Why Being a Missionary is Awesome!

Three posts in one once again this week. This semester has been kicking my butt, especially now that our games are played on Thursdays and Sundays. When we travel we're gone from Wednesday to Sunday night and we miss a lot of class which means we're constantly behind in our work which makes for some stressful days. But that's alright! I'm loving this semester and our season is going really well so I can't complain :)

September 26th

"So this week was awesome! Wait did I say that last week???? Okay then this week was spectacular! Wait maybe the was what I said two weeks ago, fantastic? Nope used that one already, flipping, fetching wow, sweg, swoosh swap, slam dunking, goal scoring, crowd cheering, incredible week..... ya.....

So why you may ask? Well to start off I am serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! How could it not be incredible!?!? rhetorical question, because the answer is that you can only have amazing weeks as a missionary!

Why? Because while you are serving people you just get a big ol smile when you see them smile.

Why else? Well because I am serving in Lesotho Africa meeting some awesome people who I can't understand but I am trying to learn the language and enjoying making them laugh as I say the little Sotho I do know.

Another reason you ask? Well simply because as a missionary you get to see peoples lives change as the gospel and spirit of God enter into their lives!

Still want more? I'll give you more! I get to see people who are so lost in this life and so confused, find such peace and calmness through the simple truths we share!"

"Keep going you say? Okay! I get to smile everyday, I am healthy, and strong (compared to a 12 year old girl) Because as a missionary you get to be a light, a light in darkness and a light in troubling times for people you don't even know but some how love them so deeply. I believe that if you feel the spirit while you are with someone, you will love them! You just gotta love em!

Okay so now you can see that mission is great.... Oh you still havn't gotten enough..... okay well let me say some more about why mission is incredible and why every day I feel so blessed! On mission you change if you allow it. Now I don't feel different and I don't think I have change much but whenever I meet someone who knew me when I started my mission or even just 8 months ago then they tell me of the change that has happened to me. Now change can be great because I know I am becoming the person who God intends me to be. I hope I can become that "man" by the end of my mission. I hope I don't miss out on any opportunities to learn and grow.

On mission you get to be filled with love as you serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength!

On mission you get to feel in a very real sense that we have a loving God and a Savior who is Christ the Lord. You get to know them, feel them and love them!

On mission you see miracles all around you. If you diligently serve and look, you will see how much God does for His children! What a profound and great truth to hold on to. We have a loving Heavenly Father, God, who does everything he does out of pure love and the hope of our progression towards eternal perfection! WOW! Isn't it just WOW!"

Sharing is caring!

Dinner at a member's house

"Well let me start talking about my week....

So we started the week of with a great lesson with a member named Neo and his wife who is not a member of the church. They live in a building with three houses room to room. His house is about the size of my room. In that they have a electric stove, buckets of water to shower, cook, and drink, a tv, a bed, and a dresser, and some cabinets. That is it. The room/home next door is separated by a concrete wall but the space between the wall and roof are not entirely closed off. His neighbor does tattoos and loves to play his music loud and smoke a lot so our great lesson with Neo was accompanied by Lil Wayn, Drake, and all the hip hop pop artist and the looming smell of much weed... haha it was interesting to say the least. I think through the haze of the smoke and intense beat the spirit was able to penetrate into our hearts and confirm the message to be true. Sadly she still didn't come to church though :/ next week I hope!

Another awesome thing that happened this week is that an investigator from Bloem called us and told us to visit and teach his girlfriend. That is cool and investigator bringing us more people to teach! We had an awesome lesson with the two of them sitting on the floor of her home much like the one describe above. One room and they both came to church!!! yes yes yes!  

Well those are some great things this week and the work continues to grow this side. I am loving it and I am tired at the end of every day. What a great feeling!"

So cute!!

"Got the chance to confirm Brother Mohau!"

October 3rd

"What an exuberant week.

