Elder D. Andrew Greenman

Our son, Elder Andrew Greenman, has been called to serve in the Mozambique Maputo Mission. He has asked me to create this blog so that you, the reader, can read his letters to home. His current writing address is found below along with the most recent letter.

Monday, January 14, 2013

TRANSFERS!!!!!


Nothing happened this transfers.  Everything stayed the same, other than two changes because there were some elders leaving.  Last transfers many of the elders were wasting their time just talking about transfers and what would happen.  A few weeks ago in one of the staff meetings he said that there wouldn’t be any changes.  He wanted to help the missionaries focus on the work and not worry about transfers.  I think it’s a good move.  The week before transfers it seems like everyone is calling everyone else trying to find out what is going to happen.  Elder Largent and I, along with the assistants receive so many calls and messages.  We’ve decided not to answer them.  It’s sad that some missionaries will put the work aside just to find out what is going to be happening.   President Kretly even sent out a few scriptures in the email that go very well with what he’s trying to help the missionaries understand. Helaman 16:22
DnC 20:54
With that, it was another great week.  It’s been raining a lot lately, which leaves our areas full of water.  This city has some major draining issues.  In beira about a transfer ago the beira zone had a collective marriage.  They helped 8 people get married and then the next day 21 people were baptized.  It was an marking event in the history of the church here in Mozambique.  We planning one here now!  It’s going to be on March 1st.  Every companionship in the Maputo and Matola zones will have a goal to prepare one family for this collective marriage and baptism.  If every companionship were to prepare at least one family then on march 1 there will be 14 families married which will be at least 28 baptisms.  Elder Largent and I are going to be working as hard as we can to find some.  There are a few families we’re teaching now, that are possibilities.  Armando, is progressing so rapidly, his testimony is growing every day.  Because of his sight problems we have given him the Book of Mormon Discs to listen to.  He has finished the first three discs.  He’s come to church for two months straight and his baptism is this Saturday.  Last Saturday there was also a baptism, we invited him to come and he showed up.   Six people were baptized.  Two of them where a couple, two were brothers about 50+ years old, and the other two were young men.  Armando loved the experience and said that next week was going to be his turn.  Another special part of the baptism was that President Kretly, his wife, and Elder Bricknell (an area seventy) came.    I was able to talk with Elder Bricknell for a while, it was fun to be able to talk to him about his family that lived in Burley.  He is Brandon Adam’s grandfather, and he also served as mission president in the Idaho Pocatello mission. 
This week I’ve been studying a lot about being bold in my teaching.  I came across Alma 38:12 where it counsels  that we should use boldness but not overbearance.  I began thinking about that, I asked myself where is the line between boldness and overbearance.  I discovered that when we are bold we must respect the agency of the people we teach and invite.  If we begin to disrespect their agency we are using overbearance. 
Every day I become more and more grateful to be here in Africa serving the lord.  Elder Bricknell said something very powerful when he was here. He said, “You have two years to serve your mission, and you have the rest of your life to think about it.”
With the remaining year and 2 months that I have left, I’m going to make the most of it.
-Elder Greenman

No comments:

Post a Comment