Hello to all of you,
Your missionaries are doing well. They are firm in the gospel of
Jesus Christ. I am sure that you would be very impressed, as I am, when
they teach and witness to the truthfulness of the restoration. The
missionaries have studied well. Even the new elders study and learn a
great deal in depth. The new members generally do very well. Their
activity is good. The converts are lifted up as having "a brightness of
hope" and then lift the people around them. The rain season has been
minimal thus far. I get conflicting reports as to when the rainy season
is here. Most said June to or through Sept. I did just read a
security report that said that the rainy season is July to early Sept.
Even with that the elders in Finagnon sometimes wear rubber irrigation
boots in some areas.
This is also a
time of expansion. Baptisms have been consistent at about 60 per month.
In Togo we now have enough members to form a stake. In Cotonou we
have just approved 4 new branches. This is to make it easier for the
members to attend church. The Cococodji branch just received final
approval last week. We have secured a beautiful building for them to
meet in. We had hoped to begin meeting their this week, but the current
occupants won't be out until the end of July.
I just can't
believe the wonderful and miraculous conversions that happen. For
example: Some elders were beginning to teach a family the gospel. The
two older daughter (their ages about 22 and 24) were furious and didn't
want their family to take the lessons. They were against the
missionaries from the start. Well, as you know, in Cotonou though
French is the primary language. But there are significant other tribal
languages which has caused a sort of "merging" words and phrases that it
is difficult to always convey the whole meaning of thoughts. In this
case, Fon was also spoken. A language a few of the elders become
familiar. So, the elders asked the 2 older girls to translate from the
French to Fon and back, etc. They said that they would help just so
they could show their parents how foolish of them to listen to these
elders. As the discussion progressed the family was ready to be
baptized but not the 2 girls. The family was baptized, and as you might
know by now the 2 girls wanted to be baptized. Just amazing. At
their baptism the sister missionaries showed up. The girls didn't know
that we had sister missionaries. These beautiful converts were anxious
to visit the sister following the meeting. They did. The next day
(Sunday) I was at the branch. The boys of the family requested a
blessing. I invited the family to come in. It was "finals" time at
school and they thought that it would help. Following that the 2 girls
requested a blessing the following week since it would be their week of
"finals". President Weed was there to accommodate their wish.
This kind of experience is not unusual. Your sons and daughters are in the middle of this.
We had the final visit of one of the seventy. Elder Dickson and his
wife. He is now 70 and will be formally released in October. But,
this was his last Mission tour and Zone Conference. He is just
wonderful. He has been involved with 460 stake reorganizations etc. He
has been the Africa West Area President for several years. He served
as a mission president one or two times. He spoke at this past April
Conference. He had to have his right arm amputated just before he left
for his mission when he was 19. He says that it has been a blessing to
have lost his arm. You see, challenges are for everyone. He had a
successful business when he was called to serve as a mission president
at age 36. They had 2 of their children born during that time.
Your
missionaries are blessed with various challenges as well. We notice
their change. They grow. They learn about the 8 or 9 other cultures
from the missionaries of various cultures. It is not easy. But, they
are more than equal to the task. We love their enthusiasm.
I thought that
we had come to serve and in the end it is us who have been served by
them, the missionaries and the people of Benin and Togo. How blessed we
have been. We can hardly wait to see what happens during the next half
of our mission.
We wish you well. Your missionaries pray for you. They are glad to be here. They are in very good hands, the Lord's hand.
Elder Semken