...Jesus is the master of my soul...

Raising rice in Africa is very difficult, at best. The type of rice grown here is a dry farming, light brown long grain rice and is grown in the bush areas of which we live. It is a very time consuming crop for farmers and few grow this type of rice. Yet it is a very lucrative cash crop, second only to Cocoa beans. When you have protected the grains from the birds, harvested, dried the kernels for two months, hand cleaned the husk of the rice, bagged them into 62 Kilo (100 lb.) bags, and transport your product to the Accra market; you are paid on the spot for your hard work. A 62 Kilo bag is worth 200GHc and an acre of ground will yield a bag and a half on good years. Rice is harvested only once per year, usually in August. The real difficulty of raising rice comes in the months of May, June and July just before harvest time. For those three months, the farmer and all of his family live and sleep at the bush farm in a makeshift Bamboo lean to in order to keep the birds from eating all of the rice seeds blossoming. It is a 24 hour war with nature and the family knows they will have no family income if not on the battlefield during those months. Throughout the days and nights the entire family set watches to continually scare the birds when they come in to pluck the rice seeds. Rice farmers have devised Bamboo noise makers that they shake as they run through the rows of rice and the birds are scurried off; primitive but effective. The challenge is to have a large enough plot of land to raise this precious demanded product  throughout Ghana to receive your annual income needed for the farmers family, and being able to defend the full farm when the birds descend  and within an hour will destroy the maturing rice. I have been told that if the farmer and his family are not there to war off the birds, 4 acres of rice is literally a waste land within one hour. Most rice farmers are from generations of rice farmers and have lived this way of life since babes; they tend to marry other rice farmers children to keep their tradition and sub-culture alive.

Over the years we have lived here in the bush, we have only met 7 rice farmers, one being Brother Ofosu and his family. I have followed him to his farm that is a full 4 acre cut out of the jungle by him and three generations before he became the master of the farm. When I visited his farm last year, it was a rich fertile sloped farm with waves of rice heads gentling bending in the breeze. Brother Ofosu is a small man, standing maybe 5’3”, but a well-defined physical specimen of raw muscle grained with years of hard work in his farm. He and his family have been members of the Church for over twenty years. He and Comfort have raised 6 children; one son now serving a mission, one daughter preparing to serve a mission within weeks, 4 have graduated from High School, and the last two will enter secondary school in a couple of years. Together they have served in the Sankubenase Branch faithfully when called upon, but when May, June and July come around, they were on their plot of land full time for those three months and sometimes longer. Brother Ofosu attended school through the 4^th grade and has difficulty with reading English. He has been taught to read by his children; Comfort neither reads or writes English or Twi- she was never allowed to attend school. They are humble childlike in their faith and commitment to the Lord and their Gospel testimonies.

My eyes were filled with tears, today, as now President Ofosu bore fervent testimony of the blessings we will receive when we willingly partner with the Lord. He related how he was called as the Branch President by President Oppong and me on a Saturday afternoon five months ago. He told of how he had wrestled with the Lord over his inadequacies, his rice farm demands, and the honored family tradition of farming rice for his family’s needs. With Comfort by his side, in the early morning hours of the Sunday he was to be sustained, they covenanted with the Lord they will love and serve the saints with all of their hearts and only asked that angels from above would attend their family. He called his brother before church services and turned his entire portion of the family rice farm over to him knowing he would never be asked again by the family to represent the extended family’s interest or heritage as a rice farmer.  When he stood and the membership sustained the Lord’s action to support Brother Ofosu as their Branch President, no one knew that he and Comfort had covenanted all of their earthly income, generations of family tradition of farming rice, knowing he would the next day start preparing a new farm to grow corn and vegetables for his family, nor the great faith he stepped forward with the Lord on his side. He has given his all to the Master of the vineyard in full partnership. Quoting President Ofosu “…Jesus is the Master of my soul, Oh that you may feel his loving arms around you as I do.”

 

"...The good Shepherd calleth his people..."

