MƐ KƆ FEI

Hello, my friends and family! The title of today's email means "I'm going home". Today, I write to you for the last time... I first want to thank all of you for your constant love and support, which I have seen time and time again. There were many moments in my mission which were low. And almost like clockwork, when I was feeling down, there was always an email full of love, kindness, and encouragement. It is and always was exactly what I needed. So big thank you to all of you who have read my emails, thought of me, prayed for me, cried with me, or gave me support in any way! It is through people like you that a tired, worn-out, beat missionary can feel Christ's love. So with all the humility of my heart, Thank you!!

When I first arrived in Ghana, I vividly remember being stuffed in a small, rickety aircraft in Accra for a 30-minute flight to Kumasi. Near the end of the short flight, I can remember dipping out of the clouds in Kumasi and seeing thousands of tiny shacks and rusted roofs scattered amongst the red dirt landscape. I can recall thinking to myself that there is absolutely nothing that this place has to offer me. Oh, how I have found myself to be so wrong! Ghana has offered me EVERYTHING! Today, I come to you with a humble heart, full of joy, and gratitude, for the time in which God has permitted me to have spent in Ghana. These past two years have been the most stressful, difficult, and downright challenging years I have ever experienced. But from the difficulties, I have learned more in these short two years than I ever thought I could. I have experienced unspeakable amounts of joy. The kind of joy that fills you from head to toe and makes you want to jump around and yell from the rooftops! (Sounds kinda silly but it's the only way I can think to explain it.) I have seen my life and others changed, turned around. Pasts forgotten, new beginnings. I have seen the hand of God in the most remarkable and stunning ways. I've heard the voice of the spirit speak from the dust. I've seen it lead me to people who are ready for the gospel. I've seen countless prayers answered. And testimonies developed. And I am so thankful to think that all this is only a shadow of things to come!

I want to speak about some of the big life-changing lessons that I have learned. Many of which I experienced in a trial by fire situation. But I believe that is why these became big lessons.

I have learned that God truly loves, cares for, and blesses each and every one of his children. God's love always abounds and does not depend on status, education, material items, or ability. It really is unconditional. I've learned that the way this love is experienced isn't through the material blessings that we receive. We as first-world people seem to get too focused on these things and lose sight of how God's love can be experienced. I've met absolute saints in Ghana who have absolutely nothing. Living In a hut built with weeds and mud, rust holes in the roof, and no clothes on their back. But despite having nothing, their love for and commitment to God is overpowering. I Never heard complaining. They are as happy as could be. Why? Because they are abiding in God's love. Because they are living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do they wish they could have more? Yes! But they are content because they feel the presence of the Spirit. And they undeniably feel God's love for them. They are humble enough to recognize that the gospel of Jesus Christ is everything!

I've learned that there is always something to be learned! And the quickest way to learn these lessons is through humility. There were times where I felt I was at the top! Turns out I wasn't even close.

I've learned that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its accompanying gospel is Jesus Christ's church and it is his gospel. He is indeed the Savior and Redeemer. He did come and he did perform the atonement. We can repent of our sins to better ourselves and to become more like him. I learned that Jesus Christ is the answer to everything. He is in all and through all, it is because of him we have everything. He is the answer to the ailments in today's society. The love of Christ is what will build bridges to connect all of us together in unity. I know he lives, the proof is given that he loves us. We just need to show that we love him.

There are so many things that I have learned and continue to learn. I have absolutely LOVED my time that I have spent in Ghana. And will forever cherish the moments that I spent here and the relationships that were cultivated. To say goodbye is a lot harder than anticipated but I know that God has great things in store for the people here in Ghana, and for myself. So here's to the best two years!!!

Afehyia Paa!!

Hello, brothers and sisters! What a wonderful Christmas season we have had this year! For the past few weeks while walking around proselytizing, instead of the normal greetings of good morning, good afternoon, and so forth, we have been greeted countless times with "Afehyia paa," which means Merry Christmas! Honestly, it was nice to have that constant reminder of Christmas time, especially because when it's 100⁰ degrees outside, it is really easy to completely forget. Although Christmas has come and gone, I am still trying to reflect back and think of all the good moments I have had throughout this year. (There are too many to even number), but just because the year is past does not mean it should be forgotten. So with that said, I am just so grateful to my Heavenly Father for leading me this far!

