December 31, 2014

December 29, 2014

Hello. How are you? How is Christmas going on over there? For me it was wonderful time. I called home. We had wonderful time with members here inviting all the missionaries in our zone for dinner. Family fun day in our Stake was nice. We perfomed song in local language from our branch. It was so nice. We did sing our  Christmas carols at West Hills Mall. We are in West Africa church news..today we had zone activity we had nice time with other missionaries.  We went men golf and black star square. We had nice time.  I will send picture next week.

Elder Birresa

Much love

December 22, 2014

Hello! How are you? I like all the things that you are doing with others to make others happy in this special time. All the things that you are doing remind me of the thought in the Book Of Mormon when King Benjamin taught his people a great thing in the book of Mosiah 2:17. I am grateful for your great example. Yeah, today my Branch President sent me an e-mail and he told me one of sister she called to serve in London England Mission. It is good to have missionary from your country or branch. Now we are 3 from my branch; 2 sisters and me, but we have young man who are planing to serve mission, even Abdi. Do you know anything about Jason? Long time since I heard from him. I am doing good. Everyone is preparing themselves for Christmas.  Last week we contacted a young man, his name is Bismark.  We taught him and we invited him to visit the church, but he said anther time, not this week.  On Sunday I just saw him at the sacrament meeting and I ask my companion is that Bismark? Yes it is! Then I just sit next to him.  They welcome him very well and he's happy for the thing that he learned at church.  Saturday we heard from members there are less-active members in our area so we are planing to see them later on the day. But when we are passing to the appointment with Florence, the less-active lady stopped us and talked to us.  We told her we will come to her house, then we went to her house after our lesson and  talked to her to get to know her. We committed her to come to church tomorrow and the next morning she was there with her 2 kids! That was nice. We had Christmas Carols on the street with other district in our zone.  We are planing to sing again Wednesday night and New Year's Eve at one of the biggest malls in West Africa. Today the members invited all the missionaries from our zone for dinner at 4pm.  Thursday another family invited all the missionaries in our stake for lunch. I am happy I am going to call home Sunday b/c our Christmas is after 3 weeks. If I call on Thursday I will just talk only with my aunt. She will be at work place b/c it is not off but on Sunday I will talk with other family too. So am going to call on Sunday. Thank you so much for your great example and love.
Much Love
Elder Birresa  

December 15, 2014

Hello! How are you? Christmas is coming! We had nice conference around the area office and they showed us Meet the Mormons. I liked it. It was nice. I don't  feel that many people in U.S know our beliefs.  Know they are saying funny funny things. Anyways, I love it and I heard it is in Top 10 box office. Wow! That is good thing, I think. They will know who the Mormons are. I am thinking to send some letters very soon. I am thinking for Christmas.  I know you will like it. I  got some nice stuff for you and my all sisters. I am looking for something nice for dad and for my in laws and I don't want to tell you what it is. It is an African thing, so you will love it.  I already bought for you and my sisters, but am looking for them if I get it very soon I will send it together.  Otherwise I will send for them later.  For me, I  am having a wonderful time here in my new area. We had 3 investigators in sacrament on  Sunday.  We are working with them. I got my lost package and I love it! It makes me happy! Thank you so much for all things that you have done for me. I  wish you Merry Christmas.

Elder Birresa

much Love 

December 8, 2014

Hi! How are you all? For me, I am doing good. I wish to have snow here but we don't. It is so hot even when you are sitting you will sweat. So most of the time there is no light and sleeping without light is so hard here in Ghana. Now it's very dry and sunny so I really need a few things; sunscreen and an ipod for music.  If you are having one if you send it for me I will be happy with church music and conference talks. My new apartment is boring. Everyone is doing his own thing. I start reading Book Of Mormon.  My goal is to finish before New Year. The same time I start reading the Bible. At least I went to finish reading the Bible. One time in my mission we had good week searching for new people to teach. You know the area is new area, there were only two missionaries before me. Me and my companion are working hard. We had 3 investigators in sacrament meeting, but we are not going to have baptism for long time. We are starting with new people to teach. Tomorrow we are going to have Christmas Conference at the temple. Hopeful it will be good experience for all of the missionaries. So here is my mission address:       
Elder Birresa
Ghana Accra west mission
PMBCT 209 Accra Ghana
West Africa

I am sorry for the lost package. Thank you so much for all things that you all are doing for me .

