Week 9

Monday, January 22, 2018

P-DAY is the best because i get to talk to my family. So today we went to go to the Tribal King's palace in this area and it is super cool he is a member ok a less-active but still a member so that is awesome. But the guy we where supposed to meet turned out to be fake so we didn't get to go in so that sucked but it is ok so we went into Jinja Town and played pool and emailed but another stupid thing happened the internet went out so yea that sucked because i was right in the middle of talking to my family.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Today was a great day, we were to tired from yesterday and all the walking so we didn't go play basketball which is ok. So we relaxed until service and we went and did service for Jaja Cuba and cut down a 4th tree for her so thats awesome. We had 4 lessons today so our day was pretty busy but i love being busy so much fun.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

We had DDM planned for at 10:30 am but didnt go until  bout noon because it was pouring rain and we went and we were soaked within 2 mins so yea we just went and chilled in the house until it quit raining and for lunch Elder Appiah- Kubi cooked us pizza so we didnt really do anything until like 3pm so yea that was fun.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Another great day we went and did service for Mama G who is a member and we pulled weeds from her driveway but we had to wait a little bit because it was raining but the weeds came out so much easier than when it was dry dirt. But we had some more great lessons so that is always the best.

Friday, January 26, 2018

We had weekly planning today and Elder Johnson let me be in charge sand so that is fun and  he said that i did a good job of it so thats good. We taught Nelson who works for G4S which is the company that guards the churchs here and he is a high up guy so he is in charge of checking on the guards so that lesson was cool and fun because he had tons of great questions. Im finally adjusted to the missionary lifestyle and it has finally clicked i love teaching the lessons and I love my investigators they are such great friends so im teaching my friends not investigators anymore.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

So today was a fair day we were super busy but i had diarrhea so yea that sucked not fun. Also we got transfer news today, so Elder Appiah-Kubi is going to Ethopia, Elder Barber is leaving to a zone right next to ours so we will still see him every Monday still. Also Elder Johnson got made the District Leader so that means im going on a lot of exchanges this transfer yea so much fun really not looking forward to that but oh well. Also that means he is muost likely going to stay after we finish training so i will probably leave in the 3rd transfer but we will see. I cant believe how fast my 1st transfer flew by i think my mission is going to fly by which isnt good because i love serving so much fun.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Today was a great day we had 4 investigators at church that is super cool and it was Missionary Sunday which is where missionaries take care of everything in the sacrament meeting and it is actually really fun. We also had a baptism his name is Alexis and he is the guard for the church he is a super cool and funny guy i love him so much. We then went to Bro. Wilson's for lunch and he actually served in this mission so he knows all bout it he came home in early 2016 which i think serving in your own country with the possibility of serving in your hometown with your whole family there would suck but yea he was able to do it.

Week 8

Monday, January 15^th

Again P-day, the day I honestly look most forward to, but I should change that so I look forward to every day. So we cleaned the apartment and got ready. We left for Jinja Town before noon. We got haircuts and I’m surprised at how well they can cut mozumbu hair. So mozumbu is the word for white person. They can almost cut hair as good as Kayla, but not quite, don’t worry sis. We then went and had lunch at the deli again, but we wanted pizza but the place that did the pizza has closed down which sucks so we settled for the deli. I had a cheeseburger and it was amazing! So good! We bought some souvenirs, I got a black panther. It’s pretty cool and it is sitting on my desk. It’s awesome. I got a Uganda jersey, it’s awesome. Then we went and emailed and it looks like my parents are getting a little more tech savvy, they figured out google hangouts and we were able to talk through there. We then wandered around Jinja Town this place is amazing it’s so cool, the culture is so different I’m still adjusting a little bit, but it’s awesome. I can’t believe that I was scared to come here, people are so nice, so humble this might be the only chance that I have to come to Africa, so I’m going to make the best of it and I love being able to preach the word of God and do his work. That’s it for Monday, January 15^th.

Tuesday, January 16^th

So we played basketball again in the morning. I think I’m getting a little bit better at it. We came home, studied, and had breakfast then we went and did service for a jaja again which is awesome cuz Elder Barber, Johnson and I cut down another tree that’s a total of like 3 three threes cut down on the mission…let’s go. I’m just gonna say this, my shoulders and biceps are just getting HUGE from cutting down all these trees and I have really rough hands at least on my left hand. Um I got a blister inside of another blister from last week. It hurt when I popped it. We then came home and got ready and we went and taught Thomas and his friends which was really powerful. Thomas is willing to have his family stay at the village so that he can be baptized then have them come afterwards to figure out the marriage so he can be baptized. He’s willing to be baptized without his family so that’s awesome. We then went to the Jinja Chapel and watched the 1^st Presidency Announcement and Interview. President Nelson was roasting people. It was awesome to watch. That lady reporter had no chance against Russell. So yeah it was awesome, and that’s all for today. See you guys.

