Mission in Mozambique: Manga 3rd Week

We were so excited Elder Kanaga sent some real information in this email. Hopefully my commentary doesn’t annoy anyone. I love this boy!

Fam and Friends 9.2.2013

The work is real! I can hardly believe in 3 weeks I will be 19 and just 3 days after I will have been gone for 3 months

So what we do. Every morning we wake up at 6:30 and get showered and ready then from 8-9 its personal study (some of my most coveted time) then 9-10 is comp study. 10-11 is language at 11 we take an hour and a half lunch and then at 12:30 we go out and tract and contact and teach. It is crazy and hard sometimes but good. At 21 (mama editor note: 9pm) we come home and get ready and go to bed by 2230. We can eat at night but we are not given time for dinner. (I don’t know if this means they don’t eat until they get home at 9pm or if it means they just grab and eat as they work).

It is very hard cause any Mozambican will sit down and listen and such. Everyone says they will go to church, but people rarely do. So our task here is to try and discern those that are truly ready and want to receive the gospel. We have some amazing families that are progressing so fast.

The father of our golden family was a pastor. Elder Galland, Thomas, and Greenman tracted into him and had a ten minute lesson the day before I got here. They didn’t think much would come of it. Well that Sunday the father of the family came to church. None of the elders recognized him.

The Branch President was giving a lesson on baptism and asked all who were baptized to stand; he stood and said I was baptized in a different church.

President said no you haven’t [been baptized]. There is one baptism and unfortunately that wasn’t it. You need to be baptized properly and with authority. Please sit down.

Well later that week after we realized who he was we went and had a lesson with them. Immediately they truly accepted everything. After we taught about the first vision, the father said “Wow, I’m the same as Joseph. I always doubted all the churches were true, and now God has answered my prayers too.” He also asked how quickly and what he needs to do to be baptized.

They are just such a prepared family they are always asking perfect questions and they are so excited and working hard to get legally married so they can be baptized!

Elder Greenman and Elder Thomas paid an investigator to come do some yard work (he doesn’t have a job but wants to get married). While working he yells "Cobra Cobra" which is Portuguese for snake. It turns out that we have four Black Mambas in our back yard. Fairly big ones too. They happen to be a very venomous snake, so we are going to be very careful and watchful if we are out there. Fun Africa fact!

Mama editor note: He sent pictures which I will be nice enough to spare you from seeing but the next paragraph he talks about a foot infection he is dealing with. He is on meds now so hopefully that will soon be healed.

Other than the infection on my foot, and being very tired, it’s amazing! There is no better work in this world!

I love you all,

Elder Kanaga

In our private email he wrote:

“We are seeing so many miracles in our area!”

He also told this story:

“One rather long day we were walking and I see a chicken walk out, then run across the road. Not even thinking I turned and yelled “WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD?” We laughed for like ten minutes then sadly realized that we didn’t follow it! We could have known the answer!”