An Unexpected Journey: The Ramblings of A Year Old Missionary
To all who read these words...
Welcome to my email, it certainly isn't anything extravagant, but it is nice and cozy. Bring over a chair and stay a while, I got a lot to talk about. You can hang your coat over there on the rack. If you get hungry you are welcome to anything in the fridge (except the wafers, don't touch my wafers). The bathroom is the first door on the right. Right, I think that's everything, now where do I begin...
I guess I'll start with the good stuff: what actually happened this week. Seeing how this email is special, I'll write a lot more details than normal, so make yourself comfortable.
I guess the first thing was p-day. It was pretty good. Did some shopping, us and the other Elders accidently both bought this weeks food, so we bought two sets of food. Oops! Well I guess we won't need to buy any next week, hopefully the vegetables will last that long. Later we went and played some games with our district leader, it was pretty good. I think next week we are going to climb a mountain or play foosball or something. We have been trying to do more on p-day than just staying in the house and calling family.
Then the night of, we scheduled some lessons with some less actives. It went alright. I have discovered that less actives in Africa are pretty annoying because they are usually good at studying and praying but never show up to church and always have an excuse. We have one where he knows the gospel really well and acts like he really wants to come to church. I even promised him a tie if he came to church twice in a row, he said that it would be really easy. Yeah, he hasn't come to church once yet. Anyway the first lesson went well. But the second lesson was pretty weird. First off the guy has a really difficult life but just honestly likes the gospel at wants to be apart of it. Well that night he wasn't actually at his house and we called and he was at a market pretty close by, so we set up a place to meet about halfway. We got there and he wasn't there. We called and he was like "I am coming, I am coming." It is literally a two minute walk and it took him 20 minutes and 3 phone calls. Then he kinda just chatted with us for 10 minutes and was like, "alright see you next time!" Yeah it was annoying. Might be a bit before we visit him again.
Wow that was only p-day. Well, this is a 'special' email so sorry I guess. Tuesday was actually a really good day. Our area basically has two parts Cavalaria and Memoria. Cavalaria is very close to the chapel so we have been doing more work there but at first it really didn't have to many people there. Well today we actually saw some success from all our finding efforts. We had some lessons with some new people that we have been trying to meet for a while now. That was really nice. One lesson actually fell through but then as we were leaving the son of the guy we were teaching was like "oh hey it is the Elders" and we said "you have talked to the missionaries before?" and he responded "yeah I am really good friends with two" (who returned home a while ago but he was texting them until he lost his old phone). Then we were like "can you talk right now?" And then we had a lesson with him. It was a little weird because he spent most of it explaining the beliefs of his church (which turns out wasn't as crazy and weird as I first thought). But we did bring in some good gospel principles and left him with some things to think about and do. Then our next visit was with a younger sister of one of our members. She is like 14 and has been coming to church pretty regularly. Well, she had a list of questions for us and they were really good questions! We didn't have any trouble explaining them but she is definitely interested in the gospel and it was a cool visit.
Dang at this rate I might as well write a novel. But Wednesday was just a really solid day. We had a ton of lessons and we met some really cool new people. We literally had two nice looking houses knocked both of them, the people welcomed us in and we taught both a lesson. One of the houses had a guy that already knew the missionaries and was really happy to be taught again. Days like these are pretty rare and it was just a nice change of pace from the slow going of last week. It was also June 1st which is children's day here in Mozambique. Basically kids go to school and have a party and they just get to do a bunch of fun stuff. It was pretty fun and we passed by a school and it was indeed pretty crazy.