Elder Birresa

Love 

December 1, 2014

It was good to  see the pictures from your trip to India. You all look happy, I can see from your face. My week has been good. I am in my new area, we meet in other ward building yesterday, but next week  we are going to move to our building. Me and  my companion  have been called to serve us Primary teachers. We really had wonderful week. Mostly we are finding new people to teach. There is a lot of things to do with my new area.  Thank you so much for your love and support. They transferred me from my area to new area so am going to my new area on Wednesday. My companion his from Utah, his name is Elder Allen. I hope I will have good time with him as i did in past with my companions. In my new area for first time to serve in small District, only 4 missionaries and we are in a branch. I hope we will change to ward soon .  Sunday was Stake Conference and it was really great because it was a broadcast from Salt Lake to all the stakes in Africa. Elder Gay of the 70 was a mission president here a few years ago and so he knows what is going on here. He talked about how so many people put themselves down and don't help themselves to reach their full potential because they will not work for themselves. Some feel that because they served a mission the church owes them a job or other financial help.  But there are a few who really can't help themselves. Don't justify. Then it was Sister Stephens from the Primary and she made a complete fool of herself. She probably said Africa 20 times in the first two minutes. She, like most everyone else outside of Africa, believes that it is just one big country full of super happy poor people who love their lives despite their crippling challenges and are just so humble and adorable and everyone in all of Africa is exactly the same. AFRICA is a continent not a country. You can't talk about South Africa or Ghana or Ethiopia or Uganda in the same breath............     I don't even think the office couples understand. She did do well at talking about daily scripture study and prayer. Elder Bednar had a really good talk about keeping pace with The Lord's work. Leave behind the false traditions of your fathers, especially Bride Price.(I was really happy they hit hard on that one) Expensive funerals and weddings. It is stopping temple marriages and law of chastity living. They all quoted from a recent talk by Dallin H Oaks. Sacrifice only pertains to mortality.   Dieter F. Uchtdorf  gave a story about young men in a village who were taking dirty water from a pool of water and Elder Uchtdorf's friend told the boys that soon the pump would be fixed in the village and they could have clean, fresh, good water. Their reply to him was that their father had drank from that small stream and his father before him and so one. Utchdof's friend could do nothing for them. That is how I feel all the time. The people we teach can have clean, pure, everlasting water but instead they simply choose to take the filthy unclean water that so many other church's, religions, and pasters provide. I can only tell them about the clean water and watch helplessly as they reject and take the dirty water. He also talked about how he was a fighter pilot and he was sometimes tempted to feel he was better than others, but when he went to the temple it always reminded him that we are all equal in God's eyes. We are all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He also talked about how we should appreciate praise but never inhale it. He also said that we should not have to wait to do something until a priesthood leader tells us, but if we see something that needs to be done, just do it.  I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot and it was just what a lot of people here in Ghana needed.     Also, "I am BUSY" is the most used excuse in Ghana and Elder Gay said it stands for Being Under Satan's Yoke. So, don't give the excuse of "I'm busy".  I hope you understand all that I am trying to say. My grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure and such is not at its best. Looking forward for Christmas to call home. The time is flying am almost a year in the field, so am thinking to call for you too, if I get your contact before Christmas. I heard about Wal-Mart a lot, it sounds good. I want to shop in Wal-Mart  one day  to see. Last night we had good dinner.  I also got some ground beef at the Shoprite  and yesterday we made an awesome meal of spaghetti and corn on the cob and garlic. Last week light is off here. That  is why there is no e-mail from me last week. I am sad,  but I can't change anything, so better to forget ..............

Much love

Elder Birresa