Hello!
It was really nice to talk to you. I wish I could have talked longer but I was using Sis. Morgan's cell phone and other people needed to call their parents. Don't worry about the birth certificate we got the second one you sent and I was able to apply for residency so everything worked out. That's strange that Jolynn was there the day before and really fortunate. My new companion is Elder Chidzawo from SA, he is one of four Elders who got residency in Botswana. He has been here for six months and will likely stay here until his mission is over in a year. As far as the South Africa Johannesburg Mission goes, I am living the dream. Opening an area in Botswana, I know people who would kill to be me. But at the same time it kind of sucks. I am in Lobatse and there are four missionaries here three of us came here at the same time, Elder Albertson has been here for three months so he is the only one that knows the members and town and stuff and his visa expires on Wednesday so he has to go to the border and probably won't come back. They are going to try and get an extension but its not likely.So we will probably be in a threesome until some one else gets emergency transfer from SA. So we barely know our areas, the members, the investigators and everything else so its going to be a lot of work. If I do get residency I will probably spend the rest of my mission here in Bots, just because of the hassles with visas and all the emergency transfers they have had to do. Here in Lobatse we have a branch of about 80-100 people. It rained hard yesterday so only about thirty people showed up for church. I don't know if you have googled Lobatse or not but it's about a 45 minute drive form Gaborone. It 's just a small town out in the middle of nowhere. We are really close to SA border though. I wish I had some pictures to send but I haven't taken any yet. Which reminds me, one of my suitcases disappeared on the drive up here. We had two cars and a truck and trailer and all of our suitcases were in the trailer. It's asbout a five hour drive form Joburg to Gabs and when we got here I couldn't find my small suitcase. I don't know where it would have gone maybe one of the other elders took it by accident or else someone stole it out of the trailer, I really don't know. It had my big camera and a bunch of ties my shoe shine kit and sewing kit all the letters that I've recieved on my mission and my patriarchal blessing . And a bunch of US money and I can't remember what else. So ya it makes me sick when I think about it but hopefully it will turn-up. I had my name and the address of the mission office written on it so maybe it will find its way back to me. So ya that has kind of ruined my week but other than that Botswana is really cool, I guess there are monkeys and baboons everywhere but I haven't seen any yet, I guess there are also snakes up here like black mambas and stuff so that's a little bit scary. Unfortunately I am riding a bike again. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Utah here, there are mountains and trees. In Soweto there were no trees at all. I will only be able to get packages and letters every six weeks while I am up here because everything gets sent to Joburg and has to wait until transfers for the other missionaries to bring up here. I'm glad to hear Darbin is coming back hopefully I will get to see him some time. I hope everything is going good and I wish you the best.
Love, Elder Finlinson