Sooooo Transfers came and….. I am going to Richards Bay! (Back to the coast, area 5 on the map) Its in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. I am super excited and I will get to be able to start practicing my Zulu again, (his mom looked it up and it says they speak Afrikaans, so we will see what he ends up speaking most) but its going to be hard to not speak seSotho with everyone I see."

"Some guy with too much money completely chromed his Jaguar."

"And he has two bodyguards."

"My old neighbor from hathetsene, he is an awesome kid."

"Sister Ntsala in a traditional print dress. I love these dresses."

"President said he wants the same flame that we have ignited here in Lesotho to also start in Richards Bay, and area known for not being liked by missionaries. I am excited though, its going to be grand.

So this week was interesting because a lot of schools were graduating so we couldn’t see anyone which was a boo. And also we had to take elder king to south Africa because he is going home from his mission. (Watch out Montana) So we spent the whole day in SA and when we tried to come back to Lesotho we were met by the worst traffic I have ever seen in my life. We waited almost 4 hours at the border when our mission president then told us he didn’t want us waiting through the night and we had to drive an hour back to where we came from and spend the night. We also had a member with us from Lesotho so it was quite the experience. The next day still took three hours to get through the boarder. I never want to relive that experience again…."

This little guy made his own kite out of sticks and a plastic bag.

Elder Shinga and Brother Mosewa

It was one of the member's graduation, but he doesn't remember her name haha.

"this is likeleli (dekeledi) she is an investigator of ours that is going to be baptized soon this month"

"this is elsi she will also be baptized soon."

"Me with BoMe"

"my Sister mampho Bridget, she is like a sister to me."

Sister Lerato and Sister Liako.

 Brother Mohau

Sister Khaleso

In our email last week I was teasing him that I can beat him in bowling now because my team went while we were in Arizona and I did pretty well. He and I used to go bowling together a lot and we actually went on our first date so we have this ongoing competition between us over who is actually better at it. We all know it's me though ;)

"now now now You see just because you are getting some extra bowling practice does not mean you can beat me, I have found my inner peace on mission and will be one with the ball as it glides down the track... #StrikesFerDays!

2 more goals!!! what, no one can stop you!!!! so how many is that now? and what are the school records... I mean we gotta go for breaking all of them right!?

I love you babe, I love when I get the chance to talk about you which isnt often becasue most guys have been deer johned so I dont like to bring up girlfriends. I am getting transfered and will no longer be able to talk for 6 hours straight to Elder Depriest about us. He says hi by the way and his girl also said she is stoked for some back woods adventure camping. :)

I just was told by another missionary that this new are could be my second to last area.... wow." (That's craziness!!!)

October 10th

Richard's Bay! New Companion: Elder Muphuma

"I got transferred to Richards Bay as you all know, commonly known as the Bay.

So where to begin? I left Lesotho for a two hour drive to Bloem, we then boarded a 11 hr bus ride to Durban, immediately after we got on another bus for three hours to go to the Bay.... yikes.

It was fun though on our 11 hour ride we sat next to some girl who we talked to most the way and around 1 o'clock in the morning we taught her the restoration of the gospel. it was cool. Then we all tried to get some rest. For some reason me and Elder Harper had some problem sleeping and kept getting pretty rambunctious."

