Family,

This week has flown by!!! Wow...seems like the last 3 weeks have gone crazy fast. So the goal is officially finished for us! YA!! Elder Clements baptized Nicholas yesterday and it was awesome. I'm so excited to finally have that pressure of the goal off of us haha. The end of the goal is the 28th of this month. Besides the baptism there isn't anything all that special...same ole missionary stuff every week. One week closer to Elder Holland and transfers will most likely be on that day. I don't think I'm going anywhere again but you never know with president and the Lord. My guess is that E. Akoki will leave since its like 9 months in one area. I'll be 6 months here in two weeks...doesn't even seem like its been that long, wow I need to start working a thousand times harder if its going to go this fast. Looking forward it seems like forever but looking back its way too fast. I love the work and feel like I'm really close with the members and my apartment. Elder Akoki is teaching me a lot haha....hes not even my companion but he is always relating things to parables and scriptures and its helping me to learn the Bible and to be able to quote scriptures at appropriate times. Its funny.

I have learned so much since I've been here...one thing is about the "Parable of the Stoney ground." Its something that the Elders here in Asokwa apartment have created. The Ghanaian people are the best at it. Its all about patience and karma lol. Remember how easy it was to make me mad or upset and id pop off the first thing that came to mind...well I've been working on it everyday and catching myself and I've gotten a lot better at controlling my thoughts and feelings. Its definitely not easy and im nowhere near perfect but im working on it lol. Its a Christ-like attribute that is freakin hard to perfect, hmm ya that was a stupid comment, all of them are hard to perfect haha.

Sense i publicly chastised my Bishop I'm going to take the time now to publicly apologize and thank him for writing me (5 1/2 months after i left). Hahaha love ya Bishop.

2 weeks until Elder Holland...I'm still excited. The mission conference will be awesome too...never know, I might just be staying in Cape Coast since that is transfer day. Either way it'll be great and maybe I'll get to see the beach if im lucky. I thought it was a Cape "Coast" Mission not a big city dry land. I want it to be done with the dry season...it's hotter then normal this week. Sister Kiffer said it was around 110 with humidity the last few weeks. YA!! Try proselyting all day in that!!! Its a good thing we have air conditioning and clean running water in the apartment...wait...we dont! Hahaha...Life in africa is always interesting and if its not one thing its the other but hey...at least I'll know how to live off of nothing and survive life after mission when I'm a student and especially the first long while of marriage til things get more comfortable...won't happen for a while so might as well get used to it and love it now! :D

I am so glad that we have the truth...how lost we would be without it. Its going to be amazing and well worth all that we do to live with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ and with each other! I cant even imagine how much we'll love and enjoy that. I will definitely lay down my life for my Heavenly Father, even if that means giving up the things of the world, that look so appealing. My view of life and the world has changed so much in a short time...its all about becoming like our Father in Heaven, whatever that takes!! Its really hard to accomplish it, near impossible. But we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ that gives us light and hope, comfort and peace. Its eternal. Its all up to us now, whether we will go down that path with the Iron Rod or not.

I love you guys so much and cant believe that in 18 months I'll see you again. I've gotten get going haha, the work is endless especially in this country. So many people everyday who don't have what I have and I've got to help them one by one. This work is incredible. Its divine and I love being a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its turning me into a better person and I'll I'm doing is serving and teaching people. Everything else including my family is being taken care of.

Love Elder Lehr

PS: Thank you family and friends for the letters and emails, I'll be writing you soon.

yes mom i got that flat rate envelope this last week! THANKS!! Envelopes are great and there is no duty but i really want that slice n dice thing hahaha. AND JARED TO FREAKIN WRITE ME!!! OR ANY UNCLE FOR THAT MATTER! IVE WRITTEN THEM ALL A FEW TIMES. Atleast rachel wrote back to the letter in an email lol....MY UNCLES SHOULD KNOW HOW IT IS TO GET MAIL! FREAKIN GUYS. hahaha.