Well Done

So to finish up my last week on mission it was pretty awesome. We visited some of my fav people and especially Violet was so sad to know I was leaving. Dick and Anthony are on FIRE SERIOUSLY. and Owen is the cutest. Love that kid. Tuesday we went on exchanges and I got to go with sweet Matingi. She is so cute. We saw so many people and found some awesome people too!!!! And my fav guy named John we put on date. He was the one that just showed up randomly to church. How cool is that? And we taught this guy we found with a super cool name haha he actually found us cool enough! His name is Anakuwindita. It means great chief or something. He was awesome.  I always have fun with Matingi and I loved my area for one last time. I will miss it.

Friday was zone conference and I got to bear my testimony again. The Kupus are the the best and Sister Kupu full on cried when she looked over at me. I will miss them dearly. Saturday instead of going to the adult session of Stake Conference, we went to our area and worked freaking hard! We saw all these awesome people, and found 5 people!!!!!! Sick or what? I love missionary work.

Sunday we went to district conference where Kupu had me and Sister George give our testimonies. It was a neat experience and I realized in that moment that I love these people so much and I will miss them. After I said my goodbyes to everyone, I went back to the house to wait for the Fakalatas to come get me. Then I was off to the airport! I stayed that night with the Kupus and it was a great stay and Sister Kupu even went running! Well, she walked haha!  Then she tried distracting me with shopping and stuff while we waited for my parents to come. AND THEN THE PLANE FINALLY CAME... THEY CAME! One of the happiest days of my life. Lots of happy crying and good times. We caught up and talked talked talked! It was the best thing ever.

That night we went to the dinner with the Kupus and they had this little devotional where we all shared our testimonies. It was a tender experience and I was so blessed to have my parents there.

The next day we went and visited some awesome people one of them being Lungu! We found him standing outside and he had us come inside and see his wife and baby!!!!!! No ways! Turns out Bishop told him that men in the church don't leave their wives and to go and find her. It was super cool and he looked very happy. Also that day, we ate sima! Super fun! Dad really liked it! We also got to meet up with my old bishop and Visited some old investigators in Woodlands.

The next day we went and visited Alice. She is doing soo good. And we were able to give all her little brothers tons of bubbles and candy all the kids loved it. She is still going strong and is a great example to me. That afternoon we also went and saw orphan elephants! Cutest ever! They rescue them from poachers. Thursday we flew to Malawi on a tiny plane!

The first day in Malawi we went to town to do some touristy stuff and ride a tuk tuk. Later that night we took the sisters out to eat.

The next day was by far my fav. THEY GOT TO SEE MY AREA! I introduced them to all my people and we even got to help clean the church. They met Sophie. Sophie made me eat okra haha. It wasn't too bad but they thought it was so funny.

The next day at church we saw again all my favs! It was the best thing ever being able to show my parents the cute little branch in Kalambo. Mom and I got to do Primary too! The kids were super well behaved and know "I am a Child of God" VERY WELL! I will miss these people. Owen started crying for sure. Cute kid I will miss him so much. He loved my parents too!

 That night we visited the Mitambo family and they were so sweet to make us a wonderful meal. Seriously I met the best people on my mission. My mom loved seeing Sister Mitambo's little preschool and we were all amazed of how she is doing so much with so little. We are very blessed and that's something I will never forget from my mission.

The next day we headed to Livingstone! The last leg of the trip! We were staying at this SUPER NICE HOTEL right on the Zambezi River! Coolest thing ever! Our tour guide took us to Victoria Falls, on a safari, and to see the rhinos all in one day! It was a great time. All in all, we were able to see rhinos, giraffes, zebras, impala, baboons, monkeys, water buffalos, elephants, and warthogs. IN REAL LIFE!

On our way home we stopped in South Africa where we went through the temple, and got to help with a spontaneous Mormon Helping Hands Project! I met up with Sister Gwebu, one of my favorite sisters from my mission, and it was such a great experience. I was so blessed to meet so many wonderful people on my mission,

And... after a long layover in London we made it home!

And all I have to say is well done! I am so grateful for my time I was able to serve as a missionary. It was no ways an easy thing but never ever would I take it back. Those people I met and taught and befriended have changed me for the good and shown me that life is more than money and cars and big dreams but more about eternal life, love, family, and the gospel, How blessed I am. I'm content that I knew these people and I know that one day we will meet again.

Thank you all for your support as well. I could not have done it without you. But especially my parents. They have done everything and I love them dearly.

But most importantly my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I know they LIVE and that their love is eternal. As we continue in the right path one day HE will say to us.... "well done."

Never Gonna Forget That One!

