Christmas Time in the Field...

Hello Family!!

The week has been good and has gone well!!  Christmas has been really fun and it was just a little different than usual!!  Me and the companions have done a lot of things and have been teaching some different people!!  The Christmas party for the mission was really fun and we had a great time!!  We got to eat a lot of food and had some good times with our other friends in the mission!!  We ate pizza and chicken as the main course but there were lots of other good food there!!  The Mission President let us all watch the Christmas carol which was way awesome I enjoy that movie a lot!!  I enjoyed it even more when he stood up after the movie and helped apply the moral of the story to the repentance process and the sacrament which was awesome!! He also had us read a couple of talks from general conference on the sacrament which were really good to read them again!!  Other than that the gifts that I got from you guys were awesome and I loved them all!!  I love the tie and the coin!!!  I also really enjoyed the head light because my comps go to bed early sometimes and it provides easy access for me to study some more!!  I took some good photos during the holiday but I made a mistake and didn’t take the camera to the Christmas party for the mission so I know that the Skidmores and the senior couples took a lot if you could get some from them it would be good!!  

Yes my voice is different and it is kind of cool that it has changed in that short of a time!!  I also got reaffirmed when the mission president wife called me this morning and asked who she was speaking to and I said it is Elder Welling and she laughed and said Elder Welling you sound like you are an African!!  When I heard that from her I knew that the accent had changed a lot!!  It was pretty funny!!  It was very nice to be able to talk to all of you this Christmas and it was nice to be able to hear everybody’s voice!!  Skyping was there and it has always been here I just found it quicker and easier to call but if you would like to skype I can get that set up for Mother’s day it won’t be a problem!! I just figured you didn’t care but I will make sure skyping will be what I use next time I get to call!!  It was nice to talk to the grandparents though and I am glad that they enjoyed it as well it has been a while since I have heard their voices!!  Yes great grandma Hatch was able to understand me I tried to make every word understandable to her but the call only lasted about 2 min so it was a little different!!  She knew who it was though after I had called her!!  

So I wrote the questions down this time so I can answer all of them!!  My companions didn’t get anything for Christmas besides what I gave them and helped them with their families don’t have the money to send internationally the packages so they pretty much depend on themselves!!  Presidents wife is awesome I love both her and president and believe it or not president is almost exactly like Dad haha so it is pretty awesome!!  Yes they live in the mission home the mission home and the mission office are the same building!!  So if we go there we are not only in their home but also the mission provided office!!  For the retainers I have both a top and a bottom that I need if you get new ones!!  I don’t know but I am scared they are getting bent because of how much I grind my teeth at night!!  I am thinking that if I can get another pair then I can alternate them and make the wear and tear less!!!  The ankle tape is good and I have plenty I am only using it when my ankle get hit or role it other than that everything is going good!!  

Anyway it sounds like everything is going well that side with all the fun activities and holiday things going!!  I heard that there are games going on this coming week which is good I hope everybody enjoys that!!!  Wish I could be there for all the parties and things though!!  Anyway have a great week to all of you and a happy new year!!  I’ll talk to everybody next week!!  Love you all!!  

Elder Welling

Rain and a New Snack....

Hello Family,

So this week has been really crazy and up and down!!  So there was not much work done this week due to meetings and parties and a lot of things that are going around!!  So this week we went to a brai with the elders quorum where we ate steak and sausage it was really good and us missionaries were the cooks!!  It was pretty fun and at the same time we were able to finally watch the priesthood session of conference!!  It was also really good!!  Then after that we got hammered with rain and I mean it felt like we were in a hurricane!!  It lasted about an hour and a half with the fierce winds and rains and then turned to normal rain for the rest of the day!!  I need a canoe to get out of my flat!!  After that the next crazy story of the week that some of you may find gross is this:  I woke up one of the mornings to go and do the morning routines!!  Well I walked out of my room and found these little things flying all over the bathroom and in the water and in all places!!  Well I wondered what was going on so I looked out the window where the source was and i could not even see the ground there was so many bugs!!  Well I thought it was gross now I stay with three Ugandans so I go and wake them up and told them to come and look!!  Well when they get out to where I had said, I expected them to do something different than they did!!  Well they walked out and started to gather them like they were gold and to my surprise I was a little freaked out thinking these guys are drunk or something!!  Well one goes in and grabs a pot and fills it with water after they start to throw these stupid things in and soak them after gathering them all and picking the pan up they walked past me into the kitchen and I looked at them and said " You have got to be kidding me "  Well they started to cook them and it was pretty disgusting but they were doing it with the biggest smiles I have seen in a while!!  Well they finished them and I actually ate them they are actually quite good with salt!!  haha it was a pretty interesting morning!!  They are called white ants they come from termites!!  hahaha  Anyway those are the crazy stories here!!

There was a transfer but I did not move neither did my companion they just gave me one on top of the one that I already have!!  His name is Elder Ouma he was the companion to the one that left today!!  Christmas is pretty different here though there are no lights all over the place and there is no tree anywhere!!  It looks like a normal month here in Lusaka!  The companions are still really cool and we are enjoying the work!!  Baptisms will hopefully be coming up in the next couple of weeks so we shall see where it goes!!  Oh and I tried the chili recipe that you sent me and it was really good we even fed the Zone leaders too!!  It went like crazy the pot was finished in 45 min and everyone had two or three bowls of it!!  I thought it went well!!  The smoked turkey breast sounds awesome it is too bad that I was not able to be there to have some I enjoy that stuff!!  Our branch Christmas party will be on the 20th so we will see how it will go when that gets here this week!!!  

