Got A GOOD Zimbabwe Haircut!

Week six is over now, and transfers are through. We got transfer news on Saturday and I am staying in Kadoma, but my companion Elder Mayette is leaving to Bindura and Elder Barrus is going to Harare. I am now in a tri-panionship with Elder Parco and Elder Richardson.  Elder Parco was the comp of Elder Barrus so I already know him really well. Elder Richardson is from the States as well. They combined my area with Elder Parco's area. So our area is huge, and comprises of town, Rimuka, Westview, Mornington, Cotton Research, and Pixie Combie. There was an odd number of missionaries in the mission, so I'm the lucky one who gets to be in a trio! I wasn't too excited at all, but I think it will be good! I'm not sure, we will have to wait and see, and I will report next week how it is going! I was nervous, but after watching conference and doing a self evaluation, I think I will be okay, but still have mixed feelings! We will see. It should be fun, and I am sure I will really enjoy!

Goodbye Elder Barrus and Mayett!! 

 Zone pictures! Can you tell I was way on my tippy toes?

Not sure if I've talked about this in one of my emails before, but there's this thing here called African Time. I thought people back home had a problem with arriving on time, but here is MUCH worse. Church starts at 10:30, and our branch president normally rolls into the parking lot at around 10:35 or 10:40. So for example, on Saturday we had General Conference showing. The first session started at 9 in the morning. Us missionaries got there before 9 and waited. And waited. And waited. We had one family show up on time at 9, but no one else did. Finally, the branch president arrives at around 12:30. By the time they got it all set up, Conference started at 1:00. Us missionaries were so frustrated, but that is African Time for you. Apparently it's an issue all over Africa! I've dealt with it my whole mission. If you schedule a baptism for 10 in the morning, expect it to start at 12. So then after conference on Saturday, we made it very clear to everyone that Sunday's is starting at 9, to be there on time. We had one faithful member show up on time and start the conference right at 9, but it was literally just us 4 missionaries and the member there to watch it. And around when conference was half over, people started rolling in. It's super frustrating, but something we have to deal with!!

 Got myself a hair cut, its not too bad for Zimbabwe!!

(**I wrote to Cayden, telling him how glad I am that he tells me everything. I am the type of mom that needs to know it all.  It takes a lot to get me worried. :)

The missionaries here are amazed that I am so open about things that are happening. Like with the break in, the other elders like didn't even tell their parents, cause they didn't want to make it a big deal or scare their family. I just am honest cause I feel much better when I know everything going on at home, so I think by telling you everything going on in Zimbabwe it is much better! Elder Barrus said to me today "Man, my mom is getting mad cause she is seeing how much you send pictures home, and that I only send like 4 a week. Your gonna make me send way more!" I thought that was funny.

About the robbery, they are going to try to install burglar bars on our windows, and just told us to make sure our doors are locked! They said that whoever stole wont be back anytime soon, so we shouldn't have to worry about it! I still am scared though, that I will come home one of these days and have my suitcase opened with everything taken. But I know it will be okay and all will work out! I don't think they will do anything about the issue, they will just label it as a rare occurrence. 

(**Several months ago I sent Cayden cash disguised as bookmarks. I took pictures of Christ and hid $20 bills in between two of them, then laminated them. I knew if anyone intercepted his package they wouldn't take them and in a robbery they would go untouched. I asked him if he had already spent his hidden cash or if it had been stolen**Amy) I haven't touched my book mark money cause I want to preserve it for emergency buys lol. You know me, I just stash things. There are still a pair of pants I haven't worn yet hahah. So I still have all my personal cash left! 

My showers are freezing!! The hot water broke, but a guy is coming to fix it tomorrow I think! But my showers are always freezing, and I know a lot of houses have no hot water! I still don't sleep with a pillow. Everyone asks why I don't sleep with one, I just say I don't know! And I only sleep with a bed sheet. I don't like using the blankets at the mission houses cause they are never washed and some missionaries are just gross hahah.

I'm a dumby, taking cruddy bed selfies hahahha.

KADOMA STEAM CENTRE
(Taken From the Zimbabwe Field Guide)
The Kadoma Steam Centre is rather a grand name for a fenced off area between the Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre and the A5 National Road on the Harare side of Kadoma.
Established by the Rev. E.D. Hamer with the support of the National Railways of Zimbabwe and the Kadoma City Council, the Kadoma Steam Centre was an steam locomotive enthusiast’s dream and contains three steam locomotives:

1. A 2 ft. 0 inch gauge Class 0-4-2T from the Selukwe Peak Light Railway No.3 called Ivy.

2. A 3 ft. 6 inch gauge 14th Class Beyer Garratt (No. 233, later 500) 2-6-2+2-6-2 

3. A 3 ft. 6 inch gauge 15th Class Beyer Garratt (No. 271, later 350) 4-6-4+4-6-4 in her blue livery as     a 1947 Royal train. 

4. An early wooden balconied 3rd class passenger saloon in very dilapidated state is attached to the         14th Class Beyer Garratt and there is also a Ruston and Hornsby portable engine.

Found trains just as promised mom!!!

We each have our own cupboard but I just leave all my stuff organized on the top of the table. Most guys stick their stuff in a pile in the cupboards, but I organize my stuff! 

We have a bad roach problem!! Like I find them everywhere, it sucks!! But I have found that if we clean up our messes and do the dishes and don't have dirty garbage, the number of them decreases rapidly! But even with a clean house, we have a roach problem!  