Wednesday, January 17^th

So today was okay. We went into Jinja traveled for zone conference which was actually really fun surprisingly. I learned a lot about having a strong foundation, not being the weak link in the mission chain, baptizing converts, progressing investigators and just being a better leader hmm we are all called to be leaders we are all actually leaders we don’t have to be zone leaders, district leaders or assistants to president we are all leaders to the investigators we teach to help them guide them to that straight and narrow path and help them get back to God. So every mission and everybody in the church is a leader and so everybody is looking for someone for direction. Actually President Collings surprised me he had horses back in the states before he came out here which is awesome and also one of his most favorite movies is “The Man From Snowy River.” Such an awesome movie! I miss just watching movies. Well anyway, this day went by and we really only had about an hour when we got back to the apartment so we were able to go and teach Laurence, who is an investigator and he is really serious and he wants to be baptized now he just has to come to church, so we’ll see if he does. Oh and I’ll have my first exchange with my DL so we’ll see how that goes. Here we go…hopefully I don’t screw things up. That’s it for Wednesday.

Thursday, January 18^th

So today was exchanges so I was with Elder Robi and we had a good day. He got chewed out by the office elders when they came and inspected his apartment. It was hilarious, hmmm apparently, Elder Appiah the DL or ZL??? was supposed to mop on Monday, but he didn’t so it was super dirty. That was just funny. We then had a good day of lessons on tithing we taught 5 lessons and got 4 new investigators for Elder Apia and Elder Robi. I also realized today that I could talk about home and such without getting homesick which is good. As long as I’m working hard and forgetting myself, before I know it it will be time for me to go home which is a day I couldn’t wish to come faster or slower cuz as I’m here I want to be able to serve with all my heart, might, mind and strength and be able to go home and not regret anything on my mission, but I also want to see my family, but I know as I’m serving the Lord he will bless me and my family so that’s everything for Thursday, January 18^th.

Friday, Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday. January 19^th.

Today was awesome, I can’t believe I only have one more week and my 1^st transfer is done.  Time has flown by and I love being on a mission. Today was hard because I started thinking about how it would be to serve in a stateside mission and all the privileges they have compared to here in this mission. You’re lucky Zac. I just let the natural man in and I didn’t know if I could do this mission. This mission is kindof hard actually but it is the hardest and easiest thing I have done so Elder Johnson and I were able to talk and we were able to rebuild and relieve my stress by helping me realize that I was called here to this mission to teach someone that no one else could teach and I wouldn’t have the memories that I have and these memories are awesome. I wouldn’t want to trade them for anything. So anyway we taught some powerful lessons today and the Holy Ghost was there prompting us and we served the Lord very well today. We used his time well and I know that as I do that time will continue to fly by and two short years is all I have to serve him with all my heart, might, mind and strength and not have to worry about anything else for two years.  So I’m going to do my best each and every day and I hope that I’m able to get through this mission doing my very best and not leave here, the mission field, not regretting anything in 2019. I know that as I’m here my testimony will grow. It has already grown and I love the Lord and he’s always by my side helping me. So that’s everything for Friday, January 19^th.

Saturday, January 20^th

Today was super busy we had a lesson planned for every hour from 1 p.m. till 8 p.m. so we were teaching and moving a lot today we were just cruzin’ which is awesome we were so busy that when I got a little homesick it was okay because we were super busy so I only had time to be homesick for a little bit. We were able to teach two new investigators, John Paul and his brother Samuel. They just barely moved to Walukuba this is their second week here. They came looking for work and they were able to find it in a steel mill which is hard work but that’s what they have here. They said if they want a job this is what they gotta do. They gotta work somewhere where they don’t like. It’s hard but they gotta continue to push on. So like I’ve said before the mission is really hard and its really easy at the same time, I’m finishing up the adjusting stage to missionary hopefully as I adjust here fast I just become the best missionary I can be. I love being here and I have some many great memories so far and I know that the people I’ve met I wouldn’t have met if I had served someplace else. I know that I was called here for a certain reason and as I come closer to that reason I know that I can serve the Lord to the best of my ability. I don’t know what I would be like if I hadn’t come on a mission also I know that this is where the Lord wants me and I know deep inside my heart somewhere in the bottom I know I want to be here as well and hopefully it will work its way up so I can just love everybody. I know I’m being blessed and I know my family is blessed while I’m out here serving and I know I don’t have much longer to serve as these two months have flown by and so I’m down to 22 months but I need to serve him each and every day so I have nothing to regret when I leave hopefully I can do that. Hopefully he will be able to help me do that. I love you guys. That’s the end for January 20^th.

