THE COUNT DOWN 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!!!!

The Preface-


This week has been one of the most intense/busy/crazy/emotionally draining/bizarre/packed and a plethora of other adjectives. I cannot adequately express in words how much has happened or the effects and affects it has had. But I will try. Let the count down begin!


#5 of the countdown, Monday


Well this was our P-day and it was great. we got our Zone T-shirts and had our Zone Activity. And I must say to my brothers and father, I am sorry. We went golfing in an amazing place and I know how many times I declined to go with you. On the basis that I wouldn't have fun. That was/is a LIE! I had a blast! I actually wasn't terrible. At the end of the 9 holes we were only 8 over par. We worked together so it wasn't all me. But I am happy to say that I contributed to our success. And I lamented the lost opportunities. For I could have been legitly good if I had participated more in the aforementioned family outings. Once again I apologize and I look forward to playing with all y'all when the time is come. It was quite the experience and I absolutely loved it!


#4, Tuesday


This is the day when the pendulum of the week is swung. The first dominoes were thrust forward on this day. So in the morning we are getting phone after phone call but it is like 4 in the morning so we are ignoring it. Then finally, around 6, Elder Packer has to go to the bathroom and sees that one of the elders had tried to call us like 15 times. So he calls them back and I am just getting portions of the conversation, partly because I am half asleep and partly because I can only hear Elder Packer. But he tells me that we have to go to the bus stop in town and pick up the elders. At this point I am terribly confused. But we go and I am wondering how long they have been in town. Have they been there all night? Why are they at the bus stop? What is going on? So we pull up and we see that one of the elders has his bag... Confusion increased at this point. Why did he have his bag? Where was he going? Why was he going there? Why is it so early in the morning????


So as I am pondering these many things. They get in the car and we take them home. we don't really talk to them about it because it just wasn't the time. Plus the Mission President already had been informed. So we tell them at their house that we will see them in a few hours for the district meeting. So we go back and start preparing as we are talking about what just happened when we get another phone call. This time they tell us they won't be coming to district meeting. Because "elder bag", as he will be referred to forthwith, didn't want to do anything and just wanted to sleep until the mission president came. Then we start trying to organize what to do next when our Mission President calls and wants to talk to everyone at district meeting to tell them transfers which we weren't at because we were handling the events of the morning.


We tell him what had been going on and he says okay and then tells me that I will be transferred and I will be going to Lusaka, Zambia. My new Companion will be Elder Nixon and my visa runs out on Friday so I will leave on Thursday. That was a lot to digest all at once and then he asks to speak to Elder Packer, who will be staying. So I am trying to understand what I have been told as we are going to see elder bag and his companion. I was kind of shocked. I knew I would be going as I shared in previous emails but to have it confirmed was something else. I was very sad to leave and normally I am not subject to such emotions. But I was very sad to leave.


Then we collect elder bag's companion and we go and the other elders get their transfers and we have our district meeting and everything and then we go throughout the day and as we go I am telling people that I am off and it is intense and sad.


#3, Wednesday


Well the mission president was coming to do a training with the missionaries and so we got up early and set up the chapel and prepared everything and we were on our way to pick the elders when we get another phone call from our mission president. He said his car had broken down 8km out of town and he needed to be picked up. So we turn around and we go that way. On the way we get stopped at a road block. The police office asks to see elder packer's license(he is driving) and then goes to check our vehicle license. At that exact moment is when I remember that the mission office never sent our new one and that the one we have is expired. Can you see a problem? Added to the fact is that at that exact moment our mission president calls and asks us where we are. I inform him that we are coming but that the police had stopped us.


Essentially the woman says that she will have to impound our car. We beg and tell her that our president has had a break down and that we are going to get him and that the license is purchased but it just hasn't been sent. Then we ask her for her help, to which she says, "I can help you by impounding your car," To which my companion says, "How does that HELP US?!" I call the office and I am trying to figure out why it was never sent. I determined that it was never sent so that this specific event could give me an experience because their appears to be no other reason. So I get out of the car and I basically beg, and she gives back the license and says, "Go, but don't use this road again." So I hop in the car and say, "GO!" And believe me we went.


