Family,

This week was filled with plenty of amazing experiences! First off....It is the BEST feeling to walk in on your investigator and he is reading the Book of Mormon of his bed! Wow...Elder Clements and I were stoked! It made our week! The best part is that it doesnt end there. He came to church and is prepared for Baptism! I hope i dont get transferred before that! Well the next day, (Wednesday) we went to an investigator who was referred by a member and we've been working with him but havent seen him in a while cuz he works a lot. Well HE QUOTED FROM ALMA TWICE IN OUR LESSON WITH HIM. The First was alma 32 about faith likened unto a seed and the second one was alma 34 about what we should pray for! WOW!!! I loved it, once again it is the best feeling when investigators actually read the Book of Mormon! It doesnt end here... He then took us to a friend of his who we taught twice last week and he is progressing which is great! That same Wednesday we went after institute with a member who brought us to a family to start teaching! THE MAN DOESNT LIKE OBAMA! It was kinda funny the things he was saying and how intelligent he sounded, just 2 things you usually dont find here in Ghana, let alone Africa. E Clements and i were busting up laughing. He seems really interested and would definitely stay in the church if converted. We go there this Wednesday sooo we'll see! Asokwa has changed!!! We have had 6 referrals this week from members and the work is moving! GREAT! Right when changes are coming next Monday-Wednesday. Sigh.

On Friday Elder Clements and I uhh...... Ill wait til next week to write about it hahaha. Lets jsut say you wont believe what we did and what Elder Clements got me to do :)

I love you guys and sorry its so short!

I love you guys!

Love Elder Lehr

Good afternoon/ Morning FAMILY!

Sounds like another crazy week for everyone especially with Tine's JFDI and Karlis softball. Always exciting things at our house haha. I am definitely using projection and enthusiasm, but mostly pronunciation because they speak English here kind of like they are from the UK, so maybe ill have a sweet accent when i come home, hopefully i don't sound like a retard too much. This week went so fast and was jam packed. It was a mission tour week which means a member of the area presidency comes to speak to all the missionaries and check out the mission. So President Dixon came to Kumasi on Thursday. He is incredible. He has been a general authority for 18 years on 4 different continents including china and India and Pakistan! Served in Buenos Aires! and a mission president in Mexico. He lost his right arm to cancer just before serving a mission when he was "young." Its crazy! He had to learn how to do everything with his left arm and he called it a blessing! And said that in the resurrection he isn't going to know what to do with a right arm! haha. Funny guy. It was a powerful meeting, he talked a lot about DnC 50 where it talks about teaching by the Spirit and the people being taught are learning by the Spirit and everyone is edified! One thing i really remembered was when he said that when you know that everyone in the lesson is feeling the spirit don't be afraid to commit the person or people to make covenants! I had that same experience the next day!! Elder Clements and i were teaching some college aged guys and everyone was feeling it so strong so we committed them to baptism after they've prayed to know that these things are true. They said yes! Haha, imagine that. It was a good testimony builder for me! :) Great experience. Those same guys came to church yesterday so that was what made our week!

I'm so excited about KEL!! Go Elder Winder! That's awesome! He'll love it.

And about Tine's leadership training! I WANT VIDEO OF HER GRADUATION! :D

This morning our zone went to the cultural center here in Kumasi which was interesting. They showed us a lot of cool things like how they make the Kentay cloth and pottery and woodcarvings. There is this disabled guy who has a shop and he paints incredible paintings of Africa theme and he does it all by using a paintbrush....IN HIS MOUTH! Pretty cool, cant really bargain his prices so we didn't buy anything from him haha. Sweet paintings though! It was cool to actually DO something for P-day instead of stay in the apt. all day long. Next week we are supposed to play football or volley-pong, which is ironically volleyball and ping-pong mixed. Its pretty sweet.

The Lord works in mysterious ways....but they wouldn't seem so mysterious if we were closer to our Father in Heaven. If I've learned anything so far its that the Lord is so willing to provide and even to work miracles in our lives and in the lives of others. But i haven't always been the one to think that they could happen to me or in front of my eyes. Wow have I been wrong?! If I would just be submissive to His will and ask for blessings upon those we are teaching or searching for, He would provide. Its amazing how easy that is right? Haha. I love this work. I love my family. You guys are always on my mind. I miss you so much. This is what I'm supposed to be doing though, so might as well be the best that i can be while I'm here. :)

Hope you have a good week :D

Love Elder Lehr

My beloved family!

