SSS - 05/31/2026

 Howdy Hon,

Today was a beautiful Sabbath day.  Not only did we have church, but we had a 'linge- longer' afterwards.  We got to linger and chat with others, although I was very sad not to have choir rehearsal.  I wasn't feeling the best, so I didn't make the rounds as I should have.  

But here is what I gleaned at church today:

1. My nephew by heart spoke and made the point that God strengthens him by giving him challenges.  Both physical and mental.  This always helps to increase his growth.  
2. A sister pointed out that sometimes God helps us by not taking away our burden, but helps us be able to carry that burden.  Every person has worries and burdens; this reminds us that we all need the Savior.  
• She also added that trusting in the Lord means letting people help us.  Vulnerability requires trust - whenever we let trusted people in our lives, God uses them.  
3. A brother talked about covenants and testimonies.  One point he spoke on was that comfort is strength stepping into the fight, accepting that trial, and knowing that God has got this.  He has got you!

Wow, just awesome. 

Have a blessed day,

Stephanie

SSS 05/24/2026

Howdy Hon, 

We have been back stateside since the end of January.  

Hope to be back on a weekly schedule. 

Steph's Sunday Snippets - 5/2/2026

From today's talks/lessons at church:

1) Faith & Works: start with where you are and what you already know how to do. Keep at it until you become good enough at it, not perfect, but a grasp of it. Then pick another thing and start where you are and with what you already know. Once you plant those seeds, you have to water them. You will be increasing your faith and your relationship with the Lord. Faith leads to works; works lead to miracles.

2) Wonders of God: the Lord will do wonders among you. If you have righteous acts, the Lord will show you many miracles. Go forth in faith, and you will see the wonders of God.

3) The POWER of smiles: it does not cost you anything, it's simple, and has more impact on a person than you can ever imagine. A sister was suffering the loss of a loved one from an accident. She was depressed and on the verge of tears while at a traffic light. A gentleman turned, and as he was passing her vehicle, he looked over and smiled. Change her day and her life. This is the simplest and most effective thing you can do to share the light of Christ, brighten someone's day/life, and show them that God sees them and he cares. I have heard others' reaction to this many times, as well as experienced it. I tell you, it's a game-changer.

Have a beautiful Sabbath day, my friend. 

SSS February 9, 2025

 Howdy Hon,

We are just coming off of an amazing 3 days of zone conferences.  I love the gospel and all that it teaches us about the Savior and how we can serve Him and others, especially as missionaries. 

Here are the SSS for February 9, 2025:

1.      We had guests in our little branch today.  The visiting Relief Society leadership taught us using a general conference talk from Elder Gerrit Gong, “Holiness to the Lord in Everyday Life”.  He spoke about:

a.       Living 7 C’s:  communion with God; community and compassion with each other; commitment and covenant with God, family, friends; and friends—centered in Jesus Christ. 

b.      How faith in Christ can bring more happiness (he did not say with no trials), purpose, clarity, inspiration, and fulfillment than not having a spiritual commitment/connection, even “amidst life’s twists and turns”. 

c.       Holiness to the Lord in everyday life draws us closer to the Lord, each other, and prepares us for the time we get to go back to live with God our Father, Jesus Christ, and our loved ones. 

If you would like to read this wonderfully soothing and loving talk, you can find it here.  (I did this from my log in so if you see any highlights just ignore them and make your own).

2.      One speaker today (who spoke in Twi and English) testified that the first place we need to share the gospel of Jesus Christ is in our homes.  We should be sharing the gospel, and even bearing our testimonies to our husband, wife, and children.  When was the last time your family saw you praying, outside of grace for a meal?  On your knees?  When was the last time you bore your testimony to your family, in your own home.   That is the first place our family should learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel.  Church is a needed and amazing place, but it should be to support what the family/individual is already learning at home.  When we come to church, those valuable lessons from home are simply being supported.   

3.     Okay, I’m cheating on this one.  This is the third verse and it says it perfectly.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

If you’d like to listen and sing along the sheet music and recording is here.

 

I hope you have a blessed week.  Remember the Lord loves you very much, and so do I.

