Swaziland - 11/24/14

These are my best friends from Mozambique, Beira (goto):

We have Vincente (Minito) and Chupa (Esperanca) posing the good poses up top. They are my family. I was teaching Vincente how to read. The name Chupa translates to Suck - but I love her. I visited them just about every other day to sit with them and everyday to make sure they were okay. 

The stud on bottom is a monster of a member. His name is Gombe, but we called him Nelson. He understood how to teach better at 16 years old than I did at 6 months as a missionary. He basically taught me how to teach and he was a real bro about it. He always wanted to walk with us and he helped me understand so much about the culture. He also watched Teen Titans in Portuguese so that was cool.  

Missions are awesome, man.  

 

 

 

My main form of expressing sentiments with Chupa was holding her hands and singing "Sou Filho de Deus" [I Am a Child of God] with her to our appointments.

Bert. I love Swaziland. I love it so much. I finally got a bro for a companion. He has a personality. I'm with my first District leader again (Elder Brayden Galland, look him up he's loaded) who is awesome! I get to speak English (sometimes) and I still speak Portuguese with all the Mozambican immigrants. I'm really happy. I feel very close to the Spirit because I can finally express all those feelings inside and it's made me very aware of how grateful I am for the Restored Gospel. I love loving.

 

 

Big News - Transferred

Well folks, big news..

Elder Mortimer has been transferred to Swaziland!

SWAZILAND!

Apparently he's the youngest Mozambique missionary to be transferred there.

He's feeling a bit trippy, he said, so prayers for peace would be great.

English is their second language, so he'll be speaking a ton of English again.

There aren't too many missionaries in Swaziland.. last I read, around fourteen, so this is very exciting news!

He didn't have too much time as he was leaving that night, so he wanted to have time to say goodbye to everyone.

I guess we have to change the title of this blog now!

11/10/14

Note from Bret: I haven't been able to catch him since August (besides an email from right before my wedding, which I'd prefer to keep between us because - yeah. It's special.), so I'm sorry for not posting anything - but I haven't had anything TO post. Luckily this week, I caught him. I'll piece together a few of our emails, but he didn't send out a blurb or blog post he wanted me to post. Sami was able to catch him in a past week, and will be adding her emails soon.

11/10/14

"When I have dreams I'm usually back at home until I realize I haven't completed my mission and I do all in my power to get back to Mozambique and it's always really awkward leaving you guys again."

"FAZ MAGIA (MAKE MAGIC) [FA - shhh    MA - GEE - AH ]

I don't know why but everyone thinks missionaries are wizards so they always ask us to do magic. 

I'm feeling I'm getting out of this area in a week but it may be for the best. I'm having a good time but they gotta bring someone else in here to do the work differently 'cause I've just about found all I can in the manner that we do. I'm gonna miss these guys, man. 

I read about everyone else's missions (outside of mozambique) and I cannot believe whats going on. Everyone's got temples and cars and ipads and bikes and jetpacks, with zero tracting in America and I'm literally walking in poop and getting blazed by the african sun and shouting in huts hoping people will let me inside. It's an adventure for sure but boy I get real fatigued sometimes. I wouldn't have any other mission in the world though. I haven't known a better gratification work/reward wise."

 

And that's pretty much it for now. He hasn't received any packages, but says he gets them when he goes to the mission home (which is where they're sent), and he's only there every twelve weeks or so. I told him to update me on that.

 

Pray for Elder Mortimer!

 

Thanks everyone!