Unjani family????? I love you guys so much and I miss you so much and I can feel your prayers and your love every single day so keep em coming cause I need them! :)

But I've made it to Durban now!!!! I have a ton of stuff on my list to write so this might be sooooo out of order but I'm just gonna type it all and hopefully it all makes sense... hahahaha:)

So first of all, I got sick in the MTC which was super lame. I just got like a cold so I could still go to class and stuff but I just had the worst headaches and my nose was like a snoterfall so that was just great! :) But I'm better now!

We got to watch Elder Scott's funeral live which was pretty cool! I'm so glad that he can be reunited with his wife again! He was talking about her for sooooo long and I bet they are just so happy now! :)

So on Tuesday morning we had to wake up at 4 in the morning in order to make our flight. So we piled into these big vans and we started driving. All of a sudden our driver pulled over and mumbled something in Zulu and got out of the car. We didn't know what was going on but then someone looked over at the dashboard and saw that our car was overheating. So the guy poured water in the engine and we started going again but in like 10 minutes it just overheated again. We had to stop at literally 15 gas stations on the way to the airport just so our car wouldn't explode. So we were soooo late for checking in so we were just sprinting through the airport with all our stuff but we made it so that's good!!

 So we flew to Durban and we Met President Zackrison and the AP's at the airport. One of them is Elder Clayton and the other one is Elder Sixaba and that x in his name is a click btw so that's AWESOME!

But yeah then we went to the mission home and had interviews with the president and he's a waaaay cool guy!! He's super nice and you can just tell that he cares so much for us! But then he assigned us to our areas!!

So I'm serving in a tiny little place called Esikahwini. It's up the coast from Durban by a bigger town called Richard's Bay. But Esikahwini is a township so almost everybodies houses are like shacks and made out of cement and stuff! It's suuuuch a cool place! The roads are mostly dirt and it's just so sick!

My companion is Elder Aygeman! He's from Ghana and he's sooooo cool!! Before he came he went to university to play soccer so he's suuuper good! He's gonna teach me! ;) But he's been an awesome trainer and he's already taught me soooo much!

We live in a house in the township with another companionship. Remember Elder Pinkston? My companion from the mtc? Yeah he lives in the same house as me... hahahaha he's companions with a guy named Elder Nkomo. That means Cow in Zulu! hahaha but he's soooo funny! He's the biggest guy ever but he's such a teddy bear! He's super duper quiet but when he talks he's hilarious. He always knocks on our door to our room at night and when we open it he just gives a thumbs up and walks away...hahaha so funny! :) Everyone gives thumbs up here and it's so awesome! Even the gangters give me thumbs up! hahaha

But yeah They live in our house but they work in a different area called Port Dunford. and we only have one car at our house and they get it.... so we bike everywhere which is AWESOME! It's like mountain biking on all these  dirt hills and stuff! But everyone wants to steal our bikes so we ride really really fast! hahahahaha It's suuuuuper hot here too! It's the hottest place in the mission so when we bike we are just soooooaked! It's brutal! But it's so much fun! All the little kids see me biking and they yell "mhtungu" at me....which means white guy....hahahahaha it's funny. I just smile and give them thumbs up! Seriously, I haven't seen a single white person that isn't a missionary. That's not a joke. There are only Africans here and it's the best thing ever! I get the weirdest looks and I love it! hahaha :)

Driving isn't actually that bad here! I got used to it waaaaayyyy fast! BUUUUT Elder Pinkston said that he knew how to drive stick but there is no way that he does.... he kills it every five seconds. Like we will be on the freeway with people flying past us at 150 k's and we are just dead stopped cause he doesn't know how to drive...it's insane! Hahaha but h'es getting a lot better at it now! so that's super good! People can just walk on the freeways here too... there are nooooo rules! hahaha I saw a guy rolling a wheel barrow down the middle of the freeway the other day hahahaha! So crazy! I love it! :)

So I'll go through a normal day of missionary life!

First, as soon as the rooster crows we get up. But literally the people next to us have roosters and they start yelling at 3 in the morning and these roosters sound like they are dying. Hahahaha but at 6:30 we wake up and work out cause I'm NOT getting fat on my mission! Hahaha but then we study and eat breakfast and get ready for the day. Then we do Mission training cause I'm new. Then we go out at work! The people here are soooo awesome! :) They are all so humble and nice! They are hilarious! Like seriously these people know how to have fun! I feel right at home! I thought teaching would be so much harder but seriously all we do it joke and have a good time cause then they trust us. And then we just pound them with the gospel and they love it!

On Thurstday I asked a 13 year old girl named Sne if she would be baptized on the 1st of November and she said yes so we are suuuuper stoked about that! :) The branch is really small here and really weak so a lot of our work is visiting the members and strengthening them! I've been able to bear my testimony so many times about the book of Mormon and it's been AWESOME! I love it! It's super nice to always have the spirit with you and to always teach with it! So fun! But the people here really seem to like me! Maybe it's my accent or something but they always laugh when I make jokes so that must count for something! Some lady the other day in the middle of our discussion stood up and gave me a hug and I just kind of sat there awkwardly....hahahaha it was so funny! :) But it's been so fun to teach and I can't wait to continue to do this for 2 years! It's just the best feeling ever to be making a difference in a person's life.

Yesterday was Sunday and was AWESOME!!! We woke up early and went to the chapel which is actually just a bunch of those portable trailer things! Soooo sick! So it was super duper small and we cleaned it before all the people got there! During church there were only like 40 people there but that's actually a pretty good number so we were happy about it! :) But It was fast and testimony meeting and it was the best one that I've ever been to in my entire life. Like in Utah, you could seriously wait like 10 minutes before someone stands up but not here! Here everyone just jumps up the second that the mic is open! They can't wait to share their testimony! Seriously I felt the spirit so strongly and It was just so humbling! :)

But we were able to see a little bit of Conference yesterday!!! We actually watched the Saturday morning session live which was like 6 at night for us...hahahah but then we also saw sunday morning live as well!! 3 new apostles!! So crazy! I knew that Elder Rasband was going to be one though! I called that one forever ago!! But their all so cool and their talks were so inspiring and you could just tell that they were all called of God!

There have been so many bugs this week it will be so hard to only pick one! While we were watching conference the biggest cockroach ever was just running around everywhere so that was fun! I've also seen lizards everywhere! I SAW MONKEYS TOO!!! I'm just in a little internet café so we'll see if sending pictures works! But I got some sweeeet pictures this week! :)

Oh also....yesterday, Elder Pinkston broke our garage....hahahaha It wasn't up all the way but it looked like it was and he was pulling the truck into the garage and the top of the truck hit the door and pulled it down on top of the car....hahahaha luckily Elder Nkomo is super man and was able to hold the door up and we got the car out but now our garage door is just hanging there. Our house is just sitting there waiting to be robbed....hahahaha but we have an electric fence and everything so that's awesome! :)

But anyways I think I'm gonna end it here! I could talk forever but I don't think my companion wants to sit here forever! hahaha :)

But I seriously love you so much my family! :) This is suuuuper hard. I'm not going to lie. But It wasn't easy for Jesus Christ so why should it be any different for me. I know that this work will change lives and that through me, God can do so many amazing things! All I need to do is live obediently and work with all my heart might mind and strength. I love this work and I know that this is exactly where I need to be. I can already see how the talents that I've been blessed with are being used here! It's just amazing! :) I see miracles every single day and it's just so awesome! :) THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Love_elder_eAstmond_