Investigators

Ah it has been a wonderful week. The start of a new semester, soccer starting up, being able to jog and juggle again! I think it's going to be a great semester. After this semester is over the team is going to Germany, Austria and Switzerland for 10 days and I am so excited! Mikel's companion is from Germany and he told me about a couple different kinds of pastries to try, so that will be awesome! And then by the time we get back from that Mikel will have almost been out for an entire year. How crazy! Time is flying.

They had a Zone Training Meeting (ZTM) and a lot of other meetings this last week and he said they were wonderful! "We did learn a lot in these meetings and found out that we have some things that we need to do to become more consecrated and dedicated servants of the Lord. He does have a marvelous work and a wonder for us to bring forth at this moment in time to the people here in Amanzimtoti,  but just like with any marvelous thing in the world, just like with anything that you love dearly and appreciate and reflect on with great passion and love. It began with the nitty gritty hard work. and that's what us as missionaries just gotta do. Its gonna take work. We are here to show these people what a fantastic joy, peace, and hope that can and does come from hearing what we call the good news of the perfect plan of happiness!!!! I do in deed love be a missionary, it's by no means an easy task but its a worth while one. I think I can honestly say I have never put so much effort into any work in my entire life. It takes all you can give and a little bit extra, but when you serve with all your heart the reward is so great. Getting investigators to come to church is a real struggle and usually we don't have any but this past week we had two! Ya that's right! Two new people came to church! I literally jumped in the air did a lil heal click and squeeled. There isn't many greater feelings than when you see that person take their first steps toward eternal joy."

He told us about the two investigators that came to church that he was so excited about: "Our new investigators were Vanilla and James, so Vanilla is going into 8th grade, she is Xhosa from Eastern Cape, her mother dosn't seem to interested which is a bit sad but we met her through her friend Thandeka who we are currently teaching. Unfortunately Thandeka couldn't make it to church. We met Vanilla for the first time on Saturday because she just happened to be there when we taught Thandeka and she decided she would stay. she listened in on the lesson and when we invited her to come to church she said she would be there. Well I dont want to say I didn't believe her.... well I didn't haha. I mean its a 13 year old girl saying she is going to come to church, that dosnt really ever happen. I hope she enjoyed and we are looking forward to teaching her some more! :)

Next was James, he is from Malawi and works here in SA as a cook at a bed and breakfast. He is a really kind guy and his english isnt too good. we knocked on his door and gave him a book of mormon and asked him to come to church, he said yes as they all do and we were on our marry way again hoping he would come but knowing that it pretty much never happens. HE CAME what! This was just crazy so needless to say church was fantastic this Sunday!"

In his email to me he told me a gross story about some maggots in his apartment and it almost made me gag haha, so gross! "My week was pretty good, we are trying to work really hard, which is hard  because I am a naturally lazy kind of guy haha but we are pushing along one step at a time, one door after another after another after another haha. The best part of this week was when the Elders from Margate came up and stayed with us so we played risk, it took 4 hours, it was insane and super fun haha we were all making secret combinations and what what and would gang up on each other then back stab each other it was a whole big thing haha it was fun and just enjoyed I dont know we have a lot of inside jokes about risk now so it was funny, also just the people coming to church that I talked about in my mass email that was flipping awesome. I am happy, healthy is a different issue haha. oh wanna know a gross story haha, so were were cleaning our boarding the other day and me and elder adams dont use the kitchen much and when we do we actually do our dishes so we cleaned the whole place and left the kitchen for the other two guys, but of course they didnt do it so it sat and sat and sat. until oneday while they were going into the kitchen and found maggots all over the floor and counter top haha it was super super super gross I wanted to die, then we found some tubawere which had some food left in it that didnt get cleaned we opend it up and if was full of these tiny white maggots who turned all the food into this nasty mush and we had to clean it and I just wanted to cry haha. anyways that my super gross story, boys are yucky icky yack gross creatures, I am so glad I am a boy so I can like girls :) :) :)"

There are going to be a lot of challenges in the coming year and it will be strange to not have him here to go through them with, but I know that it is for the benefit of both of us. I'm excited for this coming semester and for all that this year will bring!

