It's Ghana Be a Great Two Years!: Meeting Elder Rasband!

Hello Everyone!!!

Thank you all so much for your wonderful emails! I appreciate it so much!

It's a Tuesday which means that this week will go even faster than normal! This week was one of the most enlightening weeks of my life! I was able to shake the hand and listen to Elder Ronald A. Rasband! It was an experience I will never forget. Everything he said felt as though it was directed strait to me! What joy I felt to be able to sit a couple of feet away from an apostle and listen to his counsel!

He talked about many things but I'll mention somethings that he said that really hit me. At one point he talked about how as missionaries we are all called and assigned directly through priesthood keys. He compared it to a funnel. At the top of the funnel is the prophet, who holds the keys to call someone as a missionary, then it goes to an apostle who has the keys to assign the missionary to a mission, then it goes to the mission president who holds the keys to assign you to your area and companion. Then he said "All of you are absolutely and unequivocally called to serve in this mission by revelation." So I took comfort to know that my area and my companion are exactly where I need to be and who I need to be with. Then he talked about how every Thursday the prophet and the apostles pray in the temple together and how President Monson is the one who assigns someone to pray. After the prayer he asked all of them "Brethren, where have you come from, and where you are going this week?" Then when it got to Elder Rasband he said "I'm headed to Nigeria and Ghana." then the first thing President Monson said was "Tell them I love them." Something I learned on that day is that the leaders of the church, especially the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency love not only members, but all people with perfect love. Another thing Elder Rasband said is that the more we learn about our Master, the more we will be able to love him. So as we keep learning about Christ we will be able to love him more. The last thing I'll mention was really interesting. When we were about to end with the closing hymn, Elder Rasband stopped the intro and asked "Is it okay if we sing 'More Holiness Give Me?'" After he said that I was determined to look at the words of the hymn. As we sang, I saw so many things that related exactly to what I need to do better. It was a testimony to me that we truly have living prophets and apostles on the earth. I know so much that this is true.

When Elder Rasband was called, I knew that he would be a great apostle. But it was when I listened to him and pondered on his words that I received my own witness that he is indeed an apostle of the Lord. I know these things are so true! I can't deny them. I know this is Christ's church upon the earth again. I know that the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven have been restored and that they are only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for it his church.

So those were my spiritual thoughts of that day. I was also able to see my good friend Elder Bennett Roberts at the meeting! It was so awesome to be able to talk to him for a half hour or so and see how he's doing and speak some twi with him ;) During the meeting I was also able to sit two people away from Elder Ryan Barr who I met briefly before coming! (He is in the Plano Ward.) So Yesterday was a day never to be forgotten! When I got back to the apartment I had to just start writing in my journal because I had so many things going through my mind! Anyways I'll never forget that day.]

The rest of the week was good! We were able to find some people and just help others to progress. We weren't able to have anyone at church but we are hoping that this week will be the week that they will choose for themselves to come. I always say this but I love Ghanaian people. If you were an out going person, you could walk down a street and gain like twenty friends who would be able to joke with you and maybe even give you food. I just love this place and I know that I have been called here by someone with divine authority.

It's so nice to hear about how all of you are doing! Keep doing great things and the Lord will bless you! As Preach My Gospel says:"discouragement will weaken your faith. If you lower your expectations, your effectiveness will decrease, your desire will weaken, and you will have greater difficulty following the Spirit...When you have done your very best, you may still experience disappointments, but you will not be disappointed in yourself. You can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when you feel the Spirit working through you."

I know this is true. I love you all so much and am so grateful for your support! I know that if you will not be discouraged with the present, that you will have a richer more satisfying future. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

-Elder Ballard