WE HAD TWO BAPTISMS

Things went a lot better this week. Like I said we had two baptisms that went great besides the fact that the font over flowed and got the carpet all wet but that just makes for a good journal entry :) I am learning a lot about myself right now. There are a lot of things that I need to overcome if I ever hope to become what I want to become. It has just been a week of the the Lord showing me my weaknesses and things that I need to improve on so that is what I am working on right now. You said something truly prophetic about how life can get to be repetitious. I was thinking about it the other day and in all reality that is how life is and that is how enduring to the end is. As we learn and apply the gospel in our lives it is not an every changing way of life but a steady way of life that involves improvement and progression but not in huge steps but in steady baby steps, line upon line, precept upon precept.  Its a change that occurs during a lifetime and not all at once. Now, we need to be actively fighting for that change and continually be watchful and prayerful so that the Lord can help us in those things we may struggle in or the weaknesses we may have and its not just spiritual things. It is in every aspect of our lives that we need to call upon the Lord to help us improve and progress whether it be in school, work, sports, relationships, and our own character. If we are not moving forward then we are going no where and if we are going no where than we are going backwards because everyone around us is striving to move forward leaving us further and further behind. This principle is just as true in the spiritual world as it is in the physical world and we all need to be striving for perfection, even with the knowledge we won't achieve it in this life, in all aspects of our lives. It has been a week of much learning for me and I know I have a lot of areas I need to start giving equal attention and finding the perfect balance, if there is such a thing :)

 

Thank you for all your love and support and please know that I am well and working on being better :) I hope this email finds you well. I love and miss you very much and hope that you have a great week :) Here is a huge hug (((((((((((((((HUG))))))))))))))))))

WE HAVE 20 INVESTIGATORS

Things are going good this side. We had nine investigators at church and are teaching a
lot more people now. We have in the up wards of 20 investigators that
we are seeing and helping to progress so we are staying very busy. It
is very stressful at times seeing so many people and worrying about
them and thinking of what we can do to help them keep progressing but
a little stretching never hurt anyone :)

Thank you for talking with the admissions office. I have started
updating my application today and I just put for fall of 2013 because
there was no option for winter 2014 but I am sure they will see that I
won't be back from my mission in October. I just want to get my
application in so I can just have the assurance that I will be going
back.

There really isn't to much to report on except i am just really
struggling with my area right now. The people are great but this is
just such a wicked place. getting stopped by drunk men all the time,
we found out that where one of our investigators live is a whore house
(he isn't), and there is just so much poverty I just get really down
sometimes to see all that is around me. Especially this last weekend
because we went to the temple and had a great uplifting experience and
then to go back to the city was really hard. I love my companion and
we have baptisms scheduled for the next three months but I am just
ready for a new area. Over all I am doing good though :) I am trying
to overcome a spiritual plateau I have seem to hit so those are always
fun to work on. I gt my package and I was very happy to get it :)
Anyway I hope that you have a great week.

I AM LOVING MY MISSION

Its been a good week though :) We are teaching a father right now and his family are all members but he was working far from home. He had the Book of Mormon and has read it three times from cover to cover already and is one of the most humble men I have ever met. In African culture it is not proper at all for young people to come in and teach older people or the "elders" but this man has just completely submitted himself to the Lord and to us and wants to learn what he as to do to repent and change. It has been an experience that has really touched my heart to see the Lord prepare his children. I am loving my mission more than ever right now and I am excited to see what this new week holds :)

Have a Happy New Year

Its nice to see that you and Grandma had some time together at the
beach :) I would say that the best part of Christmas was the phone
call home as well :) Things continue to go on though. We are teaching

a lot more people including a man who his family are all members and

he is the last. He is the the father of the family and has bee living far away for the
past year for work but now he is back and wants to join the church. In
our first meeting with him he told us that he already knows the church
is true and had read the Book of Mormon three times. A very humble and
caring man :) He will be baptized in February.
We are having another quiet holiday season here for new years. I
haven't received Grandma's and Judy's package yet but it should be
here this week :) We are just planning on playing different sports
today, go out to lunch with some other missionaries and tomorrow we
have been invited to a very nice family for a new years lunch :) But
other than that we are not allowed to work today or tomorrow for
safety reasons so we need to find things to keep ourselves busy. Other
than that there isn't to much going on here right now. It has been
really hot lately and the mosquito's are out :( But I am doing well, I
am happy and still working hard. I love you and hope you and the
family have a very happy new year :)

DEPENDING FULLY ON THE SPIRIT

So Jordyn pulled off straight A's, why does that not surprise me.

