Dear Family and Friends,
    This week was really hectic. Transfer week. Our new apartment was not ready in time, so the Zone Leaders moved over to the Swedru apartment. Now the day after tomorrow we'll move into the new place. I'm excited, the new place is really nice.
    Our transfers were strange. Because the mission is growing so fast, President is opening new areas all over and trying to make room. This transfer E. Ike and E. Jensen moved to the Zone Leaders old area and the ZLs took over theirs in our branch. President needed to get his Zone Leaders more central because he's going to put more missionaries in an even farther area in the zone. Everything is growing so fast, it's really cool to watch.

      This morning we went to the beach in Winneba and played some ultimate frisbee and handball. It was really fun actually. And the sand was really hot. It was a great way to let off some stress. The Ivies made a picnic for us. It was quite nice. I really love having them around; they're pretty much like our parents, haha.

      So I had an epiphany the other day when I wanted to scratch a mosquito bite. Everyone knows that if you scratch it, it will only itch more and get worse, right? It's like Satan and his ridiculous temptations. A thought will come to your head and then you'll think about it a moment. "Should I scratch it? I really want to. But wait, if I do that won't end up well for me. Just do it! No---" Haha so think of your temptations like mosquito bites. They're annoying, small, and completely unnecessary in your life.
    We have a few progressing investigators. But they are progressing sooooo sloooowly. Mom, it doesn't matter how many lessons we have, if people don't actually progress in their gospel learning and commitments. There is an older man called J. who was investigating the church some few years ago but stopped. One of his friends, a member, introduced us and we've been teaching. He comes to church, but the problem is we can't see him until the weekend, and even then sometimes we miss him, so it's moving so slow. He has the desire to be baptized though. He wants to become a full member and enjoy the blessings.
    Another investigator who I really like is named S.; he is 19. This kid is seriously the most intelligent person I've met here. We call him Solomon the Wise, haha. He called us over one day and asked us what we were preaching about, so we explained and set a return appointment. He's really interested in finding the true gospel. He has studied the scriptures very well, asked a lot of opinions on religion, and he asks DEEP questions, which I just love. It's so nice to teach someone who is a bit of a challenge intellectually. He has stated that he has interest in being a missionary. He would be POWERFUL if he became a member. He's having trouble attending church though, because he's a youth teacher in his church. But, he is very honest with us, and I respect him so much for that. I get really tired and frustrated at people who lie to us all the time. It's just so socially accepted here.
     We also have been teaching a 13 year old part member who is very smart. Her grandmother is a long-time member and they both come to church together. She gets bored sometimes when we teach the way we do because she comprehends things so much faster than most people here; we're used to teaching at a slower pace. We set a date for her in October ending, but we found out according to President Shulz's regulation, we needed to wait 3 months for her to become comfortable with the church, and to make sure she will stay. So many young people who are baptized here fall away as soon as the missionaries leave.
    So things are moving here, just not as fast as I would like them to. Things always move forward though, pretty much no matter what, from what I've seen.

Love,
Elder Dogette (with a French accent)

P.S.  Elder R. who just went home, sideswiped a trotro in the mission van like a month ago, haha. He drove like a true-blooded Ghanaian!

ROACHES BE GONE!

Tricked-out bike

Dear Family and Friends,

            Transfer news: we are both staying here in Swedru. But we're moving into a new apartment next week, with the Zone Leaders. I've seen the apartment, it is NICE. It has real windows, not those cheap lever ones. I'll admit, I was hoping to leave Swedru. I love being with Elder Cowan, but the slow areas are starting to grind me down. So I'll count my blessings instead: the new place will be very quiet (no more apostate churches going off at 5 AM), the apartment will stay clean (the ZLs never have time to eat in), we'll be a two minute walk from the chapel, we'll hear lots of fun news from the ZLs, we'll finally have a fan for study, we'll have our own toilet and shower (with a NICE showerhead), Elder Baird (from Preston) has a washing machine we can use, we'll be normal missionaries again (no more training), and finally, we'll probably get to see some of the people we've been working with for a long time get baptized!

            At district meeting this week I had assigned Elder ______ to instruct, and he did a swell job. He instructed on how important are gospel conversations and working with members. It was interesting to me, because when I was assigned him in [a different area], he wasn't doing those things……. It was rewarding to me to see how strong he had become in those areas, and to hear his experiences…….. He's a really powerful missionary now. He was just assigned to be a DL himself.

            Well, there's not much for this week. Better luck next time.

