One Big Holiday

2010-04-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today, when you think of Rome, what comes to mind? St. Peter's Basilica? The Catholic Church has become synonymous with St. Peter, which strikes me as interesting, as he was crucified in the capital of Catholicism. The history of Peter in Rome runs deep, as well as Paul and Mark.
Mark served for some time as Peter's scribe. In fact, the Book of Mark is perhaps the memoirs of Peter before he died (as written by Mark).
Paul also sealed his testimony with his blood in the same city, not far from the place of Peter's martyrdom. Although well-received by the Saints in Rome, Paul soon found himself under house-arrest for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he most likely died after the two years he spent in the city.
Rome, although recognized now as one of the main capitals for christian worship was once an extremely dangerous place for them to live.

Crandall Printing Museum

2010-03-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity of visiting the Crandall Historical Printing Museum last year. For those of you who have never visited the museum, I highly recommend it! The cozy cottage exterior gives the museum a nice environment, and the inside is an amazing display of artifacts, replicas and demonstration materials. If anyone is even remotely interested in the history of the printed word, this place will amaze you. I was quite surprised that this place existed in a town like Provo, and that I had never even heard of it.
As the tour began with the replication of the Gutenberg Press, I was immediately drawn into the discussion. I loved the enthusiasm of our guide, because it seemed to me like the subject matter could have been quite boring. Instead, our guide had some fascinating insights into the press that I had never heard before. The pain-staking work that the pressers put in as they labored over the moveable type and sticky ink. Every individual letter had to be placed in the press separately. Row by row, page by page, the printer worked on making sure everything was spelled correctly. Each letter had to be inserted backward in order to produce a copy that the words could read in the normal direction. I could definitely appreciate the work it took to produce a book. I couldn't even imagine the kind of effort it took to produce a book as large and complicated as the Bible. However, it was because of this unique and important invention that so many were able to read the word of God. For so many, the Bible became an accessible and readable work. Christianity saw some major growth at this time because of the ability for even the most common to have access to the scriptures.
After seeing the Gutenberg Press we were lead on a tour throughout the home-like museum being able to view important technological updates that were made throughout the years. We discussed the importance of these technologies in relation to mass distribution of the printed word. Such technologies became very important to the American colonies as they were distributing their ideas far and wide, promoting a united effort against the tyrannical force of the British.
The printed word continued to develop and technology made it possible for the Book of Mormon to be produced for a relatively inexpensive cost and published in large quantities. The E.B. Grandin Press served as the first publishers of the Book of Mormon, and with a substantial donation from Martin Harris, several hundreds of copies of the Book of Mormon were published over the course of mere months. This kind of technology is a testimony to me that the Lord guides inspired men to do His work. The Crandall Printing Museum is a unique place and a landmark in the city of Provo.

The Apostasy

2010-03-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

As the early christian church was not only facing heavy persecution, but also great separation one from another, the members of the church began to be confused on certain doctrines. The young movement had scarcely come into existence before things began to change. The Apostles were having a difficult time holding everything together, and the new members of the movement were more or less on their own to figure things out.
After the ascension of Christ, the Apostles were charged with the responsibility to go out and preach the gospel to all nations "the Jew first and then to the Greek." As they did so, they faced major opposition from established Jewish leaders as well as the Roman empire, as these new teachings were fairly radical departures from their general customs. Ideas such as equality among men and women, Jew and Gentile, and (in some cases) bond and free were quite different from current beliefs as well as the Law of Moses. As various Apostles began to spread and baptize, they had a difficult time maintaining doctrinal clarity amongst themselves as their previous held beliefs (such as circumcision laws) were maintained. Although apostles, such as Paul wrote epistles and letters, and tried to visit, it seemed as though the moment they clarified a situation, something else would come up. Not only were Apostles charged with clarifying and correcting, but they were also out to preach the gospel and baptize new members. Needless to say, it was quite a stressful time.
Paul began to notice these changes amongst areas of the church during his lifetime. In Acts 20:29-31 Paul warns of false doctrines arising and how the members of the church must keep their guard and be careful not to let these incorrect teachings creep into their beliefs. He says, "For I know this, that after my departing shall agrievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking aperverse things, to bdraw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to awarn every one night and day with tears." Paul cared for the well being of these people. They were his friends and allies. How passionately he must have preached to them and how much love he must have felt for them to preach as he did.
The apostasy did not happen over night, but by the 2nd century the church had pretty much fallen to pieces. The foundation of faith and baptism were still present, but various sects were left to pick up the pieces the best they could. Doctrines had been altered and sacred rites had been changed. Fortunately, faith in Jesus Christ remained the basis for the vast majority of these churches and Christianity survived.

Museum of Art

2010-03-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Every time I visit the BYU Museum of Art, I am taken aback at how amazing it is. It is a beautiful museum with some amazing exhibits. Our New Testament class had a great opportunity of going to visit an exhibit about Jesus Christ and artist's reflections on the resurrection. Many of the pieces had a deep impact on me. One of those was a sculpture about Christ reaching through the vail to a man trying to hold on to a rod. The piece had deep significance in the way the hands of the person were portrayed. Was he trying to hold on? Was he letting go? Was it too hard? Christ always has his hand outstretched to us if we're willing to accept it, but it is a difficult road to follow. So difficult that we often feel like we can't make it and we let go. The rod is always there and so is Christ, and if we're willing to make changes and have confidence in him he will be there to lift us back up.
The picture below is also featured at the museum, and had a huge impact on me. I was very touched by how much I resembled the prodigal son. How often I have disobeyed when I knew what was right and how often I have been so foolish as to do my own will. I felt the spirit as I viewed the painting and I realize that it was something very significant to me.