 

Love,

 

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

2025

SSS - February 02, 2025

  Howdy Hon, 

Can you believe it is already February?  My goodness, this mission is going by so
fast.  Alright, let's get right into it.  Here are your Steph's Sunday Snippets for today:

1.      When you pray and ask God for direction and he gives it to you, that should be the end of it.  If he gives it to you twice, you’ve gotten your confirmation on the first answer.  Now if you go back and ask him a third time or continue to do so until he does what any parent would do, he says: You know what?  I told you how I feel about this and not to proceed forward with it, but if you are so sure that you want to do it, then fine, okay, go for it.  Now one could get happy and say ‘yes’!  I have the go-ahead.  I made the parents see it my way.  That would be INCORRECT my friend.  What you have actually done is told him you don’t trust his answer: that you, with all your limited knowledge and views of the situation know better.  Therefore, he says: okay.  You really should have heeded my warning and accepted my love and guidance to protect you.  Now… you have to deal with the consequences of your actions.  And let’s be CLEAR, it’s not a punishment for your decisions.  It’s the CONSEQUENCES of your OWN actions that you must be held accountable for.   Psst, you are always free to choose your actions, however, you are never free to choose the consequences.   (Scripture reference Jacob 4:10)

2.      “As we serve with Christlike attributes, we will stand blameless before God and bring salvation to our souls.”   So, what are Christlike attributes?  They’re qualities or traits of the Savior’s nature and character.  How do you find them? Well first off, you have to “seek Jesus”.  How do you do that?  Well, by making a consistent effort to learn about Him.  Then make an effort to become more like Him.  That’s a very good start to learning his attributes and then figuring out how you can develop those attributes in yourself.  When you do this, you will find peace, joy, and spiritual growth.  *I’m going to pick an attribute to work on this week, would you like to join me?  We can write in our journal/bujo/planner which attribute, and then one thing we can work on all week to develop that attribute more in our lives. 

3.      I’ll end with this question for you to ponder:  Who should you fear more, God or man?  When God has given you cause to do something, say something, be something, we can’t afford to be worried about man.  Man, who was created out of the dirt by God himself.  Yes, I know that sometimes that can be scary.  But take courage my friend, God’s work will not be frustrated by man.  He will be there to help you in all your righteous efforts, especially those efforts that move the work of salvation forward.  Think about it, who has more to do with your life now and later, who can give you strength to withstand what the world throws at you, who can give you peace, true peace, who can help you weather the storms, and who can help you rise to the occasion? 

 

Well, it’s time for an extra, don’t you think?  This is part of GCCM Recitations when we have Zone Conferences: “Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that you serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.  Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work”.  D&C 4:2,3

Have a blessed week hon, and remember God loves you and so do I.

 

Sister Ladner

GCCM

Steph's Sunday Snippets - January 19, 2025

 **Sorry for the late post, had an emergency come up!**

Howdy Hon,

Here we are halfway through January already.  

Here are the Steph’s Sunday Snippets for January 19, 2025:

1.      In my testimony a couple of weeks ago, I think I reference James 1:5.  That was part of our scripture study this week.  If there is a big decision to be made in your life, you need to figure out what direction to go in, what the next step should be…  One thing you can always do is get on your knees and pray to God to ask where should I go or what should I do?  Or tell Him, here’s my plan, and ask if it’s a good plan, because the Lord does love effort on our part.  Quite honestly, it doesn’t matter what the question is, God has the correct answers.  Now, bear in mind it may not be the answer you want right then or even the way you want it.  But trust in the fact that he knows more than you; as matter of fact, He knows all.  Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees, but he can always see it all.  Learn to trust Him, and He will lead you to much better things than you could ever do on your own.

2.      I can remain true to what I know, even if others reject me.  Sometimes others may reject you for your beliefs.  They may try to tell you that you’re just imagining things, that God doesn’t help people like He did back in the biblical days, and that God doesn’t care about me or you.  Do not let others convince you that what you know to be true is not.  Don’t let others’ doubts become your worry.  I know that God is real; I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior; AND I know that God and Jesus KNOW that I KNOW.  So, I can’t be worried about offending man; I must be concerned about denying my Christ and offending my God.  Now who do you think will have more impact on my life now and later?  I KNOW it, whether others choose to know it or deny it.

