I FINALLY ATE A MOPANI WORM

Hey Mom,


 So let me fill you in with whats been happening on my side of the
world. We are working harder than we ever have in our missions. Elder
Leftwich and I are both approaching the end of our missions and we
both decided that we are going out fighting. We have stopped using our
car because we feel that if we can get more people to see us,
especially the members, they will stop us and see what we are doing
and it is working great! We walk no less than six miles every day but
its a small price to pay and besides we have been sleeping very good
at night because of it :) We also have taught in an Anglican church
and were invited to start helping with the youth groups at the local
Methodist church. We gave them both the For Strength of Youth
pamphlets and have gained the trust of the leaders of those churches.
It was fun because we went to one of their youth firesides (I guess
you could call it that) and they had a great discussion on being
leaders as youth. They also fed us dinner which was a big bonus :)
Speaking of food, I finally ate a mopani worm! They are big dried
caterpillar things that are nasty but I can say I have eaten them now.
We had interviews with our mission president last week as well and
they went great. President Omer is the best! Well was my week. Lots of
tracting and lots of teaching. We taught 15 lessons this week which
was awesome and we had one of the families we are teaching come to
church! They will hopefully be baptized in July.
Well I am jealous that you will get to go down to California this
summer because it is starting to get really cold up here and I know I
am just going to freeze when I get back Rexburg. So I forwarded the email that
BYUI admissions sent me about still being able to defer for my
mission. Do you have a copy of my mission call? If you could please
help me with that that would be the greatest blessing and relief ever!
I have been really stressing over it this last week but I know that
this is the answer to my prayers.
I hope you have great week and that it is just as fun and busy as the
last :) I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Caleb

I AM AS HAPPY AS I HAVE EVER BEEN AND FOCUSED ON FINISHING STRONG

So this week was a great week. It started out very slow but things started to boom right at the end. We found three families to start teaching and all three of them have great potential and were very interested in the Book of Mormon which is always a good sign. We are starting a lot of member work as well and are getting families to start supporting us more in the work and not to just feed us which is nice. Things are looking up in Polokwane and we continue to work as hard as we can to build the area and branch. It has been a great week with a lot of spiritual growth for me. My eyes continue to be opened to knew things and possibilities. Learning by the spirit really is the only way to learn eternal truths and to find true lasting peace in all that we do. I really owe everything that I have become to the Gospel and I really don't know where I would be with out it. 

 

I am doing good and eating healthy :) My numbers are doing great and my diabetes is in good shape :) I am taking the least amount of insulin I have ever taken and my body is using it perfectly (for the most part) I am healthy and striving to be healthier :) I love you momma and hope things go great for you this week. I am as happy as I have ever been and focused on finishing strong.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP IN POLOKWANE SOUTH AFRICA

Its your Birthday month too! Can you believe you are turning 35! I
never thought you would get to be that old but here we are haha.
Things are good this side and my new comp is great! Elder Leftwich is
from Colorado Springs and is one of the best missionaries in the
mission. He goes home six weeks before I do and so the work is going
to BOOM here :)
I don't really know what I want for my birthday. I would say save the
money from sending a package and I would love to have a gym membership for the three months that I am home but anything would be great :)

I am eating good and doing good. My numbers are where they should be and I am still striving to be more healthy. We are going down to the
office today and staying at the mission home so that should be fun.
The whole zone will be there so it should be a blast :)
I don't have to much to report on today but just know things are going
better than they have been the past three months. Things are looking
up for Polokwane :)
I love you so much and pray for you daily! Sorry its so short but I
promise more next week. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE HAVE SOME GREAT THINGS PLANNED

