Aldan Halterman Returns From His Mission (August 2013 – August 2015)

As I served the people around me, studied my scriptures and applied the principles of the Atonement in my life, I saw both personal and spiritual growth in my life.

I served in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. Ghana is a wonderful country in West Africa. The country is not the most developed, but the people are all happy and loving. One of the fun differences in the culture there is a much more fluid approach to life than I was used to. West Africans are usually not very strict or formal people, so it was important to learn to talk and teach the gospel in a very informal environment and more casual way. You needed to be able to help people laugh, have fun and still learn something at the same time. It was a lot of fun. 

One of my favorite moments on mission was during my fourth area in a city called Sekondi. We were visiting a part-member family for Family Home Evening, and we were encouraging them to try and get involved in missionary work by looking for some referrals for us. Almost immediately after we asked this, the father of the family looked at one of the family members and said, “Well, I think that it is time for you to get baptized, right?” The boy thought about it for a minute and replied with a yes. It was a really good moment for us because we had been struggling to find people in the area for a while due to serving in a busy city. After months of struggling and working, we basically received a miracle. It was a wonderful experience.

While serving my mission, I really experienced a lot of personal growth. By living, teaching and studying the gospel every day, I gained a much stronger testimony. I learned very early on in my mission that if I was going to teach the gospel, then it had to matter to me so I could be excited about it and share gospel principles in a way that would touch people’s hearts. I found that the only way to do that was by applying the principles of the gospel in my life. As I served the people around me, studied my scriptures and applied the principles of the Atonement in my life, I saw both personal and spiritual growth in my life.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that as we study it every day, we can draw closer to God in a way that we never will through other means. I know this because I have tried it myself, and I invite you to try it as well.

Aldan Halterman