Read the Book of Mormon!

Dear Family,

Merry Christmas!! I am so excited to talk to you all on Sunday I hope everything will work out okay for it. So this week has been a bit of a struggle. Christmas here in Ghana is quite interesting. Since it is coming closer it seems like everyone is either working, going to funerals, or traveling. I really have been amazed at how excited the people are about Christmas and the more interesting part is that they all focus on the real meaning of Christmas. The people here in Ghana are serious Christians. You can see it everywhere. The way the give directions always reference churches as landmarks. Everyone is so inviting when we go to their home because they want to here about Christ. They really really love the bible. That can be a bit annoying at times because most feel the The Book of Mormon is adding to the bible and they really have a hard time accepting it. But I have found that when they accept it that they really begin to love it. For example Brother Charles in Nkawkaw. At first he didn’t care too much for the Book of Mormon but as he began to keep his commitments and read he fell in love with it. I remember one lesson where he told us that he loved it so much that he doesn’t believe the bible anymore. Me and Elder Evensen kind of laughed and explained to him that the Bible is still very important and the word of God. It was a funny experience that really showed me how powerful that book is. I had a lesson with one investigator and we were teaching the Book of Mormon and I was kind of randomly looking through the pages and I just had the biggest grin on my face. The investigator asked me why I was laughing and I explained I wasn’t laughing I was just smiling because of how happy I was. I explained what the Book of Mormon means to me and bore my testimony of it. I just love reading the Book of Mormon it has such power in it’s simplicity. I would hope that everyone who reads this will renew their commitment this coming year to Study the Book of Mormon. Our testimonies are based on it. When we continually strengthen our testimony in the Book of Mormon it then strengthens our believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and His love for us. It strengthens our believe in Joseph Smith, that he was the prophet called of God to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And finally it will strengthen our believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints is the Christ’s church again established on Earth. I would urge everyone to experiment upon the words in the Book of Mormon. Even if it begins with just a desire to believe. Let the desire work in you until it grows into an active knowledge of it’s truthfulness. I hope that we will all remember the true meaning of Christmas in our lives. We all need to put Christ first in our lives so lets all begin this Christmas by putting Him first. I hope everyone has an enjoyable Christmas Season! I love and miss you all.

Love,

Elder Smith