New Era, New World

 Hello from Malawi!  

Wow this week has been amazing and insane. So after my goodbyes to everyone at the end of the week we had MLC. Mission Leadership Council. We meet together as leaders in the mission and discuss needs and ways we can help the mission improve. Its always a great experience for me and the best part was that Sister Kupu asked me and Sister Kivalu to give a presentation about our experiences with exchanges. It was a great opportunity for me to look back on my past transfer and see all the things I have learned. During companionship exchanges I learned so much about how to train and how to be a leader, things that I know will help me the rest of my life. I’m not perfect there is so much more I can improve but I know Heavenly Father gave me that assignment for a reason.  It was sad to leave my comps this weekend too but I have learned its part of mission. 

But okay I wanna explain everything about MALAWI! Sister Kupu told me it’s like a new era in my mission! True though, I may even finish my mission here who knows? But I’m excited to see what the new era brings. 

So on Saturday morning we went to the airport…

 I was traveling with another sister Sister Tuetau from Tonga (my new comps) and Sister Natengi (also from Tonga) Sister Tuetau was at MLC with me. Her old comps was Sister Godfrey (my trainer) so me and Godfrey switched places now haha! Sister Natengi is a new missionary being trained in Malawi! It was this super small plane but it was nice and they had great snacks anyways!  

Then when we landed I HAD TO DRIVE HOME! I was expecting it to be the same but haha this car was a little different so my comps luckily knows how to drive so she gave my some great tips and we made it home. lol. There are less cars here and more hills and more tiny streets and more people! But wow as we were driving I was just amazed. EVERYTHING was beautiful. So rich in color I don’t even know how to explain it but I just loved it. We drove in the country side and in the town and there was so much to see and I loved it so much. I saw goats and donkeys and amazing looking houses and wonderful smiling people. Man I don’t even know how to explain it and I wish I could get more pics but I was driving! But the weekend was District conference and wow there were so many people to meet, and our branch sang for the choir and I met some amazing people too. God is good and Malawian people are good too! 

Oh first experience in our area was very humbling. For the past couple months I’ve been in a very self reliant area where people have money and that day we went to the total opposite. These people live in different ways and for the first time I really felt like I was in Africa and I loved it and especially getting to see the different way people live and how they smile and say "bho" (it means hello in Chichewa) to a weird white person that is walking into their neighborhood.  We visited wonderful members and they welcomed us in with so much love and I am starting to realize why they call Malawi, "the warm heart of Africa," our first lesson though was a challenge for me. I am in a trio actually with another sister named Sister Endev she used to stay in Malawi so she speaks the language but now she is from South Africa. Anyways we are teaching and it wasn’t so easy and did not flow as nicely. I really struggled adjusting to new companions and new people and I felt so little compared to these sisters who have been on mission for a long time. And after the lesson I felt terrible and so little. It really humbled me and made me realize that I have ALOT TO LEARN. To learn about the people, about my companions, and even more about the gospel. You never know enough and that was something I learned that day. I know Heavenly Father does that to all of us sometimes. Sometimes when things are going so well when you get too comfortable Heavenly Father pushes you just a little and changes you just enough so that we can improve. So that we can experience and so that we can love and turn to Him more. Those times are hard but I know it is part of the plan and it keeps us form becoming prideful about our abilities. There is even a scripture we share a lot with people that applies to this as well. Its become one of my favorites 1 Corinthians 10:13 
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 It talks about temptation but even it applies to our challenges and tests. God will never ever give us something we can not handle. So even with the NEW ERA and the NEW WORLD I’m in, I know He has a plan and will help me be okay! I’m looking forward to the people I’ll meet and getting to know the branch better too. 

Anyways have a great week! Crazy how September is over, time flies! 

with lots and lots of love, 

Sister Moulton

Exciting Week For Sure: BIG NEWS

HEY!  

(Sister Chikpoa and Sister Kaunda)

This was an exciting week for sure. Our ward participated in Mormon Helping Hands. Our project this year was renovating a house of one of our members. They have stayed in that house for long time and the house has been around for 80 years and there was some serious damage and it was starting to fall. So our ward raised some money and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday many members came to help. We were able to go help- on Thursday and Friday.  Most of what we did was the cooking for the lunch to feed the workers, and of course cause its Zambia we made nshima! So Sister Chikpoa (the bishop’s wife) and I and sister Kaunda (the Recent Convert) and also the lady who stays in the house and the other sister missionaries we made a TON of food. We made chicken, fish, sausage, and then a relish on the side made of cabbage and then we made the nshima! There was a lot of work to do but it was so fun! It kind of felt like camping because we were cooking on little coal holders? They call them embaulas. They are so nice! Everyone was joking that the azungu (white person) was cooking and that I would go back to America and cook the Zambian way! For sure I will! I learned some valuable cooking lessons for sure and it was so good to learn and be with our ward members. 

This week besides doing the service project we also went on exchanges, went to meetings, and had Stake Conference! It was a fun week, and throughout the whole week it just didn’t seem like there was ever enough time in the day. I love that feeling cause it makes me so grateful for the time I have to spend being a missionary. Time is flying but I want to use every second I have and make it count!

We taught some awesome people this week seriously. I love this area more everyday and then of course like what always happens on mission… Saturday night our president called me. He told me I’m being transferred to LILONGWAY! That’s in Malawi! Its the other part of the Zambia Lusaka mission. I will be leaving at the end of this week! I was so sad and shocked. I cried that night thinking about all the people I would miss and the ones I had come to love and mostly my companion too!