2010-03-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

The Book of Romans is a powerful epistle from Paul. Although he may not have been the one to actually write down the words, the messages conveyed in the book are both revolutionary and eternal. In the first chapter, Paul bears a powerful testimony and sets up the rest of the book with his authoritative tone. In verse 16 he says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto the salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” I remember on my mission, we were asked to look especially for men in ties to talk to. At first I was a little bothered by the idea because I always considered missionary work to be to everyone… especially the downtrodden and humble. As my mission progressed, I was able to see the wisdom in this counsel, however. Although we definitely kept seeking out everyone we could find that would talk to us, we would definitely focus on talking to men in ties. Often, these men had families they were supporting through stable jobs and had stable lives. Although this may sound a bit judgmental, the work progressed as we talked to these people. We were asked as missionaries to seek out families, and if men in ties were the way to do this, then so be it. In this scripture, Paul talks about first preaching to the Jew, and then the Greek. Although this may seem a bit biased at first reading, it makes sense. The Jews were a God-fearing, scripture-reading, covenant-keeping people who understood Jehovah and knew how to keep commandments. The Greeks had a much different, polytheistic view and were thus less susceptible to adapting to a monotheistic, commandment-keeping belief system. That’s not to say that there weren’t any Greeks in the church (there are several mentioned in the scriptures) but they were less likely to join with the young Christian movement than their Jewish counterparts.
Skipping ahead to chapter 8, I think Paul has conveyed one of the most beautiful concepts in Christianity. He says (verses 37-39): “Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creatures, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus or Lord.” Paul is a man who has had keen experience with suffering and grief. He knows the loneliness of separation and the pains of torture. Yet all these things have not separated him from the love of God. As he says, he is the “servant” of the Lord, and has had experiences feeling the depth of love that Christ has for his children. This is the message that Paul is conveying, and this is the message of the Gospel. No matter what wrongs we’ve done, we are never too far that the love of Christ cannot reach us.

2010-02-24T22:04:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians chapter 13 has become the quintessential chapter in the Bible on the value of charity. In this remarkable chapter the reader can really get a sense of Paul’s eloquence and insight. In the first verse, the tone is set for the rest of the chapter. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” I really enjoy this imagery. Although the sounding of brass and a tinkling of cymbals can be meaningful in a context, they are not nearly as meaningful if used alone. I think this is what Paul is trying to convey in his message, that although we may be doing great things, if we do not have the pure love of Christ in our lives, these things are meaningless. In verse four, Paul changes the tone a bit and proceeds to describe different aspects of charity. In our New Testament class, our professor added an interesting insight into the verses, which I felt really strongly about. He mentioned that one could substitute the name of Christ in for the word charity throughout verses 4-13. I thought to myself, that although we could not use our own name now, it is our hope and faith that allows us to believe that through Christ, one day we can become like Him. As I substituted Christ’s name into the verses, I felt how much I rely on the Lord. In verse eight, the scripture says that, “Charity never faileth.” These three words mean a great deal to me. Though health, relationships and wealth may pass away, Christ will never fail us because he has already suffered for us and stood as proxy for us so that we may succeed through his grace. When we access this atonement, we are succeeding in our goal towards exaltation.
As I read these passages I was reminded of the personal experiences that Paul must have had as he felt this pure love toward him. The Lord, in love reached out to Paul as he was going about persecuting the Christians and trying to destroy what Christ had established. Through his miraculous conversion Paul was able to receive a first-hand understanding of the pure love of Christ. I am sure he continued to feel this love throughout his ministry for both himself and those he taught. As a missionary, I often felt this love towards those I taught, and it was this love, which brought power and authority to the testimony that I bore. If we have not charity, our words are nothing. With charity, our words carry power.

Special Collections

2010-02-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

This last week I had the opportunity to attend a unique presentation with my New Testament class in the Special Collections section of the library at BYU. The Special Collections is a seldom-visited treasure on the BYU campus. I was frankly quite surprised at what kinds of artifacts the library had acquired.
The first piece that we were shown was an ancient clay tablet called a Cuneiform. The tablet was only about 4 inches by 3 inches. The engravings on the tablet were most likely created by a reed or piece of the wood. I noticed that the inscriptions bore a strong visual resemblance to Chinese or Japanese. The tablet had a green color and was rounded on the edges. I wondered what kind of finish or treatment that the tablet went through in order to be preserved so well for thousands of years. Our instructor mentioned to us that the engravings contained a message about a land owning transaction. He explained that much of the time, these Cuneiforms were used for law, business, history or other important aspects of life during that time period.
The next artifact to which we were privy, was a set of metal plates. The contents of the plates contained a discharge report of a Roman soldier. These plates must have been very important to him because they contained a written record that this person had Roman citizen and was able to access the rights that went along with that. It was very important that these documents be written on something that would not be easily destroyed. These plates were most likely displayed in a prominent position in the community for all to see. We were told that these plates had a portion of them sealed at first (sound familiar?) and could only be opened by someone who held the proper keys…quite an interesting tidbit.
Soon, people developed a less expensive surface upon which to make records- papyrus. The durable stems of this plant could be harvested, split open, dried and stuck together to make paper upon which a scribe could write. The most often form of record keeping at the time was in scrolls. If kept dry and out of the sunlight, papyrus could be preserved for thousands of years. There are still numerous records preserved on papyrus that have been preserved for over 2000 years; among them: the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Books came next. They were a huge adjustment from the scrolls that were used in the past. They often had very hard, durable covers, made of wood in order to protect the delicate and ornate pages contained in the book. These books were extremely valuable and only the most wealthy and learned people could afford them, let alone read them. The books themselves, with the gold-leaf ornamentation and hand-written lettering sometimes took more than 11 years to create!
Guttenberg made the process easier and more rapid. And modern printing presses are an updated version of those older pioneers. The time and effort people have given throughout history is astounding, and the records they have preserved are an invaluable insight into history.

Explanation of why Paul was concerned about circumcision.

