Elder Keaton Hyde Luanda Angola Mission: 6 Months!

Life is good! The work is moving along so well. I truly can’t complain about anything.

So the first big news is that transfers are this week! I am going to be staying down here in Lubango and Elder Sande from Mozambique is coming down to work with me. I am really excited. He has been out on his mission for about 19 months or so. It is definitely going to be something new for me, working with a native, but I’m excited as well because it is going to help my Portuguese out a ton! Elder Kelsey is the only one that got transferred out of us 4 in Lubango. He’s pretty excited to go back up to Luanda after being here for 6 months.

I’m really happy and content with this last transfer of work. We did a lot of it! The branch is growing like crazy here. Yesterday at church we had 90 people! There wasn’t even close to enough room for everyone to sit. Our two companionships had over 20 investigators all together. LOVE IT!

This weekend was a good one, my man Toni got baptized. This guy has completely changed his life because of the Gospel. He’s shared with us a little about his past and he is definitely in a better place now. It always makes us feel so good, at the end of every lesson he just expresses his gratitude to us and how grateful he is that we spend so much time on him. I’m a big fan of Toni. He is a contact machine! I don’t think he’s ever been to church alone. Haha. He always brings somebody with him, it makes our work easy. His buddy Felix is going to be baptized here in a few weeks. Woot!

We have an investigator named Albertina, she is about 60 years old and she is a champ! She works like 14 hour days at a bakery 6 days a week to provide for herself and her little granddaughter that she brought in. This last week we had an awesome lesson with her, we decided to invite the Violin’s to come with us and we are super glad that we did. We are usually kind of reluctant to be super bold and pushy with baptism on some people but man the Violin’s threw it on! And it’s a good thing that they were, she is going to pray about her baptismal date and probably be baptized by the end of December. She is such an awesome lady, kind of like our grandma out here. Haha. She has been through a lot of stuff with the war and everything and always knows exactly who to thank for it all. Our Savior.

Last Monday we went to a place called Tundavala. So cool! It’s a super beautiful cliff thing that you can go and look out. I’ll try to send some pictures, but lately our internet has been terrible.

This week I hit 6 months! Woot! I have learned so much since I entered the MTC back in May. The most important thing that I have learned and come to realize is the love that I have for our Savior. I have seen so many changes and miracles happen to people because of Christ and the faith that they put in Him. Life is hard at times, but I know that it is all possible because Him.

I love you all so much! Happy Holidays!!

Love,

Elder Hyde