9 - 15 Jun 2014 YaraLumianaBaking,Beach,MaxixePlan,FathersDay

We took Elder Tidwell’s glasses in to be fixed early Monday morning, and by 3 p.m. we picked them up.  The one lens is pretty scratched up, but he is making do.

Yara needs to earn money for her mission, so she asked if I would help her with baking items she and her sister could sell.  Monday afternoon  was our baking day with both Yara and Lumiana. It was fun to make brownies and cupcakes with these young women!  Both items sold well!

As if not having the Internet for our Family History classes wasn’t enough…this week, right before we left to go teach our Magoanine consultant about online FamilySearch, the electricity in our apartment went down!  This does not happen very often!  The chapel still had power, but no Internet, so again we are delayed finishing up the training for that branch’s consultants.  That night we had cold cereal for dinner – the power returned about 8:30pm!

It has been predicted that June 2014 will be a record-breaking month for baptisms in the mission.  June 2013, when Angola was still part of the Mozambique Maputo Mission, there were 115 people baptized.   Well, it is the 2^nd week of June and at Staff Meeting it was reported that there have already been 101 baptisms!

On Thursday morning we went with the office elders as they purchased mosquito nets for missionaries in Swaziland.  It was very interesting to accompany them to the open market and listen as they talked to vendor after vendor trying to negotiate a good price for the 20 mosquito nets we needed.

The weather has been cooler lately, but on Friday the wind died down and we decided to walk to the beach in the morning. 

On Friday we learned, by reading our names on the Branch Conference agenda, that we were going with a counselor in the mission presidency to Maxixe to help with their Branch Conference! This was a total surprise to us!!  An email confirmed it, though.   We were anxious to know what our part was, so we found out more from a phone conversation with him on Saturday morning.  Maxixe is a city on the coast half-way between Maputo and Beira!  Elder Tidwell had gone to Maxixe once before, with Elder Hobson. I was excited to see more of Mozambique, but knew it would be a lot of work to prepare.

We attended a baptism on Saturday morning.  Since a wedding was also planned for that morning, the baptismal service was held upstairs in a classroom.  The family being baptized showed a lot of perseverance that morning, I thought.  The weather was a little chilly that morning, the water in the font was especially cold and especially deep.  The wife had such a distressed look on her face as she entered the font and slowly descended the stairs into the cold water.  Their 9 year- old daughter couldn’t touch her toes to the bottom of the font, so she stood on the bottom step to be baptized.

We next attended the wedding, which was in progress in the chapel.  It was President Smith’s first.  There was lots of singing and dancing and Elder Tidwell took lots of little movies we will share. 

I got a chance to explain, in Portuguese, to the women who were sitting in back of us, why the phrase “Latter-day Saints” was in the name of the Church.  I love getting little chances to explain parts of the gospel.

During the baptismal service, which followed the wedding, Elder Tidwell received a call from the counselor in the Mission Presidency.  When he came back to the chapel he wrote down “We are not going to Maxixe.”  Another couple was going instead.  Well, one less thing to plan for!  I was rather looking forward to the trip, but Elder Tidwell was relieved.

Sometimes the family in back of our building has a long into-the-morning-party with loud music.  Such was the case on Saturday night. 

Well, hold onto your hat!  We found out we ARE going to Maxixe.  Elder Tidwell received word from President Gonçalves before he went to bed on Saturday night.  We'll be leaving at 6 a.m. Friday morning with President Gonçalves and returning Sunday evening.  Later in the week we received the details about our assignments.

• Sister Tidwell - Teach R.S. "Tithes & Offerings"; be prepared to bear testimony on Family History and Temple Work; Talk in Sacrament Meeting Sunday.
• Elder Tidwell - Teach Rapazes & Moças (Young Men / Young Women) "Blessings of the Priesthood";  be prepared to bear testimony on Family History and Temple Work; Talk in Sacrament Meeting Sunday. 

Sunday we invited the Hobsons and Solomon Smith for Sunday dinner in honor of Father’s Day.  We had chicken, baked potatoes, zucchini, a delicious and beautiful tossed green salad Sister Hobson made, homemade Parkerhouse rolls and an apple pie and ice cream for dessert. 

Both Elder Tidwell and I were happy to share this meal with other fathers and remember the important roles our fathers played in our lives.   

Richard enjoyed the calls and Skypes received for Father’s Day!

