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.
Family,
Ghana is still here....even though the whole country was
depressed for losing the Final game of the African cup of nations to Egypt. I thought it was funny. We told a few of the less-actives that
we have been working with they lost because they didnt come to church
hahaha. We have a good relationship with them so its not as harsh as it
seems haha. This week has flown by sooo fast!! We are baptizing
Nicholas for the goal this Sunday and we found out that ANOTHER one of
our less-active referrals wants to be baptized...maybe this Sunday too
but if not then the following Sundays and other elders that are
struggling with the goal will baptize him so we can accomplish the goal
by the end of this month! I cant believe its already February! Elder
Clements and I are trying to do a lot more home teaching instead of
finding investigators because that is what this ward is lacking and
need huge help.
This last week we all found out some pretty
HUGE information that will make you all soooo dang jealous hahaha. I
love being a missionary. Who else is called Elders in our church? You
might be thinking Apostles??? WELL YOURE RIGHT!!!! Our mission is
having a mission conference February 23 in Cape Coast with ELDER HOLLAND!!!!!!
Elder Snow and Elder Holland will speak to just our mission well at a
time!! First they will go to Ivory Coast....maybe Elder Legere has said
something? Then they'll come to our mission!! I'M SO STOKED!!! First of
all....APOSTLE....second....ELDER HOLLAND (my favorite if I'm allowed to
have favorites) Third....MISSION CONFERENCE in CAPE COAST! Ive never
been there. AND I get to see all the other Elders in our mission! It
will be so sick!!
Its funny how you said Bishop just
challenged you to read the Book of Mormon cuz thats what Elder Clements
and i started doing to recent converts... we challenged them 2 pages a
day and the good part is that we are doing it with them! :D So far its
working but we'll see how well they keep promises and step up to
challenges. Ive had a weird feeling lately like someone in our
apartment is going to be transferred...its like our apartment is too
close to each other haha. I swear there is no other apartment that is as
good as friends as we are haha. Its definitely a good thing.
I am so excited for the mission conference! ELDER HOLLAND!! THATS RIGHT! I have to rub it in while i can! :D
This
week went kinda fast....no crazy people bothering us. OH! There is a
guy named George that stopped his car as we were walking. He called us
and told us he has a friend in the US who told him he should learn
about this church so he decided to stop us and now we are teaching him.
Hes really smart and asks really good questions. He came to church
yesterday so we're working with him :D That's how contacting is in this
country.... :D The Lord really knows me too well, this is why i was
sent here.
Anyways, I love you guys so much and cant wait to get
your letters. I dont have much to say cuz nothing has really changed
except E. Clements and i are getting to be dang good cooks or maybe its
just that we are starving and have to eat it so everything tastes good.
Either way, it tastes good to us! :D I love you and miss you guys so
much, dont worry the day will come soon. Ill try to take pictures with
or of Elder Holland if i can! :D :D :D SUCKERS! :D
Love, Elder Lehr! I gained weight!! Ya right... :D
