The title of this week’s post comes from the last two weekly letters I have sent to the missionaries. These letters are based off of Paul’s letter to the saints in Corinth found in 1 Corinthians 1-12. Copies of the letters sent to the missionaries can be found here (Part I) and here (Part II). Unity is becoming ever more important to us as our missionaries continue to “rise up” to the stature of Christ as we further nurture and develop the spirit of unity in the mission. We currently have missionaries from 24 different countries. That is a lot of diversity! By the first week in February, we will have missionaries from 29 different countries, each with their own customs, traditions, food, style of clothing, language, dialects, and gospel experiences. Truly the Ghana Kumasi Mission has become a “melting pot”. This references a 1908 play with the same name that debuted in Washington, DC at the Columbia Theatre. The play was the story of a Russian Jewish immigrant family coming into the United States in search of a society free of division.

Here is a list of the 24 countries currently represented in the mission. Those in red will be added by the February 1, 2024 transfer.

Below is a very high level summary of the principles in the two letters to the missionaries on Unity.

• Unity means we are joined together with the same mind and the same judgment (meaning we all make the same decisions regarding right from wrong) regardless of our birth country.
• Unity is about looking vertically rather than horizontally for approval.
• Unity is impossible when there is contention and deceit.
• Unity only comes when we all focus first on Jesus Christ.
• Unity is only possible if we are worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
• Unity will not be achieved if we focus on the wisdom of the world since the world will never agree on what is right and what is wrong.
• Unity is only possible for those who preach the gospel if they live the gospel.
• Unity is built with friends we teach when we meet them where they are and then point them to Christ.
• Unity is only possible when we look upward and outward.
• Paul tells the saints in Corinth that “there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit”.  In other words, there are many gifts of the Spirit, but they are all intended to do the same thing:  to bless and strengthen us individually and the Church as a whole. 
• It doesn’t matter if we were born in Madagascar or the Philippines.  The United Kingdom or the United States.  Congo or Cote d’Ivorie.  Nigeria or Liberia.  “We have all been made to drink into one Spirit”.  What is the Spirit referenced?  It is the oneness of coming unto Christ and becoming like Him. 
• If we were all born in Ghana, how could we understand what the Church is like in Tonga, Samoa, Australia, the United States, or Uganda?  We are only unified when we bring our different gifts and learn and grow together because of our differences.  This is such a blessing when we teach people with needs that we do not understand, but that our companion will because of his experiences.
• All of us, regardless of our experiences or background or spiritual gifts, come together to suffer with one another and to be honored and rejoice with one another because we are all one in Jesus Christ. 

This was a very busy week. In addition to the regular in and outs of transfer week, we had two missionaries come in Monday afternoon/evening from our member districts to be set apart prior to departing for the MTC on Tuesday morning. Elder Bediako from Duayaw Nkwanta in Sunyani and Elder Smith from Obuasi. Both will be great missionaries.

In addition, we had two missionaries who needed to return home because of medical issues. The one got stuck in Accra because of flight unavailability (as mentioned last week – by the way, he has now made it home). Two of our DR Congo missionaries who completed their missions were delayed going home because the flight out of Kinshasa to their hometown had not been booked. In one case it was a mistake by the travel team. The other case, was a complete ignoring of the itinerary by the missionary until the night before departure. That missionary’s stay was extended a week in the mission because it took that long before a connecting flight was available. Departure is now set for this Wednesday.

In addition to the efforts associated with setting apart new missionaries, travel issues and early releases, we had 11 missionaries returning home with honor come into the office on Tuesday afternoon. Elder and Sister Loveland shared the self-reliance presentation with them and then we had dinner and played Preach My Gospel Jeopardy afterwards. It was an enjoyable evening (except for the issue of dealing with missing connecting flights).

Wednesday was a day spent in preparation for the Mission Leadership Council on Friday. Pulling together mission performance reports and the Vision refresh on the Holy Ghost took much of the day. That evening, we held our mission presidency meeting. Topics covered included:

• Significant Audit issues at two branches
• Approval of the Domfete branch and date to create the new unit
• Submission of Nyinahin Group to become a branch
• Growth plans for each of the districts
• Increasing our focus on prospective elders in the districts
• Involving the District Clerks more in financial training
• Increasing the efforts around family history (to help expedite the building of the temple)
• Status of ministering interviews with the district presidents
• Involving all new youth and YSA converts in seminary and institute

We were up early on Thursday morning to greet the arriving missionaries from the MTC who came in on the 7:00 am Africa World Airlines flight. We are so happy to receive this group of 10 missionaries who come filled with energy, enthusiasm, and desire for the work. After we got the luggage loaded, I took a few moments to welcome them to Kumasi and ask them to consider if there is anything of a worthiness issue that we need to discuss at their interview later in the day. Something that Elder Klebingat taught us about how to help missionaries get a fast start in the field.

