Do You Like Your Water Clear or Brown??

So they have been re-doing our parking lot in our flats... and the tar got down into the well.... so now all of our water is brown/black? nasty. I'll include a picture. yes we showered in it hahahah DESPERATE. 

Definitely a week full of ups and downs.... ups and downs and downs and ups. But you gotta love missionary work am i right? 

Chibessa family: you'll obviously be hearing about them for a while.... They are so cute! We go on tuesday and Brother Chibessa shows up with a braizer for us because we told him we didn't have one. So now when we don't have power or water in the morning I get to heat up water to bath. GO BROTHER CHIBESSA. and then we were teaching about tithing and he asks, "is it a sin if I want to pay 30% of my income to tithing?" so cute.... seriously this family is so great. Except Brother Chibessa got hurt on saturday., and Ivy had to take care of him... so they didn't come to church:( But we still have a lot of confidence in them. 

FHE. This week we had FHE with the Mpundus!! We played "don't eat pete" and talked about the FTSOY, and Mercy was asking for another one because she had given hers to her potential boyfriend and referred him to the section of dating. YOU GO MERCY. 

John is doing so good!! He even has his baptismal date wrriten on the back of his pamphlets. We also gave him a For the Strength of Youth and he was like, "wow... I'm really going to have to change because of what is written here... I have to change a lot in my life." I love that desire!!! Seriously God can work with anyone who has a willing heart! D and C 64:34! 

Elisha.... man on man my heart is broken. They are having major marriage problems, he moved out of the house, and is no where to be seen. Satan really works so hard on recent converts and it kills me. Keep praying for him and Tina. 

Chalwe family: such a humbling lesson! Sister Chalwe has been a member for a couple of years... her husband passed away a couple years ago, but last year she went with her three young kids to get sealed to her late husband. They walk about an hour to church every week, and she is the primary president. We went over and we sang all of their favorite hymsn.. and even the 5 year old had some of the hymns memorized and was singing it with so much pride. It's probably the only english they know but it's so cute. then...... nshima comes out. with CAPENTA. my companion and mine least favorite. seriously... small fish i can't even do it. But no option... it's dished out in front of us and ENABLING POWER OF THE ATONEMENT... comes in and it didn't even taste bad. both of us actually kinda liked it. 

Miriam was baptized!!!!!  so so cute!! obvioulsy it started 90 minutes late, but who cares cause it happend!!!! But the water was soooo cold, and miriam just starts crying when she gets in the water because she was so cold, and she was so rigid that her elbows were sticking up out of the water so she had to be baptized 6 times... poor girl, she looked traumatized. haha but after she was really happy, and she gave a really cute testimony:) 

Love you all!! Love the gospel and I love being a missionary! 

Sister T

Eating Like a King

Wowza we have gotten fed sooooo good this week. 

1. last sunday the Simbeye family fed us sausage, chiken, potatoes, and salad. 

2. monday... we go to the tholes for FHE and we have this south african sandwich with sausage, polony, chips, eggs, and vegetables. wowza. 

3. thursday... the chishimba family feeds us. rice, chicken, salad, beans. 

4. and tonight the simanwes are feeding us. MIRACLES. 

This week was really great!! Sister Mukweya joined the Copperbelt sisters on Tuesday night!! Crazy night trying to pick her up from the bus station but ya know you figure it out:) Now 5 sisters living in one flat... with one bathroom. Party. But miracles still continue to happen up here in Ndola!! Also our new zone leader was the elder that took over my area in Blantyre and it was so good to be able to talk about how everyone is doing in my old area!!! Some of my recent converts are facing challenges... but some are doing really really good!!! Which makes me so happy! 

Our people are still doing really good!!! 

Chibessa family: They are still on date for August 13th... they didn't make it to church yesterday. but when we called them they said that they were all ready to come... but then they realized they were too late and church was already almost over.... looks like next week we'll have to call them at6:30 to get them to be on time:) But we had a really good lesson with faith.. the oldest daughter who had a child out of wedlock, and we were able to teach her the law of chastity and she finally got around to the question that no one likes to hear, "so what am i supposed to do with James?" (her son) and bam.... that's where the Atonement comes in Faith. and she really has been converted you can tell... She even sent us to go teach the father to her son so that they can get married one day!! So cute. Then later in the week we were able to teach them about temples and they really want to go one day!!! Keep praying for them:) 

also... Brother Chibessa says he wakes up at 3:45 every morning to read the book of mormon before he goes to work.... seriously it's amazing to witness the converstion of people. 

Mr. Khunga. okay the sweetest old man on the planet... probably 60-70 (sorry dad) but he always asks for more Book of Mormon chapters to read and he understands them so well. I"m pretty sure he'll finish the Book of Mormon in a month! He had to go to a funeral so he wasn't able to make it to church but probably the funniest lesson of my life with him on Thursday. We get to the door and do the usual, "odi" and his wife was laying on teh couch (never met her before) and she tells us just to wait at the door.... awkward. but then the daughter walks in and was like "no, come in and sit down" then Mr. Khunga comes and we start teaching teh plan of salvation and the whole time the wife is laying there giving us the dirtiest looks, and making these disgusted noises at us, and even called us stupid while we were sitting there... and finally she was like, "I have to sweep, hurry and end now" and Mr. khunga just gets mad and was like, "ARe you crazy? sweeping can wait... we're learning" nope... she did not have that and just gets her broom. So yep... just end the lesson right then and there.. and when we asked him to pray he was like, "i'm too distrubed to pray right now" soooo we're not sure what to do with the wife, because he is so prepared. 

