Family History Center in Angola

April 2014
Hola!!!

How was the month??? hope it was amazing and everyone had a great Easter! Here it was not to greatly celebrated but that's okay! You still hear about and might see some decoration of some sort!

The week it was good though, actually it was a little interesting. Im in a new area and it is going well with Elder Whitaker so far I am liking it a lot. We have some really great people we are teaching. And im excited to just continue and grow and help the work progress here in the area. Being a Zone Leader for the first week it was about the same but im really excited to continue to learn from others and also help others grow! It is such a great opurtuninty to do so!!!
the week though went by pretty slow but pretty fast. The day since ive arrived in the new house our house hasn't had energy besised maybe 14 hours and the Generator died so yeah we haven't had much power. But it is alwasys fun right! but also kind of boring the house is dark. But the house is really fun and great and we finally received power to day so hopefully it stays!!

We had some really great lessons this week where the spirit was so strong. One of the strongest Restoration lessons that has happened with me on the mission the spirit was sooo strong and the lady actually understood it. It is so great to see the truth of our message and how it is the only truth here on the earth!!  Sorry this letter is kind of lame but it was an amazing week and I hope for an even better one as I start to learn more and get used to the area!!

I love you all and hope you have a great month!!!!

March 2014

Hello Everyone!

How was the month?  Hope it was amazing!!

This week it was a really good, we had a ton of meetings. Such as on Tuesday we had interviews with Presidente Merrill. They were great i surely loved them. It was probably one of the best ones ive had! Hes such a great Presidente and Example. Those took a little extra time just because others in our district were there and we had to wait for them. Then Weds we had Zone Meeting it was really great i enjoyed it alot we talked about how to teach so others will understand. Talked about some methods to help us be more affective in our teaching so its more interstting for the others we teach. We then had lunch at a members house who is actually from Vensueula. So she spoke spanish with a little portugues with also a little english all at the same time. It was crazy to see how i can kind of understand spanish! not fully but it was intersting!!
 On Saturday we had to go back to the church and we had a little meeting with Elder Cook from the area 70. It was amazing. Talked about way how we can help Angola grow and become a stake! I really enjoyed it and just showed how now really is the time the work just need to pick up and some really amazing things here will happen!
We will have one baptism this weekend. Rosaria who is the friend of Nomar. She is super great and prepared it will be exciting!  We have transfers this week. Nothing new happened. Im still district leader! im really exicted though for this transfer. I just feel like i just need to step it up a little more and give it allllll i can!!! see some great changes and hopefully we will find those prepared here this transfer. Elder Pimmentel and also Elder Mendez are in our district so to native people it should be really fun.
Wll that was the week! i hope all goes well this month!!
Love
Elder Banta




Sent from my iPad

Feb 2014

Hello Everyone!

Well this past month it was a good month and i really enjoyed it. I feel like there is much success happeneing in our area. Transfers happened a couple weeks ago and i am now training a missionary who was already trained in texas his name is Elder Nash. So Im pretty much just helping him with the language. Also I was made District leader! So far it is going really good and I seem like im learning alot and having some really good experiences! We have been finding some really cool people lately that have some great potential! And looking forward to finding more! Angola is amazing and the work here is growing a ton here. Such a great oppurtunity that i have to be here and help this great people! Well sorry this was short but i surely hope all is well with everyone and may the lord bless you all!!

Eu vós amo!! Elder Banta

Jan 2014 
Hello Everyone!

I hope Christmas was great for everyone and it was a great holiday and everyone felt the true spirit of Christmas!!! And everyone is getting ready for a new year! it is crazy how time is just flying by and its this time of year. but i hope it passes by great and everyone has a great new years!!!

