"Where did the time go girl"-Hotel Transylvania "[They think] it's freezing."-Mulan "Where [I am] we don't [have] roads"-Back to the Future 1 "Can you believe it?"-Space Jam

Man oh man, Mikayla, Little baby girl, you are turning 7 on Wednesday!   I can't believe that you are that old already.   I hope that your day is great, and that you eat a big piece of cake for me.   I can't believe that time has already gone by that fast.   Where did it all go?   I don't know.   Happy Birthday Princess.   I love you.   I hope you enjoy yourself, and that School is great.   I hope that you are growing, but not too much.   I miss you Mikayla, I can't wait to get you that Ice-cream when I get home.  

Okay, so winter is coming a little bit at a time. but the people out here dress like they are expecting a blizzard, and not like the ones that you get from DQ.   I saw one little kid the other day bundled up like he was gonna walk through ten foot deep piles of snow on his way to school.   Even my companion and the other elders in the house are wearing jerseys all the time but I am still not.   How ever, I will admit that it has cooled off enough to not have to have a fan on at night to keep me cool.   That is nice.   That is real nice.

Okay, so with my companions heart stuff we have been driving a lot more as we go to the area.   So I just want to say that the roads out here suck really bad.   Like they aren't even roads some of the time it seems, they are just areas that are a little less full of rocks and pot holes.   It is really irritating.   I miss good roads that are properly paved.   Just saying.   That would be nice.

So there are two things this week that I can't believe.   Number one, on Thursday, I will have been here in Zimbabwe for a year in total.   And that is crazy.   And number two.   On Wednesday I start the D&C Challenge.   Which is a things missionaries do, that means that at 138 days left on mission they start to read a book of scripture called the Doctrine and Covenatns starting from Section 138 and they read one section a day everyday, going backwards until they finish the first section on their last day of mission.   So to put it simply,   I only have as of right now 140 days left on mission, and I am so gonna do the challenge.   Lots of missionaries start it and then stop, but I am gonna do it.   It is gonna be awesome.

So the area is doing really good right now.   Our most recent convert got the Aaronic Priesthood this past Sunday, and we are gonna have two more Baptisms this coming Saturday and that will be great.   I love it, I love it, I love it!   Things are great.   I love this work, and I love seeing people change their lives to follow the gospel.   I just love it.

My comp is doing great.   I think that we will get separated soon, in the next two weeks I would say, but we have had some good times together, and it will be great to see what else lies in store for the transfer.   

"I'm no saint, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps trying."

-Nelson Mandela

"When a man hath repented of his sins, the same is forgiven and I the Lord remember them no more."

-D&C I can't remember the section right now.

I love this quote from conference, it quotes a wonderful man, the first democratically elected president of South Africa and it embodies what the gospel is all about.   The Bible says that "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" but we all know that Christ came to overcome all of that.   Through the power of the Atonement we can be forgiven as if they never happened, and the Lord will "remember them no more".   In other words, a clean slate.   How awesome is that?   I know that the Lords promise is real, and that He is willing and desiring to forgive us of our mistakes.   I know He loves us and that as we all keep trying we can become saints.

"Your totem is love! The bear of love? Who wants to trade? There is no trading!"

"What's happening? Shall I describe it for you, or shall I find you a box?"

"Yea, were not moose either aye, yea I'm a wolverine, look at these bicuspids."

"No one tosses a dwarf!... Toss me, don't make me think about it just toss me, but don't tell the elf. Not a word."

I love you all.  

"That was a close one"-I can't remember "We're gonna play this one by ear"-Men In Black 2 "Friends never say goodbye."-The Road to El Derado "That's two [now]."-Star Wars

I know that I know what that first quote is from, but for the life of me I can't think of it.   Anyway the first two are together.   My companion was told that he was going home because of his heart stuff, then a day before he was gonna leave we get told he is staying and now we are supposed to drive more so that we can still do the work and not have his heart have problems, so now we are kind of playing things by ear, as far as if he feels like he can walk or if we need to drive to appointments, and so yea, it is kind of crazy and we are working on figuring it out.