But then not even 200 meters from the road block the police pull us over for speeding. We pull over and the window is opened and before they can even say anything I throw a ten dollars bill at them and ask if we can go. They looked a bit shocked but did in fact let us go. Then we got to President Dube and we waited with him and helped to organize the removal of his absolutely destroyed vehicle. Basically a piston snapped and ricocheted through his engine block. His car was kind of worthless. So we drive back and I had told him what had made us late and he said to use the same road anyway. Which I did and the same woman was about to stop us but waved us through. But when she saw that it was us you should have seen her face. It was priceless and she was quite angry and surprised but we just drove off. Then President took our car because his was broken and we were left to walk to our appointments.


That night we went and saw Sister Brown and she told us that it was all true. That Jesus was the Son of God and that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith restored the church. This all from a woman who was raised Muslim for 40 years! Then she accepted a baptism date for the very next week. After the lesson we told her that I was leaving and she was almost in tears but she said that even if she didn't understand God's will she would just have to accept it. I was so sad that I am not going to see her baptized.


#2 Thursday


We awoke early and all my things were packed and President came and we went to see one last person, the District President. On our way we passed a mail carrier on a motorcycle from Swift. They sent the vehicle license using Swift and so Elder Packer rolled down the window to ask where the depot was so we could go pick it. But the light turned green and President Dube said to go. So we went. Then we went to pick up his jacket and also the license because we would be driving the car to Harare and we had to do that drive with a current license or things would have been bad. But we get to the depot and they say it has been delivered. we didn't know they delivered things directly to your home. So we go to the house, but it isn't there. Then we get a phone call saying that it is at the depot so we go back. But they said it wasn't there and to go back to the house. So we went back but it still wasn't there. So we go back to the Mission President. He takes me and leaves Elder Packer and we go to the Depot again. It STILL isn't there. So we just start driving around town looking for this Swift guy. Then I just felt like we should drive away from town. Later my Mission President told me he wasn't sure what I was doing. But I just kept driving further from town.


And I spot him! So we flip around and we honk at him until he pulls over and do you remember the mail carrier we saw first thing in the morning that we almost stopped to ask directions from? It is the SAME guy!!!!! He had it the entire time! But we get it sorted and then we drive to Harare. I spend the day in Harare with the Assistants and in the Marange family home I see a picture of the Hansens! I was so shocked but they know them very well and Sis Marange sends her greetings to Sis Hansen.


#1 Friday


So I spent the whole day in the office and I was helping to organize some programs they needed for the budgets on Excel. I also called throughout the mission and talked to many people. The office is quite busy. But my flight didn't leave until 6 pm. So I spent a while in the office but eventually I departed and most there knew they might never see me again. So their good byes were intense. At the airport I go through and I check my bags and then I go through security and they ask if I have a leatherman. I left my leatherman in my carry on!!! Oops! So I talk to them and they let me go back through security and check another bag. But it goes over the weight limit, but I talk to them and they say they can give me the extra weight for free! Yay! But I get to the terminal and I totally wrote a poem as I was waiting(because the plane was super late). Quite a number of people have said that I am "always smiling", in fact I had heard it a few times that very day. So I entitled it Always Smiling. I was quite pleased with it and I was going to send it to you but I forgot the book I wrote it in.


But I get to my destination in Lusaka and my companion picks me up and we go to our house. It is amazing. It is big. It is nice. It has two bathrooms. It has a nice kitchen. It has a jacuzzi tub. It has a Crockpot. It has AIR CONDITIONING!!!!! And we have a manservant. Yes you read correctly. A manservant. He cleans our car, our house, our clothes, our dishes and sorts, organizes and arranges anything that needs to be. Basically he does everything including shining our shoes and making our beds. I left my shoes next to my bed an when I had come back they were polished, shined and orderly placed. I was so shocked. I don't even know what to do with myself. I don't think it is really healthy for missionaries to have a manservant but apparently it is in the contract of the house. The rest of my time has been spent transporting elders and trying to learn the new area and city. It is very different than Mutare and the rest of Zimbabwe but I am excited to see everything an experience it all. But that has been my week essentially. So crazy busy and intense as to defy description but I have tried. I hope you stay Always Smiling.