2010-02-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

In Galatians chapter 1, Paul begins his epistle with a sharp reproof. He says, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). To what was Paul refer to in this rebuke? The early disciples of Christ often had a hard time making adjustments to their newly formed faith. They often had a hard time reconciling the Law of Moses with the New Law. The disciples in Galatia had a hard time adjusting to the New Law in that they wanted the new converts to Christianity to be circumcised, as was the custom with the Law of Moses.
Many of the new converts in that area were not already Jewish, meaning they had not been circumcised. Not only had the disciples thrown aside the New Law and the Atonement of Christ by forcing new converts to be circumcised, but also they undoubtedly drove a few potential converts away, at the prospect of the pain that inherently accompanies circumcision.
Paul’s mission was to bring all souls unto Christ. This mission was being deterred by the stubborn and prideful converts who wanted to integrate their faith with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the next verse Paul says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). The members of the church in that area were looking beyond the mark. They were going off the path that Paul had already laid out for them.
We can learn a valuable lesson from this rebuke. So many times, we as members of the church look beyond the mark and claim that certain ideas or principles that they regard as important, is actually doctrine. Sometimes they may use words of the General Authorities (often taken out of context) as justification for their ideas. These ideas can be a major deterrent for potential converts to the Gospel. This is why, as missionaries, we were taught to teach only out of “Preach My Gospel” and the scriptures. Apostasy arises when the Gospel is twisted to meet a member’s ideals. The atonement of Jesus Christ is perfect and needs no addition to the doctrine of the gospel, and when some seek to do so, the are, as Paul mentions, accursed.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

2010-01-26T23:38:00.000-08:00

Acts chapter 2 gives an account of the day of the Pentacost. It was on this day that the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the faithful disciples of Christ and they were able to do marvelous things. One of those things was to speak with the gift and power of God. Verse 2 begins, "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost..." It continues to say that they spake in tongues. I've always been a little curious by this phrase. 2 Nephi 32:3 says, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ..." In the previous verse it talks about how those who received the Holy Ghost could speak in the tongue of angels. I think that this speaking in tongues, generally means that the nature of the matter of which the person is speaking is so sacred that only those who have been blessed by the same spirit will understand. The Lord has shown a pattern throughout the scriptures of keeping things sacred and not revealing them to people unless that person was completely ready to receive it. In 2 Nephi 33:1-2, Nephi says, "for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of he Holy Ghost carrieth it into the hearts of the children of men. But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught." When we are receptive and have been blessed with the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the Lord can and does bless us to comprehend truths that would otherwise go unnoticed. Such was the case here on the day of the Pentacost. Many of the saints were open and receptive, but there were also many bystanders who did not believe. They cast away their opportunity to gain a testimony, and resorted to mockery and scorn. Peter, full of the spirit, and having recently repented from his denial of the Savior boldly testified to the scorners. He was a witness and his voice was heard, and it was carried into the hearts of some of those present. He was able to testify of the Atonement, not only because he was present for many of the events surrounding the act, but because he now had an abiding testimony of its power to redeem the soul. Like Peter, I have felt the power of the Atonement. Although I wasn't present to witness the events surrounding the Atonement, I can make my voice heard in testifying of the power of the Savior's supreme act of love.

2009-04-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

In John chapter 21:18-19, Jesus describes something that Peter was probably not ready to hear, nor fully understand. "Verily, verily I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst wither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me." Peter, the Rock, like so many others would later seal his testimony with his life, being killed in a most cruel manner, according to legend. The point that struck me is that Peter, although knowing the fate that awaited him, only grew stronger in his testimony and more bold in his ministry. With unflinching faith and perserverence he persued a course that would eventually lead to his brutal death, and the promise of everlasting life.
Jesus taught, "...he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." The scriptures and more modern examples are full of examples of people who lose their lives for the sake of the Lord. As members of the church we covenent with the Lord in the most sacred of places that we will give all we have, even our very lives if necessary for the establishment of Zion. Full-time missionaries pledge to give their lives for two years in the full-time service of building Zion across the world, but is this sacrifice enough? I think the Lord wants more than two years.
Each Sunday in Sacrament Meeting we hear the words, "...and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them...". The commandment clearly extends into the fibers of our character. Are we living to give away our lives to Christ? He wants our agency, but will never take it forcefully, and has promised that if we do so, we will end up finding ourselves and inherit all that he has.
Easter is a good time to reflect on how this blessing is made possible. Christ is not asking us to do anything he hasn't done already. He handed his agency over to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane and suffered more intensely then is imaginable. He is the one man who knows what it really means to give one's life for the establishment of Zion.

2009-03-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Reading through John chapter 12 this week, I came across a scripture that I thought was very significant. Verses 35 and 36 read, "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them."
This analogy of light and dark is often used in the church. Metaphorically, we have to walk in the darkness occasionally and put our trust in the Lord to guide us.
I remember going hiking on Mt. St. Helens when I was younger. The hike was beautiful, on the other side of the mountain from where the famous eruption occurred in 1980. On the way home we decided to take a little detour and hike through the caves that served as the passageway through which the explosion passed. The caves were massive and cold, cutting out all sources of light from above. The only light we had were the flashlights in our hands. At one point, our guide asked us to turn off our flashlights. As I sat there in the cold blackness an overwhelming fear came over me and I began to tremble. I had a dark and eery feeling that I had never felt before and I begged my dad to turn his light back on. I was starving for the light... for it's comfort and source of clarity and direction. Without it I felt empty and alone and desperate. On our way out I had the thought that no wonder we, in the church, call hell "Outer Darkness". The most terrifying thing I could imagine would be far from the light.
To be "children of light" as Christ mentions is to allow the atonement into our life, to seek it and let ourselves become his children because he is the way, the truth and the light. The light of Christ is in each person on this earth, and we are all therefore capable of becoming his children if we are willing to have his light penetrate the dark corners of our lives.

