25 Nov – 1 Dec 2013 Net,Christmas,Rain,Thanksgiving,SingPractice

We are now prepared for more mosquitoes!!! We figured out how to put up the mosquito net around our bed. Richard thought he’d have trouble getting out of his side in the middle of the night, since there isn’t an overlapping of layers like it is on the other side, but so far so good.

We had many good meals with the ham Richard purchased at “Deli 986” a little grocery store in town with a fresh meat counter.

At the office Mom worked with baptismal fichas as shown in the picture below with Mom and her home-made office implements to assist her efforts. This month there were 96 baptisms. Also included is a picture of us both in our office. I spent a lot of time this week learning the details of the Temple Patron Fund so that more members in this mission can participate in this program that assists members financially to attend the temple for the first time.

In this mission as in missions throughout the world we have great dedicated Elders and Sisters serving. They have such dedication and enthusiasm for the work and for their investigators. One of the current goals for each proselyting missionary is to have 35 qualified contacts every week. That does not sound too hard unless you realize that “qualified” contacts has a specific meaning. Qualified means that the contact believes in Christ, has a family, and is interested in listening to the missionaries. By reaching their 35 qualified contacts they are enjoying great success in finding and baptizing families.

This week of Thanksgiving, we are both so thankful for our health. We have experienced both gradual and instant changes, which are miracles to us, as we adjust to full-time missionary service. We feel very blessed to Heavenly Father for answering our prayers and are thankful for everyone who has been praying for us! Keep it up! We know it makes a difference in our service here.

The Mission Christmas tree now has picture ornaments of each of the missionaries serving in the mission.

We also finished the cards for the Elders and Sister serving missions from Mozambique. There are currently 26 such missionaries – one of the elders just came back last week, but we put up his card anyway. Brother Tualufo said that 3 more missionaries have received their calls, so 3 more will be added soon. President Kretly says the goal of the Mission is to have as many Mozambican missionaries as missionaries we have serving in the Mozambique Maputo Mission, which is currently 99.

We’ve had lots more storms and rain, intermingled with very hot days as the humid summer approaches. We are so glad to be able to work in the office and have air conditioning.

Thanksgiving was very enjoyable, but we really missed our family. We are so thankful for the technology to be able to connect with our family. Thank you, family, for your calls and Skype conversations! They really made the difference in our day.

Here are Elder Kitchen and Elder Porter with their contribution of a traditional apple pie and an American Flag apple pie for the Thanksgiving dinner that many of the Elders in Maputo attended in the afternoon.

There were 14 of us celebrating Thanksgiving here at the Hobson’s apartment. The sister missionaries brought mashed potatoes, pie, stuffing, and rolls. In addition to cooking a turkey (halves cooked in 2 crockpots – our counter-top oven was too small for the turkey Hobsons purchased in South Africa), I made three salads: one macaroni salad and two jello salads (cut up apples and bananas in raspberry jello; and cut up celery, apples, pineapple rings, shredded carrots, walnuts in lime jello). Hobsons made fruit salad, turkey and gravy and furnished jams and jellies, butter for the rolls and drinks. That day was really stormy and going home from the Mission Office we got caught in traffic. We didn’t get home until 6:55 p.m. The sisters had a similar hard time getting home, so our feast was delayed until 7:45 p.m.! Pictures are: (back row) Sister Olander, Sister Thornton, Sister Baldwin, Sister Smith, Sister Naehu, Sister Merkley, Sister Harrison, Sister Lopez, Sister Woodman; (front) Elder & Sister TIdwell, Sister & Elder Hobson, Solomon Smith.

When we left the Mission Office Friday it was already dark. I stepped out of the front door onto the porch, looked down, and right below the step was a white lizard! It looked like, at first, a plastic play lizard you’d buy in a toy store, but then it scurried into the garden. Then we saw another one! So, here are pictures of our first white lizards in Mozambique!

At home on Saturday Jordan Tidwell was being baptized.

Saturday was the first practice of the Maputo missionaries for the Christmas program for December 15 and 22. Sandy gets to lead the chorus and felt right at home! For the actual programs, we will view a rebroadcast of the First Presidency Christmas Fireside and then we will present a narrated program with over 50 missionaries singing together. One of the sister missionaries plays the viola and she is doing background music and obligato accompaniments to many of the songs. A search is on to see if a cello and/or a classical guitar can be located to include other talented missionaries. President and Sister Kretly will be the narrators.