Independence!

I'm sure you all heard the news about Angola and the 57 other missions
that will be opening! SO COOL! The Lord's putting a full court press
on missionary work. We are all so excited about the news and about the
fact that we're going to be getting a mission president all to our
selves. It's really been one of the only things holding this country
back. WOOT! We are all estatic!
It was a really good week as well. We got some work done for sure. We
were able to see a lot of our investigators progress quite a bit. We
started teaching a couple named Francisco and Elise this week, and
they are awesome! They have a 5 cute little kids and as of right now
are loving what they're hearing. They're not the most
educated/literate people in the world but the good thing about the
Gospel is that it's for everybody! Francisco had to go up to Luanda
this week because his mom is sick but Elise brought a few of the kids
and really enjoyed it. One of the keys is just getting investigators
to church, because we can tell them all day that our church is
different but until they come and see they don't really appreciate it.
This couple has some real potential! Unfortunately they aren't married
like 90% of the people are here but we'll jump that hurdle when we get
to it.
Something that has been going on lately in Luanda is that government
has shut down like 5 big churches and they're doing investigations on
them. One of them is the Igreja Universal, I'm asssuming it's the
Universal Church in english haha. They have tricked so many of these
people here. Who knew that you could buy miracles for only a few
hundred bucks! I'm assuming and hoping that they won't be opening back
up. They have this great and fairly spacious building in the center of
the city that has been looking pretty quiet lately.
Yesterday church was super satisfying! We had 90 people there which is
our high for the last few months. Ever since December everyone has
been slacking quite a bit. We had 6 investigators there and over all
it was just an awesome three hours! I taught Gospel Principles again
and there were a solid 50 in the class haha.
I'm so incredibly happy right now, it's impossible to express the joy
that comes from seeing people change their lives and come unto Christ.
Life is good!
Have the best week ever!

Love,

Elder Hyde

Lukey> or should I say Lebron! Good luck this week dude!
Sam> Good luck to you too! I'll be praying for ya! You got served!
Syd> Get better dude! You rock!
Con> Good luck with your elections too bruh. #mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

What Up!!

Well hello everybody! Let me tell you about my week!

It was a pretty good week. We were able to make some good ground with our investigators and we found some new people that seem to have some good potential.

We got an awesome new investigator this week. He's an investigator of Elder Davis' from Luanda who just moved down here to Lubango. He's a super awesome guy named Jose. He works for Coca-Cola and will be able to help out this branch here a ton. I had a good chat with him yesterday, he already has a super good testimony of the Gospel. The only thing is that his sister told his wife some anti stuff and now she is kind of hesistant about everything.... URGH! This is just the guy that this branch needs. We're going to go have a family night with them tonight with Elder and Sister Violin, it should be good!

Elder Violin had his 61st birthday this past Saturday so we decided to get a jersey made for him as a present. We had his name and the number 61 printed on it along with his nickname that we all have for him "Cabeção". It means big head. haha. We had an awesome little party for him at the church. He is a super awesome man. It will be sad when they leave here in the next month. Him and his wife have done a lot for the church here in Lubango. 

Albertina, our recent convert of about 2 months got a calling yesterday. She was made 1st counselor in the Young Womens! We're so excited for her. She is doing so great! Yesterday I counted and there were 7 people in church becuase of her. She is a reference machine! We had a really awesome lesson with her this week about wealth. She's been having troubles with work and stuff lately so we talked about what true wealth is. Her family, testimony, etc. She is one rich lady! She is so inspiring. 

The work is coming along super well. The Lord has blessed us with some really awesome investigators.  Yesterday at church we had 7 investigators at church which is pretty high for us, hopefully that number will keep going up! 

I love you all so much! Have an awesome week! Sorry the email was pretty short...

Love,

Elder Hyde

Awesome Week!

What is up?! This week was one of the best weeks I've had in a little while.