"The best part was the next bus ride, the three hour ride from Durbs to the Bay. we got on the bus and sat near the back of the top floor. We took our seats and began to get comfortable. About 5 minutes after leaving we heard a women crying a row back and across the isle. We were not sure what was the cause of her crying and I just felt terrible. I hate seeing other people sad. Those of you that know my silly, obnoxious personality know that about me. I act that way because I like to make other people smile and laugh, even if its at me. So I was pretty dishearten at hearing her sobs. I was praying for an opportunity to just talk to her. But how!? I felt awkward to go and just sit next to her. I don't know why because I do stuff like that all the time as a missionary but it was harder this time. So we continued for another 5 minutes as my heart just ached for this pain that she was feeling and I didn't know what the problem was or who she was. Then she asked if I could take a picture of her with her phone. I gladly accepted the invitation and knew that I had a way in. I then asked a few basic questions, about where she is going. If she has family and kids etc. the basic BRT (building relationship trust) She talked a bit but obviously was in no state to have a cheerful conversation. I then asked if I could come sit by her. She accepted and I sat their for a bit in silence and then just put my arm around this women. Probably in her thirties, she started sobbing again and just opened her heart to me. She had been going through a rough time and recently tried to take her life for what appeared to be the tenth time. She was scared laden up and down her arms and she confided in telling me her history, how she was into drugs and alcohol. How she used to be a prostitute, how she had to give her children up for adoption because she could not give them the necessities of life. She grasped my hand, with the other wrapped around her. My heart swelled for this woman at this low in spirit women time in her life.  I have never felt such a love for a complete stranger in my life. As she asked me why, why God has kept her alive, and her confusion it what to do with her life and how to find true happiness in love. I could see her as a divine, pure, and precious daughter of God. I knew of her mistakes and hardships, her shortcomings and let downs. All of it seemed to matter very little. Actually, not at all. I saw her for her. A daughter of God with devine potential and every right to be perfect. We sat together for the next 2 hours as she continued to tell me about her problems and mistakes. We shared tears, smiles, and a warming comfort of the spirit. This bus ride had been the best and most spiritual experience of my entire mission thus far. I can't explain it. I sat for hours listening to the pain this women had gone through and endured and I was just filled with love that I have never felt before." (This definitely made me cry)

"Now onto some stuff about my new area.

My area is a town area but with some township as well. The town of course is hard and they probably are Afrikaans and the township is Zulu. I don't speak any Zulu anymore.... its terrible..... eish.....

I stay in a 4 man boarding with Elder Reed, and Waeni, and my comp Mupumha. It's pretty nice and the senior couple are religious about cleaning... dang it...

We live next to the beach so we go running down by the beach front sometimes. the other day we were down their and their were a group of young adults singing and dancing. I of course decided to jump around and share a laugh and as we left some of the girls came and stopped us saying that we needed to come back and play spin the bottle..... I ran...... I ran far far away... it was scary....

My comp is going home in 4 weeks so I am killing him. He wakes up at 5 and begins lifting weights every day... eish.."

"I am in richards bay, a notoriously hard area and president told me he wants me to change that conception of the place... eish....

Who knows, I think this working with joseph thing will be good for you. You can learn a lot by what you dont like about others, you can learn better how you wont teach and manage your class. You can see very personally the effect and importance of individual care for each student. thats something so important in any type of leadership or stewardship. Love is always the key to success in my mind.

I read that article about you and definitely printing it out and putting it up on my wall. (He's pretty much the cutest)

ah what I havnt seen that part of my family in like 5 years now, you are lucky. I love my aunt amy, she always was so nice to me and seemed to have a special place in her heart for my craziness. well soon youll get to see them a lot more ;)

I remember the beginning of the injury and how our conversations would end up talking about how this well be for your good and all the growth that will come from it all. and it happened, I knew you would bounce back and that this would be nothing but a motivator and an experience to make you grow and realize so much more. 

I just do fist pumps and all sorts of little celebrations when I hear about another goal or good result it just excites me for next season when I get to see it all first hand.

a joke that we play on the greenies is when we see a plain we point and ask them how far it is, their response is like uhh acouple thousand feet or kilometers or what what, we then say nope.... its 24 months! well now the months are coming closer and now its exactly 8 months.... not to far right? I love you babe. Ill see you soon."

It's been exactly one year since my injury today and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I remember the two weeks that I had to wait for surgery feeling like an eternity, and every day going to therapy felt like it would never end. But now here I am, playing again, but changed because of what I learned from this experience. I still continue to learn from it. It's just crazy to me thinking about how Mikel had only been out for 4 months when I got injured, and now there's a little more than 8 months left! Ahhh!

