Why In The World Are We Going to Ghana?

May 28, 2014
Today is a very important day. Bob has driven to SLC to meet with Elder Bob Gay who is over the Perpetual Education Fund. They are presenting to him their planned project in Ghana with the hope to eventually work together to facilitate some programs.

I can see that Bob could be a real asset to Elder Gay and he is willing to volunteer his services. If that is what we are to do, I pray that this will be a positive step. All we want to do is what The Lord wants us to do but we are willing to give our time and resources of money and energy to building the kingdom and realize that we may not have many serviceable years left. We pray hard for the health to continue as long as possible.

All Bob has ever wanted was to work for the Church. Early in life he became a seminary supervisor and teacher. That is what brought us to Arizona. My brother, Ron, encouraged him to develop a career independent of the Church, not relying on it for income, with the thought that he would then be useful to the church and in a position to donate his service. He took that advice and has not been sorry, he has spent his career learning business principles and practices that are now a real asset to others who are starting or building businesses.  He has been able to help so many students his children and many others with their businesses and he plans to continue to do that.

We served a mission at BYU Idaho which fit his skill sets perfectly and now he wants to be able to use his experience to help build a program in Ghana to teach students how to help local businesses succeed. We are going by faith. We aren't exactly sure how this will all be done. There is a plan but we must get to know the people and their needs and how we can serve them. The long range goal is to develop a pilot program that could eventually be implemented in other countries.

It is hard to leave our family, the comforts of home and the safety of feeling just a little in control of our lives. That giving up control and walking into the unknown is tough, but we have faith that the Lord will guide our efforts and, hopefully, help them to bear fruit. It begins today. My prayer is that Bob, Corey Smith and Steve McGarry will know how to present their plan and that Elder Gay can have the vision of how it fits into the needs of the Church. It won't all happen today but will be a process, or not. I leave it in the hands of The Lord.