Daniel Buchanan <daniel.buchanan@myldsmail.net>
September 11 at 1:33 PM
Hi, all!!
This week was a little bit more slow, but it was still a
pretty good week.
-We had MLC this week (Mission Leadership Council) and in
preparation, we had to collect some baptismal records from our zone. So we had
to basically take almost a whole day to travel around our zone from Tema to
Batsona to Sakumono to Kpone, it was tiring. It always surprises me how tiring
simply sitting in a vehicle can be, haha. But it was cool visiting with the
missionaries around and to see how they're doing.
-Then the next day was MLC. Always a fun experience. Pres.
Keyes is definitely doing things differently than Pres. Heid. Pres. Keyes is
definitely looking more at the stats and numbers and doing more thorough
studies and research and interviews to figure out how best to improve the work
here in this mission. I believe his changes will display inertia, haha, but I
do believe they will increase the effectiveness of the missionaries here and
increase personal conversion and dedication to the gospel both for the
missionaries and for the people of Ghana. And then, of course... pizza
afterwards. Can't forget to include that important detail. :)
-I don't know what spiritual thought to give today. The vast
wealth of valuable knowledge contained within the scriptures always makes it a
challenge for me to pick something to share, or maybe because of my own personal
challenges or because of what personally touches me, I like to share similar
ideas repeatedly. But I do want to say that I know my worn down, beat-up set of
scriptures are my most valuable possession with me here in Ghana. I've often
thought about getting mugged or robbed or something and pleading with the
robber to take whatever he wants but to just leave the scriptures. I have spent
hundreds of hours studying with that set of scriptures here in Ghana and
marking in them and highlighting and making notes. I have learned so incredibly
much, and I would definitely cry if anything happened to them. I'm talking
about a physical book that I've read from, but what is inside is far more
valuable than the tangible pages. The words come from the Savior, Jesus Christ.
They come from Him to bless our lives and to change us into better people and
to bring us closer to Him. We all like feeling loved, right? Well, I can tell
you that is exactly what you will experience from studying the scriptures and
following the Savior, Jesus Christ. He loves us so much. More than we can ever
describe with words. He was willing to suffer, to bleed, to be beaten,
scourged, spit upon, to have nails driven through his hands and feet... because
He loves us. He loves you. I can't fathom what my life would be like if He
weren't willing to do that. Any mistakes I make I would have to pay the price
and suffer the consequences with no hope of forgiveness, redemption,
reconciliation, or peace of mind. If He weren't willing to do that, when my
best friend dies or my family passes on, I would have no hope of ever seeing
them again. Because of Him, we can have hope for all of these things. We can
have peace of mind knowing that we can be forgiven of our personal mistakes,
and we can be with our loved ones forever—that death is not the end. I can't
express with words my gratitude for my Savior. I cannot express with words my
gratitude that I have someone who is unceasingly there, even when I displease
Him, forget about Him, offend Him and any other way I could hurt Him. I cannot
adequately express my gratitude that regardless of what I do, my Savior is my
best friend, and He is always there eager to take my hand and help me to change
and become better—to leave behind my sinful ways, to forsake my stubborn
nature, to be humble and to follow Him on the path to eternal joy, happiness,
and peace. If there's nothing else you learn from this, learn that I am
declaring today that Jesus Christ lives, that He loves you, and He is real. By
following Him, you truly will find happiness and peace.
I love all of you so much. Thank you so much for all the
love and support. I hope you are all doing so well.
With love,
Elder Buchanan
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| The pictures I have for this week are actually from our golf game today! I have wanted to go golfing here in Ghana for such a long time, and it has finally happened, and it was so much fun! |
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| Two office Elders, Elder Dabata, and Elder Buchanan |
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