3.      Testimony – always take the time to share your testimony when you feel prompted to do so, I have to be better at doing this.  But here are some good questions in a talk by Elder Stevenson, “Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony”.  Ponder these questions for yourself this week; I’ll give you the author’s brief response; he digs in deeper in the talk: 

a.      Do you know and understand what a testimony is?  It’s your belief/knowledge of the truth given as a spiritual witness through the influence of the Holy Ghost.

b.      Do you know how to bear your testimony? You bear your testimony when you share spiritual feelings with others.

c.       What are the obstacles in sharing your testimony? They may include uncertainty about what to say. Feelings of fear come from the adversary.

d.      How do you keep your testimony? Feasting on the word of God, heartfelt prayer, partaking of the Sacrament, feeding your testimony with truth, and asking the Lord how to hear Him better. Make it your highest priority.

You can find this talk here:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/55stevenson?lang=eng#title1 It’s a good read and edifying.  In the interest of keeping this post at good length, I did not answer any of the questions, but they are discussed in the article. 

 

I hope you know without a doubt that God Loves you very much, and so do I. 

Have a wonderful week.  I invite you to share your testimony, you can start here if you like or on my Instagram and Facebook post where I post these SSS.

Love ya,

 

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission 

SSS - January 12, 2025

 Happy Sabbath to All, 

This has been a beautiful Sabbath day here in Ghana. I was unexpectedly called upon to teach Sunday School this morning. Remember the Boy Scout motto, "Always be prepared"? Well, today, Urh...  But I added a quick prayer to the person’s opening prayer and jumped right in.  Although I have this new space, I will try not to be too lengthy today. 

Welcome to this week's Steph's Sunday Snippets:

 1) “Hearken, O Ye People” was the title of today’s Sunday School lesson.  What is hearken? 

”To hearken means to “hear Him”—to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel. In those two words—“Hear Him”—God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!”  

President Russell M. Nelson, what more can I add to that.

2)  The Lord’s voice of warnings: 

• Who are they for?  ALL the inhabitants of the earth!  Remember the Lord is no respecter of persons.  He loves us all and wants to see us all come back to Him. 
• How do we receive them?  Through the scriptures, through his prophets, through your church family, through your ministering teachers, home teachers, Sacrament prayer…
• Why does God give them to us?   A few reasons:  to prepare us for what is coming, increase our faith, instruct us, chasten us, help us repent, and give us more knowledge.  
• Choosing not to follow the Savior’s way can allow negative consequences and influences in your life. 

3)  God has often chosen the weak and simple to do his work.  He chooses those who are ready (sometimes even after a gentle nudge) and willing to do His work.  If we get so educated or trained in a field or get so many initials behind our names (and nothing wrong with that, you should get absolutely all you can, however…) we think we know it all and there is no one better qualified than us to go out there and do whatever.  If your cup is so full that you think you do not need to be poured into then how can you be of service to God and your fellow man?  We should always be ready to receive whatever God has to pour into our cups – blessings, inspiration, revelation for ourselves and those we are stewards over, knowledge, gifts, lessons, etc.  Of course, not everyone will receive calls to be prophets, bishops, presidents, etc.; that is not important.  Being ready, willing, and presenting an open cup to be poured into so that you can help in the Lord’s work of going forward and bringing about His work for the joy and salvation of mankind, IS important.

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed week.  Remember God loves you a lot, and so do I.    

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

 

 

SSS - January 5, 2025

Howdy hon, 

 

A new year had started.  With a new year comes new ideas, challenges, and growth.  

While sharing Steph's Sunday Snippets throughout 2024, there is one thing that really bugged me.  I HATED having to erase parts of my messages to fit into the box on Instagram or things like having my testimony broken into 3 separate posts.   After much pushback from me, I finally took Elder Ladner's advice to put the SSS on a blog of its own.  This blog has no other purpose than to continue to share what I have learned, enjoyed, or pondered on Sundays from church and gospel studies at home.    I will now share the blog post on social media, or you can just come here and check it out each Sunday.  

Shall we begin with the first Steph's Sunday Snippets blog post of 2025!  

1.      What are your gifts from God and how are you using them?  Yes, of course, you have some.  God blesses each of us with many spiritual gifts.  No one gets all the gifts, and sometimes, you may not have gotten the gift you wanted.   He gave us all gifts, but know this - God did not give you gifts for you to keep them to yourself or to ignore them.  He gave them to you to use.  Even if you didn't get the gift you wanted, work with the gifts He gave you and show your willingness to use them for His good.  Then ask Him for the gift you want.  I want the gift of tongues, especially since I have scriptures in 4 languages in my personal collection and I'd like to speak openly with those I serve here in Ghana.  The first and greatest gift He gave you is in John, chapter 3, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  He has given us scriptures to help us find our way, commandments to help us avoid the pitfalls of the world, and repentance for our mistakes... just to name a few.  

