I AM LEAVING TOMORROW FOR A NEW AREA

 I am surpriseds they are already getting my travel stuff put together. I
 guess I do only have twelve weeks left and that means only two more
 transfers. Its crazy to think about that. Things were good for us on
 this side of the world this last week. Went to conduct a baptismal
 interview for a white guy (doesn't happen very much) and it went
 great. We also are finally starting to establish a good teaching pool
 with investigators that are committed and that is really exciting us
 but with that being said I am leaving tomorrow for a new area. I have
 three possible places to go; it will either be Weltevreden Park,
 Krugarsdorp, or Fourways/North Riding. They are all very white and
 rich places so I will have to apply every aspect of the work if we
 hope to be successful so that should be a blast for my last three
 months. Other than that not to much is going on. Some of our members
 are taking us hiking today in an area where there are still wild
 leopards so we are pumped for that :) But that's really it on my side.
 I am excited to come home but at the same time I am still wanting to
 get more work done here. I have really refocused myself over this last
week and am ready take the challenge a new area always brings :) I
 hope that you have a great week and know that I love and miss you
 momma. I am healthy and doing great. 

 Love,

 Caleb

-- 

 

I TOUCHED A HIPPO

I am happy to hear that you had such a good birthday :) It sounds like

 everything went good for you and that you had a quiet but nice
 birthday celebration :) I was every happy to hear that you got to go
 see and cheer on Judy at her Ironman race. That had to be fun.
 Sounds like you have a busy summer ahead of you. I

 We had a good week here. Lots of tracting. We have tracted at least
 three hours everyday this last week and have been trying to find as
 many people as possible to teach. Its been hard because the people
 here are not very committed and struggle to keep their appointments
 but such is missionary work. We are trying very hard to increase our
member work and are seeing a lot of the families and individuals in
 the branch right now to get them excited for missionary work. So that
 should be picking up in the next couple of weeks :) This will probably
 be my last week in this area and then next week I will be transferred
 to my final area. It is crazy to think I only have 13 weeks left. In
 missionary time that is every little time and so I am going to use it
 to the best of my ability :) The Hippo was awesome!!!!!! I have now
 achieved my dream of touching a hippo in Africa :)
I will be sending pictures but I am going to mail them in a disc so
 that I can send all the pictures I have and you can just go through
 them. I hope that is okay. The drive to Rexburg shouldn't be to bad in
 July (I cant believe it is July). That should be fun to go to a
 graduation and then get Caity. She isn't going to have to much down
 time before school starts again.
 Well I love you mom and hope you have a great week. Dad sent me some
B-day money so I am going to buy some souvenirs today :) Know that I
 love and miss you.

 Love,

 Caleb

 P.S. Happy BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

It was a blast to go back to Nelspruit and Kanyemazane

Thank you for the birthday wishes :) Its funny because I like telling

people how my mom considered taking back to the hospital during the

first nine months haha. We had another great week here :) It was a

blast to go back to Nelspruit and Kanyemazane. We held our Zone

meeting there and our mission president showed up so that was a blast.

The Senior couples there fed us everyday and made me a birthday cake

which had to have been the best cake I have had in two years! The

Baxter's and the Hunt's have to be the best senior couples in the

mission right now. While I was on exchanges with Elder Parrish in

Kanyemazane we tracted up a small mountain. We were looking for some

where to tract and we saw all these little shacks going up this little

mountain and we thought for fun we would tract them all. When we got

to the top we found someone living up there and he was more than happy

to invite us back. The next day they went back it turned out the guy

was a traditional healer and had two wives so it didn't work out.

Polygamy is something that a few of the African tribes practice so we

have to be careful who we teach sometimes.

My birthday was awesome. We had our branch conference and one of the

members got me a present :) (a chocolate bar). There are so many great

members here and they all have such strong testimonies. We also got

fed Sunday lunch which was great and then went tracting the rest of

the day. We are emailing early today because we are having our Zone

activity and we are going to go see the only hippo in the world that

you can actually touch! Its a place about three hours away from here

so we are all car pooling to get there. So I will have some good

pictures next week.

I am so happy you got to go to Judy's Ironman race. I know that meant

so much to her. I got an email from her this week so I am excited to

email her back. I am excited to see what you senta package but I probably

wont get it for at least another couple of weeks because I am so far from our office. 

Thank you so much for everything you do for me mom. I really don't know where I would

 be without your guidance and love. I am doing great. Had a little to much junk food for

 my birthday but still great haha. My health is better than its been for a long time and

continues to improve. Know that I love and miss you and hope that you

have a great week :)

Love,

Caleb

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 :)