Tenth Transfer

It happened again, transfers.   This one disapeared  right out of my hands.  Elder Berg and I had a blast together.  The week started out well.  Las monday we went bowling with President Kretly and it was the funnest p-day i've had in a long time. Elder Berg and I were on a team with President and there were two other teams of three.  We played two games and our team got second on the first then the third we tanked like the economy.  We never got first but it was super fun.  

In these short six weeks i've learned a lot with Elder Berg.  I've learned to trust even more in the Lord.   Yesterday we were talking about us being instruments in the Lord's hands.  I started thinking about it and realized that instruments don't complain or don't run away from work.  They are submissive and obedient in exactness to their owner.   As children of our Father in Heaven we were created by him with the potential to become like him.  As instruments we have SO much potential.  If we choose to be instruments in the Lords hands then ALL things are possible according to His will.  1 Nephi 7:12.     I want to be obedient and submissive to my creator.  I know that nothing can be done by me alone, but through me God can work miracles. Each and every one of us has an incredible potential.  We are tools in God's hands to do his will, and his will is that we become like him.   "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve."  for you will become as unto the person you serve.  To serve is the greatest callling.   A servant is someone who fills a need.  The greatest servent of all filled the greatest need.  Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, and because of that we are indebted to him.  There is no way we would be able to repay him justly for what he did for us, we can only serve him. 1 Kings 12:7  

On wednesday a new elder came.  His name is Elder Lara.  He is from Provo utah, he was born in california, moved to mexico when he was four and came back to the u.s. when he was 14.   Because he came before transfers happened he walked with me until today.  He and I had a great time together.  the other companionship in our district are two mozambicans waiting for their visas to england.  one of them recieved it this week and left on thursday so elder berg walked with elder Armando the other waiting for his visa.  Elder Lara and I just spoke spanish with eachother most of the time instead of english or portugues. (of course we spoke portuguese in the lessons)  It was super nice to use my spanish again.  

This past sunday,  Fruits day,  we had two families at church, which is good, but kind of not so good when you have 40 investigators with baptismal dates and only 8 come to church.   Elder Berg and I dropped have of our families yesterday and are set on working harder to have more investigators and church to match our investigators with baptismal dates.    

As far as transfers go....  i'm staying.   Elder berg is leaving, but not far.  He just has to move all of this stuff in the the other room because he will be staying in Maputo 1 and will be training Elder Lara.   My new companion will be Elder Gray.  He's from Utah and has one transfer left in his mission.  I don't know him super well but i'm sure he will be a hard worker.    We are still organizing another collective marriage here.  there are two families that have opened the legal process for marriage. we believe two more will open it up by the deadline of this wednesday.

-elder greenman

Higher Vision Goals

Things just keep getting better and better.  Our zone's progress is going up every week.  Elder Berg are seeing the numbers as a whole are going up,  the only thing we're worried about is that the high numbers are because of a few companionships that are doing super well.  For example, in our three districts there is one companionship in each that is pulling the weight and the others are doing well, but haven't quite caught the vision.   Our district, meaning Elder berg's and mine, is made up of 3 companionships.  Elder Berg and I.  Elder Armand and Mabjaia, and Sister Muhangueno and Sister Smith.    These four other missionaries are all in there first transfer, and Elder Mabjaia is in his third.  They are just learning.   The sisters are doing a very good job.  They had a baptism this week.  The lady that was baptized was someone that Elder Brogan and I taught about 7 months back.  The day before her baptism she backed out and got cold feet, but then 6 months later the sisters came along and she was ready.  Also the sisters are teaching a super great family that has been coming to church for the past two weeks.   Elder Armando and Mabjaia  are struggling in their area and are starting to get discouraged.  They live with us in our house so Elder Berg and I are going to do everything we can to spread the excitement and fire of missionary work.  (and the brownies we'll make i'm sure will help with that)   In the other two district again we see that of the three companionships in each district there is one that is leading while the others are behind.  What Elder Berg and I want to see is that every elder and every companionship is doing their part.  There are two paradigms that I have seen.  One is effective the other is ineffective.  The ineffective is:  There is nothing that I can do that will affect the world.  the effective paradigm is:  I have the ability to influence the world.          If every missionary were to do their part the growth here would be explosive.  The assitants made a chart demonstrating this.   The graph showed that if every companionship baptized one family per transfer then we could have a stake in Maputo and a Stake in Beira within a year.    Some companionships have already learned to baptize more and are baptizing 5 families per transfer.    The chart then continued to show that if every companionship baptized 5 families per transfer then within two years this mission would have the preisthood men needed for 14 stakes.  Everything starts with the individual, if he decides to do his part knowing that it will make a change then the Lord comes in and does the rest.  