Well today starts my last week as a full time missionary. Its really a bitter sweet time and I’m just trying to stay focused and enjoy the time I have. But I don’t want to get all sappy ya know? I still gotta good week ahead of me! :-)

Well this week was quite a good one. One of my favorite times this week was when we were having kind of a rough day I was feeling pretty tired and my comps was somehow sick and then we were just going from appointment to appointment. But Heavenly Father knows how to make my day. We went and saw Unity and Owen, her brother, was there too (the little boy who got baptized just a few weeks ago). He was telling us how lately there has been something inside him at school that tells him not to fight. He told us how before he was baptized he would always get in fights but now whenever he wants to fight there is something insides that he said, "I cant see it and its not really a voice but something just makes me feel like, ‘no don’t fight’.” We helped him understand that its the Holy Ghost that was given to him as a gift after he was baptized! Even at 10 years old, he can still feel it. I’m also grateful for the Holy Ghost. It tells me "go and talk to that person, go and do this for your comps it will make her day, or knock on that gate." I know it can really guide us and help us always do good. 

 So this week Sister Moreen and her two daughters were ready to get baptized! We had to teach them the rest of the lesson, they were interviewed and then Saturday after a District activity we all met at the church to witness their baptisms. Lots of members were there too it was a great turn out. The baptism was actually supposed to be for our Brother Alex too but he still doesn’t feel quite ready so we will give him some time. Anyways, we started the baptism a little late due to some complications with figuring out Alex’s situation and when we started, it started so nicely. It was a great service. We went outside for the actual baptism. Here I think I’ve probably talked about this before but the baptismal font at our branch is outside and it’s like a big tub about five feet high and then the people climb inside using ladders.

Our guard at the church had filled it the night before so it was ready to go. We went outside and took pics and then we all walked to the font and noticed that there was ton a of water on the floor and then we got to the font and THERE WAS NO MORE WATER INSIDE! SOMEONE HAD DRAINED THE FONT! We assumed it was a little kid and we couldn’t figure out what happened but we had no time to waste so all of us just grabbed buckets and went to the different taps around the building. All of us were just laughing at the fact of what had happened. SECONDS EARLIER THE FONT WAS COMPLETELY FULL AND NOW WE WERE FILLING IT AGAIN WITH BUCKETS! We would fill and then carry and dump fill and then carry and dump. I had to get creative at one point with the buckets I used cause there were so many people that wanted to help. We found an extra big bucket too that the men used to fill it. And in about thirty minutes we had filled it high enough for Moreen and her daughters to be fully immersed. They were baptized and they were so happy and I realized that Heavenly Father really didn’t want me to ever forget this baptism. It is one I will never forget for sure. I am so grateful that things always work out. They always do. I should never doubt that things will because they always will. 

 

But guess what? We found out who the kid was.... you know little boy Owen?  YEP! He finally confessed to us after we kept thinking that it was his little brother.... he told us that he had thought it was already finished.... and we told him that we are glad he fessed up but that never should he touch that thing again. I guess this time he didn’t follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting. He understood and really said he was sorry. Gotta love it though! It made it a memorable experience and a funny story to tell too. 

Anyways, I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father. He has blessed me with so many opportunities while I have been on mission. An opportunity to be in a wonderful place like Malawi and Zambia, an opportunity to meet the best and humblest people in the world, and an opportunity to draw closer to my Savior. I hope I have lived up to my calling and I hope and pray that the things I’ve learned I’ll never forget. 

Thanks for all your support the past year and a half and for the love you have shown me. I really know that I a blessed with wonderful people in my life. 

with lots of love, 

Sister Moulton 

I Know It Now

Hello from Lilongwe! 

This week we traveled again to Lusaka for another MLC. Every time we go i just realize how much more I love Malawi, but it was good to see some of the other sisters and to see our Mission Pres again. The last day of the meeting president asked me to bear my testimony because it was my last MLC. As I looked around I saw four of my old companions and I saw so many elders who have been my district leaders and my zone leaders and all of them have taught me so much. I have LOVED MISSION SO MUCH. And I cant even list all the things I’ve learned and besides this isn’t even my last week so I don’t wanna go all sappy over here but as I bore my testimony I just really knew that what I’ve learned on mission will bless me the rest of my life. I have truly come to gain a TESTIMONY of the church, of the gospel, of my Savior and that will never leave me. But hey, I still got two good weeks left and I wanna use every day wisely. 

This week Brother Hillary got baptized! I think I’ve talked about him before. He had gotten a new job since when we have been teaching him so it has been so hard to see him and finish the lessons, but finally finally after about three months of attending church, he finally got baptized this week! He will do great things for the church here in Malawi. 

Also, let me share a cute little kid story. So after church on Sunday, me and my comps we park the car and eat our lunch in a shady place. And this week there were these two little boys that were outside watching us. And they made me smile cause they were making fun of the way I was speaking Chichewa to them. Here they say, "bo" when they want to say hello quickly, so I said “bo,” and then they said “bo,” and then we went back and forth and then they would just start LAUGHING AND LAUGHING it was so cute. Maybe you had to be there but these kids and us became good friends and it was a good time. And their little laughs will always make me smile.

Anyways I hope you all have a great week! 

With lots and lots of love,

Sister Moulton