I have been transferred out of Kronum! I spent my 6 months as zone leader, and now I am "retired." Technically, I have been released, but I think retired sounds better. Anyways, I will just talk for a minute about my time in Kronum. I will dare say that was my favorite area! I was in a ward which was just so awesome! Missionary work was so enjoyable there, and the people were just the absolute best, most loving Christ-like people I have met thus far in Ghana. Some of these people changed the entire course of my mission; some even changed my outlook on life. They served tirelessly to gather Israel, and it was just a joy to be around people who understand the gospel and are willing to do what they covenant to do! I'm so grateful that I was able to serve people there and leave my own little mark on Kronum! On my last day in Kronum, we went to visit the Tiamah family. They are one of the best families in Kronum. As I was saying my goodbyes, they surprised me with a gift. The gift was that they are going to name their next child after me—Mommy Tiamah (Vida) was in her 9th month of pregnancy at that time. They proceeded with this news, telling me how much I have changed their family and helped them. They all started to cry, and I already had alligator tears streaming down my face. It was THE MOST HUMBLED I have ever felt in my life. Yesterday evening, I got a call from Daddy Tiamah (Thomas) that the baby has been born and indeed named "Gilbert Tiamah." I couldn't have dreamed of a better farewell from Kronum! Sadly, the Tiamah family doesn't have a smartphone to send me a picture of their newborn, but I have a picture attached of me sitting with the Tiamah family while saying farewells (it's the one with the man wearing a neon yellow shirt).

Now, speaking of newborns, it was Christmas, which represents the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My first Christmas in Ghana was pretty bad and honestly kind of depressing. But my second Christmas in Ghana was the BEST!! The funny thing is there wasn't anything that changed. I celebrated Christmas the exact same way both years. But the one difference was I learned how Christmas is supposed to be celebrated. I now firmly believe that Christmas is supposed to be a humble holiday, focused around the Savior. Although Ghana doesn't really have much snow, festivities, or gifts, they do got one thing right. And that is the focus of Christmas. When it comes to a Ghanaian Christmas, there is no external pollution, no corporation pushing gifts, no high expectations. Just people, family, kindness, sharing, generosity, food, and most importantly, it is 100% focused on Jesus Christ. Now, of course, many of them do not know exactly the extent of what the Savior has done for them, or maybe they do not know the correct way to pray or to worship him. But the intent is there. Now I'm not saying that we don't know how to celebrate Christmas at home, but I will say that we tend to shoot past the mark. Jesus Christ, the king of Kings, was born in a stable for crying out loud. He was born among animals!! In a dim damp stable. So if he was born with nothing, why should we focus so much on having "things"? Anyways, this year I celebrated Christmas the Ghanaian way, humbly, surrounded by friends, and with food!

So, as I mentioned earlier, I have been transferred to my last area! When I got released, I was called to train. President mentioned in the phone call that I would be training an American elder. Well, transfer day came, and I was called to the Berekum area in the Sunyani zone. My companion is Elder Zebe from Pocatello, Idaho!!! What are the odds of that? I am in my last transfer, and he is just starting his second transfer. So I feel kinda bad at times, especially when I celebrate the small milestones (like only having 30 days left), Elder Zebe will just look at me and shake his head. Although it may have been a long time ago, I do remember how intimidating a mission seemed. But my goal is to help set him up for a mission full of success. I've learned so much while I have been here, so now it's my turn to realize these things and help teach them to someone else so they can build upon my experiences.

That goes right along with my scripture thought. It is coming from Moroni 10:3:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts."

As the year ends, I'm trying to reflect on the past year and "remember how merciful the Lord has been unto me." One point in the gospel that is often overlooked is to remember! I have a tough time with this, especially. But the Lord will do something amazing for me, and I will remember for a week or two, and then it will slowly fade away. And to remember has a lot to do with being grateful. So this year, I am going to set aside a few minutes every day to reflect and "remember," and I could encourage you to try and do the same!

Anyways, I sure love all of you! And I am just constantly humbled by the support y'all give me! I hope everyone's Christmas was amazing, and happy new year! 2024 is going to be amazing, I can already tell!

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Saving Grace

Hello everyone! It's been a little while, but I have had some amazing things happen lately. I will share the most significant one with y'all. But before I do that, I will inform you that transfers have happened. Elder Uzoigwe has left, and my new companion is Elder Togba Jr. from Liberia. He is my second Liberian companion and honestly just a stand-up guy. I am still in the same area of Kronum. I really like his area, but I was told in my last interview that I will soon be transferred (in 2 weeks). I've been in Kronum for 6 months now, so some change would definitely be nice. I'm looking forward to what my new (and last area) will have to offer.

For the main part of today's email, it will be a story of a major miracle I saw this month.

When I first got to Kronum, I got an email from my amazing aunt Debbie. She was asking if I wanted a care package from home. Usually, I would ask for things to fulfill my own selfish desires (like American candy, jerky, sunflower seeds, etc...), but this time I felt as if I should ask my aunt to send some clothing for a very poor family in my area. She graciously sent the clothes. After a long while, they arrived. I brought them back to my apartment but never had the chance to take the clothes to the family. I felt like I was just being lazy by not taking it to them swiftly like I had intended to. They sat in my apartment for maybe 2 months.

