Week 76

"It isn't easy anywhere to find people who are truly prepared for the gospel. I know that Africa is special. I am very blessed."

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

Sister Koch, President Koch and I celebrated Christmas together.

Hey Everyone!

Happy New Year!

For those who are not informed this is the year I come home! Pretty cool! In fact in exactly 6 months I'll be packing my bags to go home!

I am super happy to still have this time on the mission. I should be leaving Maxixe here in a couple of weeks but who knows.

So it's the New Year and I think I'll just share an experience from the first day of 2017. Yesterday we biked a lot! And we ended up near those huge trees with a new investigator of ours. We sat with his family and afterwards he gave us a reference of a family near his. It ended up resulting in over 10 new investigators. 

I just wanted to share that tender mercy that we received. It isn't easy anywhere to find people who are truly prepared for the gospel. I know that Africa is special. I am very blessed. I know that we can all do our part this year to help those who are searching for the truth to find it. 

I love you all! I hope you start off the New Year in a great way!

Elder Nimmo

P.S. More photos from Christmas in Maputo.

A Merry Mozambique Christmas!

Sabado = Sunday

Christmas dinner

I'm grateful for my time spent in the mission home for Christmas.

Missionary Tie Swap

Christmas Oreo cookies from the Kochs

Elder Draney

Elder Walton

Elder Jimenez

Elder Baker

Elder Burchette

Elder Chipman

Elder Payne to my right, Elder Bird on my left.

Elders Watteyne, Stegman and Stowe

Elder Chipman and photobomb by Elder Goes

Elder Nielsen

Elder Hall

Back to reality-

Destination: Maxixe

I got back just in time to see Carlos and Dulce get married.

I lent the groom my tie!

They killed a pig to celebrate the wedding and the New Year.

This last December we reached the mark of 1000 baptisms in our mission. 

This artwork was created by Elder Verde.

Week 75

"I hope your Christmas was very special!"

Monday, December 28th, 2016

I'm in the middle, the ONLY one giving thumbs up!

Hey Everyone,

I hope your Christmas was very special! 

I had a great Christmas week! Elder Green and I were flown down to Maputo on the 21st. We stayed at the President's house and we got fed super well! I love home-cooked, well balanced meals. It was an awesome time, super relaxing! The best part was talking on Skype for a over 30 minutes with all of my family except my grandparents. I also saw a lot of Elders in Maputo and had a great time with them. I received a great package from my family! I have so many photos of my great week that I will share half now and the rest next week. I was able to go to T-3 for a short amount of time and see people from my time there! 

But now I'm back in Maxixe doing the usual. I just wanted to share a quick thought: We all make mistakes, and we all fall short of our potential. It is crucial that when we fall short we recognize those faults and make them better. When we sin we need to repent. When we hurt we need to ask God for His healing power. I am starting to see that many people in this world feel burdens that are hard to relieve. And it makes me want to help them. But I can't help them nor can any one of us if we have our own burdens. 

I hope that we can rise above our earthly potential one day. I know it is possible, we need only remove the burdens and problems that leave us bound to this earthly state of mind. And we should help others remove theirs on the way.

I love this gospel and the truth that it contains. I pray this New year we can all leave things in the past and start growing heavenward. 

Have a great week!

Elder Nimmo

Late night dinner after arriving at President and Sister Koch's home.

First day back in Maputo, we took a ride in a Chopella,

Elder Green and I,

back to T-3, an old area of ours.

We both wanted to visit a family that we really care about.

After I taught them everything about the gospel I was transferred. 

But Elder Green took my place and was able to baptize the family. 

Where's Elder Nimmo?

Maputo Zone Conference

Instruction, food, more instruction, more food...

Celebrated the November birthdays in the mission...

Feliz Aniversario! (I'm far right)

President and Sister Koch selfie!

The small group of Elders staying at the mission home,

were lucky to have dinner out,

at KFC!

Christmas Eve Day, waiting our turn to Skype home with family.

Elder Paiva and I.

Elder Green and I.

In President Koch's office about to Skype. 

It was so great to see my family, but the book my mom created and sent me, as well as seeing everyone, made me a little "trunky" - def: restless, anxious, excited to go home.

Comment added by Brandi Nimmo-

As a mother, with a son half way around the world, the holidays are a little less bright. But when I found out that our Christmas box for Cole arrived after a seven week journey, when I heard that the mission was flying him down to Maputo for Christmas, when I received this direct message from his Mission President's wife, Sister Koch, that he would be receiving  "VIP treatment" my heart was full again! 

Our Christmas card this year had this photo of Elder Nimmo with these words:

"Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man."

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, may His love reach you wherever you are.

Our Savior's love is reaching our son all the way in Mozambique. It comes in many forms; the children he plays with, the families he teaches, the fellow missionaries and companions he serves with, the Mission President and Sister Koch that care for him, and his family in New Hampshire through the blessing of technology. We are so thankful that you had a very special Christmas Elder Nimmo!