Robert, Mormon Messages and Transfers

This week was sweet yet again. A lot happened and we saw a lot of miracles...

I finished exchanges with my district this week, bringing Elder Shai to Lilanda North on Saturday. We had a very good day and were able to meet our best family at the moment, the Milisi's. They are a great family, Vincent, the husband, loves the gospel and has a really strong testimony of the restoration and has many experiences of how changing to God has helped him and his family. Him and the wife, Nora, were not doing well before we taught them, but the miracle we saw on Saturday was that they sat next to each other and even embraced a bit whilst we watched Mormon Messages on family. Kinda strange, but a real miracle. The Gospel does bless families.

The other piece of news I have is about a baptism we had yesterday. The other Elders had a man named Robert ready to be baptised, I interviewed him last week and told him to think about who he wanted to baptise him. He came back on Saturday having decided. Previous to the interview I had never taught him, we'd only met him in the street, but he chose me! So yesterday I baptised Elder Collins and Elder Shai's first candidate together, and the first baptism in Lilanda South since the AP's in November. Crazy stuff...

Otherwise we worked hard and had another Successful week. This time next week i'll know if i've been transferred, so interesting times ahead. I've been in Lilanda for nearly 5 months so my time may be up... Excited for another big week ahead! 

EF

"We've only gone and done it....!"

This week has been so great, I’m so lucky to be a missionary, and I’m so lucky to be in the Zambia Lusaka Mission. The big news was that yesterday, the Lusaka District finally became a Stake! We did it! A lot of hard work had gone into this weekend and if paid of. The sessions on Saturday and Sunday were so spiritual, uplifting, but had a feeling of ‘this is only the beginning.’ Now the work starts. Lilanda as of the next few weeks, will call a Bishop and become a Ward, President Mambwe is still the Branch President but interviews over the next few weeks will determine if that stays the same or not. 

Interesting times ahead, especially as transfers are around the corner again. I hope I get to stay here, I’ll become the King of Lilanda, having served here for 6 months.

Other than that the work is progressing well, I was able to interview a candidate for the other companionship in my District his weekend, seeing that they are doing great things here and finally their work is paying off. Life in Zambia is hot at the moment, the sun is relentless, but it doesn’t stop the work, only 20 minutes after I bath I’m sweating again. Hard times. 

I just love mission so much, I can't find anything to complain about, the Lord has blessed me so much with a great companion, a great District to serve, a fantastic and powerful Mission President to guide us, and the best mission in the world to serve in. I am so blessed, be jealous.

It's been a while since I bore my testimony...

This church is God's church, established by him in the Meridian of time, and Restored by His Prophet, Joseph Smith, in these last days. I am so grateful to serve Him and privileged to be His advocate to the people of Lilanda at this time. I can't say what the future will hold but I am confident that through the Saviour Jesus Christ, we can achieve everything, through His love we can be healed of all worry and strife, and through His Atoning Sacrifice we can be saved. These is the knowledge that I have and believe to be true, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Amen. 

EF x

"Libala crew back in business....."

Elder Ford and Sister Ruth

Photo

"What a mental six months"

Muli Bwanji!

I hope that you have all had great weeks. I hate to repeat myself, but every week in the mission field is a great week! On a scale of Great to Great, this one has been Great. I think the message is received, moving on...

Not too much to report this week, other than rainy season has finally begun, the day can be perfect and sunny when we walk into a lesson, but when we walk out the road that we walked on to get there is now a river. Peak times. Attached is the toilet I used at a members the other day, correct, it's a hole in the ground, correct, people really poo into it, and correct, I used it. Good that I carry toilet paper in my bag eh...

But on a serious note, this week has been a fantastic one, another strong week with a lot of great lessons, investigators and miracles, particularly on Sunday after church. We had two investigators who needed to have Baptism interviews, one of them is the wife to a recent convert of the missionaries that were in Lilanda before me, Melvice Banda. And the other is an investigator who lives with them, Jacob Tembo, a man I have been teaching since day one of me being here in Lilanda. 

The Zone Leaders came to do the interviews and both passed which was exciting, particularly for me. Jacob has been in our weekly planning for three and a half months now, and on more than three or four occasions we planned to drop him because we thought he wasn't progressing, but the Lord always told us to stick it out with him, and now, after so long, he has finally decided to be baptised. I'll be getting wet again because he asked me to baptise him, which is so humbling and will mean a lot to me, I just wish I hadn't had my hair cut, Zambian's can't cut white man hair, fin. 

Other than that not too much else to talk about, the work continues, the Lord is providing great successes as we prepare to become a Stake in two weeks time. That'll be a sweet experience, being in Lusaka when the first Stake is organised in Zambia. That'll happen on the 15th March. First Leadership Training on Friday which should be fun, getting to meet with the Zone Leaders and all of the other District Leaders for the first time. And then our first Zone Meeting as a combined Zone is coming around next week Tuesday, so there's a lot to look forward too in the coming weeks. 

My Companion is doing well, still adjusting to Lilanda life and the riggers of an obedient and powerful District. The Assistants called me this morning (Monday) to congratulate us on the great work we as a district had done last week which was humbling and was a nice reward, we have really been smashing it lately, but I couldn't be doing it without this District. We named ourselves the Dragon District, after the verse in Mosiah 20:11, which is about right for us. Lets hope this run of form continues, especially for the District Conference on the 15th.

Take care everyone, I love you all and again am so grateful for your prayers on behalf of, I am lucky to have such amazing friends and family supporting me. See you in 18!

EF- Dragon District.