JOY

This week was one of my most favorite weeks I have had on my mission! Don't I say that ever week? But for reals this week was AMAZING!!! We hiked to a waterfall on Mt. Mulanje today (go look it up!!! it is SO BEAUTIFUL!) and so we don't have much time today but here are some highlights...

  Mount Mulanje!!!

Selfie with the Sisters

 Old Man Falls

   I love Sister Arok!

 The Girls!

  The BEAUTIFUL TEA FIELDS!!!

I want to move here.

George turned 6 years old and his mom invited us to lunch. We thought it would just be Sister Arok and I....nope!! Turned out all the kids from Maplot were invited!!! It was huge and us sister missionaries were the center of everything! We helped cut the cake and all!!! It was fun but when it was time for us to leave Grace came over and thanked us missionaries for helping and blessing their family. All we did was teach them the restored gospel and love them. I think so often I don't even realize how important the work that we do is. It touches lives more than we know and truly brings joy into many lives! I am so grateful for that family and for the months that I have spent loving and serving them. They will always be dear to my heart!

  Peace with the Birthday boy

  The biggest party in Maplot

  Birthday Boy George....lady killer

  Cutting the cake

Helping out for George's Birthday Party

Mission Tour with Elder and Sister Ellis. I don't even know what to say...it was so incredible! It was uplifting and encouraging! They spoke a lot about having faith and not just doing our best, but doing our VERY best. It was interesting to hear them speak about how we need to put our trust in the Lord as we go through challenging times because lately I have felt nothing but JOY as a missionary. There are definitely times in the past months where I was discouraged and felt so stressed but as I thought about the past couple of weeks, I realized how blessed I have been! And how much I have grown!! I am more grateful that I ever have been for the struggles we may face and how when we look back, we can look at them with joy knowing that we became so much stronger because of them. I was greatly humbled to be taught by such strong leaders this past week! I am grateful for the faith they have. I am grateful for their testimonies and examples. We really are so blessed to be members of Christ's church which is filled with amazing saints who are humbling serving the Lord in whatever calling they are given. I also learned a LOT of things that I can improve on....sometimes chastisement from the Spirit can be hard to swallow but I am grateful for opportunities to change, repent, and do better! 

Sister Ellis

Our investigators are doing so great!!! I wish I had time to report on each of them but here are a few of some small miracles from the week.....

1. Aggie came to church!!! She is now in the Isaiah chapters of 1 Nephi. We told her to just do her best to get through them cause we all know how hard those can be. But while reading a chapter with her she was able to understand it SO well and shared with us what she learned. She is quiet but in gospel principles she was participating so well!!! She will be baptized at the end of this month!

2. Adisum....we show up at his house and before we even ask about what he learned from 2 Nephi 31, he started sharing all about it and how true it is! And how he knows without a doubt that he needs to be baptized. 

3. Felix's wife came home from the village!!! And they came to church as a family!!!!!!! We have been really focusing on progressing a family.....we had to drop 3 families this week:( I was feeling really discouraged in Sacrament meeting. Sister Arok and I decided to fast for families and I was thinking about what we were going to do differently to help accomplish this goal. All the sudden it just hit me, hello Sister Bingham!!! You have a family sitting right in front of you at church!!! Neither Sister Arok or I have had an entire family come to church together on our mission. It really was a tender mercy from the Lord.

Families are Forever!!!

Felix and Sarah Makuganya with their sons Daniel and Frank. Their matching outfits are the cutest!

Sister Arok and I had a crazy busy week and we both continue to love this area more and more each day!!! Yesterday the branch threw together a last minute devotional and we all bore our testimonies. I wish you could have heard them all....Sister Arok shared how this is her most favorite branch she has served in. I don't know if i can say that because I love everywhere I have served but my heart continues to grow in love for the Ndirande Branch! Thank you so much for your prayers. I have had more physical success in our numbers recently that I ever have experienced. We could hardly believe it.....

Our branch devotional! Love them all so much!!!!

I love being a missionary. I love Malawi! I love the Savior and am grateful for the daily strength we receive from His Atonement. Continue to have faith and press forward and all will be well.

Ndimakukonda,

Sister Bingham

Family Home Evening Charades

 Peace

 Oscar

 Susan

 Regina acting out the first vision:)

Vanderson

  Stella from our branch

 Only the cutest boy in Goliyo....Joseph's Nephew. He laughed the entire lesson

 Aggie and Valentine!

 Another cute baby boy

 Gilbert

Gilbert is a neighbor to the Paseli's and he is sort of crazy. Whenever he sees us he just starts spitting out random words that he knows in English. We finally got a picture with him!!!