Dear family and friends,
It's good to hear from everyone!
I've already been in Kitwe for almost 4 weeks now! This past week was quite good. Last Monday, Elder Minch and I went to the District President's house and gave them a family home evening lesson. That went really well and afterward, we ate nshima with beans and sausage with them. It was my first time to eat at a member's house so far, haha. Nshima is that thick cream of wheat stuff that really isn't that great, but it's cheap and I think sort of healthy. You should see them make it. They use a big wooden spoon and a big pot on the stove. I am going to try to have Wesley, the branch mission leader, show me how to do it so I can make it at our house sometimes. The rest of the week we taught some really good lessons. We started teaching a pentecostal pastor who opened our lesson with the loudest prayer I have heard in a while, haha. He is actually really cool. We have two people who we are planning to have baptized on Feb 18. Sister Kabonso we are hoping to have baptized by her husband who will receive the Aaronic priesthood next Sunday. And Isaac Mulinga (20 yrs old) who is the nephew of the Branch Pres. They are both going to be interviewed tomorrow and I think they are both really ready. On Thursday night, we were at an appointment with Bro Panda, a recent convert, when all the sudden it just started pouring down rain outside. His house has a metal roof so it was reeaaaally loud. We had to stop the lesson and just read our scriptures for about 15 minutes until it wasn't so loud! Then when we started talking again, the power went out so we couldn't see the scripture we were reading! Luckily, I had Mosiah 3:19 memorized so I could say it for him, haha. When we finished it was still raining really hard, and the whole walk home was through ankle deep mud puddles, so my leather shoes got wet inside and out, but after my whole body was soaked I really didn't care that much, haha. It might sound like it was miserable, but it was actually quite fun! When we got home the power was out, but it turned on within 10 minutes so we still had a hot dinner. I hear that the missionaries in most of Zimbabwe only have power 4 or 5 days a week so I guess I am quite lucky the power hadn't gone out on us so far. Friday, Elder Minch and I were planning on helping out a less active member move some bricks from his house or something, but he called the branch pres and told us he thinks we just are trying to make him come to church so he doesn't want our help! Oh well. So we decided to slash our backyard instead. No one has lawn mowers here so they just use a machete with the end bent up a little bit (called a "slasher") and you stand up and slash at the grass until you think it's short enough. Kind of primitive, but it works, right? It took us a good 2 1/2 hours and we only got through 2/3 of the grass (it was chest high). I even got a couple blisters on my hands. ouch! So today will be my first zone activity. We're actually in Ndola (about 45 min drive away) right now and right after this, our zone, 8 elders, is going to play football(soccer) and then have a braai (a barbecue, pronounced "bry"). It should be a lot of fun. Well, I think I need to go now. Time for football!

Thank you for your prayers and love!

Elder Moline

P.S. Congratulations on your new calling, mom! In answer to your question, no, there isn't anything I really need right now. Inspirational quotes or pictures would be nice to have so I can put them on my walls. Other than that, I can't think of anything. I'll let you know in the future though. And yes, Grandpa can just email me directly if he wants.

P.P.S. Grandpa, thanks for the email!It's good to hear from you. That headache prayer thing is quite a genius idea, haha. Sorry I don't have time to email you personally right now, but I will have more time later.

January 15, 2007

Dear family and friends!

