Hey everyone!
Sounds like everything at home is just the way it was when i left, a year older and wiser too.
How was dinner with the Cordner's? Hope it was good.
Flying to Alaska? Mark and Rachel thats sweet...how long will they be there? The Kiffers made that place sound amazing and beautiful, maybe it is? haha so cold and far away.
First Howards or Lehrs to finish an eagle before 16?? hahaha good job Kayden and Derek! AND DON n Laura. They really are close to missions its crazy....cant believe Karli is a sophmore and Tine is a senior?? WHAT?? When did that happen? you guys were getting old when your FIRST child was a senior, but now two years later!! hahaha im a brat.
So today was probably one of the most sobering days ive had on mission and im sure most elders would agree. President sat us down before we played soccer at Takoradi (where elder Mackay is) and talked to us about how much disobedience is going on in our mission. He covered 4 topics, Movies, phones, music, and the internet use. He pretty much made everyone feel like crap and to be honest, just about every single missionary is guilty of one or all of these things. He taught us how they may be small things, but the scriptures say small and simple things bring about great things....he explained how that can go both ways, for good and for bad. Then he told us of a missionary who he sent home yesterday for breaking these rules a little too much.....then read to us a letter that that elder wrote to our mission.... by this time everyone is feeling like crap and wondering who that missionary is....then he read the name and my heart dropped.....one of my best friends i met in Kumasi when i first came. He was supposed to go home in just a month. This killed me....i couldn't even play soccer right, i played but it wasn't good. I cant stop feeling for this guy. So that's all ill say about that. This mission has just been humbled to the extreme, oh and he added to the white handbook by telling everyone that NOBODY is to have an ipod or mp3 player of any kind and that if you have one to send it to the mission home. We have two weeks to send it in then after that if he catches anyone with an ipod, either the ipod is taken by him and never given back or you take the ipod home with you. Sooo definitely sending that thing in haha. He then talked about the pride cycle and said that now we are in the "the Lord had to humble us" stage and he lovingly asked everyone to repent and that if we don't then the Lord has told him to start sending people home, TODAY WAS SERIOUS! Everyone is down, sucky feeling. But i can really feel how much president loves us and wants the best for us and this mission. Its the best thing that could of happened, just hard to take it all in at first.
Besides that, missionary work in Praso has been sweet. I'm really loving the area and people and enjoying the mission too much! :D I am learning so many things by living here and being a missionary. Its so sweet to feel the Spirit directing a lesson and to see it touch the hearts of the people we teach. I love it love it love it. It makes all the tiredness go away when you just fight through it and teach the gospel. 9 hours a day not including studies is definitely more than a full time job. Walking around all day may seem really tiring and sometimes it is, but just bearing testimony all day, always pondering about the needs of the people, that is probably the most difficult part of mission. I love it though.
Well this week is going to be interesting. My companion will be having trainings all week so ill be paired with the Ivorian who has started to become cool lately. We'll cover all the areas of the 4 missionaries, which covers 3 branches! Holy smokes it will be a full week for sure. Gotta love that, an already planned schedule is nice! :D Well i love you and hope you have a great week!!
Love Elder Lehr
Today we are in Cape coast and got to play football with both cape zones and even swedru came so 4 zones of elders. We got 2nd in the "world cup" because i missed my penalty kick, heart breaker, not playing for so long really does things to ya, i think dad would know. haha. It was fun to talk with all the other elders though. Everyone keeps talking about this new area opening up in our mission! Its the capital city of the region just above Kumasi, i forget the name but the city is called sunyane! They are putting 6 elders there and missionaries are excited to see who will go to that place haha. This week has been a little different then the past, mostly because we baptized almost all of our investigators and now we actually have to do some finding, but no problem because many members promised us referrals this week and there were a few who brought them to church, imagine that, members doing missionary work? ITS SWEET FOR US WHEN THAT HAPPENS!! :D
Well not too much going on this week besides a training thing that all missions are starting to do. That ll be interesting, being trained by the mission president himself. I'm excited to learn!!
