New Beginnings

  Hey everyone!! This is my first blog EVER so please....bear in mind. As many are aware I'm leaving to go to Ghana to serve a mission for my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka Mormon), and I thought that a blog would be an easy way to keep people caught up on what I'm doing and such while I'm gone! I'm hoping that I'll be able to have a post a week along with some pictures as well, just to give everyone a taste of what I'll be experiencing. I'll try and express in words how truly amazing Ghana and its people really are, and maybe you can get a feel for their culture as I do(:
  So a little background on Ghana...Ghana is really religious! 71% of the people are Christian, as is evidenced by the taxis that sport little religious statements on their windshields and such. The people mainly work agriculture, largely in the form of cocoa (they're the world's 2nd leading exporter of it...hopefully they leave enough for me!), and they are first when it comes to exporting gold. You'd think that this would make them a pretty rich people right...wrong! Most of the people collect a yearly income of $2000, which makes even our homeless look wealthy. However, I want to let everyone know that, the one thing I have heard over and over again about the people is that they are HAPPY!!! They live in what we consider poverty, but they have found what really makes people happy in this world: Family and God. That is why I am sooooo excited to meet these people, because they are humble and have their priorities straight, and most importantly, have righteous desires!
  In case some of you don't know (that is, supposing that anyone besides my mom reads this) the purpose of a missionary, aka me, is to bring anyone and everyone that we can closer to Christ and share His gospel, as well as to serve the people in any way, shape, or form. Now I would like to take a little creative liberty and explain some further reasons as to why I'm travelling all the way to Africa to share a message with people I don't know in a culture totally different than the one I've lived with my entire life.
  First and foremost, I KNOW that God is real! I know that He is our Heavenly Father who loves us more than we will ever comprehend on this earth. I know that our older brother Christ was chosen before the earth was even created to come down and atone for our sins, and I can't express in words how truly amazing that is. I know that, because of the love of God, He allowed Joseph Smith to find the gold plates and translate them through divine guidance into what we now have as the Book of Mormon, and I know that this is a miracle just as miraculous as Christ walking on water, or Moses parting the Red Sea. I know that, because of this one book, I have found more peace and truth than any other book that I have read. I know that, through a personal witness from the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it is indeed an account of the people that lived in the Americas before, during, and after the time of Christ, and that He did visit them after His resurrection. I know that I would be completely selfish if I did not share this simple message to the rest of the world, that Christ lives! Through His gospel my family has enjoyed more happiness and peace than we would have ever found without, and I know that we will be an eternal family up in heaven. I know that I am imperfect and have a lot of flaws, but with the help of my Savior and through His atonement, I can become an instrument in His hands and hopefully bring light to those who are in darkness. My ultimate reason for serving a mission is to help others to experience the same happiness that I have and help them know that they have a Heavenly Father that knows them personally and wants nothing more than for them to be happy, and to return to live with Him someday.
  If I have offended someone with what I have written, I am truly sorry, my intentions are not to offend or insult anyone in any way, they are simply to let others know my beliefs and how firmly I believe them to be true. Seeing as my full-time job for the next two years will be a missionary, you can expect a good portion of my posts to be religious in content, so if you don't want to read that, then by all means, please don't feel obligated to follow. But if you do decide to keep up with me on my crazy adventures, then go right on ahead, and I hope I don't disappoint!! At the very least, you can use my blogs as a way to fall asleep if you are ever having trouble(;
  Anyways, Thank you to all those that decide to read what I write! I sincerely wish you all the best while I'm in Africa, and I can't wait to catch up with you guys when I get back! Best of wishes, and God be with you till we meet again!!
P.S. My posts from here on out will most likely NOT be this long...or anywhere close for that matter...and will probably contain more references to food(;
-Elder Collins


Hey, I'm hoping this works, but here's my first blog, which I hope to be keeping while I'm in Africa. This was just a trial run of sorts, but I hope you enjoy!