Week #70

And His name shall be Wonderful

Merry Christmas! I hope all is going well all across the world on this special day! cant believe today is actually christmas.... Feels like we just had christmas! hahaha yesterday it snowed about 3 feet of fresh pow, so me and the boys this morning had to go out and shove..... JUST KIDDING!! but the dang Sahara desert is killing tarkwa with its dust! so some how we had a sandy christmas and it was not white but like a brown orange?? ahhahah ghana is special so we get cool christmass! hahahahah 

well as i think about what i can share about the savior on his "birthday" (thats another discussion) i would like to share about what i know about the single most important moment in the history of mankind, that is His Atonement and what it has done for me. 

something got my mind running a few weeks ago when i hear a comment during institute, now most people and even missionaries teach that the atonement of jesus christ started with his suffering in Gethsemane and ended with Resurrection on the third day, which is absolutely TRUE! but i dont think our savior would ever go through such pain and agony with out a reason why and even how as WE humans would benefit from his priceless sacrifice.

i believe that the words and teachings of Christ are Part of our Savior Jesus Christ Atonement. His words are the treasure map to access his atonement, he has given us common men to use his sacrifice in our lives so that we too may also eternal life. yes the sealing of the atonement is his death. but christ words, teachings, stories, parables, are the way that we can use it. 

ive learned to cherish the words of christ. we on this earth have soooo little of all of the words that christ spoke BUT we do for sure have enough! the atonement is REAL! but it only works if we study for ourselves and find how to access such a gift from our God. i love the christmas season, even though in ghana i dont feel like its acutally christmas hahahha its still fun to celebrate and remember such a miracle our christ was to us. 

I LOVE YOU ALL. i am so grateful for my family! as i just talked to them i know that they are in gods hands and they are my backbone, without them i am nothing and i am grateful of the knowledge of eternal family. Let us all share our knowledge of our savior even after christmas has come and gone, i mean who wouldnt want christmas 365 days a year!!!?? hahahaha

much love as always

elder jeppson

1.president bought piutau and i some FUFU soooo nice!! hahaha
2.Trainers follow up in Cape Coast!
3. well.........this is traffic in ghana... no one is moving btw for about 10 minutes, like a bad jigsaw puzzle gone wrong. hahahah 7 hour tro to tarkwa............yummy
4. me trying to get festive hahah
5. baptisms on xmas eve!! soooo perfect!
6. HAHAHAHAHAH carols night was soooo funny! fat ghana momis singing christmas songs in fante is just tooooo good
7.SLAYER!! hahaha just boys playing a nice nerf war on christmas morning
8. made some breakfast burritos for xmas breakfast!! 

Week #69

well hahahhah idk actually

honestly this week was just too fast or somehow sooo long im just getting more confused as I sit here and think about it hahahah

nevertheless, I think elder piutau and I had a good week. I finished up my exchanges with the district and we said good bye to elder bills..... man that guys is a legend! (he'll be in eagle on jan 18) hahahah

really got nothing much to say. xmas season is not an easy time in Ghana to get new people to come to church cause bro............. THE PARTIES THESE CHURCHES THROW........... but we are doing our best to help people know the truth and join us for another great sacrament meeting on xmas eve instead of a free concert for like 4 hours. HAHAHA

ill write a better email next week but I just want everyone to know that Ghana has started its hammatahn and guys.................. if the sun keeps it up im gonna have to bye some new shirts from having to wash the BLACKNESS off my collars.......... those things are getting sooo weak and are hangin on by like a thread! hahahh mission is sooo fun. those little experiences are just priceless!

alright!! till next time, enjoy a wonderful Christmas holiday. nothing beats this time of the year.

love you all!!

elder jeppson

1. ohhh the stuggle of a camera man is also in Ghana! hahah
2. piutau chllin while im in my favorite room regretting my lunch, breakfast, snack, ect hahahah

Week #68

growth and change

last monday we got on a tro and took a good 2 hour ride to TADI! hahahh we spent the night in the senior couples house. we watched the Christmas devotional with a side of popcorn!! the music finnally made me feel like its actually christmas time hahahha and the best BEST part of the night. GOT TO SLEEP IN AC!!  man the way we cranked that thing on cold!! all of us somehow got sick and it was soooooo cold it was unbearable!! felt bad for elder massaquoi (from Sierra Leon) coughed the WHOLE night! hahahha but we had to enjoy the AC while we had it!! hahahahah oh we are soooo dumb sometimes! lol the next day we went on another tro (2 more hours) to CAPE for the xmas devo for tarkwa zone!! it was soooo great! love our zone and inspired mission president! drove all the way home 6 hours in a tiny car on ghana roads............. YEEEEEEEAAAAH BAABBBBBBBBBY, we died

