Blogmanting

Happy Monday!

I hope your week has been amazing, because mine has been...

The baptisms of Amadi and Angel went really well, and was a really spiritual experience. I was so lucky to be part of their conversion to the gospel and I know that both of them will be powerful members of the church here in Lilanda in the future... Amadi asked me to baptise him and Angel asked me to confirm her so I was even able to be part of the service too. I am grateful for the priesthood authority I have to be able to perform such ordinances for people who are so ready to receive Christ into their lives, I have a testimony of it's power and divinity and the importance of baptism as the gateway to heaven. 

This week I received my new comapanion- Elder Malinga from Swaziland (An area in my previous mission!). He came in on Tuesday night so I spent two days with another Elder who works in the area across from me, Elder Walusimbi, from Uganda. We then spent a day in a tri-comp whilst he waited from his companion to arrive from the MTC. It was funny to be with Elder Walusimbi as we have been in the same zone for 3 months, and we were able to work really hard in establishing my area ready for Elder Malinga to arrive.

Elder Malinga is great, he is 23 and comes from one of the bigger cities in Swaziland. He enjoys music, specifically singing opera, baking and cooking. Now, as you may imagine, he is a little queer, but in a good way, and he has a love for investigators I have never before seen in a missionary. He is one month younger than me on mission so we are similar in experience which is working to our advantage. We have hit the ground running this week and expect the successes to keep on coming. I think he may be my favourite companion so far...

Being Disrict Leader is a new challenge, I am adapting well but am having to rely on the Lord a lot. I have been blessed with a really hard working and obedient District, so my job shouldn't be too hard, but we always need to improve, and that's what my first challenge will be, trying to improve on two bpatisms and a whole load of lessons! It's a hard life sometimes... 

I'm so thankful for all the prayers, letters and packages i've received, I had another mini Christmas this week receiving some packages from early December. I'm so humbled and lucky to have so many people looking out for me, I am truly grateful. 

Take care and God bless, I love you all!

EF

Photos!

Sorry it has taken so long for us to get the next lot to you folks......

Official missionary of Zambia

Brethren and Sisters,

Not too much time this week but have to keep up the blog as I promised.

Transfers is the big story, and soberly I have to report that Elder Nakale and I will no longer be companions. After three months of being together he is finally moving just down the road to Munali, with me staying in Lilanda. He will be a Zone Leader, with me replacing him as the District Leader here, which will be a nice challenge. My new companion's name, as far as i'm aware, is Elder Malinga, from South Africa, and he will be coming in on Wednesday, so i'll be with Elder Walusimbi for two days as he waits for his new son to come from the MTC. Crazy stuff.

I'm pretty sad to be leaving Elder Nakale, he is a top missionary and we had gotten to be good friends, so it'll be tough to leave him, but that's how mission works I guess, we just keep going. He's my Zone Leader too so i'll be seeing him around a lot, especially when I have Baptismal interviews, which should be every week if we can help it!

Other than that, the only other piece of news is that I received a phone call from President Erickson this week letting me know that the Brethren have officially reassigned me to this mission. No more visa worries, Durban is officially a thing of the past. I'm really happy and excited to see how I can help the Lord's work move forward in this part of His vineyard, especially as Lusaka is becoming a Stake in March.

Two baptisms scheduled for next Sunday which i'm really excited about, a brother named Amadi, and a sister named Angel, both have really powerful testimonies and strong desires to follow Jesus Christ. The Lord is really preparing the people of Lilanda, I feel like I am just a conduit of the Lord, we haven't really had to do much, just be there to guide them to the truth. 

That's pretty much it for this week, I hope you all have great weeks, it could be a long one for me, a lot of new things to get used too! Take care and I love you all,

Elder Ford- Official Zambian Missionary

"Now the work really begins"

This week has seen the return of the humid, sticky heat, something that I really haven't missed, but hasn't stopped the successes. I can safely say that I have learnt the real meaning of tiredness, Sunday night we returned and were completely finished. Every muscle ached and my brain was fried, but my spirit has been strengthened like never before. This week has been the most spiritual, the most powerful, and the most successful of my mission so far. The experiences I've had and the spirit I've felt has been such a blessing, and it's all been down to hard work. I have a testimony that when we try our hardest and do all we can, until we feel that we can't go on- that's when we see the Lord bless us, that's when the windows of Heaven are opened unto us and are taken to greater heights, heights that we didn't know we could reach. 