I'll start with a tender mercy that happened to me this week. So last P-day we were up at a park playing soccer with a few of the branch members and their friends and I decided to bring my camera to take some pictures because the park is really pretty. Sometimes we see monkeys so I wanted to catch a few pictures of them. But... while we were playing soccer someone opened my bag and took my camera. I didn't realize it was gone until we got home. They were super sneaky too cause Sister Violin was sitting right there. But the tender mercy is that I had already been talking to a guy that was going to the middle east on business for his electronics company and he said that he'd pick me up a camera. I'm not sure why I felt like I needed a new camera but I guess the Lord new! I stopped by his store today and picked it up. He was a champ and only charged me cost. Tender mercies!

This week we also made our way up to Luanda for Mission Conference! It was so awesome! We left Thursday afternoon for our flight, it wasn't bad, only about an hour. While we were walking off the plane onto the tarmac we could already feel the heat.. It was like a wall. We are super lucky in Lubango with the weather. Anyways, we got picked up at the Airport by one of the brazillian couples and they took us to where we would be staying. We stayed with Elder Davis and 3 other kids. Awesome guys. The conference was the next day. It was so awesome to re-unite with all of the other missionaries! And to meet all of the new missionaries! It's crazy how many new Elders have gotten here since I left Luanda. Everyone seems to be doing super good. We then had our all day training from Elder Cook. He is an incredible man! One of the more spiritual men I've met in my life. He told us everything that we needed to hear. He talked a lot about as a missionary and a mission president he always wished that he would have been there at the beginning or at the harvesting in the places he was serving, Germany and New Zealand, and he told us that that is the time right now in Angola and that we need to realize that we truly are laying a foundation for the future of the church here in Angola. I think it helped all of us wrap our heads around the utter importance of this work. We can't afford to slack off or not give it all that we have. It was definitely the best conference I've had since being here in Angola. We have incredible leaders. It was sad to say goodbye to all of the Elders but I was super excited to get back to Lubango to apply everything that we learned.

Work wise this week was very succesfull. Elder Sande and I were able to find two new families that seem to have a ton of potential. We'lll see what happens with them!

Once again I am absolutely in heaven! I love this work so much! I hope you all have an awesome week! Happy Valentines Day!

Love,

Elder Hyde

Lukey, Props on the big win buddy! Good luck at your tourney!

Con, Keep killin it in escola bruh.

Sam, You looked awesome at that dance!!

Syd, thanks for the email kiddo! You'e the best!

Pictures:

1. On the Tarmac

2. Us gettin ready to head to the airport.

3. Elder Clifford, Montgomery, and I

4. Elder Davis and I

5. Montgomery and I on the airplane

Weekly Update

What’s up everybody! Let me tell you about my week.

It was another productive week for us; we were able to find a few families that seem like they have some real potential to really help things down here in this branch.  Our main focus every week is trying to find families that will help this branch grow the way that it needs too.

Yesterday was one of the best testimony meetings that I’ve been in since I’ve gotten here in Angola. A lot of our recent converts got up and bore super strong testimonies about their gratitude for the Restored Gospel in their lives. It’s such a testament to the power that it has. They still don’t know much but they are doing and living the things that they know they need to and are receiving tons of blessing in return.

There is a member here named Rui who was baptized in Portugal about 10 years ago that we sit with every week who has been doing awesome lately. He is a very special dude to say the least, and has the craziest OCD that you could ever imagine. But over the past 2 months we have seen him grow a ton! We have been able to help him prepare to receive the priesthood, get to church on time every week (He used to come like an hour and a half late every week), and now he is blessing and passing the sacrament every week. So cool to see! 

The work is coming along awesome! The Lord is definitely helping us out big time. 

This week we are heading up to Luanda on Friday to have a mission conference with Elder Cook of the Seventy. I am super stoked! It is going to be so good to see all of the other missionaries and hear the revelation that Elder Cook has received for Angola. 

It's crazy that this week I hit my 6 month mark here in Angola! Time has absolutely flown by! I have learned so much over these past 8 months as a missionary. This truly is the Lord's work and he certainly has a hand in it. 

I love you all so much and hope that you all have the best week of your lives!

Love,

Elder Hyde

Con, Good luck on that found of bus test!

Syd, Thanks for the email yo! Keep on dancin on!

Sam, It's sounds like your doing great kiddo! You're awesome!

Lukey, you're the man bro! Good job on your game this week!