Caity is looking good though, and I am sure she
did her best to look her best for that picture haha. I received
letters this week from a lot of people in the ward so I will do my
best to respond to as many as possible :) Christmas is different
here in many ways, one of those ways is that it is about 90 degrees
here during Christmas haha but there are also a lot of fireworks and
everyone slaughters a Chicken for dinner (not prime rib but thats ok).
Nothing to special but we are not allowed to go out on Christmas eve
or Christmas so we just hang out at our apartments.So here is the
weekly update on the work in Johannesburg :) We had a much better week
than last week partly because I wasn't sick but also because we have
started working harder than ever! We really felt like we could do
better and so that is what we set out to do. We started to talk with
everyone we could and it has proved to be of great worth to the area.
We set 12 appointments with different people and also 3 appointments
with new families that we are very excited to see. So our finding
efforts are being blessed by the Lord right now. He is showing us that
as long as we depend upon Him we cannot fail :) Things are looking up
for the city of Johannesburg and I hope to leave this city in a much
better situation than when I found it. No health problems this week
but there has been a lot of rain, thunder and lightning and when it
rains it pours, sometimes for hours at a time. It was like that
yesterday. We were walking and we just came out to a street corner and
it was raining cats and dogs so we sat there for about and hour,
contacting people as they braved the storm, and waited to be picked up
for our dinner appointment, Which was a wonderful dinner :) Well that
was my week in terms of the work and I look forward to what this week
will hold and hope that we can maintain the spirit of finding more
people to teach and help on their way back to their Father in Heaven.
One lesson that I have learned this week is about depending fully on
the spirit and the lesson was put so clearly and beautifully by our
Bishop on Sunday when he spoke at Sacrament meeting. I want to relate
to you the example he used from the scriptures that really opened my
eyes to our possibilities. In Matthew we read of the account of where
Peter was saw the Savior walking on water and asked that the Savior
would bid him come unto him and he knew then that he could do the
same. So the Savior bade him come and Peter stepped out of the boat
and began to walk on water focusing his attention fully upon the
Savior. Now this is the part that got my attention, as soon as Peter
looked away from the Savior and looked down at the waves beneath him
did he falter and begin to sink into the depths of the sea. Then the
Savior calmly extends his hand returning Peters focus to him and they
both continue on to enter into the boat. We can do anything the Savior
can do if we will turn all of our focus to him and then not deviate
from that focus for anything. I think it kind of goes along with
having an eternal perspective but I think it is a lot more focused
than that. Learning to trust in the Savior fully and completely is not
easy. It involves a lot of blind following on our part, a step into
the dark or unknown, or as Nephi puts it going without knowing what
you are going to do before hand but knowing that the Savior will not
leave us alone because he loves us and we are putting our trust and
faith in Him. This is a lesson that I am trying to learn right now.

CHRISTMAS IN THE SUMMER

Poor Caleb was sick this last week so he had a uneventful week due to his illness, but he and Elder Rakoto are back out there looking to share the Gospel.


Our area struggles a lot because of how hard it is to find people to teach but
our Zone leaders are coming to help us contact people on Friday so
Elder Rakoto and I are excited for that. I almost have to pretend that the holidays aren't here
because if I think out them I get a little home sick besides I am
still not used to the whole Christmas in summer thing :)Anyway I am
happy and doing great. The work is slow but we are still working to
change that :) I love you and hope you have a great week :)

I AM EXCITED TO SPEND CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

I am glad that you liked the pictures. Sadly we did not celebrate Thanksgiving at all but that's okay because I completely forgot about it on the day of :) . Thank you for sending my supplies and a package :) I cant wait to get them and I will have to see if I can wait until Christmas to open my presents :) and you are not here to stop me haha. I will do my best to wait but I cant make any promises :) I also have some news for you. Due to the younger ages in which missionaries can now go on mission the mtc's are now shortening the time that they have to spend in the mtc so they can have more missionaries go through. This means that the next two transfers will only be 5 weeks instead of 6 weeks and that means that everyone who is on mission right now will be coming home two weeks earlier so I will be back Oct 3 and not Oct 17.

Things are going good right now. We are still looking for people to teach but it is hard. Johannesburg is getting ready for its mass exodus that occurs during the holidays. The two wards will even be combining for about a month because so many people will be gone. Other than that though there really isn't to much going on here. We have our mission tour tomorrow and the Area President will be addressing us. He will be also be giving a special leadership training so I am excited for that. I am doing good and I am happy :) The holidays are not affecting me to much and I am excited to spend my Christmas here in the city :) Know that I love and miss you.

Love your son,