The Lord Continues to shower His Tender Mercies Upon Us

Things are going good here in Randburg. We are working hard and the Lord continues to shower His tender mercies upon us. We have been having lots of fun as well. We see a lot of less active members so we love visiting them being fed and working on trying to come back. I feel a lot like Cameron right now when he sent that email about the only way to bring people back into the fold is to extend a hand of love. With all those we are seeing right now their concern that has driven them away is not feeling welcomed and loved. Its sad to see, but it happens more than we think. I have loved learning about the Atonement of Christ.  I feel that I truly understand the vastness of the Atonement now in all its power.

Thank you for sending the package. I look forward to getting it :) I love how you and Jordyn make those little figures that go on your emails. They are so cool haha. I'm so grateful for all that you do. Thank you for contacting President Omer, he let me know about the pump problem but mine was fine. It was my fault for not emailing you after I had checked to let you know everything is ok. Mom, I feel as though I am making leaps and bounds here in the mission field. My understanding is increasing so much in the knowledge of the Gospel. I know that the Lord is guiding me and preparing me for a great and marvelous work that he has revealed unto me. I love and miss you mom and know I am who I am because of you. Jesus is the Christ and I know it and I know that He knows I know it.

WORK IS STARTING TO BOOM!

Things are good here, time for the South Africa Update. Things here are going great! When I first got to this area, Randburg, our Zone leaders told us that President Omer was thinking of closing it down due to the lack of progress in the area but I am happy to say there is no reason to close this area down now for the work is starting to boom! Its hard even to schedule everyone because everyone want to meet in the evenings so from about 4-8 we're booked and then Saturdays and Sundays are packed. Its been a lot of fun building this area back up and am really enjoying my time with Elder Larson. Its been a quiet week though, not to much going on but we have been playing a lot of sports lately with the members and even today we're having a big Zone beach Volleyball game at the MTC where there is a sand pit and net.

THE WORK IS PROGRESSING RAPIDLY

I'm glad to hear everything is going well back home. Caity got the best tract in terms of weather to go to Rexburg haha.  I have a few things I can send Jordyn for her project so I'll send plenty of stuff next week.

Well things in Randburg have finally picked up and the work is progressing rapidly. We have truly been blessed this week in our efforts. The weather has been very good here as well except for one day. On Thursday my comp and I were out tracting about two miles from our flat and car because we have been instructed to cut back on our driving. So trying to do our best to follow the instruction we walked at least two miles everyday this week. On this day though we probably walked the farthest. Its hard to knock doors here in South Africa because everyone has gates and fences, so we ring intercoms and talk through them. We had been ringing intercoms for about and hour when we heard thunder. In Africa the Thunder and lightning storms and huge and can come at any time. So I talked with Elder Larson and we decided to start heading back to our apartment. All was ok and we thought the storm would go over next to us leaving us alone. Then the wind started to pick up and the clouds were being pushed towards us. Now in these storms there is normally so much rain that you can smell it before you see it and we started to smell the rain so we knew we were in trouble. The rain can as heavy as I had ever seen it (It was like when we were in the gorge coming back from Idaho). We started running as fast as we could. Normally you can find shelter under a tree or something but there was nothing and the Lightning was to much anyway for me to feel safe under a tree. We were SOAKED, if you saw us you would have thought we had gone swimming. It was so much fun though. Its one of those things I will never forget haha. We have been working with a less active member a lot lately. His name is Brother Willie and he is from Cameroon. He works a lot and is one of the most humble men I know. He supports his family back in Cameroon and has brought his younger brother to South Africa to have a better life. You can see that the Lord has truly blessed him in all that he has done. He is having us teach his younger brother and his two little children who are Mark (8) and Willie Jr. (6). I have never seen a man sacrifice so much for his family. He works about 12 hours a day sometimes seven days a week as a computer technician. His wife is very supportive of all that he does and is not interested in the church yet but it is only a matter of time. The last time we were there at the conclusion of the lesson we asked who would pray and he gave the most fervent and heartfelt prayers I had ever heard. It touched my heart in a way that I struggled not to cry. I know if he continues in this path that he and his family will enjoy the eternities together in Salvation and Exaltation. I have never felt the love of my Father in Heaven so close as I looked upon my fellow brother with a love I cannot explain. I cannot explain in an email what all I have learned here on my mission thus far but I can say that it is greater than anything I could have ever imagined.

I am doing good Mom. Please don't worry to much about me all is well. I have grown more than I knew was possible and have learned things that will change my life forever. What I can say is that I know the Lord is mindful of me and I have felt his love and assurance throughout my mission.  I love and miss you and please know that a great change has been wrought within me that will influence me for all my life and in the eternities to come. I love and miss you and hope you are well. You are always in my prayers and thoughts.