When I was in the car earlier today with the Mission President he said that I wouldn’t be in the area much longer so I was not sure what he meant or how much time I actually have but we will see what happens with transfers!!  Also I uploaded some pics onto drop box this week I think you might find them a little weird but fun at the same time!!  They also include the tasty snack that I have told you about!!  Other than all this things are going well and it is nice to hear from you all!!  Have a great week and enjoy all the sports!!  Love you all!!

Elder Welling

All Is Well....

Hello Family,

Well the week here has been pretty good and it went really well!!  We have been doing a lot this week and it has gone by pretty fast!!  I have been with the new comp for a bit now and he is pretty cool!!  He is a lot like Mwambu and is really smart in pertaining to the things of the gospel so he is really fun to teach with!!  We have taught a lot of people this week so it has been fun!!  Transfers are coming up and I think that possibly I might be transferred but I will see when it comes!!  We confirmed the two people we baptized yesterday and it was awesome!!  We might even be getting a couple more to baptism in the next couple of weeks and it will be awesome!!  The house that i am in is pretty crazy for all the Ugandans that are there!!  With Elder Ford he just was transferred to a different area and is doing well I still get to see him every Monday!!  He is also with a Ugandan i think so it is pretty funny!!  Other than this the new companion is pretty good and I am enjoying being with him!!

The Christmas package I have figured out and I am waiting for the other one to come in!  The weather here is still pretty hot and it has not rained here at all even though people keep telling me it is supposed to rain!!  The weather is killing all of us who usually like cold weather but we are getting used to it!!  Soccer here is still really fun and we are all enjoying on Mondays when we get to play!!  I am hoping this Monday will be like the last one I was able to score nine goals last time and it was fun.  I am hoping today will be the same!! There is not a lot going on that there is to talk about!!  Time is flying and it is weird to think that just a little over 2 months and I will be a year over with!!  It is definitely weird to think about!!  I didn’t take a lot of pics last week but i will be taking a few with people this week because i feel like i might be transferred so next week I’ll have some more pics!!  

Christmas there sound like it will be going ok other than the scarcity of snow!!  The new tree that was mentioned is weird because the other one we had is the one we have had ever since I can remember!!  So it is different to think of one that is only white lighted!!  That is also cool that bball was finally able to start and get going for all of them i am sure they will be enjoying as time goes on!!  I also heard that you were able to go down and see the light at temple square I am sure that was really fun and exciting!!  I miss being able to do that and eating at upchuck hahaha still a great restaurant!!  I think I will be calling sometime around 3 or 4 which is about 7-8 your time i think!!  I am not quite sure but i can say it will be morning there when I call so we shall see!!  

So funny story before I get off my former companion just informed me that he about died in the other area which is kind of funny!!  They were in a combie or one of those crazy mini buses and apparently a drunk driver in a bigger truck about t-boned them haha well I find it funny because the mini bus drivers here are always drunk and always doing something crazy in their driving!!  So yeah Anyway everyone have a great week there enjoy all the sports and the games and the week and I love you all have a great Monday!!

Elder Welling

Great Week and More Baptisms...

Hello Family,

I am doing well and things are going really well here in the African continent!!  The past week has been really fun and exciting and the birthday was fun i did a lot of things and had a really fun time!!  We first got to email everyone and then we went to lunch at this nice American restaurant which was awesome! After that we went and played soccer and had a lot of fun with that i scored 4 times so it was pretty cool!!  After that we went to a nice restaurant called Nandos which was way fun!!  That was at least pretty fun and my comp had a lot of fun too!!  Thanksgiving was pretty cool and we had a lot of food thanks to the mission!!  It was really nice if my drop box will load everything before I get off the pics will be there!!  There were a lot of missionaries there and it turned out really well but it wasn’t like home at all!!  The new comp is pretty good he is from Uganda his name is Elder Mukisa he is older than me on mission so it is quite interesting!!  We also had two baptisms this week which were good and went really well!!  The taller one is named Selina Moomba and the younger one is named Ruth Lisita they are both really good investigators and they progressed really well!!  

Yes I am still writing in the journals and doing all that fun stuff!!  Being District Leader is going and is pretty good we will see how it goes as time goes on!!  Well the good thing is they do celebrate Christmas this side and it is pretty nice to see some what of Christmas decorations in town!!  The only thing missing is the snow that is supposed to be all over the ground!!  I wish there was a lot more than I can see haha!!  There are not many trees that are up but I am hoping that at least the mission will have something for us when the time comes!!  It is pretty weird living with three black people in the house I am the only white one there!!  They are all from the same country too so it is really weird but I am getting used to it!!  It is starting to cool off here which is really nice and it feels a lot nicer to be out in the area now!!  The clothes are doing well and are still going strong!!

For Christmas the mission gives us a free hour of time to call so I can definitely call both sets of grandparents and great grandma I just need the number for great grandma!!  I will just have to buy a little extra time meaning I might only get about 15 min with each set and then also 15 with great grandma!!  So that will be how that will have to go!!  Other than that I am excited for Christmas here!!  The packages are here and I have them it didn’t look like they were opened deliberately but there were some openings!!  I don’t think that there was anything missing though!!  Thank you for the baptismal clothes and all the other things that were in there!!  I didn’t open any of the wrapped things, but the stockings are awesome thank you!!  Also for the food it was awesome to see all the nice food and it is good!!  Anyway thank you again and have a great week to everyone the pics will be in the drop box hopefully!!  Love you all and have a great week!!!!  I’ll talk to you all next week!!

Elder Welling