2.      Please accept this challenge from our mission president and his wife given to us at zone conference:

o   Take a sheet of paper and write the title "What Gifts Has God Given You" at the top. 

o   Under that, draw a line down the center dividing the page into 2 sides.

o   On the left side, title it, "MY Gifts".  List all your gifts you can think of on the left side of the paper.  I don't mean only popular gifts like singing, dancing, speaking, stuff like that, but dig deep.  This can include such things as: the gift of the Holy Ghost (we all got that one after baptism), the gift of tongues, the gift of listening, the gift of smiling, the gift of organization, compassion, etc., ...

o   On the right side. title it, "How Am I Using Them".  Now on that line of each gift, go to the right side and write what you are doing with that gift.  How are you using that gift to help bring others to Christ, to uplift and encourage others?  

3.       As you go into 2025, think about those gifts often and how you are using them. If you are not, then hop to it, my friend. 

That's it hon!  Remember God loves you so much, and so do I.  

Have a blessed week!

 

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

Merry Christmas from Ghana!

 Howdy Hon, 

Merry Christmas from the Ghana Senior Missionaries, the Ladners.

SSS - December 22, 2024

Hi There, 

Can you believe Christmas is next week?!  Oh, my word, it doesn’t feel like it yet.  I miss not being a part of the Annual Nativity Exhibit back home and seeing everyone take on the spirit of the season.  Sigh, but I love it here in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission field.   The people here are amazing, helpful and always smiling!  I am grateful for God’s little tender mercies like the one in this picture.  One of our young missionaries gave us this wonderful little olive wood nativity.  I know he doesn’t know that I collect nativities and love to volunteer them to be displayed in the annual exhibit.   It brought great joy to me to open this package.  

I was torn between giving three snippets from this week’s studies or simply bearing my testimony of Jesus Christ.  Umm…  Well, it’s the Saviors’ birth next week.  I should bear my testimony of the importance of that in my life. 

I am grateful that a 14-year-old boy, Joseph Smith, had enough of an empty cup that the Lord could pour into it.  A young boy who was lost as to which church to join and read in the scriptures, James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” to know whom to ask.  A young boy who had enough faith in a loving God to actually do what it said.  I’m grateful that when a 22-year-old me, a young single mother who desired to know who she was, or more importantly whose she was, she could follow that same verse.  I  needed to know where my young daughter and I should go to become the daughters of God that He wanted us to become: honest and virtuous women of strong faith and actions that represented Him.  I’m grateful for the day I kneeled beside my sleeping daughter’s bed and prayed to the Lord, with a sincere heart, with real intent to act, with faith in Jesus Christ, to a kind and loving Heavenly Father - desiring to know where he wanted me to be, where could my faith in Him grow, where could my relationship with Him be strengthened, where could I learn more of the attributes of the Savior that I needed to develop in my own life, and how I could know the path I needed to be on that would help me to be not just my mother’s daughter, but to be my Heavenly Father’s faithful daughter.

When Jesus Christ stretched forth his arms on the cross to become my Savior, that is something I am unworthy of, yet he still loved me enough to offer himself anyway (not just for me, for you too).  I am grateful for his atoning sacrifice to help a lost daughter to find her way and change her heart, change her mindset, and change her life: a decision I will never forget or regret.   My decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior has been the most and the BEST decision, I have ever made.  I continue to strive to be more like Him, to live more like Him, act more like Him, love more like Him and serve more like Him.

I am grateful for the ability to study and learn from the Bible and another testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon.  These books teach me how to live my life as a daughter of God and keep me on a covenant path back to Him. 

I am grateful for my family and a wonderful husband who loves and studies to be a faithful son of our Heavenly Father.  I am grateful for good friends who are always supportive of my choices and who are always a ready ear.  I am thankful for the Wards that have helped and continue to help shape me.  I am grateful for those who have served me in my times of need.  I am grateful for those who have allowed me to grow by serving them in their times of need.  I am grateful for my faith in and my testimony of Jesus Christ as the only way back to our Heavenly Father.  I am grateful to serve a fulltime mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I am grateful to the young missionaries who leave their home, family, friends, school, and life to serve and preach the gospel to all the world. 

