December 16, 2013 - Matola

Hey guys !

   This week went well. We started teaching a guy with real dreads but he didn’t end up coming to church. But we will keep with him this week. Transfers went well: Elder Ebmeyer got transferred to Matola 2 and I got a new companion who is coming today from Magoanini, another area here in Maputo. He is in his 3rd transfer and is also from Provo. I am excited and really want to help our area take off. I am just staying as district leader again.

    This week we had a miracle happen! We have been working really hard trying to get Abreu's birth certificate but he needed a number on one of the documents he had lost to get it from the register in Maputo. So we went to like 4 places trying to look for this number or anywhere that would have some of his records and nobody was helping us. They all just kept sending us in circles it was always somebody else’s job. Finally we said a little prayer and were sent to an old guy in the criminal records department in Maputo. You have to know that all the files here are paper and by hand - no computers. Anyway, we paid him about 5 bucks and he went and found Abreu’s primary school records so we could find the number to get his birth certificate!!! It was super crazy. 

    As far as calling for Christmas goes, I can call on the 23rd or the 25th at whatever time is best for you guys. Just send me an email next week saying what time is best and I will call then.

   Elder Lake, my companion in the MTC, is the branch president now in Inhamizua and I talked to him this week. It sounds like inhamizua has changed so much. In January they are going to have 5 or 6 couples that are already members get married finally and become worthy. Most of them I knew when I was there. It made me super happy to hear about how well one of my old areas was growing!

   Thanks a ton for all the help with school stuff and don’t worry, I am staying focused! I get sad every time I think about how fast the mission is going by. This transfer seemed seriously like no time at all.

     Well tell everybody I love them and thank Gramma again for the eggnog she sent. Super good!

  Love ya all!

    Elder Bigelow