Friday, January 9, 2015

Jan 5 This Week was a Whirlwind!

Truly this was a chaotic week but the title of this letter has more meaning to it than you might think haha!

This week on Tuesday we had a good day and worked hard so we were pretty tired and when we were going to sleep at 10:30..we got a call from the ZLs telling us to come outside and talk to them..that always mean only one thing. TRANSFER NEWS! And so we walked outside a bit dazed and confused and found out: my companion, Elder Chiliza was being tranferred to be a Zone Leader in the copperbelt of Zambia! And so I would get a new companion that had been serving in Lusaka named something like Elder Ngendabanka? He is from the country of Burundi (yeah I didn't know where that was either!) and has been on mission a bit longer than me I think. Well he still isn't here by the way...he is having visa troubles or something so he hasn't gotten here yet.. so I've been all alone since Thursday and have been working with our flat mates trying to balance their area and mine! Also with Elder Chiliza leaving, I have been called to serve as the new District Leader of Zingwangwa.  Pretty sweet I guess!

Wednesday was our last day together and eesh what a crazy day it was! We started by trying to go visit a less active man, Stainford, in Baluti, an area thats far away from our normal area of Chilobwe. Well to make it quicker we decided to get a ride on bikes (men have a seat on the back of their bikes that you sit on and they ride you to wherever you're going haha). Well there was only one bike..and one motorcycle. So I took the bike and my comp got to ride a motorcycle for the first time! It was pretty funny getting on this man's bike when I am towering over him..but he did really well and even made it up this small hill!(barely!)




Later that day it rained..and right when it started raining...a TORNADO started up only 30 meters away from us! I've never seen a tornado in real life but it was crazy! The wind was insane! It tore up a few of the metal sheet roofs and trash was flying up in the air and then it started coming towards us so we ran for our lives haha but then it dispersed so it was fine but eesh! Crazy experiences on mission! 

We continued in the day with our work in the rain and we were SOAKED and freezing...so we had to go home and it was about time we had to go home anyways because of New Year's eve. 

On Thursday my companion had to get up at 5:00 so I too was woken up at 5 and then at 6 we said our final goodbyes and closed our companionship with a prayer which was awesome. He rang in the New Year on a looong bus ride haha! But at the close of this companionship I look back and see so much growth and so many awesome memories. I loved that guy so much! And I'm sure I'll see him later on my mission!

First day of companionship.
Last day together (notice the ties.)
The rest of the week I was with the other elders and got to go to their area and also take them to the land of milk and honey, Chilobwe. It's been good working with them but I'm ready to get my new companion and get to work in our area together!

On Sunday I got to baptize for my first time! I baptized Prince and Angela, the children of Anita, an amazing woman who was baptized in December. I always try to talk to them and mess with them at church but they always seem to brush me off but I guess not since they asked me to baptize them! They're so great! Being able to perform that ordinance was such an amazing feeling! I felt the spirit so strongly and am just so grateful for the true order of baptism and the authority that has been restored once again. I felt like I could just baptize people all day haha. I'm down for what happened in Acts 2:41!




So yep that's my week!
It's good to be a missionary!

Happy New Year! 2015 will be a year of full time service to the Lord for me!
Love
Elder Grant Hiltbrand