EESH BANANGE!! Estoy Cansado . . . zzz

Ogamba ki mukwanos ne makka!
(What's up friends and family!)
I have returned with an update on my exhausting life as a Zone Leader. I am getting more and more physically tired on the daily haha! I guess that comes with the job description of a Missionary!
Togende! (Let's go!)

August 30, 2021 Mon
Today was P-Day! I called makka and my mom said she had a surprise for me. She flipped the camera and there I saw some of my friends! Hayden, Caitlin, Robert, Peter, and Jamiel! It was a great late Birthday Surprise!
After that awesome start to the day, I relaxed, cleaned the apartment, then Kilama called us and told us to move some of our extra stuff into the New Jinja Sisters Apartment which is the old Jinja Apartment . . . yup, we basically moved for nothing.
We moved bed frames, kitchen stuff, desks, and a table. After all that Fierro and I were dead tired, because we're not very big in the muscle department. We're a couple of skinny boys and one desk in particular really kicked our butts and made me want to light it on fire. All in all, a rage inducing terrible time.
We ended the day with food and working out even though I was tired, I needed it.

August 31, 2021 Tues
Today we had a couple of lessons again which went great. First was with Joshua, again which went good, he has a really good understanding. Our next lesson was with Stanley and when he walked in he had a friend with him who also wanted to learn! Fierro & I shared about The Book of Mormon with them and it was a powerful lesson.
After that we moved the extra stove and gas can into the Sisters apartment and found out they're moving in tomorrow, which was surprising because Fierro & I are taking Elder Mataga to Kampala for Working Permit. Weird, but it'll work out.

September 1, 2021 Weds
Where did August go??? Idk, but I know one thing, Wake me up when September Ends (Shout out to my fellow Green Day Fans) Today Fierro & I dropped some mattresses at the Jinja Sisters apartment, then flew to Iganga to join their District Council Meeting (which was nice). After that we went to that Chicken Place that was pretty nice, got some chicken and fries. Then we took Mataga and flew to Ntinda in Kampala.
We arrived at the Ntinda Apartment a few hours later than planned. We were hanging out with Elder Cates in his apartment when a knock came and a guy said "your car has a puncture." Ran outside and our back left tire was flat, which confused me for 2 reasons. 1; We just got them changed, 2; We would've been driving on a flat and didn't feel it.
So I started to get the spare out to change the tire when the APs rolled up. Our spare wasn't in good shape either so the APs took both tires to get them patched up. Amongst this. Elders Bitter & Hamblin arrived from Masaka with an Elder who needed a Work Permit. The APs came back, O'Driscoll insisted on changing the tire, and we were chilling.
All the ZLs roomed in the APs apartment in that complex there which was really fun. Fierro & BItter made Tacos and Guac and it was NICE, I had 3 Tacos haha.

September 2, 2021 Thurs
Today we got dressed, wished we could sleep more, packed the car, then took Elder Mataga to the Mission Office for him to go with a group for Work Permits.
While that was going down, Fierro & I were dealing with the finances of being a Zone Leader, going through Working Fund (Mission Funds alloted to Zone Leaders to buy smaller neccesities for the Zone) with Elder Cutler.
About 3/4 of the way through Sister Cutler said we needed to take Mataga to immigration. He didn't go with the group because an important receipt was missing. So Fierro & I took him, came back, finished Working Fund stuff, loaded up things our Zone had ordered, grabbed Mataga, then went to Cafe Javas with Elders Bitter, Hamblin, O'driscoll, Oberhansley, Mataga, and the Elder from Masaka (I can't remember his name).
(HUNGER WARNING) I got a nice waffle. It was good, just not super filling. After that we had errands to Kololo, Kansanga, Kizungu, FoodHub, then back to Iganga. The FoodHub was for the Sisters because we felt bad we couldn't help out.
We dropped Mataga in Iganga, headed to Mpumedde to drop some Books of Mormon, to Jinja Sisters to give them some things, then back home, where I ended the day with exercise, shower, and the ecerso lovely sleep. I began the day excited for going back to bed tonight, is that sad?

