Welcome back to Botswana!

Hey dad,
I know i was really excited to get the package apparently it was in customs for like a month and i actually had to pay like 100 pula to get it out but its all good I'm just glad i got it. Thanks for all the things too i like the guitar books and doct of salvation its a good book i got i chance to read it over the kinda awful weekend. And ya we are hoping to be a stake in June I'm almost positive it will happen the church is exploding here with people getting like 8-10 baptisms each month its crazy, we should could about 3-4 this month a boy thuso and 3 girls maybe, I'm probably going to miss them tho. and elder Palmer is still my companion for a few more days depending on if i get kicked out again.
But ya this week has not been good i feel like i am going to pass out just typing right now i am completely dead, when i got back into bots me and my companion went out on the bikes and i was riding i started to kinda like dose off and i heard like my companion yelling at me and when i looked in front of me there was like a car heading right towards me so i nearly got hit it kinda freaked me out but anyways so we left bots last week stayed there for 3 days and we all split up i went to a place called Soweto its also known as soccer city its where the world cup was and its super pretty its actually something called a township and townships are usually not very nice but i guess Soweto is like the nicest one, its very green with lots of hills and things, bots its just really flat and dusty with lots of rocks but ya it was kinda nice then on Saturday we drove back up to the boarder knowing that we would probably be denied and we basically where they only gave us 3 days and so the president decided for us to stay up here and hopefully they can work something out but its just kinda annoying i have been living out of a suit case for the past week not really knowing whats going on and i actually still could even be leaving today so its just been somewhat stressful i was also chopping up a tree this morning for are the people who live next to us so that probably just adding on the tiredness....but anyways i know it sounds like I'm just complaining but I'm just tired of all this and i just want a area that i know I'm going to stay in for at least a transfer.
But the worms are actually really good i like them and i did not have a chance to eat the cow yet because of all the things that have been happening, Ha ha that is really sick i have never heard that story before of you and i don't really know if i ever want to hear it again. That's good that byu is doing so well i miss watching sports and going to games and things but i can do all that when i get back i guess. But sorry its good to hear from you love you dad.
Love, Justin
Dear mother.
Hey mom its good to hear from you and its been cool with my companion he always makes pretty good food but I'm probably going to be leaving him today or tomorrow. IT was really nice to get my package tho everything was inside and i like it all alot i actually found my new favorite church song its called i heard him come i like it alot so i have been trying to memorize it on the guitar.
That's good to hear you went to the temple i wish i could go but for 1 I'm in bots and 2 its under cleaning until Feb 15th or something but i like the tips you gave ill be sure to try them next time i go, i have always felt like the temple was kinda boring to go to to be honest before my mission but it really just depends on how you look at it, something i have found is that are attitude has alot to do with when we go places also if there is like a boring speaker or something whenever some speaker get up that i know is probably not the best i try to like thing about what there trying to say and it actually helps me alot pay attention..i don't if that makes sense but i think you know i have a very hard time paying attention to things if i am not interested in them but going in with a good attitude helps alot. Sounds kinda gay but its very true you can tell yourself your not going to like a meeting and you will not like it, a negative attitude well bring negative results.
And i actually forgot my pictures today because I'm out of it but ill bring them next time, the thing is is that it takes a very long time for the pictures to load so i know you guys were not really for this idea but i could send alot of pictures if that's all i did i can still read your emails but if you want me to send some pictures I'm not going to have much time to write. so just something to think about if you want me to do that. but its good to hear from you mom love ya lots
Love, Justin

Justin may be getting transferred.