Sunday, January 21^st

So today was an okay day. It went by somehow fast and somehow slow. We had church and a baptism which is awesome. We then went and had district lunch. Elder Barber, God bless his soul he made spaghetti, ohhh so good. Except there was no meat in the sauce, but hey it’s okay considering the price of meat in this country. Lunch was amazing, I had almost three plates hehe. We weren’t very successful today tracting wise, but Elder Johnson and I are getting better at teaching lessons and the two lessons we were able to have were super powerful. Hopefully both of them get baptized because both guys are amazing. Laurence is very humble and ready to be baptized and Danzin is only a little bit behind him. Also right before we taught Laurence we ran into the threesome of Elders Barber, Burnham and Ankrah so we had a little extra time so we played Ninja, oh what a stress relief. It was so much fun throughout the day to do something fun as I was just messing around with the other elders for 5 minutes, I was just so happy to be here I realize that these people in my life are going to help me be the best. I know that the mission is both the hardest and the easiest thing I’ve started so far. I know that when I finish that I’m doing the will of God’s work and I know that I need his help in everything that I do here. But also I not only have his help but I have my companions help and my district’s help. I know that as I continue on plowing through each day the end is going to come faster then I think it will, but I want to stop talking about the end because I’m still in the beginning. Just barely beginning so I need to keep chugging along and keep becoming the best missionary possible. I know that as I rely on the Lord he will help me and I love my family and I love everybody. That’s if for Sunday, January 21^st.

Oh, also Happy Birthday, Aunt Jessica hope you had a great day and hope the baby is doing really well. All right, love you guys. See you.

Week 7

Monday, January 8, 2018

Monday P-day awesome so today we had a sports day as a Zone we ended up playing soccer which I'm not too shabby at. But I got hurt my leg and Elder roby's leg collided at the shin. hopefully it wasn't anything serious we'll see tomorrow. We then went to jinga town and emailed and bought stuff like service shoes for me so they are just a bunch of knock-offs. Then we hung out at the other elders apartment until they got back from a lesson I'm ready to get back and go to work for the lord it's so much fun I'm actually looking forward to the best two years we'll see how it goes.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

So today we started playing basketball in the morning which is super fun we then went and did service for jaja we finished cutting up the tree and ended up getting more blisters but we're fine now. We came home and had to get ready real fast because we had to meet with a member who had a referral for us which is awesome. The member is a recent convert his name is Joffrey and the guy we met is his brothers cousin so it's a little confusing over here but I don't know what that means so we got there and was supposed to teach just one guy but we ended up teaching 6 or 7 people because his neighbors wanted to listen in which is awesome. And then we ended up getting basically bounced the rest of the day. We got home the power was out but luckily it came back on before we were home for very long and so I just have to remember and keep my head up. Justice scripture I read that I really liked was proverbs 10-4 and if you guys want to look that up awesome go ahead but just something that I wrote is I must remain diligent over here never slacking off I'm not going to quit. Never die easy.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Today was awesome again we went and played basketball then we had DDM which was long again but hey it's okay. We had an up-and-down day we got bounced we were also able to teach some lessons which was good. I realized that when I live in the moment here I don't worry about going home and I don't daydream the time and the day just flies by compared to when I first got out into the field here. Also I know that God is always by my side helping me along as long as I have faith and am diligent time will be up and then I'll be going home. I like that but I also don't like that cuz I don't want time to fly by too fast. So hopefully while I'm here I'll be able to do what I need to do here. Alright guys see you again.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Today was a busy day we had a full day of lessons and we planned on doing service but we ended up not having it because no one had anyone to do service for so it actually worked out better for us cuz we had like seven or eight lessons planned but as you know the day went along and we ended up getting bounced for like 5 of them. The two or three lessons that we had were amazing though the Holy Ghost was so strong in the lessons. I don't know why I ever regretted coming out here. I know that this is the best two years that I'll ever have. Even better than doing this was seeing the people's look when we extended the baptism invitations and they both accepted. It made me so happy and now we're just hoping that fingers crossed that they keep the commitments we gave them. This mission is going by so fast. This week has just flown by it has helped me realize how little time I actually have to serve the Lord. it's just two years compared to the rest of our lives. It's such a small piece of time and I would encourage everybody who is preparing to go on a mission to prepare and get out here because as you are working and you're focusing and you forget yourself and go to work you'll change so much I just know that is true and it may seem like it takes forever but it's not going to. I'll see you guys tomorrow.