the highlight of the week was i got to go on exchange with elder Bills!! been almost a year since we went on our last exchange wayyy back in assin fosu! soooo cool how much we both have grown in the gospel and our way of teaching in just 1 year!! im sad to see elder bills go home this Wednesday, especially cause he'll be in Eagle in january!! but i truly have seen a powerful man finish his mission strong and complete submerse himself in the work of the lord. i am striving to be like him and finish strong!! BUT MAN the way that guy can speak the Fante! makes me look like a kid! soooo cool! wish him all the best and his someday future wife! ahahahhaha

funny story had like fufu like 2 or 3 times this week given to us by members, but one of them was a massive fufu dinner with palmnut soup, now for the 4 of us it was relatively small, but the MEAT!! it was tooo much!!! like 6 fishes (2 different types) cow skin, they call it goat fish but i think it was just goat, and then cow knee...... yes COW KNEE's!! hahaha the funny thing is all of the meat is preety good, (cow skin makes me gag small but its normal lol) but the cow knees are absolutely DISGUSTING!! and none of us could eat the 2 big ones he gave us so we do what all missionaries do when they cant eat it........ find a place to hide it! hahahah

i guzled my water sashay down and then we stuffed it into the bag and asked our brother for more fufu, he was stoked and went to the kitchen and got us more. while he was in the kitchen i ran out the door and chucked that sashay with the knees in it SOOOO FAR!! i swear it had to be like 50 yards!! hahahah quickly came back and sat down for MORE FUFU!! hahaha man the way i was full but it was sooooo funny!!!

gotta love these people! they truly are the happiest people in the world! 

love you all

elder jeppson

1-2 us at the xmas devotional in CAPE!! enjoyin the spirit of our leaders and even got to watch the polar express!!! 
3.  the legend bills and i! 

4. ohhhh elder piutau. chilin in primary room cause for some reason they are the only class in our whole church that has AC.......... i know im confused my self why they get it.... hahahahha

Week #67

Exchanges!

I went on a couple of exchanges with some of my district members this week and i thought id be somehow teaching them but man the way they taught me different ways of teaching styles and examples i love it! and to add to that elder piutau and i were able to get 9 NEW invetagators this week........ SOOO much we hope we can meet with all of them this week haha the work is moving and so is time... kind of weird how that works.

one of these brand new investagators taught me something and made me look at the role of the holy ghost a little different. this man that we met and taught was named Joanna, 35 year old man that lives, works, sleeps, and eats inside this little 2nd hand clothing shop thats part of the old train station here in tarkwa

what ive come to realize that everyone knows a part of the truth of the everlasting gospel and even if its not 100 percent correct they know there God in a small small way. everyone comes from some church, hears some man preaching on the streets, or a radio broadcast, ect. and off what they hear becomes part of there view or opinion of who god really is.

as we asked joanna about who God is and eventually we asked, "Joanna to you who is the Holy spirit??" he paused for a moment i assume to collect his words into english, he humbly replies, " the holy spirit is the one who remembered all the words that jesus christ said when he was on the earth and when we need answers or help the holy spirit will tell us what to do and remind us of those words jesus said when he walked this earth. "

i was in amazement and awe, never in my life i have thought of the holy ghost like that and its soooo true what brother joanna has said. that holy spirit was THERE with christ as he spoke to the disiples. he remembers EVERTHING christ spoke and when we asked the father questions he grants the spirit to give us a small portion of Chirsts words and for all we know that simple answer could change the way we are and how we act. so grateful for Joannas words, i love how i learn when im teaching. it makes teaching sooo much more enjoyable! hahaha

also got the opportunity to conduct 3 baptismal interview this week for my first time ever! what a treat that was. one of them a 10 year old Innocent little boy made me tear up and get very emotional, as i asked him about the law of chastity he told me how he as a small little boy was gonna live that commandent that god gave him. his answers were sooo sincere and real, he talked about having happy thoughts and remebering that hes gonna have a family one day and he needs to prepare for it.

God speaks even to the smallest among all his children. so glad i get to witness his work and his glory as he teaches his children how they can return to his presence, lives are changes and the knowledge of His light becomes sooo real its impossible to hide.

God bless you all! have a great, loving, grateful week. some are in the dark, while you are in the light, offer a hand and help and bring someone into the fold of christ.

love

elder jeppson

1-2. sister phylis, one of our most progressing investagators, shes sooo sweet and loves the temples!
3-4. CHAPPLE CLEANING AND TOILETS! haah

5. BUSY BUSY SATURDAY!!!!!!!