Christmas time is Nea...... Actually today. - December 25, 2017

Pretty Much Not alot to talk about. We couldn't go out much this week, and the entire city is barren since everyone left, so we have watched a lot of church movies, and done a lot of member visits, and nothing. When your under order to stay in your flat, theres not a lot to do. 

But I do have a lot of pictures to send. So thats nice. Pretty much, the few appointments we did have canceled. We saw a lot of members, had the most intense game ever of South African Monopoly at a members house yesterday. In the End I won, but not before the Other Missionaries ganged up on me and made a huge comeback. Today we Skyped which was the Best. Its so much easier than emailing. I wish we could just do that each week. The whole thing is a pain though, we had to find a member with a smartphone buy 10GB of data, and hotspot it to some borrowed laptops at the chapel, but we made it happen. 

Church was barren. 21 people, and the ward clerk had to preside because the whole branch presidency and whole elders quorum presidency was gone. And it was only an hour. I gave a Talk on the General Conference Message, "The Needs Before Us" I addressed, the needs of Service and why its important and why its a sacrifice worth making for the blessings of heaven. Service is the best way to make life better, and sometimes we need to pray for the opportunity to serve and for our eyes to be opened to who we can help. Usually those closest to us need us the most, and we a put where we are for a reason. Sometimes the small and simple things make the biggest difference. "What good does it do to save the world, if those closest to us are falling apart."

But life is good. We have to lay low pretty much until new year, but we will continue to see and do what we can. Life is good 

Merry Christmas

Kthanksbye

 Elder Funk and his companion had lunch with us today at my parents home. What great young men!!  --Jackie Pienaar

 ​Pigeons buy our flat​

 ​Neat Picture​

 ​Our Christmas Tree​

 ​Some house on a hill​

 ​The Township of Klarinet​

 Middleburg

 ​Zebras and Springbok​

 ​Zebras and Springbok​

 ​Klarinet again​

 ​comming over the hill on the way from Middleburg back to Witbank​

​View from the front of our flat. Witbank

This is gonna be a long one. - December 18, 2017

This week was probably the best week I've had on mission, kinda. It was a wild week.

So monday, we got the car fixed, played more ping pong, played some other games, had a good time. Not a lot to really talk about, except our usually 2 FHE families are both gone for the holidays. Everyone here, since this is a city, goes home to the townships and villages that they're family comes from, so this place is getting pretty desolate, many of our investigators and most of our branch are gone. 

TUESDAY was the BEST day. so there is a township called Klarinet about 20 minutes from our flat. we had knocked some doors, since Klarinet is the first place i've been without heavily secured gates around each house, and met 2 girls and their brother, Vivian and Tobilwe, we had a good-but-not-amazing Restoration lesson with them saturday and had our 2nd appointment here on tuesday, and when we came tuesday, they had read the book of Mormon to ALMA 34!!!!! no one here ever reads the Book, and when they do its like 3 pages, and they believed it and accepted baptism, they are going home for holiday like eveyone else it South Africa, but they will only be gone a week or 2.  After that we had an appointment with a lady named Sibongile, who had actually come up to US and asked us to visit her.so we did tuesday and it was a way powerful restoration lesson, she really felt the spirit and agreed with it all. She said that she couldn't come to church this week, but whould do everything she could to come next week, and that she would read a chapter of the Book of Mormon Each day, we called her later in the week to check up on her, and she had been reading as she said she would. And during the lesson i had asked her why she came up to us, and didn't just keep walking, and she said " I felt like i just needed to talk to you, you looked like you were walking with angels." So Tuesday was pretty much the best day ever. Missionary work is the Best. 

Wednesday, not a ton really happened except our best investigator moved back to Malowi until march. But we are gonna  keep teaching his girlfriend, who has been progressing OK, we only just started teaching her. 

Thursday was also pretty normal as well as friday.

Saturday was a national holiday, The Day of Reconcilliatoin, and we had to come back early and the rule of "dont go to any not set apointments" is now in effect. We have to be back at our flat if we arent in an apointment, since everyone gets way drunk and whatnot, or leaves to go home. December is the worst month for Missionary work in African Missions, which is the opposite of Back home, when its probably the best time, since everyone is home with family, and thinking of Christ, but we'll continue to do our best, and do what we need to to stay safe. 

Sunday we had like 12 people at the Branch, since everyone is gone, so that was funny. And we had 2 appointments and  one canceled, so we couldn't do a whole lot, so we made a nice lucnh and watched 17 miricles and a church history documentery that Elder Roberts had on his flash drive. 

Im getting a much needed haircut today, and it still doesn't feel like chirstmas. Everyone here says I look like Trump. 

Some things I read this week, were two talks by Elder Bednar. 'The Atomnement and the Journey of Mortality' and 'Bear up Their Burdens with Ease' two absolutly amazing talks that i couldn't do justice trying to summarize, so I'd say just look them up and give them a read. Its good stuff.

Sorry no pictures this week, my camera is having issues, but i will have many, many pictures next week.

I hope everyone is doing well this Christmas season. Africa is weird, but i still love it. Hope that Everyone Enjoys Star Wars. 

Life is good

kthanksbye

I like Stoney - December 11, 2017

Stoney is the Soda called Ginger beer that burns when you drink it even though it is non-alchaholic and tastes like super strong ginger ale. My companion does not like it. Joke relating to that coming in part about thursday.

