Email from 01/24/2011

Family,
Okay, your emails this week were lame!  I did not get one from Calee and I always worry about her and the baby SOO?  What the heck is she okay??

Okay, well dad your's was a good enough one, mom yours was too short and Kelsee the same.  I won't complain!  So the couple on facebook is the Stephonson's.  They are wonderful.  They are origanally from the UK and have been all over.  He tryed to get me to skype you at his house!!!  They are not members they have just been stubborn investigators for I kid you not like 40 years.  They have fed the missionaries once or twice a week for those 40 years.  They are great people.  They had not come to church in over a year but now they have come the past two weeks!  I think Malcom would totally get baptized but is just waiting for Barbara.  They are great and they LOVE me!!!

This week I have started to love our investigators, but I can't get the ones I left in Paarl out of my head.  I hope they are doing good and accepting the message well.  I can't wait to see them again one day. 

So, I will tell you about a few of our golden investigators.  We have Luanda and Veronica.  A great Xhosa couple, they have two little kids and they LOVE the gospel.  They are so friendly and so prepared.  They know it's true and they have such a strong spirit to the.  They have been coming to church and they love it.

Then we have Laticia and Cipreian.  They are also a great couple who are also very prepared.  They love reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church and they are just progressing so quickly.  The only issue is that they live together, unmarried.  There is a tradition here called laboula.  It's wicked!!!   The husband has to pay the wifes parents ALOT of money before they are married!  It is so dumb.  Satin works in crazy ways so the only thing stopping them is that.  The reason he could not pay the parents was because he did not have a job and cound not find one.  Well low and behold after a few lessons and coming to church HE GOT A JOB!!!  I was so excited and he said "I think it's all because of you two"  and I said, "nope it's because of the path your beginning to take".  I'm so excited for them.

Then there is Chancy and Memory.  Chancy is a 24 year old pregnant woman who's husband is sadley living in Malawi but he is trying to get back.  So her and her mom live here in the big ol SA!  I love them they are so funny.  They give me so much comic relief.  However, everytime I see Chancy's big ole belly, I just wanna touch it.  I think it's because I am jealous I can't touch Calee's belly.  I know I'm weird!  They are also progressing they just are not coming to church yet.  We will soon get them there.

Then there is Noluvu and Nopinky.  Two great sisters.  Noluvu looks like a black Laura Thomas (Carlston) and she has a HUGE black baby boy.  So cute, so she reminds me of Laura.  She is so excited about the gospel and knows it's true.  I can't wait to see her continue to progress.

Then there are more but these are my favorites.  So they mostly speak Xhosa (clicky) but it's so hard and I'm not getting it but lots speak Afrikaans which is much easier.  I'm not speaking either of them but I love learning afrikaans.  There are a lot from Malawi, they speak chacheywa and I will never get that one.  Some small struggles I have had are how sexist the african men are.  They drive me freakin crazy.  I think it's because I have so many women in my life that wouldn't put up with it, like, Grandma H, mom, Aunt Lezlee, Jodi, Mer, OMA!  It just bothers me comments like "this is my house and she'll do what I tell her".  Even my companion!  It's nuts, but I love 99% of the cultural, well okay maybe 98%.  Also there are people who don't speak English at all.  What about them?  Are they just lost forever?  It bothers me.  And, the FLEAS, my gosh, they are so bad here.  My sheets are soooo bloody, they seriously eat me alive.  It's no fun.  Also mice and rats and roaches in homes during a lesson!!!  You would think I would be used to it by now, but nope.  When I see one I loose my train of thought and think ugh, I've only seen that in a trap when my dad is walking out from the garage or I think my mom would kill you all!!!  Yikes, but it's a cool adventure.

Also, I got some letters and some people think my transfer was because of the heat, no, I could have been fine there.  It was another Elder needed to be moved and it was just a good option for me to leave because of the heat.  Just thought I'd clear that up.

So letters I got this week were, Janelly (who I wrote you before I got this letter so sorry, I'll write again and thanks for the stickers), Laura, Mer, Brooke (thanks for the pics), Emily, Amy (even though it was clearly written in November), haha.  Nan, so thanks for the letters and keep them coming. 

It has been hot a few days but mostly cool and cloudy.  I have been really blessed.  Dad, yes President Probst does know Royce and loves him.  I have been drinking TONS of water this week and it helps tons.  The branch here is great.  Small, but great.  We have had a few dinner appointments and we have some this week.  Most of the strong members are white SA's from Cape Town or Joberg who retired here or from the UK who retired her.  Then some members from the township.  The township is on the mountain and so we can't have investigators in our car, so we have been walking up the mountain in the morning and then walking with them to church and let me tell you, there is nothing more frustrating then getting there and thy are not coming.  Ugh, this is where the Christ like attribute PATIENTS comes in.

So, mom, just keep checking my bank account.  I am trying not to use it, but like I said with the prescription crap it was not cheap.  I try not to use my own money but some things are so expensive like, my haircut today will cost 80 rand, but it's only like 10 US dollars or less.  Just keep track of it and is my car money in their with the money I got from my farewell?  I don't spend much, so I am not worried. 

Mom, please send me Elder Leaches posts, like copy and paste them to my emails.  Katee's letters too.  Mom, I hope your tape isn't to sad, I'm just on the edge of being great, haha, just kidding, I want to here you blubber, seriously I do.  It will help me.

Well things here as you can see are great, we are just trying to stay busy with our overwhelming 30 baptismal dates and trying to help them all progress.  We'll see.  I am doing good, this week will be a good one, it's the last week of the transfer, Feb. 2nd.  I'll know if I am going, but I am 99% sure I will stay here and so will my companion.  Which is okay, I love Knysna.  I do still miss Paarl and the LaVita's and Elder Leach, but I am doing great!!  I hope you all have a great week and always remember I love you and I am so thankful for you two and the love you have shown our family and all the sacrifices you both made to have us be the best we can be!  You are both the best and I love you!!!  Have a Lekker weak.
Elder Balmforth