July 25, 2011 {Email}

We had a great lesson with Douglas after emailing last week! He now has the Book of Mormon and a baptismal date! He is very determined and excited to become a member of this church. It is such a great thing to watch someone be so ready for the gospel and then to see them act on it. We also had another really cool experience this week. We have been teaching Alice since Elder Baraza came and she hadn't really progressed much so finally we told her that she had to really pray to know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet. The next time we came back i was expecting it to be the usual, "I didn't pray" or "I didn't get an answer" but when we asked her she just looked at us and smiled, then said, "It's good." I was not really sure i was hearing her correctly so i asked her, "Wait, what?" She said again, "It's good." She said she knew it was true after she prayed. She also came to church this week for the first time and really enjoyed it. Things like this make everything worth it! Elder Baraza and I went to another part of our area yesterday that is a really nice place. While we were there we saw a bunch of kids dumping some trash into a big swamp that was at the bottom of this steep hill. It was filled with thick trees too. I asked the kids if they have ever gone down there and they all got so scared haha. Then they said there was a BIG! snake in this swamp. Yeah then i was scared too. I want to see the snake really bad though! We will keep walking by there to see ha. Maybe i will get to see that something sweet that i've been waiting for...

Elder Rogers

July 18, 2011 {Email}

Well, I am 20 years old now! My birthday was sweet since i got to go on splits with Elder Wright for the first time since we split up. We have been meeting so many cool people lately and have just been so blessed in the work. The other day Elder Baraza just answered our phone and i guy said his name is Douglas and he wants to join our church. YES! We went and saw him and he was way cool and then came to church on Sunday. He said he talked to one of the not so serious people we are teaching and liked what he heard about the church. Sounds so simple, but it really is a miracle. Elder Baraza and I are going to teach him about the Book of Mormon tonight and we are way excited!

This week we said goodbye to Edmond and Judith. They are still way solid and ready to be baptized and to start waiting their year of membership to go and be sealed in the temple. I am just amazed at how blessed we are to be the ones to help this family along with what they were already prepared to do. I will miss them so much, but Elder Smith is way excited to meet them!

We had our baptism yesterday! Alfred was baptized and it was so much better that we waited a few weeks because he was so much more prepared and excited about it. Then there were 3 guys that were baptized that I was teaching with Elder Wright when i went to Tonaso! It's so cool to still be around to be a part of their conversion. Elder Baraza and Elder Wheeler each did two of the baptisms. Elder Baraza did very well with it but Elder Wheeler had a difficult time putting "the cat under water" haha. It was good though and now we are working for our next people to be baptized.

Everything is going great here! I love you all! 

Elder Zack Rogers

July 11, 2011 {Email}

This week was great again! I'm just going to continue talking about Edmond and his family because they are everything to me right now ha. Well, this week was another great step for them. On monday night we gave them the Book of Mormon, which they were very excited about. They took it and wanted to read it plenty! The next time we came, we started talking about the plan of salvation, which they understood and were very happy to hear the beliefs that we have because they believe the same things. During this lesson, Judith, the wife, asked about baptisms and how long they have to wait in our church before they can be baptized. We explained how people are baptized when they are ready, then i asked them both if they wanted to be baptized... They looked at me with big smiles and nodded their heads yes! We set a date for them on August 21st! We taught them two more times this week after that and finished the plan of salvation. At church on sunday the entire family was there! During priesthood class they were talking about temples, baptisms for the dead and sealings right in front of Edmond. He had not yet learned these things so he was pretty confused. That night we went and talked about temples with them, which is my favorite lesson to give. The temple is everything for us! I was kind of nervous for the lesson that they wouldn't understand it, but they understood it perfectly and were so happy when they learned that they needed to and could be sealed for all eternity. Edmond asked if he could take his family to Accra right after their baptism ha. They want to go! So sweet!

Then after the lesson they told us that they were going to have to move to her mothers place on Saturday... :(. It is very far, out towards Lake Bosomtwe. Too far for them to come to Asuoyeboa. The closest area is Atonsu, which my MTC companion Elder Smith is in so today i told him about it and he was stoked to find them and continue teaching them. I was so depressed when i heard that they were moving because this family is so close and they have such a strong desire to live this gospel and join the Church, but now they have a trial in their way. I know this family will have a strong enough faith to find the church no matter where they are. I'm glad Elder Smith is taking care of them too, i love that guy! It's going to be hard to say goodbye to them but it's what we do as missionaries. I think they have been the ultimate highlight for my mission so far. I will never forget them.

Elder Baraza is doing great! We just got transfer news and all of us are staying in Asuoyeboa. I found out Elder Harris is training again so i now have a brother! Ha hopefully i see Elder Harris before he goes home, i miss that guy a ton. Everything is going great here! I love you all!

Elder Rogers

July 4, 2011 {Email}

This week i have gotten to know maybe the coolest family that i have met yet! They aren't members, but i pray and hope they will be soon. On the 26th the father, Edmond, came to church and that was the first time i met him. We sent up an appointment to meet with him on Wednesday. He was cool at church and we were happy to go and see him. When Wednesday came around he was ready for us right on time, which is not very common for Ghanaians. Not only him but he had his wife, Judith there, and his 2 year old girl Karen and 6 month old boy Ezekiel. When we walked in and sat down Judith immediately came and put little Ezekiel in my arms. The happiness and trust they showed to us that first night was unlike anything i have ever seen. They really wanted to listen to us and know more about this Church. As for Judith she doesn't speak or read English too much but she can hear it really well. The whole lesson it was so powerful, the way everything just clicked with them. They understood! Karen was being a typical two year old girl the entire lesson, just grabbing everything in sight ha it was awesome. I gave her a Joseph Smith pamphlet to hold on to and then she stood up and started fanning me with it ha she drilled me right in the nose with it and then said "Kafra" which means sorry in Twi. Ha she was so cute the whole time. We gave them a commitment to read together a couple pages in the restoration pamphlet and they were excited to do so. The next time we came they TOGETHER had gone through the entire pamphlet! They asked questions that they had about it and as we answered everything fell into place. It just clicked to them! He understood everything about Joseph Smith, as did Judith, and he really believed it. At the end of this lesson he kept saying he wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon. He has that desire to know more! They were all way happy again and Karen was playing the whole time during that lesson.

 

On Sunday, Edmond came to church again. Judith couldn't make it because the children but should be there next week. In church Edmond was asking the members so many questions during investigators class and priesthood. It was so cool in priesthood because they were talking about the "Keys to the priesthood". He asked a question and then the whole rest of the lesson was directed towards him. He was loving it and understanding very well. After church he made sure we were going to come that night to talk about the Book of Mormon! He wanted to know everything. We came and discussed it. We taught the lesson in a different way then we had ever taught it, it was really neat. He loved it and Judith loved it too! Karen was still just jumping off the walls ha. The problem was we were out of Books of Mormon so tonight he made us promise to bring one to him and that is where we are going to go after this email session. I'm so excited! This family is amazing! I love them so much and wouldn't mind just teaching and talking to them all day every day! It has been such a blessing to meet these wonderful people.

 

I love you all! Have a great week!

 

Elder Rogers