So I went into my 12th transfer today, and the big news is... I am going to stay here in Nampula. I wasnt too worried about leaving, Elder Taukiuvea and I both tried to hint to President in our emails that we would like to stay together here, I dont know if that is why, but I am staying. I haven't been here too long anyways. But I am super excited for this transfer. Especially because the best thing about transfers was on thursday we got a call from President to let us know that we would be recieving two more missionaries up here. I was so excited I literally couldnt hide it. Elders Jimenez and Osorio got here late saturday night and last night we showed them the area. We split the area and we are going to give them the half with all the families ready to get baptized, haha. So it is back to the finding for us, but that is the thrill of missionary work. The work his in Nampula is historic. In the 3 months I have been here we have been able to get from a sacrament attendance of 81 my first week to 148 yesterday. We went from like 7 eternal investigators at church my first week, to 25 investigators yesterday, almost all of which are coming regularly and progressing. and the best part is we are only finding more. It is such a historic time to be here right now. We are seeing this super small branch go from one little branch, to working and growing until, hopefully at the end of this year we can establish the first district here. It will be the third city in Mozambique to get a district, and if the growth continues at the rate we are seeing I see no reason whey in 5-7 years we cant have a stake here. It is humbling to have been called to be apart of it. Before the mission I read stories of Wilford Woodruff and Heber C. Kimball, and the other missionaries in early england, the benbow farm, and everything. But now I am here in Africa seeing the very things they recorded placed before my eyes. While I havent met a congregration of 600 people waiting for us, we have been invited my some pastors to preach to their congregations and I am so excited because this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and we are coming everyday a little bit closer to having the blessings of a stake, and one day having a temple here in the blessed country. We had a baptism on Saturday, a man named Junior and a young women named Janete. Junior has know of the church for like 5 years, but he was finally ready, we just got to be the lucky ones to baptize him. Janete, I think I talked about her a few weeks ago. But the first time we visited here there was such an overwhelming look of sadness in her eyes. But little by little we have seen her become happy, and laugh, and love the church. While she still has a long way to go, yesterday after her confirmation I asked her how she felt and she said, "I am happy, just happy." I was talking with Elder Jimenez yesterday, and we were talking about the spiritual side vs. the doctrinal side of the church. It is interesting because both sides are 100% true and lead people to the church. For me, as well as most people that grow up in the church our testimony is based on doctrine, and how much every thing makes sense. For converts to the church it is usually the spiritual experiences that bring them to the church, especially experiences with the atonement. But they are both so essential to conversion. It is like a puzzle. For me, before the mission I saw how it all fit together and it made sense, and I liked that it made sense, but i put the puzzle together upside down and couldnt see the picture. For those who are drawn by the spiritual side, they see the picture, and it is beautiful, they just aren't quite sure how to fit it together. The mission has taught me how to merge these two sides together, and it is something that I am still learning, but I know that this church is true, when I have a doctrinal concern there is always the spiritual side to get me through until the doctrince makes sense and vice-versa. But this has been an awesome week, and please pray for me, I have learned that on the mission often times the highest of spirtual times are followed by the lowest of spiritual lows. Pray that I may keep the eternal perspective and grow from whatever mountain the Lord in is mercy may send me. I will pray for you. I hope all you fathers had a great fathers day. I thought about making a dead dad joke, but that wouldn't be appropriate, so tchau.
Love,
Elder Anthony Holt
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| Baptism Pictures |
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A little filipino kid in our area. His moms roomate is a member, they always have us come over on saturdays and he wouldnt eat his dinner, so I made a deal with him, we would race to eat our food and if he won I would take a picture with him
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We played the oven mitt box game
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A family night (Us helping the youth keep the commandments)
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