Fond Farewells

This week, after staying for an extra month, it was Elder Calls turn to have his farewell dinner. When the Spendloves came from mission headquarters in Maputo, Mozambique, they brought t-shirts and mission pins, and all the missionaries that have served there get to take them home with them. We need to get some mission pins for Angola too since we've had missionaries that have served in both countries!!! Poor Elder Call didn't make it on his plane to London on Wednesday night. That was a long night waiting to see if he would get on and when he didn't waiting again for them to rebook him. So he will leave on Thursday instead and only get home a day late after traveling through Paris. You will be missed in Angola and Mozambique Elder Call!

Arrivals - the Casal finally got here!!

We have literally been waiting for months for the Violins, from Brazil, to receive their visa and arrive in Angola. They were supposed to come some time in June. July, August, and September came and went while they served in the Sao Paulo Temple awaiting their visa. Well, it finally happened. They are here ready to work in Lubango and the southern cities of Huambo and Benguela. This will allow the branch and missionaries in Lubango to have the daily support of an experienced couple to guide them. We are so excited for what is going to happen in the south!

Cassequel District Meeting

One of the pleasures of our week, is the opportunity we have to attend one of the 4 district meetings. This past week we were able to see the Cassequel district in action. Elder Bene gave a great lesson, President Walton had some good trainings, and the new casal, the Violins were in town to be there with us. The district also includes Elders Schioser, Davis, and Harper. This is a good group of missionaries who have a lot of work in their branch.

Pictures From Our Road Trip

I could do a whole album of pictures from our road trip to southern Angola, but I'll post 4 pictures for you to see. The scenery was magnificent and there were a lot of small thatched roof villages along the way. They had no electricity or water, so bath and laundry day took place at the local river or water hole. One of their daily jobs is gathering wood for building structures or making fires. Huge rock outcroppings burst right out of the ground and looked so beautiful in the desert landscape. Angola has extremely beautiful countryside and we are glad that we got to see it up close.

Road Trip to Benguela

Our last stop on the long 2000 Km road trip was Benguela on the coast of Angola. The scenery here is dryer than the other two cities, but it has a beauty all its own. So far as we know there is only one member of the church here. We visited with Joao over dinner then the next day as we were leaving, we decided to try some street contacting down near the beach. We may be the first missionaries to ever do contacting in Benguela. The people were happy to talk about religion and as we drove away, there were at least 6 people reading the pamphlets or Books of Mormon that we had passed out in a matter of minutes. We were reluctant to leave, because there were so many more people we could talk to. So the trip was a success and we will be anxious to visit with these wonderful people and cities again.

Road Trip to Lubango

After spending less than 24 hours in Huambo, our next stop was the city of Lubango. We have a branch here with 4 missionaries serving these wonderful people. They are growing and progressing and they have great members and leaders. President Marques and his wife were good hosts. Elders Anhanha, Perry, Guente, and Richter are doing good work here with members and investigators. We can see wards and stakes here in the near future!!

Road Trip to Huambo

Since our arrival over a month and a half ago, we haven't had a chance to visit members and missionaries living in sourthern Angola. This week we took that delayed road trip to meet so many wonderful people. Our first stop was in Huambo, a beautiful city that is much like Portugal. We attended a wonderful FHE with the members and got a quick tour of their delightful city. We feel that the church will grow rapidly here once we are able to send missionaries to help the members, who are anxious for the help and support. Thank you Aurora and Beatu!!