I had been working all week to pull together a Father’s Day surprise for Richard – his Minha Familia booklet filled out!  I had all the dates on my Ancestry Quest computer files and found many pictures of his ancestors on FamilySearch.  Since I have to print using his computer, it was a little tricky to find a time I could initiate a print job without him being right there watching.  Friday afternoon the opportunity came and I quickly brought up the page of photos I needed to print out, sent the print job, successfully ejected the flash drive and then quickly went downstairs to get the print job!  Success!  I had what I needed!  I glued in the pictures on Saturday morning, when Richard was gone to an early meeting.  Then I decided that I could put together a Treasure Hunt for him to find his Minha Familiar booklet.  I wrote each of the 10 clues on a plastic lid and then put everything away until I could work the activity into our Sunday evening.  When the time came, I had Richard step outside of the apartment in the stair well.  The only trouble was that I got SO mixed up putting out the clues.  I was taking such a long time to set it up, that I had to assure Richard that it was coming….  You see, Peter and Paul are the kings of Treasure Hunts in our family!  By following the clues backwards, I was able to be sure that everything was set up.  I remember Treasure Hunts at home, in our 280 East house and yard.  We’d let each of the kids have a turn to find the next clue, read it, and then lead the “pack” to the next location.  There were lots of giggles and excitement!   Richard’s Treasure Hunt was very calm in comparison!  He was very surprised and pleased with the Treasure.  

He had wanted to begin the booklet, but has been so busy he hasn’t been able to do it.  Now, he has only a few pictures to find and stories to write up before Zone Conference.  Each elder, sister, and each of the senior missionaries are to have their booklets completed as much as possible before Zone Conference which will be July 1^st for the Maputo, Matola & Swaziland Zones.

2 - 8 Jun 2014 IronHouse,CatholicChurch,JointTalksInChurch

Transfers were announced this morning, and 2 sister missionaries, Sister Smith and Sister Thornton, and 4 elders are going to serve in Swaziland! Four elders from Mozambique, called to different missions, will also be starting their missions here this transfer. Transfers means updating previous Transfer Cards and making new ones for the Swaziland missionaries and the new Mozambican missionaries.  Sister Hobson had a going away dessert party for the two departing sisters on Tuesday evening. They are pictured here with Vanessa Tembe.

Elder Tidwell gave the Spiritual Thought in Staff Meeting this week:

In the current June Liahona President Monson talks about “Hastening the Work”. He notes that it was 98 years before the Church had 100 stakes (1928), 30 years later (1958) it had 200 stakes, 8 years later (1966) it had 300 stakes. Today there are more than 3000 stakes. D&C 88:72-73 “Behold and lo I will take care of your flocks and will raise up elders and send unto them. Behold I will hasten my work in its time.”

President Monson said, “We are here on the earth at this time that we might participate in hastening this great work”

It is exciting to be a missionary at this time in the Church when we see the work hastening in this mission with marriages, baptisms, new branches, a new country…

Those who are ready to receive the Gospel are placed in our path. A few weeks ago I was looking for a tool in Premier, a seemingly temporal task, when an employee, a young Mozambican man helping me, said to me out of nowhere, “What do you think about pre-marital sexual relations? “ He said he and his noiva (fiancé) were planning to wait until after they were married and their friends thought they were crazy to wait. He said, “what do you think?” I explained our beliefs about chastity that expressed his same feelings. I have kept in contact with him and referred him to the missionaries in his area as he said he was interested in learning more about the Church. He had seen the missionaries in his area but had not spoken to them. We are being watched as we spread the Gospel.

Elder Biddulph was walking to the Church with Sister Tidwell and I when we were greeted by a Mozambican lady who stopped to ask us who we were and Elder Biddulph quickly was able to make a contact. She was very receptive to receiving missionaries in her home with her husband and family. The Lord is preparing people in this mission to receive the Gospel.

In an alley near the Church sits an old 1930 Ford Model A car. It looks like junk but it was special to me because I knew of its history, its antique value, and of its potential to be restored to its former greatness. May we also see the potential in the people, knowing their heritage as children of God, and knowing of their potential to be exalted in the Celestial Kingdom. Help us to look past their imperfections and remember their spiritual heritage and potential.

May we each play our role in hastening the work that it may go forth.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen

President Kretly has asked that missionaries use the My Family booklet as a tool for proselyting.  The Family History Center became a place to prepare boxes of booklets to be sent to Beira and independent branches. 