This week was super incredible for Elder Berg and I.  We are helping a lot of families progress towards baptism.  Three of our families that we are teaching have testimonies that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this is the true church.  On Sunday  (Fruits Day)  we had 4 complete investigating families along with two part families at church.  we had a total of 17 investigators at church, twelve  of them came for the first time, and the fast and testimony meeting was spiritual and powerful.    (also super good news is that the Maputo 2 branch where I served before is doing super well.  Yesterday 6 men received the Melchezidek Priesthood.  One of those was Armando Chicuele who Elder Largent and I taught.)

On Saturday night we were all the way out in Polana Caniço, our area, when we saw a van on the side of the road.  We stopped and talked to the young man who was in their alone.  He asked us for help, saying that he had no money and was out of gas, with no one to get a hold of to help him.   The nearest gas station was 2 kilomoters away.  So we told him we'd push his car.  He refused saying that he didn't have any money to pay us or money to buy gas when he got to the station.  (we told him we didn't care and told him to get in the car)   So Elder Berg and I began pushing the car.  We invited others around us to start pushing, and they would ask what they would get out of it.  As we picked up speed and were at a steady jog three young men came along and started helping.   About a minute later they asked if they were going to recieve any coins for the work.  We told them that this was service and if they didn't want to serve then they might as well not waste there energy.  Slowly, one by one they dragged behind, but one stayed and continued to help.  At this point we had gone halfway and were exhuasted.  This completely drunk guy, with a cigarette in his mouth joined us and started belting out that he was a catholic and he was a good man who wanted to serve.  We started pushing with us.  (he was kind of like our cheerleader, a drunk one)   He did not stop talking, he said things like, "I'm a catholic, I don't need money.    I don't need anything in return,   this is service."     As we neared the end he started asking if the owner of the car was going to buy us drinks after, or if he was going to pay us.   We told him no,  and he again assumed his catholic character saying he didn't care, he was there to serve and he'd push the car another 3 kilometers if he needed to, but as we got closer and closer the drunk man asked again and again, if he were getting anything out of it.   The other young boy was still with us in pushing the van.  We finally arrived at the station thanked the boy and he went on his way with a happy heart without going up the the drivers seat to try and get something from the owner of the car.   We told the driver to stay in the car and relax.  We gave the gas man 150 metacais which isn't much but its what we had.  (in mozambique you drive up to the station and the workers put in the gas for you.)  Long story short,  we got a good workout in, and we helped someone.

During the week we taught Jon and Domingas about the power of fasting.  They decided to fast with us to help them get their documents for marriage and soften the hearts of Domingas's parents so that they would accept her getting married without paying 'lobolo'  the dowery.    We started wednesday and ended thursday.  Thursday afternoon we went to their house to break the fast with them.  When we arrived they were all there waiting for us.  Domingas left the room for some reason or other and we took advantage of the oportunity to ask Jon if everything was okay.  He went on to explain that their money had run our last week and that they were rationing their food to last through to the end of the month.  It was so powerful to me to see that they had been suffering and going without food but were still willing to fast and ask the Lord for help.   They looked really tired and weak, but I could still tell that they found peace in following the commandments of God and that the do love their Heavenly Father.  (the next day Elder berg and I brought them Chocolate chip Cookies and Brownies)   On sunday morning we met up with them at 8:30 to walk to church.  They didn't have money for transportation so we offered to meet at their house and walk with them.    We met them at their house with their two little kids, put them on our shoulders and started walking to church.  There is only one chapel in maputo and it serves for both the maputo1 and 2 branches.  The chapel is far away from the maputo 1 branch area.   It took us an hour and half to walk all the way to church with them, but it was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the conversations we had on the way.   I know that life can be hard but we exist that we might have joy.   To have that happiness is a choice of mind, and need not be dependent upon circumstances.  The joy is, and can only be found in Jesus Christ our Lord.  I know that no matter what happens if we choose to put our faith in Christ, He will fill us.   I love you all!