Love, Elder Gay

Baptism, Sister Brown, and the shirt

Well there isn't a lot of time because we are having our Zone activity so I will try to explain in brief.

Well Dumi was baptized and he bore a very powerful testimony about the Book of Mormon. He is definitely converted and he will do great. Sabastian, the one baptized a couple weeks ago was ordained to the Aaronic priesthood! Yay!

We, meaning my companion and I, created a design for a Zone T-shirt. The designs turned out great! They were so cool! I haven't seen them on the shirt yet but I am sure it will be awesome! IT is so cool!

Also Sister Brown is doing amazingly well. We have only had a few lessons with her but they have been amazing. The first time she told us that she would be very surprised if it was all true. Then this last time she was saying how much she loved the BOok opf Mormon and that she wasn't ready to say yes to baptism, but when she did know we would be the first to know. Then she said, "And the answer won't be no!" It was incredible. She is such an amazing person and she has said that since that time we met with her, she hasn't had a bad day. She said that she has seen so many people reach out to her and her ill brother and she said that she is feeling as if "the burdens have been lifted off me". She has developed such faith. It truly is amazing.

I can't believe how awesome sharing the Gospel is! So sorry for the incredibly short email but I will make it up next week and sorry if I didn't reply to your email that you sent to me. I will definitely do that next week!

Love, Elder Steven Gay

The Grand Grandy's, Road trip!, The rebellious Muslim, and the END IS NEAR

Well this week has been very busy and it has been quite fun as well. The couple missionaries came because we were looking for a house for some new couple missionaries that are coming. We spent the whole day with them looking at houses and the chapels. It kind of felt like we were on a road trip and they were our parents. They even had snacks for us in the truck and me and my companion were laughing and making jokes in the back seat. It was very funny. It wasn't a normal day on mission by any means but it was very fun and I liked it a lot.

Then after that we went to have a lesson with the Grandy family. For the longest time I just kind of felt like we needed to share the Word of Wisdom and some of the commandments. But I just didn't. I don't even know why not. Because they had been telling me that they had been going through a hard time lately. But this time in the lesson I just flat out told the Grandy's what I was thinking. I told them that I had made a mistake in not sharing these things with them. I told them I had been wrong to withhold these commandments from them because they had shared with me they had needed the blessings. MY companion looked super shocked that I had told them I had made a mistake. But I felt like I needed to be very honest with them. And they seemed to appreciate it and they are just doing great.

We had a referral named Mrs. Brown. She is an Indian woman who grew up in Zimbabwe and we found out during the lesson that she is a Muslim. She was telling us all about the things that she was suppose to be doing because of her religion but that she wasn't doing. She really wanted to know more about Christ and Mary and about the Book Of Mormon. Mostly she has just been confused by all of these different Christian religions. She is very open to the idea that she might be going the wrong way and she is ready to leave everything if she believes it to be true. She even said that she would leave her husband in the Muslim church by himself. Hahahaha I just wanted to laugh. She is a very funny person. She is the first Muslim I have taught. It is a different experience. She was so confused about all of these different religions but she knows some inactive members of the church that told her that it is the only true church and she was open to the idea because she knows them.

When the couples were down and we were with them. They told me that my name was on the board in the office! DUN Dun dun...... They told me that my work visa is almost gone and they are trying to renew it but they are finding difficulty. Which means I could be leaving the country very soon. It expires on the 18th of Feb. So I could be leaving Zimbabwe and the mission is about to split. Which could mean that I could never come back and I might be in the other mission and I will get a new Mission President. The END IS NEAR!!!!! I don't know that I am leaving for sure and my companion just tells me that I am beloved and President wants to keep me in this mission and that me leaving is just my deranged delusion. But it is extremely possible, let me say probable, that I will leave the country for some various reasons.

1)My visa is expiring.
2)I have been in Zimbabwe my entire mission.
3)I have been in this city since July last year.
4)President wants his missionaries to serve in all 3 countries....

