Well first of all I want to apologize to everyone for not emailing last week. I meant to but we didn't have our allotment yet and then we had to go and get some of the elders and then I had to wait for my companion who's bus was delayed and he didn't even get here until around 9 pm. So that left very little time for email. I didn't email at all and I apologize but I will do my best to relay all of what has happened in the past two weeks which isn't possible because so much has happened but I will try to get the highlights. Again not really possible but I will try.
Well we just ended a transfer and we were called and told if we are staying or going. I will be staying! This will be my fifth transfer in Mutare. I have been here for a while. And my new companion is one of my old companions! It is Elder Packer! I don't know if you remember me emailing about him but we were each other's second companions and it was about eight months ago. We are both Zone Leaders now and a lot has happened to both of us since we were last together but it has been awesome! There was really an adjustment period because we are both used ot each other already but we are much better teachers now. It is cool to see how much he has grown. I am excited for the coming transfer.
Also my debit card was eaten by an ATM machine. I was so shocked. I feel like someone should have taken a picture of my face or something because I am sure it would have been hilarious. Also we went in and they told me it would be destroyed! They wouldn't tell me why. I was SO confused!!!! Anyway, it has all worked out. It was destroyed but my family is awesome and I am getting a new one soon. Hakuna Matata! Which is a swahili phrase by the way.
We baptized Tafadzwa! That was good it went well. Except his father didn't really know how to baptize him. He had to try three times. I tried very hard not to laugh but it all worked out in the end and it was a good experience to have him be baptized by his father.
Well when I was still with Elder Shabangu we tried to go to an area we saw on our map. To try and shift our focus and find those hidden diamonds but when we tried to go there we found a gate and guards and the army patrolling the place. They told us that the army could do whatever they wanted with us there no matter where we were from. So we were turning around and when the army personnel came out as we were turning around then I quickened the pace at which I was fleeing. Hahahaha it was quite the experience and I don't plan on every trying to go back there. It was very intense and I have no idea what is even there. We were told an oil depot so maybe they are just very protective of their oil.....
Well Elder Packer and I have had a very miraculous week. A lot has happened and I have definitely seen the hand of the Lord in our work as we have tried to find those people that have been prepared for us. One of these miracles led us to the Sunday Family. The really funny part is that they are Seventh Day Adventists. They don't even go to church on Sunday! I thought the irony was perfect. As soon as they introduced themselves to us I just knew that they would be SDA and they were! It was excellent. They are very open minded and they are willing to learn and I hope they will progress well.
Now to the story of what me and my companion have named, "The Monkey Miracle". A lot of things happened that led up to us finding this one guy so let us start at the beginning. We had just had lunch and we were choosing between tracting or going to our Branch President. We decided to go to our Branch President first. When we arrived, we had our meeting and he showed us to a referral. We were just going to set up a time to meet him but I felt like we should have a lesson. We sat down and we gave him a baptism date for 29 January. So we will see him every day this week and finish the lessons. Then as we were leaving we prayed to know where to go. My companion said, "What about Murambi." An area that was across town from where we were. I say okay and we go. As we are driving I feel like I should take a different route there. A way that I have never gone before. So we go that way, and as we are driving this one road just catches my eye.
It just stands out to me and I remember that one time I saw monkeys up that road. So I say to my companion, "The monkeys stay up there," He jokingly replies, "Let's go tract the monkeys!" I had wanted to go up that road without evne realizing it so when he said that I immediately turned up the street. My comp laughs at me and tells me he was joking but I just laughed. Then we ind what looks like a dirt driveway. We both feel like we should go up. Turns out that there was a road that branched off at the very top. One house after another we got rejected. Finally we get to the last house and we knock for ten minutes but no one came. But I could see them sitting on their porch! They could totally hear us. So finally I just went up the house and apologized for not knocking loud enough, he just looked dumbfounded but he wasn't interested in listening to us. So we went back down and we were about to start back to the car for we had reached the end of the street but there was what looked like a back entrance to that same house. So we went a little further and there was in fact one more house. We knocked and a guy came down, we talked with him and he went and asked his grandparents.
We heard them say that they weren't interested. So he came back and kind of sullenly told us that they weren't interested. I asked if we could just share with him then. He readily agreed. We talked about the restoration and gave him a baptism date for 12 Feb. He told us yes but he would need to come to church, and read the Book of Mormon to find out for himself. He then asked where the church was, what he would need to bring to his baptism, if he could invite others who were interested in knowing these same things, and it was awesome! It was amazing and we were so amazingly happy as were struggling back to the car(we had the lesson as we on the grass by his gate and our legs had fallen asleep, hence the struggling). This guy is one of the most prepared people I have ever met in my entire life and so many small events led us to him. It truly was a huge miracle that was brought about from small and simple things. We were definitely led to him and this week has been filled with similar experiences. We have prayed to know where to go. EVERY SINGLE TIME we have taught. And many times we have been let in without a word being said. They just let us in. Three times when we were pressed for time, it was the first house we knocked on! Other times when we have had more time, it was the last house and it was always one of us would say, "Just one more." Just a bit further. When we have gone as far as we think we can Heavenly Father asks us to go with Him just a bit further. When we go, His hand is revealed and we see miracles.
This is going to be a great transfer. :)
Love, Elder Steven Gay
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