Emergency Transfers......Norberto's family came to church!

Chasing Chickens in Viana

This area has a lot of people who need to hear the Gospel, It is a little bit slower than my first area but its going well!
Anyway so Dad you were released from the Bishopric!! Wow that's one big change already that has happened, but you were in there for a long time 4 1/2 years!! And mom leaving for Honduras that is going to be cool! We will be at almost the same longtitude, or at least a little bit closer.  I want to learn Spanish when I get home that way I can speak to the yard crew and go on trips like that, that will be way cool...Seria Multo fixe (that would be really cool) Be safe and write me before you leave!
Well this week we went and talked with a lady named Bela..so funny story Elder Banta and I just got here about 5 weeks ago and we really don't know our areas that well, so we walked to this ladies house and somehow ended up in my area, which I recognized, so we taught a lesson right here in my area. So after we taught Bela we were in a taxi for about an hour because it takes forever to get out to their area, then we visited with a lady named Rosa and talked about the Book of Mormon.
So Elder Hannay and I had a discussion with Osvaldo and we talked about the Sabbath day and the stress that he was having, just so happened that my Mom talked about stress with me in the last email she sent me. I told him that we always have a choice how we are going to react to every situation and to pray for help, anyways great lesson.  Then we talked with Norberto and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked him to pray about it, he said that he would come to church on Sunday.  We met Julho who works for the Police and he offered us Fantas, which is always a good sign!  Then we went to dinner, we actually got a dinner appointment here in Viana,  with Irma Ana, it was a great dinner.

Branch President's dog

So when we got home there was some confusion, so this past week an Elder in Terra Nova was stabbed and robbed.  He was stabbed 3 times in the back and the miraculously the knife did not penetrate, so they stabbed him in the arm and he ended up getting stitches. In these situations you know that the missionaries are protected.  Anyway so President Merrill got him out and has been doing emergency transfers all over the place.  So he told Elder Whitacker (Elder Banta's companion) that his is going to Huambo and Elder Hannay my companion( He is going to Terra Nova).  Now Elder Banta and I are companions and in charge of Viana A, B & C.  We are the only 2 missionaries in Viana and we have 3 areas...its madness, plus we have only been here 5 weeks!
In the afternoon Elder Abdo came to pick them up, so I'm now companions with Elder Banta so that night we visited Garcia and talked about the importance of The Book of Mormon, then we also taught a family in Elder Bantas area about the Restoration.
On Saturday we were able to teach Paulino and visit with Pedro a recent convert. We had a great discussion with Max. Oh also we have been out of water for about a week now at the house!
Sunday we went to Estalagem and we tried to find this one house where Lala and Tati and Enzo lived but I didn't know the area well still so we just walked where I felt we should go and somehow we got there! We read the Book of Mormon with them. Their kids are around ages 9-11 and they will be getting baptized soon. We had a return visit with a guy named Anderson and taught about the Restoration , super cool.
So Sunday super cool thing happened Norberto came to church and after church I saw that he brought his entire family! He said that he is going to be bringing his family here each week! Super stoked!  After church we had choir practice for 2 hours as will sing next week in the district conference.  That is going to be way awesome! Also I am getting my new companion Elder Dredge who has been in Huambo he comes this Tuesday, super excited! This week has been awesome and exciting!

Elder Hannay on the Moto-taxis!

Loving this mode of transportation!

Taxi stuck in the sand...first time leading the choir!

Weekly planning outside our Apt.

Lizard tail we found in our Apt.

The new area is not going as well as I would like, it’s a struggle for us to get people to church…the biggest problem in Angola…it’s been tough but we have been finding a ton of people, so everyone knows who we are, it’s just a matter of time.  Elder Hannay are effective in our teaching we really want to connect with them and teach with the spirit.

I am happy that you are sending another sport watch, which would be so helpful!  I can actually run at this new place that I live, SUPER Awesome!!  Can’t wait to do another Marathon with you mom, when I get back…then the IRON MAN!

So on Monday we had a family night at the church with some of the youth and the branch President and we talked about the difficulties and challenges the rising generation face.  I bore testimony on giving the Lord our weaknesses and He will turn them into our strengths and I shared a story from the week before. 