9 Months to Go?!?!

I can't even believe it!! We are in single digits of months to go and that blows my mind. It's kind of funny how big of a difference there is between 10 months and 9 months. When we hit 10 months to go I thought, "Yeah, we've still got a while." But when I realized this week we only have 9 months it feels like it's coming so fast! Obviously 9 months is still a long time, but with how fast the last few months have gone I'm sure it's going to fly. Well, here's the weekly update!

Cuties!

"This week I had the great opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Depriest in Leribe. It was a blast, the day started off pretty rough as we went to a lesson where only one out of the 6 spoke English. The lesson was long and choppy and a rough start to the day but things quickly picked up as we continued to the streets to contact some new people. I am really loving street contacting a lot more than door approaches. When you knock doors you spend a lot of time at empty houses waiting for no one, but on the street you just talk to everyone! The streets are nice because you can also be a bit selective on who you talk to. So we shared some messages on the road side then continued to a late appointment. We had an amazing lesson with this mme and her sister, about halfway through a friend of theirs joined us as well. We were able to commit them all to a baptism date by the end of the lesson. It was a strong lesson and I know they felt the spirit."

He talked about Elder DePriest in his email to me as well, it seems like they have tons of fun together!
"I went on exchanges with Elder DePriest this week and we talked about you and his girlfriend for like 5 hours straight again haha I am stoked for you to meet him, the love fly fishing and just camping out in the mountains, and hey we like adventures so it will be awesome. He says he cant wait for our double date adventures to begin but he gets home like 4 or so months after me.

So I went for exchanges on wednesday morning to leribe I spent the day teaching with Elder Depriest and then the next morning I was to drive back to Maseru with him. We woke up that morning already exhausted from talking about you the night before till super late and then decided to do some exploring. The missionaries in Leribe stay just moved into this house and I guess the previous owners have left a bunch a stuff there still because we are only renting. so of course we went through it all! we found so cool ties and a lot of cloths. There were some locked doors and the senior couples had taken the keys, but thanks to my snoopy detective work we were able to discover a second set a keys hidden in the jar thing. so we spent a solid three hours exploring the place, we found some cool stuff including a ten rand bill from before apartheid which is awesome. it was fun."

"About to head in to an appointment with Elder DePriest"

Dancing!

That is a large bottle..

"I love the spirit, don't you? The comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Testator. He is a great companion to have with you all the time. What a wonderful gift we have the opportunity to receive after baptism. We can have the presence of Deity with us at all times, in all things, and at all places if we are but willing to stand as a witness of Christ in such instances. The spirit is the key in missionary work. I don't really teach anyone, sort to say, but I try my best to create an atmosphere where the spirit can act as a conduit of the message of Christ from my heart to theirs. My soul to their soul. I have always said that when the lesson switches from mind to mind, too heart to heart. that is when you really have something. The Spirit testifies of the message of the Book of Mormon so clearly and powerfully as to the baptizing of over 15 million people.... wow.... power.... 

Elder Mashava an old comp of mine use to tell people not to make the mistake of reading the Book of Mormon, because then you will know its true... He was right ;)

Mission is great another great thing about mission and the spirit of the Lord is that I meet people who have trials, struggles, heart ache, and pain. All of which I cannot see, but the Lord does. Through the spirit several times I have been blessed enough to understand and see things in people that otherwise would have remained unknown to me. I have been blessed to speak words of comfort and truth that previously had not been known to me. I have seen the Lord work through me to teach, bless, heal, and love His children.

We had some investigators come to church this Sunday and that was super exciting, even Seneti who can't walk came! We got her wheelchair and rolled up to sacrament meeting. Sadly they had to leave early but I pray the spirit had touched their hearts while they were there.

We also had two  baptisms from my area this week!!!! woot woot! We are hoping to get 5 next month. I am excited for next Sunday when they receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be their constant friend, support, and guide throughout the rest of their lives as they live according to the commands of God."