1 Nephi Chapter 1: oh boy how sick of this chapter I was at the end of the week. We read it in 5 different lessons. We are trying to get our recent converts, less-actives, and members reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning... because most of them weren't reading every day. And following president Kupu's counsel we are giving them to them and teaching them how to introduce it to a friend, and committing them to give it to a friend. We're really hoping for new prepared referrals to come flying in:) 

Miriam The cutest little girl ever!! She is getting baptized on Saturday! and last week we asked her to start reading the book of mormon... and when we followed up she wsa already on chapter 20 of first nephi! And she is 11!! So excited for her! 

Ndola Central City Hospital: the scariest place ever. ONe of our members was admitted this past week so last week we went to go visit, and they jsut have beds everywhere... no private rooms but just an open room with lots and lots of beds, and we even got there right as someone died... no doctors came to help, just the family there crying... It was really sad. 

Funny Stories:

1. Sister Thole keeps making fun of me for being a muzungu haha... I was trying to explain that a stove is faster than a braizer and she was like "no, muzungus just came and corrupted us and made us think that... same with washing machines." haha she kills me... but then she finally accepted that muzungus brought one good thing... which was missionary work. HOLLA. 

2. After being here for 13 motnhs... I still rub my skin raw from hand washing... we were doing service at our investigators house and I just had to give up because it hurt so bad haha. Thank goodness I finally have an african companion who taught me how to do it right... I blame my trainer...who taught me to just soak my clothes with some soap... swirl it around and you're good:) hahah and yes she'll be reading this email. (Thanks Solomone) 

3. Wednesday I opened teh car door after a lesson and nailed myself in the face. That's fun... got a huge goose egg. 

All in all, once again a great week!! I love seeing the strength and dedication that all these members have. Yes, sometimes things don't go as smoothly as they could in the branch, but i've learned that everyone is trying their hardest to serve God with all the heart. I was studying the consecrated missionary talk yesterday... which chastizes you everytime you read it. But this quote really stuck out to me this time,

" What is the driving, motivating force for a consecrated missionary? It is the Savior and His Atonement. If we fail to be obedient, if we fail to be humble, if we fail to be fearless, perhaps we intellectually understand the Atonement, but somehow we fail to grasp the underlying love of his sacrifice. Once we feel that, as well as understand it, we will be driven to give our all. We will realize that our all is a small repayment for his all."

Lately I've been trying to ask myself.... What is driving my obedience? why do I get out of bed at 6:30? Why do i start my study at 8:00? and it all comes from love. Love for our Savior, and love for our investigators... understanding that our obedience can affect how well they understand what we are teaching them. As we are openly rebellious... we are mocking the Atonement.... and that hit me hard. 

LOVE YOU ALL, 

SISTA T

Am I Living in Zambia or Antarctica??

IT'S SO SO SO COLD HERE. Seriously... all of us during relief society were wrapping chitenges around us and huddling up together to get warm. 

This week was really really good!! Miracles are always happening! 

Kupus: We met our new mission president, his wife, and their 17 year old son!! They are soooo great and so sweet!!! We had a great devotional with them about how we can more fully use Preach My Gospel, the missionary handbook, and the Book of Mormon! pretty crazy because recently the spirit prompted me to be studying all 3 of those during my personal study every day... not just in companionship study, and then just a month or 2 later when President comes he tells us to start doing it!! Our interview was a short one, just to get to know each other and ask simple questions and then after Sister Kupu came teaching the Samba family with us!! It was sooo powerful... Brother Samba was like, "so what will happen next after I find out if the Book of Mormon is true?" and normally I would have gone into some deep thing like how he'll get baptized or something and all she said was, "The spirit will tell you what is next" so profound yet so true. Truly the spirit guides us each and every day if we let it. 

Chibessa family: THEY ARE ON DATE FOR AUGUST 13TH!!! seriously such a great family! We went to go teach them on Tuesday... But God always has a different plan and only the wife was home... so we were able to teach her the Restoration and almost catch her up with her family... she had been having concerns about the Book of Mormon, but we were able to clarify that and.... THEY CAME TO CHURCH AS A FAMILY. They were late... but still a big step in the right direction.. they even live pretty far away but they even brought a friend to church. Miracles are so apparent everywhere. 