2009-03-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Oft-cited as the shortest scripture, John 11:35 simply reads, "Jesus wept." The next verse reads, "Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!" The him in this verse is referring to Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha. As I mentioned in a previous post about John the Baptist, I find it fascinating to read about the accounts of Jesus' interactions and relationships with his disciples. So much is given on the places he went, the miracles he performed and the doctrine he preached, that little is given on the individuals that meant so much to him.
I don't know much about Lazarus or his relationship with the Savior, but I do know that Christ wept when he learned of his passing. Although earlier in the verse, Christ testifies that through him, all will be resurrected and have the possibility of eternal life, the passing of this man struck an emotional cord in Jesus. His life was so filled with turmoil and heartache that these close friends must have been an incredible blessing of comfort and support. Again, I don't know much about his personal relationship with Lazarus, but I do know that I have relied heavily on my friends throughout my life, and thinking about going through my trials without them would give me cause to weep. I wonder what kinds of people Christ kept as close friends. I like to think they were people from all different walks of life: rich and poor, educated and uneducated, young and old, men and women. We do know a few example of people that we spent a lot of time with: fishermen, women, the sick and afflicted, those who needed help and those who were genuinely and sincerely for answers in their life. He wasn't great friends with the powerful political leaders of the time, or the rabbis who oversaw the religious instruction of the people. He chose humble and sincere people who could support and love him. I think we can learn a lot about these "Christ-like" friends.
Through his divine power and authority Christ was able to bring Lazarus back, and I think this serves as a poignant reminder that we all can receive this incredible gift of resurrection as his friends. Last weekend, as I attended Stake Conference I heard many talks about faith in Jesus Christ and how we can better develop our relationship with him. Although he is not walking among us on earth at this time, we all have an opportunity to be close friends with the Lord. I think about the people who are alive today who have a very close, personal and friendly relationship with the Lord and they possess a lot of the same qualities shown by his friends during his mortal ministry. It is so important during this life to associate with these Christ-like people so that we can also become more humble, loving and sincere friends not only to those around us, but the Christ himself.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

2009-03-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

This week I was reading in the book of John chapter 9. In this chapter, Jesus heals a blind man by rubbing some clay on his eyes. The man had been blind since birth and the disciples asked the Lord, "Master, who did the sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be manifest in him." I think this scripture can be read on multiple levels, but when I first read it, I was reminded again of how quickly we evaluate and make judgments of things and people. In school we are bred to work quickly making evaluations of problems and fast judgments. To some extent I think this spills over into other aspects of our lives.
We may jump into a situation not weighing the circumstances, we may say something without thinking and later regret, but I think the most dangerous mistake we make, as illustrated here from the disciples, is to make judgments of people before we get to understand them. As part of common belief of the time, the disciples believed that this blindness was a curse from God for either the man's sins or the sins of his parents. As Jesus clarifies, neither the man nor the parents committed the sin, but the man suffers blindness in order for some purpose of God to be fulfilled.
I remember being in France when hurricane Katrina hit the southern United States and New Orleans was buried in water. I was teaching a devoutly religious family, when the mother said, "Those sinners in the south of the United States needed a wake up call! God was behind that hurricane." I remember thinking, well if that's what God does to all sinners, we're all in serious trouble.
I think that after a natural disaster, disease, accident, suicide, or war people want to find some meaning behind it, some manifestation from God that his hand was in it. Although I believe God can and does intervene in peoples' lives on a regular basis, He loves us enough to let us suffer through our own difficulties. If injustice (sometimes severe, sometimes less severe) is dealt, God will deal justly with that person or people, but he will rarely step in and prevent it. We need to make our own decisions here on earth, and sometimes those decisions can lead to seriously detrimental consequences for ourselves and others.
A common practice among members of the church that can be used for both good and bad is reproving. Judgments need to be made by those who are in authority to make them, but so often, judgments are made by those who have no authority or reason to make them. We are our brothers' keepers but we do not and cannot tell people how to live their lives. In love, we can tell someone that their actions are hurting us, or hurting them, but once we begin to exercise unrighteous dominion we are in danger. D&C 121:43 says that priesthood holders, or those who are in authority are allowed to "Reprove betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterward an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved..." (emphasis added).
Passing unfounded judgments upon others is one of the most detrimental practices we can do in the church and has led to thousands (maybe millions) of inactive members of the church. Again, as I've said before, Christ's mission was to the downtrodden, and those who were rejected by society. We ought to show them the same love and respect that Christ showed them.

2009-03-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

There is constant debate and struggle within religious discussion about faith and miracles. We are commanded in several places not to be a "sign-seeking" people, but to have faith through impressions from the Holy Ghost. Korihor, the Anti-Christ spoken of in the Book of Mormon wanted a sign from God, and in return, he was smitten dumb. Today, many people say to themselves, if God would just show me a sign then I would believe.
A great number of people spoken of in the scriptures and in present-day life who do receive signs do not believe, however. Think of the hypocrites written of in the Gospels who criticized Jesus for telling a crippled many that his sins are forgiven. Christ turned to them and asked why they would have such feelings in their hearts. Then, to show them that the Son of Man has power to forgive sin, he healed the crippled man from his ailment, and the man "took up his bed" and walked. Did this change the hearts of the hypocrites? What about Nephi's brothers, Lamen and Lemuel. As the savagely beat Nephi and multiple occasions, the Lord intervened and rebuked the brothers for what they did, yet they had no faith.
Even the early apostles of the Lord had little faith after seeing so many miracles. After the death of Christ, Thomas, who had been with Jesus on multiple occasions, did not believe the words of his fellow apostles that Jesus had been resurrected. He wanted proof... hard evidence that Jesus had indeed fulfilled the commandments that he told them he would.
In John 2:23-25 it reads, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." He knows our hearts and he knows the sincerity and source of our belief.
As a student of the physical sciences, I am often looking for physical proof of everything I do. I want to see immediate application of the principles I am learning, and demonstrations that prove that these scientific principles (some of them counter-intuitive) are indeed accurate. Faith has not always come easily or quickly for me, but my testimony has been founded on real and powerful experiences. Faith is the refreshing trust that I have that God is true and will keep His promises and that He knows and loves us more than we know and love ourselves.