Then it was Thursday. My one year mark, June 2nd. It was a pretty solid day. We had a few solid lessons. We had a bash with someone about Jesus Christ is God, not that they are 3 parts one person, but that it is all just Jesus Christ. Pretty weird, didn't make any sense, but he had some vague scriptures from a weird bible translation, so I guess he had a point. Then the lesson after was straight awesome. It was a guy with two of his friends/neighbors. We were just going to teach on prayer but completely unprompted they were like "why is there so many churches?" and "how can we find the true church?" Literally just setting us up for the restoration. Then the guy was like "I really want my family to hear this message" and "my mom who lives close could use this message." Just crazy. I think that was most everything, I made some cookies and had some soda as a present to myself for my year mark.
Friday was pretty simple. We had some good lessons and our ward activity. It was a decent turnout. Not really any crazy stories.
The next day was a little more interesting. We had a lesson fall through so we called up a guy who had showed up to church randomly, we had a lesson with planned this next week but we wanted to see if he was free now. Well he was and we found out that he has already been taught a bunch has a Book of Mormon and some pamphlets. He also said "I want two things: to be baptized and to have a calling in the church." So that was cool. Then we stopped by one of our solid friends house to show her kids how to get to church. Well as usual one of the kids was doing a bunch of chores and the other was playing. So we told to get ready. Well it took them 40 minutes and once they were all ready only one (9 years old) decided to come. So we took him to seminary that he was 45 minutes late for and he stayed for English class too. But now he can come to church on his own. Last week he tried to go to church but didn't know where it was so he just went to another church (again 9 years old). But that was it for Saturday.
Sunday was alright. Not that many of our friends showed up to church. Sunday just always reminds me of all the problems our ward still has. Then when we walked home from church a random African homeless guy wearing a princess dress just straight kicked me in the chest. It didn't hurt at all and he ran off after but I figure it was worth mentioning. Afterwards we just had a few lessons and weekly planning.
Now I would like to talk a little about how I am feeling in general in regards to the mission and then finish with how I have learned and grown thus far.
Usually, I am very content and happy in my situation here. There are many, many, challenges, but, I have learned to move past most of them and accept the random, but, expected challenges in the day to day here in Mozambique. Some examples of these problems are: despite living in a very nice apartment, the water works less consistently than any other house I have lived in, sometimes turning off for entire days. Or when the train carrying coal to the coast runs through the city at just the perfect time to cut you off from getting to your area delaying your schedule by a good 15 minutes. Or when your comp accidently leaves your white belt and tie (for baptisms) at the church and you have to hope that no one decides to steal the free clothes left in the bathroom. Or when the mission office doesn't send the proselytizing supplies leaving the entire city of Nampula without their much needed pamphlets and copies of The Book of Mormon (or Book of Mormons for those who are wrong). All of it has blended into the normal, expected but, unexpected problems.
Being a year old on the mission is a bizarre experience. I feel young and old at the same time. Like wow, I have been a missionary for a year and wow, I still have another year more. Except every missionary knows that second year goes by so much faster, leaving me with a bizarre feeling that everything is almost over. It is a weird duality that is hard to explain and I am not even sure I understand it completely, but needless to say, it has been causing me a small amount of stress. I hope that as I pass my year mark that the feeling will pass and I can just go back to working.
One thing I have come to enjoy a lot is the work here. Sometimes I spend the whole morning stressing about our plans, the problems we have, the challenges we face. But as soon as I step out the door all of that fades away and it is just going to work. It is something I know I can do, even when everything doesn't work and the day stunk, I still happy and content through it all. Because it is just an incredible work that I am happy to be apart of. I have little to no control over what others decide to do. All I can do is my best. With this in mind the results simply don't matter. If I am working hard, the results will follow. Of course I still want success, but I can accept failure.
One thing I might get asked is if I am trunky. For those of you unfamiliar with the term I will explain it. Trunky basically means that a missionary is missing home a lot and can't wait to go back. It usually results in the missionary doing less work and in general just being unhappy because all their thoughts are about home. I would be lying if I said I didn't think about home, but I am not trunky. Yes there are many things I miss and even look forward to, but I am here to work and I am going to do that work until I am done. There is also a time where every missionary probably should be a little trunky. There are missionaries who simply don't want to go home. And that is almost equally as bad as being too trunky. The mission isn't made to last forever and everyone's gospel path includes many many things after the mission. The mission is just a unique time during it all where you can focus and work hard. But it shouldn't be the "only two years" of your covenant path. Life after the mission is certainly very challenging, having to deal with college, friends, jobs, taxes, and housing is very stressful. But avoiding the future will only make things worse. So being trunky isn't necessarily bad, just don't let it diminish your work.
