I take 1st place in fastest bucket showers.

Okay... so first off I've realized that I haven't told any of you what's been happening in Zambia/Malawi since October.... Low-shedding. So the power down is hydro power... and recently the dam broke and so there isn't enough water to supply electricity all day every day... so across teh country everyone only has power for half the day each day... and we don't get to pick when it is. And when there is no power... we have no water. So we have to fetch water in the mornings and take bucket showers.. and i'm really fast at taking a bucket shower. My companion takes a solid second place. okay... there's an explanation of my subject.

also.. yes Elder Andersen was in Zambia... was I there? no... touchy subject. but yes.. lds.org is correct and the church is growing in Africa... we are ESTABLISHING the church and not SPREADING the gospel. We have had a BIG EMPHASIS on staying within our centers of strength.. which means teaching people who live near the meeting house... which means that they are most likely self-reliant and able to build up the church.

Good week!! 

We taught the relief society president's husband... he is a great guy who works in the mines in the north western province... so he is almost never home... but we're going to meet with him as often as we can:)

Zone meeting was real nice... it was like MLC all over again but still very very important!! But we gotta present and that's always fun:)

Brother Mpundu: PASSED HIS INTERVIEW AND WILL BE BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY! 

Andrew/Jessy: the family! Well... they didn't come to church, but we almost got through the restoration with them. it is so hard to teach their lessons cause he just talks and talks. But we took another couple with us, and it went good...except the lesson was forever long. 

Fineli: didn't come to church... but it's okay because we had such a great lesson with her. We were teaching the first vision and she was so cute her mouth just dropped open and she was like "wow... that's amazing" and it made me start thinking... we teach the first vision all the time like it is nothing... but Joseph Smith SAW HEAVENLY FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST. that is a big deal. and we all need to realize how truly it was a "marvelous work and a wonder" as the ancient prophets always call it. 

Barton: Barton, barton, barton. this man... he probably consumes most of my thoughts because i just don't know how to help him. He is still willing to change... his progression is just real slow. But that is probalby what Heavenly Father thinks about all of us haha. 

Friday: such a funny day. So our car was high on kilometers since we drove all the way to Lusaka... and so we decided to be walking missionaries again for the day. and we got FRIED. and then we had a ton of appointments fall through adn so we did service for our district presdient... We spent an hour and a half fetching water for them.... which means we got even more burnt. and... you should see us fetch water.. all the african women think we're pathetic. 

Saturday: Brother Mpundu (mpundu means twin... and he was a twin so his surname changed to mpundu... interesting right?) passed his interview!! good stuff! 

Greg: Greg is on date... but we needd to push it back a little since he didnt' come to church.

The atonement is amazing, and i'm grateful for it every day.

we got some new investigators this week which i'm really happy about!

Tender Mercies: Okay so Saturday night i'm just saying my prayers okay... nothing special and all of a sudden i get the most random prompting to text this former investigator named Peter who was a father-led family and remind him about church. it was almost 10:30 and we're not allowed to text that late... and so i told Heavenly Father that if it truly was a prompting to remind me again in the morning... and of course he did. I just sent him a simple text with no resposne... and HE CAME TO CHURCH. like seriously missionary work blows my mind.

Funny stories: So one of our recent converts is 14 and we have been pushing him to go to seminary.. so he goes, and he is the only one there and he calls us and says that no one is there.. not even a teacher. and so of course we run of there and say hello to your new seminary teachers:) luckily one other girl showed up... but we are teaching the Old Testament... so i got a lot to learn haha.

all in all. life is good. God is great. The church is true. Keep doing work my friends. Remember that you are a child of God who loves you NO MATTER WHAT.

Love you! 

Sister Thueson