July 7, 2014

Ok so the internet is really bad today, it keeps on falling so I will write as fast as I can to try and get a letter off haha. I will also try and answer some questions i saw in the other emails just because of this internet thing, i will try and send all the answers in one email. We didn't do anything too special for the 4th of July... two people in our house aren't even from the U.S. so it was just a normal day haha. As far as I know, they use the same programs for the youth teaching in the church (in response to Jamie's question). For food we buy food at the grocery store, and then we have one hour to cook, eat, and clean.(p.s. i have become like a clean freak. not like weird but I love having a clean house so I make sure that all the dishes are done now and make sure everything in the house is clean before we leave to work and before we all sleep. Thanks mom for teaching me. I may not have done it before but  your example wasn't in vain!)But with our limited time, I normally just make rice and beans haha. The way you do it here for rice is super good. You take and cover the bottom of the pan in oil, then chop up onions and tomatoes. Not chop the tomatoes a lot just into pieces. Throw all that in there and then let it all cook for a while. Smash the tomatoes until it all turns into a soup almost. then when all the tomatoe has turned into liquid, add the water you will use, add salt, or whatever seasonings, and then add the rice, mix it well, but the lid on, and then leave it untill all the water is about gone, remove the lid and then put it on low untill the water is completely gone. Its just one of the ways to make better rice. Its the best softest rice ever. Zone conference went really well. Unfortunately here in Maputo we don't get fed as well as we do in beira so it was just a normal lunch with a little bit of rice and chicken. It started at 10 a.m. and went until like 7 p.m. and by the end of the day i was very tired of translating but I enjoyed it. It was a good experience and it helped the elders from swaziland. The main focus was hmmm... I would say the main focus was being an extaordinary missionary. What we need to do to be extraordinary missionaries, how to be succesful people and how we can be succesful after the mission also. It was super awesome and everyone loved it. As we come down to this last week of the transfer, its hard to believe that by next monday it will already be the middle of July. I am loving the mission and I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. We were able to find some new families this last week. It is always good finding new families but sad seeing other families just not really understand and not fulfill their commitments. I personally, have gained a whole new vision on life being on the mission. I realize how much time I wasted and how many dumb things I did before. If I could put it into a little phrase i would say the biggest thing I have learned so far would really be Moses 1:39 that this is the glory of God, to bring to pass the imortality and eternal life of man. The plan of God was for every single one of His children to be able to have the same blessings that He enjoys and he doesn't want just a few of His children back, or just the good looking ones, or anything like that. He loves every single one of His children and he wants every single one of them back. He trusted us as members of the church to do the work to bring our brothers and sisters home with us. If we don't labor all the days of our lives to really become more Christ like and help others come home, we didn't do our duty in this world. I love the savior Jesus Christ. He truly is our master. I am really striving to pattern my life after Him now and I am trying my best to start now, planning to have a life and home and family centered on Christ after the mission. There is no other way to be happy in this life than to follow all the teachings of the master, even the simple things. Christ is our savior and our redeemer. He loves every one of us. Recently I have also made the goal to memorize one scripture a day to really always focus my thoughts toward Christ. To "let virtue garnish my thoughts unceassingly." I memorize one scripture a day in portuguese and english and I have been seeing a huge change in just my thoughts, what i think about. Because if we can truly always have our thoughts centered on Christ, our actions will also be christlike actions. I really like the scripture in moroni 9:6 that says we have a short period of time to really work in this tabernacle of clay. We can not waste this time, it will only happen once, but if we will truly labor all the days of our life to bring as many brothers and sisters home with us, we will have a great and joyful rest in the world to come. I know that Christ will come again. His coming is not far away either. We were chosen to be here at this time to prepare the world for his second coming and i think if we can all understand this a little better and really see that we are here to prepare the world for his second coming, we will all work a little harder, to be a little better, sacrifice a little more, and spread the gospel a little more. I know God loves every single one of us and that is my testimony. I may not have always had this as my testimony, but because of the Lord Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter, as long as we repent and change our lives today, He will always welcome us with open arms. I hope you all have a great week! I love you all so much! Today, we are gonna go bowling cause they have a bowling alley close to where we use the internet. Should be fun!! 

Love,

Justin