Another Day Another Dolla!

"We did a lot of tracting this week, knocked a lot of doors. We even spent a total of like 3 hours on the phone. We went through the area book and called every single previous investigator that had a number or gps coordinates ( their are no addressees in Lesotho.) but we got a few that seem like they could have potential and I am excited to start teaching them. Others were bogus, but hey out of calling around 30 people, ten answered and 5 let us come back and maybe 1 will get baptized. I think that's pretty grand!

I am seeing the Lords careful hand here in Lesotho. success is in the works. We should have a baptism this week of Bolelang who Elder Woodland and I started teaching so I hope she makes the deadline! we still got some stuff to cover though."

I asked him what his favorite things are about the people he is teaching, and his reply was that he loves how much people trust missionaries because they are men of God. He loves being trusted, that's seriously one of his favorite things and the people there tell missionaries some of their deepest secrets. He also loves that everyone there is religious.

"Obedience really does bring blessings! that is for sure! We have made it appoint to make sure we are doing the small stuff and wowzers its working good! I even find that I am just more awake during the day, have more energy and excitement to go knock on doors for 3 hours! its grand!

We got new pamphlets, the church now has made lesson 5 pamphlets and they are amazing and it was like Christmas getting to open them!!!!

I have started to start the New Testament and wow I am loving it. I am still in Matthew but it is amazing. There really is so much great knowledge in their. I am excited to be able to know the bible well. after the new testament comes the old!

It is getting cold! Today is super rainy. but not the good play in the rain kind because its windy and cold and everyone is walking around in their sweater, coats, scarf, ski mask, and blankets! They don't like the cold but it is pretty cold."

We've gotten some short emails as of late but that's alright, at least we're getting them :) I figured out finally how to add videos to these posts so I'll post one from a long time ago of him with Elder Adams. 

New Companion: Elder Lenard

"This was a great week. well because of transfers I didn't get my companion until Thursday, so I spent all week with Elder Masinga. He is an awesome Elder and we had a great time together and taught some great lessons.

So My companion is Elder Leonard, he is from cape town SA, he is 27 years old and 15 months on mission. He loves the gospel, the people, and studying. He just loves! My new companion is great. He talks.... a lot. but its good, I have been praying to be a better listener. To talk less and hear more. I am working to listen well. he is a great guy.  We have had a great time together so far and have already started to see blessing pour out as we both increase ourselves to being completely obedient. We have tracting a lot in our short time together and have found some good success."

Mikel and I have been studying the Book of Mormon together for the last few months and I love reading those emails every week. We read three chapters per week and just write what stood out to us or the promptings we were given and things like that. Last week we read 2 Nephi 28, 29 and 30 and I just wanted to include his email to me about those chapters this week. 

"Verse one stuck out to me sharply. it says " As the spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass." I loved this because it really applies to missionary work. when we are lead by the spirit we can ask inspired questions. I have had often times on my mission asked an investigator a question because the spirit directed me, and before they can answer I already know what their answer will be. because the spirit constrained me to speak I knew what was to come to pass. I also see this as we testify of something. not as Elder North but as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know surley that those promises we make by the spirit will indeed happen. I have promised people that they will never go without food and shelter as long as they abide by the principles I have taught. I know that those promises will be fulfilled. I have also known for sure by the spirit when someone isnt telling me something important, this has happend while I have conducted interviews for baptism and have found everytime I get a feeling to continue to teach about something there is a reason that they eventually tell me.

from verse 4 till about 9 it talks about false churches, doctrines and prophets. and then tells us why all these things come. and its as you said. Pride. PRIDE is the greates sin, everything revolves around pride. if you remember teachings from president benson about pride. he describes it perfectly.

and from verse twelve to around 18 it talks about pride. something interesting I noticed was in verse 15. now if the scriptures repeat something then you know it is very important. for example when the scriptures say verily verily its more like hey listen up because Imma bout to drop some important stuff down here!!!

I have never seen or I guess noticed anywhere where it says something more than twice but in verse 15 it says "wo wo wo be unto them" talking about pride and has a tripple wo. so I was like woooo this is important. kinda cool.

I like in the last verse it mentions how the Lords hand is extend out all day long as long as we repent and come unto him and remember Him. this thought and saying is said constantly in the book of mormon on how his arm is extended still to us, even when we are wicked. its always there for us to grab onto and lift ourselves out of the depths of sin we have let ourselves fall. before that in mentions how we cant trust in the arm of flesh, we need to grab the arm of the Lord if we want to lift ourselves out of sin.

awesome chapter!!!

I love you babe!!!!"

"We found a women by the name of Ntau which means lion, but she is a girl so it means lioness which I thought was like the coolest name ever ( future middle name of child...maybe!) we also found a newly married couple so we are hopeful to teach them this week. So I have been teaching at the EMT college once a week for quite a while now. one of the teachers family runs a church and the pastor recently died and they were leaderless. so they asked us if we could come and teach at their church.... we said YES! so its not in my area and the other missionaries get to take this one over. they now have a new pastor but want us to come teach every week. there are a lot of kids of all different ages and even some adults that come. the teacher asked if I could come this past week and help teach. Sister Chandler gave me the lead on the lesson about friends. choosing good ones. and being good ones. the class went very well! I met with the chandlers a couple days later and she told me that the Reverend of the church wanted to learn more but said he would only speak to Elder North. So even though it is not in my area I get to go teach this pastor and another one that is interested. I see them on Sunday and I am stoked. Sister Chandler said I must have maid some kind of connection while baring my testimony.

