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