Picture Overload

Elder Balmforth and Elder Nzuki with the Zone Leaders

This is where the Branch in Knysna attends church



Township in Knysna, a nice area.




Elder Balmforth with Erita, Notutu, Zalu, Noluno in Knysna



Service Project with Elder Nzuki, he is very strong and hard working, gathering firewood for the members to use for cooking.

Typical meal at a members house.

Sister Nolundi a very nice member in Knysna

George Elders and Elder Balmforth and Elder Nzuki

Vaneesha, she calls Colton "Bofoam" he loves her.

Knysna

Knysna

Fleas

Elder Nzuki and a member waiting to teach an investigator, he was in the shed smoking a doobie.

Knysna

American Tourists

In English and in Afrikaanz

Feona and Janine Sayman making the missionaries a milk tart.

Feeding the elephants

Elder Balmforth and Elder Fozard

Elder Balmforth and Elder Bryers

Elder Balmforth and Elder Nzuki

Knysna



Brother nolundi in Knysna.

Sister Nolundi in Knysna, she is always laughing.

Saayman Family in Knysna

Elder Nzuki and Balmforh found this older couple moving all of their furniture out so they could lay new flooring, so they stopped and helped them lay the floor, a few days later, their daughter phoned them and wanted to meet them.  The whole family is now preparing for baptism.

Mamma Conia and Family

Titi, Veronica Elder Balmforth and Pumlani, we knocked on this door and 6 weeks later they were all baptized.

Malcome and Barbara Stephenson, Elder Balmforth loved them, they are not members but fed the missionaries all the time. 

Noluvo, a sweet township traffic lady, she is being taught and coming to church.

Laticia, she was the investigator who was stabbed, but doing good now and she is now baptized.

I can't figure out how to turn the pictures. Duh.

Elder Balmforth and Elder Fozard in George

Teaching the children in Paarl.

Yeah, I am sure he did.

Guess which one is his.

This one is for Dad

His desk



Hurry, kill it!



Knysna, bungi jumping bridge.

Elder Balmforth, Nzuki and Elder and Sister Ladle.

Elder Nzuki making dinner.

Oh, no you did not come in my house.  Yes, the snake came in the house.  We caught it.

Fried snake anyone?

For Oma

Branch in Knysna

Elder Leach and Elder Balmforth teaching in Paarl.

05/11/11

OKAY!  Here's your mass email.  I know they have been slower lately.  Sorry, the office is crazy and I love it.  We have been so busy I've mostly been working on returning elders travel so I book their flights home and it makes me a little trunky haha.  But I enjoy it and I stay really busy.  Elder Marler is basically done training me on everything so he just sits here and plays with his stupid flying helicopter (that I'm about to brake).  So before I forget I got your package mom and dad, and I love it thank you so much!  I love the pictures and I'm sure Calee wouldn't want me to show anyone the picture of her in the hospital, so I looked at it, chuckled and shredded it.  So then I showed the rest of them to every one in the office.  It was good.  I am also glad there was so much food in it because I'm out of money until the 15th!  I also got the package from Courteney's family and it was also great!  THANK YOU VERY MUCH HEALEY FAM!!!

So we have interviews today and HOPEFULLY we find out more about what is going to happen with the office when the Herbert's go home.  I don't know how much I can say now but we don't know much. Hopefully we just get a senior couple in fast so we don't have to do it all.  The other option is to have two more elders come to the office.  But I dunno?  All I know is that Elder Marler is DONE here!  He is so burnt out.  He's been here for ever!!  Over 6 months.  So technically we should be in the office from 10am-2pm but President wants us here at 8am  and told Elder Marler to stay until were done every day and since we are all busy doing our jobs we usually don't leave until 5:30 or 6.  Then we are exhausted but I love staying busy all day, then we go out and teach for a couple of hours, then I am exhausted, but it's great!

We have been teaching a girl named Makurata, shes awesome and she loves the gospel and is soooo prepared!  We leave her DVDs to watch and she LOVES them!  We left her the Mormon Messages DVD last time and she watched all of them over and over and over again!  She is from Namibia and is visiting there for a couple weeks soon so we will postpone her baptism until she returns.  Our fellow shipper is Eleizer and he rocks!  Our area covers Cape College so we get alot of students.

We are also seeing  a lot of less active members.  The situation here is so sad.  So many people are here from other countries for work and send money home but most of the time they lose there jobs so then they can't send money home and have no money to get home so they just get so depressed and discouraged and don't come to church:( if we could only help them see the blessings they can receive from actually going to church).  We are trying but its so hard!

