Second week of July!

At Osborne Dam activity, taken by Sister Peterson

Family,

I would like to start by thanking you. Your prayers, temple attendance, and sacrifice was not in vain. You have touched...no...pierced my soul. You have typed words from on high and has helped to awaken me. You have helped me to see with spiritual eyes. I am starting to catch the vision. 

I am sorry that I keep sharing my weaknesses with you as of late, but I want to ask for advice again (because you are really good at it, so great). I am having a really hard time waking up. Since I have started mission I have been struggling. Mission rules for Zimbabwe is 6:00am and I actually have a goal of getting out of bed by 5:30am. What happens is my alarm goes off at 5:30, I turn it off, sleep, and end up getting out of bed at 6:15-6:30am. How do you do it? How did you get up all those times to kick me out of bed? Ha Ha! I am just hopeless!

So there is really only one highlight of my week...President Cook. Honestly, the week was not good. We worked hard, but everyone was not around. Even on Sunday, there were to be 3 confirmations and not one came. This week was jing...except for...PRESIDENT COOK! A lot of the missionaries were sad about President/Elder Dube leaving. I was completely okay with it. I thought it was funny that you were trying to comfort me. I wanted to tell you that you need to comfort the other missionaries, not me. Ha Ha! I understand how the Lord works so I was not having any problems with the change. After Saturday everything was confirmed for me. Elder Mninzi even told me that he wished he could just have President Cook as his mission president for all of mission and he was the one complaining the most about a new mission president. Ha Ha!

President Cook is so P O W E R F U L! He can really speak with the spirit for sure. A couple things I noticed about him is that he is old, but he seems so youthful. Another thing is that he and his wife have done their family history. He also has a great understanding and testimony of the Lord's work. Man! He says such inspired things it is amazing. I wish I would have brought the notes I wrote down from him. eish! He was talking all about how we make things to hard some times or we just feel like something cannot be done then he says in his super cool voice " Is anything to hard for the Lord?" YO! President Cook is so great! President and Sister Cook have a lot of love. I am excited to work with them. The mission is in good hands.

As for me...well...not much. Ha Ha! I am just doing what I can. I have literally felt His guidance this week. The choices are becoming easier to make. The prayers are coming more often and more meaning. After President Cook came I realized that...I am not doing enough. I can do more. I need to be exactly obedient. I need to do it right.

It sounds like your week was busy and full. Woah. I just love the summer time back home. How is the fire thing over there? Has it rained? If not our saints need to do better at listening to the prophets. I was praying for you over there this week.

Dear Jordan,
What? How was the new spiderman bro? I hope it was nice. Fetch, you did a lot this week. What was your favorite part? Are you still rocking at basketball? Ha Ha! I am excited when we can all do cool family stuff together. So what is your most favorite thing you have learned from Mosiah? So i kind of already told you guys about the week. Eish Jordan. I need to improve my missionary skills. Pray for miracles bro! I promise you that if you pray every morning and every night and if you thank your Father in Heaven in prayer after every game you play you will be the best player on the field/court. I do not know why I felt to promise you that, but you need to do it, okay? I love you my brudda!
Jake

Rachel!
I love you like nuts! Ha Ha! I can just picture you with that yoyo. You are always just moving moving moving! Take it easy Rachel! Ha Ha! Slow down and let the spirit work through you. You have an amazing spirit Rachel. Keep the Fire burning so you can go to your castle, okay? I will go with you. Love you like nuts my sista!
Jakey

Grandma and Grandpa,
I love you both so much! My letter to you should be coming soon so look out for it. I hope you are doing okay. Grandma, you really need to get up and move. You are a child of God not a couch potato! Ha Ha! Grandpa! You need to teach me how to do the whole garden thing when I am home. I want to grow my very own tomatoes and make chilli with them. The chilli I make here is better than Grandma's (don't tell her Ha Ha!) I love you both! READ YOUR SCRIPTURES! HA HA!
Jake

Oh yeah! I sent a package. I gave it to the APs when they came with President, so hopefully they send it once they got to Harare. I will try to remember to ask them about it. next week ask me if I remembered to follow-up with them.

Love you all my dear fans! like NUTS!

Keep the Faith

L O V E
Elder TOM