July 25, 2016 DESIRE TO SHARE

This week was great here in Chamba. we had a baptism this week and so did the other elders in our district!

But I have been studying a lot about how I can have a better experience studying rather than just going through the motions of reading without much of a purpose. It talks about this a lot in the second chapter in PMG. it talks about how when we develope a good study habit, and pattern of daily study we will gain a greater understanding of the things we are studying. This is pretty dang obvious i know, but then when we gain a better understanding of the things we are studying, especially in the Gospel, we will gain a greater love for those things and this will kindle our desires to share the gospel with those that we love! Because when we love and understand something, we wanna share it with those that we love so that they can understand it and follow it also! 

sooo 

No Study = no understanding

no Understanding = no desire to share

no desire to share... well, you should probably check yourself and figure out what it is you believe, because if you don't have a desire to share what you believe, then that thing you believe probably, kinda, most likely, might, suck. 

So Get Studying

but along with that we cant be fake about sharing or who we are (2 tim. 3;5)

you have to LIVE what you LEARN. (john 7; 17)

Galatians 1;10

Have a dope week!

Elder Fuchs

July 18, 2016 No WORRIES

I got flipped off at church this week. so that just about sums up the week.

but the story is: we were in Gospel principles and there was this mom giving her toddler some cookies, and her other daughter that was like 3 was getting jealous, so she looks at me and gives me a little head nod like "go get me some cookies" . and i was like. no. 

so then she gives me this nasty look and flips me off! i just look over and Elder Verde is just laughing like crazy because of what he just witnessed.. 

Also during my personal study i studied a lot about repentance and trials and such.

john 16:33 talks about in the world we will have trials, but we need not worry because Christ has already overcome, he has already been through it all, so that we don't have to do it alone. 

Mosiah 24 :15

he will ease our burdens , maybe not take all of the weight off at one time, but he will help us so that we will be able to endure it with his help.

 and this same help comes when we are being tested and tempted. but we have no excuse when we mess up 1 Cor. 10:13 tells us that we cannot be tempted above that which we cannot bear. there is always an escape. 

But because we are all dumb and mess up anyways regardless of who we are, we can always come back, we can always be forgiven. Nothing we can do can escape the Atonement, Isaiah 1:18 tells us and testifies of this truth “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  

What a blessing!

Have a great week and sorry sometimes i just run out of ideas for these things.

July 4, 2016 Happy 4th!!

Fourth of July, baby.

This week was preeetty sweet. 

i did my first baptismal interviews so that was new hahah. 

and after when i asked one of the girls which of the missionaries or members she wanted to baptize her, she picked me.. so i like tried to convince her to pick her uncle or the other missionaries she actually knows.. but that didn;t work hahaha 

annnd we had to fill up the font with buckets from the well outside again because there was no water, so that was convenient.

so i kinda had a baptism??

Also we have this really nice and wealthy member who always invites us over for fast sundays to have lunch at his place with his family. we had some LIT rice and beans.

also there was like cow feet, and they made me eat one.. its not like the best. but its kinda what i thought a foot would taste like i guess...?

other than that. today we will play some 4th of July Gatorball. which is a mix of soccer and rugby. we always play it on p-days. 

other than that, smooth week with a great end, and good start for the month!

have a good 4th of July!

Elder Fuchs

June 27, 2016 Stay Lit

Nothing too new this week to share with you guys

its been getting a lot colder here but as for the work.. it's LIT.

we started teaching a couple new families this week! Armando and Fatima along with their kids! one of their kids we've been teaching because he's been coming to church ever since his friend invited him to come! his name is Simao. he is a super smart 12 year old and loves coming to church! we were able to get to know his family this week and they are just as awesome as he is! so we will be teaching them and see what happens!:)

Also another family of Andre and Silvia, he is a return missionary from portugal and she is his girlfriend for now, but they are working on some divorce papers from other marriages to be able to get married in the church! she is catholic but doesn't really practice much. so he pretty much told us he's not going to force her to get baptized or her kids, but he is having them sit with us so that hopefully they can get baptized when they get married! They are super dope!

Other than that, things are going the way they do, and it's all good!

Have a nice week,

Stay Lit.

Elder Fuchs

June 20, 2016 TRANSFER 8

8th Transfer starting here in Africa!

Looks like Elder Verde and I are staying together for another transfer. I really love the area though and the members are great so i'm pretty happy about it. 

yesterday at church our old Branch president who has been having a rough time finally decided to come back to church for some reason and it was really surprising!

that night we had a family night with his family planned and he unfortunately was working the night shift that night for his work, but while we were there his wife told us why exactly he decided to come back to church.

