This like my subject says, was a week of finding. Elder Stewart and I worked hard, especially with two weird days where we lost a lot of time, but we managed to teach a ton, and find a ton, and they all seem to have potential. Unfortunately of the two best looking families we found, one gave birth on sunday, and the other had to work on sunday, but his wife came, so we think that is a good sign, and he told us he would come next week when he didn't have to work on sunday. Here most people work a shift called turnos, it is like 2 days off, and then 2 days starting in the morning, two days starting at night, and then it starts over, and because there is 7 days in a week, their days off are always different, but we are working with them, and they were a reference family so that helps a ton. Other than that, Mendes is being a straight bum, and just doesn't want to get married which is a major roadblock for the whole family, and so we are kind of unsure what we should do, but we will keep praying for him, I have started praying that the lord will let something happen that will help him be a little more openminded. But we also started teaching a part member family this week. His wife is the relief society president, they are super wealthy, she went to Bern, Switzerland to receive her own endowment... But yeah, his name is Hanibal, and we were meeting him, and he was a little drunk, so we didn't teach him, but he sure likes to argue against the church, he is a non practicing super devout catholic, just like every other catholic in this country. He is anti any religion that claims to be the only true religion, so it will be fun to break it too him that the catholic church claims that... He also was in boxers when we showed up, smoking a pipe, so that was fun. But he is very intelligent. He was attacking the practice of polygamy or something, and I said, Hanibal, if you want to know what we teach, and understand it, you have to go to good sources, you are never going to learn the truth from an anti mormon site. As soon as I said this his wife was all like, ''See that, they know... you just like to get on the anti sites, but the men are inspired they know!!!'' I guess it was inspiration, but I just figured he had been looking at them because he was the first Mozambiquan in my year here that referred to us as Mormons, and the Mormon Church, so feel free to remember him in your prayers, fasts, and on the prayer roll. But I felt inclined (not sure if I can say inspired yet) to promise him that I would baptize him, and I talked with his wife on sunday and I guess that made him reflect a lot. So basically Elder stewart and I are doing as many spiritual push ups as we can, and sharpening the sword of the spirit, because we are about to take on goliath, except instead of a 9 cubit height, I think it is a 9 cubit diameter, just joking but he is a big guy. So other than that I will send a poem I wrote a few months ago, I have picked up on poetry lately because song writing is really difficult as I have lost all of my english vocabulary, and I dont have a guitar. But it is called I'll shine for him each day.
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
he has called me from my youth
To do what sunbeams do the best
To light the world with his truth
A sunbeams job is never easy
and never has it been
Through clouds of darkness I must fight
But light will always win
And where I am not, its plain to see
for without light nothing grows
but as you let the savior in
your life begins to glow
A sunbeam works without much rest
but its a job that must be done
So forever I'll work because I know
my light comes from The Son
So I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love and miss you all and wish you the best of weeks and Days.
Love,
Elder Anthony Holt
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| Elder Holt carrying a daughter of an investigator |
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| Elder Stewart carrying the same daughter of an investigator *photo found from Elder Stewart's Blog* |
**Found this from blog surfing, it is from Elder Holt's new companion. I hope it's okay for me to post here. Elder Stewart gives a little more incite to what the area is like and the work they did last week.**
I like my new area a lot. It is sandier and bigger. We have a main road that has lines on it. That was a big change. The road runs strait to South Africa. A lot more of the members here have been to the temple. We are working with one member's husband, and she can afford to drive down to the temple every other month. I can see the difference with members who have gone to the temple.
I like my new companion a lot. He is nice, funny, and works hard. We have 4 Elders in our house, 3 Americans and one Brazilian. He doesn't speak English, and his accent is different to me, so I still don't understand him very well. We take turns cooking, but I didn't know that last week, so I bought lots of food, and then didn't have to use a lot. This week I don't have to buy as much. We eat out once or twice a week. There is an Indian restaurant across the street that is good, and then I am right by a KFC that I want to go to today. We go there usually on p-day, and then maybe one other day of the week. The food is a lot better down here. We have a lot bigger of a selection. Up north it was only ShopRite, and another smaller store. Here, they have several super markets. Some of them are bigger and more expensive so we don't go to them. I am going to one today that apparently sells skittles.
We have a bunch of investigators right now. Last week we found 11 investigators. We are doing lots of house contacts; contacting people we get rides from, and then referrals from members. I think that I like the work here a little better than my last area. Contacts are a little harder, and people are as well, but I like it. I am really happy to be serving right now. In the conference with Elder Anderson, he said we have and are building temples in Africa, why not here in Mozambique. I think that it would be built down here in Maputo. It is more developed, and they could use workers from South Africa to build it. The style here is not that strong. They just make stone blocks from sand, a little cement, and then water. If they are well off, they will spread the sand cement mixture on the walls, and maybe paint. It is sandy here. I walk on the tire paths because it is more compact.
I like my new area. It is a lot bigger. We got a ride in a semi truck the other day. It was an awesome ride. We just hitchhike depending on how far we are from our house and the time. It is a little hard not knowing the area, or the people here. I am starting to get going though. It is funny because an investigator that I visited when I worked in Matola my first week in country is in our ward. I am in the same area now. It was funny because I recognized his house when we went there.
We put in a good 24 lessons this week, and had 11 new investigators. It was a good week. Our ward had around 100 people in it on Sunday, so that was good. They fixed the AC for the Elder Anderson conference, but they don't know where the remote went, so they didn't use it on Sunday. I haven't got my Christmas package yet, but I will let you know when it comes.
I will try to stay safe with the crazy driving here. I have to say, they don't give you space when they drive; sometimes it feels like they get closer.
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