2009-02-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

This entry will be a little similar to the entry from last week, because this topic has been on my mind a lot in the last few weeks.
I have always been really intrigued by the parable of the Good Samaritan. The scripture is found in Luke 10:30-37. A man was traveling, and was robbed along the path. He was stripped and beaten and left to die along the path. Two men (a priest and a Levite) saw the wounded man, but passed by. At this point in the narrative, I wonder, what kind of cruel person would do that? Why would they just leave that man to die? Then I think to myself, how many times have I seen someone truly in need on a busy sidewalk and passed by. Or how many times have I had someone who just really needed to talk or be listened to and passed by, leaving them to struggle by the wayside. How many times have I let good friends make bad choices, and not said or done anything about it. I feel so often like I fit the mold of these men who passed by.
Sometimes, however, we are like the Good Samaritan. He was probably a busy man, traveling along the road for some purpose. He had places to go and things to take care of, but he noticed a man struggling on the side of the road. He was not repelled by the man's dismal state; rather, he was compelled to help. As the scripture says, "he bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him" (v. 34). What was compelling this man to chalk on an extra day onto his already long journey to help a stranger? What did he get in return? Did he ever see this man again to receive his thanks?
At this point in the story I say, well, things like that happen all the time. But then I think about the endless need versus the personal action. Everyone, no matter who we are or how well we're doing, needs a Good Samaritan on a daily basis. We all need a person to talk to, to cry with, to explain a difficult problem in our homework, to discuss spiritual matters, to give us a ride somewhere. Some of our problems are bigger. Sometimes we need money and don't know who to turn to. Sometimes we need groceries. Sometimes we need a place to stay for a night or two. A Good Samaritan understands the second great commandment, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
When I was in Ghana last semester I realized that the people there don't really hold the same time standards as we do in America. They base their days off of their interactions with people. They take time to greet everyone, even if it means being late. They will ask how their health is, how their family is doing. The majority of them realize that the well-being of their neighbor is priority. I saw daily examples of ordinary people lending their neighbor a significant amount of money when the neighbor was in need. They offer food, shelter and help to perfect strangers. Although in our world today, these kinds of things can be dangerous, I think with a change of attitude, theft would be almost non-existent.
I think about the priest in the story Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. The main character, Jean Valjean was caught stealing gold and silver from a kindly priest who offered him food and shelter. Instead of reacting in anger, the priest pretended like he had given the items to Jean Valjean so that the police would not throw Valjean back in prison. By this simple act of forgiveness and love, the priest inspired Valjean to change his life and dedicate himself to service.
The Savior, likewise, saw the best in people. He went among the lepers, the sick, the downtrodden. As is often said in my New Testament class, his mission was to the least, the last and the lost. I am grateful that he continues to look for me when I am one of the least, the last and the lost.

2009-02-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

This week I read the conference address titled, "Slow To Anger" by Gordon B. Hinckley from September 2007. It was the last Priesthood session address he ever gave, and I believe one of his greatest and most applicable talks.
In the address he quotes the hymn, "School Thy Feelings," a hymn that I have not often heard sung in church meetings, but who's meaning is significant. One of the lines that really struck me was this, "School thy feelings; there is powerIn the cool, collected mind. Passion shatters reason’s tower, Makes the clearest vision blind. . . ." ("School Thy Feelings", Hymns No. 336). This is one of the hardest principles that most people deal with during mortal life. I wrote earlier about weakness and temptation, and noted that we learn that even Christ was tempted.
I remember times on my mission where it was incredibly hard to "school my feelings" because of anger that I felt. There were times where my deepest and most sacred convictions were mocked and ridiculed, and I had to learn to deal with those experiences while maintaining the spirit. It was really difficult, and required constant and specific prayers.
Having these thoughts in mind, it is interesting to read about the account of the oft-cited example of the interaction of Jesus with the moneychangers in the temple. In Matthew 21:12-13 it reads, "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." It's surprising to see why he reacted the way that he did, because he is known as the Prince of Peace. He was the one who taught that instead of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" we should turn the other cheek. Why did he lash out as he did? Maybe there are certain times when, in order for righteous purposes to be accomplished, anger is the only resort to make people change. These moneychangers may have been so stubborn, and their actions so grievous, that acting in anger was the only way for Christ to get the point across.
Soon after this experience in the temple, however, Christ was on the Mount of Olives, having just taken upon him the suffering, pains and sins of all humanity. He knew every individual better than they knew themselves. When he was taken captive by the Roman guards soon thereafter, Peter reacted in anger, and cut off the man's ear with his sword. Christ, knowing what awaited him and knowing the pain that would be inflicted upon him at the hands of these men reacted in love and reached out to heal the man's ear.
Incredible examples of tolerance, love and overcoming the temptation of anger are evident throughout history, but I'm grateful for the ultimate example, Jesus Christ.

