It's the LAST weeek in Feburary!

Hello Family!
Thank you once again for your emails and It’s good to hear from/about all of you. I appreciate the photos that were sent and particularly like the fact that Cami broke down and got a marshmallow jacket!

I have a lot of random information to include in this email so I will do a little bullet point of interesting facts:

1. Elder Alder (one of the missionaries in my MTC district) is training a new missionary this transfer! I cannot believe that I have already been out on my mission long enough to possibly be put in leadership positions. I feel like I just came out and continue to feel like a greeny knowing there is so much to learn! Elder Alder however happens to be a legend. I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn with him in the MTC and hope to be able to serve around and learn from him in the future.

2. Elder Nielson who went home when we were in the MTC arrived back into the mission this week. I was not able to see him but apparently he decided to come back. I am a little worried about him though because the zone leaders were saying that he was very shy and appears to still be more homesick than normal. I hope that he was put with a great trainer so he can be shown the joys of a mission.

3. Can someone ask Brother Smith if my letter ever arrived? I am sending letters out of Botswana and they give me different stamps every time I send a letter, so I am hoping that mail actually is getting to the states.

4. Elder Hughes and I have a new goal for the next couple weeks. Here in Africa there is a large division between the blacks and whites, and between the whites and whites. White people keep to themselves a lot here, and missionaries ,including myself, gain a fear of speaking to white people. I do however have at least 10 white people in my new area, so occasionally we see them around, but because of that division of whites and whites, they do not like to even look at us let alone speak to us. In the past weeks I have challenged myself to say hello to a few white people, and our goal for the next 2 weeks is to contact a white person! It is a large goal and one that comes with much fear, but as motivation, whoever does not contact a white person must buy the other KFC. So I look forward to Elder Hughes treating me to KFC in the near future.

5. Another comment on Elder Hughes. As I said in my first letter, he is a bit of a nerd ha-ha. Because he wears glasses, he shows his nerd side a bit and recently people have been asking if he likes math and science (I die laughing inside when they ask this). It is also funny because Elder Hughes gets frazzled knowing that he has to say yes, because he loves math and science! That's my joke for the day...I am laughing just telling you about it!

6. It has come to my attention today that my mission information still reads that my address is in Texas. In case of emergency I need this to show the Canadian address, so if you could send me all the information I need about Canadian address, that would be appreciated.

7. I had another funny experience about 30 min ago when we were in the mall trying to buy index cards. I went to the counter and asked if they had index cards. The lady looked at me as if I just asked what color aliens are. She then wanted me to describe them to here which required me to try out my charade skills, which for all of you who what had the privilege of plating charades with me knows that this was a disaster. I had to tell about how if I cut a square out of a piece of paper and put it in a stack with 200 other squares, I would have index cards. She then asked what I stick it to? I realized at that moment that it was a lost cause. No index cards.
8. I have officially gone through my first pair of shoes. Note to future missionaries. Do not buy Rockhopper shoes. I purchased some new ones today for the equivalent of about 15 US dollars. But in my next package you send if you could include some DR Sholes shoe liners, that would be appreciated. I am roughly a size 10 US.

9. The sisters here in Botswana run out of days today. They are at the immigration trying to get residency, but are not sure what exactly is going to happen because apparently the first presidency will not allow them to serve in South Africa. I will update you on what actually ends up happening next week. But pretty much, Botswana is worries about different churches sending "missionaries" into the country and getting jobs and stealing away money from the country. Because of this, all churches are under investigation and they will not allow most of us to stay in the country past 90 days.

10. Last but not least! I only have a couple min to tell this story so I will type fast! But I am currently teaching this great family at the moment. They are the ones that just randomly showed up to church one week. I found out this week that she has been reading this book from a religion leader that she has come to love. She told me it was a little book with a scripture that you read every day and he has commentary on it, and that they are wonderful messages. I asked her who this religious leader was and she said his name is Gordon B. Hinckley. Sound familiar anyone? YES! This family is so prepared for the gospel and I am so grateful to be about to teach them.

This week we stopped by to check on them and we walked in only to see the whole family huddled around a TV watching the General Conference DVD that we left with them!

I will be kicked off in the next min so I must go
The church is true!
Love you all!

Elder Williams