Dear
Mom,
The week
has gone well. We have taught a lot of lesson, but again we didn't meet our
goals. We need to start finding more people to teach to fill our days. This
area has a lot of potential, so we are busy finding people to teach. Another
good week has goon by here in South Africa. I am still doing very well, and
enjoying the work. Time has really flown by since I have been here in
Vosloorus. I have been here one transfer (6 weeks). It seems like I have been
with Elder Zebe for only 2 weeks or so now. The next transfer starts tomorrow,
so I am super excited that I will stay with Elder Zebe for another transfer,
and I know this next six weeks will fly by. This will be my 10th transfer
beginning tomorrow. Elder Zebe will return home the end of these 6 weeks.
As you
said you were thinking about me, and how much I remember the family. I still
feel like I know you pretty well, and I remember things about home. Like there
are little things I guess I have forgotten, and that I will have to readjust
to, but it will be pretty easy. I guess sometimes it feels like i don't have a
family back home, but then I remember and those thoughts don't last very long.
I know in the back of my mind that you are constantly there are supporting me.
I hope that you can continue to be comforted and know that I am doing well. I
know the next 11 months will fly by, so I am not too worried
That is
cool that you went to Meet the Mormons. I hope that somehow we will be able to
see it here. I hope that President Dunn figures out a way to let us see it.
Marshall told me that he saw it, so maybe there is a way I can see it. It
sounds like it was pretty well done from what I have heard.
That is
good you are still able to get up the mountain and enjoy the fresh air. I miss
having fresh air. Really the only time we get nice fresh air here is when it
rains, and it is only for like a day we have nice air. I don't think I have
sent pictures of this small apartment yet, sorry I will get some this week and
send them.
The
weather is still about the same. It is still kind of hot. It is heating up a
bit. I haven't been super hot I guess. When we are walking in the heat at about
noon or one o'clock it is pretty dang hot. We had a pretty good rain storm on
Friday evening, and it was nice because I was driving that day, so I didn't get
soaked. The flat doesn't get super hot. We are actually at ground level, so
that is nice. WE have 2 fans in the flat that we put on us at night to sleep,
but it still isn't super hot. The hottest month is December, so we are still in
spring I guess.
I am
feeling very good about working out and eating healthy. I am over my cold now I
think, so that is good, I just have a bit of a cough that I get at night.
Vosloorus it is just a normal township I guess. They speak mostly speak Shoto,
and not really zulu in the area we are in. So I am trying to learn more of
shoto now. There are 9 official languages in South Africa, but Zulu and Shoto
are the most used African languages. But are days are pretty full teaching
people. WE do talk to people on the streets sometimes. The streets normally
have a lot of people. Township is normally very busy on the streets, unlike a
town where everyone stays behind their gates.
Well our
best investigator the old man Brother Herbert got baptized yesterday. Our other
good investigators are Kgaugelo and Manthole, Mpho, Mbali, and Rambo(Theboho).
Good luck saying those names haha!! We normally see each of them 2 times a
week, so that fills our days pretty good. We have also been finding some new
people that aren't really worth telling you about yet because we will most
likely drop them. Our work is a lot about seeing if people will actually be
serious and progress, and if not we drop them. There are a lot of jokers in
township that will never move anywhere. But Kgaugelo and Manthole and Mbali
will all be baptized the 9th of November.
Speaking
of the baptism with Herbert it went well. I will sent you the pictures so you
can see. Elder Zebe baptized him, and I was in the water to help. We had 6
people baptized yesterday. Only one of them was from my side of the area, and
the other 5 were from the other missionaries side. The baptism program went
great. We got the old man Herbert baptized without drowning him. We had 2 of us
in the water, so I was in the water just to assist. I took a joking picture
wearing my goggles. Brother Herbert is awesome.
Well
this ward is very strong. We don't have to help do anything. We don't even
teach gospel principles every Sunday, and I have been doing that my whole
mission. The ward does still need some help. I guess here in Africa they get a
lot of stuff mixed up with like policy and things. As missionaries we have to
straighten stuff out a lot. Like home teaching and visiting teaching never gets
done. We went to the PEC meeting and only 8 families had been home taught in
the ward for the month of September. We had a good amount of investigators
at church, but not all the ones we wanted there.
Other
than that everything is going great. It is weird I am already at 13 months this
week. I hope time will keep flying. I am ready to be done with the stress of
mission life. I am pretty comfortable right now though. I know life will be
stressful as well when I get home, but jut different kinds of stress.
I am so
grateful for my testimony though. Without my testimony I would have been home a
long time ago. I started reading the Book of Mormon again like 4 weeks ago. I
am now almost done with Mosiah, and it is great. The Book of Mormon is so true,
and so powerful. That is how we know our investigators are truly converted if
they read the Book of Mormon, and gain a testimony of it. The gospel brings
such comfort into peoples lives, and it gives us a way to structure our lives.
I am so glad I can share the gospel with people and see it change there lives
everyday. It really does bring a lot of joy to me.
I am so glad that Elder Zebe and I are
like best friends. It is his birthday this week on Wednesday. I hope that I am
treating the young missionaries nice. There is a kid a missionary here from St
George. He has been here now one transfer. I try to talk to him a lot, and just
be nice to him when I see him. His name is Elder Broadhead, and he went to
Desert Hills, so it is fun to relate with him.
I have
heard nothing on the postal strike. The mission has never told us anything.
They didn't even tell us that there was a strike. We just have to basically
find everything out on our own. I am sure because it is a big strike they might
let us know when it is over, but I have heard nothing yet. I will keep you
updated though.
If you
are able to send a package all I need really is chapstick( burts bees) and more
gum. I can find everything else here.
That is
cool you will be playing an Africa song by Steven Sharp Neilson. I am sure that
will be super fun. But it is cool to think we still see the same moon, but
different stars. I do get to see the moon and stars every night, but I haven't
noticed much of a difference in the stars. I have seen the Southern Cross
though which is pretty cool. I miss seeing the big dipper though. I guess one
day I will see it.
Well
there isn't much else interesting going on. I am sure I will have something
good to tell you next week. Have a good UEA weekend, and try to enjoy yourself.
I will continue on my quest to take more pictures. I love you and hope all
continues to go well.
Love
Elder Brown
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