"a great quote I loved this week was... "2 years commitment to mission rules assures eternal commitment to future wife and family"

 love you babe, have a great week starting school again!

Always

Elder Mookie"

It Carries Us

 Kimberly reunion

"Elder Benissan was my mtc comp and we got to see each other again at the christmas party, it was a happy reunion. "

Mikel, Elder Adams, Elder Benissan

They get a new planner each transfer and they decorate them!

Lion dog!!

Oh man, I'm definitely a slacker sometimes when it comes to typing up a blog post every week. Maybe now that school is starting up again I'll get into a better routine :) Man I have always loved the mass emails he sends out, but this week it really touched me. I don't usually do this, but I'm going to in order to include all of what stood out to me in his email this week. This is what he wrote:
"Well this week was an interesting one with the holidays still going and new years. some thing I heard about the new year that I liked was this. During the new year we hear a lot of people saying things like new year, new me. well we have something better. we have this gospel and through the gospel we learn about the atonement which enables us to repent and change and become better, we do this partly by taking the sacrament ,which resembles Christ, every week. At this time, the beginning of the week after taking the sacrament we get to say, New week, new me!

I was talking to an old lady about religion the other day when we got on the topic of relating religion to something you pick up. some people pick theirs up and put it down sometimes, some find it again and carry it once more while others never come back to it. To end our conversation she said something much more profound than my silly analogies. Her words were true, Christians don't carry their religion, their religion carries them. This made me think and again this took me back to the atonement and how it lifts and carries us through the  grace of Christ. Religion shouldn't be something we pick up and put down, it should be the thing that picks us up when we are down!

Something else that has repetitively come into my mind was the sentence, be an example of the believers. I'll just let you take or leave it and think about what it means to you.

I got a message from a friend today who said this. I will also share a quote from Henry B Eyring "If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill. The Lord is anxious to lead us to the safety of higher ground." I know all things that happen to us are for our eternal benefit, because the Lord loves all His children infinitely, and asks us to endure with patience, hope and faith in Jesus Christ, where with Him we can endure anything. I know the atonement stretches past any transgression or sin, His love is unchanging and unfailing, and though we may not always feel we are moving uphill in our mortal journey we can trust that if we are obedient, that He has prepared a  perfect way.

So my reply was that's an awesome quote thank you so much! It just makes me think of the fault in our starts when it says I am on a roller coaster that only goes up haha. Its true though, we may feel as if our ride is going down hill but (romans8) everything will work for good to them who love God. If we just keep pushing forward we will find that the hill we thought we were rolling down actually was a mountain we climbed. I dont know if that makes sense at all but just that we think things are all going to hell and then when we look back we see the growth and strength that we gained through those experiences and realize that God never left us but pushed us further, strengthen us more so we can accomplish great things to come."

Opening presents at 1 AM

Christmas candy!

Husky Puppy

"a lot of people us machetes to cute thier lawns, we did it for a while and took some nice pictures"

They gave a monkey a dum dum and he ate it.

This is what my reply to him was today:

"I loved the mass email you sent out last week, but I loved it even more when all of the things I experienced this week related to it! I'll start with the "new week, new me" part :) During the sacrament today I was just thinking about my past week and how much I have been struggling with different things and I was prompted to pull out my study journal. I just started flipping through it and I came to a page where I had taken notes on the talk "What Lack I Yet?" and I wrote down that each week during the sacrament, I should have a conversation with the Lord about what I can improve on. So that's what I did! I asked where I needed to improve and how and I set specific goals for the week based on the answers I got. It was a really cool experience and I'm going to start doing that every week during the sacrament to keep me engaged and focused on what the sacrament really does for me, you and everyone. It's a fresh start and a chance to change and be better every week! How awesome is that?

