Week 5 Munhava B

YEP! So another week down and another email session to top off a great week! To be honest this transfer has been flying by! It feels like yesterday that I just got up in Beira with Elder Griffeth but it’s been over a month... crazy!  It sounds like this past week was super duper chill for everyone! Hope everyone partied way hard with all the bdays! I heard my boy Barries set the mic on fire at his farewell! It is crazy to see pics of all the buddies together!

Just some updates about the week; Last Monday we had a family night with 8 missionaries at Jorge and Remina's and it was a special night! We were there with Elder Rissperess (who found Jorge and Remina), Elder Finau (who baptized Jorge and Remina/his last family night on the mission) and everyone else that just wanted to tag along because they are such a dope family. Jorge was just called to be our new 1st counselor in our ward as well so everyone is really excited about that.

Elder Price informed me that down in Mahotas that Armando and Atalia were married and baptized on Saturday and Sunday!

More wedding news, Afonso is pretty sure he will be receiving the rest of the money that he needs to open and close the wedding process so we will be most likely having a wedding and a baptism in the next couple weeks for them! As for the rest of our families they are doing really well. Jose and Lucia are doing well. Admiro and Alferida are working the problems they have been having. We sat with them twice this past week, once on Wednesday and then on Saturday. We challenged them on Wednesday to pray together every night until Saturday and they did and they both said they could see a difference. During that lesson the Spirit impressed me that one of the greatest benefits of the Gospel is to bless families!

Other than that all of that and busy weekend of giving improvised talks at baptisms on Saturday, teaching Sunday School and the Young Men on Sunday. Besides all of that, I was able to enjoy my first Easter on the mission. Easter isn’t too big down here so that was kind of a bummer... We did boil and color some eggs though so that made up for it. But with all of that I was able to reflect on the significance of Easter and why it is so special... Christ lives! And because of that we have hope! Hope for past, future and present! Because He lives, we need to do doubt! Because of His lives, we too can live and help others come to know this great message of hope!

I love you all soooo much! Hope everyone has a great week! Keep it sleazy!

Love,

Elder Chipman

How about eggs?

Our favorite drunk buddy.

I got crabs....Found this little guy on our stairway

 Admiro and Alferida

Jose/Lucia and Lucia's sister Florinda

 Saying bye to Elder Katoa #Grasshoppers. Going to miss this guy tons!

 S/O to the moon for light when there is no power in the area.

 Pondering time with Elder Brown.

 Family night at Jorge and Remina's.

LOL

Week 4 - Munhava B "I call air conditioners cool blasterz... with a z, I don’t know where that came from."

Yoooo what it do fam??? It sounds like everyone had a great week! It seems  like Teags stole the show at the Wasatch play and everyone has been partying too hard with the BDays recently! So first, gotta say happy bday to my twin Jensen, Bret, Freya and Beez!! Hope ya’ll have stellar bdays!

This week was a super good one! Barb has probably sent out the pics already but we had zone conference this week and it was super dope! For the zone conferences up in Beira we do a big combined one with the Beira zone, Manga zone, and the Nampula zone (outside areas). So we had all the missionaries from the outside areas fly in this week and we refuged the dupla from Tete which was Elder Guirleme, and Elder Dos Santos (aka Juicey from Magoanine who is serving in Tete until he gets his visa to go to South Africa). Elder Griffeth and I have the big room in our place so they had to stay with us in our room. Fun thing about it was that our cool blasterz stopped working at about 1 o’clock in the morning.... let’s just say trying to sleep while dripping sweat doesn’t fly haha but I made it through zone conference without napping so that’s always good. We focused on something that Elder Andersen said during the leadership meeting in Maputo. He said, "There will be many  temples built in Africa.  Why not Mozambique? And why not sooner rather than later?" A pretty cool statement from a servant of the Lord. We focused on faith and how through our faith, God can perform miracles (2nd Nephi 27:23). President Koch threw out an Urban Meyer quote AND a Dream Team reference! That pretty much somes up our zone conference right there haha. But after day dreaming thinking about the Dream Team documentary and then Space Jam, the Spirit impressed on me what our role is with faith. We cannot focus on the past. We can only control what we do in the present, to put ourselves in situations that will stretch our faith. By doing so our faith will grow and our light will shine to others. Elder Andersen's talk from last general conference speaks about how our faith is a choice.  I have such a strong testimony that when we stretch our faith and step out of the comfort zone  God will bless us with miracles! I know that Heavenly Father is a God of Miracles if we do all that we can and put our faith in Him and our Savior miracles will come and more importantly we will be able to help others receive these miracles as well!

