This week was so eventful! We had a road trip down to Harare for Zone Conference and it was good, as usual! President Makasi talked about 2 main topics: 

1. Extending meaningful baptismal dates- He really discussed how these people are PEOPLE! They should never feel forced or pressured to be baptized. They need to have spiritual experiences and even received a witness that this is what they want to do. Then they will be baptized for themselves and be life long converts to the church! 

2. Ministering with the members- The whole concept of ministering hasn't really been caught on here in Zimbabwe. The church is already so new, and they think that ministering is just visiting those returning members. Obviously, that's part of it... but everyone in the branch needs to feel the love of their Savior and know that people in the ward or branch are concerned about them, and are their friend. Because of the lack of ministering, President Makasi encouraged us missionaries to go with the members and be their ministering partner. We are so excited to implement that and go with the relief society sisters! This is a way for us missionaries to work with the members, finding returning members to visit, and gain their trust! 

We are still trying to build our teaching pool, and finding through our own efforts isn't successful here in town. That is another reason we are excited to minister with members, they will help us in our missionary work. The people we ARE teaching though, are doing AMAZING! We had another miracle this week with 8 people at church. I am grateful that Heavenly Father is answering our prayers.

 Being a missionary has really helped me to recognize that Heavenly Father is aware of me. I know he directing the work here in Bindura. I received a blessing from President Makasi when we had interviews, and in the blessing he said," Sister Kershaw, you should be aware, in fact VERY aware, that Heavenly Father knows what you are doing. He knows you are in Zimbabwe and you are here for a specific reason. Go forward with faith." He is not only aware of me, but he is aware of all of his children. He knows you and loves you! 

Nyasha and No matter were baptized this week! It is always a special thing to watch people enter into the waters of baptism, and onto a path that will lead them back to their father in heaven! The gospel is so good, and it changes lives every day! 

I love you, I pray for you, I MISS YOU! 

Love, 

Sister Kershaw

The hardest thing I've ever loved to do

I heard a song this week from the Nashville Tribute band titled "The hardest thing I've ever loved to do." You should look it up, because you will just cry and love it so much. I always get teary eyed when I hear it. It touches your heart! The song talks about a missionary and how his experience on his mission is. The words of the song and even the title perfectly explain how this week went, and even how mission is. You cannot sugar coat anything... mission is hard. Not to scare you future missionaries out there, but it is a mountain that you never stop climbing. It is tiring; emotionally and physically. Sometimes, people don't want to listen to a message that can change their life FOREVER. Sometimes, you get homesick, and wish so badly that you could  hug your parents, and have them tell you that you can do it. Sometimes, you have to experience a different culture, and love people that you think are unlovable. AND YET you love it. Every day, no matter how difficult it is, or how tired you are; is full of Heavenly Father's tender mercies. You realize and gain a testimony that this is Jesus Christ's work, and he leads you every step of the way. That is why you love it. You love the memories you make, and the people that you get to meet. Serving in the Zimbabwe Harare mission has been the HARDEST thing I have ever LOVED to do.

This week was an okay week, but no matter how many appointments we planned, they all seemed to fall through. My companion and I thought we were cursed or something. but, the work moved on and we kept ourselves busy. Because of the dedication we had to work, we saw miracles. We had 7 of the people we are teaching come to church. The past three weeks I have been here, we only had 1 or 2. We were so grateful! We did some finding in town when we had fall throughs, but didn't have much success. We will continue to work hard and try to find the elect, because our teaching pool is in desperate need of new people. We have a handful of awesome people though, and I know them well enough to introduce you to them! 

Loveness: She is the Branch President's daughter in law, in Retreat. We are finishing up teaching her the lessons, but there are labolla issues, so it may be a while before she can get legally married and then baptized. We continue to visit and strengthen her and pray for her. She really wants to be baptized! 

No matter: At the beginning of the transfer, our area boundaries were realigned, and we got some of the people that the elders had been teaching. No matter is in her 20's and she is powerful. She comes to church every Sunday without fail, and she is so cute! She will be baptized next Sunday. 

Nyasha: Nyasha is so hilarious! He is in his teens, and his cousin is a member of the church. He travels from a nearby town that doesn't have a branch yet, and he comes to church every Sunday, no matter how expensive it may be. He will also be baptized next Sunday. :) 

Ronie, Leah, Bright: Ronie is 16, Leah is 13, and Bright is 8. They are also cousins with a member, and she actually referred us to them. We are taking the lessons slow, because we want to make sure that they are really going to be baptized because they have a testimony. They always do the reading assignments that we give them, and they all came to church on Sunday! A fun lesson we had with them was teaching them about the Book of Mormon. Instead of losing their attention just reading the introduction, we showed and explained the pictures at the beginning of the book. It is fun to come up with different and fun ways to teach these kids so they understand. I kinda feel like I am a primary teacher every time my companion and I plan their lessons.