A HUGE spider outside our house, it's so big you can see the stripes of yellow around its back. Bigger then any spider I saw in states!

Just being here in Zim, I have felt like "wow the world is such a different place, I wonder what it is like other places as well!" My whole life I was always wondering what Africa is like, well now I know! So now I want to see what other places are like, and how the world is and all that good stuff! I want to go see all the amazing things, and see all of God's creations! It sounds so fun! I found a magazine in Harare about "Places to travel in 2017" And I read the whole magazine, twice.  It just really made me want to see the world and go everywhere! I want to say, yup I've been there, it's so cool!!  I want to see all of the states too! To say I've been to every state, and have seen it all!! Sounds so cool. 

We can't force the spirit. I have been trying lately to try to feel the spirit so hard, but it doesn't work that way!! It's all about living in the moment, and being happy with what we have now! It's really hard, but with trying it can be okay!! 

Other then that, not much to talk about this week. I'm sad about Elder Barrus leaving, but that is mission. I would also like to encourage everyone to listen to or read the talk by Elder Ballard on Saturday evening session. Even if you aren't Mormon, it's a very good talk on setting goals and planning, and helped me out greatly! You can find it HERE.  

Have an awesome week, Elder Cazier  

We Got Robbed...

What a crazy week. I had plans to start from the beginning of the week and work my way to the end, but I have to start my way at the end and then go to the beginning.

So we woke up Sunday morning, and I walk into my study room and notice my companions stuff is all over. I was the first one up, and didn't think much of it, I thought maybe he was cleaning his stuff up. So then the other elders wake up, and Elder Parco approaches me and asks me if I had been messing with his stuff. I said no, confused, so we walked into their study room, and their stuff was all over the place too. We quickly realize that someone had broke in and stolen all our money and things... while we were sleeping.

They had came in during the night, and had taken our cash, cameras, USB's, and wallets. In total, we had $1,300 dollars stolen from us in cash, plus cameras and other things. It was devastating. They had came through a window and walked past our bedrooms (with our bedroom doors wide open), searched our drawers and taken things of value. My companion stores his suitcases in the study room, so they had searched all that and taken all the things of value. We thought they stole all our bags too, but we found our bags tossed outside with all the things dumped out, and the cash stolen. But they did steal my companions bag.

The worst part, was not that our money was stolen, but that there were people in our house while we were sleeping. They had the guts to come inside, search all our drawers, and take our bags, walking past our rooms as they leave. The theft was too well done, to where they knew where to look for the cash, and where to go in the house. That's what's so creepy about the whole situation, is they probably have been in our house before, waiting till we got home cause they knew we would leave our bags with cash there for them to take. Sleeping last night was really hard, and all us elders are just spooked now, and feel uneasy at the house! I woke up so many times scared someone was in my room with me.

The weirdest thing about the whole scenario, is that they didn't take my camera, which was sitting on my desk. But they stole the other elders. And they didn't take my nice card reader either, but pushed it aside to grab my hidden cash. It is just so creepy to know that someone (or multiple people) were confident and comfortable enough to go into our house while 4 almost adult males are there, and search our stuff and leave. We are all pretty nervous around the house now, the office is gonna figure out what to do. I am just happy though that the Lord kept us elders asleep, cause if we would have woken up, there would have been a brawl!

So besides that, the week was pretty solid! I went to Harare on Wednesday for my doctors appointment, and stayed their till Saturday! It went well. The doctor thinks I am just adjusting to the life here still, so he gave me 4 different pills I have to take and said he wants to meet with me in a month to see if I am improving! I know it will all be good, so I am happy :)

The doctors office and the streets in Harare.

I saw a man get beat in the streets. Saturday night before we returned home, we went to go get groceries and I saw all these men running after this guy, and they all just started beating him, with their fists and poles and things. It was so crazy to see. It was about 40 men on 1 man. I asked someone what was going on and the guy said that they are beating a man who tried to steal. I felt almost bad inside, cause of how they were beating him, probably almost to death. Then of course, that night, dudes broke into our house and stole all our stuff!! So I then wanted those guys to get caught and beat!! Hahaha

Some dude was listening to the Mama Mia sound track. I told him my mom listens to it, and i dont think he liked that comment lol My washing thing works really well, thank you!! I haven't forgot about taking pics of me washing, It works really well though, the other elders take it to use often too! It saves me a lot of bending over and cleans the clothes a lot better!

Playing games with the kids in Primary.

I told the kids to make kissy faces, so they just started going mmmmmmm. Haha

Zimbabwe problems, trying to fix the water for a baptism!

The kids were swarming the tower like zombies. I had to tell them to get down! 

The view from the top of the water towers.

Picture of the town of Kadoma.

We got a taxi ride home from a guy, and he asked me if I was from America, and I said that I was. He turned to me, with a very serious look in his eye, and said "take me there with you." I laughed and  I said "Well if you can pay for the plain ticket, get your passport, and get a visa to stay there, I'll let you fly with me back home!" He looked me dead in the eye and says "I will sell this car right now. I'm not kidding, I am going to sell my car and get the money." I was like whoa this guy is really serious, so I said "uhhhh, okay!" Then shut the door and walked away. I've learned, you can't joke with people with that stuff, cause they take you serious. So that was my week! I hope the burglary thing gets figured out, but other then that, things are all good! I'm officially 6 months on mission, wahoo!!! It's flying!!  Elder Cazier