Other updates about the week; All of our families are doing well, we have 4 right now just trying to earn the money to open and close the wedding process. Elder Griffeth stepped in a hole in our area and his boot straight filled with water haha. We had stake conference. One of the recent converts in our area (Jorge) was called to be the 1st counselor in our ward and we are so pumped about it. We played Gatorball (mix of soccer and football) today and I don’t think I have ever been so hot in my life.

I hope everyone has a great week! Love you all so much! Big Gulps huh? Well... see ya later!

Love,

Elder Chipman    

Getting some help crossing the river or street.

My life be like ooh-ahh

These are probably some pretty cool kids.

Elder Burchett (from Oly) and good old me.  I still know how to do the Eagle Claw.

Munhava B--Week 3

Alright sports fans just another week living the dream! First, a big old shout out to my boys, Steven and Riley, on getting their calls this week! And it sounds like it will be a busy week for everyone so I hope everyone has a great week.

As for my week, it was a pretty good one! Elder Griffeth and I are working really hard to help this area and ward grow! We have been able to find some really great, young, new families. One is José and Lucia. We contacted José on Friday, taught them on Saturday and then they came to church on Sunday... Stuff like that doesn’t happen that much, so we are super excited to continue teaching them! (ps they have an air conditioner in their apartment so it nice we don’t die of sweat during the lessons) It has been getting hotter and hotter out here. I usually have to take an extra shower during lunch to 1) cool off and 2) not smell bad for the rest of the day sooo haha. We will be having zone conference and stake conference this week so it should be a great for us here in Munhava!

Also, down in Mahatos this past week, Alzira and Pedro got baptized! There is truly no better thing than seeing people you truly care about choose to follow Christ. Not even just as missionaries but just as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we should do all we can to truly help all we can follow Christ. I am so grateful for this chance I have to represent Him day in and day out, to testify that He truly is the light of the world and that through him anything is possible! I love and miss all of you so much and I hope everyone has a great week.

Love,

Elder Chipman

In the back of a packed Chapa and there is no windows open. 

View from the outside of a prédrio in our area.

View from the top looking down into the prédio

This dude really likes the Coco

My study desk.

 Doing contacts and droppin mixtapes

Munhava B--Week 2

Coming at you live from the Slums of Shoalin right now aka Beira! This week was pretty good and went by really fast! The rain stopped on Monday morning so that was nice. The downside is that our area was flooded for the entire week so we had to wear our boots out every day and let’s just say hot days in rubber boots gets a little toasty! But most of the water as all dried up, just "matopi" which means mud. It is funny, here and in Maputo whenever you ask someone how they are, they will respond that they are fine and then with the weather so all we have heard this week is, "Estou bem, só matopi!" haha

Investigator wise all is well! Elder Griffeth and I are working to increase our teaching pool and finding new families! We are teaching two families right now (Alfonso and Jasinta & Feroque and Dina) who have been taught everything but are just waiting to earn the money to open the wedding process. With Alfonso and Jasinta, they had saved up all the money (475 MT) to open the process and then went to the register and found out that they would have to pay an extra 550 MT to close the process 3 days after the wedding... It is sad to say that they don’t have that extra money yet and will have to start saving again. Alfonso and Jasinta are rock stars though and they just had a great attitude about and Alfonso in lesson told us that this was just a test of faith.. How dope is that?? They are so prepared that I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord will help them through this!

Other fun stories; Elder Griffeth saw a goat get slaughtered, skinned, gutted, and then later that same day being sold in the market in our area! The market in our area is called the "Massamba" and let’s just say most of our interesting and funny stories come from walking up and down the street of the Massamba.