Tuesday was President Kretly’s birthday so he wanted to go out to lunch.  We went to Rodizio’s which is like Tucanos.  Everything was very delicious!  A surprise birthday cake was delivered at the end of the meal and the waiters sang “Happy Birthday” (in Portuguese of course).

It was decided that Elder Biddulph should go home and get better.  We hope that he will get the additional medical diagnoses and treatment he needs so he can recover and come back to finish his mission.

Elder Tidwell and I process the referrals sent to our mission through Mormon.org.  We send the referrals to the zone leaders and they send the referral on a missionary companionship that works the area closest to them.  The office elders received a referral from a man in Pemba!  That’s way up north and we don’t have anyone serving there.  Instead of deleting the message, I asked him to send it on to us like the others so we could email him and explain the situation.  Even though the closest missionaries are in Nampula, about 200 miles away, at least he now knows the closest branch.  Perhaps he travels to Nampula?

On Saturday morning, Richard went shopping for a modem for the Family History Center computer.  It turned out to be a very long walk, but he finally found what he needed in one of the smallest electronics store – a store he was inspired to go into, even though he had asked at many larger electronics stores and been disappointed.  While he was out and about, I went to the chapel to help clean it with the Relief Society.  When we both got home, we got ready for an outing with the Hobsons.

As we were pulling out of the garage onto the street, there was a man there the Hobsons recognized.  He is a member of the Beira District Presidency.  Here are his cute twin daughters Katy and Kelly and their cousins Laticia and Kayla!

The goal of our adventure was to find the Casa de Ferro (Iron House) and the Louis Trichardt Memorial Garden.  To get to the correct street we had to thread our way through the busy sidewalks – people selling everything.  You could feel the energy and enthusiasm of the venders and I wished we had our flip camera so we could record the busy sounds all around us.  Remember, this was Saturday.  Every sidewalk in that area of town had vender after vender on the store-side and the street-side of the sidewalk.  There were hats, shoes, capulanas, trousers, shirts, watches, CD’s, DVD’s, socks, fruits and vegetables, etc.  There were even people with their sewing machines hemming capulanas and making curtains.  Next to one sewing machine a young man was painting women’s fingernails. 

We arrived at the Iron House and we were about to go around the corner to the gate, when all of a sudden Richard fell face-down on the sidewalk!  It was so sudden and scary!!  He had tripped on an uneven sidewalk, of which there are SO many all over this town.  He scraped his forehead and cheek and knees, but otherwise no broken bones, thank goodness!  One of the lenses of his glasses popped out and got pretty scraped up, too.  He will see what can be done about the glasses on Monday.  The guard at the Iron House motioned to us and showed us where Richard could sit down for a minute.  Thinking back, what if he had taken such a fall earlier in the day on his long walk when he was alone? What is he had fallen while we were threading our way through the sidewalks – he could have been trampled!

We enjoyed looking at the Casa de Ferro (Iron House).  According the guide book, it is “constructed of prefabricated metal parts designed by the French engineer Eiffel" who designed the Eiffel Tower! Massala Fruit grows on the trees next to the Iron House, as does a pretty red flowering vine.

Remember the Jardim Tunduru (the bat park)?  Well the Casa de Ferro is kitty corner from the (now closed) gate to the park and the smaller statue of Samora Machel, Mozambique’s first president. Just up the street is the huge Catholic Cathedral.  The taxi driver we had a couple of weeks ago, told us the cathedral was always open, so we decided to walk up and take a look inside.  A wedding was in progress!  Although not as ornate as many Catholic churches we’ve seen in Germany and Brazil, the cathedral is very majestic.

Only a block and a half away we found the Louis Tregardt Memorial Garden.  We had been there before, but the Hobsons hadn't.  It was nice to read again the inscriptions.  This Memorial honors the Voortrekker Leader, Louis Tregardt, who tried to find a route to the sea through Mozambique; “… eventually [trek] came to grief when most of the trekkers died of malaria in the then Delagoa Bay (Maputo) in 1838." (see 4 Nov – 10 Nov 2013 post)  We enjoyed lunch at Cafe Sol before going home.

That afternoon I finished lengthening the flared skirt of a dress for one of the sister missionaries.  It was a challenge to figure out how to do it.  However, with Lyn’s advice (from afar) I did it.

Sunday morning was a busy one.  This Sunday was the day I told Yara that I would give a lesson to the Young Women’s about Family Home Evening.  Preparation had been throughout the week – I gathered sticks for the object lesson while I was cleaning at the chapel on Saturday!  I treated the entire classtime as a Family Home Evening complete with Welcome, Opening Song and Prayer, Announcements, Poem or Scripture Reading, Lesson, Activity, Closing Song and Prayer, and Snack.  It all went very well!

