This week was tough! I'll admit, mission life is way more difficult then I thought it would be. If I had a dollar for every time I wanted to go home I would be a millionaire, but I keep fighting and praying so so hard. This week we had 3 baptisms, and I got to baptize which was cool! They were all young children, the oldest being 15 and the other two being 9! There was no water all week again, but it is something you start getting used to. You get used to having all the bugs on you too! Sort of ha ha. After Monday's rain, it brought out this bug, I don't know what it is but it is the size of a small Caterpillar and fly around until its wings fall off and then it burrows into the ground. They are disgusting. If you had 1 in your house in America, you would freak. Let alone 50+ and they are all hitting you in the face ha ha.
A few fun facts about Zimbabwe
1- Everyone has a 6 foot tall wall around their house with either barbed wire, broken glass, or spikes on top to keep thieves out. Even the church has barbed wire around it. And everyone's windows are barred too, also to keep thieves out. Never thought I would see an LDS church with "prison" gates inside and barred windows.
2- Hand washing your laundry STINKS. Every missionary here wears the same clothes multiple days in a row. Hand washing takes so long, you would rather wear dirty clothes then wash them. I wear the same underwear and clothes 3 days, then switch. It is super gross, but its what you have to do or you will spend your entire P-day washing. Even doing that, I spent 2 hours this morning washing clothes!
3- Woman here spend all day every day either plowing in a field, or selling things out of their little cart. Like all day. I feel bad for them, cause I helped plow for some service, and after 30 min my back hurt and I was drenched in sweat. And they all do it with a baby on their back. Those are just some fun facts. Life here is very hard to adjust to but I am trying. so so so hard. I know the Lord is helping me.
I asked a member about the caterpillars they usually eat and they said that they aren't in season! Around April, when all the corn grows, that's when they are in season! So I am sure around April I will be eating those! It scares me, but I heard if you don't look at them they are actually good! I will be having intestine soon.... Scared to death to eat it. I may have already had it, I'm not sure.
Forgot to mention in my group email that I helped slaughter a chicken.. That was gross and not fun. It's worse then gutting a dear cause they grab the chicken alive and slice it's neck open. and the blood like squirts all over cause the heart is pumping it out. Then they pluck all the feathers. Watching it made me a little nauseous, just cause watching something struggle as it's neck is sliced open makes me feel bad. Apparently cow is much much worse though. They tie the cow to the tree and just start hacking its neck with an ax... I couldn't watch. And I will definitely go hunting after my mission. Weeds don't really bother me anymore ha ha. Neither does dirt.
CAYDEN: Yes!! They love white persons hair cause they have never felt it before
It's funny cause here I will see people with TV show shirts on, like Walking Dead, and I will ask them if they watch that show and they have no idea what it is!! It happens a lot, people just wear what they can get! I think they just buy from hand me down shops. A lot of the little boys where girls clothes cause that's all they have.
Questions Answered:
What is the food you most the mess from home?
I really miss cold milk and cereal, and clean dishes and a clean kitchen. Any food will do as long as it is all clean and not bug infested.
What major learning from the Scriptures have you experienced recently? Anything jump out at you that has been really valuable?
I am close to finishing the book of Mormon. I just finished 3 Nephi, and just learning about Jesus is so so powerful. I love all His teachings.
Are you still required to do service projects every week? If so how many hours and what kind of service are you doing?
We are supposed to spend a day a week doing service, according to the missionary handbook, but we don't do it. That's been hard for me, cause I want to be a service oriented missionary.
Have you found any food item that you actually really enjoy in Zimbabwe?
I really like sadza and beef, if it is cooked right. When I am really hungry and we get really good beef stew and sadza it's amazing.
Do you guys actually have wards where you are serving or are they branches? How is the activity rate of the members?
Where I am serving we have wards! We have a "nice' church building, with wards, so i have 5 hours of church every Sunday. There are tons of in-actives here. Like I've taught at least ten lessons, where we will get through the lesson, then the person will tell us "yeah I was baptized in 2007" or something like that. People here have nothing to do all day, so if they don't come to church, its cause they are skipping. People here don't like that there is only 3 hours of church. It's opposite of the USA. People here want their to be more church. they are like 3 hours?!?! that's way to short!! Christ's church can't be only 3 hours!! compared to the USA where 3 hours is way too long. All the other churches here are like 6+ hours and people go all day!
Are you able to understand the people? I know when you first got there their actions were so strong that you had a hard time understanding them. Has that cleared up? Is there any truth to the clicking language?
Ha ha ha funny thing is I am actually trying to learn the clicking language! The place where I am serving is the only place in Zimbabwe where they speak it!! I practice every day, and when we Skype in a month I will try to talk to you guys in it! It's a really cool language, and I enjoy learning it! And accents are easy to understand now. I prayed every day that I would be able to understand people and it just sorta happened! The Lord blessed me very much in that manner. The people love teaching me it and I practice it with members every day! They love teaching me and think it is hilarious!
Love Elder Cazier
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