No room

Well, another great and exciting week has gone by here in
Francistown! The new branch I am working in, Gerald, is exploding,
seriously! The first week, last week, we had 85 people in
attendance,and this week, by my count, we had 134!!! I still don't
know how we all managed to fit. People were sitting outside, and
standing outside. The field is truly white here in Gerald, my mission
president was right. It is just too exciting to witness. It was
funny because after church my companion and I were talking, and were
amazed with the number of people that came to church, yet we were
talking about how many people were missing in action. There should
have been so many more than that, so I really don't know what we will
do next week, because we anticipate even more to come. We are having
a meeting today with President Pouslen, over skype (technology is
amazing!), to discuss the options. The Lord really has His hand in
the work here, and I will be forever grateful to be a part of it. I
really can't take any credit for any of the good happening here. I
just get to be the lucky one to see it progress so quickly. I am sad
it will only be for six weeks. The branch president here says they
begged and begged for missionaries for over five years! Now he has
ten missionaries, and not enough room for all the people that want the
blessings of this gospel. These people have been waiting for this for
a very long time. Patience, it is all about patience, and then when
we continue in faith, and patience, the Lord really blesses us, and
there literally will not be room enough to receive it, just as He
promises in malachi. I have literally been able to see this promise
fulfilled, there literally is not room enough to recieve all of these
people that are ready and willing to accept this gospel. So, next
week I should have more updates about how we are going to handle the
blessings here in Gerald. But until then, I will just continue to
work hard, and do the Lord's will in the Lord's way.

Standing Room Only

So, I made it to Francistown and I am loving it already. The people here are even more wonderful than the people in Gaborone. We have been assigned to open the new branch, and a new area, with a total of no investigators to start with. Sounds like fun, huh? It really was, except for the fact that it was 41'C! So stinking HOT! But we went and met everyone in the neighborhood around the church! I think we know almost everyone already in the neighborhood by name, and are teaching more than half of them! We really worked very hard to meet people and invite them to the opening of the church in Gerald! And it paid off! We had 85 people in attendance this week! That is more than was in the branch in main town, they had 80! There was standing room only in the little house that we meet in! People just kept coming and coming, as I was giving my talk I had to almost yell so everyone could hear me. It was so great! How many branches have opened, and had 85 people in attendance the first week? Not very many I am sure! It was very exciting! President wanted the branches to split in four months, but they may need to do it before then, or get a bigger building. I don't know where we are going to fit all of these people. It was just a great week. The main problem I forsee we will run into is that people here cohabit too much, because they cannot afford to get married, so they just live together. Seems to be a huge problem. But we will find those that are married, and ready for this gospel! Or we will get them married and then baptize them. This past Sunday there were 7 baptisms into the branch! It was great. The work is really booming here, and I am very grateful to get to see this part of Botswana before I head home. So, that is Francistown. The work is great! We went from having no investigators and in one week, we have about 30. The church is true, and the work is great.

New Area

Ok, I have to make this quick because I don't have much time, I have to head up to Francistown! Woohooo! Yup, I got transferred up north, to francistown! They are splitting the branch up there, and this time they are sending sisters! I have wanted this my whole mission. I am very excited. It will be a great last seven and a half weeks! President told me we need to work diligently because he wants to split the branches again in four months, and then again in another four months, and then create a district then, and then a year from that, so in less than two years, he wants Francistown to beocme a stake! Eish....lots of responsibility these last few weeks. No room to get trunky :). but I am excited, but that is all I can write today.

I ate Chicken Feet - and I liked it!

This week was Botswana Independence Day. On the 30th. Which means most people went home to their villages and the cattle posts. However, some people did remain. Most that did were drunk the whole weekend though. Which made missionary work slow this past week. But we endured it well. We did meet some promising people. However, there weren’t very many people at church because most were still at home. So, it was an ok week. The four people who got baptized last week all stayed in town for their confirmations. That was great! Well, we are working hard still. This weekend will be an exciting one for us here in Botswana. An area seventy, Elder Bricknell will be here in Botswana giving the Saints here fireside on what they must do to become a stake! It will be very exciting. I am really looking forward to it. They are going to make a goal to become a stake in June. So, I will miss it, but I am very excited for them. As missionaries in my second transfer we made a goal for Bots to become a stake in the next two years! And we are going to achieve that goal! I am so excited for them. Um…other than that, it really was a pretty slow week because of the holiday. Hopefully this coming week will be more exciting. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your prayers.