Dear Family,
Well, no news on transfers yet. Apparently we are not hearing until tonight. I think in an effort to prevent people from getting bad reports on areas and companions, President is playing the transfer cards a little closer to his vest. Either that or something has happened that is requiring an emergency re-shuffle. Anyway, should find out tonight. I have an inkling that I am going to Cape Town, but I have no idea where, there are a number of possibilities.
Well, I have pretty mixed feelings about being transferred. On one hand, I know that it is unlikely the next area will have members so supportive of the missionaries. Last night (actually for all Fast Sundays) we ate dinner with the Wainwright family. Brother Wainwright is the Stake Patriarch, and his oldest son (who served in one of the SLC missions) and his wife also are in the 3rd ward. They are a very nice family and pillars of the church here. Also, brother Wainwright makes very nice desserts, and I was thinking that my next area probably wont be as nice dinner-appointment-wise as I ate my personal mini lemon meringue pie.
Elder Madsen did make a proper pumpkin pie [for my birthday] and it was very nice, so don’t worry, I got my pumpkin pie.
This week we tracted a fair amount, but it was good. We met another nice father-led family with 4 little children who are not regularly attending a church, something that is pretty rare to find. We were able to teach them the Restoration and schedule another appointment, so that is exciting, its good to see that more and more father-led families are making it into our teaching pool. I really hope in my next area, or at least sometime on my mission, I have the opportunity to teach and baptize a family.
A young man named Simphiwe is doing really well. He has come to church straight for the last three weeks, and seems to have been able to kick a smoking habit very quickly, so he should be getting baptized in a few weeks hopefully. He was able to attend a Young Single Adult activity, and he is friends with a few of the YSA anyway because of work, so he will do well I think.
We also had a nice lesson with a recent convert, Sinacko. The better we get to know her the more impressed I am with her. I guess she attended church for like a year in Port Elizabeth before coming here and being baptized cause she wanted “to be sure.” As you can imagine, she has a pretty strong testimony. She was baptized in June and just finished reading the Book of Mormon all the way through. We taught her about eternal marriage (she has been dating a member in the MD 1st ward for about as long as she has been investigating). She has some special experiences of how living the gospel has blessed her life.
Well, other then that, its been somewhat of an uneventful week. I was glad I was able to bear my testimony on Sunday. It was a little crazy, as soon as the counselor in the bishopric sat down about 15 people stood up, and I realized I needed to get up or I wasn’t going to get a chance. I am sad to leave East London 3rd, but I also feel like I need a change, I think I am a little too comfortable here. Love you all very much!
-Elder Martin
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