Elder Shinga teaching the EMT class

"I have been trying to get better at Sesotho the past few weeks and its gotten a bit better but eish. Ha ke tsebe haboe Sesotho.... (I dont know how to speak Sesotho.) but when I say that they just tell me that I am speakings so I reply, oa hlayna! ke soa soa, ha boe sesotho anyane. (you are crazy! just kidding I only speak sotho a little.) then I ask Le tsatse leho nelele jwang? How their day was and so far and so on.

We have had great opportunities to teach in all places and to all people this week and we are really seeing this zone become something spectacular. I am excited to see the growth through the next couple months here.

I cant believe its already week 5 in the transfer (missionaries move from area to area every six weeks.) and I feel like it just began, I have had no time for anything, writing letters, not even extra time to do my extra study at night because I am too tired. It's a good feeling to know that you went out into the world and did your best to share the love of Christ with all those you see. I am forever grateful for this opportunity I have to learn as a missionary. I hope I can soon learn what I am doing and how to be a good missionary because there is just so much to learn and do! But I am getting better, day by day. step by step. and that's what's important.

Some quotes from the past weeks:

"go to work!"
"when fleeing from sin, dont leave a forwarding address."
2 years to serve, eternity to look back"
"feel the joy of it!"
"bretheren, you need to ponder more!"
"There is a reason why we've been blessed with 2 ears and 1 mouth"
"Mission has everything to do with us, but has nothing to do about us."
"You have been so caught up in what you dont have, you have forgotten what you do have.

I just Love you all so much and I am happy right now. Things arn't always easy and arn't always up beat but I have found when the going get tough, go. and go and go until you get a smile on your face.

I pray for you, miss you, and can't believe I'll be home in less than 9 months. The time is far spent there is little remaining to publish these glad tidings.

Love,
Elder North"

So cool that he's learning Sesotho! The spelling just looking like gibberish to me so I can't imagine speaking it haha. My favorite little quote that he shared at the end there is "There is a reason why we have been blessed with two ears and one mouth." Today I've been pondering about what I can do to improve, and while I was rereading his email it felt like that quote reached out and slapped me in the face. The more we listen, the less we think about ourselves and the more we think about others. And as we become more selfless we become more Christlike, which is what we are all striving to be. It was a good reminder for me to listen more and talk less :)

Videos!

I'm going to combine two weeks in one again because I'm a slacker. I forget how busy fall season gets, especially when we're traveling as much as we do. Trying to keep up with school is stressful! But I love being in season and getting to play every weekend.

September 5th

"I am beginning to think that every week on mission is a fantastic week..... ya..... life is good....tough, but good.

So where oh were to begin? We are teaching quite a few people who have baptisms lined up. The best part is our recent converts, especially Bolelang, and Liako are bringing their friends to church. Liako brought Lerato who was baptized awhile ago and has now brought her other friend Fidlia who will be baptized next month, Liako is a power member, and Bolelang brought 3 of her friends to church the other day, it was incredible! I love it! It makes our job as missionaries so much better when we got members helping us out. We really contribute so little if we are the ones carrying the members but when the members carry us we can do wonders.

We had MLC this week which was just awesome, it feels like it was two weeks ago because of how busy we were. It was awesome to sit with our mission president and to have an amazing discussion about how the mission is doing and what we could do to improve. We came up with specific points that we should carry through the mission as our new culture. I love our mission president, talk about one inspired dude. He also gave us quite a bit of marriage council which of course is always fantastic and much needed. haha. One of my favorite ones was. "We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason" listen more! Apply that not just to marriage but everything :)"

"There is a whole lot of expectation getting placed on Lesotho and now the whole mission is watching us closely. We are trying to make this place the burning heart of the mission. It's a lot of pressure but the good kind. I have not been this busy, hard working, and tired in a long long time. We go on exchanges with the whole zone, their are four other areas, three of us are in Maseru including us. One in Masionkeng, one in Leribe (2hrs away by themselves and meet in containers.) Mission is hard but so amazing.