She said that late on friday night he came home late after his usual messing around with his friends on weekends. and while sitting on the couch he says to his little 4 year old daughter," im a child of god, you know. and i love him." and she says back to him ,"you don't love god, you don't even know god. if you actually did you would come to church with us as a family on sundays. but you just go out every night when you are home and mess around with your friends. so you dont love god."

(Then there was a silence in the house for about 5 minutes because this little 4 year old girl said some savage words of wisdom to her dad and he had to think about it haha.)

then he breaks the silence and says "ok. i think you've finally convinced me, ill come back."

Later after church his wife asks how it went, and he said that it was great and that he would keep coming back!

so it was a good end to the Transfer here in Mozambique!

Hopefully we can all be like this old Branch President, recognizing when we have fallen away, and seeing when it is time to change and come back! the Lord is waiting for us, and so is our family!

Also i took lots of pics this week soo... enjoy.

Elder Fuchs

June 13, 2016 10 MONTH's MARK

this week we sat with a family that have been members for a little time and it was really hard to see the result. his wife has had a hard time coming to church and he is the second counselor and a strong member!. after multiple visits from missionaries and members over the last few weeks we have been trying to help his wife start coming back to church. and it seemed that Saturday night we had some kind of reaction from her and we talked about why and how it can help them to prepare to go to the temple soon at the end of the year when they have their documents in order. but the next day at church, we saw that nothing came of it as only her husband shows up to church alone.

Sometimes its hard being a missionary. doing everything you can, devoting time and effort and your life in being here to help try and bring people just any amount closer that you can to the gospel and the church and all it has to offer. When time after time, it just seems like you do It all in vain.

But something that always helps me is in Preach My Gospel a manual for missionaries to help us out. and there's a section that talks about no effort being wasted. how even though you may be saddened that the people or that person didn't choose to act on what you were able to bring to them, doesn't mean you should give up and not try anymore. so Ill think of it in terms of being back home like most of you are. sometimes a friend or a family member might choose to reject or ignore an invite to church or something like that, but that doesn't mean that effort was wasted. you did your part, and they have their agency hahaha

Agency can reeeeeaaaallly suck sometimes.

 but that's just a thought I was having this week! everything is good and transfer ends this next week ! also I hit my 10 months mark this week!!! sooo 14 more months!!

keep it rreal.

just remember Proverbs 21;19   :)

June 6, 2016 ZONE CONFERENCE WEEK

this zone conference week was suuper cool. i got sick and stayed in 2 nights and everything!!

well that part kinda sucked but the rest was really good! i got to walk with my buddy Elder Hruby in my area on division for a day to show him some of the families and people we have been teachiing, also my trainer Elder Ence was up here! he has been in an outside area and took a plane to see zone conference here in beira so it was nice to see him again! 

but i had 2 things i wanted to share about this week. the first is during my personal study in alma 32 :37-39

many of you might know that this talk about a seed being planted and when a seed is first planted it needs a ton of care to be able to grow and take root, and then in the future to be able to produce some kind of fruit. 

v.38 but if we neglect it, and dont nourish it, it wont grow roots. and then when the sun comes it will dry out and wither away because of the heat. so then its dead.

it goes on to say that the seed died, not because it was a bad seed, but because the soil it was plaanted in was hard, and barren. well you can probably seen where im going with this, if not i guess ill spell it out. the seed is the word or the church. the nourishment is scriptures and church and stuff. the roots is our testimony. the fruits is our blessings. the sun its temptation. and the soil is us/our hearts. so think about that for a sec. we cant be hard and not let it grow. if we do we are throwing away the blessing we could have in our lives. have faith let the seed grow in you, and if you see that its a good thing in your life, keep it!

i've read this chapter a lot annnd i love it.

but also something during zone conf. our president talked about judging people. 

when we say "he is" or "she is" or even "i am" like a lot of people just say well being religious just isnt who i am. or you say thats just the way i am. or the way someone else is. and if you believe at all that jesus christ came and atoned for the sins of the world then those statements are all false. because he atoned, we can change, maybe its not what we are used to doing or being. but thats what the Gospel is for, for someone to go from Bad, to good, and good to better! 

but thats just my thought for the week. have a sweet week everyone! 

Elder Fuchs

LEONARDO FUCHS

C/O MOZAMBIQUE MAPUTO MISSION

CAIXA POSTAL 1166

CORREIO CENTRAL

MAPUTO, MAPUTO

MOZAMBIQUE