These are the reasons I think I will leave. I don't really have any credible evidence or reason for me to stay. So..... bon voyage!

We also made dinner for our Branch President and his wife. That was really fun. I was expecting it to be very awkward and all sorts of funny things to be said. Some times they are a bit socially awkward. But it was just cool. They enjoyed the Kenyan dish we made for them and they were telling us stories and we talked about our families and it was just awesome. I feel like we have a better relationship with them now. Cool beans.

Love, Elder Steven Gay

Sabastian, The Harpoon!, Dumi, and Kuwadzana!

Well this last week Sabastian was baptized! It was great. We had an activity and it was well attended and people were having fun and everything went very well. It was very busy, like you wouldn't believe but we managed to get everything done that we needed to. Amazing!

All right so me and Elder Packer were eating lunch and he looked at a mango on the window sill and he said it was almost ripe and by the next day it would be ready to eat. So I was done eating and I was just looking at my fork and I had this urge to throw my fork at the mango. So of course I did. And I threw it from where I was sitting at the table and it harpooned the mango! It was brilliant! My companion really wanted to be mad at me but because of the intensity and the greatness of the feat of which I achieved he was too busy laughing to be upset! I was very happy that it worked out so well. I could never repeat it ever again but I did it once and that was enough!

So in a lesson with Dumi I felt prompted to share my 'favorite verse' which is 2 Nephi 4:27-28. And I love those verses but I had never thought of them as my favorite before but I just felt very strongly that I should share it. Then when we went back I found out why I had shared it. He said that he had read those verses again and he felt like he was yielding to the flesh and he should overcome it. So he stopped drinking alcohol. We haven't even shared the Word of Wisdom yet! It was awesome!

Well this last week was very busy and we even went to Harare for Zone Conference. It was a great Zone Conference and we were able to visit some people in Kuwadzana my very first area! They have a chapel now! It is amazing. Okay so it isn't finished yet but it is so close. But it is crazy because I helped to clear the land for it and it was almost done. It went up so fast!!!!! I was running around it and looking at everything. I was acting like a child I was so excited. We also visited some families and that was great. They were so happy to see us especially because me and Elder Packer were companions in Kuwadzana. So to see us both was fun. They are so much like family it is crazy. I can't believe how much these people mean to me.

But one of them. Her name is Nonthando Ndhlovu. She was such a happy bubbly girl that was always smiling. She was a great spiritual girl. But we heard she went less active. When she came in, I saw a nose ring, muted colors and most of all her eyes and her smile no longer sparkled. It was very sad. I couldn't believe it. She was so active and had an inner light but when we saw her that was faded. It hurt a lot. She was so different than the girl I used to know. I hope she can find her way back. She even called us 'dudes'.... what a bitter sweet moment to see those that were still strong in the Lord and to see those who had faded.

Oh yea, you remember Sis. Anyway? She was one of our converts and she is powerful. She always called me her son. She was called to be a Relief Society teacher the week after her confirmation. Well her husband passed early January. It was a huge shock because he was only about thirty years old. It was so sad to hear. Apparently she moved but she still comes to church. Pray for her if you can.

It was so great to see everyone again and I loved the chapel! It is great!

I would like to thank everyone who sent me something. I got the Christmas packages and they are great. I LOVE the cds! Especially for the one of Cassie. I love her and her voice. I listened to it all morning. Thank you so much for the shirts and Aubs for the pants. They are perfect. In fact I am wearing them right now. Thank you Mom for the pens. They are great and blue!

It has been incredibly busy this week. With a lot of temporal things. But the lessons we were able to have were great. We were able to resolve a concern of this family. They are progressing very well. Also with the Zone things are going great. At Zone Conference we sang hymn 335 to the tune of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It went very well. People were very complimentary. Even one said that I was a powerful Tenor. I am pretty he meant Elder Packer, because he was standing right next to me and he had the highest part. But it was still a nice remark even if was a bit misdirected. He even said I could be paid to sing. But like I said, I am almost 100% sure that he meant Elder Packer. I love you all and mission is great!!!!

Love, Elder Steven Gay