Dear Everyone,
Another week here in Maputo. This week was hard for me, not necessarily bad, but easily the most trying week I've had on my mission so far. I have decided I don't really like p-days. They make me homesick and when we sit around I get bored and think about home. And the worst part is when I try to take a nap I never can, I get super bad anxiety like at the Academy if I hear the slightest noise my body freaks out. But of course throughout the week I am dying for naps haha. Last p-day was pretty tough and so was Tuesday. I was just really struggling to not be homesick and focus. And because I am such a baby I kind of broke down and just said a silent prayer asking Heavenly Father for a little help. I didn't need to be super happy or anything, I just didn't want to be on the verge of tears anymore. Its funny how I got exactly what I asked for. The rest of Tuesday I wasn't sad or homesick, and by Wednesday I was good, happy, focused and ready to go. Funny how that works huh?
A lot happened this week! I met a white family at church last week. He graduated from Meridian High!! Small world! He works for the world bank. Before Mozambique they were in Rwanda. They don't speak any Portuguese so they have like family primary during church its great. We also taught a first lesson to a man we contacted in the street. It was a super weird, off lesson. He was saying weird things and just slow and out of it. Figured out he was drunk haha. Everyone is drunk, all of the time here. The good news is there are so many people that the Lord has prepared to hear the Gospel that we don't even waste our time with anyone that is hesitant because we know that there is someone ready close by.
I have never seen so many cool American Flag clothes in my life as I have seen here. Its so ironic to me, but they have some sick red white and blue gear. I'm jealous. We always walk by all the old ladies selling veggies on the street and they love talking in chengana to us because they think its funny that we don't know it, but Elder Barroso does know it! He has learned a lot of it here and can say stuff back to them and they always are so surprised and usually embarrassed:) I am currently learning it, and I already know how to sing a wedding song in chengana! Speaking of singing, hymns here are hilarious. They don't quite grasp the concept that words are broken up on certain notes and drawn out on others. They just try to read it in a different pitch voice haha. So I feel like a boss singer here. A lot of the time Elder Barroso and I will sing for our investigators to start a lesson. A beautiful duet I might say. They also say osum prayers. Its either one of two ways. First, barely audible and I have to keep my eyes open to watch when they lift their head so I know when to say amen. Idk, they act embarrassed to pray so they do that I think. Second, they like yell and praise every living thing on the earth. I think I prefer the quiet ones because they don't last forever haha. At church this week we had an Area 70 come and speak. I cant pronounce his name so I wont try and spell it. I wasn't able to really pay attention much to what he was saying because I was babysitting the kids during sacrament. they thought it was hilarious to push on my skin and see the color change as the blood rushes back in. They were having a ball with that.
This upcoming Saturday I will have my first 2 baptisms!!!!!! Domingos and Christina are getting married and baptized this Saturday. I will be sure to send a lot of pics next week. Elders Barroso and Carvalho started teaching them 2-3 weeks before I got here, so I have been teaching them for half their time, but I still feel like they are my investigators. This morning we finished another marriage process with Celso and Teresa and will hopefully be having their wedding/baptisms sometime in October!!! We also are close to opening up 2 more marriage processed for Erlidio/Aideilide and Arlindo/Anastancia! Lots of miracles happening here in Maputo 1! Heavenly Father definitely has
His hand in our work and I am very thankful for that. This week I had a really cool experience that I hope will turn into something I will never forget and cherish forever. While we were just doing contacts in the street one day I had the thought pop into my head to turn around and start contacting back the way we had just came from. Because I'm stubborn I ignored the thought for about 3 minutes and kept walking but we found no one to contact. The thought persisted and I couldn't get it out of my head so I told Elder Barroso I thought we should turn around. About 45 seconds after we did that we ran into a manned named Aogosto. We started talking to him, and turns out he is already legally married and has amazing faith in Jesus Christ. He accepted a visit for the next day. That felt good, but a lot of people accept visits but never actually happens. Well the next day we did visit him and his wife Fatima. We talked about our purpose as missionaries and asked if we could come by another time and continue teaching them. Again the accepted. Well last night we went and taught them the Restoration. It was OSUM! He, his wife, and they 3 boys sat with us. You could really see the light turn on in Aogosto's eyes and how excited he was when everything started to make sense. The Spirit was strong and they felt it. We committed all 5 of the family members to be baptized on October 25!!!! I hope so dearly that, that actually happens. But what a blessing from Heavenly Father for that prompting. And for His patience in my ignoring of the prompting at first!
So like I said this week was hard, but it was honestly good. I learned a lot. I learned (again) the power of prayer. We can pray in any place and anytime for any good cause. Also, a mission is not supposed to be easy. Neither is life. That's why its a test. A time to prepare to meet our God. I read a quote about this, it was something like "Missionary work isn't easy, its not supposed to, because the Atonement wasn't easy." Also I have felt very inadequate at times as a missionary. I get angry at myself for thinking things I shouldn't or wanting things I shouldn't as a missionary, and then I get mad, for getting angry haha. But I read 2 Nephi 25:23 and it says at the end that it is by grace that we are save, AFTER all we can do. The last part hit me. I am definitely inadequate to represent Jesus Christ alone. But because of Him this work is possible. I cross referenced that scripture with Moroni 10:32-33 which talks about this. And the last thing I learned this week is how grateful I am for the Temple and being sealed to my family. The work here is all about bringing families into the Gospel and eventually getting them to the Temple so they can be together forever. Every time we talk about that I always think about how osum it is that I already am sealed. That I know I can always live with you
guys forever!
Well that was a bit of a rant, but I felt I could share. I love you
all and loved the emails this week! Thanks for everything! Until next
week!
Much Love,
Elder Hruby
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