This week we had a meeting with Bindura University to see if we could proselyte on campus. Sadly, the answer was no... but the chaplain said that we could plan activities and then hold them there. We are thinking we might show a church movie or something when the semester starts in September. I'll keep you updated on how everything goes. 

This weekend, I found out that Jonathan was in a really bad accident at work. It shook me up a bit, and it is never easy to hear news like that when you are 9,000 miles away from your family. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and the peace that he brings us. He definitely comforted me when I found out, and continues to comfort my family and Jonathan's little family. I love you Jonathan, and my companion and I pray for you daily. President Makasi, Elder and Sister Graves, and missionaries in the mission are praying for your quick recovery. I send all my love from Zimbabwe 

I hope everyone has a great first week back to school. Shout out to MELISSA JEAN for turning 14 years old today! I love you sis, You are growing up too fast. ;) Enjoy every moment of high school, and you'll create memories that last a lifetime. 

Love, Sister Kershaw

The one where Sister Kershaw falls out of a chair

Hello from Zimbabwe! 

Last Monday my companion and I made a short road trip to Harare for the monthly Mission Leadership Council Meeting. MLC was so awesome this time! President Makasi and Elder Graves introduced a new initiative that us missionaries are going to use in the Zimbabwe Harare Mission. It is called "Come and see, Come and Help, and Come and Stay." It is in line with some of the new videos I think that the church came out with about member missionary work. They are awesome videos, you should go and watch them if you haven't already! :) So we are going to go to all of the member's houses, and teach them a brief lesson about missionary work, then we are going to specifically commit them to invite people to "Come and see, Come and Help, and Come and Stay." We have a printed list of what they can do, and even will invite them to think of a way that they can do missionary work. We will then follow up with them, and if they invited someone, we give them a wristband that says Come see, come help, and come stay, to remind them to continually do missionary work. I am SUPER excited to implement this, especially because my companion and I are trying to 1. build our teaching pool and 2. rebuild a relationship with the ward. Every one wants to feel wanted,and as we go and visit every member in our ward, they will feel the love from us missionaries, and even a greater love to share the gospel. I will keep you updated on how the initiative goes!

We are teaching this man named Percival. We taught him about the Restoration, and then at our follow up appointment, he was so excited to meet and talk to us. He said," Sisters! I told my mom that I am going to start coming to your church and she will see me changing some things in my life. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feels right, and I can't wait to learn more." We also taught him about the Book of Mormon, and committed him to read the introduction. He asked us if it would be okay if he continued reading, even past the intro! haha This dude is serious. :) 

My mom sent me a talk in a package I just received and my mama has the spirit for sure. I needed to hear that talk at this time in my mission! I love you mom    The talk is from President Dallin H. Oaks and it is called "Reach up and Climb" He tells a story about how his grandfather had a dream when he was on his mission is Samoa. He was struggling with the language, the culture, homesickness, and just about everything that missionaries struggle with! In the dream, a man came to him and lead him to the bottom of a cliff, and told him to start climbing. The man said that it was impossible, and there was no way that he could do it. The other man told him," You haven't even tried. Reach up and climb." As he started climbing, it became easier and easier, and when he reached the top of it, he was then back in his room and realized that it was a dream. Dallin H. Oaks said that there are tasks that come to us in life that seem impossible, and we feel like we cannot even conquer what is in front of us. The moment we start climbing is the moment that we receive strength and the moment when we realize that we can do it. He gave examples from the scriptures about how they didn't receive the strength they needed until they took a step forward. The Red Sea didn't part until the Children of Israel got their feet wet. Lehi and his family didn't get the Liahona until years of them traveling in the wilderness. Often times, we have to take that leap of faith before the comfort and confidence is there. The power that is behind us, will ALWAYS overpower the difficulties we face. Heavenly Father never leaves us alone, and when we do what is right, that power is even more readily available for us. No matter what comes your way, "Reach up and climb!" 

Funny story of the week: We are teaching two young kids of a member in Retreat. The chair that I was given was a little shaky and weak, but I sat in in anyway. To make matters worse, we were in their front yard, but the ground was angled at a slant. I was okay for most of the lesson, but when my companion was teaching, I fidgeted in my chair, and then it just started falling backwards. Not only did I fall, but I fell right on top of ONE OF THE KIDS WE WERE TEACHING. Literally everyone in that village saw me fall, and all were just dying of laughter. Even me, I was just dying from laughter and embarrassment. Poor Tatenda probably never wants me to come back and teach him, because he is traumatized at the fact that a missionary fell right on him. HAHAHAHAHA that was the highlight of our week. 

