Week 4: Downpour in Chi-Town

Family and Friends!

Another great week in Chitungwiza! Also known as Chi-Town. I wish I could say I made that up, but I didn't.

This week was hot, cold, full of miracles, and the spirit! One day you wake up and it's 98 degrees, the next day is pouring rain and 40. Sometimes I wonder if I'm still living in Utah because the weather is so bipolar. 

First off, we got to watch conference this week! Wow, it was so incredible. I came away feel inspired, comforted, and empowered. The feelings that were felt in that meeting testify that there is a God. Those words could not have come from men. How blessed we are to live in such a time where God reveals His word to us through His servants! It was verrryyy cold in our chapel (tent), so we seriously packed on the layers. It really makes no sense, because here I am with a sunburn on my face, yet I'm wearing two sweaters, a scarf, and a coat. Thank you, Africa.

We have a new investigator named Brother Lovemore. Oh my. This guy is something else. He could just talk and talk and talk and talk. It took us two and a half hours to get through the restoration alone. He has so many questions, so it's been a great learning experience for me! As we taught him the Plan of Salvation, he had a question he thought could ever be answered in this lifetime. The spirit spoke to me to open a scripture from the book of Alma, and I handed him my scriptures and asked him to read it. After he read it, there was a moment of silence. He looked up from the book and into my eyes and said, 'the scripture says it all'. The Book of Mormon truly says it all.

Here is my latest dilemma. I have such a hard time understanding people on the phone. They speak so fast and their accents are so thick, so usually Sister Jili just talks. Well one day I see that the AP is calling, and so I answer and we talk for a minute or so and I'm understanding him so well and I'm just like YES I'm getting better at this. Well then he says, "sister richards I have a favor to ask. Will you make invitations for zone conference next tuesday?" and in my mind I'm thinking "uhh why do we need invitations for zone conference I'm pretty sure everyone already knows about it". Well obviously I'm new here so I wasn't going to question him, so I said that I would. Then he proceeds to talk more and I can't understand anything so I hand the phone to Sister Jili and give her a heads up about having to make invitations.Turns out, the AP was asking me to give the INVOCATION at the Zone conference, not make invitations.We laughed and laughed and kept on laughing. Safe to say I won't be having any important phone calls in the next little while.

Well, this week I can tell you all that I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real, and it is for all of us. Jesus Christ will be there for us through it all, and will not provide us only comfort, but strength. "What matter is that you are His. Because He loves you, He will find you and put you upon His shoulders and rejoice."

Far and wide we'll tell the Father's story. Far and wide His love proclaim!

xoxo Sister Richards