So normally I write super long emails for this blog and spend hardly anytime on individual emails sent to me. This week I will try my best to spend more time with those people who take time to write me and I will write them. I will talk about a couple interesting things that happened this week though.
This is a photo of Elder Gilbert in a corn field, the view from his apartment, and his apartment building.
Here’s something interesting: So for every taxi and other public transportation, they have these window stickers that have something gospel-related on them. Some in English, some in Twi. Most say things like “Jesus loves you” but others might say “Repent or be damned.” Even a member who drives a taxi has “Priesthood” on the back of his. I got pretty used to it early on but sometimes they stick out with a new message. This week I saw one that said “I love my wife” and I bursted out laughing when I saw it.
A Ghanian taxi with a message on the back. I think this says “Let It Go” in Twi. Photo from http://www.heartlanguage.org
A Nice Teaching Experience
I also had a nice spiritual experience with a woman while out on Saturday. We were helping a man fetch water before we started teaching him, and as we were at a well, a woman came out a near by house and asked us “So what does your church believe?” Since it was so much like highschool, I started to answer like High schooler Ben Gilbert and not Missionary Elder Gilbert. It quickly turned into an arguement as she questioned our beliefs and we tried very hard to answer her. Eventually we left to teach the young man with a promise we would come back to teach her. She left us with “Do your homework and them come back” As we were walking back to the young man’s house, my companion said “Don’t do that again” “Do what?” “Try to prove yourself. The Spirit wasn’t there and you weren’t teaching her anything”
When we went back, we opened with a prayer and instead of trying to pull out scriptures, we bore our simple testimonies over and over. Halfway through the lesson, everything changed. The malice was gone and she was asking for our help to explain to her friends who questioned her beliefs. She even asked us to come back again next week. I was so surprised! Truthfully, without the Spirit, I can’t do anything. Because I don’t convert people, The Spirit does.
I won’t tell all of this experience, but I have strengthened my testimony of prayer this past week. Let me tell you, all of you, member of my church or not, Prayer works. Heavenly Father literally listens to your individual prayer and wants to answer you. And he does. He truly answers prayer.
Until next week, my friends and family!
Elder Gilbert
Just Gilbert 