Sorry for the soapbox I think now would be a good time to move onto what I have learned on my mission. If you are already tired of reading this all, I am sorry and you can stop whenever you would like.
I have learned a lot on my mission. Sometimes, I question what more I can learn on my mission and what more I can get out of it. And every time I quickly learn that there is still a lot to learn and improve on.
One thing I didn't think I would improve much on was my patience. Before the mission I was pretty patience and tolerant. On the mission learned that I am a lot less patience if I am tired or stressed. I also learned that having a mission companion is a much bigger deal than a roommate at college. With these challenges and with the challenges of missionary work my patience has improved dramatically, and not just being patience, but, being happy about it too. Missionary work is full of frustrating things. Even in Africa people can be rude, lesson can cancel, phone numbers can randomly stop working (this happens a ton). I can't do much about these things and yet they still hurt. But with patience they are but a small bump in the road to success and happiness. I also know that things will improve.
I spent about 6 months in Sacramento, California. I learned and grew so so much doing this time: I learned how to talk to strangers about the gospel, how to be more direct about what I know is true, I learned to accept failure, I learned to cherish the good and move past the bad.
Sacramento is definitely where I saw the most spiritual growth. The missionary work in the area was going very slowly, so most of my growth was internal. I learned to love the gospel even more. I learned to love what God does for me and follow the plan he has prepared. In the midst of daily struggles I learned to love the savior even more and follow his plan, striving to work hard each day, even when the fruits were distant. I also learned a lot more about the gospel. That is one thing I love so much about the restored gospel. The closer you examine and look, the more truth you find. Rather than finding cracks in a gospel foundation I found mosiacs and intricate works of art. Countless, symbols of Christ, innumerable details about God's plan for us and a pure and perfect love. I will never be able to understand it all, but as my knowledge grows every passage, every truth, I examine finds new meaning and light no matter how many times I read it.
When I arrived in Mozambique my experiences I had changed drastically. Many new and unexpected challenges appeared and many others faded away. Adjusting was very hard and no one in the mission was really prepared for 20 or so Americans to arrive. My first few weeks I was often hungry and confused. I basically just following other missionaries until I could figure out was going on. It took a while to really understand what was going on. I don't know exactly when it happened but I can say now that I mostly understand what I am doing.
Learning Portuguese was certainly one of factors and challenges in my time here. I learned very quickly I did not know Portuguese very well and that learning a language is very different than going to school. I could sit through a class in school and understand most everything and remember it quite well. It is almost the opposite with learning Portuguese. I forget a lot things and even learning one word can sometimes take days. But I have learned. I feel pretty comfortable talking and listening, though I still have a lot more to learn. People mostly understand me, though some still look to my companion to translate for them. Language learning has been a bizarre and unique experience.
Another focus of mine has been to understand the culture and how things work here in Mozambique. It is a very different country than the United States. It has been fascinating. It has also shown how a community can function and despite many many challenges and oddities, prosper in its own unique way. I have learned a lot from this and there are a lot of things in the States that I appreciate a lot more now.
I also appreciate the power of humility so much more now. I am a pretty humble person (clearly) but, on my mission I have learned the power it brings. The promise given in Ether 12:27 is for everyone but especially those who want to grow. "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I have used this promise to become much more than I was. I am still a pretty bad missionary, but I have seen so much improvements, all stemming from my desire to change and the humility to do it. A hardworking and humble missionary will become a great missionary. A hardworking and humble person will become a great person. Relying on Christ will only magnify this.