It has been a while since I have written a on the blog, but have felt impressed to begin again and fill this blog with stories of faith and devotion of the Abomosu District we have experienced while serving in this bush community of Africa. One day these will fill the pages of a book and hopefully will bless our family for generations to come. These are dedicated to them.

I have felt impressed to share with you a rescue story that is happening as we speak here in the Abomosu District. After Elder Grow of the Seventy had visited our mission and shared the vision of the Brethren with respect to the full time missionaries and how they will assist councils to rescue those that have wandered off from the flock, the district presidency sat and discussed this with our district councilmen. It was most interesting to hear their comments and thoughts of who was responsible for this concerted effort. I watched as President Oppong conducted the discussion. “The Branch President must do this or that…; or we must assign the Elder Quorum Presidents to visit these less active” was the conclusion of the discussion. I sat and prayed for help from above for I saw that these district leaders did not feel their responsibility in this process of rescuing. Over the next few days I pondered and had a continued prayer in my heart for how the Lord would teach this principle to the district presidency and the whole leadership of the district. It was after a few days of my concerted petition on the Lord, that I was re-reading in Alma 5 of the how Alma stepped down from his secular Chief Judge duties and began the great rescues of less active and unbelieving brothers and sisters. Though I have read this a number of times throughout my life, it came with such an impact to my mind, I shall never forget how I felt at that very moment. My mind was quickened to those that we should leave the ninety and nine and search and find these choice sheep. In the MLS there is a report available to our leaders called Temple Recommend Holder not Current. This is a list of once active members with a heartfelt burning for the Church and specifically the Temple, which are now less active in His church. They were worthy at one time of the full blessings offered to mortal man and had embraced the full love of the Savior through eternal ordinances.  These are those that Heavenly Father would have us rescue first and then enlist their help to rescue others that are lost.

We met as a district presidency two days later and knelt in prayer for the Spirit to guide our planning of these people we have missed at our Sacrament meetings. President Oppong asked that I conduct our discussion. We read together once again of Alma’s desire for the blessings of eternal life for his brethren and that sweet spirit once again entered the room and into our hearts and minds; four men in unison with the Lords will. Our council was quite different of those from the past and we followed the inspiration we received from the Spirit during our meeting. We felt impressed to repent ourselves and be the leaders we should and rededicate our time and wills to this great rescue we had laid before us. We felt we were to visit as a complete presidency many of those once active saints. Our duty was to lead by example, in unison, our flock to the Saviors arms and once again drink from His living water. We were to become the shepherds and they must hear our voice as we bear testimony through our words and actions to our beloved flock. Our minds were turned once again to the scriptures and Jacobs teachings in Jacob 5 of the gathering of the sweet fruit throughout the Masters vineyard. Repeatedly the Master of the vineyard directed and assisted with the pruning and cares of the tender plants and then participated in the gathering of the sweet fruitful harvest brought his storehouse. We felt a desire for our branch councils to feel this same witness and concluded they would need a Branch Council meeting conducted by the district presidency to teach, demonstrate and share how this wonderful gathering of missing members would bring back those to sup with us at the Lord’s Table. We concluded that at each Branch Conference we would use those names found on the Temple Recommend Holders not Current report for that branch council meeting. We petitioned the Lord’s help with our teachings and example as a district presidency.