Friday, January 12, 2018

Today it was an okay day we went and played basketball again. We had weekly planning and we're actually starting to get more serious investigators instead of just fake ones who want to waste our time. We were moving a lot today we were just cruising and flying from place to place. It rained here so I didn't think we were going to leave the apartment but it died down so we were able to leave and have lunch. After lunch we had a two-hour break to wait until our first lesson because they called and pushed it back and so we just went and played some pool I'm getting better you guys better watch out for when I get home I'm going to be so good. We ended up getting bounced a lot today but once again the lessons we did have were amazing. I can't believe the end of this month I will have been out two months. Time is really just flying by. I'm going to jump in with two feet instead of keeping one foot at home and one foot here so I don't have anything to regret. Jumping in with two feet in the deep end. See you guys.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Today was awesome considering it basically rained all morning. Everyone was inside while it rained man I love having mud instead of dust it is so much better. So we had about eight lessons planned for today and they were all looking good but then about half of them bounced but the ones we had we extended baptism invites and they all accepted which is really exciting. The people here are just so humble and they are ready and willing to accept the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm just surprised at how easy it is when you are working with the Lord by your side and I was actually surprised that Elder apia our district leader asked me today if I would baptize some investigators so they would become so I could baptize them tomorrow. I was like whoa wait what and he was like yeah I want you to have the experience so I was like okay so I get to baptized tomorrow and I know that the mission is so much fun so far I miss my family but I know that each day that goes by is one less day till I see them again most importantly it's one less day I have to serve so I have to keep pushing and working hard each and every day until the end. Also Happy Birthday, Breanna, hope you had a great day. Love you tons. Keep pushing guys.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Today was awesome, church was amazing! We had five investigators actually show so that was awesome considering everybody here says they'll come and then they don't show up so we asked them how they liked it they enjoyed it a lot. We started our fast yesterday for a fellow missionary he had his father pass away which is really sad he has only been out one transfer longer than me but I hope that he knows that we love him we want him to make the best choice for himself. I'm really sorry for him and what he's going through right now. I don't know how hard it is to lose someone so close but it's got to be hard especially when you're out here but before I start crying anyway I was able to baptize two people today but they weren't my investigators they were my DL's, but he just wanted me to get some experience baptizing people. It was amazing, the only time that I felt the spirit that much was at Moroni's Quest when we had the man representing Jesus Christ come out and that was on the last day and it hit me so hard that this gospel is true. And that all he wants is for us to return and live with him again. So we've got to try our best everyday and make the best choices that we can and so I'm going to keep pushing hard and keep making the best of it. It's actually really cool one of our investigators that we just started teaching this week came to church and we gave him a book of Mormon and we gave one to another investigator so we gave away to the Book of Mormons today. It was awesome. Also we had a couple who have been investigating and they have been living together. They are technically married here in Africa but they're not married by the church standards. So they went and talked to the branch President yesterday and they are getting married on the 27th which is amazing and the wife plans to get baptized on the 28th and then the husband will follow her the next week which is awesome. This mission is so much fun and I don't know why people find it hard. Sure it's going to be 2 years, but it's going to be the best years of your life as long as you forget yourself and go to work it will be the best two years ever. Alright I'll see you guys in however long I have left. See you guys.