-Elder Greenman

Blossoms Turn into Fruit

Once again Elder Berg and I had a wonderful week.  I don’t have a lot of time today, but I’ll quickly explain what is going on in our area.  A LOT is going on in our area.  We had 21 new investigators and our investigators with baptismal dates have doubles to 36.  We are teaching 10 really good families.  I have never taught this many families at once before.   Elder Berg and I are learning how to teach this many families at once.  All of them have dates for June 1.  We are going to have another collective marriage on the 31^st of May now.  Elder Berg and I are going to be putting it together for our zone.  Good new, bad news.    Bad news is that so far nobody in our zone has a family with the marriage process open.   Good news is, that Elder Berg and I found a family last Thursday that already has all of their documents ready and accepted our message and came to church.  We are planning on opening the marriage process with them this week.  We just need to help them put God first and not their cultural traditions.   Their names are Samito and Tania.  

So short story even shorter is….we worked really hard during the week.  And we were very excited for fruits day. (fruits day is Sunday.  When you see how many investigators actually make it to church)   We only had one family of our ten at church.    Elder Berg and I are trying to discover how we can have more families at church. (more on this next week.)

I know that the Lord is guiding this work!

-Elder Greenman

I made some pancakes for Elder Berg's Birthday!

The Law of the Harvest

You reap what you sow.  Elder Berg and I are making an effort to find more people every week.  This week we found 60 families, of those sixty we found 20 people who will progress and we have 18 investigators with a baptismal date.  This week was a very successful one.   Elder Berg and I are always thinking of way to help our zone.  We went on divisions with the Magoanine and Maputo 2 district leaders.  On Wednesday I walked in Magoanine with Elder Fernandes from Cape Verde and my companion walked in our area with Elder Ensaldo the district leader, who is also in my group.  It was a super great experience walking with Elder Fernandes.  He is such a hard worker and is a convert to the church now for about two years.  Before he knew the church he played soccer on a team.  He not only played, but was payed well to play.  After becoming a member he sacrificed all of that to be a member.  The soccer games were always played on Sundays.    He is super dedicated, and knows his purpose here as a missionary.   It was incredible to see the sacrificed that Elder Fernandes has made to serve a mission.  Magoanine is a city that is about 30 minutes out of Maputo.  They have a strong branch there of about 150 people in sacrament meeting each week.   The following day, Thursday, we did a division with Maputo 2.  Elder Berg walked with Elder Miller and I walked in with Elder Ostler who is the district leader for Maputo 2, and also my previous companion.  This division had two purposes, not only was it to give training to the district leader, but to help Elder Ostler in the Office.  He only had one transfer in the office with me, so we spent a lot of the day in the office with me explaining and clarifying things.  After the division he was a lot more relaxed.  He had been very stressed with all of the work he had to do, and didn’t quite understand how to do all of it.  The funny thing about the division is that it didn't even feel like a division.  It felt like normal because we had been companions before and we were doing all the same things. 

We are also working with the district to organize a collective marriage for May 17. The matola zone is doing theirs on the 10th and we are doing it the following week.    Also there are some members who will be going to the temple for the first time.   The members who go to the temple for the first time can take advantage of the church caravaan that goes to johannesburg once a year.  The travel costs are covered by the church, for their first time.  They still have to buy food and other expenses.  As of now, the trip is only once a year.  I believe that now that so many more families are being baptized that that number will increase.

