Monday, April 29, 2013

Hey Y'all

Hey everyone,

So first of all, congrats to whit on making UVU cheer!!! that's awesome!!!

Thanks for all your emails. Sounds like everyone is doing AWESOME!!! which I'm so glad to hear. I love hearing all your guys stories and everything. I Love you guys and miss you all soooooo much!!! I have the best family on the face of this earth!!!!!! But i am so grateful for our family especially when i see the hardships that some of the families here go through!!! so just some advice BE GRATEFUL :)

So this week was really good, but for no particular reason. I was just super happy this week. Probably because i wasn't sick and other things, but things are going really good. We have a couple Baptisms scheduled for the 4th of may and two more families waiting to be baptized. But one thing i want to talk about is Focusing on the positive.

So Me and my companion, Elder Hobbs are about as different as can be.  And we've gone through our rough patches, but i heard an apostle say that if you don't like your companion, your being selfish. Which is true. But we just have different ideas of what we want to do and how we want to do it. But one thing I've realized is were on the same team. we both left our families for two years to serve the Lord. And we were able to overcome our differences and now we get a long a lot better. We've become super good friends. We have a lot more fun, it makes things easier, our lessons are better, and were all around happier. Now I'm gonna be sad when i have to get transferred to another companion.

So point of the story: i think a lot of times, we focus on the negative, or we let one or two things ruin our day. We cant do this. There are gonna be people we don't get a long with, there are gonna be things we don't like. And a lot of the times, were not going to be able to change it. But one thing I've learned is how much Control of our lives, we really do have.... Given, a lot of times we cant control some aspects of our life, but we can choose how we react to those things. One thing I've learned is to always focus on the positive!!!!! and learn to laugh, and love to laugh. Its one of the greatest blessings we have. So as missionaries, we always leave ´´Convites´´ as we call them. So my Convite to you all this week is to FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE!!! :) Next time some little thing happens that makes you upset, FORGET ABOUT IT!!! chances are it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things and were making it a bigger deal than it needs to be. I promise that if you do this, you will be happier :) So focus on the positive and next time you get upset or feel like complaining, think about the people in Africa like me :) haha jk i have it easy! But seeing the hardships that people go through here has made me soooo much more grateful for what i have. I am so grateful and I love you all and miss you soooo much!!! The church is true:)

Love,
Elder Money

Monday, April 22, 2013

Hey Y'all

Hey y'all,
Sounds like everyone is doing great!! Braden and Ely going through the temple! that's awesome! You guys will be joining all the missionaries in the field!!! Crazy to think well all be on our missions in a bit! That's nuts but crazy exciting at the same time!
So this last week was probably the hardest week of my mission so far. I got really sick. And had to go to the hospital twice. Angolan hospitals are the worst haha. I got tested for malaria and then i got some more blood taken the second time for another test. but the doctor just prescribed me Tylenol and vitamin c haha. But I'm feeling great now! so that's good. Saturday we were scheduled to have a baptism so we showed up at the church and bucketed water into the baptismal font. but our investigator didn't show up!! turns out he had an ingrown toenail.... haha so were going to have to have a talk with him.
My Portuguese still isn't that great. and yesterday in church, I was sitting on the front row (bad decision). and about half way through sacrament, the branch president stands up and says something that i didn't understand and then he says my name and for me to share my testimony. I just looked at him with the deer in the headlights look. and he sits down and Irma Neyde, who speaks English, tells me to go up, and i look at her and go now? so i walk up and just stare at the congregation haha. then i just bore my testimony and talked about my conversion in Portuguese. I don't know if it made any sense. but oh well. So for those of you who have a fear of public speaking, imagine not knowing before hand and then having to do it in a different language!! haha but it was alright.
We have a lot of baptisms set up for the fourth of May. I don't know how many will actually happen but hopefully some do!
Miss you all and love you! you're in my prayers!
Love
Elder Money

Monday, April 15, 2013

Hey Everyone

Hey everyone,
So this week, nothing too exciting happened, especially when compared to last week :) but it was a good week. I had my first division this week. That's where you switch companions for a day. I went with Elder McCune. He was in the MTC the same time as me. So i went to his house and his companion, Elder Wilson, came to ours. It was way fun. We had a blast, got to talk about things, and its nice to have a change every once in a while, even though I love Elder Hobbs. Which is good. It would suck to have a companion you don't get a long with. But Elder Wilson and MCCUnes house is super nice. and its just them that live there. we found some mozzarella sticks in the frozen food section from TGI Fridays.and had those for dinner, they were way good!
Elder Hobbs and i had a lesson with this young girl, shes about 20 and we met her in a taxi. She called us and was super excited to hear what we had to say, so we scheduled an appointment with her, and told her about the church, she started asking weird questions and then she asked if we could date haha. we told her no and then she told us that she wants to marry an American... We invited her to church but i don´t think well be seeing her again haha. That's one of the problems here in Angola, everyone wants to hear what we have to say, but very few want to do anything. so we have to sort out who really is prepared for the gospel in their life.
We have a baptism this week on the 20th. to a man named BB! hes super awesome so that's exciting! Things are going great! Love you guys! thanks for the support!!
Love,
Elder Money

I'm doing great! i love it more and more every week. glad to hear
everyone is doing so good.  i try not to think of home too much, but when i do, i
always think of DisneyLand for some reason. haha i get homesick for
DisneyLand, we´ll have to go there when i get back :) love you