Wow! What a great first week in the mission field. This past Friday was my first zone conference. And it was very different from what zone conferences usually are. We had a special visitor named Christoffel Golden Jr. who is the area president of the Africa Southeast Area (which by the way is the highest baptizing area in the world, I am told). So my first zone conf. I was able to hear from a general authority! He was so powerful. The ZC was in Lusaka, so E. Minch and I had to drive the 4 hours with the Copperbelt zone leaders, E. Carruth and E. Blanco. By the way, Mom, E Carruth’s dad works for Shell, and they have lived all over the world. He was born in Kingswood, TX (which I think is where one or more of his siblings now live.) and I think he spent most of high school in London, but since he’s been on mission his parents have moved to Tokyo. So that is where he is going home to later this year. Anyway, the Zone Conf was great. We heard from Pres and Sis Bester (who are awesome) and then from Sis Golden and finally Pres Golden. He spoke to us for a good 2 ½ hours and he talked about how to use our daily planners and how to teach with authority. At the end, he did a sort of Q&A and missionaries just asked questions about the scriptures and the gospel in general. He is a really powerful speaker and he knows his scriptures very very well. We drove back to Kitwe on Saturday afternoon and the ZLs interviewed our candidate for baptism, Brother Kabonso. Minch has been teaching he and his wife for a while, and Bro K is definitely ready and excited to be baptized. His wife had said she wasn’t ready yet, but on Sunday when we visited her, she said she would prepare to be baptized on Feb 18. So that’s good. Bro K will be baptized next Sunday by a recent convert by the name of John Phiri. The Phiri family (all 5 kids) were baptized just a couple of weeks before I arrived here and MAN, are they cool! They already have a picture of the temple up in their home and Sis Phiri already is 2nd counselor in the RS presidency and is working hard in that calling. Church yesterday was great. E Minch taught the gospel principles class for investigators and recent converts. I believe I will be teaching next week (woohoo!). In sacrament meeting, the Copperbelt district president spoke. He is so good! It’s really good \ to know that the gospel is so young here and yet there are quite a few strong members/families. The missionaries and the branch started here about 6 years ago, FYI. We are still building a foundation for the church to work off of. So virtually 90% of the members are converts of between 2 and 5 years in the church.
To answer some questions: My companion is Elder Minch and he is a very good trainer. He works hard and you can tell he is out here for the right reasons and he knows the gospel very well.

As far as the food goes, on p-days we come into town and buy our food from a store called Shoprite. Shoprite is actually based in South Africa and it’s really the closed thing to an Albertsons or Kroger in Zambia. It has Kraft and Frito-Lay products just to give you an idea of how much America stuff there is. So far, Minch and I haven’t been fed by any members or anything. I don’t think the members really know they can feed us. Oh well. BUT last night I did try my first Zambian “nshima.” Most Zambians eat it with every meal. It’s lots of cornmeal (they call it mealie-meal) boiled in a pot until it’s verrrrry thick. Then they cool it off a little bit and put it on a plate next to your food and you roll it into balls and eat ittogether with your food. It tastes like nothing. Actually it really reminds me of waaay thick cream-of-wheat. Our branch mission leader made it. His name is Wesley Nzima and he’s 21 years old. He is getting ready his mission papers. I think he usually will teach and visit with us one full day a week. Usually to visit single sisters who we aren’t allowed to visit alone. Wesley is really cool and he really understands the gospel. He loves the missionaries too. E Minch and I pay him to do our laundry for us on p-days, haha. We have to wash our own garments in the bath tub, but he does everything else. I don’t know I’ll be lucky enough to have someone do my laundry the rest of my mission though.
About my shoes. We are walking on dirt roads, gravel roads, 45 yr old unmaintained asphault roads, and winding paths. Hardly any paved roads. So it’s really rough on the shoes. Both pairs have held up fine so far, but it’s only been a week. I’ll keep you updated, mom.
As far as mail, I’ve received one thing from my family at home. At the zone conf last week, I got your Christmas card, which was nice. Since we use the pouch, sometimes we only get mail once every 6 weeks! At ZC, missionaries were getting big stacks of mail and Christmas packages. Especially up here in Zambia we don’t get mail too often, but if anyone wants to write me, please do so! It’s always nice to receive real mail in addition to email. Also, if you feel so inclined to send a package, don’t send them to the Harare mission office address while I’m here in Zambia. Send them to :
Elder Mckay Joseph Moline
Zimbabwe Harare Mission
P/Bag 325x
Ridgeway, Lusaka
ZAMBIA

The weather here is just beautiful this time of year. Right now it’s the middle of summer, but it’s usually nice and cool. We always have the windows open at the house.It does rain a lot though. Rainy season will last until end of February I hear, so I always carry around my rain jacket thing with me, and it’s saved me a few times. I haven’t used those shoe covers yet. The elder who I replaced here was caught in the rain without a jacket and his scriptures got drenched and ruined, and I don’t want that happening to me. By the way, my shoulder scripture bag has worked very nicely so far, mom.

