Why Being a Missionary is Awesome!

Three posts in one once again this week. This semester has been kicking my butt, especially now that our games are played on Thursdays and Sundays. When we travel we're gone from Wednesday to Sunday night and we miss a lot of class which means we're constantly behind in our work which makes for some stressful days. But that's alright! I'm loving this semester and our season is going really well so I can't complain :)

September 26th

"So this week was awesome! Wait did I say that last week???? Okay then this week was spectacular! Wait maybe the was what I said two weeks ago, fantastic? Nope used that one already, flipping, fetching wow, sweg, swoosh swap, slam dunking, goal scoring, crowd cheering, incredible week..... ya.....

So why you may ask? Well to start off I am serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! How could it not be incredible!?!? rhetorical question, because the answer is that you can only have amazing weeks as a missionary!

Why? Because while you are serving people you just get a big ol smile when you see them smile.

Why else? Well because I am serving in Lesotho Africa meeting some awesome people who I can't understand but I am trying to learn the language and enjoying making them laugh as I say the little Sotho I do know.

Another reason you ask? Well simply because as a missionary you get to see peoples lives change as the gospel and spirit of God enter into their lives!

Still want more? I'll give you more! I get to see people who are so lost in this life and so confused, find such peace and calmness through the simple truths we share!"

"Keep going you say? Okay! I get to smile everyday, I am healthy, and strong (compared to a 12 year old girl) Because as a missionary you get to be a light, a light in darkness and a light in troubling times for people you don't even know but some how love them so deeply. I believe that if you feel the spirit while you are with someone, you will love them! You just gotta love em!

Okay so now you can see that mission is great.... Oh you still havn't gotten enough..... okay well let me say some more about why mission is incredible and why every day I feel so blessed! On mission you change if you allow it. Now I don't feel different and I don't think I have change much but whenever I meet someone who knew me when I started my mission or even just 8 months ago then they tell me of the change that has happened to me. Now change can be great because I know I am becoming the person who God intends me to be. I hope I can become that "man" by the end of my mission. I hope I don't miss out on any opportunities to learn and grow.

On mission you get to be filled with love as you serve with all your heart, might, mind and strength!

On mission you get to feel in a very real sense that we have a loving God and a Savior who is Christ the Lord. You get to know them, feel them and love them!

On mission you see miracles all around you. If you diligently serve and look, you will see how much God does for His children! What a profound and great truth to hold on to. We have a loving Heavenly Father, God, who does everything he does out of pure love and the hope of our progression towards eternal perfection! WOW! Isn't it just WOW!"

Sharing is caring!

Dinner at a member's house

"Well let me start talking about my week....

So we started the week of with a great lesson with a member named Neo and his wife who is not a member of the church. They live in a building with three houses room to room. His house is about the size of my room. In that they have a electric stove, buckets of water to shower, cook, and drink, a tv, a bed, and a dresser, and some cabinets. That is it. The room/home next door is separated by a concrete wall but the space between the wall and roof are not entirely closed off. His neighbor does tattoos and loves to play his music loud and smoke a lot so our great lesson with Neo was accompanied by Lil Wayn, Drake, and all the hip hop pop artist and the looming smell of much weed... haha it was interesting to say the least. I think through the haze of the smoke and intense beat the spirit was able to penetrate into our hearts and confirm the message to be true. Sadly she still didn't come to church though :/ next week I hope!

Another awesome thing that happened this week is that an investigator from Bloem called us and told us to visit and teach his girlfriend. That is cool and investigator bringing us more people to teach! We had an awesome lesson with the two of them sitting on the floor of her home much like the one describe above. One room and they both came to church!!! yes yes yes!  

Well those are some great things this week and the work continues to grow this side. I am loving it and I am tired at the end of every day. What a great feeling!"

So cute!!

"Got the chance to confirm Brother Mohau!"

October 3rd

"What an exuberant week.