Monday, April 8, 2013

General Conference weekend

Hey Everyone!
Hope general conference was good! we got to watch Priesthood session
with all the other Elders, so that was cool. But other than that, most
things were the same this week. Heat, sweat, Gospel haha. But Saturday
it rained a ton!!!! Africa rain... And no one wants to be seen when it
rains so we put on some street clothes and went out and helped people
bucket water out of their houses. I caught a lizard too haha. but we
went to this place right behind our apartment thats called the
shoppas. its just houses made out of basically stuff the people can
find in the dump. but they're use to the rain by now so they didn't need
much help. but there was a huge river at the bottom of the hill. a
truck went through it and started to turn because of the power of the
current but somehow managed to get out. There were semi trucks
waiting, because they didn't want to go through it. that's how powerful
it was. There were these two Angolans there who were drunk telling
people not to go through it haha. they'd walk in it and then slip and
the current would take them down about 20 ft then they'd walk back up,
it was so funny. but other than that everything was the same.
We have two investigators getting baptized on the 20th and more to come!!!
love you guys!!!!! thanks for the support!!!
Love,
Elder Money

Mom,

Sounds like it was a blast! It was crazy to think that Elder Davis
would be in my room haha. I told him that and told him some good music
and movies to see. Hes an awesome kid. We always laugh that all our moms are
hanging out, but its good. the Elders here are awesome. We all got to
watch priesthood session together in English. but the other 4 sessions
will be in Portuguese :/ so well see how that goes.

I'm taking the elders to KFC today, so if you see a big charge haha its
for that. The family is doing great they come to church, but they
still need to get married. were hoping they get baptized by the 4th of
next month. Jessie Sullivan emailed me and told me shes getting
baptized on the 20th!!!!! You should go!!!!! that's awesome!!!!!!!!!

I also got like 5 letters this past week. two from reed! tell him
thanks! i got one from Kaitlyn Williams and one from Trent Kaufman and
one from the bishop!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Hope it was a great one!! Wish I was in St Geezy with you guys, but Angola´s not too bad haha. So one transfer done already!!! pretty crazy. Time flies! I didn't get transferred which isn't surprising. Me and Elder Hobbs are still companions. still in Luanda II C. Good news though, hopefully within the month will be moving into A place called Cajueiro. Its super nice! never faults energy or water. and no cockroaches haha. But our place right now isn't that bad.

We have a lot of investigators, but everyone here loves to hear the Word of God, but not everyone likes to practice it... So a lot of times our investigators don't come to church, or don't read The Book of Mormon or things like that. so we have to work on filtering out who really wants to know the Word of God and who just wants to Hear it. Saturday, we were on a split, I was with Elder Hannay. And we had taught two lessons but our other 6 dropped. or they wouldn't answer their phone. it was about 6 o clock and we had nothing to do so we decided to go to a different area, and we start walking around and we get a call from a random number and its a man named Antonio that says he wants to see us. so i asked him where he lived and it turns out that he lived right by where we had just travelled to. We met up with him and taught him about the Plan of Salvation. He told us that he had a dream that two men came to his house and taught him The Word of God... Angolans and their dreams.... He went to church with us yesterday and had a lot of questions about The Book of Mormon so i explained it to him and as he was leaving i told him i´d call him to set up another appointment and he says oh yes, this is where I'm suppose to be! so pretty cool. were doing good and finding a lot of people. I love it!!!!!!!!

It was weird to think that yesterday was Easter. It didn't seem like it. I had rice and mash potatoes for my Easter lunch haha... kinda like egg rolls on Thanksgiving ;) But it was good we kinda just relaxed at home, we studied and it was a super nice peaceful day. I read a really good talk from President Monson in the April Ensign of 2008. It talks about three things that will help us in our lives:
1. Learn from the Past
2. Prepare for the Future
3. Live for Today
This was a huge help to me, because I've been thinking about what I'm going to do when i get home, school, and work, and getting married hahahahahaa JUST KIDDING!!! but yeah I've been thinking about what I'm going to do after my mission and it was a talk that really helped me to focus on now rather than what ill do when i get home.

Anyways, I love You all!!! Hope you had a wonderful Easter!!!

Love,
Elder Money


Ok so you had a lot of questions haha. ill try and answer them all. Me and my companion get a long. Were different, but we don't have any problems so that's good. The other three Elders in our house we are with all the time, in the morning, at night, sometimes at lunch appointments together so we see them a lot. they're way cool. I see President and Sister Thompson probably about once or twice a week. The language is pretty easy. its super similar to Spanish so all that studying helped a lot. And most people speak Portuguese. a lot of people will start talking to us in french hahaha. No one ever guesses that were from America, they think china, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, England, some others, but never America. Yeah we have quite a few people were teaching. that family that fed me the funge still needs to get married, but were hoping they get baptized on the 20th.


Max goes into the MTC this Wednesday right?? that's crazy!!!!!!!! I'm glad Ive already been out for as long as i have. Like you said, we can start counting down the days.

I talked to Elder Davis yesterday! sooo crazy hes going to be at our house in a week!!!! i was telling him to go check out my room for me haha. Hes an awesome kid! i wish i couldve known him better. he played lax for Brighton.

I'm doing great. I swear its hotter than 82. it feels like 100.  Me and My companion are both staying in the same house. but were moving pretty soon into a super nice place. so thatll be cool. I haven't gotten any of your letters yet. from what i hear, letters take about 3 weeks. packages take about 2 months!!!! but yeah I'm doing great. I love it!! i usually eat cereal, eggs and bread, and we have one of those panini maker things so i always have a grilled cheese!! and coke every day haha.


P.s. You know how i gained 13 lbs in the MTC... Well we went to President Thompsons house this past week for a Zone Conference and he has a scale, so i weighed myself and I've lost it all!!! I'm back to a healthy 155 haha. Hopefully i stay there:)