It sounds like every one back home is doing great! It seems like everyone is either traveling or planning to travel here soon! So safe travels for Brandon back east this week! Phank go kill it Boston! For everyone else have a great and safe week! I will be sweating here and loving everyone minute of it! The Church is true! Christ is our Savior and I am so grateful that He laid is life down for me so I could have the opportunities I have had in my life! Peace, Love and Blessings! Beats, Rhymes and Life!

Love,

Elder Chipman

Awkward Walking  

A quick look at our area

Post Goat Execution

Elder Griffeth and I enjoying rain storms on the roof tops

The beautiful Palmeiras chapel (Beira Stake Center

Week 1 Munhava B "Crankin up the Toto"‏

OK so it sounds like everyone is holding down the hood back in SLC! Jensen, good luck with getting your tonsils out buddy!! I am super jealous that you will be able to eat popsicles all day every day! I  hope everything else is going well for everyone as well!

So with a butt ton of changes this week I will start by answering some questions that I have gotten. I am living with 6 elders in our new apartment. We have a SUPER young house with the Elder Griffeth, Elder Baker, and Elder Nimmo in their 5th transfers. Then it is Elder Smith and I in our 4th and then Elder Ortiz in his 1st. Living with this young of a house is toooo chill cause we are all pretty motivated and all looking to learn. We also live really close with a lot of the other missionaries in the Beira and Manga zone. We live above an apartment of 6 missionaries, behind an apartment of 6 missionaries and two doors down the street from another apartment of 6 missionaries. So we are all jam packed in but it is way fun. We are assigned to the Munhava ward and we have us and Elder Baker and Elder Smith working in the other side of our area in the same ward.

The area of Munhava B is completely different from Magoanine and Mahotas!! Walking through the area on Wednesday, I had to stop for a sec.. I looked at Elder Griffeth and just said, "I am straight up in Africa now!" Our area has two main neighborhoods in it. One feels like you are in a rundown part of Vegas mixed with Detroit, which is the same neighborhood we live in. It has a lot of "prédios" which are old apartment buildings, big roads and palm trees. The other hood we have in our area is what you all picture to be Africa. Houses all bunched together, made out of sticks, rocks and mud. The people are incredible here though! I have had in one week already so many confirmations from the Spirit that the Lord truly prepares people to hear and accept this Gospel. We have a family that will be getting married soon, Alfonso and Jasinta (they are still working to earn the money for all of their documents and the wedding process) who this week we went over the interview questions. After we had finished up with all of the questions, Jasinta asked, "What about the 10 commandments?" I replied and told her that wasn't on the interview questions but I asked what the 10 commandments were and then she rambled off all 10 commandments with ease!! I am so excited to be working with this family, the rest of our investigators, and finding the people that the Lord has truly prepared to hear this message. I have never seen poverty like I am seeing right now but it is a blessing to see how little these people can have but how truly happy they can be because they have the Gospel in their life’s and a testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Other news on the week.... it is super-hot up here!! The humidity is ridiculous but this week we have been blessed with the rains down here in Africa! It started raining early in the morning on Sunday and just did not stop. By the time we had to go to church all of the roads were flooded and yep... the rain still didn’t stop. During church the church started flooding and it still didn’t stop. So all of last night, Elder Griffeth and I were walking out in area with our rain boots straight walking through rivers! It also rained really hard during the night and we woke up today with two rooms and the living room flooded... so that was super chill! We got everything cleaned up so it is all good. I apologize for the long email haha but I love and miss all of you so much! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Chipman

 Alfonso and Jasinta

Biker gangs are too hard here

 Just out here working

Pictures from part of our area.

Week 12 Mahotas B

Ok yall, to sum up week shortly.... I cant!! Sooo much and too much went down!