This week was a great week honestly. It went by super fast with Christmas and everything else. Last Monday it was amazing we had a Christmas devotional with Presidente and Sister Merrill. Lets just say the spirit was very strong there i cannot explain it! We got to watch the Christmas Devotional from the first presidency! it was super great and i felt like inspired! But i learned the true spirit of Christmas during the meeting. It is a time of year to remember our lord Jesus CHrist and the great example he left for us and all the teachings we need to follow to have all the happiness in the world. He is so amazing i would love to be just like him! also a great time of the year to forget ourselve and think of others and help them before us. Serve them and help them feel of the same love! It was great i enjoyed it aton. We actually did that here we did a service project on tuesday and we painted a ladies house it was fun,  hey nothing better than painting in Africa hah!!! it turned out pretty well i though. And then on Christmas we actuall went and saved peoples christmas. Well we just went Caroling to some members houses it was fun. haha! But christams was just really great and a great experience to spend it here in Angola! NEver will forget it, its just great.

Saturday i got to watch a old investigator get baptized it was great his name is Adi! he is a champ and will be a great memeber. I feel like the work here it is just going along well and its growing a little at a time. Trying to be the best i can and help those in need come unto Christ! I am loving the mission though and helping everyone and see the changes in others lives. It should be a fun new years here!

Today it is just another short pday then weds we will be playing soccer with other missionaries it will be fun. But Tuesday and Weds we have to be in our house at 6pm just for extra safety.  I hope all is well with everyone and the lord blesses every single one of you during this week and the new year to come! i love you all and im greatful for all you have done for me! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Love you Elder Banta

Hello Everyone,

This week it was a really good week. It was a little different then a regular week just because of meetings and all that stuff. But i felt like it was great and full of the Spirit. Elder Ferguson finally got better on tuesday. We stayed in half of the day and it finally went away for the most part. Tuesday night we brought a member with us Arylisia, she actually served a mission in Temple Square, so it was cool taking a exmissionary with us. But the lessons went really well and again the spirit i thought was great with the lessons especailly when we taught Aleina. She actually was paying more attention and showed her desire to follow the example of Chirst.

Then wedsday we had our Misson conference. Lets just say it was an amazing day!!! Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the Seventy was here. I loved it you can totally tell he is surely called of God to do this great work! The training was super good, Presidente Merrill he spoke of many things from being obediente and showing that we are surely called of God. I love one thing that he said as you walk by everyone, Have them think, THERE GOES A MAN OF GOD!!! I love that a ton!! Sister Hamilton spoke about the importance of unity within the companionship. Then Elder Hamilton he spoke of many things. He started off just asking the thing we need and what we could need help with in becoming better missionaries. Then he just applied it to us and spoke of multiple things. From marriage of investigators to working with member, all of it was taught amazingly and the spirit was felt. I loved it, it was an amazing day. One ill remember for ever.

Elder Ferguson and I had a really great experience Thursday. One that i will not forget. We went and taught a new investigator her name is Yolanda. She actually received a pamphlet a year before that then some other missionaries ran into her last week. So we passed by and spoke with her. We got to know her then taught her the first lesson. And as we were teaching the first vision and about the Church getting restored, after we asked if she had a question. And then she got emotional. It was crazy though because the first thing that popped in my head was a story out of Preach My Gospel that i had read that morning that spoke about the same thing the missionaries were teaching and the lady started crazy and she said she had recieved a answer and she knows its true. It didnt really happen like that with us but i could just see the spirit working through her and she felt something especial. she kind of acted like nothing happened but we could see it. She said she has the desire to know what the truth is so i guess we will see. I think she has great potential!

The rest of the week was pretty good though Sunday Everyone canceled on us! But the lord guided us to Adãos house where there he took us to a friends house. ANd this older lady she was great she asked 2 of the greatest question. I want to know what the real church is. How can i know? and what happens after we die! it was great! i could see the lords hand in the work this week. Sadly this was my last week in Viana i will be transfered to a differnet area( Benfica). I don't know much about the area its just by the ocean.  It is still in Luanda. And ill be serving with Elder Montgomery, who only has 3 transfers left. OUr mission still didnt receive anyone! and Elder Chandler, Hobbs, will be going home and Elder Fransciso will be going to the MTC in the United states so he can finally start his mission in Guanna. Pretty crazy but hopefully the next transfer we will recieve a ton of missionaries. Visas are being difficult.

Well that was my week hope everyone is well and the week goes well. I love you all!

Love Elder Banta