Busy Weekend

This picture depicts those who attended church today and witnessed the formation of the official Quelimane Branch of the LDS church.  It was a good day for all of us here. 

We look like we could be brothers don't we?  Here are President Osborn and his two counselors (newly ordained to the MP along with four others).  Amizade and Rui here are coincidentally the male half of the only two couples whose marriages I have performed here in Mozambique.  The focus of our mission here for the next 5 months became a little clearer today as we learned that there are no new couples known to be in the "pipeline" to come to Mozambique.  We need to somehow transfer a lifetime of church leadership experience to the saints here in our remaining time.    The faithful members here have a great thirst for learning both the doctrines of the gospel but also the manner, customs and culture of the gospel.  Our strongest desire is to not screw it up--but to teach them exactly right, with nary a single stray or non integral teaching slipping in.  Wish us luck.



On Saturday, we finished the final touches of the painting of the chapel and I installed a couple more fans for cooling.  The project was not perfect, but it looked pretty good and was an addition of about 60% more space.  Note that the ceiling is covered with sleeping mats--as an economical decorating choice.

The chapel exterior whose color I selected but missed the desired shade by a few degrees.  Oh well.  The chapel is surrounded by eight large screened windows to provide some air movement on very hot and humid summer days.

I thought that this picture was beautiful.  Debbie organized a woman's choir complete with matching capulanas and hats for the special service today.  The choir was awful but they looked  very good.With Debbie are our dear young friends Edma and Aissa.  Debbie feels like she looks just a bit too much like Aunt Jamima here.

We had a lovely baptism on Saturday for Arlinda and her daughter Dyna.  To my surprise they asked me to perform the baptism.  Arlinda is an impressively strong and capable woman (who even has a car).  Her husband works in Maputo way down south where he too is being taught the gospel.

We took president and Sister Kretly to the Island of Idugo to let them see the progress of the clean water humanitarian project.  Here is a nearly-completed well. which lacks only the cement slab that will surround the well.



We passed these sleeping children, who, like sleeping children everywhere, look angelic (though they may be more demonic upon awakening).

These men on the Island ofIdugo are not smoking skinny filterless cigarettes--but rather consuming something that is only slightly less harmful--candy suckers provided by Sister Osborn.  They loved her.

We had a very nice crab chicken, and duck feast prepared for us at the close of our island tour.  Pictured are President and Sister Kretly and Amizade and Lurdes.