Hello From Botswana Family!

How is everyone doing?
How is Carly and Joel? I feel like they fell off the planet! Little Grant forgot to write, but at least he sent pictures..he would be boxing! And Tyler, you should definitely get that foot checked out!
Mom, you said you sent the picture of the green mamba, but I didn't see it. In the mean time I will just assume that it is a green mamba and that Elder Finlinson gets a sweet story!

Thank you for the Patriarchal Blessings, I think that the internet shop got a new printer so I should be able to print that out this week.

Thank you for the CD's in the mail, I will be looking for them. Apparently I got 3 letters about 2 weeks ago, but our zone leaders have not dropped them by yet. They are doing exchanges tomorrow, so I should get mail tomorrow!

Mom, can I add a few things to my future package? Thank you, I need more socks! I don't know what my feet are doing, but I go through socks so fast! As well I still have a giant wart, and they don't sell wart med. on this side of the world, so if you could send the liquid wart med. that would be appreciated. Also, if you HAPPEN to be at BYU then you could pick up some of those "insight" things that sister Boyer bought me. I am looking for any of the insights for the triple combination. Also, if you’re going to BYU I guess this means you can visit the sister missionaries from my mtc group at temple square! Tell them I said hello!

This week...oh man...this week. The week started off really nice. Elder Hughes and I were meeting with our Branch President on Tuesday morning to get a Branch directory printed off. While we were there he continued to mention how busy he is and how he has too much on his plate, etc. I told him that he should not feel like that because he has 4 missionaries that can do almost anything. He got excited at the invitation and he had us start by helping him with counting and entering in the tithing for the week. After that he started listing off things he would like us to take care of, which include:

• Teaching a family in the ward how to play the piano so the branch can have a piano player (we had our first lesson this week, Elder Hughes plays piano)

• Working with the Second councilor to get seminary and institute running again
• Reminding all the aux. of branch council that week
• Set up interviews for him
• Work with 2 individuals to teach them how to teach Gospel Principles class (both of them have been baptized within the past year)
• Give recommendations for a branch mission leader
• Start a temple prep class
• Edit the Branch directory using the members (updating addresses and phone numbers and such)
• Type out a booklet that the branch has of historical events from the branch (the branch journal)
• And in 2 days we are meeting with the Branch President to establish a home teaching list for the members

I was pretty excited when we got this list, because it is SO much better being too busy than not busy enough. We have been working on this list and we have at least started if not finished most of the tasks he gave us.

On Thursday night (one of the only 2 days during the week that we are on bikes) the other missionaries called us telling us that the car was broken and that they were arranging for it to get towed to the shop. A few min after that I got a call from the security company informing me that the alarm to the house has been activated (second time that has happened here). We were a good distance away, but we had to go seeing as how the car was broken (this is when those 100 mile bike rides comes in handy). We rode full speed to the house which was probably only about 4 miles away, but it was up and down monkey hill and we were flying, so I was out of energy by the time I got there and found out that the security company had not even sent anyone yet (that will only happen in Africa)! So we had to wait outside of our electric fence until they got there to clear the house for us (the first time we just did it ourselves). Both times they found nothing, and we suspect it’s just a snake or lizard in the house setting off the motion detector. But while we were in there the security guy went around showing us the Emergency buttons that we have around the house "for when you get attacked" (Don't worry mom, we won’t get attacked). I just thought it was funny that we have emergency buttons around the house.

Friday we were informed that the car will not be ready until Tues. or Wed. so two of us are walking and 2 are riding bikes. This gets complicated when your area's are made for a car. It's been much more difficult than I thought walking and riding around. Our number of teaching appointments has gone down a lot as well. It would be the equivalent of having an appointment at our Texas home and then walking the Boyer's home for the next appointment, only to find out that they ditched your appointment so you have to turn around and walk to the smiths and then back to the house for lunch and then back to the high school (all the people we are teaching are really spread out). To add to it, Elder Finlinson and Elder Chidzawo are a little sick, so yes! Fun week!

We also had an interesting experience two days ago when we ran into the other Elders in the middle of the day. This drunk guy came up to us with an un-opened bottle of chibuku (the preferred drink of Botswana, costs less than water, and EVERYONE drinks it, accept for the members of course because it is beer). But this is very common because everyone is drunk on this side of the world. The guy said that he wanted to stop drinking (hear that all the time also), so Elder finlinson said, well if your serious give it to me so I can pour it out. He hesitated and stumbled with his words. I then told him that if he is serious he will give it to Elder finlinson...(stumbling of words).."If your serious, give it to him."....."AH!, alright!". And he gave it to Elder Finlinson! This was weird because we had never gotten to this step before, but Elder Finlinson proceeded to pour it out in a ditch and the whole world stopped and watched as this chibuku hit the ground and wondered why the heck we would pour out beer! Well, that was that story.

We have had a lot of random challenges this week and it reminded me of my favorite quote ever! By Brigham Young "We have to fight continually, as it were, sword in hand to make the spirit master of the tabernacle, or the flesh subject to the law of the spirit. If this warfare is not diligently prosecuted, then the law of sin prevails...the rule of the flesh brings darkness and death, while on the other hand, the rule of the spirit brings light and life." This quote helps me when I am choosing how to react to trials. It's a good one.

Random:
-Can you check my account and transfer money into if necessary?
-Mom, do you have any delicious simple recopies with few ingredients? Fav. ingredients include rice, pasta, and ground beef!

Well love you all! I got to go!

The church is true!

Elder Williams