Week #36 Single Dad of Two

Well… I’m officially a dad of two now! Since I came to Mochudi I continued the latter 6 weeks of Elder Mathias’ training but I have also received a newborn out of the MTC as of last Saturday. His name is Elder Mosweswe, he was called to Nigeria but got reassigned here, he’s from Botswana. You’ll hear more about him though later in this email…

Tuesday:

After our usual morning routine as well as weekly planning since it was Tuesday, the elders came over. We dropped them in their area and then went out for the day. We managed to get 6 lessons today and a very solid contact which made for a decent day. After our 4th lesson, we picked and dropped the other elders at home and then went to 2 more lessons. The last lesson was with a brother named Onkarabile and he’s so cool. However, he did beat me in a match of Mmhele before the lesson which was an L. We got to the flat and Elder Mathias made some cips mayai, you put fries and pour scrambled eggs into a pan to make an omelet. I also rolled Law at a game of Skull King.

Wednesday:

Mathias and I drove to Gabs this morning and dropped the car there to be repaired because of the damages it got from last week (all I can disclose is that I was not driving, IFYKYK). One of the AP’s, Elder Mwendwa, drove us back to Mochudi and went teaching with us for the day. Our first lesson was with a FB referral who met us at the church and brought 3 of her friends which was so awesome, we taught them about the BOM and they seemed very interested despite already attending and holding callings in another church. We taught a couple more lessons and then went to this hole in the wall called Dimonates that Mwendwa showed us. We got rice, beans, and a huge piece of fried chicken for 30 pula, that's less than 3 dollars! He showed us a few members' homes that are inactive and then we dropped him with the other elders to do some baptismal interviews. So I got to drive the AP Baakie which is a brand new Ford Ranger, it was so nice! I hate our Eco Sports. They're so tiny and the tires always pop for no reason. We taught a couple more awesome lessons tonight after we picked Mwendwa back up. Me and Mathias got no sleep tonight because of his snoring, I swear I could feel the house shaking.

Thursday:

The office elders and the other AP (Tujague) picked Mwendwa up this morning and also gave us Mochudi elders a ride to the chapel since we didn’t have a car. We held district council and the sisters brought some nice muffins! Mathias and I took the other elders bikes for the day and they were so much fun! We taught a few lessons, Mathias got cooked twice in Mmhele against our friend Abel, and then we got lunch at Dimonates. We taught a couple more lessons and a couple others canceled so we went to a member's home and a bunch of RM’s (returned missionaries) were there and they’re hilarious so we talked with them for a bit. We had a couple more lessons that went well and then we rode back to the chapel to lock the bikes. Our regular taxi driver “G” drove us home and played some banger music.

Friday:

We took a combie to some service with the elders at 7:30 today. We met the sisters there and slaughtered/ prepared a lot of chickens, it was really fun but the chickens here smell ngl. The office elders dropped the car after we got home and said it would have to be repaired at another time. When they dropped the car we also got to greet a new elder in our mission, Elder Mosweswe (foreshadowing). We taught a bunch of lessons today but the best two were our friends from Zimbabwe, Rainforce Zenda, and his wife, as well as Precious/Kumo. Both lessons went great and they both seem eager to learn. The AP’s called me tonight and told me I’d be receiving a new son tomorrow, Elder Mosweswe!

Saturday:

Mosweswe arrived this morning and got everything put away. Unfortunately, he got here on a Saturday and like usual every lesson canceled. We drove the elders to the chapel for their baptisms but they got postponed to tomorrow, and then we had a huge problem when we tried to buy fuel this morning so it was an impressionable first look at the mission. But he had gone teaching a lot with missionaries back home and is very knowledgeable and mature which is great! We taught some lessons and got Dimonates and then went to get the soccer ball for the youth activity. We ended up having to join choir practice because no one showed and they had a special coach there. We had to sing base and I cannot sing at all. The same RM’s that we met earlier in the week were also covering and every time we made eye contact we started dying laughing because this coach was so unintentionally funny. We taught a few more lessons and got to teach Onkarabile again. Also, 5 people who I had been teaching in Swak got baptized today!

Sunday:

We walked with Andille to church again today and there were two baptisms which was awesome. We taught a bunch of lessons today and are going to help get this one couple married so they can be baptized. We accidentally joined all 4 sisters for a member lesson which was fun and then went and taught a lesson with brother Boemo. I made some nxa protein waffles when we got home.

Monday:

We left for Gabs this morning and played ball at the KFC courts. My team won like 18-1 in games to 5. Then we got a nice Italian dinner at a restaurant in the mall with a bunch of other missionaries. I got a nice pair of sunglasses and found some nice imported drinks. We got home and taught a lesson but the second one was canceled so we got back a little early so we used the time to clean the flat a little. 

Conclusion:

I hope you all had a week as good as mine. I love you all and hope you can see the Lord's hand bless your life this week. I’m praying for you all continually, please let me know if there's anything or anyone I can pray for!

Elder Miller

1. We had fun being on bikes for the day.

2. No caption needed.

3. The babies are always so tired at first. I remember it well.