who do I miss?
This crazy kid.
Elder Mikel North
South Africa Durban Mission June 2015-2017
Friday, July 17, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
KEEP CALM AND WAIT ON: 10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Waited f...
KEEP CALM AND WAIT ON: 10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Waited f...: Its been hard trying to keep up this blog since I feel like I have almost graduated from this stage of my life. Waiting was the best thin...
Monday, July 13, 2015
Kimberly
I love Mondays!!! Mikel and I got to send a few emails back and forth this morning and I loved it. It's like a confirmation that he's still alive haha :)
He left the MTC last Tuesday and went to the mission home in Durban. He met the mission president and his wife and said that they are awesome! He then went on a 10-hour bus ride to Bloemfontein where he stayed the night there. Then he got to play some soccer with the other elders and then took another 2-hour bus ride to Kimberly. They call Kimberly "outer darkness" because it's so far away from Durban haha. It's the farthest area of the mission.
His companion is Elder Jena who is from a city just above Johannesburg. The next day they went right to work tracting and teaching lessons. He said that he doesn't do much talking, just bears his testimony on the lesson. He talked about some cool experiences that he has had already. He got to give one of the women they are teaching, Martha, a priesthood blessing after one of their lessons. He said that he could really feel the spirit directing him in what to say and what she needed. He already feels so much love for the people he is serving and I know that's going to help him so much. He and his companion mostly teach in the nicer houses of the area, but he says that they aren't much bigger than his living room at home. That's so crazy! He said that he feels so humbled and blessed to have what he does. He didn't have water for three days this weekend.. welcome to Africa Elder North! :)
"Its cool but different and i miss you all! I know this is where I need to be and I would really like to here from all of you and have your support! I know this church is true. I can feel it! its so hard and sometimes I honestly just want to come home, but I cant, because I know something that the people of south Africa need to know. That is that God loves each and every single one of his children, he sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us that we may see him again. I know families are forever. that the relations built here on earth dont end her. I know that there is a plan for all of us, a perfect plan to know where we are from, why we are here, and where we are going. I know that through faith repentance baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost and most importantly enduring to the end, we can come to know our father in heaven and the love he has for us. I love you all and really whish I could still be with you but I more greatly desire to grow and become the person that the Lord needs me to be. to grow from the boy I am to a man, to a father, and someone willing to put his shoulder to the wheel.
please write me! Love
Elder North"
His testimony brought tears to my eyes. While I miss him so much I know he is doing exactly what he needs to be doing right now. The people there need him so much more than I could ever need him here right now. I'm so thankful for his example and his constant support and love. I was talking to a friend about him the other day and he said something that I loved and that helped comfort me a lot. "Think about when you first fell in love with him. How you felt, how excited you were, how you found something new every day to love. You get to do that all over again when he comes home. You get to fall in love with your best friend twice!" I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty amazing to me. Three weeks down!
He left the MTC last Tuesday and went to the mission home in Durban. He met the mission president and his wife and said that they are awesome! He then went on a 10-hour bus ride to Bloemfontein where he stayed the night there. Then he got to play some soccer with the other elders and then took another 2-hour bus ride to Kimberly. They call Kimberly "outer darkness" because it's so far away from Durban haha. It's the farthest area of the mission.
His companion is Elder Jena who is from a city just above Johannesburg. The next day they went right to work tracting and teaching lessons. He said that he doesn't do much talking, just bears his testimony on the lesson. He talked about some cool experiences that he has had already. He got to give one of the women they are teaching, Martha, a priesthood blessing after one of their lessons. He said that he could really feel the spirit directing him in what to say and what she needed. He already feels so much love for the people he is serving and I know that's going to help him so much. He and his companion mostly teach in the nicer houses of the area, but he says that they aren't much bigger than his living room at home. That's so crazy! He said that he feels so humbled and blessed to have what he does. He didn't have water for three days this weekend.. welcome to Africa Elder North! :)
"Its cool but different and i miss you all! I know this is where I need to be and I would really like to here from all of you and have your support! I know this church is true. I can feel it! its so hard and sometimes I honestly just want to come home, but I cant, because I know something that the people of south Africa need to know. That is that God loves each and every single one of his children, he sent his son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for us that we may see him again. I know families are forever. that the relations built here on earth dont end her. I know that there is a plan for all of us, a perfect plan to know where we are from, why we are here, and where we are going. I know that through faith repentance baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost and most importantly enduring to the end, we can come to know our father in heaven and the love he has for us. I love you all and really whish I could still be with you but I more greatly desire to grow and become the person that the Lord needs me to be. to grow from the boy I am to a man, to a father, and someone willing to put his shoulder to the wheel.