To close I would like to bear my testimony. The mission has been far from easy and physical, emotional and spiritual dangers have been ever present. But I have learned that I am far more capable than I thought and that a wise, loving, savior is guiding the way. The challenges I have faced have been tough but never too tough, stressful but never too stressful. I know God wants what is best for me and that he will help me get there. Trusting in him and continuously moving forward, striving to be better, one step at a time, is where I have found peace and joy.
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is Gods true church with all of his power and authority. Russell M. Nelson is his prophet today. His words guide the world to follow the Savior. With the Holy Ghost as our guide, Christ as the way, and eternal life with our Heavenly Father as the destination, I know I am on the right path.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me thus far. Thank you for sticking around long enough to read this all. Thank you to all of my companions who have helped me along the way (McCabe, Craig, Bowen, Ícaro, Alberto and Jeremias). Thank you to all the members who have built Zion where they are. Thank you to my family who have helped me throughout my life and helped me cultivate these good gospel fruits. Thank you so much for making this all possible.
2 Areas
6 Companions, all of which have been a trainer or a trainee.
Decently sick twice, both in Africa.
I have been called 13 unique words for white guy (that I have heard).
I have been in 3 Bible bashes.
I have hit my head an innumerable amount of times (Mozambique is a very short country).
I have been hit on by Mozambique women an equally innumerable amount of times.
I have had 8 individual plane flights on my mission (6 just to get from Sacramento to Beira).
And I have had 1 incredible journey through it all.
Welcome to my email, it certainly isn't anything extravagant, but it is nice and cozy. Bring over a chair and stay a while, I got a lot to talk about. You can hang your coat over there on the rack. If you get hungry you are welcome to anything in the fridge (except the wafers, don't touch my wafers). The bathroom is the first door on the right. Right, I think that's everything, now where do I begin...
I guess I'll start with the good stuff: what actually happened this week. Seeing how this email is special, I'll write a lot more details than normal, so make yourself comfortable.
I guess the first thing was p-day. It was pretty good. Did some shopping, us and the other Elders accidently both bought this weeks food, so we bought two sets of food. Oops! Well I guess we won't need to buy any next week, hopefully the vegetables will last that long. Later we went and played some games with our district leader, it was pretty good. I think next week we are going to climb a mountain or play foosball or something. We have been trying to do more on p-day than just staying in the house and calling family.
Then the night of, we scheduled some lessons with some less actives. It went alright. I have discovered that less actives in Africa are pretty annoying because they are usually good at studying and praying but never show up to church and always have an excuse. We have one where he knows the gospel really well and acts like he really wants to come to church. I even promised him a tie if he came to church twice in a row, he said that it would be really easy. Yeah, he hasn't come to church once yet. Anyway the first lesson went well. But the second lesson was pretty weird. First off the guy has a really difficult life but just honestly likes the gospel at wants to be apart of it. Well that night he wasn't actually at his house and we called and he was at a market pretty close by, so we set up a place to meet about halfway. We got there and he wasn't there. We called and he was like "I am coming, I am coming." It is literally a two minute walk and it took him 20 minutes and 3 phone calls. Then he kinda just chatted with us for 10 minutes and was like, "alright see you next time!" Yeah it was annoying. Might be a bit before we visit him again.
Wow that was only p-day. Well, this is a 'special' email so sorry I guess. Tuesday was actually a really good day. Our area basically has two parts Cavalaria and Memoria. Cavalaria is very close to the chapel so we have been doing more work there but at first it really didn't have to many people there. Well today we actually saw some success from all our finding efforts. We had some lessons with some new people that we have been trying to meet for a while now. That was really nice. One lesson actually fell through but then as we were leaving the son of the guy we were teaching was like "oh hey it is the Elders" and we said "you have talked to the missionaries before?" and he responded "yeah I am really good friends with two" (who returned home a while ago but he was texting them until he lost his old phone). Then we were like "can you talk right now?" And then we had a lesson with him. It was a little weird because he spent most of it explaining the beliefs of his church (which turns out wasn't as crazy and weird as I first thought). But we did bring in some good gospel principles and left him with some things to think about and do. Then our next visit was with a younger sister of one of our members. She is like 14 and has been coming to church pretty regularly. Well, she had a list of questions for us and they were really good questions! We didn't have any trouble explaining them but she is definitely interested in the gospel and it was a cool visit.