Someone asked us today why we don't get paid for being a missionary, she said, we teach all day every day, talk to so many people, we are doing the most important work on the planet but yet we pay to come, not get paid. She couldn't understand, I told her I do get paid, just not with temporal things like money. The early apostles of Christ were told to take noting with them and to have faith. We today get paid in blessings beyond measure. You would not believe how blessed I feel, you cant put a price tag on it. its to great... or if you know the Kellogg Frosted Flakes commercial... There GGGGGRRRRRREAT!

Also I'll include my a bit of my email to president because it adds some insight to the week:

This week was fantastic, we have had members bringing their friends in an unseen number for Lesotho. I am really grabbing hold to the new spirit in the air here in Lesotho. We cannot thank you enough for the motivation and movement you have brought to Lesotho, and for opening our eyes to the great potential for this area. Members really are increasing in trust and desire to help the missionaries, or so I feel. 

This has been the busiest two weeks of my mission since I was "green" and it is AWESOME!

Something about going till you just are so tired at the end of the day, makes you feel great. I have been really trying the past few days to increase my studies, to not just read and learn but to apply and love and enrich. It makes such a difference when you approach your studies with a strong desire to increase rather than to just do it. 

I am loving my companion Elder Shinga, he is a quite example and leader to all around him, and with a big big smile. So much to learn and always so little time to do it. He is already changing me for the better by his love for the Savior and the people. He really loves the people and they become his close friends who I am sure will not forget him. 

The Zone is continuing to learn how to increase our efforts and baptisms, but we will get there. I am excited for our ZTM tomorrow where we can really sit down and discuss about what we want, and need to happen in Lesotho and what needs to happen to get there.

We have found an amazing new investigator, she is a single parent stuck in the same desk job that she hates for the past ten years. She feels like her whole life is stuck and that God doesn't hear her prayers. We talked a lot about prayer and assured her of His love. We also talked about how she recently started looking for a new church and is now going to one different than the past. She just felt like she was missing something, even still in this new church she feels a void. She feels like God still doesn't hear her. As we were disusing about her trials and pleads for help from our Father above. I looked at her and said, He has answered you. "In the past 10 years have you ever seen missionaries like us?" No was her reply. "When did you start praying to know where to go or what to do with your life?" withing the past two months she said. "Is it coincidence that two strangers from a foreign countries came to you with a message of the restored gospel just after you started praying for it? " I suppose not was her reaction. she then began to think about the past few months and said, I think He has been answering my prayers. I am just not seeing them. She is beginning to recognize the spirit in her life and its amazing. She even came to church this week! YES! That is just a short part of our lesson with her, I am very excited to continue meeting with her and seeing her life turn around. I could just feel a love for her that I knew was not my own, I am so thankful to be serving in Lesotho right now.

Well yep life is good, we are teaching people and trying to bring them the greatest thing on earth. The knowledge that they are children of our Heavenly Father, we all are. 

Something I have been sharing a lot lately is this. is God perfect? Yes. Can he make mistakes? No. He made you right? Yes. that means you are not a mistake, you are perfect, God is not capable of making anything less than perfect. Wow isn't that just like mind blowing. we are of such divine worth!

God has a plan for us.... and guess what! I know what it is!!! It makes me smile so big and makes me so happy, I mean that is why I am here in the first place. Wow, You know what you should do? Call the missionaries, invite a friend who may not be going to church and then have the time of your life as your life begins to change. I have seen so many peoples lives completely change for the better as they come closer to Christ. His light will begin to shine throughout you and will really change you to something new, something brighter, excellent, and without compare. Only the gospel can bring such a light and change in our lives. it just does. I don't quite understand how knowing Christ makes me someone else, and changes me from the inside out, but it does. and it does for everyone. I promise. Don't take my word for it. That's the beautiful thing, we all can find out for ourselves. just give it a shot, whats the worst that could happen?"

