Kuli (Bemba for "dear") everyone,

I just barely was handed my first stack of real mail! I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but I am so excited to read the mail from all of you. Here in the Copperbelt, we get mail usually just once every 3-6 weeks! We have to wait until someone drives from Harare (Zim) to Lusaka (Zam) and then wait for someone to drive from Lusaka to the Copperbelt. Then we get the mail the following Monday or Tuesday. So it doesn't come too often, but it's nice because they are nice big stacks of letters when we do get them.

So this past week was our most successful yet! We taught a lot of really good lessons and helped a lot of people to come to church. Last monday we had a zone activity where we (8 elders) went to Ndola and had a braai (barbecue) and then played some games and some football (soccer). Actually, there were a lot of people already playing in the field we went to, so we just joined them. Of course all of us muzungus are really out of shape and we haven't been playing soccer in the streets since we could walk so we took a few of their best players on our team and played a really fun game. It had just rained the day before so there was mud everywhere and people were slipping and sliding like crazy, haha. The final score was muzungus: 2, Zambians: 2. Both of our goals were scored by our zambian teammates but I don't think us elders performed too terribly at all. The Lord blesses his servants!

The following day I went on exchanges with Elder Carruth in Luanshya, which just means he and I switched companions and areas for a day. It was good because he has been on mission for a while now and he had a lot of good insights on teaching and studying etc. Man, it's crazy because before I came on mission I thought I really knew a lot about the scriptures and how to study effectively, but over the past few weeks I've just started to realize how endless the treasures in the scriptures really are! Scriptures I've read so many times before will all the sudden change my perspective on something that I had never even thought about before. I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm really starting to grasp how to study them and use them. I guess that's just another blessing of being a full-time missionary. The more I learn, the more I learn how much more there is!

After exchanges ended, Elder Minch and I continued to visit and teach people. We are teaching two pastors right now. One of them is named Saxson and he is a Lord Bishop of some church (we really haven't talked much about it) and wow he is so cool! He has been dropped by previous missionaries twice because he hasn't come to church, but he really understands the gospel and loves reading the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. The last time we visited him we invited him to church again and he said "God willing," but we told him that of course God wants him to come and it's his responsibility to show up! So guess what? He came to church yesterday! He showed up a bit late but Elder Minch was so excited to see him because they have been trying to get him to come for months now. Altogether we had 9 investigators at church. The blue tent we have sacrament meeting under was packed with people. It really was great! Testimony meeting was really powerful as well. My favorite church meeting in Africa so far. This week we are already packed with lessons to teach to people. It's really a great feeling. We can only work hard and hope and pray it continues like this!

It's good because I think I am finally starting to get into the groove of missionary work and missionary life in general. I am comfortable with most of the lessons and material, but I'm still using Preach My Gospel to slowly improve my teaching skills and my knowledge of the scriptures, which I'll do throughout the rest of my mission as well.

So thanks for all the mail everyone! I love it here and I know this is the Lord's work that I am a part of. Keep me in your prayers!

Naleka,
Elder Mckay Joseph "Moreen" (Bemba people have trouble saying "l"s)