Once we arrived back at the Mission Office, we immediately launched into 3.5 hours of orientation. We talked about the schedule, each component of the Mission Vision, (especially emphasizing the 17 Points of Consecrated Obedience) and the contents of the Akwaaba (Welcome) Booklet. We then had pizza from Piri Piri for lunch and we interviewed each of the 10 new missionaries. At 2:30 pm, we gave the missionaries 90 minutes of rest (they had all been up since 3:00 am (MTC schedule) and LaDawn and I drove to the airport to pick up our newest senior couple, Waldo and Rebecca Ray from Richfield, Utah. The Loveland’s also came to the airport to transport their luggage in their truck. We all came back to the Mission Home, dropped off their luggage and then we returned to the Mission Office for our devotional with the new missionaries before dinner. While the topic has always been “keys” and “bananas” in the past, focusing on obedience and integrity, with this group we decided to try something different. I spent the time talking about repentance and how important it is for us to “discover the joy of daily repentance” if we want to become like the Savior. The discussion needs a bit more structure, but we think it was effective in helping them understand how important it is to be someone who repents each day if they are going to successfully teach others this principle.

On Friday morning, we gathered the new missionaries and their trainers together for a “Train the Trainer” meeting. The Assistants first talked about becoming a Finder of the Elect. I then followed that with the following agenda.

After the training we drove to the Bantama Stake Center where missionaries going on transfer meet. It took about 45 minutes to get the missionaries in the Tros and Taxis and on their way to their areas. We are grateful that the Loveland’s went over early and help move things along.

From there we came back to the mission home, grabbed a quick lunch and then returned to the Mission Office where the Mission Leadership Council was due to start at 1 pm. It was a good meeting. One of the highlights was the Assistant’s instruction titled, “Finders Keepers”.

We also discussed the struggles we are having with missionaries who cannot manage their phone data. In the month of September, we had 55 missionaries go over their 6.5 gb limit. To help them be better – and more like the 114 who did great with their phones – we are going to start having each companionship show how much data they used the prior week in district council as part their accountability. We have also reduced Facebook usage from 30 minutes a day down to 15 minutes a day, since it doesn’t take 30 minutes to make a post and spread light and goodness across social media. We are committed to helping each missionary learn to use technology wisely so that it will bless their lives long after they leave the Ghana Kumasi Mission.

On Saturday morning, I met with the District Presidents for which I have responsibility and shared with them the instruction we received at the Coordinating Council Meeting a few weeks ago. The agenda was simple: 1) Interviews (from Handbook of Instruction); 2) All Africa West Service Project (schedule); 3) State of the Mission; 4) Branch Presidencies focus on the Youth; 5) EQ/RS Presidencies focus on the adults; 6) Seeking out the Poor and Needy; 7) Area proposal to accelerate more young men and women serving missions; and 8) Focus of the Coordinating Council: Missionary Work, Sacrament Meetings, Temple. The time went quickly and the discussions were wonderful. We are grateful to have such amazing men serving as district presidents.

Following that meeting, I had a discussion with Elder and Sister Yeboah who are the YSA Service Missionary Couple for the Coordinating Council. We spoke about YSA gathering places in each of the districts and my desire to be involved with the decisions as to when and where we kick these off.

Saturday afternoon and evening, we watched the sessions of General Conference. We had the Kumasi Senior Couples over and between the sessions we had a nice potluck meal. We did the same on Sunday. The picture below is from our Sunday meal.

We always love conference weekend. It is like fresh rain pouring down on a parched desert to hear the words of the prophets, apostles, and organizational leaders. While we feel very much supported by our Savior and His Spirit in this work, we are always grateful to hear from those who have a more complete view of the world in preparation for the Second Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ (and He will come!).

On Sunday, I was able to finish responding to all of the missionary letters from the prior Monday (Something I generally am not able to do on transfer week) and then I prepared the weekly letter to the missionaries titled “Unity – Part II” mentioned above.

Just two more things. We continued to struggle with water issues much of the week. The solution was eventually discovered by the Church handyman, Richard Oti Asare. One of the plumbers had unnecessarily placed a backflow prevention valve not far from the pump by the big tank. This restricted the water flow enough that it constantly “blew out” the pipe from the pump. We had some other issues as well with bad connections, mostly because the glue that the plumbers used was old and could not hold under the pressure of the pump. We had a group of men here on Saturday morning to change the routing of some of the lines and to reattach all of the broken joints. Everything seems to be holding for now, for which we are grateful.

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I will also mention our basketball game on Monday morning. With Elder C. Beck, Elder Kampanga, and Elder Williams all leaving on transfer, we thought it best to take one last picture all together.

And with that the week came to a close. We continue to feel the unifying influence of the Holy Ghost in the mission along with the need to do more to teach this important principle. We are grateful for the young men and young women with whom we serve. We are grateful for those who have come and learned how to be better disciples and those who are now coming with a desire to do the same, as we gather Israel one last time, Together in Ghana.