Week #103

{Peyton is scheduled to land at the Boise airport tomorrow night, August 15th, at 9:45pm.  He will speak in church about his mission on Sunday, Aug 19th, at 1pm at the LDS church at 2090 North Eagle Road Eagle, Idaho.  We will also have an open house that Sunday evening at 7pm at our home -- 1342 West Applecreek Court, Eagle, ID -- for any and all to visit with him.  Thank you for your prayers, your love and your support for him and for us these past two years.}

my love and appreciation for my Ghana

its almost impossible to write a letter to express all of my experiences over the past 2 years. the people i met and taught, the frustration, the love, the lessons i learned, and many many more things i wish i could share. but ill share a few.

brothers and sisters i needed this, not just a mission but a mission in ghana. the people have shaped me to what i need to become, no i am not perfect but i thank my companions, leaders, president hillam and his wife, and most importantly the savior.

my growth in my personal relationship with the savior i think is probably my greatest treasure i can take home from a mission. to know that he died for me and all these 1390823490 mistakes ive made, i can be forgive and even become greater as i rebound and act on the learning opportunities.

so grateful for these ghanaian people, they are the greatest, most humblest people in the world and the lord blesses these people. yes they are very confused on the doctrine of christ because of many false prophets, But MANY are looking for the "lights upon the shore" coming through a dark and stormy night trying to find there way back home and because of the lords work, many of gods children find the truth and even find everlasting life.

i love you all and thank you for your support these past 2 years. i cant wait to see my family in just a few days. gonna be something else.

ill leave you with my "mission family" scripture. 2 timothy 4:7

I have fought a good fight, i have finished my course i have kept the faith.

though the fight continues in the real world i'm grateful to find path to discipleship and even find my savior Jesus Christ.

love you

god bless all 

and god bless Ghana

your friend

elder jeppson

-the future awaits, as god permits-

Week #102

a week of lasts

[Peyton lands at the Boise airport on August 15th at 9:45pm.  He will speak in church about his mission on Sunday, Aug 19th, at 1pm at the LDS church at 2090 North Eagle Road Eagle, Idaho.  We will also have an open house that evening at 7pm at our home -- 1342 West Applecreek Court, Eagle, ID -- for any and all to visit with him.]

ill keep this one short, ill send a good last one next week.
we had a great week, mashale is such a good guy. we met a lot of people but somehow they just arent serious so the search for more investigators is still on! had a fun week in Otuam, no one was there to translate so we straight up tried to teach people in fante hahahah the lessons were sooo bad but it was kind of fun to stretch our fante to its limits haha

im trying to see if i can finish the book of mormon before i go home. im in heleman rn so we will seee if its possible... got a lonnnnnnnng flight and a long lay over in london, i think some mccdonalds and a little BOM will be niceeeee hahahaha

one thing ive learned these past few months is that satan is so aware and is working harder and harder everyday for me to just stop, saying things in my head, things like, "why go out?" "just sleep" "sit at a members house and chill" soooooo many voices in my head but ill i keep thinking about is what president monson said, FINISHERS WANTED. 

thats all i want, to be able to come home with such peace that i not only completed a full time mission, but gave it my all. i love what connor van alfen said in his last email, "laid in all on the alter for the lord" (such a great example to me the kid) i also hope to have that same feeling as next week Wednesday when i see my fam and hug my mom, that its finished and all those months away from these people, it was worth it. for because of this separation, i found myself, i found a new side of me that i never knew.

trying to become a true disciple of Jesus Chirst, its not an easy task and i have sooo much more to go but the journey that has helped me get on the path of discipleship, that i will never forget. i know that only serving a mission could of gotten me on that path.

so grateful for my family, they are the best. cant wait to see them!

till next week!

i love you

pray for me.

elder jeppson

1-3. ill be straight, im sooo tired of these stupid kids but man im gonna miss there funny humor and scaring the heck out of them hahah so i made them do the scary face i give them when i see them hahah

Week #101

20 years and wiser too

well its true im 20 but wiser hhehehe

thatll be for you to decide.

what a great week elder mashale and i had, a few exchanges, a few new people, baptismal interview, MY LAST MLC, went to the church farm in saltpond, and lastly i had the opportunity to baptize 2 wonderful daughters of God as the best birthday present ever!

so greatful to have lived my entire year of 19 in such a good country and setting. sad to leave the teenage years... but im excited for the adventure.

nothing really to share this week. i was asked to bear my testimony at mlc.. and that alone was hard. sooo many of my best friends that ive served with these few years and the way ive just grown to love them!

if you need me ill be workin. so we will talk later.

elder jeppson

1-18. my last mlc, some of my best friends, old comps, and legends.  gotta love my ghana.

