Merry Christmas from Zimbabwe

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe that Christmas is here again, and I am in Africa celebrating it! Last year we talked about how I would be on my mission during Christmas, and I can't believe that I am actually here. 

This week was such a fun and busy week, and for that I am so grateful! 

On Wednesday, we had our Zone Conference, and we got the watch the first presidency Christmas Devotional. I was so happy that I got to watch it, I thought I wasn't going to be able to. I loved the happy messages that were shared. My favorite talk was by a general authority... I can't remember his name, BUT he talked about how every where all over the world, people celebrate Christmas. The most important thing to remember however is that no matter where you are, the spirit of Christmas is the same. We remember our Savior Jesus Christ's birth, and we can feel the true joy of Christmas when we love and serve others just as he did. After the devotional, we played games and ate dinner. We had funeral potatoes, ham, and even PIE! It didn't compare to Dad's homemade pie, but it still made me happy, and reminded me of home. 

This week we got a call from the Salt Lake online sisters, and we got a referral! This girl's name is Nyasha, and she said she was scrolling through Facebook, and she saw an ad on the side of the screen to get a free Book of Mormon. We took her the Book of Mormon, and her whole family was so inviting, and loved us being there. I will keep you updated on how they progress, I hope they are serious. There is also no such things as a coincidence, so I just pray we can help her know the truth. 

Another miracle that happened, my companion and I were walking down a street that we usually would not have taken. This man caught our attention, and I honestly thought he was just some drunk dude hahaha BUT he told us that he ran into the general authority, Elder Palmer. This man worked at the hotel that he was staying in. Elder Palmer gave him a family history book, and said that if he were to ever see the missionaries, to talk to them. We have an appointment set up after this week, because he is going out for the holidays this week. I shared this experience with President Makasi, and he said he told Elder Palmer. I pray he is also serious and wants to learn more! 

On Saturday, our Zone had a light the world activity. We went to this place called Joinacity, it's basically a mall. We set up a table with Light the World pamphlets, and sang Christmas hymns. I hope we touched some people, and helped them feel the true spirit of Christmas. The mall looked nothing like the malls back home with Christmas decorations... but I didn't care. There were still some decorations and it made me really happy. 

This week in my personal study, I was reading in Preach My Gospel about the Christ-like attributes. I loved this quote from President Monson is the section on patience. 

" Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others a more serious nature. There seems to be an endless supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the Heavenly virtue of patience is required." 

I loved that! We can find joy in the journey when we exercise patience!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas eve! I hope you enjoy eating at Olive Garden, eat my favorite soup and tons of bread sticks. See you in a little over 24 hours  I love you so much! 

Great visit with Sister Kershaw for Christmas. She is loving where she is and the opportunity she has to bring people unto Christ. 

Teaching in Zimbabwe

This week was kind of slow, but we had a lot of time to spend in our area and that is always so nice! 

This week we started teaching Lenna's little sister Liyona! I am so excited. I hope we can start teaching her mom as well. Liyona doesn't understand much English, so Lenna helps us translate. That is such a great opportunity for Lenna to learn and grow her testimony, being able to help teach her sister. 

My girls- Lenna, Liyona, and Lenna's daughter, Kisha

Another person we are teaching is named Canisio. He is a young teenage boy who was referred to by our recent convert, Dumasani. I love teaching him, because in the lessons we give, he listens so intently. I can tell that he is serious and wants to learn more. When we ask him to keep commitments, he does them, and then writes what he learned in his notebook. I even gave him the Book of Mormon with Ethan's testimony in it. He smiled so big when he read it. Good work, Family! You were truly lighting the world. 

Canisio and the Book of Mormon!

I am doing really well, and am just continuing to adjust. Sadly, I am looking forward to when the Christmas season is over, so that I don't have to think about what is going on back home. But I am really loving Zimbabwe. It isn't easy adjusting to life in a different country, but this is the coolest opportunity of my life. I really love the people, and the culture is just so cool. 

My Christmas decorations! I LOOOOOVE the snowflakes!

Zengeza is good. This next week we have some fun activities to look forward to. Our whole zone bought fabric to make matching skirts and ties for the zone conference on Wednesday! I am excited to pick mine up and see how it looks. We are going caroling in Harare, and we also have a zone conference that is a Christmas party! 