May the Lord bless you and may you be willing to accept it.  Remember he loves you, and so do I. 

Afehyiapa (Merry Christmas)

Sister Ladner, MCH

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

SSS - December 15, 2024

Howdy Hon, 

1.      Have you ever wondered if a thought or impression you had was from God or from your own thoughts?  Ever felt it was hard to wade through all the deception in making a right or wrong choice?  Well, I know I have many times while learning and growing my relationship with God. “John 1:9 ~ That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”  The Light of Christ (not the Holy Ghost) is an influence that comes from God.  It’s an influence for good in the lives of all people.  It also helps to prepare them to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  One of the ways that Light comes to us is by things like having a conscience – which can help someone choose the difference between right and wrong.  The more gospel you learn, the more that conscience kicks into play when you make decisions. Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light,”   Just remember if the impression/thought is to do good and brings light to you and others, then IT’S ALL GOOD!   

2.      Be slow to anger.  There are so many things that we allow to push us to be angry. Have you ever thought about the consequences of your anger?  To your co-workers, friends, family, church family, total strangers…  Did it help the situation, did it bring peace, did it uplift, did it bring unity, did it make others feel good… not any of the times that I have allowed it to get the best of me.  We are human, but we also have control over our reactions.  Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”   In high school I hit the lunchroom wall hard enough with my fist to stop everything and have everyone look towards me.  A teacher came over and taught me to count to 10.  Imagine if I had hit the person I allowed to make me that angry.   I’m sure nothing good would have come from that, probably quite a few bad things for both of us.   Proverbs 16:32, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city”.

3. We are taught that we should not judge others (honestly, we are not worthy of doing so anyway). But there are situations that cause us to have to judge, but we need to make righteous judgements. That means relying on Jesus Christ (back to the Light). Isaiah prophesied in 5:20 that people would “… call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter”. There may be some difficult situations to see the difference in. No worries. Simply put, just remember - All things of God invite us to do and be a good person, to uplift, to believe in Jesus Christ, to love God and serve Him. Anything that is evil persuades us to sin, tear down, deny Jesus Christ and to rebel against God.

That’s it for today folks. Remember that God loves you, and so do I. Have a blessed week!

Sister Ladner, MHC

GCCM

SSS - December 8, 2024

Hi There, 

1.      There may have been or come to be a time in life when following Jesus Christ may seem too hard, too much to bear, and too lonely.  But once you come to understand who He is and His attributes, you come to understand that nothing is too hard (hard yes, but not too hard), too much or too lonely.  When you learn that He can strengthen you for any task or trial, shoulder any weight along with you and is always with you.  Sometimes beside you, sometimes behind you – pushing you forward, and sometimes He’ll just carry you forward a bit when you can’t seem to do so yourself.  When you allow Him to be who He is and be there with you, you become who He knows you can be.  Remember, when you stand with Jesus Christ, you are never standing alone, even if others may try to make you feel like you are.  I take great COMFORT in knowing that.    

2.      When you need Him, you can always call upon the Lord.  You can ask for His help, in the name of His son, Jesus Christ.  He can give you the power you need to press forward in all righteous endeavors.

3.      Forgiveness is a big thing, for the forgiver and the forgiven.  I have many life experiences working to be the forgiver; as I am human, I am sure as the forgiven as well.  As the forgiven by the Lord, I have still returned before and had to repent and truly change my heart as well as my mind.  Each time I have sought His forgiveness (and if needed, hopefully yours too) he has allowed me to truly repent.  As others seek forgiveness from me, and do so with real intent, I must remember to work to do the same, be forgiving.  Now, sometimes that may come with boundaries, but also absolute with forgiveness.   Some of these situations I truly had to rely on Him to help me come to the point of forgiveness.  Being the forgiver has almost brought as much peace to my life as being forgiven.  It is a heavy burden to bear on both ends. 

I hope that you are finding great joys in the Christmas season in learning more about Jesus Christ and His great love and atoning sacrifice for you.  Remember, He does love you so much and I too love you, my friend. 

All the best!