2009-02-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I sat in the testing center staring at my physics test racking my brain, trying to figure out how far a car would skid after slamming on its brakes if it had an initial velocity of 54 m/s. I really didn't care how far it slid. How is this really going to improve my life? Why was I spending nearly 5 hours on a physics test? This kind of question has come to my mind over an over again in the last few weeks. Why do I care about what a Lewis Dot Structure of a Nitrate ion looks like? Why do I care what the electron probability of a d-type orbital looks like? These tedious tasks seem like endless hurdles on my way to medical school. I find myself getting very bogged down by these things and lose sight of my real end goal.
This Sunday these thoughts were still in my mind as I was in church. The Stake President was visiting our ward this Sunday and opened the last 10 minutes of Priesthood Meeting to questions. Someone asked a question about how they could better organize their life. He mentioned several things, but one thing in particular he mentioned was that we could serve more. Thinking about the opportunities I've had to serve in my life so far, I realize that the times my life is the most organized, meaningful, exciting and happy have been when I've been able to serve in some way.
In my reading of the New Testament this week I read the passage in Matthew 25:35-45 where Christ is talking about how important service is and how we can show our commitment to him through our service to others. "For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me..." I tend to get really into what I'm doing and don't think a lot about others nearly as much as I should.
Last night, I found my friend JJ in the library studying. When I got there he had already made friends with the girl across from him. He knows how to make friends fast, and not only can he make friends, but his friends know that he genuinely cares about them and that he wants to see them happy. As we went to eat some dinner and through the course of our conversations, I wondered how he does it. I think he is just trying to follow Christ's example and notice those who are a little downtrodden. He takes time to get to know people and gets to know what makes them happy. I know several people in my life that do this, and I think they embody this scripture very well.

2009-02-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

Reading through the scriptures I like to notice the peculiar and special relationships of certain figures. The relationships between Moses and Aaron, Abraham and Issac, Jacob and Joseph, Peter, James and John, Nephi and Sam, Mormon and Moroni, Joseph and Hyrum Smith and many others show the human interactions of prophets with particular people, often a family member. I often wonder what the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ was like. In Luke chapter 1 we see an interesting account of the first "earthly" interaction of these remarkable cousins. When Mary comes to visit her cousin Elisabeth both women were pregnant. As Mary saluted Elisabeth the account reads, "...that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." John knew who Jesus was before even entering the world, and he was filled with joy that the Savior was coming.
Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, later prophesied at the birth of John concerning the newborn's ministry and mission. "And thou child [speaking of John], shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unt his people by the remission of their sins...To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." And then, the last verse of chapter 1 reads, "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel."
I wonder if Jesus and John ever met before the account of Jesus' baptism. John knew what his mission in life was to be, and from what we have in the account, dedicated his entire life to the preparing of the way for the Lord. He had a testimony that his cousin, someone who was relatively close to his own age, was the literal Son of God and Savior of the world.
In Luke 3:10-18 John teaches principles that I believe were very different from what people were used to. He was preparing the ground for the radical changes that Jesus was to shortly bring about.
Unfortunately, none of the accounts give much detail on the interactions between Jesus and John the Baptist, except for the brief account of Jesus' baptism in the river Jordan. Although not selected as an Apostle, and although he was shut up in prison for an extended period of time until his execution, John was never envious or bitter about his circumstances. Of John, Jesus remarked, "But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea I say unto you, and more than a prophet...Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:9-11). The two must have been remarkably close and it is certain that the bond they shared was special, different than any other relationship Christ had with anyone.

2009-01-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking all week about something meaningful to contribute to this blog, and hadn't come up with something that seemed to fit all week. Tonight, however, I had the opportunity to listen to a fireside that was very well done. The speaker outlined for us the difference between sin and weakness. The booklet "True To The Faith" defines sin as willful disobedience against God's will. You know that you're doing something wrong, yet you do it anyway. Every person who has come to this earth (with one exception) has committed sin.
For a member of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints, worshiping in the holy temple is one of the most sacred experiences on this earth. To ensure that one is ready for the experience, an interview is conducted with a member of both the Bishopric and the Stake Presidency. In the interview one of the questions asked is if you feel that you are doing everything you can to be worthy to enter into the temple. Many members feel a little uncomfortable answering this question because we are intimately aware our many shortcomings and weaknesses. Perhaps we had been a little too short-tempered and had said unkind things about another. Perhaps we had a thought pop into our mind that is not conducive to promptings from the Spirit. Although we try everyday to remember and keep our covenants, we fall short on a regular basis. As mortals we all make plenty of mistakes. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni teaches us that God gives men weaknesses that we may be humble, and if we humble ourselves before Him and have faith in Him, that He can make weak things strong for us (Ether 12:27). It's an interesting thought that our loving Father in Heaven gives us weaknesses. Why? Does He want us to sin?
First, it's important to understand the difference between sin and weakness. The definition for sin has been given already. Weaknesses, in my opinion, are the inherent predispositions that we are all born with. There are many weaknesses that we all deal with and all are unique to the individual. Some may be born with a short fuse and are quick to anger, others have a genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse or drug addiction. Whatever the case may be, we all have things that the adversary will use to tempt us and try us throughout our lives. We learn that even Christ was not born with all knowledge, and that he was tempted as we all are. In Luke 2:52 we read, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Although sinless, is it possible that the Son of God was born with mortal weaknesses and predispositions? To me this doctrine is beautiful. In the book of Alma (in the Book of Mormon) chapter 7 versus 11-12, we read, "And he shall go forth suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people...and he will take upon him their infirmaties, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know, according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmaties."
We all have weaknesses, and we will have those weaknesses for the rest of our lives. We will struggle and wrestle with opposition throughout our mortal existance. These weaknesses don't have to be our stumbling block, though. We need to recognize our weaknesses with humility and try to avoid temptation, but we also need to realize that there is a difference between weakness and sin. We need to exercise our faith and hope in the Redeemer and understand that he has the power to blot out our sins (Alma 7:13) and that through our faith and his grace, he will enable us to have power over our weaknesses. I find it liberating that we don't have to be bogged down by our human frailties, but we can, with confidence move forward and leave mistakes in the past.

New Testament

2009-01-21T22:06:00.001-08:00

I am taking a New Testament class this semester at Brigham Young University and as part of the course requirements, we are asked to keep a weekly journal in a blog format. So for the next few months, this blog will serve that purpose. Please feel free to post any comments, insights or anything you want.