Dang at this rate I might as well write a novel. But Wednesday was just a really solid day. We had a ton of lessons and we met some really cool new people. We literally had two nice looking houses knocked both of them, the people welcomed us in and we taught both a lesson. One of the houses had a guy that already knew the missionaries and was really happy to be taught again. Days like these are pretty rare and it was just a nice change of pace from the slow going of last week. It was also June 1st which is children's day here in Mozambique. Basically kids go to school and have a party and they just get to do a bunch of fun stuff. It was pretty fun and we passed by a school and it was indeed pretty crazy.
Then it was Thursday. My one year mark, June 2nd. It was a pretty solid day. We had a few solid lessons. We had a bash with someone about Jesus Christ is God, not that they are 3 parts one person, but that it is all just Jesus Christ. Pretty weird, didn't make any sense, but he had some vague scriptures from a weird bible translation, so I guess he had a point. Then the lesson after was straight awesome. It was a guy with two of his friends/neighbors. We were just going to teach on prayer but completely unprompted they were like "why is there so many churches?" and "how can we find the true church?" Literally just setting us up for the restoration. Then the guy was like "I really want my family to hear this message" and "my mom who lives close could use this message." Just crazy. I think that was most everything, I made some cookies and had some soda as a present to myself for my year mark.
Friday was pretty simple. We had some good lessons and our ward activity. It was a decent turnout. Not really any crazy stories.
The next day was a little more interesting. We had a lesson fall through so we called up a guy who had showed up to church randomly, we had a lesson with planned this next week but we wanted to see if he was free now. Well he was and we found out that he has already been taught a bunch has a Book of Mormon and some pamphlets. He also said "I want two things: to be baptized and to have a calling in the church." So that was cool. Then we stopped by one of our solid friends house to show her kids how to get to church. Well as usual one of the kids was doing a bunch of chores and the other was playing. So we told to get ready. Well it took them 40 minutes and once they were all ready only one (9 years old) decided to come. So we took him to seminary that he was 45 minutes late for and he stayed for English class too. But now he can come to church on his own. Last week he tried to go to church but didn't know where it was so he just went to another church (again 9 years old). But that was it for Saturday.
Sunday was alright. Not that many of our friends showed up to church. Sunday just always reminds me of all the problems our ward still has. Then when we walked home from church a random African homeless guy wearing a princess dress just straight kicked me in the chest. It didn't hurt at all and he ran off after but I figure it was worth mentioning. Afterwards we just had a few lessons and weekly planning.
Now I would like to talk a little about how I am feeling in general in regards to the mission and then finish with how I have learned and grown thus far.
Usually, I am very content and happy in my situation here. There are many, many, challenges, but, I have learned to move past most of them and accept the random, but, expected challenges in the day to day here in Mozambique. Some examples of these problems are: despite living in a very nice apartment, the water works less consistently than any other house I have lived in, sometimes turning off for entire days. Or when the train carrying coal to the coast runs through the city at just the perfect time to cut you off from getting to your area delaying your schedule by a good 15 minutes. Or when your comp accidently leaves your white belt and tie (for baptisms) at the church and you have to hope that no one decides to steal the free clothes left in the bathroom. Or when the mission office doesn't send the proselytizing supplies leaving the entire city of Nampula without their much needed pamphlets and copies of The Book of Mormon (or Book of Mormons for those who are wrong). All of it has blended into the normal, expected but, unexpected problems.
