Week 6 - Papa Lynn

Dear Family and Friends

This has been a really good week. Mom and I are learning how to do different things and we feel we are progressing nicely. That isn’t saying that if we get a curve ball thrown at us that we won’t strike out after three pitches but we are still learning a lot of things. Friday was a very unusual day as we were to buy six picnic tables and deliver them to two different branches, three at Mochudi and three to Kanye. These six tables were ordered just after we arrived here in Gaborone and were told we would pick them up at 10:00 AM and we would have a trailer to haul them. Sunday the week before the man named Richard called and asked if we could pick up the tables the next day. Elder Olson told him that we didn’t have a trailer yet and we couldn’t until Friday as we originally agreed. Elder and Sister Olson talked again to him on Thursday the day before and he said the next morning would be just fine. On the way there Sister Olson said she would bet anything that none of the tables would be ready. When we got to the place where we order them from there wasn’t anyone there and the sign had been removed. We were on time and no one there. We asked the guy that had a driving school right close to where they had been and he gave us directions to where there business was located.

It was just around the block so to speak and when we pulled up we asked for Richard. He wasn’t there so we called him on his cell phone and he said he would be there in about an hour. We told him that wasn’t an option we needed him now because there was only three tables and they were stacked under many other things. In about ten minutes Richard showed up and as I said only three tables were ready. After talking sternly with him and telling him he hadn’t lived up to his part of the bargain. He finally said for us to take the first three and pay for them and he would have the next three by the time we got back from Mochudi. We told them the stain would be so wet it would be hard to get them loaded and dried enough for us to use on Sunday. He assured us that they would be ready and he would rub them dry enough to travel and be ready for Sunday.

To make a long story shorter everything finally worked out fine and we got all of them delivered to where they were suppose to go. When we got back Elder and Sister Reid called from one of the ward buildings as they were looking for the Olsons as they were staying the night with them. After picking up the Reids they followed us back to the Olson’s flat and because we had traded their car for the Pickup called the (baki) that morning they didn’t have keys for their flat. We called them and found them across town teaching discussion. They asked us to come and trade vehicles back.

I had a very unusual thing happen while Elder Olson was getting the trade on the vehicle. I saw several 8 and 9 year boys on the street kicking a soccer ball and I kind of gave a couple of them a candy and they all flocked around me. I took the opportunity to tell them that at 8 years old I was baptized and asked them if they had been baptized. I asked one of the boys if he went to church and he said yes. I asked him where his church was and he pointed in the direction toward our Broadhurst Ward Chapel. I asked him the name of his church and my hearing isn’t the best but Mom heard him say The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come to find out his sister has been a mini missionary for the past six weeks and they lived just down the street from where we were parked. It was a unique experience to talk to these boys that we didn’t know from Adam and find that he goes to our church every week.

Today is Sunday and we had a wonderful day. Mom and I drove out to Kanye which is about 90 kilometers out or about an hour and a quarter driving time. We were asked to speak a week before that and had prepared and we ended up speaking in both of the sacrament meetings. The just opened the branch on New Year’s Day of this year and they are getting so many out to church that they are having to split the meeting. The building only holds about 80 to 90 people but two sets of elders are getting about a hundred people each Sunday. What a wonderful thing. It was such a neat thing to speak at each meeting and see how it worked. There was a baptism between the two sacrament meetings also.

Today is Monday and a week ago we had two new sisters come into the mission and all Sisters that come into our mission serve in Botswana as it is too dangerous for them in South Africa. About four years ago two were beat up and raped and the church pulled the rest of the Sisters out of our mission until they decided to have them serve here in Botswana. The law does not allow visitors in the country longer than 90 days so we have to get special waivers for the Elders so they can stay for the usually 6 months and the sisters get temporary citizenship for about 20 months. They only serve for 18 months usually but once a sister stayed on for an extra transfer so I suggested we get them for 20 months and Elder Olson thought that was a great idea as they can go home before the temporary citizenship is up but it is hard to change them and get an extension.

The Olsons are asking mom and me to work on our own this week as much as possible to learn things even better. If we have any problems we are to call or get with them but things will be our own call. So mom and I decided that we will go up to Francistown where we have 2 sets of elders and a couple named the Cardiffs. We will leave Friday morning and stop in a town on the way that has about 5 or 6 members there and they have Sunday School each Sunday. We know it will be hard to attend on Sunday because of the distance from Francistown and also from here in Gaborone but we think a visit will let them know that we care. We will see if for one Sunday they might meet later and we will try and see them on our way home from Francistown. Francistown is about 5 hours away and this town that holds Sunday School is about 4 hours away from us. We will do what we can to help them.

Well I will close for now as it is before 6:00 AM and I need to study the scriptures and get ready for the day. We need to leave and get the paperwork and the Sisters and be at the place we get the citizenship papers by 9:00 this morning so we will have to leave about 8:15. Mom and I love each of you and pray for you several times each day. We love serving the Lord and He blesses us each day in so many ways. Please attend all your meetings and teach our grandchildren the Gospel. We miss you and wish we could be there for those special occasions like weddings, sealings, coming and leaving for missions, birthdays, priesthood ordinations and all the other wonderful things.

Just a quick update on my health, my blood thickness is where it needs to be so I only have to go into the lab and have it tested every other week for a while then maybe I can go a month between tests. We will see and I am doing what they ask me to do. Mom helps me keep in line and I take the regulated dosage of pill or pills each day as directed. Mom is doing wonderful and we are enjoying life together. May the Lord bless each of you each day.

Love from Africa, Dad and Mom