GEORGE THE POWERFUL

hello!  

This week I learned some valuable lessons for sure and had some amazing experiences. 

In the area our president has encouraged us to FIND more, and to find always IN ALL WAYS. So this week we met so many people just by talking to them on the road! and I’ve learned that people are so much more willing to listen and even I have a better experience when I am just myself when I talk to them and try to become their friend. Sometimes I joke with them or ask them about their families and its been so fun!  My personality is different and unique but I know that it can be used for good and even though I’m not Zambian I can still relate and love these people. And I truly do love them more and more everyday. Also our area. Is the best. seriously. There are so many people prepared to hear the gospel. ONE OF THOSE IS GEORGE!!! 

George was baptized this week!!!!! He was so excited. And he was so ready. He has been reading the Book of Mormon like no other and at the end of each lesson he always bears his testimony about how he knows it true and how grateful he is for the gospel. My favorite George quote this week was when we committed him to pay tithing he said, "it is a must." This guy. He blows my mind. His baptism was honestly my favorite one yet (is that bad to have favorites?). The reason why is cause I can tell he truly is converted. And he isnt afraid to say it. In his testimony after his baptism he talked about how he truly wanted to know what he was getting into because its dangerous to join a church without knowing and that he has come to know for himself that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church on the earth and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. He is powerful. And everyone at the baptism said that. And even more of a blessing was that his wife and their his sons were able to see him be baptized! We didn’t think Mary would come to church for a while because of the new baby but she told George that this was a big day and she would make it happen, SO SHE CAME with the baby and George Jr., one of their sons came too! I am so excited for their family to be united in the gospel and one day to be together as an eternal family. 

There is a ward member who is a recent convert named Brother Kenney and he has a shop on the market. He has been telling people about the church and the other day he had us come and teach these two guys. I didn’t think they were serious and I honestly misjudged them the first time we met them. They were these two random dudes, that don’t have jobs and didn’t really seem to be doing anything. Their names are Sam and Chi Chi by the way. But they wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon so we taught them invited them to read and then the next time we met with them guess what? CHI CHI READ ALL THE WAY UP TO CHAPTER 12 and could tell you the whole thing. And he just kept saying how much he enjoyed it. And he talked all about Joseph Smith and he knew so much. I was in shock. I had totally misjudged this guy as being a immature young adult but woah he proved me wrong! The rest of the lesson he listened and participated and truly desired to know. Even at the end he asked how he could be baptized. And he was serious too. Next time I wont judge a book by its cover that’s for sure! :) 

This week was truly filled with wonderful experiences and I only get to share some with you all but know that there are many more too! I truly know that this is God’s work. That he prepares people to hear the message of the gospel and as missionaries we are instruments to find those people. 

 with lots and lots of love, 

Sister Moulton 

Grateful

Hello Family and Friends!  

So some highlights of this week...

Tried guava for the first time! One of our investigators - Susan had her kids climb the tree and throw us down some. Sister Sila taught me how to eat them and wow they are good. Just another thing I have learned to love while being here on mission! 

This week during my scripture study I was reading in Alma 34. I really liked verse 38 that says, "That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worshipGod, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you."

And when I read this verse it hit me so hard. I realized that sometimes all of us can disregard the Holy Ghost but that we should listen to it and receive it. And that we need to humble ourselves and continue to do God’s will and live in gratitude. God truly does bless us everyday and he gives us the holy spirit to comfort and guide us.  Being humble is not always easily but counting our blessings is a way we can continue to become more humble. This week I’ve been able to see so many tender mercies that God has blessed me with. One of them was that I see myself loving missionary work more and more everyday. I am so blessed to be healthy enough to walk and be in the heat during the day. God has blessed me with wonderful sisters around me, and he has blessed me with so many wonderful people supporting me and praying for me. And even this week Stella was able to be baptized! 

