Makadii Week 82!

It is now officially 20 weeks left in the mission field!

The past week was good, and we are doing well. Kinda crazy that August is over this week. Time is always moving! Elder Byrom and I were able to see a few miracles but also some disappointments in our area. Many of the people we have been working with just aren't progressing at all, and it always stinks to see the people you put your faith in not keep commitments, especially when they tell you they will. (That is a big problem in Zimbabwe). We are doing our best to be patient with everyone and to keep our faith in them. We did find some new people this week that actually came to church on their own! There is nothing set in stone, but we should be having another baptism in two weeks for a young man named Petros. Hopefully there will be another added to that day, and others added later on in the month of September. We are really asking the Lord to help us find more success in September after a tough August. One awesome thing from this week was that yesterday, some of my old converts from Chegutu came to visit our branch in Kadoma. I was super happy to see them and to see that they are still doing the right things. :)

The devotional this week with Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson and her husband, as well as our newly called General Authority Seventy Elder Joni Koch, was a really good experience. It is always rare for us to be visited by General Authorities and General Presidents of the church here in Zimbabwe, so it was really fun to be there and to learn from them. The spirit always teaches me the things that I need to learn at meetings like that. It will be an awesome memory for sure. I visited with Elder Joni Koch after the meeting and he asked me where I was from. When I told him I was from Wyoming this is what he said: "There are still people living in Wyoming?" haha :) I know people always make fun of Wyoming, but I love it with all of my heart. I love the fact that the population is so small, people just don't know what they are missing! Go Wyoming! I am the only elder from Wyo so I get a lot of crap for it. haha :)  Lots of driving this week for the devotional as well as for baptismal interviews in the zone. I sure am ready for a fresh start to a new week.

There is an opposition here in Rimuka, Kadoma that I have never really faced on my mission. People think we are Satanist!? Not kidding at all. Apparently The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints is actually The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Satanists, if that makes any sense at all. There are some other places in Zim that have similar views. It has been so hard to get people to understand that we are not at all like that. It plays a big part in our success because it is hard to find true investigators that actually want to come to church, and it is extremely hard to get people that we are teaching to come and see for themselves that the church is true. Pakaipa. Zvakaoma!

Us elders here in Kadoma had an awesome Squash ball tournament this morning. Four of us played and I ended up with the 3 seed going into the elimination rounds. I came back from a big deficit in the semi-final to move on to the championship final against my companion Elder Byrom. We played our games to 11, and I was down 6-2 early on. I mounted a fierce comeback to win the final 11-9. Yebo baba! I am the Kadoma Squash ball Champion! It was fun to move around and relieve some stress. I will have to defend my title sometime soon! :)

With September coming up, Zimbabwe is about to get really hot. I am not excited for that, especially because Kadoma is one of the hotter places in the mission, and I don't know how much longer I will be here in Kadoma. We will have to see how bad it gets. The next few months I will be sweating like crazy! The mosquitoes are also being seen again. I hate those things!

I love you all and I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really is the true church on the earth today. It is the only place we can find the fullness of the gospel. Whatever others may think about the church, they will never know the truth until they come and see for themselves.

Have a good week and an awesome start to the autumn months. My favorite time of year back home. :)