Earlier in the week I had asked the new Branch President if I could give a short announcement about Family History and Temple Work in the next Sacrament Meeting.  He said he would let me know after he had met with the rest of the presidency on Saturday.  I planned a short invitation for the members to continue to fill out their Minha Familia booklets and come to our new Family History Center upstairs.  Well, on Saturday evening, the sisters gave me a message from the Branch President telling me that it was okay for me to speak about preparing to go to the Temple in Sacrament Meeting.  So, the announcement had turned into a speech!  I lengthened my announcement to 2 1/2 minutes.  [Before 1980, when the consolidated schedule began, Sunday School was held on Sunday mornings.  During Saunday School opening exercises, “2 ½ minute” talks were given. Over time, everyone got a chance to participate!]  

Sunday morning came, and yes, he did want me to give a “discursco,” so Elder Tidwell and I made some fast preparations.  Deep down, I had wanted to have the opportunity to speak about this important topic and wanted to include some quotes from President Monson’s message in the June 2014 Liahona entitled “Hastening the Work.”  We decided to give the 5-minute discurso juntos (together)!  We were the first speakers.   It went well, and after the meeting we had a few people come up and see the Family History Center and ask us some questions.

  

26 May - 1 Jun 2014 Swaziland,ElderBiddulph,Castelo-Branco

President Kretly officially announced to the missionaries in Mozambique that Swaziland, and their 14 elders and 1 senior couple, are now part of the Mozambique Maputo Mission.  Swaziland’s official language is English, so it will be interesting how it will be incorporated into the workings of the mission.  This week the President has been working on transfers, so in that way, it is a timely change. 

Elder Biddulph, who has been staying with us while he has been recuperating from a long illness, shared some of his Marie Biscuits with us.  It is the first Mozambique wafer-like cookie which we’ve liked, so when we went shopping Monday we were surprised to see how easy they were to find.  Here is a huge display of them we saw at Premier.  Elder Biddulph commented, "looks like someone had too much free time!"

If your car gets “booted” here in Mozambique, you really aren’t going anywhere!!!

Our good friend, Yara, has asked me to give a Young Woman lesson about Family Home Evening.  The Young Women would also like some pointers on learning to sing “Press Forward, Saints” ("Firmes Segai") in Portuguese and English.  Sound fun!  Yara and her sister Lumiana would also like to learn about etiquette.  I’ve been reading up!   

Yara and Lumiana are very creative.  I watched them make beautiful beaded bracelets the other day.  They can make one in about 20 minutes!  Yara also makes men’s ties out of capulanas and has given me some material scraps which I hope to make into something useful.   

On the way to the office on Tuesday morning  we went on a wild ride through Maputo neighborhoods to deliver marriage process papers to some families with the elders.  It was, seriously, like the Indian Jones ride in Disneyland – the dirt streets are so undulated.  Hidden away in one of the neighborhoods we saw this beautiful decorated wall. 

The President and the AP’s went to the airport on Tuesday morning to greet four new missionaries arriving from the United States.  Three of them knew the Haka “dance” and they practiced together after they got settled.  Then they took a nap until right before the President returned to the office for their first traiing session.  President and Sister Kretly were greeted right inside the gate by the 3 missionaries performing the Haka.  They were very surprised!

Ficha activity has been pretty constant this month as we finished the month with 71 baptisms/confirmations.

With the end of the school year, we had watched many great videos of the grandkids – everything from dance programs to preschool graduations.  Thanks, kids, for helping us to share in your family activities!

On our way home from the office on Wednesday, the office elders ran out of gas!  They managed to get the car started  a couple of time – enough to turn us around and we literally coasted down the hill to the gas station close to the mission office.  Needless to say we were a half-hour late for our class, but it all worked out fine.  The family who came didn’t arrive until 6:45pm and half-way through the lesson, which was on Beginning Your Life History, another brother joined us.  In that lesson I share the miraculous story on how I was able to be connected to the Seeger Family, who are still living in Sandforde, Germany!

