Elder B in Zimbabwe: Yeah Bho

Well we had 4 baptisms on Saturday hahaha so sick. It was honestly such a cool experience and this week was so cool. Buckle up.

Alright so first I want to talk about how funny the baptism was. It's kind of a long story so hopefully you will all be able to bear with me while I explain our Saturday.

So the story starts on Friday night during the baptismal interviews. Since we did the 2 last week for the married couple, we only had 2 more to do this week. So the first one went great but the second one was another story. It was for a girl named Majambu and she has white skin but is still African (Its like a rare condition that a few people have here. You'll see what I mean in the pictures I will attach). And we have been teaching her at a members house because the members told us that Majambus mother is super strict and that we shouldn't talk to her until they did. But we were told we had permission to teach her and everything. And when we gave her a baptismal date, the members told us that her mother was okay with it. So we continued not thinking anything of it. Then came the interview and right as we were about to leave, the last thing we needed was the signature from the mother. So we went into the house and right as we entered, we could just tell that the spirit was NOT there haha. It was so eerie. And then we met the mother and the first thing she said was, "So you were about to leave without getting my permission?" And then she just gave us mad fire for not asking her but we thought the whole time that we had permission. So she was super upset with us and told us she needed the night to think about it and that we should come by in the morning to see her and see if she was okay with signing the paper..... So she said to come at around 12 and then when we left, one of the sons came out and said, "guys you need to come early at like 8 because she wont be here at 12".... So as stressed as we were that night, we still slept and got up early Saturday morning (the day of the baptism) to leave the house by 7:30 to get there on time. And when we got there right at 8, she wasn't there..... So we were freaking out because then we wouldn't be able to baptize her so we told the family we would come back in an hour to see her. And then when we came back, she still wasn't there... So we were talking to Majambu and she said that last night after we left, the mother said that she gave the aunt permission to sign the papers. So then we went to the aunts house and got her to sign the papers and we didn't even see her sign it. So then we called the district leader to ask if it was okay and he said we needed to talk to the mother to find out if she was still okay with it. So then we went back to Majambus house at around 12:30 to see them mother. And she was there! And her attitude was completely different. When we got there, she was actually getting ready to go to the baptism. Complete 180 degree turn with the mother. So she told us it was okay that the aunt signed it and then we were okay to do the baptism. So we originally planned to do the baptism at 2:00. And at 2 only two of the people we were going to baptize were there, Majambu and Nokutenda. And Noddia and Jesca weren't there (the married couple). So we waiting until 2:30 and then Elder Thompson and I left the church to go to their house. So when we got there we saw Noddia laying on the ground in his work clothes, working on a kombi hahahah. And he was like, "Ohhhhh Elders! I lost track of time! Gimme like 10 mnutes!" hahaha so then we waited and then drove them back to the church and we started the baptism at 3:00 hahaha. Meanwhile, the relief society was having a party/celebration thing and were just buuummmppiinngg zimdance music hahahha. So we told them to turn it off but for some reason they thought we told them to turn it down so during the baptismal service we had Winky D playing in the background hahaha. But we finally started the service and oh I forgot to say that Noddia and Jesca said they wanted me to baptize them and it was so humbling. So I got to dress in my whites and I baptized all 4 of them. And after Noddia was baptized he was sooo happy and I gave him and hug and when we were changing in the bathroom afterwards he wouldn't stop talking and he was just so excited. It made me so happy haha. And after the service, despite all the quirks and crazy things that happened, we talked to Majambu's mother and she said, "Thank you so much. You guys did a great service for her it was great." And her heart was so softened. It was amazing to see the spirit work in her. And then we got some great pictures and then called it a day. At the end of the service, the 4 that got baptized bore their testimonies and they all did a great job and were so happy.

Super rewarding day.

So then came Sunday and we did the confirmations and I personally confirmed Jesca and it was so cool. My first time. And it was awesome. My comp didn't know how so I did that one and then other brethren did the rest. Spiritual for sure.

So now there excitement level has gone down. We have no baptisms planned for next week but in april we should have a few! Super cool.

Also, at church we had a new investigator come and then after church, we went to her house and she like interrupted the lesson and said something in shona. And then the husband said, "Yeah so she wants to be baptized" hahahhha we were like.... uhhhh okay sick! hahahha so cool. But that family still needs to be married and they have troubles with a couple commandments but I will update in weeks to come.

So the guy we met that said he was taught 3 years ago by missionaries was a total disappointment. He believes he does all these miracles and that he always sees visions and things. Sooooo.. now we know why the other missionaries dropped him lol. But we might see if we can help him.

Also finally met with a less active this week who is 17 years old and he told us he doesn't want us to keep coming because he is a prophet of his church.... hahaha man the craftiness of man is a fist sometimes. Blinding all sorts of people. As the Bible says, "deceiving the very elect".

Missionary work in Africa is something else. It is so fun! Love it here so much and can't wait to write in my journal every day to record all these crazy stories. Every day holds its unique experiences that make the days fly by. I've already been away from home for 4 months. Like... What? hahaha. Time flies when you're having fun. Having fun and being happy are the two most important things in life. Comparable to the 2 great commandments that Jesus taught. hahah kidding but still. Love you all and hope you all had a great week in Zion. You all stay in my prayers.

Stay Bho

Stay on that Stay Steady Grindin

Be Happy.

Yeah Bho

Cordially

-Elder Anderson