Blessings and answered prayers

So Yesterday was Sunday and I was very very determined to go to church again....so I prepared everything Saturday and woke up really early Sunday morning to go....This week the woman I live with (Pretonella) was going to Lusaka as well so I had someone to travel with and help me get a bus....so we go out around 6:30 and there happens to be a bus, an empty bus, that is returning to Lusaka, so we get on...and set off shortly after. However, the bus is so so so incredibly slow and has some problem, and is making the worst noise I have ever heard....It was taking for ever and I didn't want to miss church, so I prayed and prayed that I might be able to make it before the sacrament.....the bus stopped a short while later and we had to get off and get onto another bus, a mini bus....really it is like a normal van size but they cram about twenty people into it and as soon as there is any space they stop and cram more people onto it....so we stopped every few minutes to let people on or off.....by this time it was 8:30 and church starts at 9...I was panicking! I prayed and prayed to make it before they took the sacrament....we finally made it into Lusaka at 8:56.....we got a taxi and I gave the driver the address....and wouldn't you know it, he didn't know where that was, but he started driving anyway, and some how he all of the sudden knew where it was :)...so we get there about 15 after and I am running in, changing my shoes, and they are just singing the opening song! I found out after church that the first counselor was running late, he had car troubles, so that is why they started late! I was so happy! The Lord made sure I was there so I could take the sacrament! So after church I got a ride to the bus station with Luwani, the guy who helped me last week, and his younger brother. We got a bus and they decided to stay with me until it left, because it they don't leave until they are crammed full, and that could take all day. So we were sitting in the car at the station just talking and talking about everything....Luwani kept going and checking to see how much longer the bus would be and had asked about three guys who were working on the bus to tell us when it was about to leave, so about two hours after we bought the ticket the bus decided to leave, but I had left without me! Luwani had just gone to check, and the funny thing was that we were just talking about what would happen if it left me, so he came back with one of the guys from the bus company, the bus had just barely left and we were going to try to catch it before it got too far....so we rushed off to catch the bus....can I just say drivers here are all crazy! Any way we come to a traffic jam. There are people running everywhere screaming. As we move closer we see the cause of all of the commotion....a bus, my should have been bus, was in a horrible accident. The entire front of the bus completely demolished...the drive had been drunk and he ended up being completely impaled and died, I don't know what happened to the passengers, but there were injured people all over. There really was no reason why I should have missed the bus, but some how I did. Oh my Heavenly Father is watching over me! I am so grateful! I know I missed it because he needed me to miss it....

So I am really sad

I am really sad that I take the time to update my blog, but no one cares to comment on anything....I don't even know if anyone is reading it! So please if you are reading it feel free to make a comment! I would love to hear from all of you! I love you so, please show that you care by making even the smallest comment!!! Ok now I am done :)

A Few Photos....

See, See! I am really here! This is Andrew, his niece and me. Jackson took the photo.....I will get some more soon!

This is the little girl I was watching play in the trash, with to broken umbrella...is was way cute I just had to take a picture!

Waiting for the tire to be fixed...sigh! It was so hot and crazy!