I love you all so much! 

Pictures from Zimbabwe Mission

Dear Brother and Sister Kershaw,

The Zimbabwe Harare Mission is so grateful and lucky to have your daughter serving here.  

We will spend time with her soon for a Christmas Devotional at the mission office.   

President and Sister Makasi

She is delightful!  She was the only American sister to come in her transfer, but she seems to be adapting quite well. 

Warm Regards,

Sister Theurer

Mission Secretary

Life in Good ol Zengeza

To start off, I just want to say how grateful I am for my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that I have the knowledge that he knows exactly how I feel. In my times of despair, when I feel like no one could understand me, I feel the Holy Ghost telling me that Jesus Christ does. There are times when I feel like I cannot accomplish the task that is in front of me, and he helps me get through it. A mission is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I know that it will be the most rewarding experience of my life. I remind myself every day that I am able to be a part of the greatest work that is on the earth. I am very grateful for this opportunity to see the atonement change these people's life. 

I am also grateful for experiences that bring me to my knees. The times when I am homesick, or frustrated, I am in constant prayer with my Heavenly Father. I have learned so much about prayer and even personal revelation the two months that I have been here. Heavenly Father knows and loves us. I promise that he answers our prayers and is aware of each and every one of our struggles. He cares more than we could ever imagine. 

This week was a lot better! My companion and I are working very hard in our area. There is not a better feeling than coming home after teaching a bunch of different lessons, knowing that you helped someone feel the spirit. Like I said, I am so blessed to be able to see this gospel change people's life. 

We had a baptism this week! The girl, Lenna, that I told you about a couple weeks ago was baptized on Saturday. It was kind of a stressful day, because the pump broke at the church, so we barely had any water in the font. The person she wanted to baptize her is SUPER tall. He tried 3 times, but couldn't get her under all the way. Finally, a return missionary who was there in the ward baptized her and got her all the way under! Haha, the poor girl. We went to her house after and explained the whole concept of full immersion. She didn't mind though, she was so excited, and I am so happy for her. 

We are now allowed to eat in people's houses!... pray for me. We ate in a member's home last night, and I had real Zimbabwe sadza. Let me just say, it was stinking delicious. The member was teasing me that the meat his wife cooked was cat... I believed him for like five minutes. I thought to myself," How am I going to tell my little brother I ate cat... I can't refuse to eat it."  Thank goodness it wasn't cat, and it was pork!!! 

I miss you all so much, and am looking forward to being able to skype on Christmas. I am counting down the days! I love you so much!

Elder Holland's Instagram Message: We all need this!!

I hear many who struggle with this issue: 'I am just not good enough.' 'I fall so far short.' 'I will never measure up.' I hear this from teenagers. I hear it from missionaries. I hear it from new converts. I hear it from lifelong members.

"I believe in God’s perfection, and I know we are His spiritual sons and daughters with divine potential to become as He is. I also know that as children of God we should not demean and vilify ourselves, as if beating up on ourselves is somehow going to make us the person God wants us to become in eternity. No! "With a willingness to repent and a desire for increased righteousness in our hearts, I would hope we could pursue personal improvement in a way that doesn’t include getting ulcers or bulimia, feeling depressed, or demolishing our self-esteem. That is not what the Lord wants for children or anyone else who honestly sings, 'I’m trying to be like Jesus.

'"I testify of that very Jesus, who Himself continued 'from grace to grace' until He received in His immortality a perfect fulness of celestial glory. I testify that in this and every hour He is, with nail-scarred hands, extending to us that same grace, holding on to us and encouraging us until we are safely home in the embrace of Heavenly Parents."

"Don’t wait to live. This isn’t a rehearsal; this isn’t a dry run; this isn’t a pre-performance routine. This is it. This is real life. Don’t wait. Savor every minute."Learn from the past, plan for the future, but the only moment you’ve got is right now. Don’t look back and lament, and don’t wait needlessly for the future. Live in the moment and savor it as if it were your last, as if it were your only, as if it were that one moment 'on which the shadow stands.' If you’ll do the best you can with each hour of your life, you’re going to find at the end that you have had a rich and wonderful experience."