So, we had a great Branch Missionary(a member who is called to help the missionaries with the work of the area) who has gone to his own mission now.   He was called to serve in the Uganda Kampala mission, so he went into the MTC last Thursday, and now he is getting his own mission on the road, and another friend of mine got his mission call to go to South Africa, my Ward Missionary down in Gweru, so lots of friends who are now getting ready to leave, or have left.   It is hard to say goodbye to them when they have to go, but we will do our best to stay in touch.  

So we had our second baptism on Saturday of last week, and that was great.   A 22 year old by the name of Anyway, who is super powerful.   He got confirmed on Sunday and he is just loving the Gospel and doing everything that we ask him to do.  He acts like he has been a member for the last ten years, and he has meshed so well with the members of the Branch, and I am just so glad that I got to teach him.   I love it.   This is God's work.

Also my companion and I hit our Two Transfer mark on Saturday, we have been together for the course of Three transfers but the time total has only been two since he came into one half way through.   Hard to believe that I have been here in Mutare for Three.

Our area is doing great.   We have started a Temple Preparation Class to help people prep for the Temple, and that is great, and we have picked up two new investigators.   We are hoping for two more baptisms this month, and that will be great if we get it done.   We should have at least one more, the second one is a little less sure.   Super good people that we have been blessed to work with.  

"The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us."

-Merrill J Bateman

"There is no resting place along the path called faithfulness. The trek is constant and no lingering is allowed."

-Thomas S Monson

We call that continuing along the path, "enduring to the end" in this church, and we are working hard at it.   That is the best part, you get to go to the Temple, get sealed and all that good stuff.   But it is also the hardest part.   A man once said that you have to continue until you are safely dead.   Well that is true.   If you continue till you pass to the next stage of life then you have made it to the end.   It is a great trip to take.  

I am so glad that I have been blessed to be here.   I have come to love these people so much, and I am just so happy that I had the opportunity to be here.   I know that great blessings have come to me as I have been here in Zimbabwe.   I know that God's work is moving forward here, and that I have been blessed to be able to be a part of it.

"What? It's a bow tie, I wear a bow tie now, bow ties are cool."

"Hold your judgement, what e're you do, that man holds no more guilt then you! Who am I? 24601!"

"Hello, here's my invitation, see the Doctor plus one, I'm the Doctor this is my plus one."

"Red, the blood of angry men, black the dawn of ages past."

I love you all.

"I could have died"-Monsters Inc "I can't believe [it was my last call home]"-Brother Bear "Heart [problems]"-Men in Black Two

Well, so in our area there is a member of the Church that we go and
chop wood for, cause he can't walk well, and so we do it to show our
love for him and to be of service to him.   So this week we were there
helping and chopping wood, and admit ably the axe wasn't the best.   So
anyway, my companion was chopping the wood at the time and I moved to
one side and shortly thereafter the axe head flew off the handle as he
was swinging it at the wood and well the axe head flew and went right
where I was standing a few moments before.   Yea, it was pretty
freaky, cause I could have been a dead man if I hadn't moved.   So we
stopped chopping wood and let the brother know and he said he would
get it fixed.   It was interesting.

So as missionaries we call home twice a year, Mother's Day and
Christmas (my dad wishes that we called on Father's Day).   So
yesterday was my final call home for my mission, which is crazy.   But
yea, mission has flown and now no more calls home for me before I am
in the airport to see my family.   I loved the call home, and it has
shown how much I have grown since I began.   First Christmas, I bawled
like a baby, first Mother's day, I cried pretty good, second Christmas
I only cried a little bit, and this last one I didn't cry.   So I am
growing up, a little at a time.   I still miss you dearly, but I am being
strong.

So my companion Elder Mandiquesse has been having some heart problems
as of late.   A weird and irregular pump, and it has been causing him
some sleeping problems, but after some tests the Doctors don't know
what is wrong, so they want him to take it easy and to limit his
physical activity.   So yea, don't know what is gonna happen with
that, Sister Cook and President Cook are gonna figure out if he is
staying or what will have to happen for him.   So yea, that is how he
is.

We are gonna have a baptism this Saturday.   I am excited for it.   A
great young man named Anyway, and only him, cause the others didn't
come to church.   But we are working on that with them too.   The area
is doing pretty well, and we are working really hard to get things to
happen.   Working on our less actives and helping the recent converts
to continue in faith.   I am loving it out here in Sakubva.   The
branch is doing well, and they are working on getting people ready for
the Temple.   Hopefully we will get some people there.