Saturday it rained like crazy!  It started raining after Elder Berg and I had already left the house, so we got completely drenched, and I mean COMPLETELY! haha.  There was also a lot of wind, and I can honestly say that for the first time I was actually cold in africa.    That night on the way home using a chapa (public transportation.  A small van that in america would seat 7-8 people here in mozambique they cram in 20-25 people.)    When we got in one of the men started speaking Xangana to me.  Xangana is the dialect here in Maputo.  I responed is Xisena which is the dialect in Beira I said, "Azungo alipano asafuna longaniembue"  Aparently another person in the chapa who's name is John is from beira and he started laughing.  Long story short  we contacted this John guy who lives in Polana Caniço which is our area.  It was already 8 oclock and John was on his way to work as a guard through out the night.  We took his number and Invited him and his family to church tomorrow.  Well, sunday came and he and his wife showed up with their two kids after church we taught them the restauration and commited them to be baptized on the 1 of June. (happy birthday dad)   

Well, my time is up, this week was awesome, and the work will continue forward.

I love you all!

-Elder Greenman

p.s. Write me.  (that includes my sisters!  xD  )

Before our haircut...

After our haircut...

And Completely Drenched...

God Guides His Work

God really does guide this work.  Elder Berg and I are having a great time together!  We have been super busy as well.  President asked Elder Berg and I to train the Sisters how to work in their area.  On Wednesday we gave a training on contacting.  Later in the afternoon we went out into the area and they made 31 contacts.  They are doing very well, picking things up quickly, and already have an investigator with a baptismal date for this transfer.    Because we walked with the sisters Elder Berg and I didn’t have as much time in our area.  Transfers happened on Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday we walked with the sisters.  That left Friday and Saturday for us to work in our area.  When I arrived on Tuesday we didn’t have any progressing families in our area.  The Lord blessed us so much in finding more families.  Up until now we have 4 progressing families in our area.  Three of the families have baptismal dates for this transfer.  Elder Berg and I have a goal to baptize 3 families this transfer.   One of the families are Hermano and Julia.  They work out in the middle of nowhere during the week but live in Maputo on weekends.  They are super open, and accepted a baptismal date for May.  We’ll continue working with them throughout the week, calling them and following up on their book of mormon reading.   Yesterday while on our way to a lesson, we saw a man playing outside with his daughter.  We stopped to talk to him.  Ends up, he is a member since 2008, but has since gone inactive.  His wife and the rest of his family are not members.  We sat with him and his wife yesterday and talked o about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We committed his wife to baptism, then we talked about the law of chastity and explained the importance for them to get married.  We set a date for their marriage on may 17 then the baptism on the 18.   One of the other families  was a reference from a recent convert.  Their names are Amade and leopolina.  Amade has already come to church three times and the two of them are super prepared.    I can’t believe how many awesome families God helped us find in just three days. 

This week the size of our district grew.  There are two Mozambican elders who are waiting for their visa to be able to go to their assigned mission which is London England South, so president has assigned the two to work in the Maputo 1 branch and live in our house.   It’s a great experience living with these two other elders.  Their names are Elder Mabjaia and Elder Armando.   Elder Mabjaia was in Maputo 2 before, so I already lived with him for a transfer.  Elder Armando is from Nampula.  (way up north) 

Well, I would send pictures but the internet place I’m at right now doesn’t allow connecting personal devices like cameras to the computer.   I don’t have a lot to say this just that I know that God has blessed us so much in helping us find more families to teach.  I know that this church is true!

