Week 79- Transfers this Week. Staying in Mascarenha as District Leader

Hi everyone!

Thanks for your letter this week!! I'm glad to hear that everything there is going well. We had transfers today and I’m happy to know that I'm staying in Mascarenha for another 6 weeks! I'm getting a new companion, his name is Elder Christensen. He is a new missionary with about 4 months on the mission. I've also been called as district leader again. I'm excited for the opportunity of serving the people here and my fellow missionaries as well.

This past week was very productive; we taught a lot of people.  We also spent time focusing on helping Pereira and Sara with preparations for their marriage and baptism, which is this coming Friday and Saturday. Monday was a good P-day. We didn't play soccer that day, so we had more time to relax at home in the afternoon, so it was cool to take it easy. Tuesday was a good day; we opened the marriage process for Pereira and Sara! It all went well. We went with them to the civil register in Munhava and they submitted all their documents and set the date for the wedding, which is the 21st.

On Wednesday I worked a division with Elder Woolley, Elder Richardson's companion. Elder Woolley is a newer missionary too. We had a good day working in his area. On Thursday we went to the city to pick up another document for the wedding. But while I was there I found some really nice shoes to replace my Rockport, which after 18 months, are getting worn out. I would have told you so you could send me a new pair of shoes, but I know that it would have taken forever for them to get to me- I still have not gotten the packages that you sent me in back in June -most likely they got lost and won’t get them at all.  Anyway, these shoes that I bought off the street are really nice. They are Ecco brand, the same kind they sell at the missionary stores back home, they are really comfortable. So that was a nice find.

Last Saturday we taught a couple of lessons in the morning. And in the afternoon we went to the city again, this time with Sara, she needed help to go to the city where she had to buy some things for the wedding. Pereira couldn't get off work to go help her, so we offered to go and help. She had to buy a suit for Pereira to use at the wedding. So she bought some shoes and a suit off the street. Things off the street here are super cheap when compared to dollars and the prices of things back home. You can buy a decent suit and pants for 700MT ($20). Anyway, that was Saturday.

Sunday was probably the last day that church will have meetings in our house. Next Sunday is district conference, so everyone will be going to the big chapel in the city. And by the following Sunday our branch will meet in the new house.

Our other investigators are doing fine. Girao and Angela are still progressing very well. Hopefully they can get baptized during this transfer. We found another new family, Odete, and her children. She lost her husband last year and her neighbor is a member who invited them to church and they liked it a lot. They will probably be baptized in a few weeks. I'm excited for this week’s wedding and baptism!! There's still a lot to do to prepare, but I know everything will go well. 

Questions and Answers:

Q: How much to you pay to ride the chopela.

A: cost between 50 and 100MT, depending on where you go. From the grocery store in the city to our house it costs 150MT.

Q: when playing soccer, do you guys invite sister missionaries to play? 

A: No, because there are no sister missionaries in Beira, they're only assigned to the Maputo areas.

Q: have you had to give a talk in church recently, and do you play the piano?

A: No, I haven't given a talk in the branch here, nor do I play piano. That's because there is no piano in this branch for now, but when it moves to the new place there will be one, so I'll probably start playing, unless my companion is a better piano player than me. 

I love you and hope you have another good week!!!

Love

Josh