To The Wolf Hollow First Ward! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year 

From Mozambique!

Where you can have your fish and eat it too.

Today is the 6th of January and we realize we have not put a letter together for the ward in several months. We are so sorry. That is neglecting people we love very much.
So we hope this can some how make up for it.
We have so much to say and just need to pick out some pieces so here you go.

The year 2012 flew by so fast for us. We have been so busy and had a lot of wonderful experiences on our mission.

Salt Farm On Idugo.

The people in Mozambique are so kind and friendly. We feel so safe and love in this country.
We have been busy finally receiving our wheelchairs and look forward to getting them distributed now that the holidays are passed. We thank you for your prayers. It is vacation time for this continent and everything shuts down for December and January.

So it will be in the middle of January we continue distributing the Chairs.

Water Conditions on Idugo.

The water project we worked on in Quelimane (Ilha de Idugo) was a wonderful experience and a lot of fun. We were able to bring clean water to an Island that has 15000 people living in a very primitive fashion There are no roads, electricity or any modern conveniences.

Water Spot before the wells.

Many of the people on the island are very young because of their short life span. Over 50% have aids and they are troubled with many other diseases. There are mostly children on the island.
 

It is a place where there are few examples of how to raise families and in most cases it is generations of children raising children.

Truck Loaded to drive North.

But their water conditions were horrible and a member in Quelimane has family still living on this island. We had a project approved to put 10 wells on the island. This is all they asked for.

Teaching the Site Monitor

Of Course the Missionaries volunteer to help.

So we loaded up the truck with all of the supplies from here  and drove the 3 day drive to Quelimanem, Zambezi province, where the Ilha De Idugo is located.

Learning to cut the steel.

The project was a little different in that all the work was done by the people on the island and supervised by our contractor,Amizade and Our Site monitor, Naldo.

Our Site Monito Naldo will teach Amizade who will in turn teach the people on the island all the skills they need to dig and build the wells.
Both will stay with the people the entire time to monitor the work for the Church.
They report to us and Elder Osborn periodically as to the progress of the project.



Our goal was to give them not only clean water but to teach them some working skills they could use in the future. This is the main objective of humanitarian efforts is for the projects to be sustainable.
We also knew a well they dig and operate themselves they will appreciate so much more and there isn't anything that can break.

Unloading onto the handmade boats.

Of course being the man he is Elder Wollenzien could not leave until he was sure the Naldo and Amizade knew exactly what to teach the people and make sure they taught it correctly.

Island visible in the background. A good day.

They were excited for the water and it was a lot of fun getting to know their culture, their island, their way of life and experience their joy in learning how to work and do new skills. That was awesome.

Learning to make the cement rings for the wells.

Learning to do the cement work was hard work.

 t

WE DID IT!

Learning to dig the wells down and keep them level.

 

Everyone excited to see what is in there.

Aha! There is water down there. Clean water.

To get to this island we had to cross the ocean in dug out canoes, walk through mud up to our knees and walk barefoot through salt farms. 



As we canoed back and forth across sometimes pretty stormy water we never felt as though we should worry. More so we just felt joy. Sometimes finding ourselves just laughing out loud.

The first clean water.

We could feel our Heavenly Father involved in this project all along the way.

One of the finished products.

As we would be with these people we knew they may not ever know much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ but what they did know and feel was that Heavenly Father knew them and loved them.



 Because we told them so and you could just feel it.

 They knew God had not forgotten them. They  commented that finally God has heard their prayers.



There were many frustrating times working with the people and even our site monitor often times was discouraged as it was hard. But the marvelous part was that you could feel when you looked at these people how much Heavenly Father loves them and knows them. Each time you look at them their smile touches your heart.

Every one of them.'

people gather for handover ceremony

Back in Maputo again.


We finished that project in December and then drove back to Maputo. Since then we have been busy with visits to Johannesburg and Zone conference and Christmas.

Zone Conference with Elder Cook. His daughter Marie took Photo.

When Milion comes to town everyone loves it. He is such a great help to everyone. He is over facility maintenance in Beira.
Milion and his best friend served in Capetown with Bryce Christensen.
Finally I remembered to get a picture.

Milion's and I and Milions new baby girl. 

And here we are at a brand new year.
We have still more paper work ahead of us, an orphanage in Macia to take a look at and we have been asked by the province up north to do another project on the island next to the one we just did so we will  write up a project and leave it for the next couple to enjoy...or return again.

T-3 branch Pres. and Elders.Elder Fenandez on very far left is now in MTC Brazil.

We also are helping in a branch called T-3 where they are struggling a bit with inactivity. We are helping the district to train the members and the leadership there.

Helping with English Class on Saturdays.

That has been fun. Today all the young girls were around me looking at pictures of my new grand baby on my ipad and then they saw Pictures of Willy. The were screaming and oo-ing and aw-ing just like the rest of the young women in the church over a single young man.
They were pretty funny. So many of the youth here are so strong and they are the only members in their families.
We have lately been having an increase of families though in the missionary work. Our President has focused on that and wow has it been incredible the amount of families found and whole families baptized.

Yes we are in love with Mozambique. 
We love the beautiful country but most of all we love the people and the wonderful members here. We love seeing the work go forward here. It is amazing and we realize with or without senior couples the work will go forward in Mozambique.

Milion and his family.

The members here are like the name Mozambique, unique .  They are strong. Stronger than you can imagine. Their stories really pull at your heart.

I will tell you about a newly return sister missionary. She lives here in Maputo in a little hut in a neighborhood way inside the city. She lives with her older brother. They are the only 2 other siblings  alive in their family. Her Dad, Mom and 3 other children have passed away. She said she loves the gospel as it brings her the hope to be with her Mother again. She is the only member in her family. She came and sat with me yesterday and we talked about marriage. She is worried because she is looking for a Captain Moroni to marry. She realizes he is going to be hard for her to find. She knows there is a chance she may never marry in this lifetime but she is not going to settle for someone who is not right for her. She is just the greatest young woman.

Sister Macamo and Milion's family

They are so humble and simple and have so little but they think they have so much. And They Do .
They have the Gospel and we have learned that all the money in the world can not change Mozambique. The thing that will give strength to Mozambique is The Gospel of Jesus Christ and His teachings.
We love and miss all of you. We are so excited to meet all the new families. We are so proud of the missionaries in that ward. WOW! You are such a great support to us and we thank you for your love and your prayers.

3 African Queens.

The Lord has truly blessed us on this mission and at home in the lives of our family members. We are so thankful for this opportunity to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and the people of Mozambique in this very small way.

Have a Great New Year!
Elder and Sister
Wollenzien