My First Real African Experience

So I was determined to go to church on Sunday no matter what! So on Saturday we had a supper, long meeting where all I did was sit and doodle in my note pad, while everyone else bickered at each other, but at the end they were saying that we need to have a meeting and work the next day (Sunday)...and I thought no way are they going to make me sit through a meaningless meeting when I could go to church, so I told them that....ok no really in those words, but I did say that I would be traveling to Lusaka the next day for church, they were upset and said that we needed to talk about it, but I said no way! I was going! So I made plans to travel to Lusaka to find the church. Because of this meeting Petronella, the woman i am staying with and who also works in TCE and whos family lives in Lusaka, couldn't go to Lusaka with me...so I geared up to go by myself...and I know what you are thinking, I promised to go no where by myself but I had to or I was stuck another Sunday feeling awful...so the next morning I packed my backpack with all of my books and all of my money...Petronella found a car that was going to Lusaka and that would help me find the church, So I jumped in the back seat with two other men, it was quite cozy....Flying at over one hundred miles an hour we made it to Lusaka in just under two hours....my driver dropped off everyone else and then turned to me and asked, "where is it you would like to go Madam?" I pulled out my paper that had the address of the Branches on it and pointed to one and said, "there!" Sadly he had no idea where "there" was but luckily I had some phone numbers of taxi drivers in Lusaka that Pretonella had given me, so we (well really he) call him up and asked directions....we go to the road and searched for the building...slow we drove down the street looking, I was looking left, and just happened to look right and Ahhh! There was the sigh "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Visitors Welcome"! I was so happy...I paid my driver and jumped out of the car. Running to the doors, with my back pack on I felt like one of those kids I always would make fun of in high school who run around the halls rushing to class....any way, I ran to the doors so excited, I got to the doors and found the missionaries greeting the members....I had the biggest smile on my face I think they thought I was crazy! Sacerment meeting was so good and completely wonderful and uplifting! I have never felt so good! The rest of the meetings proceeded and I meet the sister missionaries and a bunch of members....by the end I felt right at home. But there was the problem of getting back to Mazabuka...Ha, ha, ha...I had no idea what I was going to do, but the good members didn't let me worry, a really sweet guy named Luwani and his brother took me to the bus station and found a bus that was going to Livingston and would stop in Mazabuka. They made sure I was safely on the bus and that all was well....so I go a place on the bus, cramped and extremely hot, I had to climb over boxes and bags to get to my seat, but I had a window so it was perfect! I sat waiting for the bus to leave for over an hour and a half, finally we were off...I enjoyed looking at the landscape...the trees here are amazing! I know I am going to miss them when I leave....but then in my enjoyment a horrible noise came from the bus....We had blown a tire...ha ha ha! That was so funny. And we had only been traveling for about a half hour....So we pulled over to the side of the rode, and we were swarmed by young girls selling fruit and water, yelling, shouting, putting it through the windows, I have never experienced anything like that before! It was crazy, so a bunch of people got off the bus, but I didn't want to, remember I had to climb over a ton of stuff and I was in a dress, so I sat watching everyone. I watched people eat their things and throw their trash onto the side of the rode and then I watched a two year old little girl happily play in that trash, she found a broke umbrella and was completely over joyed flipping it around. It was amazing to just watch all of the activities going on. But the bus got super hot and a boy came to my window and advised me to get off the bus while they change the tire....so I struggle over all of the boxes and made my way out of the bus. That same boy then introduce himself as Jackson and his friend as Andrew...we had a great conversation, they tried to guess what state I was from from my accent, I didn't know I had one, but they were way wrong. I know I do not sound like I am from Texas, Florida or Missouri! Hee, hee...so about two and a half hours later the tire was changed and we were ready to go again....so I didn't get back to Mazabuka until about eight that night, but it was the best day I have had here! It was so much fun and I completely loved it! And I felt like it was my first real Afican experience!

A Conversation with my Mother

So my Internet is working for the most part! Yeppie! and I got to have a good long talk with my mother....and I thought I would post it for all to read...I hope you don't mind mommy! I has some good stuff in it.....
GINA says:
good morning for me hello and how are you
Leah says:
hey! how are you
GINA says:
what time is it
GINA says:
good with a little cold
Leah says:
it is 6:30pm...really it is super super hot
Leah says:
I just walked about two miles....i'm wiped out
GINA says:
I'm glad you got the computer to work
GINA says:
where did you walk
Leah says:
me too! it just happened today...and the wireless is not working yet
Leah says:
I have to plug it in
Leah says:
I went and visited some of the field officers while they were working
GINA says:
what have you been doing?
Leah says:
well not so much actually...the culture here is so lax it is driving me crazy...but I have been doing some office work, and I have visited some of the field officers and went with them as they have gone to talk to people about HIV
GINA says:
hello are you still there... I got the job
Leah says:
today I went with one girl as she visited some prostitutes and asked them to be tested and gave them condoms

