October 31, 2016 New School, New Baby Pool Pt.2

 Me, Rosa, and Sergio (we rosa will be baptized on the 12th of november)

First week in the new area of Maraza. Went super well here with my new companion Elder Combs! He is from Colorado, and is a transfer older than me on the mission. Really nice guy and hard worker.

As we were going around on saturday night passing by and visiting some investigators and less-active members to remind them about church, we went to this recent investigator family we have been teaching these past couple of days. Mozinho and his wife Felizarda, and Fiusa and his wife Nina. They are next door neighbors and everytime we come by we sit all together. 

When we came this night Mozinho and his wife were not home, so we were just going to see how Fiusa was doing and mark another day to sit with everyone. As we were talking with Fiusa he told us that he wouldn´t be able to come to church tomorrow but he would come next week because he has a new born baby and they need to go get it named and blessed at his old church. Well.... (nice to see he understood the restoration lesson we taught...) we were a bit sad, and said alright we will see you next week then and left to go visit others in the area. 

Elder Coombs & me

Coming out of another visit we were about to start making our way home when we both felt like we should just go back to Fiusa´s house and name and bless his baby, then that way he could come to church in the morning.. At first we kinda just laughed at the thought, but then we just said  ´´well... lets go name us a baby!´´. So went back and sat down with them, had a prayer and then told him that we hold the Priesthood and that if he would let us we could name and bless the baby and that way they could come to church in the morning and they never have to go back to their old church. Without hesitating Fiusa tells us that only God could have told us to come back and do that, so he handed us the baby, we knelt down in this tiny tried stick house held together by rope and mud, and blessed Rosa Fiusa Julio. 

The Next morning they came to church along with their families!

Have a Great week!

Elder Fuchs

1. meeting with the DL´s

October 24, 2016 New School, New Baby Pool

Dear family and friends,

Had a week full of goodbyes here, it´s crazy to think that i have been in this area for half my mission already. it´s almost like leaving home for a second time! it´s weird!

I will be going to this new area with a new companion. The area is called Maraza and my comp will be Elder Combs. I don´t know too much about him, but so far he seems chill when i see him walking around and stuff... 

This week we had an interesting lesson with a super inactive woman. She was baptized and soon after because very sick and couldnt come to church because she lived so far away and couldnt walk there. Her husband also stopped coming to church but that was just because he was a bit lazy. anyway, my last comp and i  would visit her a lot and try and encourage them to come back, but nothing seemed to work to help her husband while she was still sick and unable to come. finally we got there and he wasnt around and she told us that her husband actually kind of really dislikes the church and has no desire for any church or religion or God. 

When we came this time we came with a recently returned missionary from another branch, she shared to us about how she has been attending another church because she hasn´t had the capability to go to our church far away, but how she always tells everyone at that church how she is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The return missionary shared some interesting scripture with her, making it clear that once we know the truth and turn from it, we are only bringing sorrow and a harsh judgment on ourselves. She understood everything loud and clear and committed to come back to church. 

She never showed up. 

A bit disappointing haha especially when someone understands something so loud and clear and still ignores and rejects things they once knew.

 Though we may not be able to accomplish the things that we want in helping all the people we love, if we do our part and give them a clear option, we have done our part and the rest is out of our hands. Just remember that those who seem so prepared may not always be, but we can´t forget about those who we would never think would be prepared. Because more often than not, they are the ones prepared to receive the Gospel!

Share da gospel fam,

Elder Fuchs

 3. had a member paint me a cool pic of jesus

1. saying bye to come families

2. found this boat

October 17, 2106 Conversion

I think I am down to my last week here in Chamba.. I have been here for almost 8 months and its been great! but our mission president told me to enjoy my last days here in this area!

So I am for sure going to miss this area, but its time for some new things I guess!

This week I studied a lot about conversion and what is necessary for conversion.

First the definition of conversion is:

The process of changing or causing something to change from one form to another.

When dealing with things of the world, science and such, we need physical evidence in order for things to change. In order to make things and people believe or know that something is true. 

But what about for spiritual things? do we still require physical evidence? 

A challenge for a lot of people on the mission that I have met and also people back home that I know, is that there isn´t sufficient evidence for them to be converted. 

That´s because the evidence they are searching for is something you can see. Something you can feel with your hands. but if that were the case then why would we be told to walk by faith rather than by sight? (1 cor. 5:7). 

There were people who saw Christ, people who saw the gold plates, people who were visited by angels, people who were given the `physical` evidence. but to most of those people even though they saw they eventually rejected or denied or fell away from what they once knew... For some reason they still did not receive the right conversion. The conversion for the things of the gospel need to be in a spiritual sense. Yet people are looking for physical evidence to their spiritual questions. and if that´s not stupid i´m not sure what is. 

That´s like trying to find the solution to a test question in Calculus, while using a formula to find the solution you learned in foods class. Pretty stupid huh?... yep. 

Seek the answers from the one who has them. 

in class we ask the teacher for help, or we can cheat off a friend (not recommended)

but for the answers to the questions of the soul, we need to ask our Heavenly Father. On the test of this life we can´t cheat off our friends answers we have to get our own. 

Seek the answers from the one who has them.

Stay classy.

Elder Fuchs

October 10, 2016 Dece Week

This week was pretty stressful! lots of things to do, we have been running around the city and back to the area helping a couple of the families we are working with to do their documents. Pretty exciting feeling, but also very busy! 

Things here in Chamba are great! the Branch President has been helping us a lot visiting our families together, so there is really nothing to complain about! 

Actually.. we were out of water for a few days taking bucket showers and having our dishes and laundry pile up.. so thats gonna suck today when we clean all that.. but other than that,  its all chill. 

Baptism we had went really well!

Have a great week! 

Quote of the week "It is our reaction to our challenges and adversities, not the challenge or adversity its self that determines how our life story will turn out"

Elder Fuchs

(these pictures arent loading fast enough soooo next week ill send a bunch!)

Ps. if you have a pretty friend that is a girl, tell her to email me, because most of you don´t.

October 3, 2016 HOT

Chamba. is. so. hot.

HOLY. 

It just keeps getting more and more humid everyday, so thats great.

But Just thought i would update anyone reading this for the first time in a couple months.

I am serving in an area called Chamba, in the province of Sofala, in the country of Mozambique! I have been in this area for 5 transfers now, which is about 7 months, and things here are great! the members are amazing inviting their friends and family to visit the church and sit with the missionaries, the food... well.. im not sure if i told you guys but last fast sunday to finish i had some Dobrada de vaca. if you wanna know what that is just look it up. other than that we usually cook for ourselves so the food is only about as good as you can cook, and that means the food is pretty bad, unless you plan on having frozen pizza everyday for the whole week (it"s pretty good pizza). I am finishing training a new missionary, Elder Allsop from bountiful utah, and all is well. 

Missions are a blessing! if you ever get the opportunity to serve a mission, DO IT! there are things you can only learn on a mission. It doesn't automatically make you change as you go out, but it can if you are willing to do what you are supposed to. Just like anything in this amazing Gospel. If you let it, it will change you. What sucks is that the world can also do that to us if we aren't careful. Just like the things of the gospel can change you and mold you into something new, so can the things of the world change you and mold you into something of the world. BUT we are the ones in charge, we decide what we become. If we do today what others won't, we can accomplish tomorrow what others can't. 

I know there is a God, I believe in this Restored Gospel, and I know it changes lives! I've seen it here in africa with these people, but it only changes those willing to accept it and live it.

Elder Fuchs

(i didnt really take pics this week so i snagged a couple before we left the house.. Enjoy)