Mumba family: Most humbling experience of my life. So Brother Mumba has been a member for a couple years now... and right when I got here he went less-active... But about 6 weeks ago he started coming to church again and hasn't missed a week. I asked if we could come visit him and turns out the reason why he hadn't been coming is they shifted over an hour away. He has a 10 year old (Lucky) 8 year old (Jeff) and a 6 year old (Adice) and he is raising them on his own. Lucky got the malaria that stays with you the rest of your life and it has made him deaf, and gave him a permanent limp. Yet they still come every single week.. I asked President Kupu what to do and he said he still needs baptism... as long as he can indicate that he wants to then we can. So yesterday we taught them using pictures (thanks mom and dad for the picture book) and every time we showed a picture of Jesus he was just get a big smile on his face and go "yesu kristu!!!" and then we we showed him a picture of baptism he started smiling and gave us a thumbs up. Seriously it was the most adorable thing ever... Jeff and Lucky will get baptized in August. 

Aubrey: The most frustrating lesson of my whole entire life. He is the husband to the relief society president and they live soooo far away but we go because he is a part member and she is so active and has the strongest desire for him. So we go and we're following up on the plan of salvation and he didn't remember a single thing. He even asked the questions, "so you're saying we're going to live again" UGGGHHHH haha I seriously almost lost it. I was so frustrated.. 

Brother Mpundu recieved the Melchizedek Priesthood!! *sister T starts crying during sacrament meeting and the branch president just gives me the weirdest look* 

Funny stories:

1. so everyone in Ndola branch knows when transfer calls will be coming... and Brother Justin a recent convert was with us on Thursday and he was like, "Sister Thueson... I need a snap with you because i'm going to Congo and you'll be leaving so i might not see you again" okay brother justin... trying to prophecy or something haha. So one of the pcitures you see is that. 

2. I CUT MY HAIR. yomo.

3. Teaching the Nonde girls.... How many prophets are there? Lydia: 2!!! Chariot: 3!! Me: "who are these prophets?" Lydia: Thomas S Monson and Joseph Smith... Chariot: "and Innocent!!" Sister Ratema: "Innocent?" Chariot: "yeah!! Enoch was a prophet!" hahahha me i just died. so cute... 

I've recently been finishing up the New Testament, and it's so amazing how the gospel never changes. It was the same in the ancient days with the apostles as it is today!!! The gospel is perfect, but the ministers never will be, and that's the best part about it!! Crazy how much I love being able to see what I've learned from the many many many mistakes I make each day. Grateful for the Atonement! 

That was my week!! Love you all!!! 

Sister Thueson

I Love Africa

Well family this week was so great!!!! I love the Great Zambia Lusaka mission!! but i forgot my planner and journal so we'll see how well i remember everything.

1. I HELD A PYTHON WHAAAATT?? my fear of snakes is now panono.... weirdly eenough i'm still more scared of fish than snakes. 

2. Our new mission president arrived this past week!! President and Sister Kupu! They're coming up to the copperbelt tomorrow and i'm so excited to meet them!! we'll be having interviews on Wednesday! 

3. our branch is too busy to hold a baptism this week so we had to push it back 2 weeks:( But Miriam, John, and Natasha should be getting bapited on the 23rd! 

Well... good things are happening in the Ndola East area... always trials but always tender mercies as well.

We put the Chibessa family on date this past week for August 13th and we finally met the wife!!! She is really cute and even though our first lesson with her was the Word of Wisdom she accepted! they didn't come to church.... don't know why yet, but i still have so much faith for them!!!

We met with that family who contacted us for the Book of Mormon... they are good... well the wife is. haha the husband.... is ready to bible bash. We took Brother and Sister Thole yesterday to teach the Restoration, and we invited them to be baptized and the wife said yes right away, and then the husband was like disgusted with the idea... and at the end of the lesson he was like, "next time you come... i'm going to teach you." and my companion just starts busting up laughing so i start smacking her leg... awkard. But then to make everything even worse... the first time they bring us out coffee (on wednesday) so we have to explain to them that we don't drink it... then on sunday they bring juice for us... awkwakrd it was fast sunday... and of course Brother Thole was like, "maybe the missionaries would like to go first..." thanks brother thole... obviously sister thole took charge and explained that we were fasting.

The Mwiinga family:

sooo we have a recent convert Selina Mwiinga... and her whole family used to be tuaght but she was the only one who ended up getting baptized... but then her 2 sisters just got re interested and came to church on sunday and told us they want to be baptized now!!!! whaaaat?? Super exciting!!

John... hahah John.... He asks the funniest questions during our lessons. Like I wish I could even describe his questions... but he cares so much about the gospel and he already refers to the church as "his church" cute stuff..

Trials: So we had been teaching Betha, her older brother and younger brother. and I guess some of their neighbors called their mom in a different province and talked bad about the church so now they're not allowed to learn anymore:(

Preparation day: TODAY WAS SWEET. I saw a giraffe family, and held a snake. and then we went to something called the International Trade fair... it's like I was at a carnival back home, and there were all these dancers from differenct african countries. super cool. This continent rocks.

anywho! LOVE YOU ALL. I love being a missionary!! sorry to all you who I couldn't individually respond to today.... forgive me! We had no time today!! Love you! oh and apology for the pciture of me holding a baby....

Love, 

Sister T