Training Elder Sibandze from Swaziland

Good to hear that you and Cameron will have some time together while the other Kids are out living like the pioneers. We have been pretty busy this week. The Training is going good and so is being a district leader but it is hard at the same time. We are working a lot more with inactive members, doing all we can to find them and meet with them so we can get them to come back to church. We are in a ward of 900 with 750 less or inactive. So we are staying busy and we will be having a baptism this Sunday so that should be fun. Other than that though there isn't to much going on. Life is good and the work is better :) I am very excited to see what the next few weeks hold for my companion and I with all the all the inactives we have to find but it should be an adventure :)
My new companion is Elder Sibandze from the Kingdom of Swaziland. It is a land locked country in South Africa. He is a lot of fun, loves the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and to work hard so things are going good with him. I am doing fine I have my up and down days but thankfully I have way more up days and very few down days :) My health is doing good. I don't think I need anything but I let you know if I need anything. I am loving the work and all that it holds. I know it sounds like I am playing a broken record but I cannot get over how much I am learning and how much I am changing. These last couple of weeks have been hard for me because I think I am going through some pretty big changes that are requiring me to take a good hard look at my life and see what I need to do to correct so mistakes and mend some character flaws but I know with the Lord anything is possible.
That is exciting to hear about everyone getting their mission calls and going on their missions. I am sure Justin is excited to be going where Brandon was. Its always fun to see and feel the love that comes from members who have known your family :) Have a great week mom and know that I love and miss you too.

WE TAUGHT ANOTHER TWENTY NINE LESSONS

I am glad to hear things are kinda back to normal around the house with Cameron being back. I am glad to hear Jordyn is doing better as well. I have included a document of some gluten free deserts that I found this morning so I hope they will help. My companions' sister also has to eat a gluten free diet so he is trying to get a bunch of recipes from his parents so I hope that will help.

Things went very good for us this week. We taught another 29 lessons, put Thabong on date for the 22nd of July for baptism and had a baptism on Sunday. Over all I feel very good about this week. I think its funny that this is the second week in a row that we got 29 lessons. We are trying very hard to break the 30 mark so hopefully this new week we will do it :) It amazes me how fast time flies when you are working everyday. I have discovered a love for planning out my days now. Missionary work takes the motto "Be prepared" to a whole level. Its nice going through the day always knowing what we will be doing every hour of everyday.

I had a good birthday, we just worked and now today we're going to a mall to spend some of my birthday money so I hope to get two or three things.

Love your son,

Elder Caleb Coon

EVERY DAY HOLDS A NEW ADVENTURE

Things have been going great here in South Africa :) I know I say that every week but it is true every week haha. Everyday holds a new adventure but Friday had to be the funniest day of my mission. So on that day Elder Ray and I were making tortilla's all day for the young men and women's combined activity on Saturday. They were having a formal dinner and the Elders were teaching the young men how to make Mexican food :) Anyways, our other companion, Elder Maybee, took one of our ward missionaries out for the day to our appointments. At the end of the day we receive a call from Elder Maybee that he got stuck in "some crap"(using his own words) and then before he told us anything else the phone cut out. We could not get a hold of anyone because our phone was not working and we couldn't leave the chapel because we didn't ave the keys, Elder Maybee had them. So Elder Ray and I start freaking out thinking that Elder Maybee had crashed the car and we had no way of getting to him. To make a long story short finally a member pulls up the chapel and helps us out. Elder Maybee had called about five men from the Elders Quorum and they had gone to help him. So one thing to remember about Africa is that when you are serving in a township area and you are white everyone will come to help you and try to rip you off for all the money you have for that help so we were happy to know members were there helping. So here comes the best part of the story cause to this point Elder Ray and I were pretty upset. One of the members drives up, Brother Fulu, and asks us not to yell at Elder Maybee because he feels terrible. So then Elder Maybee drives up in the car gets out and comes over. We went and looked at the car and then him and then just busted out laughing! Both the car and him were covered in raw sewage, toilet paper and all. He had literally got stuck in crap. When all was said and done the drive home smelt terrible and we felt so bad for the men who cleaned our car the next day. All in all it was a pretty good day :)

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"YOU" MUST BE YOUR GREATEST CONVERT