-Elder Greenman

Recognizing God's Hand in the Work

This week was extremely busy.  There were 15 elders leaving our mission, and 10 missionaries coming in. (Including the first two sisters) On Tuesday after staff meeting we had to plan everything out, for example who will pick the new elders up at the airport, and where will the sleep.  We also had a Zone Conference on Friday for the Maputo and Matola zones combined.   Elder Ostler and I started our week as usual with P-day on Monday.   We didn’t go do anything super fun that day; we just decided to do a big spring cleaning in our house.  By the time we finished it was time to go out into the area.  Tuesday we had staff meeting and from there we had loads of secret missions to do for the rest of the day. (Secret missions are things that are assigned to us by President Kretly)  After the secret missions it was already 9:00 pm.  We picked up the assistants and went to president’s house so the assistants could do the transfers with him.  While they did that with President, Elder Ostler and I assembled a new piano that was delivered for the mission home.  Good news bad news…..good news is, that the assistants and President finished making transfers; bad news is we got home really late.   The following day on Wednesday President spent much of his time at the airport picking up the Elders who arrived at different times.  One came from Fortaleza Brazil, 7 came from the US, and 2 came from Angola.   

I have something incredible to say!  These missionaries that came in are incredible!  They have strong testimonies, they already know how to teach, and it won’t take them long to learn how to baptize families.  The Lord that helped and prepared them to serve here in Mozambique.  Everything here in Mozambique is starting to kick off.   Almost all the missionaries have caught the vision of baptizing families to help the church grow.  I believe that before I leave, we will have at least one stake here in this mission.  This transfer our district baptized 10 people.  3 complete families.  Those families have received callings now in the church.  Our branch is becoming stronger and stronger, and the thing is, is that we as missionaries are only STARTING to get it.  We are only starting to learn how to baptize families.  As long as we continue recognizing God’s hand in this, and obey with exactness then God will continue to grant unto us success.  I have a solid testimony that nothing could have happened here without God’s merciful hand.  He guides us in every way, and is preparing more families.  I believe that as we obey with more exactness, serve with more of our heart, and strive to follow the spirit that the Lord will trust us more, to the point that he’ll help us cross paths with more families, and more people that he has prepared.   Key word:  Families.  It just makes so much more sense to find, teach, and baptize families, because that will promote real growth, and will truly establish the Church.  Elder Nelson taught us that it is not one or the other, it is both.  He taught us that we should strive for quantity and quality. 

Because so many new missionaries have come, each member of our district has divided with one of the new missionaries.  I have enjoyed so much the opportunity to walk with these Elders.  They are super open to learn, and have a lot of energy.  It was nice to extend the baptismal invitation in a contact with one of the new Elders and see his reaction.  Elder Rios, one of the assistants who has now gone home taught me so much this transfer, and now I will have the opportunity to teach others.   (he calls it inception.  The act of instilling ideas into others’ minds) So basically I’ve been doing a lot of “inception”   trying to help others understand better how to do things.   Inception is a simple thing.  It can be something as simple as a compliment, or a suggestion, or anything that would subtly help that missionary have an Ah-ha moment.  

On Friday we had our Zone conference.  The conference lasted 9 hours.  We learned SOOO much.  I’m super excited to start applying the things we learned.  One of the things that was defined was the Snowball effect, and how we are going to use it in our mission.  Basically it involves dedicating ourselves to our daily goals, and finding 5 families per day, marking a lesson with one new family per day, and sitting with one new family a day.  By doing this every day, at the end of the week you will have at least one good family that will progress out of the 35 families you found and the 7 you sat with.  By doing this every week, by the end of the month you will have 4 new families to teach.  By the end of the next month you will have 4 new families and 4 progressing families.  By the 3^rd month you will have 4 new families, 4 progressing families, and 4 recently baptized families. That’s the snowball effect.  We had 95 baptisms this month.  The thing is, is that those baptisms were done by only 10 companionships in our mission.  You can only imagine what things will be like, when everyone starts following t his pattern.

This morning, Elder Ostler, Cyrier, and I woke up at 4 oºclock in the morning to take three of the missionaries to the airport so they could fly home.  On the way back we stopped by the beach because the sunrise was just to good to not take a few pictures.