We went to Pegar and Rebecca’s and had a lesson with them and then we met with another family that had 2 kids named Lala and Ezno and we read with them in the Book of Mormon and I was able to give them 2 Disney Books in Portuguese that my mom had sent me in a package. Anyways super cool. They were so happy and grateful.  So then an unfortunate thing happened I ran out of money and Elder Hannay didn’t have any either…just 100 quanzas, which was enough to get one of us back in a taxi, unfortunately I did not realize this until we were already in the taxi.  Thankfully,  talking in Portuguese some Lady overheard me and offered to pay for the taxi ride to get us home, such a blessing!

On Wed. we had district meeting, I love my district!  Then our first appointment of the day was in Vila and we sat with this lady named Maria and we talked about the Book of Mormon and after she told us that she believed that it was the word of God.  We then knocked doors and shared some spiritual messages with a few African families.  It was a little sad that our return visits we had planned for the night fell thru but the Lord is having us plant a lot of seeds this transfer.

At the end of the night we went and talked with a referral from the Elders in Congolens and his name was Telmo super cool he has a family of 3 and is planning on getting married.  When we met up with him in the street we walked to his house and he held my hand the whole way there, It is part of the culture to hold hands here with your friends, so that was a good thing, a little strange for me at first but hey it if gets a good friendship going I am all for it.

So on Friday we went to Chip and knocked doors for the afternoon and then we ran into a recent convert driving named Oswaldo.  So we went into his car and went over to his house.  He has been struggling to come to church and sit with us so I shared with him a quick message and I used a quote my Mom had sent from President Thomas S. Monson. “Your future is as bright as your faith” and he loved it and then I read a scripture in Ether about Faith.

We had discussions with Rosa and then Garcia and we gave him a Book of Mormon, he has great potential!  So after that we went had had a return visit with Jojo and we taught him about the Restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon but he didn’t really understand much as he is not that educated so we will have to rely on the spirit to touch his heart.  Keep praying for him.

I had a wonderful interview with the Mission President and he gave me so much counsel on how I can improve spiritually. I love him.

So on Saturday we had a great day planned but the second we go to our area my companion got a horrible care of the African runs, (if you know what I mean) so we had to book it to a place that had a bathroom.  Turns out he got really sick, and we had to go home, and of course on the way home, another series of unfortunate events happened, so our taxi got stuck in sand, so all 8 of us get out and there isn’t another taxi coming, so me and the corbrador push for about 10 minutes trying to get the taxi out of the sand while my companion is on the side of the road trying to hold in the African runs, praying for help..I assumed, anyways that was unfortunate, so we came back home for a bit he rested up and luckily felt better in the late afternoon.  So we went out and taught a boy named Leu the importance of the Book of Mormon and that it is by Faith that he will have a desire to be baptized.  We focused on a way that he can gain the faith and a testimony that he needs in order to be baptized.

So on Sunday I lead the choir after church because Elder Whitacker who normally does it was busy.  I had no idea what I was doing but no one really sang that well, so I don’t think they noticed. So after church we were fed for the first time here we had a huge lunch from Irma Simeada and she made us a stew and rice. I love you all, amo voces!!

And yet more Safari pictures!!

Look what's up ahead!

More Safari pictures....Finding and teaching in Viana!

African Safari!

On the road to the Safari!

So here are all the other pictures from the Safari from Monday, such an awesome day and a once in a lifetime experience!
So it is a lot tougher here in Viana. But we had a successful week.  We met with Irma Papita and we taught her family the first lesson and then we met with Abel and his wife, they are married which is a plus. We met with Marcos and then later we were able to have a return visit with Leu and gave him a Book of Mormon. So after that we ran into someone on the street who said we could teach this afternoon so I called him and he invited us to his house, super cool guy named Valter, he has a family and we were able to leave them with a message also.
I was able to give my first lesson in English as we met with a super cool guy named Mathew, who lived in Ethiopia.
On Saturday we woke up and went to clean the church and had to mop and clean the capela. We then knocked doors after that and met some really cool families.  We also did some member visits and gave lessons on eternal perspective.
We met a lady named Maria and we were able to give her the first discussion, her house smelled like dead chickens, I don't know, something was in the air. We then went to Gildo's, big guy, really buff, super cool he is married and has 2 kids. We then had coorolation with Irmao Ignacio.
On Sunday everyone bore their testimony because it is a smaller ward.  President and Sister Merrill were there. We went home to eat as they don't offer to feed the missionaries in this ward, the people are very poor.  We had no food at the house so we made what we could for lunch.. rice and beans!
This week we had a lot of success, just need to keep getting those return visits! Have a great week and I hope that you are finding joy in the work!