I have learned so many things while i have been here, but one thing that Ive been taught comes from the scripture in Mosiah 2:41 i think. President always talks about this scripture and reminds us of the pride cycle and how it just goes round and round and round and NEVER UP!! But in this scripture, king Benjamin describes how when the Lord blesses them and they prosper instead of turning to pride they show their gratitude, repent and move on to a new level of obedience. Ive definitely see that in my life this past one year. I feel like Ive been blessed so much to conquer a few weaknesses that were just irritating me. I know that as we focus on one thing at a time that the Lord will help us through it. Of course it is not for free. It takes work and i mean HARD work to do things the Lord's way, but its worth it. I have come to love the Book of Mormon more than ever. It really is the word of God and teaches us those precious truths that were taken out of the Bible, for example: agency and the Atonement. The Book of Mormon is clear that without agency the Atonement wouldn't mean anything and without the Atonement, neither would our agency. (2 Nephi 2). I used to be irritated when i knew i had to study the scriptures or even pray, but Ive seen a huge difference now that Ive changed my attitude about it. I love the time we have each morning to study and always feel like its never enough! It has enhanced the work I am involved in and now the Spirit is able to help me recall things that Ive learned, unlike before. I'm so grateful for this gospel and for the strength that the prophet Joseph Smith had! I cant wait to meet him haha. STUD! I know the church is true and that as I live by its teachings i will be bless now and eternity. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love you guys, have a good week!
Cody!
So excited for Tine to have gone to EFY....and bearing her testimony first in Sacrament, you go Tine!!!
Too many family vacations without me...sad story. I hope illinois is sweet! CARTHAGE AND NAUVOO!?? Im so jealous of that. They are sweet. I love it there. Those places are so nice, especially nauvoo. Its a sweet town. Sorry, i say sweet too much. Everyone here says it sooo thats why.
Im doing good. Hangin in there. Got to go on a lot of splits/interviews with elder carton, remember his mom? Hes from washington state near spokane. He gave me a hug today and said ok i wont see ya in a long while....i didnt catch on to that, then i realized again that he is going home next week. Holy crap was that an overwhelming feeling and its not even me going home!! I still have a year!! WHAT?! Im gunna be nervous haha. But this last week we had a chance to go to the praso river again, elder carton's suggestion, he wanted sweet pictures before he goes home. We jumped rocks across the huge river and took pictures, almost fell in in our priesthood (missionary dress). I asked him if he sent pictures home lately and he said he hasnt sent pictures home since the first couple months of his mission. He said him and his family agreed not to to see the big changes everyone would have. Is that a horrible idea for me to do? Are you mad at me for asking? Hahaha please dont be, just wondering what youd say? haha. Ill just send the pictures.
Glad everything is going well at home. Keep up the RS work, of course we are all being blessed for that. We completed the mission goal with the baptism yesterday. We baptized two children from the husband and wife family from last transfer and had one other guy who worked at the Forever Young school that Brigham Johnson is the owner of. It was sweet. The obrunees who were visiting the school came. One obrunee wanted a picture with the missionaries....felt wierd to talk to white girls, they actually have personality and to be honest, wore me out with talking so fast and so much, ummmm will that be how its like when i come home?? hahaha.
I love you guys. Have a sweet week! Karli, i hope you go .800 throughout the tournament!! Tine, Enjoy the pizza, and everyone enjoy the church sites if you get to go! Take all of it in!! Talk to ya next week probably! Transfer monday this monday coming up! Excitement (not in a complaining way but i sure hope something changes).
Love elder lehr! (cody!)
Thanks for the email, internet isnt working well and im frustrated with it so this will be the only email today, sorry guys. Yes the debit card is working, the Barclays bank ATM was the problem so i just went to a different bank and it worked. Thanks! Sorry about the whole problem. So how is the ipod coming? or is it? I just got a butt load of packages, two from grandma Lehr and one from mom with some sweet letters from everyone except dad...whats up with that fool? haha jk. And a package from julie. There was a nice thank you card for the letter i wrote her.
This week has been sweet, now 7 people have baptism dates. 4 this saturday and then probably another 6 or so on the 14th of august. Should be sweet. We will complete the goal on saturday!! And there is a new area in the mission opening up soon called Sunyane. Its north west of kumasi and sounds like the church is going to BOOM there! The leaders of the city said they want to hear more about the church, of course president did WORK on them about our doctrines. Id love to be among the first to go there!! haha if not, oh well. I like it where i am. Just needing someone to talk to as i work is all....love my quiet comps.
I love you guys and tell the uncles i loved their letters....except for Dons letter... hahaha. Counting down the days for me and talking about food and rootbeer and AC everywhere, nice guy haha. Well i love you guys so much!! Have a nice week!
Love, Cody