 Well I am getting my new companion tomorrow and I am really excited for that. I have been requesting a younger, hard working elder to come help me here in Polokwane to get things going to where they need to be so I am excited to see who I get :) We are going down to the office today and staying at the mission home for Elder Holmans final interview tonight so that should be fun. We had a good week or at least better than the last few. We taught seven lessons and had the father of a family we are teaching come to church on Sunday so that was great! We have some great things planned for the next transfer and will be having our mission tour where one of the seventy are coming to instruct us. I have learned a lot over the few months about faith and the power it has in the work we do. Its one of those terms we throw around a lot but one that I feel we don't fully understand nor comprehend all the time. I feel like I am only now beginning to understand the true power it can produce if used righteously. I look forward to this new week and the promise it holds :)

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY

Dear Mother Dearest,

I am happy to hear that everyone is doing so well!. Thank you so much for
getting the supplies ordered and if you could pack a multivitamin in
with it all that would be great! They are very expensive this side but
if you can't I understand. Things are good this side. We are at our
mission office emailing today. I had to sweet talk the Assistants to
the President to let us do it but I persevered :)

We are still struggling to get our area going and at times I get
really down on myself but I snap out of it and just get back to work.
Day by day, one by one are the children of God served and that's what
we just need to keep doing. Things are great though. I am oddly just
happy most of the time for no apparent reason, its kinda weird but I
know it is because the Lord is sustaining us in our work.

I love being a missionary. It has truly changed my life and has shown
me who I really am deep inside. We all lived before we came into this
existence and we all had are own personalities and even with the veil
covering us it is that personality that breaks through and shows us
who we really are :) I love you mom and hope you have a great week.
I love you so much and miss all of you.

love,

Caleb

I'M LEARNING AND GROWING MORE EVERY DAY

I loved the pictures!!! It was great to see everyone doing so well and
so happy. I stressed myself out the past couple of days. For some
reason the thought entered into my mind that what if you got into a
car accident but I was very happy to open my in box :) I am glad
everyone got along so well and that the wedding went so well.

Things were okay this week. The area I am in is very hard! We tract
for hours everyday and meet with very little success but I have a good
feeling about this week :)  But yeah things are very good right now :) Some
music is playing in the internet cafe and it is making me a little
trunky haha Some good songs have come out :)

I am forwarding some pictures from our last zone meeting. Nothing
special just some of the elders in our zone. There are four more but
they live to far away to come for the meeting so we go to them :)

But that's really all that's happening here. The weather is getting very
cold because of winter but that's nice :) I hope you have a great week!

I am doing good and have no complaints.  I am learning and growing

more and more everyday :) We got to watch conference or at least most

of it at our flat. We are not watching it in church until this week but we take

time to watch it at our flat because we have the DVDs for the branches in our zone :)

We have watched the Saturday Session and the priesthood session :) I love
conference! Love you MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE HAD A GOOD EASTER THIS SIDE

 Thanks for the pictures. I am sure Cameron and Brandi are both super
excited for this month :) And as of today I have six months left,
where is the time going? We had a good Easter this side. We had lunch
at a members, went and taught a couple of lessons, and then had dinner
at another members so nothing too exciting but it was nice. No ham and
cheese potato's I'm afraid haha. A man we recently baptized, Thabang,
 is the assistant ward mission leader in his ward and preparing to go on
 a mission so that makes me excited :)

Things are still moving along this side. I will be on exchanges for a
few days this week in Tzaneen and Lenyenye so that should be fun but I
miss being able to just stay in my area. My health is doing good and I
am having no problems so that is nice :) I think I am going to take a
break from my intensive studies of the creation and resurrection. I
have spent the last two weeks really trying to understand those two
things but now I am going to turn my attention to developing greater
Faith and Spiritual gifts so should be fun :)  I have come
to realize that I just need to read, study, memorize, and understand
my scriptures more. If I am able to do that then maybe and hopefully I
can receive my own revelation and be enlightened by the spirit a
little more than usual, or at least I can hope :)

Well nothing too exciting going on right now but things are moving
along slowly but surely. Our mission is struggling to reach its goals
but we just need to have a little more faith and work that much
harder.

I hope that you all have a great week and know that I miss you all so
much. I always get a little home sick around the holiday seasons but I
would have it no other way. Home is still where the heart is :) Love
you mom, have a great week!