"All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."
-Abraham Lincoln
"To one who holds the sweetest name, and adds lust to the same, long
life to her, for there's no other, who takes the place of my dear
Mother."
-Unknown

I just want to say that I love my mother, and I am so grateful to my
Heavenly Father for putting me in my family.   I know that it isn't an
accident that we are put with who we are put with, or where we are
put.   I know that He has a plan for us.   One of our investigators
was having a hard time when she didn't get accepted for a College out
here, and we were able to talk with her about how God has a plan for
her life and that He has things He wants her to do, and now she is
confident that she can trust His plan and His time, and I pray that we
all gain the same perspective.   And I pray that we all showed our
love for our mothers and thanked God for them.

"I've lost the bleeps, the sweeps and the creeps.   The what, the what
and the what?"
"Like that young fellow out there named Vector, he just stole a pyramid."
"I am your father's, brother's, cousin's best friend's former
roommate. So what's that make us? Absolutely nothing!"

I love you all so much.

Harare, Harare East, Mutara Zone Conference 

"I can't help it I [fingerspell]"-Phineas and Ferb "Now don't start that again"-Jungle Book "Never gonna see on of those again [on mission]"-Ice Age 2 "Then again maybe not"-Beauty and the Beast

Okay, so if you know me, you know that I twitch.   And that I love sign language, and that often times I finger spell when I am not focused on other things, and even often times when I am focused on other things.   Well my companion is getting on me about it.   People out here have a belief in magic and witchcraft and he thinks it could freak people out, my talking to myself and finger spelling all the time.   Well, let me tell you it is hard to stop.   I mean really hard to stop.   I have been trying but it isn't really happening for me.   Oh well.

Okay, so as missionaries we have certain things we do in the morning, one of which is companionship study.   So that starts at 9 in the morning.   So of course it is early in the morning and you are a little sleepy, so what happens, one of you yawn, and then it all just starts, he yawns, I yawn and it just goes back and forth.   It can be really irritating just because of how hard it is to stop it once it starts.   It is kind of funny, but still.

Okay, so this week we were blessed to be able to watch General Conference, and hear from the living Apostles and Prophet.   So the funny thing is I wont get to see the one in October on mission.   It took a month for this one to get out here to us.   So Conference will be in the first week of October, the next week will be my last one on mission, and then I will go home, and boom, I will have missed conference on both sides of the moon.   Strange.

Okay, so you know how last week I said winter is approaching and it should start soon.   Well, apparently NOT!   It has gotten hot again, like it was back in October and heading into summer, not supposed to be heading out of it.   So yea, the weather is being strange out here for us, and it is a little bit difficult because I am not the best at dealing with heat.   So, yea that is the weather report for this week.   not much more about it then that.

My area is doing good.   We have two people, really powerful that we are working with for Baptisms.   Brother Anyway and Sister Nomatter(they have some interesting names out here).   Brother Anyway is gonna be baptized on the 16th and Sister Nomatter on the 23rd.   That is great, they both really love the gospel and baring any unforeseen problems it will happen.   So lets not have unforeseen problems.

My companion is having some health problems as of late, with his heart, which is scary.   Hopefully it will all be okay.   I have already lost one companion because of health issues.

"A virtuous man and a worthy woman, sealed in the temple, can do difficult things as equal partners."

-Boyd K Packer

"We can not truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey."

-Thomas S Monson

After having had the wonderful opportunity to hear the words of the Prophet and the Apostles of God, let me say that the heavens are not shut.   God speaks to man now, just as he did back in the days of Elijah and Jeremiah and all the Prophets of old.   It takes faith for man to hear Him, but just because man lacks faith to hear, does not mean that God does not speak to him anymore.   I know President Thomas S Monson is the only true Prophet with God's authority on the Earth today.   I know he speaks the words of our Lord and our Savior.   I know it.

"So here we are, eating fish fingers and custard, and you're not afraid. So you know what I think? That must be one scary crack in your wall."

"An archery contest? Oh Robin, promise you wont go. Alright, I promise you wont go. Hey Robin didn't you just.. Cool it."

"Who looks at a screwdriver and says 'you know what this needs a little more sonic'?"

"Blinkon they've taken the castle.   I thought it was a bit drafty in here."

I love you all.