Hey Family!
On Friday (2/13) we were told to get on a plane and go to
Maputo to attend the historical first stake conference in Maputo. So on Saturday night (2/14) we flew down to Maputo and stayed in
the apartment of the Lopes' a senior missionary couple from Brazil. The
conference on Sunday was like a dream come true! President had every missionary
in the mission gathered in one spot for the first time ever. It was really a one in a life time event, it was so cool
to see everyone there.
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| All the missionaries of the Mozambique Maputo Mission with visiting Church leaders at the conclusion of the first stake conference in Mozambique in the newly organized Maputo Stake. Feb 15, 2015 |
I saw a lot of the
members and people that I had baptized while I was in T3, and Matola, many of them were at
the conference.
Two years ago we would only talk about this day, in that it was a goal for all of us missionaries. We were promised that if we were obedient
and did our work as the Lord commanded this day would come when we would be witnessing
the first stake in Mozambique being established here in Mozambique. And now here was the fruit of all the hard work
and dedication that every missionary past and present had to do to make this a
reality. The work is not done yet, it
has only begun for us and for the future missionaries to keep the momentum
going. Here is part of the message from our
mission President regarding this great blessing:
“Dear Missionaries,
Last week, we all experienced unforgettable
moments in our lives. The first stake in Mozambique was organized. It was a
memorable meeting where we had the presence of Elder Stanley Ellis and his
wife. We also had the presence of Elder Mdletshe. It was exciting when all
heard the presiding authority read the letter from the First Presidency
approving the organization of the Maputo Mozambique Stake, the Spirit was very
strong.
What a wonderful blessing it was
to see all the congregation; the meeting was attended by more than 1050 people,
all enjoying the sweet Spirit of that meeting. What seemed like a dream two and
a half years ago became a reality. We felt the spirit of thanksgiving and joy
to the Eternal God that we have a stake in Maputo! In addition, for the first
time the entire mission was gathered together, all the missionaries were
invited to this sacred event. It was a spiritual feast.
But the Miracles continue! Last
Thursday, I received a call from the Area Presidency (Elder Ellis), announcing
that the First Presidency of the Church approved the second Stake in
Mozambique, the Beira Mozambique Stake. The new Beira Mozambique Manga District
was also approved. So in a period of only one month two Stakes will be
organized and one new District in the country. More miracles!
We can never deny the hand of God
in this sacred work, the Lord has guided us since the first day we arrived in
these blessed lands. I remember that upon arriving here, I thought about doing
and carrying out a lot, but these thoughts simply vanished from my mind. The
Lord was guiding us quickly in a few days giving Revelation, giving us the
vision and thereby He made us see clearly what His will was. Our vision is:
"To establish the Church in Mozambique and Swaziland, through Real growth,
becoming extraordinary missionaries", our goal is: "To establish the
first Stakes of Zion" our purpose is in Preach My Gospel on page one, and
it's wonderful. So with this vision, Purpose and Goal, we walked in a direction
that few believed in at the beginning, it was to find, teach, baptize, confirm
and help complete FAMILIES to find eternal happiness. We speak of qualified
contacts, how to become an effective missionary and work in all the phases,
100% obedient, then 100% PMG, do not do stupid things, focus on families that
are progressing, the "snowball", helping youth to serve a full-time
mission, help the leadership to mature through training and monitoring.
As missionaries, all of you, those
who have passed here and also the current ones, to previous Mission Presidents,
to the wonderful local leaders, to all, my sincere thanks for all the work
done, and especially to God who made it all possible . These are the first
results: Two stakes formed, a district, more than ten new units, 95 local
full-time missionaries called, over 500 new holders of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, 525 complete families baptized and more.
I believe that today, I, Sister
Kretly, you and all the missionaries who have gone through this mission feel as
Ammon and his brethren felt and related in Alma 26:31, 35-37 “
Family and friends, I’m happy to
serve our Lord Jesus Christ here in Mozambique at this very special time, when we are experiencing the Lord's blessings towards his children here in this beautiful land.
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