Dear Family and Friends,
Today my companion and I are wearing our Lakers jerseys to honor the legend Kobe Bryant.
While on a recent exchange I was able to finally meet a referral President had given me about a month ago. His name is Linus, the founder and president of the LNWBA(Liberia National Wheelchair Basketball Association). Linus is a very kind and wise man who is determined to follow his lifelong dream of establishing a wheelchair basketball team here in Liberia! Linus came to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in hopes to find people willing to donate wheelchairs, basketballs and funding. He found something much greater than wheelchairs that day....
After meeting with our mission president about the Restored Church and the Book of Mormon, Linus was eager to receive a phone call from the missionaries. President contacted me and I contacted Linus who honestly couldn't have been more excited to hear from me! He didn't live in my area so I passed him to the Elders who do. When I was one exchange with Elder Egan last week, we visited Linus' home and taught a lesson from the book of Mormon. I let him know that although I never followed sports, I have a father who is a die hard Lakers fan. Instantly he lit up with a big smile and said, "I love the Lakers!" He then listed all of his favorite players which happened to be my dad's favorites such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. I told him that he and my dad would get along well. Linus is the one who informed me of the Black Mamba's death saying, "Your father and I are bereaved today."
Linus has a crippled leg which causes him more deeply feel for others who also love the game but sadly can't play. He is working hard to start the LNWBA and I pray it works out for him. His dedication to follow a dream will surely bless the lives of many.
After meeting with our mission president about the Restored Church and the Book of Mormon, Linus was eager to receive a phone call from the missionaries. President contacted me and I contacted Linus who honestly couldn't have been more excited to hear from me! He didn't live in my area so I passed him to the Elders who do. When I was one exchange with Elder Egan last week, we visited Linus' home and taught a lesson from the book of Mormon. I let him know that although I never followed sports, I have a father who is a die hard Lakers fan. Instantly he lit up with a big smile and said, "I love the Lakers!" He then listed all of his favorite players which happened to be my dad's favorites such as Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. I told him that he and my dad would get along well. Linus is the one who informed me of the Black Mamba's death saying, "Your father and I are bereaved today."
Linus has a crippled leg which causes him more deeply feel for others who also love the game but sadly can't play. He is working hard to start the LNWBA and I pray it works out for him. His dedication to follow a dream will surely bless the lives of many.
My companion and I had a cool experience this last week when we visited the home of 3 young brothers who had attended church for the past 2 Sundays. Our ward mission leader drove us on his bike down a LONG dirt path in the middle of hundreds of beautiful palm trees where we had to park the bike and walk for about an hour down a massive field of... Africa. Elder Gababoi was worried about running into Lions and Rhinos because where he comes from, "it's suicide to take a hike in a field far from the road." It was so spectacular! (I got plenty video on a GOPRO that I'll post when I return) We had been walking for so long that we came to the conclusion that we had made a wrong turn because it seemed like nobody could possibly live so far in the bush. Just as we were about to turn around, we saw 3 boys in the field yelling for our attention. As we walked further, we found a small house where the boys live with their grandma and uncle.
We sat down and began to study about the nature of God. They came to understand that Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bone and the Son also. We taught that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are 3 separate beings but 1 in purpose. Afterwards, we explained that Jesus Christ not only made it possible through His Atonement for us to return to Heaven but He also showed us how. This direction is called His doctrine or gospel. By applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our personal lives and our homes, we can experience a more enduring happiness and sense of peace. These things we taught and when we concluded, the grandma began to say something along the lines of, "I've been trying to find a church that does not request money to worship or study but I never could find one. Very recently, I prayed asking for revelation and now here you are! You walked a long distance just to simply teach my grandchildren and you haven't even asked for a drink of water!" I could tell this woman noticed the difference from the Church of Christ as compared to the churches of man. We are excited to continue teaching these young boys who will someday become missionaries and also their grandma who surely received an answer to her prayers. The long hot walks always seem to have the most rewarding outcomes:)
We sat down and began to study about the nature of God. They came to understand that Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bone and the Son also. We taught that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are 3 separate beings but 1 in purpose. Afterwards, we explained that Jesus Christ not only made it possible through His Atonement for us to return to Heaven but He also showed us how. This direction is called His doctrine or gospel. By applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our personal lives and our homes, we can experience a more enduring happiness and sense of peace. These things we taught and when we concluded, the grandma began to say something along the lines of, "I've been trying to find a church that does not request money to worship or study but I never could find one. Very recently, I prayed asking for revelation and now here you are! You walked a long distance just to simply teach my grandchildren and you haven't even asked for a drink of water!" I could tell this woman noticed the difference from the Church of Christ as compared to the churches of man. We are excited to continue teaching these young boys who will someday become missionaries and also their grandma who surely received an answer to her prayers. The long hot walks always seem to have the most rewarding outcomes:)
Sincerely, Elder Hallenberger
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