Sister Ladner, MHC

GCCM

SSS - December 1, 2024

Hello there, 

1.  FAITH - Faith has never been about what you can see and do.  The Lord asks us to trust Him, preach of Him, love Him, and love others like you love Him.  I wake up in the morning and just take a breath, because I have faith that the Lord will make sure there is air to breathe.  I pray to God to help me as I go through my life, some prayers are longer, more tearful, more pouring out of my very being to Him and I have faith that once I step foot out of the door into the world He will be there to guide me, help me, teach me, pick me back up, whatever the lesson is that I need to learn or the character I need to develop at that time.  I know that He is there, has been there, and will always be there.  How precious it is to have faith, love, hope and charity in this life. I don’t know if it would be worth the daily effort if I didn’t know that He IS there, because He said he would be and He NEVER lies.  

2.  HOPE - Hope is knowing, wanting and expecting the promises that God has given us.  Jeremiah 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.  Guess what, hope comes by faith.  We hope for a better world and life.   Hope to us is like an anchor is to a boat.  An anchor keeps a boat attached to where you want it to be.  Even in hard winds and strong waves.  It helps to keep it safely attached and not floating aimlessly away in wrong and dangerous directions.  You depend on it to keep still.   

3.  The idea of going out with missionaries used to stress me out (fear).  I might misquote, or not remember the scripture, say something crazy, give my opinion and leave the person thinking it’s doctrine…blah, blah, blah.  I had to learn to become humble and rely on Him in many things.  Prepare myself and pray to be a help wherever I could.  The Lord is ready to take your weakness and make it a strength.  Especially when it’s a strength for His will.  Weaknesses help us to become humble before God.  Again having that faith in Him.  

Have a wonderful week and remember Christ loves you, and so do I!  

Sister Ladner, MHC 

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

SSS - November 24, 2024

Howdy Hon, 

1. When the Lord answers your prayers, do you quickly take the time to praise and thank him?? It’s not that we need more things, it’s that we need to be grateful for what we have. When was the last time you prayed and didn’t ask for anything, just thank him for the many blessings you already have?

2. What does it mean to be humble? Are you humble or do you have to be compelled to be humble? When we are humble, we are not proud and puffed up and self-centered. We are concerned for others, we put God first, we show empathy, and understand again that all glory and all blessings are from God and all things wrap back around to God.

3. Not all storms we go through in life are meant to break us and beat down on us. Some are a little kick in the butt to help us move. We get into our comfort zones sometimes and don’t want to move. Strong winds and big waves push us around and beat down upon us, but in the darkness they can also propel us forward when we can’t see the way or just don’t know the way. Then we get to the destination and realize many things about ourselves. The main one that God never leaves our side, and he will, ahh, encourage us to reach the potential that he gave us.

I love you and pray that you have a wonderful week. Remember to show some gratitude!!

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission 2024

Good Talk, just sharing

 Good listen, 

If we want the Spirit of the Lord to be unrestrained in our lives, we simply cannot and must not have unkind feelings toward anyone.

Elder Ulisses Soares

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/16soares?lang=eng

SSS - September 29, 2024

Hi there hon, 

1.      Now is the time to LEARN - Learning involves reading, understanding and practicing.  Example hymns – you need to read them before you can sing them (well, that is).  Focus on their gospel message and then practice them so that you can sing them boldly and with confidence.  Also, at times when you are down or in a terrible situation singing or humming a favorite hymn can comfort you.  It can remind you that in Christ you can have all the strength, courage, and peace that you need through Him and his atonement.   We learn line upon line and precept upon precept – take time to study and learn kakra kakra (small small) and you will begin to understand what you mean to Him and what He can mean to you.    

2.      Now is the time to REPENT - My mother would say “you are not promised tomorrow”, but you are living in today.  This is the time to repent because this is the time you have.  Tomorrow you could walk out the door and be hit by a trotro (bus), but right here, right now you can repent for everything that’s been done before.  Take this time now to learn of Christ and then live your life to reflect that.  Don’t just read or hear the word of God but live your life so that it is reflected in your choices.  The sinful choices that were made before coming unto Christ, being baptized and taking His names upon you should be noticeable to others because after that the choices in how you live life have changed.  You don’t do the things you used to do.  But you try your best to live life as the Lord has asked us to.  We’re all spiritual beings having earthly experiences so when we need to repent and turn back towards God and do so, now.

