South Africa: Hello Family 11/29/2010

Hello Family!
I can't believe it is already Monday. I can not lie, I am a little more than jealous that you are in Texas this week. I hope you told everyone I said hi! How is everything going down there? Are the lawns still being mowed frequently? I am a little mower sick because all they have down here are electric mowers which is NOT OK.
Tell the Ward I said THANK YOU as well. Mail came early this transfer because an Elder in the neighboring flat got a kidney stone and had to go to the office and they picked up our mail. Thanks for the package from the Ward! It was very exciting and everything in it was great. especially the socks! I don't know what is going on but I go through socks like a missionary goes through pass along cards! But I think I'm set now, so you don't need to send me more yet Momma. Hope the trip was eventful. I also got letters from "Big Grant", Axel, and Momma. I got that picture of "little Grant" and he is getting huge! so thanks for the photo, make sure Grant doesn't grow too much while I'm gone. So thank you for the package and mail. Thank you as well for the recipes you and Sister Rousseau sent a couple weeks ago.

Sorry mother, but I didn't get transferred this transfer. Elder Robinson gets transferred in 2 days (don't know where yet) but I am here for at least another 6 weeks to change the world/ward. We have been meeting a lot as a district lately to figure out plans to better improve the ward. I have never realized how hard it would be to be a bishop of a ward! Some of the plans we have come up with is to work on getting everyone to the temple. This includes temple classes, scheduling regular temple trips, family history, etc. We are in the works of creating a ward mission plan, I am in charge of getting the home/visiting teaching going, and as well we started a choir yesterday to get people to know each other a little better. The members of the ward were not so sure it would work because they said they would need an expert in order to lead everyone. So Elder Kelly convinced everyone that I am a musical expert because I took a music class before I came out. Although true about the class I am NO expert although I was excited about the opportunity and I pretty much run the choir now. I was even doing some 2 handed Motab leading yesterday. We sounded pretty bad, but that's because I am working with recent converts who do not know they hymns yet, but we will get better and hopefully perform for the ward this next month if the bishopric lets us.

Speaking of next month I will be able to call home for a bit! So on your side just try to figure out a speaker phone set up, so we don't spend 25 out of my 30 min trying to figure out the technology.

So we had the other two baptisms of Brother Williams family yesterday after the choir. That was pretty exciting. Now we have a complete family. As well we rescued a little puppy this week and gave it to the family because they accidentally killed their dog with rat poison a couple weeks ago...sounds horrible, but it was an accident and they were really sad, but now they have a new dog.

Dad did you forward my email to Cami last week?

Sorry that there are no photos this week. I am trying to upload some photos, but it is not working so I will try next week.

Well I had a pretty intense experience this week. It ranks up in the top three most intense so far which means that the fire story is no longer in the top three. I was debating on whether or not to tell the story because it was a little too hectic but after much thought and some more time on the computer I have decided that I will tell a vague version of it. details will have to wait till after the mission. PS. parents, let me know how intense is too intense. Do you enjoy these kind of stories or should I just keep them with the others as "stories for after the mission"

OK so Saturday morning We were going through our normal schedule, making breakfast, getting dressed, etc when I was thinking about how nothing TOO intense had happened that entire week. This I have come to learn is a very dangerous thought. Moments later I was getting into my chair after a prayer to start studies when Elder Kelly walked into the room to ask me something. At this moment we heard a very loud metal scraping sound outside. We looked only to see a taxi (large van with about 3 rows, maybe 10 people inside) some flying around this corner, hit a curb at a weird angle and go flipping across this median (all this happening about 40 yards away from us on the other side of our electric fence). To leave out details we will just say most the people were thrown from the taxi and lay motionless. There was a pause of a good one full second where we could not believe what had just happened when we flew into action and just as with the kid who got hit by a car we ran full speed to our car so we could make the 2 min drive around the electric fence to the wreck. The first miracle of the story is that we literally arrived 2 min after the taxi was in the air and yet 2 ambulances had already beaten us.
Not wanting to get in the way we asked what we could do and they told us to direct traffic away from the scene. Leaving out details of the scene and the non eventful event of directing traffic... we will fast forward to when all the people had been attended to. When it looked like everything was under control and the roads were closed down we were about to leave when we saw a chopper coming into view. Knowing that it would be a life long mistake to miss a chopper landing we stayed put only to realize that it was landing RIGHT NEXT TO US! The four of us were standing next to this field when the chopper, (Elder Kelly estimates 30ft away, I will say 20yrds) comes in for the landing. The wind of this thing was so intense and Elder Masovya thought his mortal life was coming to an end as he leaped to the nearest tree and hugged it for all he had (HA HA). Well that's about where the story ends. They loaded one of the individuals into the chopper and it was off. Sorry I don't have a photo of that. One of the other many miracles of the day was that as far as I know, no one died on the scene. There is a large possibility that everyone lived, which is a large miracle.

Well what else family. That's my intense story for the week. I think I might go back to just sharing those with my journal, but let me know.

In other news I loved the blog quotes that you sent me! Grant is the man! (except that this is week two without an email from him, 5 months out and he is already forgetting me!) Carly did you say hello to my look alike at the temple? And Tyler did you get my letter with the present in it?

Alright family well I love you all, stay safe, do good.

Elder Williams

PS. Dad what ever happened with your Wilford Woodreff (not sure of the spelling) friend?