August 22, 2021

Maamobi Ward, Tesano Stake, Ghana
Relief Society Lesson: Faith
 

 This is one of the closest wards to where we live, but also one of the poorest we’ve attended. As typical of any discussion, the sisters provided examples from their lives. Today they were talking about faith.

One sister shared her personal self-talk, "At the end of the day you will eat. Someone will bring you food. You don’t know who. But you know it will come.” 

    Second sister explained, "In our church we don’t sing and clap our hands. Many say our church is boring. But it is not. I have a testimony the priesthood is there, and real.  When I was sick, I had a dream. I was in the temple in the dream. I was healed. The priesthood is real."

    Third sister's experience: "I was let go from my job. The boss blamed me for something I did not do. I started crying. I always cry when I’m hungry. How could I accept this? I started to sing my favorite song, I Need Thee Every Hour. It comforts me and calms me. Faith is not seeing, it's believing.” 

    We're learning that hunger is real to these people. Many, especially the YSA, only have one meal, most likely rice, per day. Saving money for the future is an unrelatable concept when you literally live day to day. Very few have permanent jobs. Most are part of the informal economy where they work when they can at whatever job they can find.