Gall! Come on! Toffee! You have no idea how much my mouth is watering now.

Sorry.

Chris taking a ride.  LOVE the tie.

Anyway, let me tell y'all about Munhava.
A. Dang that it's not in the Lion King.
B. Holy freaken cow humid. I swear I am soaking wet every day here due to sweat. I have never had to deal with this before and it's hard. My body is yelling to stop and go somewhere dry. Also, the waterpack backpack idea was great, fantastic-all the other Elders want one as small as mine, but I am on the lookout for a shoulder strap bag. Backpacks just soak your back with sweat.
C. Elder Brandao(with a tilde over the "a" to make it nasalized) is my new companeiro. He speaks less than no English and is from Cape Verde. A bit about him: to describe him in one word I'd use "Direct" or maybe "bold." Holy cow.

Elder Brandao from Cape Verde

So first off, most the people here who are married are not married officially (or "in the register" is the proper name here) and just live together so we must get them married before they can be baptized. Well...Elder Brandao will just walk into a lesson (I need to get you some pictures of some of the houses-poor poor poor. literally living in mud) and tell the little couple with five kids that "You are breaking a commandment by living together." or "You are sinning and must get married."
Otherwise, he is very much so in charge of our companionship. He just takes control and goes. My problem is that he does all the talking and if I let him he'll just teach everything.
C. Munhava is actually part of Beira, so officially I am in the city of Beira and the um...area of Munhava.
D. Poor. Africa is a poor part of the world. The oddest thing though is that you can walk into a mud brick hut thingy and find a tv sitting on the table. They can have water flooding their road and a chickens in the living room and there's the TV playing away. The mix of poverty and electonics throws you off.

Yup, the package is here. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I got it Thursday and opened it that night. I couldn't wait. Ties-Awesome. Lasagna-mmmmm, Christmas dinner will be heaven. candy and decorations-yeah! Stocking-Christmas day opener. Bowl will really come in handy too, I like the snowman thing mom.

President Kretly with children

So, hopefully, this paltry peek helps you see somewhat into what Munhava, and further Mozambique is like.

Oh, but on the subject of Elder Brandao and the BOLDNESS. Apparently it has worked REALLY well because he and Elder Hall baptized 4 families last transfer. Sorry, Married and baptised 4. Pres is all abuzz telling everyone of what my comp did last transfer. Truly, I have a great opportunity to learn here. With Port. and with teaching Elder Brandao is sure to teach me alot this transfer.

Well, I have to email pres, Dad, and Josh now so I need to get a move on.

I love you all, know I am fine, know I HATE mosquitoes, know I LOVE mangas(mangos), enjoy dry, cold utah,
Pray that I will be bolder and know what to say in lessons so Elder Brandao doesn't hog the time,(he's great really-he just talkes fast and knows his material WELL),

Happy missionary in a new area with Pres., Sis. Kretly, and his new companion.

Love you all, if I don't respond to all Q's sorry,
Tell Grandpa and Isaac that I got their letters and love them and also that we don't eat bugs here, (the people eat sun dried fish called peixe seco, but that's gross and would probably kill me, so we aren't allowed),

Love you all, thanks for the package and the PICTS and handwritten letters I LOVE THEM!!!

Elder Christopher Wartena

PS. Funny fact, over here "negro" is not rascist. The people think it means "friend." It is actually more polite than "black." I? I just say senhor and senhora, much more polite. The people call me Mazungo, which in Sena means "white guy." Whatevs.

And Now It Came to Pass . . .

THAT I AM BEING TRANSFERRED!!!

Boom.

So, you know the first lion king, the First song, well, after the sun rises in the animated sky an African woman starts singing and do you know what she says? HAH! She says the name of my next area "Munhava!" Listen for it.

Well, it's north, in Beira, so that means an airplane ride for me. AND, I have no time at all before it.
We (I and Elder Francisco-he's off to Marrumeio) found out that we'd be leaving last night (around 9 pm) and that we'd better pack. They didn't say where last night, but we found out recently today. We were told last night that we'd be leaving because we are actually leaving in 2 hours...so...this will be an extremely short, pitiful email. We have walked all over T-3 and Influene D (area of Francisco) today getting things set in order, and I still need to go and get the capalana scripture case I ordered from a lady here after I finish up.

So,
A. sorry this was a crap email.
B. Tell everyone else that I'm sorry, but I seriously have no time to write them. I love you ALL!!!
C. I am going to miss Claudio-our one truly progressing investigator. Yeah, a little sad, but he's the only one who has continued coming to church and doing all we asked him. Maybe it's our fault. I feel that perhaps I could have worked harder, maybe. Ah, I am still beating on myself to work harder. Honestly I kind of expect a Paul or Peter like experience (minus of course death) of myself. Anyway, Claudio has his Baptism date set for the 22nd. I hope he makes it.

Love you all more than Fanta Uva, ananas, or laranja. aka Fanta grape, pineapple, and orange(they have great soda choices here),
Elder Christopher Wartena


Steve Rogers aka Captain America signing out.