Our Area is on Fire

Unjani

So this was a really interesting week. Some really good things and some other not so good things. Let’s get the bad news out of the way. I had a cold earlier this week, but I’m good now, and it didn’t really effect our proselyting, so not a big deal. Slightly worse is that it’s looking like my camera was stolen out of my backpack by a church member. A thief in Zion! I left my bag in the chapel before church, couldn’t find it for a while, then found it in like the crib in one of the other rooms with no camera. I decided that it was possible that I had left it in my flat, and that making a huge deal out of it was the last thing this developing branch needed. So hopefully someone feels like repenting. If not, then its looking like I’ll need to buy a new one. Things have been stolen in the church before so I feel stupid for leaving it unattended. 

But goods things, well really awesome things. I will be baptizing Dwayne this Sunday!!! This guy is soooo solid, he came to both sessions of delayed conference this Sunday, the fifth time in a row he has been to church, and he payed fast offerings yesterday even though we said he didn’t need to until after baptism. Pretty impressive considering I didn’t start paying that till I came out on the mission, and that he lives in a two room cinder block house the size of me and Sky’s room. This guy is POWERFUL. 

Cleanwell also came to church yesterday, which was kinda a surprise. We have felt that his commitment was really wavering and we were about ready to drop him, but then he came to church. The Naidoo family is also well on their way back, and Prinetta and hopefully Rushi will be getting baptized on May 13th, hopefully by their husband/father, who first needs to quit smoking and get ordained a Priest. Amos, one of Dwayne’s friends is really close to excepting a date, we hope. Our area, at least the Gelvindale/Malabar side, is on fire right now, and Dwayne is going to help perpetuate that. Our area is pretty big and the other side not much is really happening, but thats OK, its been worked by Elders a lot in the past.

Watching the Sunday and Saturday afternoon sessions of conference was awesome. Elder Holland’s talk as always rattled the ground, and Elder Scott’s talk was really really interesting as well. The talk on parenting about the girl who played soccer on Sunday I thought was also very insightful. I am excited to see the priesthood session now, and I kinda like getting to see conference a little staggered. I think it’s easier to absorb.

Elder Bangerter was attempting to cheat death this week by extending his mission, but we found out last night that pretty much doesn’t happen very easily. So it looks like he will go home in about 3.5 weeks. That’s going to be a big change to have a new companion. Both Elder Neilson and Elder Bangerter got a comp ET [emergency transfer?] to them during their third transfer, so hopefully that doesn’t happen to me. 

I’m trying to think of anything else exciting that happened this week...

Oh, I got mail twice this week, and got two letters from you mom, two from Debbie, two from Granddad and one from Andrew. MSF is not as frugal and Sister Wood said, its pretty reasonable, but I do need to buy a sweater, another towel, and maybe some other stuff so maybe think about putting some more money on my visa card soon. I have been doing pretty good about budgeting, but I found out the hard way that sometimes MSF doesn’t come when its supposed to, so ideally you have some money left at the end of two weeks. We were joking that President Monson does this routinely just to teach missionaries a lesson about saving. 

And thanks for the talk from Elder Sitati. Africa certainly needs the gospel. Especially coloreds. Working with the branch council this week was a little interesting. Anyway, well I love you all, have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Martin