Week 6

January 1st

Happy New Years! So today is Monday. It’s p-day, so today we had a zone party for

New Year’s Eve/Christmas combined. It was awesome to say the least. We played
American Football and then we had some lunch which was really amazing then we
watched a slideshow/movie of pictures from throughout the year of the missionaries
and what they accomplished. Then we headed into town and we were able to get to
the internet cafe so we could email home which just made my day it was amazing.
My favorite part was when mom sent me photos from home and I was able to download
those now next week I’m going to head into town on p-day and get them printed out so
I can put in memory book and to say the least we took a little long at the internet cafe
well Elder Johnson wasn’t quite finished emailing when we should have been done,
but that was okay it was still really good so we weren’t able to get out and go proselyting
in the evening but that is okay we will make up next week and tomorrow and so it’s
kind of funny we rode pedal bodas into the cafe but we couldn’t find any that would
take us home so we ended up just walking home which is about 45 minute to an hour
walk so that’s why we got home too late to go out tracting and such. Yea, that is my
journal entry for January 1, 2018.

January 2nd

So today was actually a really good day we did service from 10:30 till about 2 pm which
was a little long but the jaja needed it. By the way, jaja means grandma so that is what
we call the older members in the branch is jaja. So anyways Elder Barber, Johnson and
I were able to chop down a tree today heck yeah it was awesome it took forever and I
got three blisters from it. Gosh, but other then that it was awesome. Service is amazing
I love helping the older members they need so much help here and it is just awesome
to go out and serve them. And we then went to Mama Sarah’s Restaurant, oh my gosh
sooo good and sooo cheap. So about a meal costs 40,000 shillings which is about $1
to $1.25 here which is really good. So we had 5 lessons planned for today we got
bounced at every single one except 2, but those lessons were amazing, the Spirit was
really strong. I know that the African field is white and ready to harvest and even
though it is hard I’m ready to thrust in my sickle with my might and lay up in storage.
So can't wait to keep going on for these 2 years. There was a 3rd lesson that we could
have taught but we had to reschedule it because the DL, Elder Apia, planned a dinner
appointment and didn’t think to tell us til about 3 hours before it actually happened, so
yeah. We worked it out with the last lesson so everything was okay. We had dinner at
Mama G’s. I don’t know how people can lose weight on this mission, dang these
Africans cook us a lot of food and man it is soooo good. I mean I miss the American
food, but I’m used to this African food and they eat a lot of rice and a lot of beans,
but it is very very good. So tomorrow we have interviews. Yeah. Alright I’ll talk to you
all on Wednesday or I mean I’ll have another journal entry on Wednesday. Adios.

January 3rd
So Wednesday, was my first interview with President Collings on the mission, so basically he asked us how I was doing and how I was adjusting. Just talked it over with him. Everything is going good and so he asked me how I liked my trainer, Elder Johnson. I feel like Elder Johnson is doing a very great job. So, anyway after interviews we went out and ate at a deli which is like a super restaurant that is considered you have to be rich or white to go there; which we are white and we are definitely not rich but it is expensive for Uganda money but it is amazing it has all this American food that you get to eat and it is just super expensive with the money that we get here and we went and ordered some photos that the family sent me. Can't wait to get them printed out and put them in my memory book I rode my first taxi and dang it was packed. They had like 14 people in like a 3-seater van. It was crazy. We had 3 lessons planned for today, but they all bounced until Sharon who we had planned for first got home from work. So she called us and we were able to teach a lesson which i good. We saw some riders whoa that was crazy umm they just don't want the president to be president anymore there is a law that he is trying to abolish that you can't run after you are 73 years of age and he turns 73 this year and he has been the president for like 40 years and all the people don't want him there anymore. So that was pretty funny to watch. Other then that one more day down.

January 4th
Thursday that day was amazing we got to have exchanges with the zone leaders AKA Zone Lords we got Elder Barrington while his comp went with another companionship of missionaries from Walukuba. It's actually really cool he's an amazing guy. I hope we stay in touch after he goes home he's only 8 months older then me and he goes home in June but awesome guy awesome guy. He has signed with BYU to play football so he's a big boy funny thing is he hasn't told BYU how much he's lost on the mission he's lost about 80 lbs so that means he's got to gain about 100 lbs when he gets home but its awesome. He's a super cool guy and he has a younger brother who has also signed with BYU so when his younger brother gets back from his mission they will be able to play together which I think is cool. Anyway we got some amazing tracting in and we found a jaja which means grandma, but we found one who is less active but she wants to reactivate in the coming year her son is a non member and he has a word of wisdom problems, but we hope we can help him work through that he has a friend that we are going to teach as well. The friend he's ready to harvest I just know after teaching him that first lesson wow it was amazing. I love being on this adventure. Sure it's hard, but I know that God sent me here for a reason and I know that in two years isn't long compared to how long my life is, so hopefully I can do what needs to be done. I have such a short time to do it in, so lets do this. Also Happy Birthday to Olivia, love you girl. Have one of the best days. Alright guys, see ya tomorrow.

