Week #26 - Learning Patience and so much more...

Thomas’ dad, Steve Hogan sent me an email.  He was so grateful and tender toward your love and effort.  How neat that a scholarship can go to a Davis runner because of all the generosity of so many people and that it is named for Thomas Hogan.  I told him there are prayers for his family coming from Africa.

Baptisms of Felizberto, Amisse, & Gracio

                                

Nacala is great!   We had another baptism this week, kinda cool.  Day after day we teach a bunch of lessons.  It is the same every day; walk, teach, try talking to people - mission life.  

I’m feeling pretty good.  We have been running at night!  We have a bigger house lot so every night the Nacala Squad runs -  way cool.  Elder Thornton is a lifesaver.  He gives me a calf massage every other night.

My shirts are getting really dirty like way bad.   I wish I had packed more.  My shoes are like falling apart.  I did leave my 2nd pair of shoes and lots of shirts in Maputo with my other bag!  Don’t be sad Mom...  I am ok.  The heat is getting really bad.  I feel like I’m burning lots. I’m trying to use sunscreen, but i usually don’t.. We don’t have a way to speak to you here.  Maybe when I go to another area. 

The beach is really cool.  Every Saturday we go to the beach to Baptize people.

Did I tell you I am playing the piano in church now every Sunday!!  I enjoy it lots.  It’s like a stress reliever from learning Portuguese and from everything else at the end of the day.  I get to go practice in house, so it’s way awesome. 

We might have something really cool this month... a marriage! and we might have quite a few more baptisms this month too.  We are talking right now to many couples and trying to help them get married.  Here it is very hard for people to marry.  They have customs and family responsibilities and paperwork that they have to work through before they can marry.  This is one of the main challenges for the people here in Mozambique. 

Elder Francom and I have been doing a cool thing during lessons.. we both have our family picture books and we show them to the people.  It’s really cool!  Everyone thinks its incredible and everyone thinks that Madison is pretty - haha!! It’s really weird, I remember when Trevor talked to me about not seeing a white person for the longest time on his mission and now thats me. Its kinda weird to even look at the family book sometimes because it feels like I was just home and then I look around me and everything is so different.  I have heard missionaries talk about how strange it is,  but never thought that it would be me, haha.

We tried to go down to the Registro the other day to get documents for marriage for some of the people.  It is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I felt so bad for the 2 older missionaries because they had to figure out everything because they can speak so well.

Sometimes since I’ve been here its way weird that everything is in Portuguese and I’m starting to understand it.  It blows my mind. Now I just have to lock down on speaking it.  This Sunday was pretty good.  We had 50 people,  so it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad.  I played the piano and Elder Francom gave a sweet talk.  Every Sunday we (the missionaries)  do the sacrament.  We bless it and pass the sacrament.  It has been such a blessing.  I love the opportunity to pass every week.  It is something I look forward to.

We also found this place to eat at last week and they had the NBATV on.  It was so nice, I high key miss basketball so much, but the mission is already changing me a little.  I’m starting to get into soccer like everyone here watch's soccer - way cool.

Pres Senna sent me a really cool email about learning the language and being receptive to the Spirit and willing to be patient to develop and learn in the Lord’s time.  This is what he said, (translated from Portuguese)

"Patience

Patience is the ability to withstand

Delays, problems, opposition or suffering.

Without you get angry, frustrated or

Looking forward.

It is the ability to do the will to

God and accept his time. When you are

Patient, you support pressure and are able to

Face adversity with calmness and hope.

Patience is related to hope and

Faith: You need to wait for the blessings

Promised by God to be fulfilled.

You need patience in the things that

happen in your day and in your relationship

With people, especially their

Mate. You need to be patient with all

People, including yourself, when you

Strive to overcome your weaknesses and errors.  "

"Life is full of hardship,

Some small and some more

Serious. There seems to be a stock

Inexhaustible.”

anyway...com amor Elder Rees