Hey dad
Ha ha I'm sorry i have not got the package yet, I'm sure everything is
fine though, And yes Thuso is 17 and he is being baptized on the 30th.
And that one family is all slowly starting to come to church now its
so cool, its actually the moms birthday today so we are baking here a
wacky cake...I am a pro by the way at making cakes by the way. But she
also said she is going to make us this thing called mohudu I totally
spelled that wrong but that's how it sounds anyways but what it
basically it is cow intestines. So I'm excited for that. This week we
actually all ate these things called paponi worms I'm not sure about
this but I think they are the worms on the lion king that simba eats,
but they are actually not bad, they taste like beef jerky but they
have like little spikes on them so there kinda hard to eat. But ya
anyway enough about food.
Ha that's crazy about Elder Searcy we were good friends at the mtc and
that girl is his girlfriend, what a small world this is. But this week
has been crazy it was an emergency transfer so I actually got elder
searcys last companion like you said. He is a really cool guy he is
from England like elder searcy but we get along great he is actually
like a professional chef before he came on a mission and he worked in
the kitchen of that chief ramsy (that one guy on hells kitchen and
stuff that is always yelling at people) so kinda cool, he has been
cooking for us as well so that's been nice.  But here is the crazy
part, so this week has been like very stressful because Botswana is
trying to kick me out of the country because my residency is up, when
we come here we apply for 90 days and my days are up and they will not
let me get anymore, so the plan is this wed I need to pack all of my
things like I'm leaving and go out of the boarder and when I do that
hopefully my name will be cleared and I can get another 90 days or
else I will never be able to get into bots ever again unless I get
residency which we have applied for but will not come in until about
march or April, so what might happen is I will go to south Africa for
a couple of transfers then if I get the residency then they will be
sending me back up to bots for the rest of my mission because its so
hard to get residency here. So ya I know that all probably does not
make much sense but its been a stress.
I was laughing pretty hard when you said that about mike i could
picture that in my head ha ha but tell Cameron i will be home soon,
time flys here before i know it i will be on the plain ride home,
months seem like weeks and days seem like hours its very strange. But
its great to here from you tell everyone i say hi! love ya dad
Love, Justin
Hey mom
I know I love writing you guys I feel like I have like no time though, So
ill try to keep this short so I can send a picture maybe, That is so
crazy that Derick gets home in may. I cant believe it feels like he
just left not that long ago. And the only people I really write are
you guys sometimes, I just don't have much time
to write everyone and I always make sure I write you guys first. I'm
glad you are enjoying my car. Its a nice car. And yes my new
companions name is elder Palmer as a mentioned above, but I actually
might be getting a new one in a couple of days depending on if I get
back into bots or not. That's so cool your going to the temple I wish I
could go more hopefully I will be able to go when I go down to South
Africa. And the temperature has changed here quite a bit, so its
either really hot or it rains like a monster, the other day we were
teaching about 20 min away from are flat and it started to just pour
like crazy. When we got back to the flat it was like I just jumped
into a swimming pool, the rain is really crazy here, when it comes
down it comes down. But I going to try to send some pictures sometimes
it is really slow so I cant but I'm going to try, but its great hearing
from you! love ya lots
Love, Justin

It's been a crazy week!

Hey dad
Ya its been a crazy week, I did not get my package yet but it will
come soon. Ya we just played risk on Christmas eve Christmas and new
years but we do play chess often if we have time. We actually have
this thing in are flat called mochudi kings chess league, I know it
sounds nerdy but its fun, I'm actually the current champ...not to brag
or anything,
And actually a correction I'm just training a ward missionary he is
part time, and all of us in the flat are like district leaders because
we do not have one at the moment, so we all take turns doing things.
But its been great this week, but really hard actually because I've had
to take the lead on everything, but I've grown a ton already and
become alot more confident in my teaching, you learn so much more when
you actually teach, I have also found this in my Sunday school
class. I actually taught the young single adults and Sunday school
this week because my last companion was the ysa teacher and he left so
I think they kinda dumped the class on me, it was fine though, it was nice
teaching somebody not 30 years older then me. But anyways I have just
realized that all the knowledge we take in is just useless if we do
not put it into action. And I know exactly what you mean about having
to rely on the spirit alot more, a couple days ago we were teaching
this girl that for the first time and all of a sudden she just starts
crying and telling us about these problems she was having and all
sorts of stuff, it really caught me off guard, and I had to just kinda
say what was on my mind. My companion does not really talk much in are
lessons so I have to do most the talking and its been helping me alot
getting out of my comfort zone, the mission president said always try
to go out of comfort zone, because that's where you will grow the most
and I think I have for sure been doing that.
O and gaps is slang I think. Its actually called Gaborone, its kinda
like a city I guess about 45 min away from Mochudi.
And thanks for the verses I will look at them tonight. Thanks alot though
I love your guys emails!
Love, Justin