September 3, 2021 Fri
Today we were exhausted and busy. Let me list out what we did today.
-We had our studies
-Planned our training
-Dropped pamphlets & BoMs at the Jinja Sisters
-Grabbed some lunch
-Dropped pamphlets and BoMs at the Mpumedde Sisters
-Went to Bugembe to do a Baptismal Interview while Fierro went on a small exchange with Musungo to drop some pamphlets and BoMs in Wanyange
-Dropped off mattresses at the Walukuba Sisters
-Did a Baptismal Interview for the Walukuba Elders
-Our lesson couldn't come so we called referrals
-Bought some mosquito nets for the Jinja Sisters
-Called Kilama about stuff
-Bought Rolex Joint as a District Dinner
-Brought them some candles, because they have no power
-Came back to the apartment
-Had car trouble for ten minutes before it fixed itself
-Worked out, showered, passed out with no power
Bruh . . . I am exhausted, and I don't expect to have a break. We have Zone Conference tomorrow and on Monday Fierro has to take Nyankombe & Mensah to Kampala and I'll be in Wanyange for a day. Eesh banange (basically just a phrase like "Holy Cow" in Luganda).

September 4, 2021 Saturday
Today was another day of stress and exhaustion. In the morning we had to drop off the Jinja Sisters phone that we charged because they have no power, then we had Zone Conference over Zoom from 10am to 1 pm. It was good, Fierro & my training went really well.
After ZC we took the Jinja Sisters to go grocery shopping, dropped off the Sisters, had lunch, went to the chapel, we had a lesson with Joshua which went great, then we had to leave the chapel because they were locking it up.
We bought and dropped some mosquito nets in Wanyange, came back, bought a loaf of banana bread and a couple cinnamon rolls from Rolex Joint, all delicious.
After that we waited with the Jinja Sisters until their power came back, came back to the apartment, called all the District Leaders in the Zone, and finished the day like I do everyday. Tired.

September 5, 2021 Sun
Today was Fast Sunday, but ironically it was the slowest day of the week, and I am very ok with that. We took our Sisters the sacrament, then went to Walukuba to get the Walukuba Sisters' Gas Tank Refilled, then drop some stuff over in Walukuba. We also took the opportunity to talk with them all for a bit.
After that we dropped some stuff at our Jinja Sisters, came back to the apartment, cleaned a little bit, planned for some needed errands in Kampala, and relaxed really for the first time in a few days. We had chips and guac which was an awesome way to break my fast, talked with the APs a little and ended the day very content, yet very tired.


In my continuing reading of The Book of Ether in The Book of Mormon, I read chapter 12 which is kind of a well known chapter, but I read a large part of it I hadn't really noticed before.
Almost half of the 41 verses talk about the Principle of Faith. The word Faith is legit used 33 times.
I'm gonna assume Moroni, who wrote this chapter, was trying to stress that faith is kinda important.

In the chapter concerning Faith, there's a powerful verse that is very well known in the church, it saying "Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen."
That's not what really stuck out to me.
What stuck out to me in the chapter concerning Faith was the amount of examples that used the phrase "By Faith" or "Because of Faith" or variations of those 2 phrases.

I believe that Moroni was trying to tell us something important and maybe even forgotten about Faith. That being, if faith is strong IT CAN BRING AMAZING THINGS TO PASS.
It CAN free us from bondage.
It CAN guide us through darkness.
It CAN comfort us in trials.
It CAN bring people we need into our lives.
It CAN move mountains.

If you don't believe me, let me quote another part of that powerful scripture I mentioned earlier, "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
If you want faith, exercise any you have. Any particle is enough. Jesus Himself taught that if we have faith as a Mustard seed, which is the least of all the seeds, we can receive great things. I promise that is true.

I encourage all of you to exercise a particle of faith, in prayer, asking God a sincere question you want an answer to. I know you will receive it. Mbyogedde mulinya lya Yesu Kristo, amiina.

Thanks for reading through my busy week. I hope you were entertained and I hope you gained the impression that you otta email me, cause you really otta.
Qwagala mukwanos era makka gwange!
(I love you my friends and family!)
Elder Bradford