WE TAUGHT 23 LESSONS THIS WEEK

I am happy to hear that things are going good for everyone at home
though. I am glad Caity, Chad, Jordyn, and Cameron
are doing good and are happy :) How are you doing? I know that you
don't really ever tell me anything about you beyond work and how
things are with the other kids. 
Things were good this week, in fact it has been the best week of the
transfer. We taught 23 lessons and most of our investigators are doing
great. So story time. After emailing last Monday Elder Bais (Elder in
my district) and I  went to a walk in game reserve in his area that
has Zebras, spring boks, impala, and many other non-carnivorous
animals. So we hiked up this huge hill and when we got to the top we
found ourselves in the middle of a herd of wilder beast  and they had
little babies with them. So to our great misfortune we scared the
little ones and they ran and their mothers went with them and the big
bull came running at us. He stopped about 50 yards away pounding his
feat in the ground, kicking up dust and pacing in circles moving a
little closer every time. We turned to run but he started running at
us again so we stopped and just stared at it, then we started backing
away slowly, walking backwards it was so freaky yet amazing at the
same time. We are going back there today with more elders but it was
great :)
I hope you have a great week and please let me know if there is
anything I can do to help. I love you and
please send my love to everyone else.

Love,

Caleb

THE LORD CONTINUES TO BLESS US

So the week was very good. The Lord continues to bless us with more
and more people to teach. We had a baptism this Sunday and it went
great! It was for Brother Sithole. He is 47 years old and his whole
family were members and he was the last to be baptized and his son who
served a mission got to baptize him and it was awesome. We also had
four of our other investigators at the baptism and they all told us
they wanted to be baptized as soon as possible which was great news :)
the spirit was very strong. I also interviewed another gentleman for
baptism and it turned out that he and his wife were not legally
married in their country and they wanted to be married on the spot so
he could get baptized and our bishop almost came over to do it but we
needed more paper work to have it done properly, but we almost had a
wedding in 30 minutes notice, pretty cool :)
Well I hope you have great week Mom and know that I love and miss you
so much!!!!!!!!!! Tell everyone hi for me and I hope you have a great
week :)

Love you MOM!!!!

IT WAS A GREAT WEEK

  Thing were very good this week. There isn't to
much to report on other than it was a great week but I will report on
the small and simple things :) Nigeria won the African Cup of nations
which was being held here in S.A. and the Nigerians went crazy dancing
in the the streets so that was funny. Got lost in downtown
Johannesburg and thought I was gonna die but all turned out ok. Almost
lost Elder Zulu and freaked out but we found each other very quickly.
The whole staying together rule is hard in Downtown Johannesburg, its crazy
there!!!!!! Sunday was stressful because our gospel principles class
turned into a battle field as the teacher and our investigators had a
bible bashing session needless to say I was upset with the teacher
and our ward mission leader for not being able to control the
situation while we were gone handling some paper work. What else, Oh
yeah I am still focusing on getting into shape, I am at the weight I
want to be at right now but now its time to just get rid of the rest
the fat and get my six pack haha Don't worry I wont get too skinny ;)
I am happy to hear everyone is doing good at home. Weather plays a
huge role is how we feel! South Africa is very nice when it comes to
weather and reminds me a lot of California so I am happy most of the
time :)  :) I hope you all know how much I love and
miss you and pray that you are all happy and doing great :) If you
could order supplies that would be great it is that time again. Have a
great week my sweet mother and know I love you to the moon and back