But after emailing last monday we grilled (they call it braii here) burgers and ate it on some bread i made with fries we made ourselves, then well all played some games, and played ping pong at our chapel, beause they have ping pong at our chapel. Then we went and had dinner with the Ngubanes, who have the most adorable baby ever, shes like 1 and a half I think, ill try toget pictures one of these days. 

Tuesday, we did a lot of street contacting (since everyone has gates and we cant konck doors), in the township of Klarinet. It was pretty fruitful, and alot of the people we met that day, we met with for real on Saturday, the most noteworthy is a lady named Gracious, who was way into what we had to say, the whole time she was all "that makes so much sence" so well see how she progresses. 

Wednesday, we did service for the hillarious Sister Pat, shes an Africoner (white south african) who used to be an undercover cop, shes the funniest person i've met on mission. We mowed her lawn and she made us some nice EBLT (egg lettuce and tomatoe, and bacon) sandwhiches. We had some other nice lessons and learned our most progressing investigator is leaving to malouwi for 4 months in lke 3 days, so that sucks. 

Thursday, we got fed stoney at a dinner appointment after a nice day of peole canceling, and us just doing some finding. On the drive back we met up with the Kwa'Guqa, the 'qa' is a click.  Elders (Elder Harms and Elder Asay) to meet with a referal we gave them. Most people here are Zulu, which is a language with a little bit of clicking, but the super clicky one is Xosa. (Co saw) so thats pretty cool, but we went with them to Kwa'Guqa and met with the Referal, who actually was really happy to see us with them, since they were scared to meet Elders they'd never seen before. 

Friday, We had a nice District meeting, and afterwards had a lunch at McDonalds, and i got the Double Big Mac, which was a mistake. But next time i want to try the Chicken Big Mac, because it exists here. We met with a few people, but had a lot of cancels again, so we did a lot of Finding in a place called Dhuva Park, which went pretty well. 

Saturday was going to be the Branch christmas party, untill the Branch called everyone and cancelled it due to lack of funds. So we had to scramble to fill in the time that we thought that would take up, and call all the investigators that we told to come that it was not going to happen. So that sucked, but we spent most of the day following up on the people we'd met throughout the week while finding. 

Sunday we had church, and no one was there, we had like 10 people, and of course it was the day that the stake president came. So that was im sure stressful for Branch President Edwin. We had lunch with the Mcokis (mmm-*clicking t sound*-oh-keys) And then, since it was a massive rainstorm, everyone canceled, and no one goes outside, so we went back ot our flat and just called people. Then had Call-ins with the district leader.

Today, Monday, we had to take our Chevey Aveo in to the shop, becuse during the rainstorm i hit one of the massive, numberous Potholes and blew our tire, and on tuesday one of the headlights went out, and we aren't allowed to do the car stuff ourself, so we had to take it in. 

Life is good. I am loving it here in witbank, doesn't feel like christmas, no one decorates. Its raining a lot 

kthanksbye

Witbank (A.K.A eMelahleni) - December 4, 2017

There are white people here! lie 50% of the town is Afrikaans, (the white people) and so at church yesterday it was super weird for me to have there be white people other than myself. But good news, I'm feeling somewhat betterer. Honestly even though being sick has sucked, I have never really been "bummed out" about it. Maybe it's the prayers and blessings, but I have stayed pretty positive, and "lifes good". I'm companions with Elder Roberts now, and Its not as hot back here in South Africa, so that helps.

but, monday was nothing special other than what I said last week.

Tuesday we drove down to transfers, but in our car the one guy who knew the way, sent us the wrong way, and we ended up in the Durban South Africa Mission, so that was a problem, then we found our way and drove to Pretoria and got there only 6 hours late. Transfers take forever since this mission is the size of California to Colorado. People have to fly to parts of it, since the drive would take so long.  but then we made the companion swaps and me and elder Roberts drove to the beautiful town of Witbank. Things are so green and its all rolling hills here. A nice change from the Flat, brown desert of Botswana. 

Wednsday- Saturday we met with many members, its kinda a haze, and I left my journel at the flat, so woops, but long story short, white people and many dinner appointments.  There are many strong investigators here, the one you'll probably continue to hear about it kenny, but he is just awesome, but needs to get some chastity stuff in order, the usual problem. 

Sunday was nice, we had to conduct the music and elder roberts and I gave our testimonies. We didn't have many people come to church, and this is a Branch that used to be a ward, but due to the extreame racism of a certain number of members when the made a white guy 1st couceler, it lost enough members to downgrade to a branch. so we are working on building it back up to ward status. 

All things concidered, Witbank is awesome, it's a huge area, and there is a lot of potential, and its an actually developed city. Life is good. There is this stuff i walways see at stores called, I <3 mayo, which is a frozen desert, that I thought was litterally frozen mayoneise, but its pronounced maw-yo, and apearently is africaans for yogurts, so its just frozen yogurt, which is much less disgusting. Also random thing, Since KFC was started in Utah, and there is a KFC on every corner here, ive been wondering if Colonel Sanders was a member. Yeah.  Also i hit 5 months tomorrow. 

The Spirit truely is the Comforter. This is a hard thing, and its harder when your sick, but through the power of the Atonment i have been able to push through with a smile on my face. I will continue to do my best untill i'm done. As someone said in their testimony yesterday "Don't stop when you are tired, stop when you are finished"

kthanksbye

A picture of me "when the revelation for our area hits" here it witbank

Our district in botswana. 

A picture from the Drive back from Botswana of Botswana