The next thing you said that I loved was that our religion carries us. Oh my goodness I have found that to be so true over the last few months. Today right before relief society the lady that was teaching asked me if I would bear my testimony about how my trial (injury) has helped me to grow closer to my Savior and to bring the gospel to the center of my life. Of course that was the most emotional testimony I've ever given haha but I shared two things that have been circulating through my head the last few months. The first is a poem about the Savior which I have always loved:
"One night I had a dream.

I dreamed I was walking along the beach
with the Lord..

Across the sky flashed scenes from my life..
For each scene, I noticed two sets of
footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me, and the other to the Lord..

When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me
and I questioned the Lord about it:
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why
when I need you most you would leave me."

The Lord replied:
"My precious child, I love you and would
never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints, it was then
that I carried you."

I don't think I need to explain that any further :) The second thing that I shared was from Mosiah 24:12-15. It's definitely worth looking up so I'll let you do that :) I just want you to know that I know that as we put the gospel first in our lives, we will be led to where we need to be. As we rely on the Savior and let Him carry us through our trials we will become much more than we ever could become on our own. I love my Savior and I'm thankful for this trial, because without it my testimony wouldn't have grown as I needed it to.

Be an example of the believers! As I was reading in Matthew this week, I read Matthew 5:14-16. We were given the light of the gospel to share it, not to hide it! Everything we do (be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation..) should share the light of the gospel with it. So anyway, thank you for what you shared! Your testimony has always strengthened mine and I'm so blessed to have you in my life. I love you!! :)"

Street soccer!

Friends :)

Reviewing what they are teaching

Leaf bug!

When you run out of tp...

I'm thankful every day for him and his testimony. Even thousands of miles away he continues to bless my life!

Hello 2016!

It's been another crazy, crazy week. New Year's Eve, driving to St George, my cousin's wedding, setting up and taking down for the reception, and then driving back home. Man, I am exhausted! One more week of winter break and then it's back up to school for another semester and spring season of soccer. Well, not really soccer for me, but fitness for sure haha. I remember this time last year and how long ago it feels but how not so long ago it really was. I remember thinking that I only had one more semester left with Mikel. He would be getting his mission call in a few months and then after that goodbyes would start. I remember thinking how time was just going way too fast and that I wanted it all to just slow down so I would never have to say goodbye to him, my friends, my home. I would never have to move out and live my own life, go to college and have to make new friends. But there's so much that I've learned in this last year that I wouldn't change. Mikel and I have both grown and learned so much and we couldn't have gotten those experiences any other way. We both still have a lot of learning to do in the next year and a half and I know we're going to grow into who we need to become, with the help and guidance of the Lord. I'm excited for what's ahead and for new adventures!

We didn't get any pictures from him this week unfortunately, and his emails were short, but he said his Christmas was great! "so because of the festivities all around this week not much happened in the sense of being able to teach people or get into homes. something the was great but also not great was when we went to check up on an old gogo named angel who is a new investigator. last time we met with her which was a couple of days or a week previous we were told that her husband who was in hospital died. So the day we went to visit which was Wednesday we came up to a huge funeral tent across the yard, so we put two and two together and realized that the funeral was today, we decided to leave our bags in the car and go and try an help all we could, we spent 10:00 to 2:00 there just helping set up, cook and anything they needed sharing short gospel thoughts along the way. It was a great experience to be able to just serve and bring gospel into that service, we hope that some of the people we contacted will call us and visit more with us to hear the rest of the lessons and our messages but it was a great day and we were so tired at the end of the day I almost slept in my white shirt and tie.

Christmas day was power, we spent the day at a members house where we played board games and other games like such. we got to spend time with a family which made being away from our own family not so bad. I got to skype my family as well and while doing so had a special surprise! (Hey, that surprise was me!) It was so good to talk to my family face to face for a short while, we spent and hour that felt like 5 min, I wish we could have had longer but, I guess I have to wait till next year! :) It was good to see everyone doing so well and happy and such a beautiful morning to celebrate and commemorate the birth of the savior!"

