Three New Investigators

Things are going good here in Johannesburg. We have three new investigators and we should be having a baptism next month so we are excited for that. We still struggle to find people but we are learning how to work better in the city every week :) President Omer surprised us by attending our district meeting this week and it had to be the best district meeting of my mission :) He is just a very humble yet powerful man. I am very grateful to have such a mission President.

I have been missing home a lot more lately but I think that just comes with the Holiday season, it just means we got to go work harder :) Anyway I hope that this email finds you well and know that I am very happy with where I am, who I am with, and with what I am doing. Have a great week and a great thanksgiving :)

love your son,

Caleb

The Temple

 This is the Johannesburg Temple that sets up on a hill in my area I am in now.

Things are good this side. We are working very hard to still find new
investigators and hopefully with all the referrals and contacts we
have had last week we should more than double our teaching pool :) We
also received a referral from President Omer for a young family that
he and Sister Omer met at a Mission Presidents Seminar and they want
to come teaching with Elder Rakoto and myself (We are both excited and
nervous about that haha). Patricia is doing good. She cancelled her
meeting with us today but the last two times we have seen her have
been very powerful visits and she is just so determined to do what is
right (which reminds me we need to call her today). Elder Rakoto and I
are staying together for another transfer :) We are both very happy
for that. He admitted to me today that until he was companions with me
he thought that all Americans were racist. This mission faces a lot of
challenges with that and it is sad to see such good young men hate
each other because of a few differences they cant look past. But Elder
Rakoto and I get along so well, he is one of my favorite companions so
far :) Well that's all for today. I hope that you have a great week and
that everyone is doing good. Love you to the moon and back :)

Love your son,

Elder Caleb Coon

JOY DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN HAPPINESS

Things are going good here. The work is still a little slow but we

where able to meet with one of the referrals for the second time today
at the Area office and her name is Patricia. She is doing good and is
very interested in learning about what God expects of her and what she
needs to do in order to gain forgiveness. Speaking of forgiveness I
read a book the other day entitled The Miracle of Forgiveness. It is
the greatest book I have ever read in my life and I will never
recommend missionaries to read it while on mission. I just saw it at
the distribution center and I felt like I needed to read it and boy
has it broadened my perspective on life, sin, the Atonement, and
forgiveness. It took me four days to read it was so good! If you
haven't read it yet I highly recommend it :) Other than that though it
has just been work as normal. We are facing a lot of challenges right
now when it comes to finding still but we are determined to just press
on and do are best. Transfers are in a week and Elder Rakoto and I are
hoping and praying we get to stay together another 6 weeks. We get
along great and have a lot of fun together.
It has just been an interesting week and the book has added to it. I
feel like I am at the cross roads of life when it comes to choices of
who I want to be. I feel almost like I have come to a fork in the road
and there is the good way and the best way. I am doing a lot of soul
searching you can say to find out what I really hope to get out of
life and what I most want to achieve. Most of all I just want to be a
worthy husband and father and live a life that I will be able to spend
a lot of time with my family and at the same time provide the
necessities of life and many of its comforts. Its a gift to be simple
I have come to understand, not simple minded but simple in desires,
hopes, and dreams and what ever comes after that is in the Lords
hands. Spiritual growing pains hurt but they are so worth it. Things
are good and I am happy but most of all I am finding more joy than I
have ever felt in my life. Joy doesn't always mean happiness but what
it does mean is satisfaction in doing what is true and right leading
to everlasting happiness :) I love you mom and hope you have a great
week. Send my love to everyone and hugs as well :)

Love your son,

Elder Caleb Coon