I miss you guys like crazy and am always thinking about what you guys are up to and how crazy life back at home still is. There is never time to relax at the Lehr home. I miss that. Anyways, Mission life is going haha. This last week was really frustrating probably just because yesterday at church there was 26 people there when the Sacrament mtg started. It was pathetic and sad. I miss my home ward :(. Besides that stuff, we have been teaching a few guys that are mechanics and always bugged us mostly cuz we are white but we decided to teach them at least once and after the whole "America" thing people always go through with us, we taught a good lesson and they responded pretty well so we are going back again. You just never know who the Lord has prepared.

Elder Clements and I decided that even though we've had a frustrating week (He's still been sick til Thursday), we were not going to let that get to us. So we stuck tape to our fingers and stuck a whole bunch of cockroaches that are in our kitchen and flung them into a metal cup and started lighting the contents inside the cup on fire! Typical boys, i thought missions were supposed to help us grow up and mature, oh well. That doesn't include washing our sheets in a bucket and using our feet (clean feet) to stomp all over the wash. We didn't expect it but we ended up mopping the floor too with all the soapy water which was needed. I guess it's true what people have said about missionaries, we just go crazy in the apartment and do the stupidest things, but hey if it makes time go by faster when a companion is sick then so be it! I don't have much else to say this week, except President Dixon is coming to Kumasi on Thursday and so we'll have a zone conference with him and that should be exciting and uplifting! We have been so lucky to hear from general authorities every couple of months it seems like. :)

Well i love you guys so much and i cant wait for my bday, wait, nothing really exciting when it comes to b-days. If I'm still here then the Kiffers said they'll make a cake, if not then they'll still make it. I just wont be here to eat it. haha kinda like E. Adjeifio when he got transferred near his bday. You asked what else I want in my birthday package---I'd like some mashed potatoes and my patriarchal blessing and airheads and skittles and SNACK FOOD!!! Wheat thins or cheese its!!!! Put in anything that you'd want to have if you were stranded in a 3rd world country with nothing to MUNCH ON!! :D

You guys are awesome!! And if you ever get frustrated or just have a hard day, turn to the scriptures, it's full of stories about members of Christ's church having hard days. Elder Holland told us that if we had a hard day then SO WHAT!! Welcome to the church! :D Encouraging words...i know. Grin and bare it!

Love you all! Write me please! :D I sent out like 35 letters a few months ago....got 4 back. ouch!

Love,
Elder Lehr

Family,

This week was pretty good. We had zone conference on Friday which went well. I love how president just knows how to motivate and inspire us to be better and to work even harder. He announced the next goal we will have as a mission and its really a tough one. We have to baptize a husband and a wife into the church so that in a year they can go to the temple together. Its going to be tough and we'll need the Lord in this goal more than we've ever needed His help. We have 4 months to complete this goal! It seems like everyone in our apartment has been sick within the last 2-3 weeks! Mosquitoes are killing everyone, even ward members are saying that the mosquitoes are worse now then it has been in a while. The Americans are struggling haha. It wouldn't be a mission in Africa without getting malaria at least once so Elder Clements welcome to the mission! He's been sick the last few days. It's all good, he's a tough guy.

Our apartment is pretty cool.The newest missionary is Elder Ekaette. Elder Ekaette is a stud! Elder Mckay trained him so it makes sense that he is a stud too. I love the guy. We both proselyted together yesterday cuz both of our companions were sick and it went really well. He knows the scriptures so well! He is from Nigeria. His father is a pioneer of the church there and his older brother is a Stake President. Our apartment is playing Phase 10 tonight with the Kiffers, should be fun. I love our apartment!!!!! Elder Harris, Elder Ekaette, Elder Clements and me.....

Missionary work is divine. I love this work so much. Day in and day out I am searching for the humble hearts that the Lord is preparing to receive His gospel. While doing this work along side a companion and the Lord, we have the best opportunity to prepare for our future lives. Elder Holland taught us that Gordon B Hinckley started to create Preach My Gospel because He said there is a problem with the way we are doing this if missionaries can serve for two years and then come home and be inactive. Elder Holland said that Pres H. hates getting emotional and after saying this to the 12 Apostles He sat there and wept. Elder Holland went on to say that Preach My Gospel was born to convert the missionaries! It was sad to hear that but the way He spoke and the way he asked us to silently promise Him that we will ALWAYS be faithful. I definitely made that promise. I loved that experience of meeting with Him and the feelings and strength that he brought.

