Durban North (05/27/96)

Family-

Is Mike a High School graduate? I can't believe it!  My baby brother is all grown up! Wow!  I am old!!  Send me pictures of graduation! Please!?! :)

Wow, this has been a very busy week!  Lots of news - well, no that much, but some!  We had transfers this week.  They were emergency transfers for Sisters.  None of us can quite figure out why.  It's a big mystery.  My new companion is Sister Allen.  She is from Mesa Arizona.  She has been on mission for 4 months.  We are both quite green still.  But it is a great companionship.  We get along really well. She has a great sense of humor and she likes to work hard.  I think that we will have an excellent companionshihp. 

Sister Merkley and her companion Sis. Larauce are being transferred to Madagascar!  Sis. Merkley is pretty freaked!  She's been wanting to go her entire mission, but now that it is happening she is torn.  She will never serve in South Africa again.  She'll stay there the rest of her mission.  She has to learn the language and it's very disease ridden.  But it is also a beautiful, great place to serve.  So it's interesting.

I've been making a video this week.  Johan and Leslie let us borrow their video camera.  I'm not going to send it home because I only taped some and I'll continue to tape more throughout my mission and then at the end I have to convert it, because they use different types of video tapes here.  I don't really understand it, I just know that I have to go through some process to do it.  Anyway, you all can watch it when I get home.

I can't believe it, but I am freezing! For the past 2 days I have just been dying! I think it's because it's the first time it has really gotten nippy and I'm not adjusted.  And the homes are not well insulated.  They are just  as cold inside as outside.

President Mason, the Area President for South Africa came and spoke to us this week.  It was cool!  He is really motivational.  He made me so excited to continue working and to work my very hardest.  He's so cool!

Well, I guess not as much has been happening as I thought.  We've been really busy though, with all kinds of crazy things.  The transfers basically messed up the week.  Not really messed up, but just made things crazy.  Sister Tolman only had a few hours to say goodbye to everyone.  I think that she was excited to be transferred though, I don't think she liked this area very much.

Well, I guess that is about it for now!  I hope that all is well with all of you!  Could I please get Kim and Brian's address?  Do you still send copies of my letters to them?  What about to Mark?  Mom, I have a talk that I want to copy and send to you about the Plan of Salvation that was given by the Mission President of the Cape Town mission, I really think you'll like it!  It's POWER!  Actually, there are a bunch but I haven' read them yet!

Well, I'd better cruise! I love you all!  I miss you! The church is true and missionary work is the greatest! :)

I love you!
Michelle :)