Pictures of their chapel

Cool looking house

Eating lunch at Chisa Nyama

Just some of what he sent to me in our personal email last week:

"thats so much like mission, you can only help people who want to be helped. I see it a lot. You know what they need in life but they dont want it even if they know they should. It also just go to show, you got player of the week not by accident, you work your but off. you dont party you dont drink you take care of yourself and you are able to perform so much better, be focused every practice. the blessings are endless.

Dont worry we will have the good kind a parties where we play silly games and go crazy on doritos and ice cream and all that good stuff haha.

you are incredible joining another committee on top of your busy schedule. you just can do everything.... im jealous haha.

I blows my mind when I hear about all the things you accomplish and how you are still just beginning, it excites me to see what we have in store.

just do what I do and dont get sick... ;) (he would always try to convince me that he never got sick, even when he was sick.. weirdo.)

We are going to have quite the list of activities to do :) thats prob one of the best things that I am looking forward to, just spending time with you catching up and hearing about all the stories of the places you went.

my lauve!
I am happy. thats just it you make me happy. I like being happy, I hope I make you happy too, lets be happy together and forever. that thought makes me smile :) a lot a lot."

September 12th

"Fam!

It was as always the best week ever!

So I guess I haven't told you much about my comp Elder Shinga, He is from Zimbabwe and amazing. He is a quieter guy but an awesome teacher and so so so humble and sincere. He has this big ol smile that’s always shining! We are really working hard together to try and lead this zone to the top of the mission. Um I don’t really know what else to say about him. But ya he is great!

So this week was fantastic we even got to go on exchanges with the AP’s So Elder Adams was with us for the day. He is amazing, really and truly an inspired dude. We taught some powerful lessons that day. We drive up to a place called Roma once a week to teach some people up there so that’s always a fun little drive.

We had a great first lesson with this new Mme this week. Her daughter has this chicken pox thing that comes around every year, but this year is worse and when they went to the doctor they told them that the chicken pox had entered into her blood stream and flown up to her cerebellum, she is currently unable to move her leges, most of her fingers. Her arms have limited capability along with minimal movement in her neck and head. We were able to share the message of the restoration and you should have seen this 18 year old girl bed ridden glow with an amazing smile as we testified of the love God has for us and that his gospel has been restored to the earth. We left them with a blessing and a smile on all our faces.

We are trying our best to just contact everyone we see. We set a new and high goal to get 35 referrals a week and to get 12 new investigators a week. Eish it’s a big number but with the Lords help I think we can do it. I have come to a strong sense of how many people we as missionaries let pass us by All over the place. We are to be as a witness of Christ in all things all times and all places. This means even while shopping, eating or doing whatever. We are ready to testify and teach the love of our Father in Heaven. As we have really been working at talking to everyone and sharing with everyone we have notice a new spirit in the work, a sense of urgency is coming through and we are hitting the ground running every day and the bed exhausted every night."

"High schoolers getting ready for a cultural celebration. The member we were with made us take a picture"

"I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Dooley this week as well, he is a new missionary starting his 3rd transfer and from north Carolina. They got in a pretty bad car crash this week so they are now on bikes. So it was a good workout for me to bike throughout the mountain kingdom.

I love they hymn Improve the shining moments. It makes me think of the time I have left on my mission. Some people my say 9 months is long but it is so so so short! I love being a missionary and I love serving my God.  I pray everyday that we may be blessed wit opportunities to testify and serve with all our heart might mind and strength and may you do the same. The church is true the book is blue!"

Time is flying!! He put a bunch of videos on his dropbox and I loved them, so I'll put a few on here :) Always makes me happy to hear his voice. It's crazy that every day is the last time I'll have to do something without him. This is the last season without him, the last fall semester, the last time I'll have to wait until Christmas to talk to him. It freaks me out but makes me so excited all at the same time!

Older video but still makes me smile :)