To give a little background on the Oduro family, the family has 7 members in total: the mom and dad, and 5 kids with ages 12, 10, 7, 5, 3. Well, the family was living in a bad place with a really bad landlord. He would often beat their children while both of them were out and about looking for jobs during the day. Eventually, enough was enough; the abuse was too much to handle. Although they had no money, they bargained with another landlord to let them stay in a room for a few months until they could get on their feet. He agreed, and they moved to a place that had a good landlord but was an area that was along the river bottoms that easily flooded.

About a week ago, a bad rainstorm came through the land, and there was a huge flash flood. Because they were staying in a place that floods really bad and along the river, the entire family nearly drowned inside their own house. There was water pouring into the windows and no way to escape. The entire house was filled to the brim with water. But thankfully, before the house collapsed and was carried downstream, the family was able to swim out the front door. Even though they were already upon hard times, things just got a lot harder. Everything that they did own was lost in the depths of the raging river. Honestly, it was by the grace of God that they were able to get out of the building without a scratch on them. But thanks to the spirit and charitable family members, despite having nothing left, now at least have clothes to wear.

What I thought was laziness was actually the spirit that was restraining me. And I'm thankful that I listened to it. If I would have given them the clothing just a week sooner, all of their new clothing would have been washed down the river alongside their house. As of now, the family is doing well. The father was able to find someone who would hire him for a time, and the church helped to get them a nice safe room with a good landlord far away from any rivers.

I hope things are going well at home. As the seasons change and get colder, I'm doing A-OK here. I'm happy and healthy! Thanks! ~Elder Gilbert

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Akokɔ Nan (Chicken Feet)

Hello, my family and friends! It has been quite some time since I last emailed, so there have been lots of interesting things that have gone on. Let me get started.

First of all, Elder Negone went on transfer a few weeks ago, and I have now received my 9th companion, Elder Uzoigwe! He's my first companion who is from Nigeria. Getting to experience different companions from different places and walks of life has honestly been one of my most favorite parts of my mission. I've heard countless stories, backgrounds, and testimonies. In my experience, getting to really know and understand someone and their story brings a sense of unity. I have found it so fascinating that, although each and every one of my companions and I have had our differences, with the gospel of Jesus Christ as our common ground, we can work together seamlessly, as if we were born as twins (Mosiah 18:21).

In my zone (Suame Zone), we have 10 elders and 6 sisters that we help. With all of the elders, we must do exchanges. As I have mentioned in the past, I really enjoy exchanges. Well, this transfer, 5 of the 10 elders will be going home. I have always considered myself to be a strong-minded person who really isn't influenced by others. But I tell you what, when you have 5 exchanges with missionaries who go home in 20 days or less, it definitely takes a toll on your mental health. Sometimes it's a little too easy to let your mind wander and lose focus, especially when you only have 3 months left yourself. I believe this is the reason why I have been so terrible at writing emails. To be honest, I'm getting pretty tired, so I'm trying my hardest to keep my mind in Ghana until my time is finished. I'm grasping at straws here at this point; I am just in full survival mode, trying to push everything that makes me think of home very far away to preserve myself for just a little while longer. I got this!

In the missionary work, things are going so well. I can safely say that right now I am the most effective I have ever been in missionary work. My companion and I have seen so many miracles as we continually push ourselves. I have a firm testimony about the power of the Spirit in telling you all things. Sometimes we meet people, and our goal is to get to the bottom of their spiritual problems in just a few seconds. It's not an easy task to figure out what is spiritually bothering people, but I have found that if I just listen to the Spirit, it will tell me what their problem is. It's happened time and time again, and as we ask them questions, soon the problem is unfolded, and what the Spirit said was exactly the same. It's like in the Book of Mormon in Alma 12; Alma the younger is contending with Zeezrom, and Alma knows all of the thoughts of Zeezrom and is able to stop him in his tracks. In Alma 12:3, it says, "or behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit."

Anyways, on another note, the weather has been super hot. When things get cold in the US, things get really hot in Africa! Luckily for me, it has been raining a bit later in the season than usual, so it's like free A/C in the evenings. But amongst all the scorching hot days, we have been able to crawl into a nice, cool baptismal font with some awesome people! One of them was Brother Oheme from my last email, who brought 3 different churches to the Lord in prayer. He is 76 years old and honestly one of the best.

That's pretty much all that I have. Things are going well for me. I'm honestly happy and decently healthy. The only downfall is I'm getting pretty tired and worn out with the mission. But that will not stop me or slow me down. Even though I'm tired, I still have a purpose, and there are people out there who need me! I know that this church is true and that Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Redeemer, and my intercessor with the Father. Because of Him, I have hope - hope of eternal life and hope to be perfected in Him! I know that I am out here to preach His gospel, to teach others (and myself) how to obtain eternal life. I know that the Spirit of God truly is "the fullness of truth" and will tell us all things. I also have a firm testimony of the divinity of the Holy Scriptures, and they truly are given to men for our instruction.

I love you all dearly and hope and pray for you continually. I'm thankful for your constant support.

~ Elder Gilbert

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