(some of the Missionaries from the Zambia Lusaka Mission)

I’ve been with Sister Kivalu my whole mission but I know that this is what’s best for me and the people I will meet. Which brings me to how on Sunday we had stake conference. So we gathered with ALL the members from all around Lusaka at the stake center. The building was PACKED! And the best part was I got to see some of my old ward members from when I was back in Munali and even say goodbye to my dear ones from Woodlands. I will miss these epople so much. I was amazed by how people would come up to me and remember me and it made me so happy to see them again. I think that is what heaven will be like too! All of us reunited as happy as ever. And I’ll get to see those beautiful Zambian faces again. 

(my “companion” Katherine after crying)

(Sandra and Hannah)

(Sisters of Lusaka)

(Alice)

(Sister Kivalu and Sister Kupu)

So anyways I hope you all have a great week everyone! 

with lots and lots of love, 

Sister Moulton 

Missionary Work for Everyone!

HEY!  

So this week I just wanted to share two small experiences cause I don’t have a lot of time. 

One was this week our recent convert asked if she could work with us. In Relief Society (the women’s organization at church) we had talked about retaining recent converts and how the investigators need to feel welcomed and loved by more than the missionaries.  Our recent convert Kaunda took it upon herself to ask if she could come and fellowship with us! So she went with us that day to see the lady I talked about last week and it was so amazing. Her testimony is simple and short but her faith is strong. I just love her so much! And even on Sunday she came too and did a great job there as well. She’s been baptized for only two weeks and she’s already being a missionary! What an example she is. 

Also another funny story… we were teaching this new investigator named Abraham and after we had finished he took us around to all his friends and wanted us to teach them too! He introduced us to a Kelvin, and Kondwane, and an Eric! Wow thanks for being a missionary Abraham!

This week we did exchanges with Sister Namuana and Sister Jones. The two sisters we live with! I went with Sister Nauma from Congo! She was so fun haha in the car she would sing the French words and I would sing the Englgish ones to all the hymns.  

Good times! haha This is us planning the night before we went out.  

On Saturday we helped clean the church with our dear sweet "companion" Katherine. We call her our companion because the weeks where I didn’t have a companion she joked that she would be my companion, so now when we see her we always shout, "Companion!!!!! HOW ARE YOU???" She’s the best. 

Anyways, gotta go but I hope you all know how grateful I am for all of you. I know that God loves ALLL of his children and even though we make mistakes he will always be there to help us repent. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and that through him we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father. 

Have a good week everyone.

with lots and lots of love, 

Sister Moulton 

Bringing Them Back

Hello!  

So some updates from the week.... 

Me and my comps learned a lot about leadership this week. We had to go and talk to some sisters about some issues going on. We were so worried what we would say and how they would take it. We prayed and discussed how we could help them understand. We decided to share D&C section 4 with them that talks about missionary work and about how we should be as missionaries. We planned the things we would discuss and when we went it went so much better than we thought. I’m not sure if the sisters will really take our advice and love but we did our best and I know the spirit touched their hearts even just a little because we corrected with love and followed the spirit. Sometimes our missionary work gets a little out of focus and we just have to help one another and bring them back. Definitely on mission I’m learning more than just spiritual knowledge. I'm learning about how to work with others of all different backgrounds. I’m also realizing that the older I get on mission the more I learn and sometimes I wish I would have known it back then but I know that everything is just part of the plan! So I’ll just keep on learning! 

This week we had an interesting experience. We were at Pick and Pay (it’s like Vons or Rite Aid Zambia version) and we are walking in and this lady stops us and says, "Hello sisters!" and we get all excited cause SOMEONE KNOWS US and we turn around and she told us, "I used to be a Mormon. I would love for you to come visit me on Wednesday." uh okay!~ so we get her number and we set a time and then Wednesday came and we call her and she doesn't pick up so we cant find her house so we just have to go see someone else...... but then on Saturday we get a call from a less active in our ward saying that her sister called her and told her that she was still waiting for the missionaries to come. TURNS OUT THEY ARE SISTERS! So we call Nicole the lady again and find out we can come then we run to her house and get to meet with her. Her house was beautiful. One of the prettiest I have been in and the lady she stays alone. Anyways, so we sit and share a message but first we asked her to share more about her story. Turns out she was one of the first members in Woodlands back in 1998 when she was baptized (that’s as long as I have been alive!). She went less active after her mom died in 2011. But since then she has been feeling like she is missing something. She tried other churches but something just kept telling her to go back to Latter-day Saints. So when she saw us she knew it was time. She told us she wanted to take baby steps but that she wanted to do it. So we invited her to church and she said she would come. She ended up having visitors that day but we called her and we will see her again this week. But we shared with her a scripture in John 16:13   Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:   and he will shew you things to come.

That spirit guided her back to the truth and helped her see what she should do. The Holy Spirit is real! And I’m grateful it will always be helping us bring people to the truth and with Nicole, bringing her back to it. 

Also funny thing for the week --so its starting to get hot over here again and so my tan is coming along nicely..... on my one arm! The arm that’s next to the window when I drive! yeah see if you can spot the difference in the pic! 

Anyways hope you all have a great week! I cant believe it’s September. WHERE DOES TIME GO? Enjoy it! 

with lots and lots of love,

Sister Moulton