I love you all so much! 

Sister Kooshaw 

Idaho= I don't know

Mamuka sei! (good morning)

Funny thing that happened: In a lesson we had with a person we are teaching, I was 

introducing myself, and he asked me where I was from. I explained that I was from the United 

States, and I come from a state called Idaho. I guess my American accent was too much, or he heard me wrong... but he thought that I said I don't know! hahaha He confusingly asked me, " Sister Kershaw, you don't know where you come from?" I died laughing. 

Cherungu (English) is difficult! 

I will share a little bit about the area I am serving in... we actually cover two areas and branches.The first is called Retreat, and it is seriously out in the middle of nowhere. It is just in the mountains outside of Bindura. Sadly, President doesn't want us to focus our efforts in finding there... so we only go to see members, less-actives, and the referrals that we get. The members that I met there were so humble, and so kind. They love the gospel, and they love their families. Some of them have to walk hours to get to church... I will never ever EVER let myself or anyone else complain about having to go to church, because seriously, we have it so easy. The second area is Bindura town. It is a polar opposite of retreat, but I still like the area. I have served in high density areas, but I have never really served in a town setting. I am excited to get the experience of knocking doors, and having to take a different approach for the missionary work that we do. Sister Babeeyo and I have our work cut out for us, there is lot to be done and many souls that need saving... Bring it on!

Update on the eyes: I am good now. No more infection, and I am good to wear my contacts! I was actually really worried about them, but I prayed and I know my family prayed, and those prayers were answered. I am so grateful that everything is okay. 

One thing that I am now VERY grateful for... flushing toilets... HAHAHA Cause there isn't a single toilet that flushes in our house. After we use the bathroom, we get a bucket and have to then flush it like that. I don't know if that was too much information, but I just had to be real with ya. Be grateful for your flushing toilets, my friends. Luckily, the showers work in our house, so I don't have to bucket shower. Knock on wood, but I hope I never have to. We always have hot water, too. You gotta look for the little things. I have been lucky so far with the houses that I have stayed in, so I think it was about time to get a house that wasn't that nice. It gives me experience, and it will be for my good! 

Sister Babeeyo is literally the sweetest human alive. I love her SO much. She is so down to earth, and has served me ever since I came to Bindura. She has made sure that I am comfortable, and helps me with just about everything! She is so Christ-like, and I am learning so much from her! She's the best, and will be another lifelong friend  The little kids can never say my name, so they always end up calling me Sista Kooshaw. Sister Babeeyo caught on to it, and now she just calls me Sister Kooshaw, too! I even call her Sister Babe, too. It's fun!

We are back to petrol lines! I no longer have the elders at the office to get me petrol... On Friday, we got in a line and waited for like 5 hours, and then the filling station closed. We left our car in the line, and then the Zone Leaders came and picked us up. On Saturday, they came back to our house and got us at 5 am to then get back in the petrol line. Luckily we were towards the front, and we didn't wait long before they gave us some. Ah! I can't even explain petrol lines and how mad that make me. hahaha BUT I am learning patience. 

Our shoes are supposed to be black... but they are brown cause the dirt

This last week we went to visit a member, and she shared with us what she had been learning in her personal study. The scriptures that she shared was Alma 17: 2-4. It was no coincidence that she shared that. I was feeling overwhelmed with the tasks that laid in front of Sister Babeeyo and I. I  felt discouraged because we only had 3 people who came to church, and our teaching pool is really slim. In those scriptures it talks about the Sons of Mosiah, and how Alma found out how their missionary work went with the Lamanites. They were still his brethren in the Lord, and had seen the fruit of their labors. They didn't have it easy, and there was much tribulations. BUT they saw miracles because they fasted, prayed, and studied the scriptures diligently. They were patient in their afflictions, and had a great faith in the Lord. Because of those things, they had the power and authority of God. I am grateful for this scripture that the member shared with us. It was a tender mercy, and Heavenly Father was speaking to me. I know that the Lord will bless Sister Babe and I as we work diligently, and give our all to the Lord. He will work miracles through us, according to our faith. 

Have an amazing week! Soak up every little bit of summer, and enjoy it! Some of the best memories are made in the summer. Winter season is ending here, and I hear that Bindura gets SO HOT in the summer. My tan lines have been fading, so I am excited that they will be coming back here really soon ;)

Love you!

Sister Kershaw 

Retreat!!! The mountains are so beautiful