2/28/15

Going Home...Goodbye Angola, Africa!!

President and Sister Merrill at the Airport...Going Home!





Hello Family,
This will be my last report home as I leave on Wednesday!! We played soccer this morning and went straight to the Internet cafĂ© so I don’t have my memory card with the pictures…it will have to happen when I get home.  There is really no one that can cut hair well here and no once in our house cuts hair so I think I will ask Sister Merrill tomorrow if she has time to give me a haircut.  I was thinking of just getting one right when I got home, a nice one before my homecoming talk, because I don’t want the buzz cut they give here.
I can’t wait for all those appointments that are set up, doctors, Orthodontist and Dentist! Should be great and hopefully they wont find any diseases! 
You are not going to believe that I finally got the Christmas package that you sent in November…now February!  It was a big one so I will give what I can away.  Some of the native Elders scrambled through it and took some stuff out so its going to good use.  Yes, I already gave away the suit and all the ties and I’ll just leave my clothes and other stuff for everyone of the natives here or Angolans.  I am going to try and get some sand from the beach before I leave.
Hopefully I can sleep on the plane and not be too excited! This week was saying a lot of goodbyes and also over the next couple of days before I leave there will be more…
Sorry so short, I will see you soon!

Love, Elder Dunkley

Saying Goodbyes






























2/2/15

Visit from Luisa from Lubango...Zone Conference... New Comp. Elder Yeanopolus!


Atlantic ocean in Angola (taken by Sister Merrill)


Month of January


Hi Family and friends!  I have really enjoyed worked with Elder Yeanopolus and things are going great and we are working hard. This area is big and we are walking everywhere and we walk on sand all day long.  We are teaching some cool people like Geraldo and Linda who are just finishing up with their documents for Marriage and want to get baptized, Geraldo left the province to his birth province to get his documents, we are hoping for a miracle so that they will be able to get the paperwork so they can be baptized soon. Nelo, he has been investigating the church for the past 6 months, he has a strong testimony.  He is trying to get permission from his mom to get baptized as he is 17.
I found out that I will be flying home from London alone, so that will be a long flight. On New Year's Day we played soccer.  I am living with 3 Elders Elder Quezada who is from Mexico and Elder Almeda who is from Angola and Elder Yeanopolus from the States.

Elder Almeda

I worked with Elder Almeida when he was just a member in Viana, so that was cool to meet up with him again.  I also had a division this week with Elder Domingos whom I served with in Lubango.  It was great to catch up with him and walk together probably for the last time.  Church was great as well, I really like the Bemica Branch. This area has huge houses and so its a bit of a change from walking on the trash through the poor neighborhoods to now walking on the sand in the rich neighborhoods.  I guess the closer you get to the beach the more wealthy people you can find.
We had our Zone meeting, which will be my last, it is nice to be with Elder Yeanopolus as we are on the same page as far as working.  We met a guy who is a doctor here and were able to teach him the first discussion on the Restoration, it was a great experience and very peaceful.  We are hoping to meet with him again soon. We were able to use the internet at one of the sister's homes in the Branch, which is nice because we do not have to pay for it!  She made us food, pizza and noodles.
President and Sister Merrill are awesome!   We are currently at the President's house right now and Sister Merrill is making lunch for us and then we are going to have a Zone activity.

Eating at Zone Conference

With the Zone

Also we have another lady, named Victoria who is living with a member Jose and they are planning to get married next week so they can be baptized.  It seems like we are always having to wait on Marriage Documentation in order for couples to be baptized here in Angola its an on-going situation.
One of our members named Jose almost died this week, twice.  He got Typhoid fever and his blood turned very dark and his whole body pretty much shut down.  His wife Victoria started pouring cold water on him in the bathtub.  He was taken to the Hospital and barely made it, but he is pretty tough and made out alright. We have been visiting him daily, he could literally go at any moment.  He has been sick off and on.  We happened to show up at his house the day he almost died, he told us that today was supposed to be the day of my funeral.
I gave my farewell talk here in Sacrament meeting yesterday at church.  I talked about the importance of serving a mission.  I know I will be giving my homecoming talk in Sacrament meeting there soon too.
Luisa from Lubango came up to Luanda as her mother had passed away.  She called me and wanted to meet up.   I got to see her one more time and give her a hug goodbye. That really made my week.  Seeing people from Lubango really means a lot, especially that family, they are my favorite family by far...her kids are so fun and they always ask the best questions.  I love a good question!  She also gave me a gift to give to you, mom.
Well that is the main news for the area and the Missionary work that is going on here right now, we are still in the hot season...their summer so I am looking forward to some cold weather there. I am so excited to see all of you again as I prepare to leave next week.
Love Elder Dunkley

1/8/15

Merry Christmas....Feliz Natal...!!

Month of December


Transfers

My Area (Taken by the Mission President)




Knocking on doors



The last week in December I was transferred I am now with Elder Yeanopolus in Bemfica a suburb of Luanda. He was with me in the MTC. I am really excited and we have some great people that we are teaching. I don't think I could have asked for a better ending! It was great to talk with you guys on Skype and after it ended I thought of all these other things I wanted to say and talk about, well it will just have to wait until I get home at least it was a better connection than last year from Lubango. 
I did not receive the Christmas package yet so hopefully before I leave. This past week we walked with President Merrill and it was really great to be able to take the Mission President with us we will be meeting before Christmas for a celebration with all the Elders.  I am really excited to spend Christmas in Cassaquel where I first started my mission!
This Week I have been able to share a special message about our Savior Jesus Christ and it has been really uplifting. We also have a new cool investigator named Pagia who want to be baptized already and he said that he will be ready whenever he has been taught all of the discussions, so hopefully we will be able to accomplish that before the end of the month.

Our Mission President

At the Zone Conference

We played soccer with the Zone this month, it had been awhile since we had a group activity playing soccer so it was great!

All the Missionaries- Angola Mission


We are also teaching a really great guy named Gabriel and he is working towards baptism, and another lady named Lu who is working on getting married to her husband before they can get baptized, it is really funny because her little boy keeps interrupting saying mom, mom, mom during the lessons 30 or 40 times without really wanting anything!
We recently went to Brother Weggeland's house for dinner and he showed us the video The Gift that the church put out it was really great, you can access it on the church website.
I have a view of the ocean from our apartment that looks over the horizon of the city and drops down into the ocean, it is very pretty.  I will try and send some pictures soon, these computers are so unreliable from the Internet cafes.

Listening at Zone Conference


I made brownies the other day for a recent convert family for family night and they loved the brownies!  This is kind of a surprise because they really don't like sweet things.  I also had an opportunity to translate (interpret) for 6 americans this Sunday.  Translating allows me to focus more on the talks and what they are saying.  more and More Amercians keep coming in, also the new American that served in Brazil is an Assistant to the Missionary Work in the Branch which is really cool to be able to work with him.
This past Sunday the power went out and we only had church an hour.  That never happens in the states!  We only had Sacrament meeting. 
I enjoyed all your emails!! Merry Christmas! I love you all! Elder Dunkley

More of the Angola Mission

Funny shot of the Zone