We met with the Abomosu Branch Council after the Abomosu Conference block sessions. All priesthood and auxiliary leaders were present along with the branch presidency. We invited the district councilmen, the full-time missionaries, and all of the district auxiliary leaders to attend the council. After a few introductions, President Oppong began our council and explained our mission was to teach, by example, how powerful a branch council can be when united in the rescue call to those wandering in unprotected fields. He bore a humble testimony of the scriptures we had read as a presidency and witnessed this was speaking to us as a branch and district leaders. We reviewed the handout from Elder Grows instructions and began a council meeting directed by the entire District Presidency. We brought the Temple Recommend Holders not Current report of their branch and spoke directly about 6 names that seem to be highlighted to our minds eye; a couple who had not been to church since 2009; a woman who had once been a wonderful member but somehow had slipped away since 2010; another couple who had joined another church in 2007; and a gentleman who once served in the Elder Quorum Presidency. Each had at one time, a strong testimony and conviction for the Lord’s truths and felt in their hearts to make sacred covenants with their Savior. Each name was individually discussed and all participated with a love that was felt from above. Each person chosen from the list was still in the community and seen by most of the council members even our district leaders knew of them and their whereabouts. We asked the young women president to visit the woman who had slipped away, and lived close to her little store. She did not know of her but committed she would visit her that week. The importance of this work caused the presidency to ask when exactly she will have this visit completed and report back to the branch clerk who will then report that to the Branch President and further action could be taken? This sweet sister committed she would go the very next day for the time was now, for action. The counselor in the Elder Quorum Presidency spoke of the older man who had not been to church for years that he was actually a distant relative and the presidency would visit him that week on Wednesday. The Primary President spoke up and suggested she along with the Relief Society President would visit the couple who had not been in the building since 2009. They were retired school teachers and that was something they had in common. Teamed together, they felt they could visit their family by Friday night. Feeling the prompting of the Spirit, President Oppong spoke to all of the council about this couple that had joined another church. It seemed that all knew of their joining another church and had concluded they should leave them alone for now. President Amoh, Oppong and I turned to each other and quickly discussed our schedules and then turned to the entire council and announced we would make a special visit as a entire district presidency the following Sunday, after our assignments in the different branches. There was a sweet feeling that was undeniable in all of our hearts. A silence seemed to linger for a time and the witness came with power to our souls we shall all be changed and committed even more to the Lord’s will for each of these dear children of Heavenly Father.

Yesterday, as a District Presidency, we visited our brother and sister and shared with them that we loved them and missed their friendship and strength in our congregation. We invited them to once again sup at the Saviors table. We were lead by the Spirit as we asked of their sealed marriage and do they still know they will be together after this earthly life? Oh how our hearts were touched as they testified they still believed they would be together forever. They spoke of their two daughters that were now married with children and how they were sealed also to them. I was prompted to ask them about their other children, not knowing of others, our records showed only two daughters. The Spirit guided me to speak the words He would put into my mouth and their hearts. The sister then admitted they were married for just over a year when they had a son who had only lived four months and died of an illness they still did not understand. This was a sacred moment for us and this wonderful couple. We bore testimony through the tears we all had, that that son had been waiting 45 years for his sealing to his loving father and mother who carried his memory. President Oppong softly shared the witness of the sealing authority only found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spoke of the blessing they still retain as a member of the Saviors Church. He testified of our coming this day as a complete presidency to invite them to prepare to once again enter the House of the Lord and complete their family forever through sacred covenants they had been keeping in their hearts. They turned to each other and in unison said they would want that blessing for their son and their hearts. President Amoh, feeling the tender moment, quietly invited them back to church and to once again partake of the soul filling spirit offered each Sunday. They both raised and extended their hand in fellowship and affirmed their commitment to once again embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ fully. We all had tear filled eyes as we embraced each other. It was a spiritual moment and witness that the Master knows his sheep and when we follow the prompting of the Shepherd, those that have wandered will be carried on his shoulders back to the ninety and nine. We all knelt in prayer in that humble little home and poured out our thanks and commitment to the Lord. A priesthood blessing was pronounced upon the couple and home and the warmth of the Spirit was truly felt by all.

I have spoken to the Branch President about each assignment and was told each was fulfilled by the council members and three of the five attended Sunday’s meetings with their entire families. The full time missionaries have begun teaching the sister the Young Women President had visited, the new member lessons to once again ignite the flame that once burned within her breast. We even found out she was going to have a baby soon and plans are in the works to assist with the little one upon arrival. The full-time missionaries were part of our council meeting and are now seeing opportunities to teach new member lessons to those we are reactivating.

I witness of the great work we are involved in as servants of the Master. You will see great rescue efforts within the district as we share this wonderful program with the branch leaders during their conferences. This work is true and most important as the last gathering rolls forward in these the latter days. The Savior knows his sheep and they hear his voice when the Holy Ghost once again touches hearts within each member or non-member. It is a sweet stirring for all of Fathers children to their remembrance.