We Baptized the Matheo Family!

Hello Family!
How is everything going? Sounds like things are starting to warm up on your side of the world, so this is where it is starting to get cold here (not a good time of the year). I am just glad I am not in a township at the moment. Townships in the winter are not somewhere you want to be. When it gets cold, they burn anything and everything they can find to stay warm, and the smoke gets so thick you can't see in front of you, so I am grateful to be in the beauty of Botswana for a bit longer! I don't have a winter jacket to wear around the house, so I am going to have Brother Banda make me a jacket if it is not too expensive.

This was the best week ever for mail! First I got the CD from the Smiths and it is SO good! Included in the CD is a DVD which I have no way of watching at the moment, but I will have to find a way. All the return missionaries in our branch love Paul Cardall so I will have to share that joy with them. I also got the photo album from the family and it was SO good! Pictures are the best gifts ever (when coupled with Paul Cardall music)! Those were both sweet, and then the next day I got a letter from the Goodes, and a post card from Heather (she is in Europe!). So yes..success.

Before I forget your sock question Momma Llama...I don't know what I am doing, but I have holes in 90% of my socks! Every time I slip on a sock it is just like "oh, I need to create a whole". I have been sewing up all my socks, so pretty much just try to find durable socks if they exists. Not like hiking socks or anything, but just slightly thicker. The ones you sent me are much better than the ones I brought with me.

Enough about socks, I feel that a lot occurred this week. First of all on Tuesday the President of Botswana made an appearance to the Lobatse (where I am serving) stadium with the president of Malawi for a soccer game. Botswana vs Malawi. It was a big deal, the president flew in on his jet propelled helicopters thinking that he was Marine One (USA presidents helicopters) or something. Then the Botswana military was there with some large rifles walking around everywhere, so I thought that was neat. Then they made a tour around Lobatse in their convoy of new BMW's. We were right next to that when they drove by us, so I THINK it was the President of Malawi that waved at us. Pretty sweet. Of course we couldn't attend the event, but everyone else did, so the work was pretty slow that day.

In terms of missionary work over all it has been a successful week! We Baptized the Matheo Family! The ones I have been telling you about. This was a big deal for everyone. The Morgans feel a connection to the family, so they came down for the Baptism, and Sister Morgan spoke and gave them a picture to remember the day. The Branch had a very good turn out for the event and all were excited for the family. They will be a much needed help for the Branch. Most importantly the family was very happy. I was able to Baptize the Mother and daughter while the Branch President Baptized the father (Leslie). This kind of Baptism does not occur too often, it was unique for a few reasons: One, They were a complete married family. Two, They found us, and the Branch fell in love with the family. Three, by Botswana standards they are a wealthy family, he is a senior manager of Botswana Meat Commission which employs 700 people in this little town. So they are one of those that reached worldly security and then realized that that is not where true happiness comes from, but they found the gospel and they are so excited. Everyone in the family bore eloquent, heart felt testimonies after the Baptism.

Elder Hughes and I had a neat experience this week. When the other guys were in South Africa picking up Elder Shwab (the greeny), we hopped onto our bikes and realized the tires were flat (tubes are the only thing I go through faster than socks). We changed the tires and then got back on the bikes only to realize that something on my rear tire was missing. We dissected both the rear bike tires so we could see what was missing. We found a spring was missing, so we started the search of looking for it. After a good 15 min we realized it was nowhere to be found. We said a prayer that we would be able to find it so that we could effectively go throughout our day. After the prayer we awkwardly looked at each other, and then I was like hmmm maybe we should take out our trash? Both of us thought that was a weird thought, but we did (which by the way baboons tore our trash apart the next day), but after taking our trash out we went back and wondered where we should look. We looked down and there was the spring! Right where all the trash bags had been! It was a pretty neat story.

Elder Hughes and I have been searching hard for new people to teach. We have started teaching less lessons for a reason. It is easy to spend most of your time on people who are not interested, and as a result you do not have time to find those that are ready for the gospel. We have been praying hard that we can experience miracles every day as we search for these people. As a result we are expecting and receiving wonderful people to teach. Among those this week were two that really stood out. One was named Morris. He is a single 38 yr old man who stays by himself, but we had a very good powerful first lesson with him, put him on date, and gave him a Book of Mormon. Another family was the Safie family. We contacted into this man in the richer part of our area (near where the Matheo family stays) and he agreed to let us come back. It was actually a very good first lesson with him and his large family. He has 5 kids, one of which is physically challenged. They are a wonderful family and really seem prepared for the gospel.

(mom I am having elder Hughes send you a copy of his email because it has a ton of photo's on it. And, thank you for Elder Alder and Robinson's emails, but I simply don't have time to read them...I will have to read them when I get home. But if you see Elder Alder's Mom tell her that he is a legend, because he is! I don't know what he is doing, but he is doing something right!)

We get to watch General conference this week! Although I am still not too sure when...They didn't announce the times in church yesterday, all they said was to look on our notice board (and it was not posted there), so then we went to the Branch President's home at night to figure out when it is (because everyone has been asking us), and long story short, our Branch President is not sure when we will watch it either...oh Africa haha. This would NOT happen back home. Either way we will see it sometime this week!

Well it is good to get your emails and letters. I enjoy hearing updates from home and those pictures Cami sent were great as well. Tell Grant to stop falling into frozen rivers!

Everything is going well, the work is great, and yes mother I am staying safe! (in fact, Elder Hughes has a journal that he ONLY puts "don't tell mom stories" in, (don't tell his Mom) and we have not added to that journal in at least 6 weeks!)
Love you all

Elder Williams