I cant believe Cameron is home and that Caity is graduated! Things seem to be changing rapidly at home for the Good. That must have been a very sweet reunion with Cameron at the airport. I cant wait to see him again. Thank you for the fax number and I am wondering if it would work to email you the receipts or do they have to be scanned? In any case I think I will just fax them to you. I should be able to do it today but I am not sure. We had a great week this week. We taught the most lessons I have ever taught in a week. We taught 29 lessons this week 10 of which came from Tuesday alone. We have been teaching like crazy and I having been feeling the spirit more than I thought was possible! I cant even begin to describe the wonderful feeling that comes from feeling the spirit work through you and touch the lives of others. We have also started a Saturday movie night that has turned into a huge success. Last Saturday we had less actives and investigators there with the members and everyone had a great time :) We showed "How to train your Dragon" which is a great movie. we had one confirmation on Sunday and we have one baptism coming up this Sunday so the work is going very steady and good. Being on the Lords errand is one of the greatest experiences of my life and I know that mission is just the launching pad for bigger and greater things. I was able to speak with my mission President not to long ago and the topic of returning missionaries came up. We talked about how in many cases missionaries will abandon most, if not all, they had learned while serving the Lord. It was him who told me that serving a mission is but a mere launching pad upon which we should base our life choices off of. Yes we do a lot of good in serving others and bring salvation to those who otherwise would have fallen by the wayside but when all is said and done you must be your greatest convert. We must learn all we can to be able to take those things that we do learn with us throughout our lives both spiritual and temporal. I am learning things that are opening my mind to new possibilities and understanding of our Father in Heaven and His great Plan of Salvation for us. I am seeing things as I have never seen them before and I thank God everyday for this new understanding. I am so grateful to be here in South Africa at this time learning these lessons in the way my Father in Heaven would have me. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been Restored to the Earth by Christ's duly called and ordained prophet and that through him His Kingdom has once again been established upon the Earth with His teachings in beautiful simplicity. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the very Son of the very living God, and that He lives. How grateful I am to know this and to be able to share this message with the world for the rest of my life.

Thank you for all that you do for me. I just sent a letter in the mail this last week so it should be there by the end of this week or beginning of next week. Thank you for the birthday wishes, its gonna be weird being 20 but I guess it had to happen haha. Have a great week.

 

I LOVE MY NEW AREA

Sounds like things are going good at home though. It doesn't surprise me that Jordyn is in the top 10% of her class but that is awesome! I am sure Chad is getting to be a giant now, it will be weird to see him when I get back. He will probably be able to beat me up by then haha (not likely). You are now a ward missionary! That is so cool! I used to not understand how that calling completely worked but now I realize how important that calling really is now. If I could give you one piece of advise it would be to get a "Preach My Gospel" manual and study the lessons in Chapter three. There are five lessons that we teach as missionaries and in that chapter is everything we need to teach to prepare people for baptism and enduring to the end. Once you know all those lessons you will be a powerful missionary for the ward and a great asset to the Sisters. The Bishop of our ward just yesterday asked us to start a Preach My Gospel class for all the ward missionaries and my companions and I are very excited to start teaching it. I am in a threesome right now and it is a blast! Elder Ray and I are already great friends and are working are tails off. The area I am at was just combined from being two areas so President is seeing if there is enough work to keep one or two sets of missionaries there. It is called Protia Glen and it is a massive township. We have about 20 lessons already scheduled for this week and we need to plan about 20 more so that week can see everyone. We also have a lot of less actives. There are about 150 or a little more at church every Sunday but the ward has 700 members so we have our work cut out for us and I love a good challenge. We have two baptisms scheduled for this Sunday and they are every excited to be baptized.
I love my new area and I love my new companions. Working is the best way to stay focused and concentrated on the work. The Lord is truly pouring out His tender mercies upon us. This work that we both are engaged in is true and Christ is at the Lead. He calls those that are prepared and that are able to help His children to return to Him and our Father in Heaven The Church is true but even more importantly the Restored Gospel is true and is the only way back to our Heavenly Father and we have it :) Oh the joy that fills my soul that I am on the path of redemption and that we have the great opportunity to be together forever in eternal happiness. Love you mom, have a great week and know that I am well and doing what is required of me and am having a blast doing it.

It is Starting to Get Colder

Things are going good here in South Africa and yes it is starting to get a lot colder. The teaching is going good though. We have about 6 people planning on getting baptized in June but I think only 3 will really be ready. The less actives we have been seeing are still the same though. It is frustrating that some people just cant forgive and forget or are just to prideful to admit they were wrong but it is a labor of love and I love it. It is teaching me patience and long-suffering for sure :). I love and miss you and cant wait to write more next week.

The Gospel Continues to Amaze Me

Things have been going really good this week for us in our area. We have been working very hard and have accomplished almost all our goals that we set and this week is look just as good.

The Gospel continues to amaze me. That was an amazing story that Dusty told and at the same time terrifying. I could not imagine having such an experience.. Its funny how being on mission really makes you have the desire to have a family and to be closer to the family you already have. Most missionaries I have spoken to have always expressed that if they could go back in time they would spend more time with their families and I wish the same thing. I never truly realized how awesome and great our Family is. I miss you all so much but I know where I am at is where I need to be and I am loving it. Seeing families drawn together because of the gospel is amazing and beautiful. I feel everyday the need to progress even more and learn more. It is so true that we are able to be taught directly from God. He wants to teach us and help us in any way possible if we but let Him and search out those righteous desires of our hearts. I love you mom. I know that Families can be together forever in joy and happiness. I know that My Redeemer lives. I have felt of His love and of His tender mercies in my life and looking back He was directing me more closely than I could ever imagine. Revelation is real, we can communicate with our Father in Heaven and He will answer us. I cant wait to share everything I have learned with you and the rest of the family. I am happy and I am doing well. I will let you know if I need anything and please let me know if you need anything. I may be on the other side of the world but I can still help with some things :) Love you mom. I will give you a quick call on Saturday to let you know what number to call on Sunday. Have a great week.