Love,

Elder Doggett

P.S.  I forgot to mention the cockroaches. They've been slowly invading our holy edifices where our food resides--- the cupboards. This was an ongoing battle. Last week I hosed the kitchen with strongly mixed permethrin in an attempt to drive them out. In fact, that's all it did, they just came back into the cupboards when it dried. I think they're immune. No wonder these things can survive a nuclear blast. So Elder Ivie bought us some Target bug spray  (I looked on the ingredients and found out that it's pretty much just butane and kerosene, who woulda thought?) and finally, we've seen the end of the roaches. I can't describe how satisfying it was when the can started spraying like 400 MPH and I just went to town on them. Revenge is sweet...

Sleeping with "Maggie"

" In spite of my.....sometimes juvenile follies, the Lord has allowed His holy work to progress. Even in my greatest weakness, He has seen fit to use me, however clumsy or unfit, as a tool in His hands to advance the areas to which I've been assigned...... The Master Carpenter is continually carving, shaping, and sanding me into the witness He needs me to be....."

Dear Family and Friends,

            So I received some conference talks from Mom some time ago, and they were from my favorite speakers: Elders Holland and Oaks. There were pretty awesome. One of them mentioned a scripture from D&C that caught my eye. D&C 64: 32-34 says, "...be not weary in well doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work." The story of my mission life. That's apparently my role as a missionary--- to plant seeds. It's not easy, but I've learned a lot of patience. "...We should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness." (D&C 123: 13)

            Last week I finished the Old Testament! And guess what I gained a testimony of? The Book of Mormon, haha. From reading the OT, I understand the difference between an inspired collection of writings and a not-so-inspired one.  The Bible as we have it now was compiled by a council of men who fought over doctrine. The Book of Mormon, however, was compiled by a man inspired of God, who was led as to what he should include. There are parts of the OT that I'm not sure are 'inspired writings' at all, as defined by Peter in 1 Pet 1: 21. Reading the OT is quite like mining: you'll go through tons of repetitive dirt that all looks the same, but occasionally you'll find hidden treasures of doctrine. And those doctrines you discover are really intense. For example, I learned a lot about the role of the tribe of Ephraim: Gen 49:26/ Deut 33:13-17/ 1 Chr 5:1/ Jer 31:9, 31-36 cross referenced with 2 Ne 12: 2-5 and D&C 133: 30-34. Besides those fun hidden truths, the rest of the OT is about the follies of Israel, their cursings, and the fact that the Lord will gather them in the last days. I can't count how many times I 

read about those things, haha. All in all, it was good to read, though. I understand all the chronology much better now. Now I'll never have to read it all the way through again! I prefer the more poetic and personal feel of the rest of our standard works anyway. (I'm NOT bashing the OT, by the way.)

            This week we taught the second group of people who came to District Conference, most of them were just kids, albeit they were really smart, and our member helped us a ton. It's... an experience to teach a large group, and slightly more chaotic if that's at all possible.

            Some months ago, Sis. Shulz challenged us all to re-commit to exact obedience, and she promised that we would see miracles from it. I was up for it, I had slackened a bit and there was room for improvement. So I did as directed, went through my white handbook to mark the places where I had fallen short, and began to work on them. Things did improve, but over time I realized I was still making mistakes. I was doing my best, and my best was the most I could give. I came to internally understand and personally realized the words of the Preacher, "For there  is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not", (Eccl 7:20) Also, "...there is not flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah..." (2 Nephi 2:8) I thought I could simply choose to be perfect; I now know it's not possible by my own meager power.

            I have seen miracles from my EFFORTS to obey, though. There were no majestic visions opened to my eyes; there were no grand outpourings of the Spirit; there were no golden investigators begging to be baptized. The miracles I've witnessed were small, seemingly finite instances in everyday work. In spite of my repetitive and sometimes juvenile follies, the Lord has allowed His holy work to progress. Even in my greatest weakness, He has seen fit to use me, however clumsy or unfit, as a tool in His hands to advance the areas to which I've been assigned. He has still led us to the people we needed to meet, and granted that necessary circumstances fall into place.

            Perhaps the greatest miracle I now see is how all along the way, the Almighty manages to teach my stubborn soul one by one, the lessons I must learn. The Master Carpenter is continually carving, shaping, and sanding me into the witness He needs me to be--- for now and for years to come. I need to be forever strong on the field, so I can be forever strong off the field.

Love,

Elder Doggett

P.S. The computer I am on right now is apparently British. It's trying to correct my spelling, telling me 'favorite' is actually 'favourite', and 'meager' is actually 'meagre'. Pssh... Brits. :D