3.      Now is the time to BLESS OTHERS - We share so much with our family, friends, co-workers, associates, social media, etc.  So why wouldn’t I share the most important thing I know to be true.  Why would I not share what I know could bring peace in the lives of others.  Why would I not be willing to share what has helped me in my life.  What I know about Jesus Christ as my lord and savior is far more important than my favorite recipes - which I’ve shared, my favorite music genre – which I’ve shared, my favorite color – which I’ve shared, my favorite movies – yep, I shared.  Just as you have multiple times.  Sharing is caring, remember that one.  Sharing is not beating someone over the head but respectfully sharing the love and peace that one has found in a simple, loving, inviting and kind way – just as Christ did.   So, I share my love and peace with you when it is impressed upon my heart to do so – hence the Sunday snippets. 

I hope your sabbath was full of wonderful and uplifting messages for you, feel free to share – out of all the things I share I know the love and peace of Jesus Christ and loving Heavenly Father are by far the most important.  Remember God loves you and so do I…. soooooo, here’s an Extra:  --You  can’t judge someone because they sin differently from you.  God sees all sin as sin.  We should not try to lift ourselves up or make ourselves feel better than others because we feel like their sins are greater than our own sins.  Sin is sin, you can’t get it in small, medium or large. 

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission  2024

SSS - September 22, 2024

Howdy Hon, 

1) Luke 22:32 - But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

When we are strengthened, we should strengthen our brothers and sisters.

2) Three ways to stay strong and connected to Jesus Christ:

i.) Make and KEEP covenants - when you make a covenant with God, the only one that can and will break it - is you. A covenant is, simple put, a two-way promise. You promise God you will do something, and He promises you that as a result of your promise He in turn, will do something. (notice He does not say it will be exactly the way you want it when you want it, yeah, but it will be done).

ii.) Daily Scripture reading - you can never know it all because each time we read it, we see something we never saw before or the works speak to you differently based on what is going on in your life. God is all in the details of our lives. We talk to Him through prayer, he answers us through His word.

iii.) Forgiving others and repenting ourselves to be clean. Forgiveness: This is a big one for me. It’s just as much for you as it is for them. Actually it’s a lot more for you than them, on many levels - spiritually, emotionally, mentally… I even wrote a paper about it & its effect and the ability to do it & it’s effects on me. It’s a heavy burden to bear, but it is something you NEED to do. (He can help you)

3) This is always worth repeating - The Lord calls us for what we can become, not what we are. People may see you as you are right now - flawed and imperfect, but He knows who he created and what you are truly capable of. All He requires is that you be willing to take the call and prepare you.

I hope you had a wonderful Sabbath, and feel free to share what you learned or felt inspired about today. Remember God loves YOU, and so do I, soooooo… Here's an extra today:

When you live your life with faith, He will help you find your purpose.

If we don’t teach our youth the way, they will lose their way.

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission

SSS - September 15, 2024

Howdy hon,

 

1.      As you study the scriptures look for patterns.  What is a pattern – a plan or model that can be used as a guide for accomplishing a task.  There are patterns in the scriptures that can show us how the Lord accomplishes His work.  An example of a pattern that helps us – the Lord always sends His servants to warn the people. 

2.      Like any good parent, chastening from the Lord is a sign of His love for us.  Divine chastening has at least 3 purposes:

                                i.            to persuade us to repent.

                              ii.            to refine and sanctify us.

                            iii.            at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path [D. Todd Christofferson]. 

a)      “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:  be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19)

Hugh B. Brown shared this personal experience of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”

3.      Too many people think that repentance is a punishment for something we have done wrong or something we need to avoid unless it’s a more serious offense.  But that is not so, God invites us to repent, wants us to repent, not because he wants to punish us but because of His great LOVE for us. 

                                i.            The word repentance in Greek New Testament is metanoeo. 

a)      Prefix:     “meta-” means to “change”

b)     Suffix:    “-noeo” relating to Greek words meaning “mind”, “knowledge”, “spirit”, and “breath”

                              ii.            Jesus is asking us to “repent”.  Change the way we live, act, think, serve, treat each other, teach/lead, care for self and others…  He does not expect us to be perfect, but by repenting daily we can “do better and be better” [Russell Nelson].  What is stopping you from repenting, changing?  Find it, change it, and repent.  Remember:  Repentance is not a single event ~ it’s a continual process, day by day.    Turn away from sin and toward God. 

God loves you… and so do I.  These 3 are so long and have sub points that I did not feel impressed to leave an extra this time.  But don’t worry, I still LOVE you!

Sister Ladner, MHC

Ghana Cape Coast Mission