Being a year old on the mission is a bizarre experience. I feel young and old at the same time. Like wow, I have been a missionary for a year and wow, I still have another year more. Except every missionary knows that second year goes by so much faster, leaving me with a bizarre feeling that everything is almost over. It is a weird duality that is hard to explain and I am not even sure I understand it completely, but needless to say, it has been causing me a small amount of stress. I hope that as I pass my year mark that the feeling will pass and I can just go back to working.
One thing I have come to enjoy a lot is the work here. Sometimes I spend the whole morning stressing about our plans, the problems we have, the challenges we face. But as soon as I step out the door all of that fades away and it is just going to work. It is something I know I can do, even when everything doesn't work and the day stunk, I still happy and content through it all. Because it is just an incredible work that I am happy to be apart of. I have little to no control over what others decide to do. All I can do is my best. With this in mind the results simply don't matter. If I am working hard, the results will follow. Of course I still want success, but I can accept failure.
One thing I might get asked is if I am trunky. For those of you unfamiliar with the term I will explain it. Trunky basically means that a missionary is missing home a lot and can't wait to go back. It usually results in the missionary doing less work and in general just being unhappy because all their thoughts are about home. I would be lying if I said I didn't think about home, but I am not trunky. Yes there are many things I miss and even look forward to, but I am here to work and I am going to do that work until I am done. There is also a time where every missionary probably should be a little trunky. There are missionaries who simply don't want to go home. And that is almost equally as bad as being too trunky. The mission isn't made to last forever and everyone's gospel path includes many many things after the mission. The mission is just a unique time during it all where you can focus and work hard. But it shouldn't be the "only two years" of your covenant path. Life after the mission is certainly very challenging, having to deal with college, friends, jobs, taxes, and housing is very stressful. But avoiding the future will only make things worse. So being trunky isn't necessarily bad, just don't let it diminish your work.
Sorry for the soapbox I think now would be a good time to move onto what I have learned on my mission. If you are already tired of reading this all, I am sorry and you can stop whenever you would like.
I have learned a lot on my mission. Sometimes, I question what more I can learn on my mission and what more I can get out of it. And every time I quickly learn that there is still a lot to learn and improve on.
One thing I didn't think I would improve much on was my patience. Before the mission I was pretty patience and tolerant. On the mission learned that I am a lot less patience if I am tired or stressed. I also learned that having a mission companion is a much bigger deal than a roommate at college. With these challenges and with the challenges of missionary work my patience has improved dramatically, and not just being patience, but, being happy about it too. Missionary work is full of frustrating things. Even in Africa people can be rude, lesson can cancel, phone numbers can randomly stop working (this happens a ton). I can't do much about these things and yet they still hurt. But with patience they are but a small bump in the road to success and happiness. I also know that things will improve.
I spent about 6 months in Sacramento, California. I learned and grew so so much doing this time: I learned how to talk to strangers about the gospel, how to be more direct about what I know is true, I learned to accept failure, I learned to cherish the good and move past the bad.
Sacramento is definitely where I saw the most spiritual growth. The missionary work in the area was going very slowly, so most of my growth was internal. I learned to love the gospel even more. I learned to love what God does for me and follow the plan he has prepared. In the midst of daily struggles I learned to love the savior even more and follow his plan, striving to work hard each day, even when the fruits were distant. I also learned a lot more about the gospel. That is one thing I love so much about the restored gospel. The closer you examine and look, the more truth you find. Rather than finding cracks in a gospel foundation I found mosiacs and intricate works of art. Countless, symbols of Christ, innumerable details about God's plan for us and a pure and perfect love. I will never be able to understand it all, but as my knowledge grows every passage, every truth, I examine finds new meaning and light no matter how many times I read it.
