Hello Family and Friends,
So, I guess a few people have complained that my weekly letter to the family is slacking so this week, I'll pick it up and tell some stories. I just don't want to tell all of my really good stories because then I won't have any to tell when I get home. This week we were really focusing on some of our most serious investigators. We had some concerns that one lady that we had scheduled to be baptized, this coming Saturday, would want to postpone the baptism again. Well, first of the week we went to see her to resolve the concern and much to our surprise she told us that she is ready and wants to be baptized. Wow, I was really happy. The past month we struggled a bit because all of our people it seemed were just not serious. Most of them, we decided, we would work on this coming month and most have become much more serious. So this coming Saturday we are planning on baptizing three and hopefully another three on the 28th. This weekend we are baptizing the mother of one of my recent converts Dede her name is Rebecca, the second one is Dede A. We have been teaching her for a long time but she has been struggling to come to church these past few Sundays due to her work schedule. She is an intern as a nurse in a hospital so she gets all the hours that nobody wants so she struggles to get time off especially on Sundays. The last person we will be baptizing is Emma C. She is the Bishops’ mother and is possibly one of the cutest old ladies. She's got to be like 80 or so. Her teeth are falling out and she is just so cute and sweet. I can't wait to send a picture of her at her baptism. The first time I met her at her house it just about brought me to tears. She lives all alone in just a small one room apartment. It doesn't seem like anyone is really there to visit her, as far as I can tell, by how excited she gets when we come to see her. This week she told us that she told some of the ladies around her house that she was going to be baptized and the ladies all just laughed at her telling her how foolish she was being for being baptized. But I can see the faith in her and the testimony that she already has. I know I've probably said that time and time again but it is really cool to see people that start out as hesitant to accept the Gospel, to being so serious that they wish that we had worship services 3 or 4 times a week so they could come. It still amazes me how much the people here love going to church especially when it doesn't cost them any money. The one thing that I especially learned this week is to appreciate the small tender mercies that the Lord puts in our lives. There are many times where maybe some people are ridiculing us or pastors are harassing us or just when I'm tired. It seems that if I just open my eyes and look around the Lord always sends me something to brighten my day. It may come just as a smile from a random person or the excitement in some people’s faces when we come to see them. It always inspires me to be not only the receiver of such tender mercies but also be the giver. I have come to really love the people here. Yeah at times it gets annoying when I'm called abruni or brafonyo. But aside from it all, I feel genuine love for the people of Ghana. They are a truly blessed people. I am even more blessed to be able to serve them.
Love,
Elder Smith
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