2008-12-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

2008-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Pumbaa

Climbing for a wife. This wall was used as a competition for men to get a wife.

2008-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Sunglasses

Hilda

2008-12-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Kente weaver in Asamang
Two girls at stake conference
Feelin' patriotic
Voting.

2008-12-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

James Ewudzie's family in Cape CoastKim and I at Elmina Castle
Kristi, Me, Kim and Margaret at the temple.

2008-12-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Elmina Castle.
Accra Ghana Temple.
My favorite picture
Kristi, Margaret, Christiana, Kim, Emmanuel, Me and Eugene

Our tro-tro broke down. Luckily I had just bought a soccer ball, so we played with the kids while the driver fixed the tro-tro

2008-12-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Papa Goat.

2008-12-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

Pounding Fufu
Me, Kim and Margaret on our way to the clinic... this is our beautiful town of Wiamoase.
This drum is 8 feet tall
My friend, Jenny, at the Asante Kotoko (Porcupines) football match

2008-12-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Philosopher's Walk in Heidleberg. Kim, Tobias, and I. Heidleberg castle is in the background.

2008-11-08T02:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast time is running out here. We have about 3 weeks of research left before we head up to Molle National Park then to Accra then to America. So three weeks left to finish everything! I've been trying to review my notes and going over everything this week to make sure I get it all done and it's going to be a stretch. It's rough too, because now everyone here knows us and wants to talk and help us and we're really in a perfect position to get everything done, but we're so near the end of our time! I've been trying to get all the interviews done that I can though.
One thing I really love about Ghanaian culture is that everyone is everyone's brother or sister or son or daughter. When someone says good morning to you, you respond by saying "Yaa Agya" or "Yaa Ena" refering to the person as father or mother. It's been really good to have a close relationship with everyone. Little kids will come running at full speed from 100 yards away when they see us coming just to say hello and give us a handshake or a hug and ask us if we are doing well. Our house is right behind one of the primary schools so everytime we walk to the clinic we are mobbed by hundreds of Ghanaian children! I'll get some pictures up here soon. We've had the experience recently of going to an orphanage in Mampong and attending a graduation ceremony at the local university and a hundred other things that happen everyday. We had a "political party" here on the 5th after the elections and made kosher hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and watermelon. Long live the USA! I will never be able to do this experience justice by writing a log because the sights, sounds, smells and everything here are just so unique and interesting. I'll try to post some more pictures here soon.

2008-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

I took me about an hour to upload five pictures today. We went to Mampong instead of Kumasi and the internet is a little faster here. I will try again to post more at a future date. Hope you like these few though

A few pictures

2008-10-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Playing "Take Five" at Hans Cottage with the band. The bass player was our tour guide at Kakum National Park and he asked me if I wanted to come and play with them.

The fishing boats of Elmina

Cape Coast Castle. It was built in the 1600s by the Dutch for the slave trade.

The Accra temple by night

Home sweet home

This is Esther, our Ghanaian mother with Hilda and Christiana, showing us the proper technique for fufu pounding

This is in the market in Agona.

2008-10-28T03:37:00.001-07:00

We've been having a great week here. Yesterday I finally got to interview Dr. Samuel. He is honestly one of the greatest people I have ever met. We just spent an hour talking about medicine and malaria and other things and it was a really productive and good experience. I've been able to get a lot done this week for my research, and I have a lot of typing to do to expand my notes...but enough of the boring stuff. Last week we went down to Accra and met some amazing people. The first people that were baptized into the church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were there and one of them invited us to stay in his home in Cape Coast for a few days. We gladly accepted and over the next three days he told us his story of his faith and perseverance. It was a life-changing experience and I really loved being down there with he and his family. We went on a canopy walk in the rainforest which was just a rope suspension bridge about 70 feet up in the trees. It was really cool. We went and visited to castles, Elmina and Cape Coast that were used in the 16 and 1700s for the slave trade. It was a heart-breaking tour and the descriptions of the way the slaves were treated made me sick. The castles themselves were really picturesque on top of these hills overlooking the Atlatic Ocean. We took a lot of pictures (which I will post at a future date). We also got to go in the ocean (like bathwater) and see the beautiful town of Cape Coast. It was an amazing trip and it would take hours to write about everything we saw and did. So we have about one month of research left to go, so time to crank up the effort. I would love to hear about how any of you, who are reading this, are doing as well, so feel free to send updates through email or just post a comment on the blog.

2008-10-22T03:52:00.001-07:00

Hello! I won't have time (at all!) to go into the amazing events that have transpired this last week, at least today, but I will try to do so on a near future date. We spent last week traveling to Accra, Cape Coast and Kakum and had some incredible experiences! We met the first members of the church in Western Africa and heard their amazing stories, attended the temple, went to castles that were used for slavery, I sat in on drumset with a jazz group for an evening, and so many other things happened! Again, I will detail more later when I'm not frantically trying to get a bunch of things done! All three of us are alive and healthy though!

2008-10-03T04:11:00.000-07:00

Hey- Well we came back to Kumasi today because we had a couple more errands to run that we didn't get done with before. For those of you who are curious and do not know yet my research topic is on malaria treatment practices in a rural area of the Ashanti region of Ghana. In the last few years things have changed dramatically in the world (and especially western Africa) in the treatment of malaria. The parasite has developed resistance to common treatment methods and new treatments have been needed. My goal is to look at what the Ghanaian government has done in recent years to change their previous policies and impliment more effective treatments. I'm looking at what the health care providers are using, why they're using it and the perceived effectiveness of the treatments. My data-collecting includes interviews, listening to consultations, reading previous (recent) works done about this subject and other things as they come up. I've come to realize that the area I am in is pretty much the perfect setting because about 70% of the patients that are seen have malaria. I've also been able to see a variety of other interesting and painful ailments including serious cases of gangrene, typhoid, huge abcesses, and some other things. I am basically allowed (and encouraged) to do whatever I want. It's a really interesting mix of medicine and cultural exploration because the two are inseperable here. The doctors are very open, but the language has proved to be a huge barrier (one that is really difficult to overcome) but I'm still working on it. So that's what I'm doing until early December!