There is also a family I think I have told you about called the Van Fleets.  They are here for some kind of work training and they have been her for a year and a half.  They feed us every Friday and they rock but they are leaving in a few weeks. BACK TO UTAH.  You should visit them!  Also Amber who is here studying abroad for a semester she is from Wyoming and she added you (MOM) on Facebook!  She's great!

Well the office is keeping me busy and I'm doing great!  Its amazing the spirit you can feel when you do what the lord asks.  Although the office is busy and stressful it is still an amazing spiritual place!  Mom, I hope you had a great Mother's Day, you are the best mom ever it was great to talk you all on Sunday!  I have a few requests if possible, there is no hurry and if you can't, I totally understand.  I was wondering if you could get a few of those rice bags from grandma and send them without the rice.  I can put rice in them and stitch them up, that would be great.  Also don't let dad just send any cheap deodorant.  I like Degree or Speed Stick.  Also, I love Sees Chocolate suckers!  I have a fat drawer in my desk like moms old fat drawer in her desk, ( you better not have that anymore Mom).  I get the munchies sitting here all day and I love those suckers, I think other then that, healthy snacks would be good too, it's not good to munch on crap all day long but I love those suckers.  I don't mean to be a spoiled brat, so if you can't don't worry about it and please use my money.  I have plenty of Jesus stickers so we can put that on hold, but most of all I really  LOVE LETTERS.  I am really trying to write back to everyone we just have not had any time, so I am doing my best, but please be patient with me.   I am so glad everyone is doing good.  I think about you all and appreciate everything everyone does for me.  I hope you all have a great day!
Love ya
Colton!

Hello from the Office 05/02/11

This will be short, I think my P-days are Wednesday, so hopefully I can email then.  I'm doing good! The office is nice but I am missing teaching, which surprises me because I am a little shy when it comes to teaching. So we stay in the office until the evening then we go teach if we have time.  I'm in an area called Mobray and the office is in an area called Observatory.  I'M IN A WARD!!!!!!!!  For the first time since I left home!  Yes its the Probsts' ward but they are not there a lot because he is over A TON of branches, so he has to visit them!  My companions are good!  Elder Marler from Idaho and Elder Winegar from Utah.  Its nice to be with Americans and I probably will be the whole time I'm in the office.  I will probably be here for 6 months or longer.  Especially with a new President he won't want to make any big changes until he gets more comfortable with things. I like it here and its nice not being a JR comp anymore.  We are all CO companions...Well Elder Marler is the District Leader so he is over us, but he's not bossy.  Mom I did get those orders, Thank you!  I hope you used my money!!  I'm sorry for spending so much lately, I'm not going to any more!  So in the office I am going to be over all travel, so plane tickets and bus tickets, rental cars for transfers and when President and Sister Probst or the APs travel which is A LOT!  Then I'm over orders, baptismal records, cell phones, the news letter, stats, referals, Post (which means I am the first person to receive any mail that comes to SACTM, so yes I get mail faster), then I do anything the Probst's ask me to do.  Then when the Herbert's leave I will take a TON more!  So its GREAT to be overwhelmed!!!  Oh and we drive a nicer car but that's a material thing haha!

    So the ward is great there are always lots of Americans because the Cape College is in our area and Americans come here to study abroad!  There is an awesome family from Utah, the dad is working here but they go back home at the end of May.  They feed us on Fridays!  Then there is a girl studying here named Amber and she also joins us on Fridays, she is from Wyoming.

       There is really not much else to tell you yet!  I think I will be skyping and my guess is that you might miss church,sorry.  I'm sure mom might enjoy the break though it seems like Kelsee doesn't let her sluff much.  It will be so good to SEE AND TALK to you guys, it seriously is a miracle that I am still here.  I can't believe I haven't seen you all for over 6 months and I haven't spoken to you in over four months!  Its crazy and I hate it but what can you do!  Of course now you could call the mission office and pretend to be some one asking lots of questions hahaha just kidding that's bad!  Well I miss you guys and I love you guys!  Mom as soon as you can just email me your skype address!  I wish I had time to talk to and see everyone, but I only get like 40 minutes and I know that is not a lot of time, so probably just you guys because 40 minutes will go fast and I could just talk to mom that long because it is Mother's Day, so mom it's all for you, of course it will be nice to talk to Dad, Kelsee and Calee, I miss you all so much.  Give that baby a huge kiss for me and of course I want to see him, that is really the most important thing. Well, just let me know that info. (You should buy a new computer).  Love ya!  Oh and thanks for the letters everyone!  I got the usual, from Grandma, Mom Courteney, Brooke and Terry. Also thank you to Gabbie Rico!  Kylee and Jodi it was great to hear from you.  Thanks so much for writing, it really means a lot to me.  I love getting mail, it is the best.  Well, have a good week and Mom have a great Mother's Day week.  I love you all.

Love,

Colton