I love Africa!

It is great when I get letters! I get really defensive and don't let anyone else touch them :P So, to your question, what is the weirdest thing members do here.....I'm not sure anymore cause I'm used to it. There is a lot I’m sure. But American culture seems so weird and distant. I guess they....speak half Zulu half English? OH! When they ask you to do something they don't say...”can you do this?” They say “do this.” They don't know my culture so it's acceptable.

Sooooo this week we did a lot of service for people. The first thing was helping to move a mattress and a dresser and that turned into cleaning and exterminating and a lot of other stuff, haha. When we moved the dresser, a couple rats ran out and some baby rats were chillin there. I looked for something to squish them but my companion beat me to it by killing them with his foot, haha I love Africa. Rats are pretty common here in houses (especially in township). A sister showed me 100 rand that was chewed up by a rat. The money was under her mattress.....that's about 10 dollars American, but it’s a lot of money here.

Just looking at the houses here you would think that the people dress in rags, like I was saying above, they have rats that randomly run in their homes, and they hang their clothes on wires right outside the front door. The weird part is they dress like Americans, and live in shanties. They would rather spend their money on nice clothes than on their standard of living. So, we help them clean their homes and plant gardens and do as much for them as we can.

We have been teaching a lot of the less actives here but we have also been teaching a few investigators. We are teaching a Baba that has had a problem with the law of chastity because he has lived with a woman for 30 years has kids and grand kids with her, but isn't married because he never had enough money for the bride price. It is called Labola, and I hate it. He is trying to work something out with the family now. He is awesome. He can't walk well without assistance on his left side because of a stroke and he is blind. He is the only person so far I have seen actually change! Another boy is being baptized soon and he is flippin awesome! He didn't have to change too much because he was already a good kid. One of the hard things is the ward has been having some issues with some sisters. They like to gossip a bit here. It has hurt some people a lot. We go and visit them and help them come back to church. It's tough because some people are really hurt....what they forget is that we come to church for the Lord. I wish people could just not be so worldly/human sometimes and do the right thing and serve each other. We have been teaching many people to serve and love one another lately.....coincidence? NOPE!

We got to go to a soccer game! A member asked us to go and President said YES! So we went to a world cup qualifier game and saw South Africa beat Botswana 4-1 there is an umlungu on the team and every time he got the ball the crowd screams "Umlungu!" hahaha He also scored and some Zulus shook my hand and said thank you, haha. They are sooooo full of the Spirit. They are always pretty happy...(When they aren't drunk. haha) Well I love you all! Have a good week! I am out of time!

Ninemandla! (I looked this up and I think it has something to do with "strength," someday he will translate for us)!

Ngiya nithanda (I believe this says I love you all).

Elder Petrie