Our Saviour and Redeemer is our Perfect Example

I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well and that things are good. I'm surprised to hear that Grandma got that letter so fast but that's great. I wrote one to Judy as well about the plan of Salvation and how real it truly is to me now. I have never I feel fully understood the full magnitude of the plan itself and how great and marvelous it truly is. How great is it to know that our Father in Heaven has provided us with the knowledge of this great and marvelous plan in our lives. I have grown more and more in realizing the greatness of the responsibility of Cameron's and my calling to take this message to the world. Every ear needs to hear this message, that God is our loving Heavenly Father and has once again called a Prophet in these Latter-days that we can learn by which way we can truly be happy in this life and be ready to return to live with our Father in Heaven. I know that God is not a confusing God and He wants us to know all that He knows. It was Joseph Smith who said that if it be the righteous desires of our heart and we ask our Father in Heaven with real intent then no matter what your calling be or who you are, the mysteries of God will be revealed unto you. I know this to be true for I have beheld them and I wish I could tell you more but it will have to wait until I come home. I feel myself changing. I see that we truly are nothing compared to the great vastness of the eternities and yet in the Sight of God we are capable of anything. Our Saviour and Redeemer is our Perfect example and has asked us to be like Him. I have learned a very profound thing in my short time here. It is not what we have done that will qualify us for Life Eternal and the Glory of God but rather it is what we have Become. It is very easy for someone to go through the motions and partake of all the ordinances but if that person is selfish here he will be selfish in the life to come, if he be prideful he will be prideful in the life to come. We need to do as the Saviour has instructed and Become as He is. Only then can we truly qualify for all that our Father has.

I love and miss you mom and pray that you are doing great. I love that talk by President Uchtdorf as well. I love your testimony and it strengthens mine every time I hear it or read it. Thank you for always guiding me in the right direction and helping me know how far I can go and what I can become.
--

I Am Looking Forward to this Challenge

I'm glad to hear that you where able to get away for awhile and relax. I am also glad to hear that Caity made it into BYUI. I am very excited for her and look forward to going to school with my little sis in a couple of years. I withdrew some money from my account because I needed stamps to send letters and I spent the last $10 of my Christmas money getting pizza. My numbers have been good and the flat I'm staying in has a weights set so that helps as well.

Things are really different in my new area. My new companion is Elder Larson from Washington and he's a good guy. The City of Randburg is filthy rich. It is not uncommon for me to see at least five Porsche's a day and a Ferrari every other day. The work is very slow though. Where there is money there is pride and so we are doing our best to bring the area back to life. There haven't been too many obedient elders who have been in this area and so president is thinking of closing it down. So we got our work cut out for us. I am looking forward to this challenge in the mission so it should be fun.

I'm Being Transfered

Things are going great here now. My companion and I are both being
transferred tomorrow but we don't know where we are going. I am being
put into a car area close to Johannesburg from what I've heard though. I've
loved serving in Seshego and will miss the people and the members
dearly but that's the way mission goes.
Here is President Omers email address 2018608-PRS@ldschurch.org I miss
everyone at home and am glad to hear everyone is doing so well. I'm
still waiting to hear where Caity is going next year but all in good
time. Sounds like Cameron doesn't want to talk about home yet but he's
probably just nervous. One of my flat mates is leaving for home
tomorrow and he is going out of his mind but its all fun. I hope
everything is going good and the rain isn't getting you down. It is so
hot here that I'll trade sun for rain anytime right now haha. I love
and miss you mom more patient and that would help. I'll let
you know where and pray that you won't worry to much. Your right
though, I can be a little more patient I'm going as soon as possible.

It has been a crazy week in South Africa!

It has been a crazy week in South Africa! First things first. At the beginning of the week we were riding our bikes and we thought we found a new short cut to a part of our area but my companion and the group missionary we were with didn't want to test it. It was a steep hill and a narrow path and there were giant thorn bushes all over the place. So I being the brave one said I would go first. I took my backpack off and flew down the hill. It was going ok until right at the bottom of the hill I saw a one foot drop. I had no time to brake or react so all I did was said a word I probably shouldn't have said (Aunt Judy's favorite swear word) and then wrecked my bike as I was thrown into and did a double somersault into a thorn bush and tree! It was really exciting and didn't hurt all that bad at least not until we went to a members house and he was using a needle and tweezers to pull the thorns from my back. Haha something I will never forget. I also rolled my ankle and had to call president to let him know I needed to take a day to rest it. I told him the story of what happened and he just laughed and told me to be more careful in my trail blazing. It was a very slow week over all though. The other exciting part was at the end of the week when the zone leaders got a call Sunday morning that one of the missionaries in our zone had left early in the morning while his companion was sleeping and stole the bucky (truck). We had to figure out what had happened. About an hour later we got a call from the APs that he was now at the mission home in Johannesburg(four hours away) and that he was demanding to be sent home. So now later today we might have to go to JoBurg and get the Bucky (not looking forward to that drive). But all in all it was a fun exciting week. 
I hope things at home are going well at home and that everyone is getting ready for school to start again.  XOXOXOOOOO
Love your Son,
Elder Caleb Coon