Makadii Week 20

Greetings to all family and friends! I love you! :) I'm no longer a teenager on my mission. Week 20 has started!

Most of this past week was pretty uneventful. Not much was happening in the area because we were focusing on finding some new investigators, and strengthening our Recent Converts and Less Actives. We did a really great job of that! At the moment, we have no Progressing Investigators moving toward a baptismal date, but that is something Elder Sekerere and I will be really working on in the coming weeks! There is a family that has been coming to church, but we haven't had the chance to see. They are the Kwenda Family, a father and mother with 2 little kids. I really hope that we can help them progress, and we will soon find out if they are in need of a marriage or not. Things are hard, but good at the same time.

The big news about transfers..... I'm staying! Again! Haha :) I will be staying with Smiley for his last 6 weeks in Marimba/Mufakose (I get to kill my 2nd companion too, after I already killed Milikafu!). The big change is that I am now the District Leader here in the Marimba District, my birthplace! I'm very excited, humbled, and nervous for the opportunity, but I know I can do it! I've been doing some of the things a DL does anyway, and my companions have both been DL's, so I know how it works! Exciting changes! :) Since I'm killing another companion, there is a high chance of me staying where I am for awhile, maybe even another transfer or two after Smiley leaves, which is both good and bad. I am willing to do whatever the Lord wants me to do! The end of this next transfer will be 6 months to the day that I was set apart. It ends on the 31st of July.

I will be the DL to just one other companionship in Kambuzuma. There will be a new missionary being trained there, Elder Gordon from the States! I'm excited to be his DL, so I can help him adjust to missionary life in Zim.

Elder Chidarara just finished his mission, and Elder Sakala has been moved to Bindura. The Glenview area that they were serving in has been closed, at least for the moment. So, for at least the next 6 weeks, Smiley and I will have the Glenview house completely to ourselves! We still have to commute to our area every day, but it hasn't been too bad. We have a lot of cleaning up to do in the house the next few days. Sakala and Chida were pretty messy guys! haha :)

1. This week we had some great visits with members. One visit we had, with the Nyamugara family, I got to teach a little boy how to play some guitar, and I even got to play and sing a few songs for the family. They loved it! I have been asked to sing and play a song with Elder Brooks at next week's Zone Conference! I'm very glad that I am getting to share my talent, (even though I'm not the best a guitar) with others!

2.The daughter of Blessing and Lisa Mutsauri, the couple we recently married and baptized has a daughter named Natasha. She is around 3 years old, and is very full of energy! After every prayer, she starts laughing really loud. She loves the word Amen, and I think she likes to feel the spirit too! :)

3. When I say that I am from Wyoming, people here think I say Miami. haha! :)

4. Here they spell tire with a y. Tyre.

5. The cash crisis is still going strong. Luckily we were able to find some this past week. We played soccer in Domboshava again this week, and I played a little. It was nice to be out there again! I didn't score, and didn't really play that much, but I tried my best! It was a good time. :) Milikafu came too! It was fun to play with him and see him again. I miss that Mfana :)

6. My MTC pal Elder Hoffman has been moved here to Harare, so I got to see him for the first time since we arrived! I was super happy to see him! Now I just need to see Elder Scoresby, but he is in Gweru for the time being. Same district his whole mission, just like me! I'm the first Elder in my group to be given any leadership position, though.

The Shona word is Nyarara. It means, "keep quiet!" It is fun to say to little kids.

I'm continuing to learn so much here. I'm still trying to look for the good in everyone and everything. I encourage you to do the same! I love you all so much.