Well transfers are happening this week.  President showed us transfers on Thursday because we buy all the plane tickets for those being transferred.  I about flipped a biscuit when I saw that I’m leaving the office.  After 7.5 months being here, I’m going to miss it a lot.  I’m going to miss being so close to President and Sister Kretly and learning so much from them.  To be honest, I’ll still stay in the same zone (which is good) so I’ll still be around President Kretly.   My new companion will be Elder Berg, one of the Zone Leaders for the Maputo Zone.   Elder Berg’s companion, Elder Bateman will be the new AP.  I’ll miss my district and the Elders in it, but I’m happy to still have the opportunity to serve them as a Zone Leader.   Elder Berg and I are going to do a lot of work and a lot of inception. We have a lot of good Elders in our zone who know how to baptize families.  Elder Berg and I together with God’s help will help our Zone to continue learning and progressing.

I know that this work is marvelous, for I have seen the change it has made in other people’s lives.   I know that NOTHING could have been done without God.  I’m super excited for the phase in my mission.   I’m ready to serve even more and look forward to the opportunities ahead of me.   And remember, “You may not live in Mozambique, but in your own way in your own culture, you can share the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.”     -Elder Neil L. Anderson

-Elder Greenman

3 Nephi 8:1

This is such a powerful scripture to me.  In my short time here in Mozambique I have witnessed many miracles.  When I first came into the mission our mission would baptize MAYBE 14 people every month.  Well over 80% of our baptisms were young men or women ages 12-18,  now in 10 months things have changed.  This month we were blessed with 24 families that were baptized and 100 baptisms. Now our mission is baptizing 80% families instead of the other way around.    Last night in district meeting we talked about the power and authority of our calling, and how we can tap into that power.  During our discussion 3 nephi 8:1 came up.   The Lord has blessed us tremendously and will continue to do so as along as we are exactly obedient.

Elder Ostler and I are trying to be bolder in finding, teaching, baptizing, and helping  families.  We’ve made it a point to always extend the baptismal invite in the first lesson.  In fact this week we’ve even given the baptismal invite in the first five minutes, before we even teach the lesson.  We are finding that many people are open to following Jesus Christ.  As missionaries our purpose is to help others come onto Christ by helping them have more faith, changing the lives through repentance, being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, and helping them endure to the end.  Elder Ostler and I have begun teaching our purpose at the beginning of every lesson, helping our investigators know from the beginning that we are there to help grow their faith, change their lives, and be baptized by authority.  In fact during a few contacts we have extended the baptismal invite.  We did it in the contact three times this week and all three times the contacts accepted the invite and said they would be baptized. 

Elder Oslter and I had 3 families at church this week and have a goal of bringing  four families next week.  Laivino and Presalina are doing well, the only thing holding them back is getting married.  We have a date set for the 19^th of this month.  Joaquim and Argentina were the second family we had at church.  Joaquim had not been coming for about a month.  He said that he had to work on Sundays and that’s why he wasn’t making it to church.  He works at a little restaurant, and one day we were walking down the road where his restaurant is.  He was outside talking with his boss.  I stopped said hello and after talking to the boss, I explained that Joaquim had to come to church on Sundays and can’t work on Sundays.  His boss, surprisingly understood and said that it was no problem.   Well,  that was easy.  The power of communication is incredible. 

As district leader I’m always thinking of ways I can help my district progress and become more extraordinary missionaries.  This week we set some district goals to help us progress.  As a district we have a goal to have 12 families at church.  Each dupla has a goal to bring four families to church.   To accomplish that goal Elder Ostler and I are going to have to teach probably 10 new families this week to find one good one that will progress. 

As far as the office goes, Elder Ostler and I have learned to be more productive and efficient.  We’ve organized this office so much.  This week is going to be crazy.  There are many new elders coming into our mission on Wednesday along with the very first Sisters.    One is an American from Idaho, the other is an Angolan sister from Luanda.  We have a Zone Conference this week that is going to be Incredible.  And then in about two weeks we’ll have conference here.  I’m SO excited to listen to all of the talks.  Okay times up!  Thanks for all the support and letters!

-Elder Greenman