Week 19: Helping Hands.... serving so many!

So this week has been absolutely NUTZ!!!

          So first of all, I met 2 Missionaries from Mesa this week! Both went to Mtn. View (Don't worry... We all make mistakes. But repentance is real.) Elder Owens and Elder Sharpe! Elder Sharpe is serving in Matola 2! He is super cool and I've had the privilege to live with him for the past few days. I also met Elder Owens. When Elder Owens went through the Gilbert Temple for the first time, he ran into Papa!!! So that was super neat! He said Hi to me for Papa, so that was super neat!

          As for the cool stuff that happened this week, we pretty much lived at the chapel this week! On Wednesday we cleaned the chapel because on Thursday was were having a Zone Conference! So then on Thursday we were at the Chapel from 8 in the morning until 18! Then we went on a short division so that our Zone Leaders could interview Joanna before her baptism! So she passed her interview! Which means that we were cleared to have her baptism on Saturday! But on Friday we spent most of the day at the Chapel again for Mormon Helping Hands! We had an organization come in called Stop Hunger Now and we all helped package meals that would be delivered to children and families living in Tete, Nampula, and other areas in Southern Africa that had more humble living conditions. So that took up most of the day, and Graca Machel came to speak. She is the wife of the First President of Mozambique (and widow of Nelson Mandela) who is super involved in this type of Humanitarian aid and such. So it was super fun and all of the Matola Zone was there! Then on Saturday we had the baptisms!!! We had our investigator, Joanna, be baptized by her father, and the other Elders' investigator, Michella, was baptized 3 times!!!!! Haha! She just wasn't going under completely! Her foot popped up the first time, then her knee, then they finally had her sit down in the font, and it finally worked! Haha! I kind of felt bad for her because she kept choking on water!! But, in the end she was super happy with the choice that she had made!

          On Saturday night we got a call that Elder Stewart would be leaving Matola. So he had to pack up his bags to go to Maputo to open up a new area and train a new missionary, so I was super sad to see him go. He's been one of my best friends on my mission so far. And he goes home next transfer!

Now for the Big News!!!!!

          I'm Training. Not In Training. I am the Trainer of one Elder Nielsen. I am being transferred to T-3 and will be finishing the training of Elder Nielsen. I am staying in the Matola Zone, but T-3 is about 2 hours from where I currently am. I am super nervous. I feel insufficient in the language, unprepared to train, unaware of the logistics of missionary work, and am absolutely terrified out of my mind. However, I have met Elder Nielsen and he is a super cool guy! I don't know too much about him other than that. He is super cool! I'll be sure to send pictures and tell you all about him next week!

          I've got to finish up, but my scripture for everyone this week is Alma 5. This scripture really opened my eyes to the power of the Atonement.

          I love you all! I feel the power of your prayers for me on my behalf. Please keep praying for me.

Love,

Elder Rash

 

Mesa Arizona Temple.  He had someone make it for him!

His Birthday package FINALLY arrived!!!!  Was mailed on August 24th and arrived last week!

TWO MONTHS to get to him and a month late for his birthday!



Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela's widow, working side by side with the missionaries!

Working the hairnets! hahahaha

Elder Stewart left Elder Rash on Saturday.  Elder Rash has grown to love him and will miss him a lot!

Elder Rash's FIRST baptism! Joanna and her father who baptized her.

Combined baptism with another set of missionaries.  Elder Sharpe (on the far right) is from Mesa Arizona as well.

*  These are pictures that Sis. Koch sent me this week.  She is so good to me!  This is from their Zone Conference.