9 Months to Go?!?!

I can't even believe it!! We are in single digits of months to go and that blows my mind. It's kind of funny how big of a difference there is between 10 months and 9 months. When we hit 10 months to go I thought, "Yeah, we've still got a while." But when I realized this week we only have 9 months it feels like it's coming so fast! Obviously 9 months is still a long time, but with how fast the last few months have gone I'm sure it's going to fly. Well, here's the weekly update!

Cuties!

"This week I had the great opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder Depriest in Leribe. It was a blast, the day started off pretty rough as we went to a lesson where only one out of the 6 spoke English. The lesson was long and choppy and a rough start to the day but things quickly picked up as we continued to the streets to contact some new people. I am really loving street contacting a lot more than door approaches. When you knock doors you spend a lot of time at empty houses waiting for no one, but on the street you just talk to everyone! The streets are nice because you can also be a bit selective on who you talk to. So we shared some messages on the road side then continued to a late appointment. We had an amazing lesson with this mme and her sister, about halfway through a friend of theirs joined us as well. We were able to commit them all to a baptism date by the end of the lesson. It was a strong lesson and I know they felt the spirit."

He talked about Elder DePriest in his email to me as well, it seems like they have tons of fun together!
"I went on exchanges with Elder DePriest this week and we talked about you and his girlfriend for like 5 hours straight again haha I am stoked for you to meet him, the love fly fishing and just camping out in the mountains, and hey we like adventures so it will be awesome. He says he cant wait for our double date adventures to begin but he gets home like 4 or so months after me.

So I went for exchanges on wednesday morning to leribe I spent the day teaching with Elder Depriest and then the next morning I was to drive back to Maseru with him. We woke up that morning already exhausted from talking about you the night before till super late and then decided to do some exploring. The missionaries in Leribe stay just moved into this house and I guess the previous owners have left a bunch a stuff there still because we are only renting. so of course we went through it all! we found so cool ties and a lot of cloths. There were some locked doors and the senior couples had taken the keys, but thanks to my snoopy detective work we were able to discover a second set a keys hidden in the jar thing. so we spent a solid three hours exploring the place, we found some cool stuff including a ten rand bill from before apartheid which is awesome. it was fun."

"About to head in to an appointment with Elder DePriest"

Dancing!

That is a large bottle..

"I love the spirit, don't you? The comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Testator. He is a great companion to have with you all the time. What a wonderful gift we have the opportunity to receive after baptism. We can have the presence of Deity with us at all times, in all things, and at all places if we are but willing to stand as a witness of Christ in such instances. The spirit is the key in missionary work. I don't really teach anyone, sort to say, but I try my best to create an atmosphere where the spirit can act as a conduit of the message of Christ from my heart to theirs. My soul to their soul. I have always said that when the lesson switches from mind to mind, too heart to heart. that is when you really have something. The Spirit testifies of the message of the Book of Mormon so clearly and powerfully as to the baptizing of over 15 million people.... wow.... power.... 

Elder Mashava an old comp of mine use to tell people not to make the mistake of reading the Book of Mormon, because then you will know its true... He was right ;)

Mission is great another great thing about mission and the spirit of the Lord is that I meet people who have trials, struggles, heart ache, and pain. All of which I cannot see, but the Lord does. Through the spirit several times I have been blessed enough to understand and see things in people that otherwise would have remained unknown to me. I have been blessed to speak words of comfort and truth that previously had not been known to me. I have seen the Lord work through me to teach, bless, heal, and love His children.

We had some investigators come to church this Sunday and that was super exciting, even Seneti who can't walk came! We got her wheelchair and rolled up to sacrament meeting. Sadly they had to leave early but I pray the spirit had touched their hearts while they were there.

We also had two  baptisms from my area this week!!!! woot woot! We are hoping to get 5 next month. I am excited for next Sunday when they receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to be their constant friend, support, and guide throughout the rest of their lives as they live according to the commands of God."

Elder Shinga teaching the EMT class

"I have been trying to get better at Sesotho the past few weeks and its gotten a bit better but eish. Ha ke tsebe haboe Sesotho.... (I dont know how to speak Sesotho.) but when I say that they just tell me that I am speakings so I reply, oa hlayna! ke soa soa, ha boe sesotho anyane. (you are crazy! just kidding I only speak sotho a little.) then I ask Le tsatse leho nelele jwang? How their day was and so far and so on.

We have had great opportunities to teach in all places and to all people this week and we are really seeing this zone become something spectacular. I am excited to see the growth through the next couple months here.

I cant believe its already week 5 in the transfer (missionaries move from area to area every six weeks.) and I feel like it just began, I have had no time for anything, writing letters, not even extra time to do my extra study at night because I am too tired. It's a good feeling to know that you went out into the world and did your best to share the love of Christ with all those you see. I am forever grateful for this opportunity I have to learn as a missionary. I hope I can soon learn what I am doing and how to be a good missionary because there is just so much to learn and do! But I am getting better, day by day. step by step. and that's what's important.

Some quotes from the past weeks:

"go to work!"
"when fleeing from sin, dont leave a forwarding address."
2 years to serve, eternity to look back"
"feel the joy of it!"
"bretheren, you need to ponder more!"
"There is a reason why we've been blessed with 2 ears and 1 mouth"
"Mission has everything to do with us, but has nothing to do about us."
"You have been so caught up in what you dont have, you have forgotten what you do have.

I just Love you all so much and I am happy right now. Things arn't always easy and arn't always up beat but I have found when the going get tough, go. and go and go until you get a smile on your face.

I pray for you, miss you, and can't believe I'll be home in less than 9 months. The time is far spent there is little remaining to publish these glad tidings.

Love,
Elder North"

So cool that he's learning Sesotho! The spelling just looking like gibberish to me so I can't imagine speaking it haha. My favorite little quote that he shared at the end there is "There is a reason why we have been blessed with two ears and one mouth." Today I've been pondering about what I can do to improve, and while I was rereading his email it felt like that quote reached out and slapped me in the face. The more we listen, the less we think about ourselves and the more we think about others. And as we become more selfless we become more Christlike, which is what we are all striving to be. It was a good reminder for me to listen more and talk less :)