There was a time, at the beginning of our mission, and months before we arrived, that the Distribution Center had no Triplas or Biblias.  Well, times have changed.  On Thursday morning, we helped Maria put away probably 50 boxes of triplas into the Distrubtion Center.  Previously, she has also received many Biblias.  We are now encouraging the Branch Presidents to continue the practice to provide a New Member Family Kit to each newly baptized family.  The kits contain a Bible, Triple Combination, Hymn book; Gospel Principles; recent issue of the Liahona, and The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

I have been making more transfer cards for the 14 missionaries serving in Swaziland.  Also, President Kretly wanted our list of Mozambican missionaries to include the serving and called missionaries from Swaziland  – continuing his goal to have as many native missionaries serving in the world as other missionaries call to serve in our mission.  He’s increased the goal from 100 to 110.  Currently there are 51.  I am also making cards for the President’s board for them.

On Friday morning we made a follow-up visit to the missionary house we inspected last week.  The elders have made some good progress.  Just like most things, prevention is easier than the cure.  The upkeep of an apartment or a home can really get away from you if each person doesn’t do their part every day to maintain order and cleanliness.

Friday afternoon we had a pleasant visit with the two elders, Elder Rameka and Elder Going, who have completed their mission and are going home to New Zealand next week. They wanted to share with us a video of them and other missionaries doing the Haka for the members up in Beira. It was really fun to watch the video.  We have a copy of it and will share it with you soon.  The elders agreed to be videoed as I asked them about where they were from, what their plans were after they got home, the highpoint of their mission, and their testimonies.  It was wonderful to hear their responses and feel of their spirit.  We were so glad they came up; we were so impressed by the caliber of these elders!

On Saturday, a brother from Matola came and gave us estimates for curtains to be installed in the new 6^th floor sister’s apartment upstairs.  At the same time, we had him estimate the cost of curtains to replace our makeshift curtains here on the 5^th floor and one such curtain in the 2^nd floor sister’s apartment.  The purchase must be approved before we go ahead.  We’ll see – it’s pretty expensive to do!

This weekend there were weddings in most of the branches: 22 in all!  81 baptisms and 78 confirmations.  We were going to attend the wedding here in Maputo 2, but  we couldn’t leave in the middle of the consultation about the curtains. 

For our entertainment this week, we watched “How Rare a Possession:  The Book of Mormon.”  It tells two inspiring conversion stories: 1) Parley P. Pratt and 2) Francisco Vincenti.

On Sunday mornings, we often choose one of the archive broadcasts of Music and the Spoken Word to view and listen to while we get ready for Church.  I chose the 30 March 2014 broadcast entitled “Just Do What You Can.”  I think all of us are quick to compare what we do with others and when we do we often come up short.  Also, we look around us and see many needs and wish we could do more.  This Spoken Word message related how Elder Neal A. Maxwell displayed the following quote on his wall:  “My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds.” [from Gift from the Sea, 2011, 116]   It went on to say, “That’s not so much an excuse to ignore the needs of others as it is a perspective statement about pace and wisely doing what we can. [see Deposition of a Disciple, 1976].  So, I need to remember “Just Do What You Can” with the gifts and talents and circumstances with which you have been blessed.

Maputo 2 has a new Branch President, Justino Anselmo. Yes, he’s only been a member for a few weeks!  The outgoing Branch President, President Nihoa, in his testimony, told of a garden he had once visited.  In the garden was a huge tree.  Birds flitted in the branches.  He looked further and the tree was hollow inside.  It was supported by wire cables which helped it to stay upright.  He likened that tree to himself.  He had been sustained by the work of members and the help of God.  Alone, he explain, he couldn’t do anything, but with our help and God’s help he could do all things.  He testified of the truthfulness of the gospel, the gospel was truly of God and not of men.  He urged everyone to continue in their calling and be supportive of the new branch presidency so that the branches in Mozambique could grow and become stakes.

At the end of the meeting President Anselmo shared his testimony.  He told about the people of Israel going to the Promised Land and needing to conquer the Philistines.  When Moses held up his hands, the Israelites prospered and were strong in battle.  However, the battle was long and Moses’ arms got tired.  Aaron got a rock to stand on and he and another man held up Moses’ arms so Israel was able to conquer the Philistines.  He likened this to the need he felt to be supported in this new calling.  He has a strong testimony.

After Church, I showed  Brother Castel-Branco brother his now organized notebook of family history.  I explained that I found he had ordinances which he had reserved two years ago; and, there were other individuals who qualified to have their temple ordinances.  He asked me to share these names with the temple and to also reserve and share the other names of individuals with the temple to perform.

Again, we’ll end this week’s blog with sunsets!