Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!

Howdy ya'll!

This email will most likely be super, super repetitive. It was a lot of the same this week. Enjoy!

Monday (last): Pretty produtive, we were able to plan out a very good week, even though there was tons of floods. We didn't go to the area but we were able to get a lot of stuff done. I also played 4 hours of basketball in the pouring rain.

Tuesday: Tuesday was very fun! We opened the day with a nice lesson with some of our recent converts, and almost got stuck in the mud. Then we went and hungout with a member family who did not come to church becuase of the rain, even though we baptized two people. After that we had some nice lunch, and accidentally both slept for wayyy too long afterwards. After that we tried to call one of our friends, but they would not pickup. We decided to go see our Elder's Quorum President, and got stuck in the mud on the way there. Elder Muller jumped on the tow hitch to give us traction and we were free! on the way back, we slid right into the same hole, and Elder Muller had to do the same thig, only this time he fell right into the mud and sat down in it. Needless to say, our day ended early so we could go clean him up. Fun times!

Wednesday: Wednesday, the rain still had not stopped. It had now been pouring rain for a week straight without stop. Nevertheless, we braved the area and pushed on. Today was mostly a contact day. We made sure that we saw everyone that we needed to, but we got stuck again. This time was far worse. Bouncing on the tow hitch was fruitless this time around. Rocking the bakkie back and forth gained some momentum, but not nearly enough to get out. The tires spun so fast and got so hot that the water on the rubber began to boil immediately and there was a pillar of steam on our back wheels. Eventually many people from the surrounding homes came and helped, so we did get free. Another eventful day.

Thursday: Thursday started off slow with a very late DCM. After that, we ate lunch and tried to call the same friend from Tuesday again, but alas, he failed to respond once again. After that we drove for half an hour to get to our next lesson. We had to leave these ones behind because they now lived too far away from church for them to come anymore. Very sad. After that we got some ice cream and then answered some very nice questions from a recent convert. A pretty decent day!

Friday: Zone Conference! All of the trainings were amazing, and I loved learning so many things about our mission and our work! President Holmes gave an amazing training and the Spirit was so strong! At the end, my very own companion, Elder Muller, gave his departing testimony. This was his last Zone conference ever! I was so sad to listen to it, ad I'm gonna miss this brother that I've found on mission. What a great guy! After Zone Conference we left to take a nap and then we went and taught a nice lesson to those two who we had recently baptized! It was a great day!

Saturday: We began this day by trying to go see Elder's Quorum Pres again but we almost got stuck for the third time in the week! The mud was so bad all week and it wasn't any better towards the end of it. Unfortunately, he was not home so we decided to go and get a full gas tank instead. After that we drove back to town and had our once a transfer interviews with Pres Holmes! He and I had a wonderful conversation and got to know each other a little bit more. He advised me to keep a better journal as he regrets not doing so in his past. Great advice! After that we tried to meet that one friend from earlier in the week but he flaked us once more, and we gave up on him. After that we went to the Relief Society President's home and had a little coordination meeitng with her. Good day.

Sunday: IT FINALLY STOPPED RAINING!!!! Kind of. It was raining in a small enough amount that we had a pretty good attendance at church! For the first time in 7 weeks, the ria didn't inhibit a large portion of our congregation. It was a good thing, too, because it was Branch Conference so Pres Holmes attended our meeting and gave a wonderful talk. For second hour, he explained to all the adult members who attended the entirety of the Plan of Salvation. It was very enlightening. After that we just contacted those who were unable to make it to church and ate a nice lunch before going home and turning in for the night. A great end to the week!

Spiritual Thought: This week very, very hard. The mud was such a hinderance to our work and it disencourages all those affected by it to do nothing but stay at home. Most people won't even open their doors to us. But even through all the hard times, we were still able to keep good moods and find the best in every situation. We kept on smiling and putting forth effort. The Lord blesses those who continue and endure on through their hardships as long as they turn their gratitude and attitude towards Him. He loves each and every one of us and loves even more to shower us with the blessings we work so hard to get.

Thanks for reading my email! I love receiving emails back from any of you who want to let me know about your lives!

Much love,

Elder King