Live Up To YourPotential

So, I am sitting here trying to remember something great that happened this past week that I could share with you. But I can't think of anything out of the ordinary. It was a good week. We worked hard, and we were blessed for it. We have a good teaching pool, and we get to meet lots of great people daily. Such is the wonderful life of a missionary. But actually one thing I focused on this week that really made it a good week was trying to become more childlike in my service as a missionary. Not childish, but child like. I really focused on becoming more like the Savior in my thoughts, words, and actions. Towards everybody. It really made a difference. The week went well, and we met lots of great people. Focusing on becoming more trusting in the Spirit, as a child trusts their parents, really is something. It is not easy at times, but if I just trust the Lord to lead me in this work, guess what? Things go better, and it is a lot more enjoyable. Imagine that? Something I have always heard but never really understood until mission is that we need to be independently dependent on the Savior. Does that make sense? We are in charge of our salvation, completely, independently, but there is absolutely no way to gain salvations without the Savior. I think, or what I have learned is that to be totally independent and free and in charge of our lives we need to be totally 100% dependent on the Savior, and His gospel, and His teachings. Without Him we are nothing. Literally nothing. But with Him we can become everything, even Gods and Godesses. Well, anyway, those have just been some of the thoughts floating around my head this week as I have been striving to become more childlike in my service. So do something for me, think of a child and all the ways they really trust and dependent on their parents, and then try to emulate that in your dependence on the Savior. It will make a difference. Try it. The Lord will bless you for it. This life is much easier if we have divine help along the way. Well, hope that helps some of you out there. Thanks for your prayers. Have a great week. Remember who you really are, and live up to that potential.

Truly Committed

This week we had a young woman, named Tshwanelo Ratsatsi get baptized. She has been coming to church for about a year now, and she was finally ready to be baptized. :) she was very excited. She was so happy afterwards. She is a great young girl. She lives far from the church, so in order to make it to church on Sunday she saves the little money her father gives her for transport to school, and walks to school, which is also very far so she can make it to church on Sunday! She sacrifices so much to make it to church. I know the Lord will bless her for that. I was excied to see her baptized. It was a great feeling. For the rest of the week, it was HOT! I know i've said it before, but this week was extremely hot. I think it is the hottest it has been since i've been here! I'm not sure the temperature, but trust me, it was HOT! We were just sitting in lessons, in the shade, nonetheless, and sweat was dripping down my legs, uncrossed, just dripping. it was nice, just kidding, it was miserable, but while you are teaching lessons, you really don't realize how hot, it is, but once you are done teaching you realize that it is so hot, and wonder why you are not in the air conditioned apartment. But then you teach another lesson and remember why you decided to leave the apartment, teching the gospel is worth it.
Ok, so update on the book of Mormon from Elder Watson. We did give it away this week. It was a powerful lesson. We gave it to the family that first popped into my mind when he was giving away the book of mormon. The Kgosietsile family. The rra is trying to quit smoking, and is doing well, the mma just broke her leg, and is at home for two weeks, and they have two daughter in school. WE jsut felt like this was family that needs this book of mormon because they are each struggling with different things, and the Book of Mormon will help them. they really appreciated and were blown away by the testimony of young eight year old April. the spirit was very strong as we shared her testimony and ours with them about the book of mormon! The mma is very big into religion, but she has come to realize that the bible is incomplete, so this was perfect because the book of mormon fills in those gaps...she is excited to read it, as is the rra, for he believes and has the faith that this will help him to quite smoking. He said he would take it everywhere with him and when he has a temptation he will read from it! so, it is looking good so far. they just have to read it, and pray about it, and then come to church. i am glad we gave it to this wonderful family. i pray and hope you will continue to pray that this book will change the lives of this family. They are a special family, and i love them very much, and want the best for them. One more thing about this family. Kgosie, in setswana means royalty, and so this rra is the leader of his tribe, and he will be able to influence his whole tribe as he becomes converted to the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
I hope you all have a great week, thanks for reading, and thanks for your prayers. Love ya all. Oh, and way to go springville, keep it up, you have lots of fan over here in Botswana as well, I keep telling everyone about my team and how well they are doing! So keep up the good work.

Sorry it's late this week

So this week was a little more exciting than last week. As far as the Jo'burg mission news, there are great changes. Like I told you last week, two zones of our mission are going to now be in the Durban mission, which is great, and with the changes, there is going to be another zone in Botswana! Two zones in Botswana now! With right around 40 missionaries in the country! The changes I have seen in Botswana since I have been here have been miraculous. I have seen three new areas open and the number of missionaries in Bots doubled!!!!! It is very exciting for this little country of just over a million citizens!! With two zones and so many missions in the country I am hoping to see Botswana becomes a district, if not a stake before I leave. That would be amazing, and the greatest miracle of all. Right now, Bots is part of a Johannesburg stake, and they only get to see the stake president like every three months or so! It would just be wonderful for these saints to have local leadership! That is our goal, is to have bots be a stake in less than two years, and so far, it looks like our prayers will be answered. I talked to Elder Watson about it at dinner and he said it was close. So, it is close, and I can't wait for that to happen.
As far as our personal missionary work goes, it is great. My mom asked me this week if we had given away the Elder Watson Book of Mormon yet, and we are prayerfully planning to give it away this week to a wonderful family. The Kgosietsile family is their name. They have two daughters. The Rra (father) works very closely with the president here, President Khama, and the Mma (mother) is an accountant. The rra is trying to quit smoking, and is doing very well. The mma is very strong in her church, but this week she broke her leg, she will not be going to work for two weeks, and we went and sang hymns with her the other day, and both sister odongo and I feel this family may be the one that needs the Book of Mormon with the testimony of the eight year old. I feel it would greatly help both the mma and rra to accept this gospel. So, pray for that to happen please. And I will keep you updated on how that goes, and if the Book of Mormon will help to convert this wonderful family. So that is the news on that.Thanks for your prayers in my behalf, they are greatly appreciated. This work would not move forward without prayers. So, we all thank you here in Botswana.

No email from Sister Barber

this week.....but I did get a link to her Mission President's website where there are lots of pictures of the mission and some of Sister Barber. To check it out go to:

http://www.johannesburgmission.googlepages.com/

Enjoy! Until Next Week -