I know that God lives and loves us all individually. Because of His love He sent His only begotten Son to Atone for our sins. Through Jesus Christ we have prophets, Priesthood and therefore a church for all of God's Children to follow and learn from to be able to Become like Him and to follow Him. I know that Joseph Smith saw what he says he did and that because of his undeniable faith, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ was able to be Restored again to God's Children on the earth again. I love teaching about the Restoration. I always have that same feeling that i had when i first felt that the church was true. Its amazing. Its a warm, peaceful feeling. The Holy Ghost is such a blessing to us. Because God wont take away our agency, but He wants to teach us and help us to learn and grow, He has sent the Holy Ghost to dwell within us to teach us those sacred, personal and special things that our Father in Heaven wants us to know right then. I know all of these things not because anyone told me or convinced me, but because i searched these things out individually and asked in faith and i was answered in the feelings and thoughts i have had. This path is the only true path to live with our Father in Heaven and our Families again. I know these things to be true and hope by writing this that someone somewhere may try this gospel out and see if it is really from God. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I love you guys and hope you are doing well. Enjoy the rain while you've got it.

Love, Elder Lehr

Family,

How is everyone? Sorry for Karli and the concussion...knowledge knot? I guess youll keep your eye on the ball next time...hahaha. Sorry for being ruthless, just how our family is. Youll get over it bug haha. Anyways! Sorry about the Elders in Chile! Sounds like everyone is ok now though! Best time to do missionary work when the whole country is humbled! I love teaching humble people who ask sincere questions and are really interested! The lessons are always guided by the Spirit and the people progress...amazing how that works. I jsut wish theyd all be humble, but then i always think of how i would be if i was them and id probably be stubborn and run and hide from missionaries. I think thats a huge reason i was born into the church haha.

This last week was incredible....The mission conference was amazing and it was so great to see all the missionaries i havent seen in forever since im in kumasi (its own seperate mission). I love it here dont get me wrong. Elder Holland was incredible. I cant believe how personal the setting was and how he spoke to us for an hour and 20 mins and it felt like 15. I wanted more! I could listen to him all day long. President Snow and Him are hilarious. They talked a lot about being from southern utah and hog tying elders that didnt want to stay out on their mission (and he said stick a boot in their throat, i couldnt stop laughing at that). He told us a lot about how the missionary program was changed when President Hinckley said there is something wrong with the way we are doing the missionary program if missionaries can serve 2 years and fall in-active when they get home. Thats how preach my gospel started.

This last week we taught George...the powerful guy who had a friend in the US who is a member telling him to join the church. We are planning on commiting him to baptism this week so pray for him and us. Peter is also a member referral who we've been wrking with and he met with bishop this last week and bishop said he is a really serious investigator who knows the church is true. So we'll probably commit him this week too. We are kinda waiting for the new mission goal to be announced this friday at zone conference so that we dont finish the goal before it even started! Haha. Elder Holland really loved how unified our mission was in making goals as a team instead of competing against each other for baptisms and lessons taught...He didnt stop praising president Sabey. It was the first time ive seen President Sabey nervous! wow he was nervous haha! I probably would be too!

Bounti (the recent covnert our age)...remember how i said he recieved the priesthood last week? well we put him to work and he went with us teaching on saturday. We went to an investigator who was going to church faithfully around the time bounti started coming to chruch 4 months ago. Bounti and him (harrison) were becoming friends and then harrison just started now showing up or ignoring our calls and stuff. He's been busy and is really challenged by the roomates he has, typical party college dorm where he lives. We watched the Restoration DVD and it was so powerful when all 3 of us bore testimony. He came to church...I JSUT LOVE THAT! The Lord prepares people to hear the message and accept it when they are ready for it. We'll keep at him and see how things go. :D

I love you guys so much and cant believe March is already here! My birthday is coming and then after that i call home?!?! What the heck? 2 years is becoming such a short time when i look at how fast the past 6 months has gone. Its ridiculous! I love missionary work and will always be a missionary even when i come home. This work is His work and we have to do it His way and in His time! The sooner we learn that the better off we are! I cant believe how the Lord has helped me to have a love for everyone and to be able to see the good in everyone (through the Savior's eyes). This gospel is so true and i will give my life for it, whether with my blood or by the sweat of my brow in this Ghana heat! I wouldnt want to be anywhere else. This is an incredible experience and i thank my Father in Heaven everyday for this opportunity. I love you so much and miss you!

Love Elder Lehr

PS:Progression and experience have one Eternal round.... (Hymn 284, If you could Hie to Kolob). Figure that hymn out... haha.