Well, I have to go now! Time to go shopping.
Thank you so much for the emails, prayers and everything! I love you all very much! The church is true!
Elder Moline

P.S. Dad, sending the cards back and forth is way too risky. E Minch did that once and when it arrived at home, the card was corrupted and he lost all of the pictures. Today I will try to put some pictures on Photobucket for you, alright? I think I will still make and send a CD home, because I really have a lot of pictures.

P.P.S. Congratulations on the jobs, Tanner! Baskin Robbins is cool. E-mail me and let me know what it’s like there and at Kroger if you decide to stay. Also, GET YOUR EAGLE, MAN. Have fun playing racquetball! I miss it already.

P.P.P.S. Thanks for the Richmond’s addresses. I will get them to Sis Naisbitt as soon as possible!

P.P.P.P.S. Mom, I sent the Hills a thank you note. I thought you might like to know.

January 8, 2007

HELLO HELLO HELLO!

I am finally here in the real mission field! I will start from the day I left the MTC and then I'll answer questions and things at the end, ok? I think this will be a long email. I've never been so excited to send an email than I am right now.

The MTC experience was great! All 3 weeks were just packed with learning and fun and getting to know the other missionaries. All the teachers I had were good and Pres and Sis Hill especially made it great. I am really really going to miss having the bathrooms cleaned for us and the food made ready at every meal, but I'll be ok. I'll also miss having pres and sis hill right around the corner to answer questions and help out with problems. I really learned a ton at the MTC and I am so grateful for the time I had there to learn about missionary work.

Alright, so at 6am on Wednesday Jan 3, all the out-of-Jo'burg missionaries drove to the airport. There were 8 of us going to the ZHM, but our flight didn't leave until 12:30pm so we had to wait around FOREVER. E Vilakazi's family and E Keyes' family came to the airport to say goodbye since both of the families live nearby. The flight was only 1 hr and a half. No problems. We arrived in the Harare airport which is teeny tiny compared to Jo'burg's. This was the part where all of us had to take off our nametags. The guy at the immigration counter was grouchy and mean, but he finally let us through with 30-day visas or something. Then we met the APs and Pres and Sis Bester! They were great. We all drove to the mission office together and we all had our first interviews with Pres Bester. He really is cool. In the office I met Elder and Sis Naisbitt as well. If you remember, the last Saturday I was home, we went to the temple and Pres Richmond told me to look for them there. Sis Naisbitt and I had a really nice conversation and she told me to ask you for Pres Richmond's email or real address. I guess they think they don't have the correct one or something. No rush, because I won't see the Naisbitts for a while, but if you remember, that would be great.

Then we all went to the mission home where the Besters live and we met up with two other elders who had arrived earlier than us from the Provo MTC, E Musgrave and E Sisneros. We had a sort of orientation meeting about the mission in general followed by a short testimony meeting where we all bore our testimonies. We also each took pictures with pres and sis bester. Then the APs told us where our first areas would be (in mission lingo, our birthplaces). My comps, E Bitter and Vilakazi were going to Gweru (Zim) and Blantyre (Malawi), respectively. And guess where I am?! KITWE, ZAMBIA (pronounced keet-way). Kitwe is part of the Copperbelt zone. The copperbelt has 8 missionaries in it in 3 different cities (Kitwe, Ndola, and Luanshya). WOW. How cool! Anyway, after that, we ate an amazing dinner compliments of Sis Bester. We all spent the night in the "transfer house" which is where all missionaries being transferred stay for one night. It's quite a trashy place. We had the 10 greenies and probably 6 or 8 non-greenies there. We slept all over the place (but the new guys got beds, haha).