It is one of the best things about being a missionary, being able to bare our testimony of the Saviour, our Lord, Jesus Christ every single day. and  do it with power and authority.

Funny note. I got the Sister and Elder Chandler (the senior couple) to start saying niceness haha

I am short for time today, we are going to go and hike a waterfall so I guess nature is calling! gotta run!

Love you all! God Bless!!!!

Elder M.North"

 Some fun pictures that a lady in the ward he is serving in sent to me on Facebook. :)

Zone Conference, Baptisms, Transfers, Oh My!

May 23rd

In our personal email, I told him about how my teammate and I were talking about our relationship and she said that we had a pretty mature relationship for being high schoolers at the time. I would say that we did in some ways, but we were high schoolers so it couldn't have been that mature haha. But here is his email to me: "A member the other day was saying if they just listend to my voice and didnt see me, they would think I was like 30 by the way I talk, weird... they then said my companion sounds like a 18 year old haha. I dont feel like I talk any different then I did before, but I guess its a good thing, I hope I am becoming more mature, but I have a long way to go haha.

Being ma is super stressful! but I am sure you were super good at it ;)  A trip to Hawaii, that is pretty awesome! Ya, I bet she is so  happy she can play soccer again!!!

My week was awesome because of zone conference and we had a baptism this week! it made it hectic where we only worked 15 hours this week because we were in South Africa for three days but oh well. we havnt seen nelson and his family in a while so we are looking forward to seeing them. I just hope everything is going well, we are trying to get them married still.... its taking longer than I would like because of tradition and what what. my favorite scripture I read this week was proverbs 12:15


....... okay now that is just not fair, you know I cant write anything to top all of that! ah fetch I love you so bad! oh by goodness you just brought back so many memories all at once and it just hit me like, fetch! haha wow I love you so much! ah man wow haha... I am repeating my self arnt I, I tend to do that when I am flustered.... eish..... Never forget it either, never ever doubt it. I love you in every possible way! no if ands or buts, well there are ands. its and I love this, and that, and that as well and everything else haha. thank you for loving me! I dont know how you do it but I love the way you love me!

Always Elder North, ps I just sent a package with some stuff in it for you so maybe in a month or two itll get to you :)"

"We had zone conference this week, awesome for so many reasons, one of which is the two-night stay in a hotel!!! and re-entering south Africa again and getting to eat a McDonalds again since we are deprived of such here in Lesotho.

Zone conference was all about revelation. I took some real introspection and realized I have a lot of work to do on receiving better and more frequent personal revelation. In our leadership meeting we talked about the importance of councils, we will be in many councils throughout our life, most importantly marriage. We are in a council with our companion, district, zone, and mission. We get together at points and discuss together how to improve, and what to improve. I always love zone conference because we get to hear from our mission president, and hear insights from other missionaries as well. It leaves you on a spiritual high that you fight to maintain as long as possible. "

Under 400 days, whoo!!

Lesotho Zone 

"But the real exciting thing that happened this week were the baptisms that took place!

so Tsepiso was the young girl that was supposed to be baptized last month but due to water issues was pushed back a month, well finally the time came and she was able to be baptized, her testimony was amazing! She is young but knows something that many of us lack.

Next is Liako, now this girl is awesome. so we met her at the EMT class the we teach at once a week. we teach basic moral principles on a higher level that can be found in the for strength of youth. she was interested and started her journey of discipleship with meeting with the missionaries. she was taught about a month and was ready for baptism, she had made some major changes in her life and really does seem like a new person. I was blessed to be able to be the one to perform her baptism, I have really grown a love for this young women as I have seen the changes she has been making in her life and it is quite amazing and I ham just glad that I get to be a part of it."

"Remember Elder Benissan! this is his super cool and rad mom!!!!!! she said I am taller and my face is fuller then last time she saw me which was 11 months ago..."

"Liako letse (pronounced Diako letse) awesome young women!"

Zone conference

May 30th

"Transfer #9 begins

Well here we go. Transfer news has come and Elder Woodland will be leaving me, He will be going to New Castle with Elder Kaitoo.... needless to say I am jealous of that, I love Elder Kaitoo, he is such a fun guy to be around and great to talk to. I sure am going to miss him seeing how he goes home in 4 weeks. (Elder k2 goes home not Woodland)

We had a lot of fun in the area and was able to see a lot of growth here. I am sad to see Elder Woodland leave because we had so much fun working and learning together but we part to meet again as they say.

I will be receiving Elder Lenard, he has fetal alcohol syndrome and has a smile all the time. I am stoked to get him as a companion. I have met him a couple of times but never got to really know him. I know there will be a lot of things to learn from him and I hope his joyful spirit rubs off on me while we are together for the next bit of our journey through mission."

"Liako the awesome girl that I baptized got me a gift. Its me! Its so much niceness!"

"the sign at church in sesotho and english."

"we went up to the mountains to help a member dig 3,000 holes to plant trees.... its was exhausting to say the least but a good experience."

"The mountains are beautiful, all of Lesotho is beautiful!"

I can't believe it's June!! Did May even happen? It's crazy to me how fast time is flying. A year ago at this time, we had just graduated and we were trying to make the most of the last 20 or so days that we had together. I think the most interesting thing to look back on is how different we were at this time last year. Once he hits his year mark I'll post something about reflecting on the last year of my life, but for now, I'll just leave it at that :)