real problem for all vehicles as well as the very cost of fuel is most prohibitive for people- $8.70 per gallon. Our little 4 door truck is in fine shape with continued maintenance I have learned to perform. My biggest challenge is the fuel contamination and I am constantly changing filters. We do change the diesel injectors every 12KM to keep the engine running smoothly. Our little truck was the only vehicle to carry loads of freshly harvested corn to needy families during the flood. We have moved 200 chairs from Sankubenase to the Abomosu Chapel for our District Conferences. We have towed taxis to safe places for repair; we have hauled about every member to or from a meeting when the heavy rains come in May- July. We have reverently used our truck as a Hearst for families with no funds to hire a Hearst to move the body. We have decorated the truck for newly married couples. We have transported missionaries on transfer days and ridden with missionaries who have honorably finished their service here in Ghana. We have also delivered missionaries to the airport for their return home. We have taken sick members to the medical center and gone to hospitals with severally sick babies who needed greater emergency care. We have taken expectant mothers to the midwife for delivery and brought baby and mother home that afternoon. Our vehicle is a most important tool in the Saviors work here in the bush and we are so thankful.

We live 12,000KM from Utah, 8,000KM from the US, 5,000KM from England, 700KM from Accra and the mission home. We have no postal service from here to the outside world. Occasionally a bus will bring supplies from Accra when people need them. Communication is primarily done by cellphones. Here they sell “minutes” to cellphone owners. 1 Cedi will give you about an hour of time to call in the area. There is a very small 2 old, old computer internet café here in Abomosu, but it is usually closed due to the “lights out” (no power) policy. Ghana does not produce enough power for its country so every couple of days lately, power is turned off in this region for 1 to 4 days. That brings a big halt to cellphone use due to no electricity to charge them. We are blessed to have a small generator to keep out home fully operational for a couple of hours each day the power is out. We are able to charge our cellphones and computer battery to continue to be in contact with the mission president and the Area Office for emergencies that have risen. It was our cellphone that kept President Judd and ultimately the First Presidency abreast of our situation when the flood occurred. Medical advisers were able to email us and when emergencies happened and needed immediate attention. When the Church needed pictures of explanation, our computer was their link. When the translation team needs communication with the set apart translators, it is through this computer because of its capacity and reliability to the outside world. And more important than all of those, is our capability to Skype our precious family and see newly born babies and grandsons ordained as a Deacon. It is a most important tool in the work of the Lord and one we are so thankful.

It amazes me the simple blessings of a bed to lay our heads on at night, a vehicle that carries us quickly and safely to our destinations, and the availability of communication with modern technology. We are blessed beyond measure and I thank Father in Heaven for his tender mercies we so enjoy on our mission.

 I pray we all examine the tools that are ours to move the work forward and dedicate them for his purposes.   

...to one of the, least of these, ye did it unto me...

Late Thursday afternoon we received a call from President Deho in Asunafo that Brother and Sister Kesse’s home had burned to the foundation. They had lost all of their earthly possessions but their 2 children were safe and unharmed. In fact, Ernest, their 6 year old son, was the one that ran to a neighbor for help. Brother and Sister Kesse were at the farm and Ernest just came home from school. Their 3 year old daughter was at Grandmas for the day. We arrived at the scene as they threw the last bucket of hauled water on the smoking ruble. It was a stark realization we live in a world where good and bad happen to us all sometime in our lives. Their eyes were moist as they surveyed the pile of all their household belongings were in a small smoldering pile. What would they do and how could they ever recover, was in their eyes and on their lips as we hugged each family member. They had saved and squirrelled away enough Cedis for this year’s CoCoa season. The cost of replanting and spraying of the needed chemicals to keep the bush from taking over, all of that money was lost in the fire. Clothes, beds, tables, chemical sprayers, family history records, family hand me downs and sacred keepsakes. The only thing I saw that was recovered intact and unburned was their Triple Combination upon the night stand next to their burnt bed. That was a miracle in itself but other miracles came to them in sweet and tender ways I would like to share this week.

Members of the branch were on hand to take charge and bless their lives. Under the direction of President Deho, the Branch President, shelter was provided, clothing was donated and brought to them as gifts of love, beds donated, tables replaced, food was brought and hope was written in their hearts, once again. It was as if the Lord knew what was needed by this branch and the wonders of His ways are never really understood until time passes. The Kesse’s were at Church Sunday in new dresses sewn by loving sisters, Bro. Kesse wore a new white shirt with a red tie and Sunday slacks that he had never had before. The children were dressed in the finest I have ever seen them in and all were welcomed warmly as they entered the chapel. It was a scene I will never forget. Brother Kesse held his Triple Combination as a sense of witness to the congregation the Lord spared what was most precious to their family. It was moving indeed to Sister Dalton and me when told of their Sunday experience.

There are unsung heroes I know about and have felt so humbled to tell of their contribution to this wonderful family. There is a group from Utah State in Logan, Utah, who over the last several months has changed and improved the lives of many of the community members in Asunafo and Abomosu, Ghana. They are business students that have moved their good work forward with the help of donors who see the vision of the program. It is a program headed by Dave Herrmann of the Business department. They have implemented a wonderful program of Micro Loans for these people here in the Abomosu area. They have developed a small loan program for these fine people who have no way to increase their businesses unless there is help from outside sources. This is a program of teaching, preparing, and following certain guidelines for these micro business loans. Over the last several months they have enlightened so many and have not had a loan default. It is a true blessing for these fine people and gives them hope and confidence to succeed in their business dreams. Each student that comes to Abomosu for the 3 months term, has truly been changed for life and will always cherish their experience here. They learn to grow to love these people as they work and teach them concepts that will bless generations to come. Lasting friendships are made and kept throughout life. It is a perpetual program that will build the good business needs of the community. Other interns have come from the program and laid the foundation and it has flourished wonderfully for these people. But the four interns here now, have been a joy to watch and witness the change they bring to many. Solomon Kesse was one of those. They gave him a Micro Loan for his CoCoa farm. He put that money with his savings and planned to begin using those funds for this year’s crop, next week. Solomon was determined to repay the loan and had told his loan officers he would repay as agreed. As you now realize, that money was destroyed in their devastating fire. The interns were made aware of that loss and on their own, they contacted the programs director and the decision was made to re-loan him the micro loan and extend the repayment days. It was done without announcement or others knowing of this tender mercy they have presented the Kesse family. They came to his home and comforted the family and it was then they gently and quietly placed the exact loan amount into his hand and gave him the new plan they had approved. No fanfare, no praise or lights of fame, just genuine kindness by business partners. Chemicals will be purchased and crops still harvested and hope instilled for a humble family in the bush of Africa that only a very few will ever know their whole story. The kindness and generosity of Utah State Seed Program director, Dave Herrmann, Lauren Pont, Clint Call, Quinn Jensen and Greg Lyons will ever be recorded in heavenly records kept by angels, we testify. 

God Bless all of the Utah State Seed Program donors and participants.

Their picture is at the top of this story.