Thursday was interviews with our Mission President, straight after the mission tour so a nice time to see him. Every time we meet, the spirit testifies to me of his authority, and he speaks with the power of God, it's kind of a surreal experience, but always uplifting and a testimony builder, particularly when we speak one-to-one. We spoke about mission so far, our goals as the Zambia, Lusaka Mission, and for me as an individual- what the future holds and stuff like that. Very personal, very powerful, bit daunting as well... 

I haven't been reassigned yet, but President explained that a 'parting of the red sea' experience would have to happen for me to not be serving in Zambia for the rest of my mission, and I am actually really chuffed about it. This mission is home now, and I feel like i'm meant to be here after all, so whatever comes, I'll be extremely happy. 

More from this week- the rain came with a vengeance on Saturday night, flash floods and strong winds caused chaos for us, I had to walk home bare foot to save my shoes from complete destruction, it's much easier to clean my feet than my shoes! When I was crossing the 'road river' a bloke asked me how much money I had so he could carry me across, shows how much Zambian's will do for a bit of money. I was already drenched so I just waded through it, receiving some 'banter' from the guy and other locals...

The work in Lilanda is progressing so well, the fruits of our labours are finally being manifest in some powerful investigators who have true testimonies of our Saviour and His Church. The tail end of February and March are going to be very wet, we have baptisms in the double figures planned, and we received the news this week that Lusaka is becoming a Stake in March, with Lilanda becoming a Ward. Now the work really begins, and we are primed for a huge start. 

This week will be the last before the February transfer, which is set to see the mission turn upside down with 13 missionaries leaving and 10 new coming in, 6 being sisters. President has reshuffled a lot of areas, positions and personnel, so the chances are I won't be with Elder Nakale by next week, but we will see, the Lord works in mysterious ways...

A lot to talk about this week, hopefully the successes will continue. The Lord has blessed us so much this week, our hard work is finally paying off...

EF- 5 months in the field 

Week 21/22....

I hope everyone has had a brilliant week, because I have!

I don't have too much time this week so I just wanted to share about the real highlight of the week, which was the Mission Tour, held at the Zambia Lusaka Mission Home on Thursday. 

We had the pleasure of spending the day with Elder Carl B. Cook, the Area Authority for Africa, South East, and his lovely wife Sister Cook, along with the ever present and powerful President and Sister Erickson. All four of them taught us as a combined Lusaka District (The West and East Lusaka Zones comprising of just 20 missionaries) so it was a very intimate and spiritual experience. I have probably never felt the spirit in such a consistent and personal way, I was able to have confirmed to me the truthfulness of the things that they were saying, and also have answers to some of the questions I have had on my mind by the Spirit. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that will never be forgotten. 

The way that both President Erickson and Elder Cook present, teach and testify, is a testimony builder to me. When they speak, you can tell that it is guided and directed by the spirit of the Lord, and the authority that their words bring feels like the Saviour himself is saying them. I know that these men are called of God and are set apart to do their work by the authority of the Holy Priesthood, what a blessing it is to have that power on the Earth at this time. 

After the meeting President and I had the chance to talk a little bit about my visa situation and so there is some news- The area office in Durban told President that I can get a visa for South, only if I travel back to the UK to get it. So the chances are that the Brethren will reassign me to Zambia, but we are having interviews with President this week sometime so hopefully I can get more information about the situation and then see what the options are. One option is that I hold my mission, come home, get a visa, and then fly back out and continue, but I imagine that would be far down the pecking order, so i'll wait and see and then speak to President this week.

That's pretty much it this week, it's been a spiritually powerful, physically exhausting, but truly excellent week. Thanks for your prayers and your support, I couldn't do it without you.

EF.