The next morning all the Zim missionaries left for the bus station and all the Zam or Malawi missionaries drove to the airport. We flew about 55min to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. I believe the missionaries normally drive but the van is broken or something. The plane was waaay small. Only 16 people I think. The ZL's picked us up and we went over to visit the couple missionaries in Lusaka, the Kimballs! We had a great meal there. Then the two Copperbelt missionaries including myself went tracting with the ZL's somewhere in Lusaka, which is where I taught my first lesson to the Zimba family! I spent the night at the ZL's flat and the next morning they drove E Zimmerman (who will be serving in Ndola) and I to the bus station to go to Ndola which is in the Copperbelt. The bus ride was 3 1/2 hrs long. I mostly slept, but they showed some corny Nigerian move for some of the time. When we arrived in Ndola, he ZL's weren't there to pick us up so we used someone's phone to call them. Apparently the bus normally goes to a different station so they were at the wrong place. Oh by the way, mom, one of the zone leaders is Elder Carruth as in eldercarruth.com! He is really cool. They found us and we dropped off E Zimmerman at his new flat. Then they drove me the 45 min to Kitwe where I met my new trainer, Elder Minch. He is from Tucson, AZ and is half Mexican. He has been out since last February and seems really cool so far. The area in Kitwe where we live is called Riverside and it is probably the nicest part of the whole city. We have a full house to ourselves and I was told it is one of the nicest flats in the mission. There are 3 empty bedrooms! We each get our own bathroom as well. We are the only missionaries in Kitwe, so the closest missionaries are in Ndola, 45min away. The area we cover is a 30-40min walking radius from the church, which is actually just a house the church bought that is about 20min walking distance from our house. I got to meet the branch for the first time yesterday and there were 50-60 people there. There isn't one room in the house big enough for sac mtg, so there is a big tarp/tent set up outside for that, but primary and sunday school are actually inside the house. The district president is in our branch and he bore his testimony in sac mtg yesterday. He was so powerful! It seems like the leadership is doing pretty well, but activity here in Kitwe is not so great. Elder Minch and I will have to visit a lot of less actives.

For the past few days we have done a loooooot of walking. Sometimes appointments are as much as an hour apart. Some areas are nice like ours, but there are a lot of areas called compounds where people live in teeny one or two room mudbrick houses. When we walk through those, little kids always are running around playing and a lot of the time they want to practice their english so they say, "HOWARYOOOO, MUZUNGU?" Oh yeah the language they speak here is called Bemba, and it is quite different from Shona, I hear. Muzungu is white man.

So in general everyone is very very poor, and most people live in the compounds. Everyone is nice though. A lot of people will just stop to talk and ask who we are. Many times, people don't speak english though. That's one thing that's hard about families. The father will speak english, but the mom and kids won't.

Let's see, OH! This week we have a combined zone conference with the Lusaka zone. The area authority, Elder Christoffel Golden is going to be in Lusaka to speak to us. So on Thursday, Elder Minch and I will take a bus to Luanshya where the ZL's live and they will drive us the 3 1/2 hrs to Lusaka. I believe we will be in Lusaka until saturday afternoon. I am excited!

So basically that is what has happened in the past 5 days or so. I probably missed a lot or confused you, so let me know if I'm not making sense.


Thank you so much for your emails and everything! It's good to hear that Tanner has a job now and I hope they don't try to make him work on Sundays. And trust me, it does get better after the first few weeks. It's always awkward being the new guy.

I am absolutely flattered by the fact that Tanner made a cardboard cutout of me for Christmas! And I am especially excited that I beat you all in Apples to Apples, haha. I wonder how long my cardboard self will last at home. Where is it now?

As far as Saryn and the violin, I really don't know what to say! Most of the time I enjoyed playing violin, but I think I might have been better off focusing mostly on the piano. A lot of time, playing both instruments was a bit much. That's really all I can tell you.

Maurie, thanks for the email! I hope you also had a great Christmas and New Year! Good luck with school and everything! Are you still rooming with Rachel Peterson and the same other roomies in Singletree?

And wow, what an ornament! It looks a bit big for a Christmas tree, but maybe that's just angle I see it at.

Well we have to go. Today will be my first time doing laundry by hand and boy am I excited! I love you all so so so much and thank you for your prayers. I am still praying about dad's job and situation. I hope all is going well with sunburst etc.

I know that this is the only true gospel and that Jesus Christ involved in the missionary work here even more than I ever will be. Again I love you and keep me in your prayers!

Sure love ya!
Elder Moline

P.S. I'm sorry this is so long. It probably won't be this long again...