When I arrived in Mozambique my experiences I had changed drastically. Many new and unexpected challenges appeared and many others faded away. Adjusting was very hard and no one in the mission was really prepared for 20 or so Americans to arrive. My first few weeks I was often hungry and confused. I basically just following other missionaries until I could figure out was going on. It took a while to really understand what was going on. I don't know exactly when it happened but I can say now that I mostly understand what I am doing.
Learning Portuguese was certainly one of factors and challenges in my time here. I learned very quickly I did not know Portuguese very well and that learning a language is very different than going to school. I could sit through a class in school and understand most everything and remember it quite well. It is almost the opposite with learning Portuguese. I forget a lot things and even learning one word can sometimes take days. But I have learned. I feel pretty comfortable talking and listening, though I still have a lot more to learn. People mostly understand me, though some still look to my companion to translate for them. Language learning has been a bizarre and unique experience.
Another focus of mine has been to understand the culture and how things work here in Mozambique. It is a very different country than the United States. It has been fascinating. It has also shown how a community can function and despite many many challenges and oddities, prosper in its own unique way. I have learned a lot from this and there are a lot of things in the States that I appreciate a lot more now.
I also appreciate the power of humility so much more now. I am a pretty humble person (clearly) but, on my mission I have learned the power it brings. The promise given in Ether 12:27 is for everyone but especially those who want to grow. "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I have used this promise to become much more than I was. I am still a pretty bad missionary, but I have seen so much improvements, all stemming from my desire to change and the humility to do it. A hardworking and humble missionary will become a great missionary. A hardworking and humble person will become a great person. Relying on Christ will only magnify this.
To close I would like to bear my testimony. The mission has been far from easy and physical, emotional and spiritual dangers have been ever present. But I have learned that I am far more capable than I thought and that a wise, loving, savior is guiding the way. The challenges I have faced have been tough but never too tough, stressful but never too stressful. I know God wants what is best for me and that he will help me get there. Trusting in him and continuously moving forward, striving to be better, one step at a time, is where I have found peace and joy.
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It is Gods true church with all of his power and authority. Russell M. Nelson is his prophet today. His words guide the world to follow the Savior. With the Holy Ghost as our guide, Christ as the way, and eternal life with our Heavenly Father as the destination, I know I am on the right path.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me thus far. Thank you for sticking around long enough to read this all. Thank you to all of my companions who have helped me along the way (McCabe, Craig, Bowen, Ícaro, Alberto and Jeremias). Thank you to all the members who have built Zion where they are. Thank you to my family who have helped me throughout my life and helped me cultivate these good gospel fruits. Thank you so much for making this all possible.
Supplemental Statistics
In my first year as a missionary I have had:2 Areas
6 Companions, all of which have been a trainer or a trainee.
Decently sick twice, both in Africa.
I have been called 13 unique words for white guy (that I have heard).
I have been in 3 Bible bashes.
I have hit my head an innumerable amount of times (Mozambique is a very short country).
I have been hit on by Mozambique women an equally innumerable amount of times.
I have had 8 individual plane flights on my mission (6 just to get from Sacramento to Beira).
And I have had 1 incredible journey through it all.
Pictures from Sacramento
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| With a Book of Mormon near McDonald Drive in Sacramento |
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| Selfie in Sacramento |
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| With Elder Craig at the temple |
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| At the temple with Elders Craig and Bowen |
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| Posing with a stuffed bear |
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| Trying to choose a book |
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| With Elder McCabe in Sacramento |
Pictures in Mozambique
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| With Elder Ícaro |
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| Trying on the rain jacket |
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| With Elder Alberto |
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| Beautiful landscape and a village |
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| Near "Jesus Mountain" |
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| Near the pool at Stake Conference in Nampula |
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| African children love to pose for pictures; we don't know any of them |
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| With a chicken |
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| Portrait |
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| On a bridge |
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| Nice falls |
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| Big meal with the all the Elder in the Napipine Ward Alberto, Jeremias, De Almeda |
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| Out doing the work |
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| With Elder Jeremias |
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