Sooooo Transfers came and….. I am going to Richards Bay! (Back to the coast, area 5 on the map) Its in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. I am super excited and I will get to be able to start practicing my Zulu again, (his mom looked it up and it says they speak Afrikaans, so we will see what he ends up speaking most) but its going to be hard to not speak seSotho with everyone I see."

"Some guy with too much money completely chromed his Jaguar."

"And he has two bodyguards."

"My old neighbor from hathetsene, he is an awesome kid."

"Sister Ntsala in a traditional print dress. I love these dresses."

"President said he wants the same flame that we have ignited here in Lesotho to also start in Richards Bay, and area known for not being liked by missionaries. I am excited though, its going to be grand.

So this week was interesting because a lot of schools were graduating so we couldn’t see anyone which was a boo. And also we had to take elder king to south Africa because he is going home from his mission. (Watch out Montana) So we spent the whole day in SA and when we tried to come back to Lesotho we were met by the worst traffic I have ever seen in my life. We waited almost 4 hours at the border when our mission president then told us he didn’t want us waiting through the night and we had to drive an hour back to where we came from and spend the night. We also had a member with us from Lesotho so it was quite the experience. The next day still took three hours to get through the boarder. I never want to relive that experience again…."

This little guy made his own kite out of sticks and a plastic bag.

Elder Shinga and Brother Mosewa

It was one of the member's graduation, but he doesn't remember her name haha.

"this is likeleli (dekeledi) she is an investigator of ours that is going to be baptized soon this month"

"this is elsi she will also be baptized soon."

"Me with BoMe"

"my Sister mampho Bridget, she is like a sister to me."

Sister Lerato and Sister Liako.

 Brother Mohau

Sister Khaleso

In our email last week I was teasing him that I can beat him in bowling now because my team went while we were in Arizona and I did pretty well. He and I used to go bowling together a lot and we actually went on our first date so we have this ongoing competition between us over who is actually better at it. We all know it's me though ;)

"now now now You see just because you are getting some extra bowling practice does not mean you can beat me, I have found my inner peace on mission and will be one with the ball as it glides down the track... #StrikesFerDays!

2 more goals!!! what, no one can stop you!!!! so how many is that now? and what are the school records... I mean we gotta go for breaking all of them right!?

I love you babe, I love when I get the chance to talk about you which isnt often becasue most guys have been deer johned so I dont like to bring up girlfriends. I am getting transfered and will no longer be able to talk for 6 hours straight to Elder Depriest about us. He says hi by the way and his girl also said she is stoked for some back woods adventure camping. :)

I just was told by another missionary that this new are could be my second to last area.... wow." (That's craziness!!!)

October 10th

Richard's Bay! New Companion: Elder Muphuma

"I got transferred to Richards Bay as you all know, commonly known as the Bay.

So where to begin? I left Lesotho for a two hour drive to Bloem, we then boarded a 11 hr bus ride to Durban, immediately after we got on another bus for three hours to go to the Bay.... yikes.

It was fun though on our 11 hour ride we sat next to some girl who we talked to most the way and around 1 o'clock in the morning we taught her the restoration of the gospel. it was cool. Then we all tried to get some rest. For some reason me and Elder Harper had some problem sleeping and kept getting pretty rambunctious."

