Thanksgiving and AMTB!!

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Mission Home

Hello Family!! The pictures from Boston and Washington D.C. are super cool looks like you all had such a wonderful time.  Thanksgiving sounds like it was great.  I miss you all so much, the Christmas tree farm is always such a blast, miss it too.  It’s getting very hot here, and it doesn’t feel like Christmas season at all.  I sent some letters home with Brother Weggeland..do not read them until Christmas Eve.  So today, we just got Elder Dredge’s package it took almost 2 hours.  I also love having native companions they help out so much with the language and it is more fun.  I feel more immersed in the culture, it’s a blast.  Dad, yes the rat was an upscale, it was actually really good… President Pedro explained to me that it is some of the best meat that you can eat in Angola.  That doesn’t sound very promising on meat.

On Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving as a mission at the mission home, we had a thanksgiving feast..just like home.  It was so good, we had turkey and stuffing! The best meal I have had since I have been here!  Thanks to our awesome Mission President and Sister Merrill! I Love them!  It was such a blast!

Best Meal since I have been here!

We left that morning and got there and had our AMTB the ANGOLA MISSION TURKEY BOWL ! We played soccer, as in the states Football.  Our district was the “Fast Turkeys”,  we did not win unfortunately..we came close in our game…3 to 4… It was such a blast.  Viana did not come out on top but we put up a good fight.  Besides football I also got to play tennis with some Elders.  It was way fun! I am undefeated on the mission thus far. Looks like I still have got my talent, anyways we will see in another year and 3 months.  We were pretty exhausted by the end of the day, I got pretty sunburned but it was super cool!

Amazing Thanksgiving Day!

The riots have calmed down and things are moving smoothly here in Viana, thank goodness. So right now we are working with 4 families and they are all working on getting married and then they will be baptized.  Ava Roasalina has said she wanted to be baptized on the 28^th of December she is such a sweet lady and she has very poor health so we are hoping that she will be able to make it into the baptismal font.  Celestina and Suzana are both so smart.  We are praying and working hard to help them find the importance of the church and the saving ordinances.  Keep praying that their hearts might be softened and that they might gain confidence to be baptized and become members of the church.

So cool story we met up with a family that had just moved here from South Africa. The night before they called up asking where the church was and said they could not find it.  We were in Vila the next day right where the church is and they called and said they were there too, so we ended up meeting with them and they speak English, and hardly any Portuguese. They were from Cape Town and they asked me where I was from and I said Texas, and they said I know an Elder who lived in Texas.  Elder Judd popped up in my head.  I said Elder Judd?! He said Yeah!  It turns out Elder Judd my friend served in his ward in South Africa Cape Town and now he is in my ward in Viana Angola, super cool, it truly is a small world.

On Sunday, Irmao Nickatela asked if an Elder would give a lesson in Gospel Principles (Principios Do Evangelho) This week, so Elder Dredge asked if I would give the class, I prepared a lesson, this was the first time ever and it was on the Final Judgement. The class was full, a lot of our investigators, and it felt like I was teaching them specifically, super cool experience. 

During Sacrament meeting I offered to translate for the new family from Cape Town South Africa. Then the husband wanted to bear his Testimony, so I went up to translate for him, he bore such a strong testimony. I could feel the spirit, so strongly. I will not forget what an amazing experience it was. 

I love this church and I love the Gospel, one thing that I have learned this week is that the Lord can change people as he has changed me.  I feel his hand in my life guiding me, and I feel the tides ever so turning, and I know with Him I cannot fail.  I love this Gospel and I hope you all have the chance to bear testimony of its divinity and power.  I never feel taller than when I am on the Lord’s errand.

I love you all, it was a great week!  From Angola, Africa….love Elder Dunkley