Lubango

Hello Everyone!

It's been a while; everything has been crazy hectic the last few weeks. Two weeks ago, I got assigned to Tchioco/Eiwa in the Lubango zone. However, I wasn't actually transferred for another week, so I ended up staying in Luanda for a bit. I decided to switch over to the other Elders' area that stayed in the same house just because I never got to work there before. It was actually really fun, and I got to help train a new American Elder! After the weird week of being transferred but not being transferred, I finally got to my new area!

The area here is pretty cool. There's actually a Group here in addition to the Branch, so it's pretty interesting. The Group is very small, and we're working on having the members actually show up on time. My very first Sacrament meeting there, we started with three people in the congregation. The Branch is still very new, and we're working on getting all the things running as they should be and getting members to show up to fulfill their callings. As part of this, I was called as 2nd Counselor of the Branch Presidency, and I'm supposed to help my comp as Branch Clerk, so I've got three callings now!

Lubango is super pretty. There are beautiful mountains and waterfalls nearby that we've visited the past couple of P-days. There is a smaller Cristo Redentor here that we got to visit and a really cool "LUBANGO" sign, kind of like the Hollywood sign.

We also had Zone Conference this week as well, heavily focused on the power of the Book of Mormon and helping others gain a testimony of it. A testimony of the Book of Mormon helps us in all other aspects spiritually: understanding the importance of the Sabbath, why we should pay tithing, knowing who God is and our relationship with Him, and learning the path to eternal happiness and salvation. It is all related to the Book of Mormon. Knowing the truth of the words of the Book of Mormon helps us keep our covenants and keep the commandments. And even just a desire to have a testimony, a wish to know the truth, is a start to endless spiritual growth. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion and the best tool to make Christ the Keystone of our lives if we just gain our own testimony for ourselves.

I hope y'all have a great week!

Elder Thatcher Bishop











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