Transfer News!...

Area - Kanye, Botswana
Companion - Elder Dlamini
Letter #47

Elder Dirkmaat leaving Kanye and returning to South Africa. Will remain a private until further notice. I'm excited to go back to South Africa but in some ways i wish i could stay in Botswana for the rest of my mission. I love it here! I hope i will get to come back up sometime soon though. They messed up when they did my residency so instead of June 2014, they put June 2013 so I have to come back before that! It's exciting to be able to go to a new area again. My district leader elder Fackrell was so excited to go to a new area but the call did not come and so now he will be staying for a total of 9 months and the end of this transfer. He was very upset. I felt bad for him cause we were all excited to leave and he was sad. Elder Jenkinson has also been in Bots and so now both of us are going to our third areas at the same time ha. He got called to be a district leader somewhere in South Africa. I really hope that Elder Dlamini gets a good companion that he can get along with otherwise i would be seriously worried that he just takes the car and drives home. Maybe not but he's been thinking of a lot of good reasons to go home and not finish. i'm gonna miss Kanye for sure and can't wait to come back.

This week we met so many sweet people who are eager to learn the gospel! We had 8 new investigators by Wednesday but then the rest of the week everybody was going out of town cause this weekend is the Botswana Independence (Sept. 30, 1962?). The work we did at the stand paid off because everybody that we met was intelligent and had written their names down with a purpose to find the truth. We went to visit one guy and he told us that him and his friend had been talking a lot about how they need to reshape their lives and come unto God. They both drink A LOT and are still single, they look like they are in their 30's. We taught them a bit about the Book of Mormon and he said that "this the book for me. I know I need to read this so that I can increase my faith and change my life." I love it when people say that instead of 'Why should i read this? I already have the Bible." When people recognize the truth it so amazing and inspiring to build your testimony and courage to share it with as many people as you can! With one of the other people we visited we brought a recent convert with us to help. The guy was super interested. Our companion was doing a great job helping us teach and build a relationship of trust but then as we were teaching him to pray about the Book of Mormon he told the guy that the best time to pray is at 12 midnight cause that is when you are at your spiritual high cause that is when the days are separated. :? We just continued teaching and didn't comment but I guess that's what happens when you bring recent converts! haha.

This week was a great week and as much as we had success we also didn't cause of all the people out of town. I think on Thurs, Fri, and Sat we had only one or two lessons each day. Oh! I forgot. one of the people who came to our stand invited us to her daughters wedding so I got to go to my first African wedding! It was so cool! All the singing and dancing and traditional stuff. It was a traditional/white wedding so it was kind of similar to ours but other things mixed in. Instead of walking down the aisle, they danced down the aisle! ha.

Well that's pretty much my week. Sounds like Ollie had a super Birthday party! HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLLIE!!! What a big kid! Lucky you, I get to email ON your b-day :D I love you brother!

I was going to send pictures today but I'm in gabs and all of my things are already in Joburg :/ Sorry neh.

-Elder Dirkmaat :D