I hope you enjoyed your last week of Christmas Vacation, and partied hard for new years! They lit off a ton of fireworks on new years, and so that was super fun!
On Tuesday, I stayed with the Sister Training Leaders, because I was waiting for my new companion to come! We had a district council meeting, like we do every Tuesday. After the meeting though, President Makasi approved for their zone to go out to eat at this fun burger place. It kind of reminds e of Red Robin! We had a really fun time, and I had a hamburger for the first time in four months. It was so yummy!
After we went to lunch, we went to the area of the STL's. I love their area so much. I told you a little bit about it last week, it is called Enterprise! It is green and has hills, and it is not in the city! I pray my next area is a rural area ;) I enjoy being with them, and seeing how they teach! It helps me to know what I can improve on.
On Wednesday, I got to meet my new companion! Her name is Sister Wandera, and she is from KENYA! She is super sweet, and is so excited to be a missionary. I am grateful that we get to be companions. That day, we had meetings, and it was so crazy to be back in the meetings I was in 6 weeks ago. I was feeling kind of overwhelmed with the fact that I didn't even finish my training, but here I am again in the trainers place 6 weeks later. I really feel like I am training to become more confident in myself as a missionary. The Lord wants me to learn a lesson and improve on myself. It's like they always say," there is no comfort in a growth zone, but no growth in a comfort zone." Just when I thought I was getting used to being a missionary in Zengeza, the Lord needed me to grow in a different way. So, bring on the challenge... I guess!
That night we went to dinner at president's house. They cooked some good food, but this time they also cooked some traditional Zimbabwe food. I ate this thing called Madora... It is fried caterpillars. So Melissa, that is by far the grossest thing I have eaten in Zimbabwe. It is crunchy and has a weird bitter taste. So ya... that was fun. Who knows, maybe I will get REAL butterflies in my stomach because I ate a caterpillar!
On Thursday we headed to our area, and to be honest, I was a nervous wreck! It is crazy how Satan works so hard to make us feel like we will never be good enough for anything! I honestly did not have a plan for who we were going to teach for the rest of the week. Sister Omondi and I looked at our investigators the previous week and dropped some people who weren't very serious. so our teaching pool was SLIM. But, Heavenly Father answers our prayers. My companion and I just worked hard, and talked to people on the street. We found some real potentials, and if they start progressing, I will tell you about them!
We have been teaching this lady named Beatrice and her son Nyasha. Nyasha was usually not around when we taught the mom, but we taught him the first half of the restoration a couple weeks ago. Beatrice really isn't that interested and says that she has been too busy lately, but my new companion and I caught Nyasha and finished teaching the Restoration. Teaching about the First Vision and Joseph Smith invites the spirit! I recited Joseph Smith's account, and Nyasha told us that he felt the spirit so strong. We hadn't planned on it, but I had a very strong impression to extend a baptismal date to him. After I did he said," yes! I cannot deny that what you have told me is true. I have been looking for the truth for so long, and now I know that the true church is the church that has the priesthood." Even in the closing prayer, he thanked Heavenly Father for blessing him to know the truth. I don't think I have ever felt the spirit so strong in a lesson! It was so powerful.
Our two other people who are on baptismal date are progressing really well! Liyona is still so smart, and understands really well. She tells us that she can't wait for January 26th so that she can be baptized just like Lenna was. I am happy for her! Sadly, Lenna got a job that requires her to work on Sunday. I pray we can schedule a time to meet with her and invite her to ask for Sundays off. I don't want her to lose her testimony! Canisio went out of town for the holidays, so we had been calling him to set up an appointment for a long time. We finally caught him yesterday, and he also said how excited he was for his baptism, because he knows that he can only live with his Father in Heaven again if he is baptized. I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father lead us to this amazing people. It is such a joy to see them gain testimonies and come closer to their savior by making changes in their lives!
The other week, a girl named Milda came up to my companion and I, and wanted to know who we were and why we were in Zimbabwe. We set a time to meet her, and Sister Wandera and I met her on Saturday. She also told us that she was searching for a church to join, and is super excited about the lessons we will teach her. She even asked what she needs to do to be baptized... SO I will keep you updated on the date we set ;) She even came to church on Sunday!!! Let me tell you, that is rare, most people like to tell you that they are coming, but they usually don't. That is how I know Milda is serious. She wants to actually learn more.
Can you believe church is two hours now?! It is so amazing how the Lord is preparing us for the second coming of the Savior. He is testing the world to see if we will prepare ourselves spiritually. The new Come Follow Me manual is awesome, and will really bless families and individuals with their personal testimonies.
The tender mercies from the Lord that I have received this week have been so special. I testify that Heavenly Father is aware of each and every one of us. He loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Look for those tender mercies and his hand in your life, because I promise you that he will show them to you.
Have an amazing week!
Love, Your Zimbabwe Girl
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