January 5th

January 5, 2018

Alright so Friday was super super spiritual we were able to go teach Emily who was the jaja we found yesterday and wow so we got to teach Enoch who is the family friend as well. He's the one that's ready to be harvested. Thomas her son wasn't there so that was unfortunate but it was super nice to have Emily there too help explain the gospel to Enoch and Enoch has been taught before but the missionary that he was really good friends with left and went home so it kind of broke his heart and he hasn't seen them since. But Emily kind of pushed him and he's starting to see us and she also bore her testimony which is a very powerful testimony I felt the spirit so much and after that lesson we were able to commit Enoch to come to church with Emily and to be baptized on January 28th of this year if he came to know that the gospel is true and he said he would if he came to know that it is true. So that was super amazing. The Holy Ghost was so strong in that lesson and I'm surprised at how fast this time has gone by. Time does really speed up when you forget yourself and go to work. Especially when you are doing the Lord's work. Like I said before two years is such a short time even though I'm only into the mission about a month and a week I know that if I don't do what I'm here to do then I know I'll regret this and I don't want to regret this Mission so I'll do my best see you guys tomorrow.

January 6, 2018

Well Saturday wow today could have been better if people would not have bounced us but everything happens for a reason so we were able to have weekly planning which was super good we were able to set goals and people for the upcoming week. We have five people who have said they will be baptized if they come to know this church is true so hopefully that that happens we've got 2 on the 14th and 3 on the 28th so we're hoping that it all works out. The power went out right before weekly planning and it went out literally right as Elder Johnson got into the shower so you could just hear him yelling that the water was cold. It was pretty funny. So we had Five Lessons plan for today but four of them bounced but we got lucky as we were at the church after lunch and we found an investigator or niabo I can't really remember what it means but it's just what we call females here girls is what I believe it means. We were able to find a niabo at the church we were able to teach and she said she is going to come to church tomorrow she wants to join our church so that's pretty cool but anyway. So we were able to teach Sandra the mama who is paralyzed on her one side of her body and she said she is willing to come to church tomorrow no matter what nothing will stop her so that is super super powerful and I just want to help her to do that and I know that God can do miracles I know that if it really is her time to be here then God will make that happen so I love being on this Mission sometimes it's hard but I remember why here and what I'm here to do and I know that God will bless me for being here Also happy birthday Ella have an amazing day girl keep learning that Mandarin I'm having a hard time I'm learning the Uganda language so I only know Katona Katona which is small small. But I'll keep learning it slowly but surely so Ella good job you're learning Mandarin literally the hardest language in the world to learn. I love you! Have a great day.

January 7, 2018

Fast Sunday awesome so today was the end of the third week for me being out in the field so far it's kind of flew by time wise I'm surprised but  just have to remember to keep working and forget myself and go to work so it was fast Sunday today and fast and testimony meeting was interesting because almost everyone shared their testimony in the Uganda language so I couldn't understand it but it was still super powerful and the Holy Ghost was still so strong and it ended up being a good sacrament meeting. But we had zero investigators show up so that kind of sucked but I know there's going to be great days and there will be bad days on my mission so so we had District lunch again Elder Johnson and I cooked we had rice with noodles and some stir fry it was good. After that we went finding and we were able to teach Thomas who's Emily’s son. Emily is the jaja that is less active. Thomas is addicted to alcohol and we were able to  teach him the word of wisdom we gave him a pamphlet so hopefully he reads it. We then went to a dinner appointment with the rest of the district that was good but we didn't get home till like 10, so our neighbors in the compound had locked the top bolt on the gate which we can't get to unless we get it from the inside so Elder Johnson had to crawl underneath the gate and unlock it from the inside. That was pretty funny actually. He got stuck like twice. So as I've been thinking 2 years seems like a long time, but it's actually short when you compare it to the rest of your lifetime. I know it's hard for me to be away from family for this long, but I know that as long as I serve him and forget myself and go to work for the rest of these two years I know I'll be home before I know it and I just want to be sure and leave the mission knowing that I did all I could. Hopefully it goes well we’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.

Elder Johnson crawling under the compound gate so we could get into our apartment.

Weeks 3, 4 & 5

Week 3 

Last week in the MTC was boring really but it went by quick so yea.