2008-10-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

We came into Kumasi again today to do some research at the University of Science and Technology so we stopped off to check our email too. It's been a good week and I'm really moving ahead on the research! I'm developing more ideas on how to go about collecting data. It turns out that the topic has so many facets, and the more questions I get answered, the more questions I have. It's been great, however, and I'm still trying to learn Twi. Before I left, my friend Molly gave me a good book called Mountains Beyond Moutains... it's one of the greatest books I've ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's about a renowned American doctor, Paul Farmer, who has dedicated his life to treating the poor and destitute. Just through reading about his life (from the perspective of another), it has changed a lot of my opinions. That may be because of the setting I'm in right now, among people who have very little means, and yet so many problems that are beyond their control. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and if anyone else has read it or plans on reading it, let me know. I love it here in Ghana and am learning so much everyday. These people are incredibly intelligent in so many ways and I look up to so many of them. I have to run, time's up on my computer.

2008-09-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

It's been another great week in Wiamoase. I bought a djembe this week in a little village just outside of Kumasi. The village specializes in wood working and they can make some seriously amazing things! I really liked looking around at all the different animals and statues and stuff that they've carved... but the salesmen were super pushy. Anyway, I found the drum of my dreams and got it for a really fair price. It sounds great and so far everyone has liked to listen to it. Jima, one of Esther's sons (Esther is the lady we're staying with) said he has a good friend that will teach me some traditional African beats. I'm in heaven! haha. I also stopped by the Salvation Army church on the way home from buying some bread the other day to say hi to some friends there. We met these kids the first week we were here and they've wanted me to come play music with them since. So we stopped by and I got to sit in and play the drumset during one of their rehearsals... so fun. All of the songs were Gospel and Reggae mixed, something I'm not too experienced with, but great nonetheless. Other than that, my research is still going well. I got a really good book this week from Dr. Samuel on the new standards for malaria treatments, so that answered a lot of my questions, but also made me think of more. Things are great and none of us have gotten sick yet!

2008-09-17T04:08:00.002-07:00

Well I tried to write a post on Saturday that I posted... but it didn't post. oh well! We arrived in Wiamoase last Monday. It's a really small village about 2 hours outside of Kumasi. Goats and wild dogs roam the streets, roosters wake us up in the morning at like 2:30 then 3 then 3:30.. etc. It's an amazing place. We're staying with an older lady that is very respected in the community. Her husband is the main doctor at the clinic that I'm working at. Her children are mostly grown up but have been home for school holidays these last couple weeks. It's just a great situation. On Saturday we went to a soccer game where the team from Kumasi played a team from Algeria. I guess the Kumasi team is pretty good becaues they've won like every game for the last 3 seasons, so it was really fun to watch. People here go NUTS about football. I started work at the clinic on Monday and have already seen some pretty interesting things. About 70% of the patients who come to the clinic are diagnosed with malaria, so I guess I have my work cut out for me. The physicians and nurses and lab techs are so nice and basically letting me do whatever I want. This week the lab tech is going to teach me how to draw blood and prepare it for analysis. I spent a few hours on Monday looking at malaria infected blood on a microscope... it's all just so great right now. Next week one of the doctors told me he wants me to come with him to give immunizations in a nearby village. I guess it's just on-the-job training, but I'm kind of nervous about all that. So far so good as far as my own health though! I'm also spending some time trying to learn Twi, the local dialect. Although everyone here must learn English in school, they always speak Twi to each other, so we've been trying to learn in order to communicate more effectively. Plus, all of the consultations are done in Twi, so I need to understand what's going on. Luckily it's not as complicated as French, so hopefully I will continue to learn more and more.
I have learned that it will probably be impossible to upload pictures while I'm here because the computers are too slow! I'm sorry, but when I get home on December 8th I will post all of my pictures. I love it here

2008-09-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm here in Kumasi, Ghana. It's about six hours north of Accra, the capital. It has been a serious adventure so far. It seems like nothing here is familiar! I'm not able to upload any pictures right now because these computers are really really slow, but I will try again soon. We spent one full day in Germany, visiting the city of Heidelberg and the castle there... it was amazing. Words don't do it justice. We stayed with the greatest family there who took us in and really showed us a good time. We ate schnitzel and sour krout and loved it all. Tobias, a friend of Kristi's showed us around and was so great to us. It was too bad we could only stay for one day!
We flew from Frankfurt to Lagos and then to Accra. Getting off the plane in Accra was like stepping into a new world. Again, words just don't do it justice, and I need to spend some time just writing it all down in my journal, but everything here is a new experience. We only spent the night in Accra, and took a bus up to Kumasi, where we are now. We got in yesterday evening and spent the evening walking around and finding a place to eat, etc. Today we spent the whole day walking around Kumasi, just experiencing things here. We went to the zoo and saw lions, crocadiles, etc. and went and visited the culture center where we sat and watched a Rastafarian religious service... quite interesting. We then spent some time walking around the largest outdoor marketplace in western Africa. That was one of the most unique and crazy experiences I've ever had. There were thousands and thousands of people and merchants selling everything you can possible imagine. I took a few pictures which I will post later. Everyone we meet here is very friendly (although a lot of them want to just sell us stuff). But mostly everyone we meet is very fair and doesn't try to rip us off. So far it has been quite an incredible and eye-opening experience, and I'm really enjoying it all. Once I post some pictures you will have a better sense of what I'm talking about.

2008-08-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'll be using this blog to post pictures and journal entries about my trip to Ghana that will begin on September 1... that is if I can get all my visa stuff taken care of! Feel free to make comments or send me an email at andrewgessel@gmail.com