Last week in our email we talked a little more about his focus on his mission and his reply to me was so reassuring and comforting. He is focused and knows he needs to be there! "the most challenging thing for me I think was letting go of home and letting go of you, not just the leaving you at home physically but also just to be more focused on the work. I struggled not thinking of you everyday and even in lessons, we would be teaching about say the Joseph smith and my mind would wonder off either to thought of you or to thought of my family wondering what they or you were doing at that point and time and just not really focused on the lesson. I am a lot better now and I feel like I really am focused on my mission and not home life, of course I think of you everyday but my mind isnt constantly obsessing over you are my family and longing to be there like it was, of course Ill always have that want to be back in your arms by the next day but I think I have just come to grasp that I am here and not there and I have things here that I need to do. It still is hard and scares me that I sort of had to in a way distance myself from my family and especially from you and that I now dont think of you as often, it really does suck because honestly you are all I want to think about and it takes a conscious effort to tell myself that I need to stay focused. No I am not saying I am completely letting go of you or anything near that, I dream to one day be with you forever and nothing will ever change about the fact that I am in love with you so dont get me wrong its just distancing my mind heart and thoughts from home was really hard I guess, I think that is what I would say hardest thing was.  I have also really learned that I am usually the problem haha hopefully not anymore but I dont usually stay around people that annoy me but on mission you dont always have a choice and you need to be the one that helps the situation not makes it worse so I definitely had a humble lesson I had to learn and I am still learning. I have learned about balance in everything in life. I have learned how much the gospel really does bless families and how much I need it. I have learned that God loves me. I guess those are the biggest things I have learned and also that I can go through hard things with the savior by my side."

I'm thankful for his example to me and that every day brings me one more day closer to being with him again. Happy New Year!

A picture of us one year ago, at a basketball game at the U :)

and a picture of us two years ago, just before we started dating, with a few of our friends. Kyle, just above me, is serving in Pennsylvania, Mikel is in South Africa, Mckay is in Taiwan, and Hollis is in Thailand. I'm so thankful for the awesome friends I had in high school and their examples to me! They are all incredible missionaries.

Merry Christmas Elder North!

Oh my goodness what a week! Before I get into anything I want to talk about Christmas and how wonderful it really is. I'm so thankful for this time of the year and how it brings everything back into focus, on Christ. And I've really, really needed that lately. It hasn't felt like Christmas at all for me this year, and I wasn't really sure why. I haven't really been in the Christmas spirit and I think a lot of it is because I've been struggling with feeling the spirit. I've kind of been in a dark place, desiring to find the light and to feel happy again, but I just feel numb and like I go through the motions each day. But the Sunday before Christmas is always the best because there's music and the spirit is so strong, and so it was exactly what I needed. We were singing Away in a Manger at the end of sacrament meeting and last verse made me bawl haha. "Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay. Close by me forever, and love me I pray." I think I've been a little bitter about the way the last 2 months have gone because of my injury but I've pushed those feelings down instead of addressing them and it's caused me to feel this way. I've been pushing Christ and his love away from me instead of letting Him heal me and help me. And I think that's why it hasn't felt like Christmas to me, because I'm forgetting Christ, the whole reason we even have this holiday! In Gospel Doctrine we talked about the Christmas story as it's written in the Bible and the teacher asked why we, as spirits in heaven, would be so happy that Christ was coming to earth when we knew what He would have to go through? It's because while it would be difficult, the end would be worth it. Christ came because He knew that it would be hard, but He would be doing it for our benefit individually, and for that it was worth it. That filled the emptiness that has been controlling me for months now. Christ came for me, why would I push Him away? He suffered exactly what I am going through, why wouldn't I let Him in? After that lesson the youth song "Come Unto Christ" was playing over and over in my head. (If you haven't listened to it, do it. The spirit testifies of Christ's love so strongly) "Come unto Christ, come unto Him, and by his grace be made holy again. He's calling your name, he's waiting for you with arms open wide, Come unto Christ." This Christmas season, I'm so thankful for a loving Savior who welcomes me with open arms and loves me unconditionally, even when I've been pushing Him away.