"The best part was the next bus ride, the three hour ride from Durbs to the Bay. we got on the bus and sat near the back of the top floor. We took our seats and began to get comfortable. About 5 minutes after leaving we heard a women crying a row back and across the isle. We were not sure what was the cause of her crying and I just felt terrible. I hate seeing other people sad. Those of you that know my silly, obnoxious personality know that about me. I act that way because I like to make other people smile and laugh, even if its at me. So I was pretty dishearten at hearing her sobs. I was praying for an opportunity to just talk to her. But how!? I felt awkward to go and just sit next to her. I don't know why because I do stuff like that all the time as a missionary but it was harder this time. So we continued for another 5 minutes as my heart just ached for this pain that she was feeling and I didn't know what the problem was or who she was. Then she asked if I could take a picture of her with her phone. I gladly accepted the invitation and knew that I had a way in. I then asked a few basic questions, about where she is going. If she has family and kids etc. the basic BRT (building relationship trust) She talked a bit but obviously was in no state to have a cheerful conversation. I then asked if I could come sit by her. She accepted and I sat their for a bit in silence and then just put my arm around this women. Probably in her thirties, she started sobbing again and just opened her heart to me. She had been going through a rough time and recently tried to take her life for what appeared to be the tenth time. She was scared laden up and down her arms and she confided in telling me her history, how she was into drugs and alcohol. How she used to be a prostitute, how she had to give her children up for adoption because she could not give them the necessities of life. She grasped my hand, with the other wrapped around her. My heart swelled for this woman at this low in spirit women time in her life.  I have never felt such a love for a complete stranger in my life. As she asked me why, why God has kept her alive, and her confusion it what to do with her life and how to find true happiness in love. I could see her as a divine, pure, and precious daughter of God. I knew of her mistakes and hardships, her shortcomings and let downs. All of it seemed to matter very little. Actually, not at all. I saw her for her. A daughter of God with devine potential and every right to be perfect. We sat together for the next 2 hours as she continued to tell me about her problems and mistakes. We shared tears, smiles, and a warming comfort of the spirit. This bus ride had been the best and most spiritual experience of my entire mission thus far. I can't explain it. I sat for hours listening to the pain this women had gone through and endured and I was just filled with love that I have never felt before." (This definitely made me cry)

"Now onto some stuff about my new area.

My area is a town area but with some township as well. The town of course is hard and they probably are Afrikaans and the township is Zulu. I don't speak any Zulu anymore.... its terrible..... eish.....

I stay in a 4 man boarding with Elder Reed, and Waeni, and my comp Mupumha. It's pretty nice and the senior couple are religious about cleaning... dang it...

We live next to the beach so we go running down by the beach front sometimes. the other day we were down their and their were a group of young adults singing and dancing. I of course decided to jump around and share a laugh and as we left some of the girls came and stopped us saying that we needed to come back and play spin the bottle..... I ran...... I ran far far away... it was scary....

My comp is going home in 4 weeks so I am killing him. He wakes up at 5 and begins lifting weights every day... eish.."

"I am in richards bay, a notoriously hard area and president told me he wants me to change that conception of the place... eish....

Who knows, I think this working with joseph thing will be good for you. You can learn a lot by what you dont like about others, you can learn better how you wont teach and manage your class. You can see very personally the effect and importance of individual care for each student. thats something so important in any type of leadership or stewardship. Love is always the key to success in my mind.

I read that article about you and definitely printing it out and putting it up on my wall. (He's pretty much the cutest)

ah what I havnt seen that part of my family in like 5 years now, you are lucky. I love my aunt amy, she always was so nice to me and seemed to have a special place in her heart for my craziness. well soon youll get to see them a lot more ;)

I remember the beginning of the injury and how our conversations would end up talking about how this well be for your good and all the growth that will come from it all. and it happened, I knew you would bounce back and that this would be nothing but a motivator and an experience to make you grow and realize so much more. 

I just do fist pumps and all sorts of little celebrations when I hear about another goal or good result it just excites me for next season when I get to see it all first hand.

a joke that we play on the greenies is when we see a plain we point and ask them how far it is, their response is like uhh acouple thousand feet or kilometers or what what, we then say nope.... its 24 months! well now the months are coming closer and now its exactly 8 months.... not to far right? I love you babe. Ill see you soon."

It's been exactly one year since my injury today and I can't believe how fast it's gone by. I remember the two weeks that I had to wait for surgery feeling like an eternity, and every day going to therapy felt like it would never end. But now here I am, playing again, but changed because of what I learned from this experience. I still continue to learn from it. It's just crazy to me thinking about how Mikel had only been out for 4 months when I got injured, and now there's a little more than 8 months left! Ahhh!

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 :)