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.

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