February 25, 2013

Answers Mom:

(New Mission and President) I am not sure exactly what is going to happen; we actually do not have a lot of information about it. We do not know anything about him, neither does President or Sister Thompson, but President Thompson said that President and Sister Walton have made contact with them. It was actually really cool and funny, because this is something that us missionaries here in Angola have been hoping and praying for a long time. Being part of Mozambique is really good, but it is just really hard because President Krelty is always in Mozambique and so it is just really hard to communicate everything back and forth and have meetings and things like that. One of the missionaries who has really been hoping that we will become a mission is my District Leader, Elder Richter, he was the Zone Leader who picked me up from the airport when I got here to Anogla and at that time he was more like the Assistant to the President. Anyways Tuesday morning he was in his room with the door open and I heard that he had got a call and it was from President Thompson, so I just stayed by seeing if their was going to be any news for the entire district to hear. Then I just hear Elder Richter just freaking out, but I could not tell if he was freaking out because of sadness or joy. At first I thought somebody may have died that was in his family, but then I heard him say "Thank you so much President!" So then I thought "what else could it be!" and then it clicked in my mind and I walked into the other room where Elder Brown was and I said Elder Brown "I think we just became our own mission!" He kind of freaks out a little bit and then we run into Elder Richter’s room and he has this big smile on his face and says, "Guys we are going to become our own mission!" It was so exciting! It was a long week because we were not going to find out who the new mission president was going to be until Saturday at the baptisms. So we went to the baptisms and when President Thompson got there he gave us a paper that showed a couple new missions that were opening, Angola being one of them, and the new mission president. I was actually really sad when I found out because I as well as many other missionaries really wanted President Thompson to become the new mission president, but that is ok because obviously this is the Lord´s will. But now President Thompson will leave and go back home the end of June, right before President Merrill comes. I was really sad to hear that he was leaving. Originally his date to leave was only one transfer before I left, but now he will leave here in a few months. I don’t think I have told you a lot about President Thompson and Sister Thompson, but I love them so much! They really do care about us and love us and you can really feel their love. They really cared more about us, the missionaries, then anyone or anything else! They really showed their love for us and it will be very hard to say good-bye to them! But if that is what the Lords will is then obviously that is what needs to happen!

(Discussions/Lessons with President Kretly)

Haha the funny thing is that when you said Missionary Discussions it took me awhile to figure out what you were talking about. In Portuguese the word we use is Liçao which means lesson and so we call it the missionary lessons and so when you said discussions I was trying to figure out what you were talking about, but after reading it a few times I finally got it :) yeah the chances were pretty slim. The week before he came I told him about Inacio and Elizabeth and he said that he had a feeling that he needed to pass by them. He is a very powerful man with a very strong spirit! Unfortunately because he is in Mozambique it was really hard to build a relationship with him and him with us. It would feel more like a business meeting when we would have conferences with him I think just because he knew he did not have a lot of time with us so he just got right down to business (he is a crazy successful business man …!!!). It felt more like an employer employee relationship unfortunately, but fortunately when we went to this lesson with him I got to see more of who he really is so that was really good and it helped our relationship! He was the one who taught at the lesson. He did not teach specific lesson really just talked with them and got to know them and then went off the Spirit and when they mentioned something about their family or their life he would find a gospel principle to apply to that, so it was really good and really powerful. After that lesson I wanted to be more like him and teach with more power and authority like he did. There was just so much confidence in his voice and in his spirit. I felt like I got a glimpse of how it says in the Book of Mormon (I cant remember the missionary) but it says that their faith and conversion was so strong that the people they taught could not dis-believe their words (or something like that I cant remember exactly how it goes). But it was a really good spirit filled lesson!

Thank you so much for praying specifically for her. We have invited her a few times (President Kretly being one of the few times) and she has accepted to baptism without problems, but she still goes to her church every week. So we asked her about her church and we found out that in her church they are allowed to be members and be baptized in any church they want to (kind of weird). So in the end we basically told her that if she wants to be baptized she has to drop her other church. That one was a little bit harder to accept for her, but she has already read 1 and 2 Nephi as well as Mormon and Moroni. The hard thing I think for her is that she is a health leader in her church (what that means exactly not sure) but I know if we have faith the Lord will touch her heart just like Inacios. So if you could continue praying for her specifically and the entire family! Including the kids Evani and Miguel and their other son in Houston Texas (I forget his name) Thanks. Also this week with them we were a little bit nervous because Inacio had to work all week until really late so we were not able to sit with him, but he said he would be at church. So at church after the first hour he was not their so I called him and he said that Elizabeth´s father had died in Brazil, so they had to figure things out with that, so he was not able to come. So after church I felt like we should pass by to see if they were there and to comfort them if they needed it. We got there and talked about it and they said that it was not a big shock because he was already getting old and he was sickly, so they were not too sad about it. (Good that they were not sad, but I was kind of hoping that they would have been sad and then we could teach about the Plan of Salvation and then possibly give them a Priesthood Blessing if they wanted) But I guess that is not what the Lord wanted which was obviously better, and instead we had a fantastic lesson and got everyone on board and we re-marked with the entire family for baptism for the 23rd of March. Inacio will definitely be baptized on the 23rd, Elizabeth I am still not sure, I am hoping and praying that she and the kids will be ready by then and receive an answer and have a real mighty change of heart!

We had a few new investigators, but we will probably drop them.

We are both staying her in Viana C.

(Dad)Thanks Pops for the Love and Support I am definitely needed in your prayers. Please continue to pray for me! Thanks! Thank you for the thoughts and quotes you shared with me they really helped! Elder Tilley

Preston!

What is this already have your own email!! Keep working hard with basketball and everything! You are doing great! Don’t forget your prayers and scripture study though everyday!!! I have really come to know that through Pray and Scripture study is where we can find really Joy!!!

Love you Bro keep it up!!!!

Elder Tilley