He made a Christmas tree so that it would feel more like Christmas!

He got a new companion, Elder Adams! They have both been out for 6 months and he says that they get along really well. He said he's definitely his favorite companion so far :) He is excited for the next few weeks with him because even though they have been out the same amount of time, he feels that he will learn a lot from him! They were already friends from his previous area so that helped them to click quickly. "so from the day I got him we went to a lesson and in the middle of teaching we stopped and just sat for a couple seconds and then Adams asked a truly inspired question that really opened up the lesson. its changed from us talking person to person, to us talking spirit to spirit."

"A great experience I had this week was when we got bunked and were deciding what to do when I just kept thinking about xolani an investigator who we have been unable to visit in about 4 weeks because he started working but we decided we should try to see if he was home anyways. When we got there you would never believe it.... he wasn't there.... of course haha its what we expected but what we didn't expect was to find his sister, we talked with her a bit to get to know her and ended up teaching her the restoration, at the end of the lesson we talked about how important prayer is and how we can actually receive an answer from our father in heaven. just like any parent they want to hear from us and are there for us. We invited her to pray right there and then, while she was praying she started crying and laughing all at the same time and the spirit was so strong It was incredible, it was amazing to feel the Savior work through us as missionaries and guide us to those who are ready for us!"

 At a wedding

Gross.

"I really do love you and just want the whole world to know it, ya know? do you ever get the feeling when you just want to almost yelll out and just exclaim ah I love this girl so much!!!! well maybe I am weird but it happens all the time whenver I think back on how much fun we had and how much I love you and how I cant wait to see you again.Christmas is the best! I know you have been struggling with the whole knee thing and I wish I could be there and do more, it hurts, like literally hurts knowing that I cant be there physically but I know its for the better and that you will of course come out on top as always, I look up to you in so many ways, the way you have handled everything that has come your way, sure we may not have handled it perfect but I think we did a pretty dang good job haha better than what most would have. all I can say is what I know. I love you, God loves you, and love according to what they say is all you need, so trust in that love, find strength in that love and push on, always push on just one step at a time."

Traditional women's headdress

So yesterday was the best because I GOT TO SKYPE WITH HIM!! :) His family is seriously the best and invited me over to talk to him. I got up at 6:30 am and drove to their house to be there when he called. When he finally did I got the biggest butterflies and almost wanted to cry! It was amazing to see him and hear his voice, he has a little accent going now haha :) When he saw that I was there his reaction was the cutest thing I've ever seen, I wish I could replay that over and over. He was so talkative and had a lot of stories to tell and words in different languages to say. He bore his testimony for us and said a family prayer, and then his parents let just he and I talk together, which was the greatest thing I could have ever asked for. We talked for 30 minutes but it felt like I blinked and it was over. I miss our long talks and talking about anything and everything like we used to. Ah it was so good to talk to him. Before he hung up we talked about him staying focused on what he is there for. The quote "the more you let go, the more you get back" was what I focused on and I reminded him to let go of home and love the people he is serving because everything will still be here when he gets back. He gets one chance, 18 more months, to live his mission, love it and serve with all he has. He showed me a picture he has of me that says "delay what you WANT for what you NEED" which was the only time I was close to crying while I was talking to him haha. I'm so thankful that I got to talk to him, that made me so happy and I'm so thankful for his family for including me! It was such a blessing. It's crazy that it had been 6 whole months since I had talked to him and seen him. But hey, we're 1/4 of the way done! I'm so proud of him and who he is becoming. He is a blessing to me!