week 52: facing challenges

Alright to answer your questions first:
(Editor's note - In response to last week's letter, I emailed him the following:

I was relieved that you sounded a bit more cheerful last week than the week before, although sad to learn that your scriptures disappeared. Who steals someones scriptures?!? That is totally lame. Also glad that you have food again; do you eat like a crazy man the first three weeks of every month and burn through your allotment, or is it just really sparse? Is food really expensive in the stores? Do you ever get meals from the members? I hope this week was a good one again, and that your appointments all held. I have to admit to feeling a bit alarmed thinking of you going to a gun store down there... if people just run around in the streets with AK weapons, I can't imagine what they sell in the stores. Be safe!)

Well, we get roughly $110 bucks a month and everything here is the same price at home, if not more expensive. For example, I pay 3 US dollars for less that half a gallon of milk. So by the end of the month money is gone haha, and the last week is always a bit of a struggle. 

The members never feed us, at least not in this area. Absolutely terrible (I say that because of their lack of faith, not lack of giving us food.) There are 3 or 4 exceptions to that, but yeah.

Also, the thugs get their AK's from the police. Not from gun stores, so don't worry about it haha. Honestly, 99% of all gun stores here are owned by  Boers (white people) and they are incredibly racist, so it is probably the safest place I could ever be in South Africa, so yeah, don't worry about that. 

Oh awkward, you have such a good way of shambocking people haha. You're like Elder Holland, what you say you do in an incredibly loving manner, meanwhile you're preaching fire and brimstone. Powerful. Alright fine, I'll prepare a spiritual thought for next week haha. (This was in response to me saying that I missed hearing his testimony.)

What, there was a Christmas broadcast? We didn't even hear it. Oh well. We are usually pretty out of the loop compared to the rest of the world. All they seem to tell the members here is to quit selling their daughters and to quit buying wives. Labola. 

Let's see here, this week was amazing! We had interviews with President that were spectacular. The problem we are facing is two fold. Well, three fold. First, we have a 90 kilo commute to and from our area. Second, the church meets forever away from our area. Third, the people are too poor and/or not faithful enough to make the sacrifice to come to church.

Basically it just leaves us at a loss for what to do in our area. We are getting about 20 recent convert/ less active member lessons a week, but there is no progression really. The Gogos (grandmas) don't seem to care. They are comfortable with their current state. The young have no jobs so they cant afford to come. And the in between are non-existent.  President Dunn actually said that the Area Presidency is currently trying to figure out what to do with Hammanskraal. The end goal so to speak. This may seem weird, but you really have to understand Africans to understand the problem. It is difficult. Our investigators are too poor to be able to come . It is a tough nut to crack. Oh well, where there is a will and the Lord, there is a way! Hopefully we find that way soon haha. 

I'm pretty sure Margot is the cutest baby to have ever existed. Those pictures are pretty darn great! 

Also, I'm pretty sure South Africa is falling apart. There have been power outages every day for the past week. A few nights I've actually had to sleep under a wet towel because it has been so hot. The mosquitoes are killer, but luckily they don't carry malaria here.  

Sunsets are amazing here...

Any-who, I'm happy and the church is true.

Love ya all lots, 

Elder Kelly McClellan