"Mom, the Indians are here"

Monday: Pday included the following:

  • Driving
  • Sunrise!
  • Driving 
  • Homeless guy says he will wash our car with his mind powers.
  • Oh, more driving 
  • Google maps lying to us
  • Watched "the best 2 years" movie, never saw it before today and yoh it was nice to watch a dang movie again, took me back to my days at home ykyk.

Tuesday: Zone conference!
  • The conference itself was great, lots of promptings coming to me and gave me some time to do a self-evaluation and see what I need to refocus on.
  • Met literally the coolest family ever, they came to church last week and said it's bc their friends in Zimbabwe referred them...members are the best missionaries.
  • As we taught them about the Restoration, the mom just stopped us and said she knows it true because of the spirit she felt at church.
  • I felt this was God giving me someone to replace our dear friend Lohinzo. They are so cool!
  • Elder Sana mixed up the world restore and remove...
  • According to him, "God removed the church to the earth, and Joseph Smith removed the priesthood"

Wednesday: interviews with Prez
  • Well, I've been here in Berea for a MINUTE, so this upcoming transfer I will be moving on out, and I will be training... again! 
  • 3rd times the charm I guess ?
  • Then when Elder Raherinandrasana got interviewed president asked for us to come sit in on it because he couldn't understand what he was saying😭, It's fr like when a mom knows what their little toddler is saying.
  • On the way home from the church we were at a stop light and then suddenly people just start running! Now you know if South Africans are running then something serious is going down and sure enough, I take a little peek over to my right and what do I behold? KNIFE FIGHT! 
  • Yeah, I didn't stick around to see who ended that one😬

Thursday: yup it's official, I am now licensed 🧍‍♂️
  • Big ten months today, how am I double digits now? Before you know it imma be right back to LV, it's going by too quick!
  • Not too much went down today, had a few lessons, put Andiswa on date for June 15th! So excited for him, he's been being taught since way back in November... idk how he never got dropped lol.
  • I helped Sister Nelly come up with ideas for her talk in stake conference!
  • Met a really rude Gogo (grandma) at the mall. I was just sitting down on a bench trying to enjoy my lunch, when she comes up to me, out of all 6 of the other elders with me, and says, 
  • "I want to sit down, move" 
  • So, me being the gentleman I am, I said no problemo and stood up and tried to eat my food while holding all of it at the same time. Fun stuff.
  • Then my comp tries to just say hello to her and she flips out on him saying "where are his manners at", tbh I was so confused what the heck was happening.
  • We hit up Starbucks
  • Alleman tipped the barista 10 rands to get an appointment with her... 🧍‍♂️🗣🚨
  • Chat is this a new strategy? 🙏🏼😭.
  • One of our members asked my poor greenie if he was a Virgin... yall idk what's going on in this place.
  • But my comp Raherinandrasana, knows very little English and I'm hoping it went over his head what this ADULT LADY was asking him. Smh.
Friday:
  • Had to teach Alleman that cars are driven by drive shafts and not chains like a pedal bike...
  • Then had to try and train my greenie. Yall idk about this whole training thing, I think the one I got sent is broken.. nah just kidding he's dope, just sometimes difficult as crap to deal with 😀.
  • Elder Alder and Olenslager surprised us at the chapel and we hit up some lunch at McDonalds. I'm getting such unhealthy food, it's bad mom.
  • Had an appointment at the temple, so that was so dope... if it ended up happening. They canceled on us last minute after we sat in traffic for 45 minutes... but at least I got to just be on the grounds again, such a peaceful place to be. I love this area.

Saturday: 
  • Exchange with Fergs day!! 🔥 
  • Basically we did a bunch of zone leader stuff today and went out to this one area where white people DO NOT GO.
  • In case you're new here, I'm as white as they come, and we visited this family to do a baptismal interview with them and the daughter got scared when I walked in and called me an Indian... her mom then told me that I was the first white person she has ever seen.
  • Girl was probably like "oh my goodness they come in different colors ?!?"
  • Anyway I thought that was pretty funny and just crazy that she hasn't seen mlungus before haha.
  • In the city there was a big soccer game going on between the Orlando Pirates and the Kaaizer Chiefs... when I say the whole city was watching the game, I mean every single room had people in it and cheering for their team.
  • The Chiefs scored in the 85th minute or something like that and the whole city just boomed, it was the oddest experience ever, felt like being in a stadium... minus the being in a stadium.
  • One of our friends had a dream about us coming to her and telling her about the church, and now she's convinced it's true, that's dope I guess 🤷‍♂️

Sunday:  Stake Conference
  • The venue we rented out was packed full of 10 wards... there were no chairs left for the elders to sit so we got to all stand in the back for 2.5 hours, that was fun.
  • Saw some members from past areas which was so cool, they all asked me how long I have left as if I wasn't there 9 months ago lol.
  • 🚨miracle🚨
  • Jabu came to church! 
  • He's been off the radar for the longest time, and I thought we lost him.
  • But he came up to me after church and pulled me aside and said,
  • "Elder Cottrell, I am ready to be baptized now" 
  • Yall my heart was so full I gave him a bear hug and was like yeah we will get you in the water THIS SUNDAY! 
  • Potentially my last Sunday in Berea and I'll get my guy that I found taught and baptized. God is so good. ❤️ 
  • My comp felt sick for the rest of the day so we couldn't go out 😔
  • But Elder Child's, Ferguson and I are getting pretty good at guitar! (We suck)
Sorry this email came out so late, I fully intended it to be on time lol.