Week #61 - I am staying here with Elder Silva!
Elder Holland and some General Authorities are coming to visit in 1 month. From what we know, we have to have 5 Stakes to get a temple, so he is sending more than half the mission up there to make it happen! There are 2 Stakes in Maputo, 1 in Beira, & 1 in our Area. If Nampula was a Stake then we will have 5. President Senna is a man of Faith! I am not sure where all of them will stay?
The other big push has been to help the members find their own temple names. We have a goal to have every companionship help the members find and submit 40 names. We hit our goal and we were the only ones that did. So we thought we were finished! President Senna called us and was not happy that we had stopped sending in names! So immediately we called our missionaries and got each of them to help the members get names the next day. President Senna called us and was happy again.
Today we will be driving and helping Elders to move around and do what is needed. Probably all week. We met and signed for an apartment for missionaries to stay in and drive to the airport all the time for paperwork, water, and whatever they need.
I am so grateful to still be with Elder Silva - I am still just getting to know the area. It is hard to find people and places here! It is crazy!! There are no addresses! When we meet people we ask if we can meet them by signs or buildings or anything that helps connect how to meet up with them. When I ask for directions they just point their finger and say it is over there. I need them to show me or help me a little more than that, but they just point.
Driving is coming along. I am doing pretty good. The roads here are not good. There is one road that is good to Dondu, but most of them are like the roads in Promontory after they have been washed out! They have rivets in them 1-3 feet deep. So we just get used to bouncing down the road.
I really hope the missionaries coming in can bring my license! I have been pulled over 2 times. My expired license is wet and they wanted lots of money from me. Elder Silva said we will have to call our boss and they will take care of it! As soon as he started dialing the phone the police let us by. The other time when the police came up to us we just sped off. That is what the members told me to do until I get my new license. There is one Elder that they said they were putting in prison. When he got there they just let him go.
This Saturday we had 3 Baptisms! Joana and older lady and her 2 kids, Darcia & Zaderia. I love teaching these people. But probably one of my favorite things is interviewing people for Baptism. We do it every week. This week I met with a 13 year old boy. He was trying so hard to answer every question. I asked him if he understood what repentance was and if he had repented of his sins. Then he started to cry and cry. It broke my heart and I asked him what was wrong. He told me that he hit his brother last night and so he is not clean! I spoke with him and taught him about how he will need to continue to repent and that Jesus will help him so he can be clean. That he has to do his best and keep repenting every day. We worked it out. When you see someone that wants to be that good it is a humbling experience to sit across from them.
Oh, last thing. Do you remember me talking about the branch president and his counselors in Nacala? Pedro was in our area and got married this week. It was so great to see him. Then he told me that he is headed to the Johannesburg Temple to be sealed in 2 weeks! I am so excited for him. I told Elder Francom - He is leaving to go home Today! He was such a great companion! I am glad I was able to see him before he left.
The work continues to move forward. The people are great here and so our the missionaries. We have great missionaries in our zone. They work hard.
Com Amor,
Elder Rees
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