WE HAD TWO BAPTISMS

Things went a lot better this week. Like I said we had two baptisms that went great besides the fact that the font over flowed and got the carpet all wet but that just makes for a good journal entry :) I am learning a lot about myself right now. There are a lot of things that I need to overcome if I ever hope to become what I want to become. It has just been a week of the the Lord showing me my weaknesses and things that I need to improve on so that is what I am working on right now. You said something truly prophetic about how life can get to be repetitious. I was thinking about it the other day and in all reality that is how life is and that is how enduring to the end is. As we learn and apply the gospel in our lives it is not an every changing way of life but a steady way of life that involves improvement and progression but not in huge steps but in steady baby steps, line upon line, precept upon precept.  Its a change that occurs during a lifetime and not all at once. Now, we need to be actively fighting for that change and continually be watchful and prayerful so that the Lord can help us in those things we may struggle in or the weaknesses we may have and its not just spiritual things. It is in every aspect of our lives that we need to call upon the Lord to help us improve and progress whether it be in school, work, sports, relationships, and our own character. If we are not moving forward then we are going no where and if we are going no where than we are going backwards because everyone around us is striving to move forward leaving us further and further behind. This principle is just as true in the spiritual world as it is in the physical world and we all need to be striving for perfection, even with the knowledge we won't achieve it in this life, in all aspects of our lives. It has been a week of much learning for me and I know I have a lot of areas I need to start giving equal attention and finding the perfect balance, if there is such a thing :)

 

Thank you for all your love and support and please know that I am well and working on being better :) I hope this email finds you well. I love and miss you very much and hope that you have a great week :) Here is a huge hug (((((((((((((((HUG))))))))))))))))))

WE HAVE 20 INVESTIGATORS

Things are going good this side. We had nine investigators at church and are teaching a
lot more people now. We have in the up wards of 20 investigators that
we are seeing and helping to progress so we are staying very busy. It
is very stressful at times seeing so many people and worrying about
them and thinking of what we can do to help them keep progressing but
a little stretching never hurt anyone :)

Thank you for talking with the admissions office. I have started
updating my application today and I just put for fall of 2013 because
there was no option for winter 2014 but I am sure they will see that I
won't be back from my mission in October. I just want to get my
application in so I can just have the assurance that I will be going
back.

There really isn't to much to report on except i am just really
struggling with my area right now. The people are great but this is
just such a wicked place. getting stopped by drunk men all the time,
we found out that where one of our investigators live is a whore house
(he isn't), and there is just so much poverty I just get really down
sometimes to see all that is around me. Especially this last weekend
because we went to the temple and had a great uplifting experience and
then to go back to the city was really hard. I love my companion and
we have baptisms scheduled for the next three months but I am just
ready for a new area. Over all I am doing good though :) I am trying
to overcome a spiritual plateau I have seem to hit so those are always
fun to work on. I gt my package and I was very happy to get it :)
Anyway I hope that you have a great week.

I AM LOVING MY MISSION

Its been a good week though :) We are teaching a father right now and his family are all members but he was working far from home. He had the Book of Mormon and has read it three times from cover to cover already and is one of the most humble men I have ever met. In African culture it is not proper at all for young people to come in and teach older people or the "elders" but this man has just completely submitted himself to the Lord and to us and wants to learn what he as to do to repent and change. It has been an experience that has really touched my heart to see the Lord prepare his children. I am loving my mission more than ever right now and I am excited to see what this new week holds :)

Have a Happy New Year

Its nice to see that you and Grandma had some time together at the
beach :) I would say that the best part of Christmas was the phone
call home as well :) Things continue to go on though. We are teaching

a lot more people including a man who his family are all members and

he is the last. He is the the father of the family and has bee living far away for the
past year for work but now he is back and wants to join the church. In
our first meeting with him he told us that he already knows the church
is true and had read the Book of Mormon three times. A very humble and
caring man :) He will be baptized in February.
We are having another quiet holiday season here for new years. I
haven't received Grandma's and Judy's package yet but it should be
here this week :) We are just planning on playing different sports
today, go out to lunch with some other missionaries and tomorrow we
have been invited to a very nice family for a new years lunch :) But
other than that we are not allowed to work today or tomorrow for
safety reasons so we need to find things to keep ourselves busy. Other
than that there isn't to much going on here right now. It has been
really hot lately and the mosquito's are out :( But I am doing well, I
am happy and still working hard. I love you and hope you and the
family have a very happy new year :)