Hey mom
Its good to hear from you, And yes dad always has something really
good to say I like reading the things he sends me, but yes this week
has been good me and my companion have been teaching some good lessons
I feel, actually we had one of the best lessons I have ever had last
wed, we were teaching this guy names motsamia and the lesson went so
good. Just a little background though, the day before me and my companion
set a goal to find 4 more priesthood holders and when we went to
motsamias house turns out that he has 3 other brothers and we also
took a ward member with us named Andre and he actually went to school
with motsamia! It was really crazy turned out they used to be like
good friend's, the point is is that I just found out how much the Lord
prepares people before they meet us, he also said recently he just
felt like he should stop smoking and drinking, it was really cool. I
also want to bear my testimony of the power of music, Bob Marley used
to think that he could actually like change peoples hearts and minds
with his music and I know for a fact that that really works. So we
went to this family that me a my previous companion had dumped but I
felt like we should go back there, the reason why we dumped them was
because in all the months I have been here not once they came to
church. But we went there and we just sang hymns with them with the
guitar, and they loved it. specifically hymn 100, that one is a
killer. people love it, but after about 6-7 songs the 2 daughters and
the dad said that they would come to church and guess what they
actually did, not all of them but it was nuts, after 3 months of
teaching them...nothing but go there once and sing they finally come,
its kinda cool don't you think? But ya sorry I kinda went on a rage
there.
I think that I have actually heard of that book before, my teacher
talked about it at the mtc it actually really sounded like a good book
so ya I would love to read it.
Ha ha i remember those days when we used to play monster, i miss that,
I'll have to do it when I get back though. Its funny how you miss little
things that you never really thought about before when your on your
mission. You even miss things that you like hated before you came on
your mission. Like remember how you always would call me if I was away
from home for like more than an hour and it would drive me to the
point of insanity...but I actually miss those little things, its
funny.  But I miss the kids like crazy, I even miss the times when
they would all come in my room screaming after a very hard day at
work. ya.......good times, but I'm in good times know to, I have really
loved my mission thus far and have learned more on my mission than 18
years of my life, not just in the gospel but in literally everything,
but I love to hear from you guys, tell everyone I say hi. Love ya
Love, Justin

Wow … Justin is the youngest District Leader and Trainer in the mission! Not bad for being out three months.

Hey dad
Our New Years was okay. Kinda boring actually because we are not allowed to leave the flat because it is too dangerous to go outside on New Years and New Year’s Eve. So we went and played some basketball and then hung out in the flat and played some Risk. Sometimes our games can kinda get a little heated but it’s funny. Sounds like you guys had a nice new years. I would honestly love time to just kinda sit around and watch movies and relax but I can do that when I get back home. I feel like I am on a roller coaster that never stops. Ha-ha that's funny about mom she returns every single little thing she gets, it’s funny though. The best way to go with mom is just a gift card I have found.
But I actually have some kinda crazy news. So my trainer left me right, so we thought that we were going to have to work in a 3-som for about 11-12 days. Turns out the president decided that he wanted to give me a ward missionary from Gaps. When I heard the news I was pretty much terrified because I am going from being trained to actually training. President Morgan said that I am the youngest trainer in all of Bots and South Africa. So my new title is District Leader, Senior Companion, Trainer, very new Missionary, Elder Brey! So I have been with my ward missionary for a couple of days now and he is actually a really cool kid. He is funny though, he thinks that he is such a gangster. On the ride home from Gaps he told me he likes to rap...surprise, so I asked him to rap for me but he told me it would cost me money, I should have known. Anyway ya it’s been fun and I’m learning a lot because I have to take the lead on everything so it’s been a good experience.
And I have not got my package yet but it will come soon. And I really appreciate you doing that for the Sekatemas family, I really hope we can baptize them this month. I pray every day for that miracle. O and I actually did finish the book of Mormon, on Dec 31st it was a great feeling to finally finish it. I have also noticed after I have got done reading it I have started to understand a lot more of what I read. I don’t know if you know but I have always had a hard time reading something and just understanding it like that, but I think my understanding is really become better and I am becoming faster at reading so I can read more books now. Ya the battle is crazy in the book, I never realized how bad it actually was. I like the part where Moroni is talking specifically to the people in these days and saying the things that are going to happen, it’s very cool. But thanks a lot for the email. I don’t have much time today so I’ll talk to ya next week!
Love ya, Justin

Hey mom
How’s it? I’m glad to hear your New Year went well and I’m jealous you got to go to the temple. I honestly always never wanted to really go because I thought it was very boring, but now I’m like dying because I’m not going, and we are so freaking far away! I never realized what a blessing it is to have like 30 temples around you in like a 10 min driving range. People here have to save up for like months to go to the temple. It really makes you think sometimes at how some people complain about how going to the temple takes up too much time of their day when these people sacrifice a whole week just to be in the temple for a few hours or just to even look at the temple. That’s cool though you got to go.
That’s cool you shared your testimony in church and it had such an effect like that. That’s cool when those types of things happen that’s when you truly know what you said was inspired. We also had a testimony meeting and it was so cool. People here have such strong testimonies because the church is all that they have, it’s their whole life. The new companion I got is a great example, he has only been a member for 2 years but he can pull scriptures out of freaking everywhere. He has read the book of Mormon like 4 times and knows it inside out. It’s crazy at what dedication the truly converted members have to the church and I love hearing their testimonies. It’s also really cool when an investigator gets up to bear their testimony and you never even knew that they had one. But it’s great to hear from you. I’m glad your classes are going well I love to hear from you guys and I’ll try to send some pictures.  I love you very much mom bye bye.
Love, Justin