South Africa MTC in Johannesburg

Johannesburg Temple Grounds

Johannesburg Temple

Elder Maurerman & Elder Brady

Elder Mauerman & Elder Brady

Elder Mauerman, Elder Kirkpatrick, Elder Bratsman, Elder Brady

Elder Bratsman & Elder Brady

MTC Group

Week 4

Monday: Travel Day we woke up at 4:30 am to get ready and we left the MTC at 5:30 am. Left Joburg at 9:30 am flew for 4 hours and got picked up by President Collings and it was awesome then we drove to the mission home and had pizza for dinner so good.

Elder Kaluluma, Elder Brady, Sister & Pres. Collings, Sister ?, Elder Bratsman, Elder Kirkpatrick

Tuesday: We went on a 3 mile run with President Collings actually really good to run. Left the mission home at 2pm drove to Walubuka my new area and met my trainer Elder Johnson he is only 2 transfers older than me. He is from Sandy Utah.

Running with President Collings

Elder Bratsman, Elder Brady, Pres. Collings, Elder Kirkpatrick, Elder Kaluluma

    Wednesday: It was my first day being actually in the field so it was actually really good but long. And I figured out that this is the Lord's mission not mine. We were on exchanges because Elder Johnson is new to the area as well, so we basically went tracting.

     Thursday: So we went as a district and did service for a sister in the branch. I actually got homesick very bad I was crying, but Elder Johnson helped me out, so it was okay. We taught 4 lessons today, they were all really good. We also met George who is an RM from South Africa. He has an iPad so we asked him if we could use it to Skype home and he said yes, it was amazing.

     Friday: We had weekly planning and we were able to figure out the rest of the week which was awesome. We went and taught Frank who has a baptismal date for January 14th. We also found Danson who is a practicing nurse, he has a wife and baby in Kampala. He is very interested in the Gospel and when we asked him to pray at the end of the lesson, he asked "how?" Then we taught Anet who is another investigator and is progressing very well.

     Saturday: We found another person her name is Sandra and she has 3 kids and her husband works in Kampala. We went and taught Anet again and we were able to see a Catholic baptism; it was actually really weird, but it was another good day.

     Sunday: At church today it was missionary Sunday so the missionaries do everything in church haha it was actually really fun. And after church every Sunday we have district lunch, so that's always fun. After that we went caroling because it was Christmas Eve. I never thought I would say this, but I miss the snow! I want snow please.

Week 5:

     Monday: Merry Christmas! So for P-Day we were fed and we figured out calling home and such, it was so crazy that it took all day, but I was able to see and talk to my family so it was an amazing best day on the mission.

     Tuesday: More service today which is good because it was keeping me busy.  So we got bounced all day long so it was kinda crappy, but we had dinner at George's house so it turned out to be good.

     Wednesday: The day started out bad because no one was answering our calls, but it turned into a good day we taught 3 lessons and all 3 are really strong investigators so hopefully it turns into baptisms.

     Thursday: The day went by extremely fast so we did more service...Remember when you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God. Also our district grew by 1, Elder Barber got emergency transferred so now we are 7.

     Friday: The day was amazing because Elder Johnson bought a brown old ripped satchel from a guy on the street for 2,000 shillings which is about 75 cents in US money. We asked Sandra to be baptized on January 21st and she said yes. Afterwards she told us about a dream she had of a man in white clothes telling her that the Mormon church was the true church which was amazing.

     Saturday: We didn't leave the house till like 12:30 pm because it was raining and the people here are afraid of the rain. It was a hard day because we got bounced 4 times, but we taught 3 lessons which were amazing and the Spirit was so strong in those lessons. I love the rain because it turns the red dust into red mud so much better haha. Also Elder Johnson got his Christmas package so he was super excited. The missionary life is becoming more natural as I am still finishing adjusting.

     Sunday: Church was awesome today, we had 2 investigators come to church. After district lunch we went tracting and found 4 new investigators. It is an amazing way to end the year 2017. We live right in front of a Born Again Church and they were blasting music all night, so it was hard to sleep but we fell asleep eventually which was good.
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The homes here in Uganda

My trainer, Elder Johnson and I

My apartment in Walubuka

These are mosquito nets that we sleep under to help us not get Malaria

My study area

In front of the church

Elder Brady & Elder Johnson

Our breakfast,..Rolex (similar to a breakfast burrito)

Elder Brady & Elder Johnson

Our Zone

Elder Brady & Elder Cook