GINA says:
tell me about your House
Leah says:
humph...that is funny..well you haven't spoken forever1
Leah says:
!
GINA says:
yea
Leah says:
So it is a pretty big house, it has concrete floors and bars on all of the windows, It has running water, although i still have to treat it, it has a flush toilet and a bathtub I can stand in to take a shower with a cup...the kitchen dosent have a stove, just a two little burners that are on cinder blocks.....
Leah says:
what else do you want to know?....I just updated my blog....
GINA says:
oh I looked at that last night so what so you get to eat
Leah says:
well for breakfast either hard boiled eggs or oatmeal....lunch is Nshima which is like hard cream of wheat paste thing and usually some spinach and dinner....
Leah says:
dinner if I didn't have eggs then eggs or bread, I haven't really taken to the meat here...when the fish still has eyes and the chicken still has feathers....
GINA says:
oooowwwww yeah do you have a place to plant a garden?
Leah says:
yeah they have some things planted and the boy who takes care of the house tends to it, but I haven't looked what is in it....but we do have a ton of mango trees although they are not quite ripe yet

GINA says:
ok...do you have more people coming to help now
Leah says:
what do you mean?
GINA says:
more volunteers
Leah says:
no I am the only one that will be in this project for the whole six months
GINA says:
wow ok so you go out with the people from around there not any one from any other projects
Leah says:
yep...today I rode on the back of a motorcycle, well a dirt bike... to one of fields and worked with the people there and then walked back with one of the guys who works as a Field Officer...
GINA says:
so that was your long walk home... ok so what else do you get to do....
Leah says:
I don't really know yet...they are still working on my plan...I mean they didn''t know I was coming or anything...so they couldn't do it before I got here, but I hope to visit all of the fields and all of the field officers...there are 55 and they are hiring 50 more...I have been helping with the hiring process...that has been interesting
GINA says:
yeah that should keep you busy
Leah says:
I hope so! So it is so funny...I have already been asked 7 times if I am married and 5 of those by guys...they then ask if I have a boy friend and such and such....it is crazy. And today I was asked if I would marry a Zambian...and take him to America
GINA says:
Dad says hi and I love you
Leah says:
Tell him I love him too and have a good day at work!
GINA says:
ok
GINA says:
that is funny ... have you met any LDS or have you found out about church?
Leah says:
I haven't met anyone who is mormon, and no I haven't but the woman who is living with me, family is in Lusaka and she goes there about every weekend so I am going to talk to her, she was gone today though
GINA says:
April looked to see if they had a branch she said there was two. So made you can find one. that would be great
Leah says:
Yeah I have a list of the Branches with me that Elder and Sister Smith printed out for me
GINA says:
oh good
Leah says:
Yeah! I really am excited to be able to go!

A Place called Mazabuka

Hmmm....so may of you have asked, "What is it like?" Well let me see if I can paint a picture for you....picture St. George, now make it completely flat and add heaps of trash everywhere and a whole buch of black people staring at you where ever you go....and there you go. That is exactly what it is like, red sand, hotter than hades, with staring people...hee, hee...I will get some pictures posted as soon as i can. But it is not so bad, besides it being hot...the place I an living is pretty nice, a whole lot nicer than I expected...there is an inside toilet that kinda flushes and a bath tub, a kitchen and such....but the water doesn't always work and you have to treat it before you use it....I am living with one lady named Pretanella, she is in her mid-thirties and like to walk around not wearing anything and has coveted my comb....ha, ha, ha....The people here are nice but it is so frustrating because they speak mostly in their local langues so I never have any idea what is going on and when they ask me....ok let me repharse that, they don't ask, they tell...to do something I have a hard time understand what exactly they are telling me to do....and they tell me to do everything like bring your bag, go eat, drink this...it kinda feel like a child, like I can't take care of myself....Ah, frustration.....but I am learning! And I really am liking it here for the most part...and my constent pray is that i will learn to love the rest of it! Thank you all who are praying for me and have prayed for my bags...I know they got here on those prayers