There is a back story though...so she was planning on being baptized this week but her boss came to her and told her she needed to work on Sunday and Stella told her that she was getting baptized them and asked if she could do the work on Friday or Saturday instead. She even offered to stay late but the boss refused. Stella came to us really upset and asked if she could be baptized the next week.  We comforted her and told her she could be baptized next week. She went and met with the bishop shortly after and when she came out she said “Sister, I’ve decided I’m gonnna talk to my boss again. I want to be baptized tomorrow." And guess what?.... she went and told her boss again and figured out a way she could go in early Sunday morning, finish the job, and make it back for the baptism. It was a great experience and I am so grateful that God provided a way for her to baptized this week because something could have happened more obstacles could have come if she waited. Some of her family was able to come too. 

 
Hearing her bear her testimony after being baptized was powerful. I remember when we first met her and she couldn’t read and we helped her read the Book of Mormon and we taught her about the commandments and everyday she would talk about her baptism and how excited she was. She reads on her own now and could tell you all about the word of wisdom, tithing, law of chastity you name it. God loves his children and prepares a way for each of them to hear the gospel. 

George is still doing good and he loved church this week again! We started teaching these girls that are his neighbors and we were telling him how they aren’t reading the Book of Mormon and he said, " They don’t know what they are missing." SO TRUE GEORGE SO TRUE. George amazes us every time. His wife doesn’t speak English and just had a baby and so she isn’t able to come to church, but every time we teach George that night he goes and teaches it to his wife Mary in nyanja so she can understand. It just amazes me. 

Anyways I want to end by saying that I know this church is true, the gospel has been restored to the earth again and I know that Russel M. Nelson leads our church today. I know that the power of the Atonement is real, and that Jesus Christ suffered for each one of our sins no matter how big or small. He truly is the center of the message we share as missionaries and I am so grateful to be serving in Zambia where I can share this message everyday. God knows each one of us and helps us in more ways than we know. 

with lots and lots of love,

Sister Moulton 

Training is Part of the Adventure!

Hello everyone! 

So this week is week one of the transfer with Sister Sila! She makes missionary work very interesting haha. She is Tongan and its been fun to get to know more about her and her family and the language too. She has been learning nyanja and the investigators think its so funny when she yells, "muli Bwangi" (good afternoo) to literally everyone on the street. Its been fun to show her around and she is beginning to love our investigators as much as I already do! Being a trainer is definitely challenging me in many ways as I adjust to new styles of teaching and helping her learn the culture of our area. 

As for an update on Owen and Mutinta from last week... we haven’t been able to meet with them and we think they might be hiding from us haha cause every time we tell them we are coming they aren’t there... but we are going to find them this week don’t worry. ;) 

So I probably haven’t talked about our investigator George before. He is awesome! We met him while we were walking one day and he came up to us and asked us what we do. He is studying Chinese for his masters! So we invited him to learn more about our message. The first lesson me and Godfrey taught him was awesome. He understood it more than anyone I have ever met before. And his wife was able to be there too! He just had a baby and they have a six year old son. When we invited him to be baptized he said "That sounds like the perfect thing to do," and he has been reading the Book of Mormon and every time we go he explains EVERYTHING HE READ. He came to church yesterday and loved it, and yesterday at the end of the lesson he told us how he just felt like he was doing the right thing. He said he has never been consistent about church and he feels like now is his time and this is the place. wow. I love that God prepares his people to listen and I am so excited for George and his family. The gospel changes lives and I have loved seeing that with my own eyes since being on mission. 

This week I was also reminded how grateful I am for the plan of salvation. As I have learned how to teach that lesson and as I get to share my testimony about how we can live with our families again one day, I know in my heart its true. God has a plan and doesn’t leave us here on our own. I know that I will see my deceased family someday and I am so grateful to know I can live with my family forever. People here in Zambia love this lesson. Sometimes we ask what their favorite thing we teach is and ALMOST always it’s the
Plan of Salvation, and I couldn’t agree more. 

Well that’s all for now!

Hope all is well wherever you are! 

with lots of love 

Sister Moulton

My trainee Sister Sila. . . 

My old companion Sister Godfrey. . . .