Week #100

a bishop's advice

(For those wondering, Peyton gets home on August 15th and will speak in church about his mission on Sunday, Aug 19th at 1pm.  He'd love to have you there!)

well another week come and gone. ill be straight this week was slowwwww as ghanains coming to church on sunday hahahahah but for real it was a good long busy transfer week! got a few new legends in our zone we are excited to work with!

ive been thinking alot about how hard its gonna be to get on a tro in few weeks and head to accra to get on a plane back home. somehow i  feel as joseph smith once felt, knowing that as he left to carthage, he would never return. now obviously im not marching to my death and im definitely gonna one day come back to ghana BUT not as a missionary.... and thats the hard part.

so many mixed emotions about ending a mission. but everytime i think about it, i remember the words that my bishop once told me as i was leaving to come on a mission. he gave me 3 ways to be a successful missionary in fulfilling my calling. 
1. work hard

2. love the people

3. be obedient

these 3 things have been a huge drive for me my whole mission.

i never thought it would be hard to work hard. for goodness sake i love working back home. but it seems that satan knows theirs a big difference from washing cars for a couple bucks an hour, to saving souls from eternal torment and frustration. BUT it can be done, as presidently hinckley shared -- forget yourself and go to work. best advice for a man like me.

love the people. yeaaaaaa i thought this was gonna be cake but sometimes these people really know how to get on your nerves. but one humble ghanain with a willing heart makes up for all the others that just drive you crazy. seeing people as what they can become not what they are, as alma says, "seeing with the eye of faith"

be obedient. in the past 2 weeks we've had some elders go home for disobedience and not sustaining leaders. its sad cause yea its not easy to be obedient and even me ive tried so hard to be exact my whole mission. ill be straight there's been many times ive fallen short of my stewardship but repentance has become my greatest tool to overcome trials. working with the lord helps us stay with the lord.

forever grateful for my bishops advice he gave to me that day. love that man and all the leaders in my ward.

FIGHT TO THE FINISH

love and pray for you always!

elder jeppson

Week #99

bebbia boko

(For those wondering, Peyton gets home on August 15th and will speak in church about his mission on Sunday, Aug 19th at 1pm.  He'd love to have you there!)

chales, family, children, fathers, grandmas, cousins, dudes. whats up?

hahahhahahahahahha email email email what to say what to say....

great week to finish the transfer. 2 baptisms on saturday. that makes for our mission 72 baptisms in the past two weeks. man the work is moving. during this time of the year kids are home from school so its a great opportunity for teaching familys!

had a few fun exchanges. elder ntow (ghanian) and i had a sweet exchange in otuam. love teaching with someone who speaks the language. makes the work sooo much fun!

lots of tiny miracles this week.

world cup is over so people are back to there normal life. (USA QATAR 2022!!)

transfers are this week, so we are excited to see a few new people come into the zone! hahahah so funny seeing greenies, first question i ask is what year they go home. hahahahahah 2020!! YOU SAID WHAT!?! lol

pushin my self as much as i can. trying to stop every bad habit or teaching routine, i want the spirit to teach these lessons, no the same message everytime, everybody has a different story, so the lessons also have different ways to touch individuals, only if you teach it the way the lord needs us to.

love you all!

elder jeppson

just some pics of the week. and yes that is actually KFC hahaha

Week #98

the 4th of july

(For those wondering, Peyton gets home on August 15th and will speak in church about his mission on Sunday, Aug 19th at 1pm.  He'd love to have you there!)

great great week. we got sooo much i tell you!

i love elder mashale, ive never had a guy correct me as much as he does. most people hate that and honestly at first i did but everyday it just reminds me of how much more i can improve. so greatful for that guys example and the push hes giving me to be a better missionary.

sweet is the work.

something ive been learning in my studies. is in mosiah 23-24. alma and the followers that left from the waters of mormon went to the land of helam to posses that land, they become a great people that followed the ways of god in all his doctrine. but god says this to alma, "the lord seeth fit, to chasten his people: yea he trieth their patience and their faith" god wanted to but the people of alma to the test even though they were righteous, god wanted to try their faith and integrity to see if even in trials if they would stand till the end as their prophet that they killed once did, abbinadi stood till the end, litterly burned by fire, standing for what he could not deny.

the people of alma then were given heavy burdens and tasks by the lamanites.

ive notice that the more and more i try to be obedient and work hard the lord tries my patients and faith, weather its with a stubborn investigator who keeps lying to me, or the leaders of the ward wont help us with the work, or even another freaking kid yelling at me, "OBRUNI OBRUNI OBRUNI, GIVE ME MONEY!" its not easy to stay calm or even want to keep being a missionary but i look at all the great examples that were before me that gave WAY more then i ever can give.

im trying to apply what those faithful saints did in the book of mormon. instead of praying to god and asking for deliverance or to be saved, they prayed to find strength so that their burdens may become light, that they would find those tasks to become easier and do it with a happier attitude.

holly molly its not easy but i know i can do this. i know it. im gonna finish this mission and fly through the finish. not cause its easy but because its worth it.

i love you all

elder jeppson

GOD BLESS AMERICA

1-3. service project in otuam for the hospital! lot of fun!
4-6. made some fufu to celebrate suah and 1 year on mission hahahah7-8. mission bro. mashale and i. the best of the best.

9-16. more pics of the 4th celebrating at anamabo, thanks to elder ball! (idahoan)