First, Meeting with Elder Andersen and having the oppurtunity to be present in 3 meetings with him was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life! He talked with all of the members of the Maputo Stake, then with all of the Priesthood Leadership, and then with all of the missionaries. The spirit that he carries with him wherever he goes truly testifies that he is a chosen servant of the Lord and that the Priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith and that God calls and speaks to the prophets, apostles, and leaders of the church! 

Second, transfers were happening a little bit early this week so that any missionaries that would be flying through Maputo would have the oppurtunity to meet with Elder Andersen. I got the news that my boy, Elder Price, (star bball player at Corner Canyon) would be coming to take my spot in Mahotas B to be with Elder Ribeiro. So Elder Price and the other missionaries from Beira flew down Saturday morning and were here by mid-afternoon. So Elder Price walked with Elder Ribeiro and I in a tripla for acouple of days. Saturday, we went the whole night and next morning without power and boooooy was it hot. We all slept on our patio so wouldnt die of heat. Sleeping on the couch cussions wasnt too bad! I felt like I was back in Newport sleeping out on the balcony with Parker and Brody haha. But with Elder Price coming that meant I was going...

Third, I got the news right after the meeting with Elder Andersen on Sunday that I would be making the trip up to Beira on Monday morning! So I will be now working with Elder Griffeth in the area of Munhava A! Elder Griffeth is from Idaho Falls, so he will be my first american comp and is only a transfer older than I am so we will be running and gunning like a more white, less athletic version of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. This is Elder Griffeth's only area on the mission so far so I am super pumped to learn the area from him. But I am so excited for this change and it is a change indeed. Beira and Maputo honestly feel like two complete different missions and its will be hard to adjust at first but it will be could because we all know there is no growth in the comfort zone! To describe the weather here... it feels like I am in Las Vegas, but just with 100% humidity.... so sweat is what I will be doing for I have a feeling for a long time!

As for everything back home.. Cait!!! Holy cow!! I hope you are doing alright!!! I am so sorry that happened| Little kiddies, keep loving school, skiing and playing those sports! Love and miss all of you guys! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Chipman

The Golden State Dupla

Saying bye to Elder Price

Week 11 Mahotas

Another week is in the books and it is honestly so crazy to think that I have been working in one area for 11 weeks.. it does not seem like I have been here that long at all! But this week was one with some ups and some downs. First, we had to reschedule Alzira's baptismal date because she didnt make it to an extra interview that she needed to have. So she will now be baptized on the 27 of Feb and she was a little frustrated at first but last night she bore her testimony about how she knows everything happens for a reason and that she knows the Lord will bless with patience. Armando and Atalia have all of their documents ready to open the wedding process and so their wedding and baptism should be close as well. Other than that the work is going really well. Elder Ribeiro and I have been working really effectively trying to find those who are truly prepared to hear the message of the restoration. 

As for a story of the week: Thursday, we did a division with the Zone Leaders and so I was working with Elder Openshaw in our area and we had left right after studies to teach a single woman named Sinah. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and it all went really well until while she was saying the closing prayer she straight became possessed...... hahaha it was honestly top 5 scariest moments of my life! She had started her prayer in English (She is South African so its hard for her to pray in Portuguese) but half way through she switched to Zulu which is her dialect and then after that she started making the same noise over and over and over until she finally yelled at us to pray for her. Not knowing what was happening, Elder Openshaw and I both said a quick prayer in our hearts and then tried to call her name and shaking her a little bit to snap her out of it. She was still making the same noise and rubbing a cross into her forehead. She was sweating and crying and then Elder Openshaw took her hand away from her head and she snapped out of it and acted like everything was fine. She told us that when she prayers that a spirit comes over her and that she can see what happens to people... sooooo ya thats my story for this week haha. Besides all of that everything is super chill. I was able to buy a new camera last week and an exercise band so I can do by high reputation reps and be toned like a young a Brad Pitt. Just joking I am fat hahah.

But it sounds like all is well back home! Glad that everyone had a great time in St. Geezy while supporting Lane at her soccer tournament. I hope that everyone has a great week and try and find oppurtunities to serve others! Stay sweet, stay fresh!

Love and miss you all,

Elder Chipman

 Juicy's Farewell

Chiquelene Market