please write me! Love
Elder North"
His testimony brought tears to my eyes. While I miss him so much I know he is doing exactly what he needs to be doing right now. The people there need him so much more than I could ever need him here right now. I'm so thankful for his example and his constant support and love. I was talking to a friend about him the other day and he said something that I loved and that helped comfort me a lot. "Think about when you first fell in love with him. How you felt, how excited you were, how you found something new every day to love. You get to do that all over again when he comes home. You get to fall in love with your best friend twice!" I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty amazing to me. Three weeks down!
Elders cutting each other's hair
Mikel with the Mission president and his wife
his desk in Kimberly-notice the pictures :)
food called pap... not sure what it is but yum??
tire art in Kimberly
Elder Jena and Elder North went to a soccer match. He's the only white person in all of his city! Crazy.
cool door
spikes on every fence around the homes
driving is a little different in Africa :)
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Emails are like Gold
Best day of the week? P-day, no contest. Hearing from Mikel is my favorite thing! It's such a comfort to just know that he's doing well and to hear about his day-to-day life. Getting an email is like opening up your first present on Christmas morning!!
He's doing really well. His companion is Elder Benisson and he is from Johannesburg. He is also rooming with an Elder from Durban who has taught him about South Africa and also taught him how to greet people in Zulu. He was really excited about learning that, so I'm sure he's so happy. He leaves for Durban on Tuesday!
He's doing really well. His companion is Elder Benisson and he is from Johannesburg. He is also rooming with an Elder from Durban who has taught him about South Africa and also taught him how to greet people in Zulu. He was really excited about learning that, so I'm sure he's so happy. He leaves for Durban on Tuesday!
Mikel and His Companion
All of the missionaries from the MTC - temple trip
He told me that when he went to the temple this week that he got hit by a spiritual train that told him that he is there for a reason. It helped him so much and I'm so grateful for that.
It's so funny what kind of things can make me miss him or think of him. Just driving around with the windows down and the music on at night makes me think of how much fun we had last summer. Some songs that aren't even sad make me cry because I just think of him and how we'd sing those songs at the top of our lungs. The things that you can miss about a person are so interesting. I miss his smell, his weird voices, I miss watching movies on lazy days and I miss his voice. I miss holding his hand and listening to his stories. There are so many things that make me miss him, and there will never be enough words to describe how much I really do.
"Now im not going to say i miss you (just know i do) or I love you (you better know i do) and that i always will (its true) because thats not going to help us out in the long run and will just make me miss you more which i dont think is possible but if it is im pretty sure it would kill me haha. I am having a blast and i know i need to be here and i love it!
Love
Elder North"
*sigh* two weeks down, 102 more to go. :)
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
I Love To See The Temple
I haven't always been the most consistent person in my temple attendance, but thanks to Mikel I've gotten a lot better at it over the past year or so. He has always been my temple-going buddy and encourages me to go as often as I can. A few days before he left, we got to go to the temple together one last time, and because he is endowed he got to confirm and baptize me. It was the coolest experience for me, and I felt so much comfort through the Holy Ghost. Probably my favorite part of going with him that last time was how he acted in the temple. It's not that he was irreverent before he was endowed, but he was so much more focused and treated it so sacred. Going with him just really confirmed to me that what he is doing is the right thing and everything will work out the way it is supposed to. I'm so grateful for Mikel's example to me and how he has influenced my life.
Today, I didn't have early morning training and my first class didn't start until 1:00, so I went to the temple by myself because I was really needing comfort and peace. I've never actually gone by myself, I've always gone with other people, so it was a little bit different. I had a lot of time to read some scriptures, ponder and pray. I was talking to my mom last night because I just felt really sad and I was having a hard time with him being gone, and she told me that instead of feeling lonely and sad while missing him, I need to figure out what it is Heavenly Father wants me to work on. I need to figure out what my spiritual purpose is while he is gone, so that I can be a better support to him while he is gone and be who I need to be when he gets back. So I prayed and prayed last night and this morning to find my purpose right now, and while in the temple I opened up to Mikel's favorite scripture (2 Nephi 31:20). But as I continued reading through 2 Nephi 32, it told me exactly what I need to be doing.
1: And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts?
3: Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
5: For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
Scripture study and listening to the Holy Ghost, but also just putting my complete trust in the Lord. I may not know what I'm supposed to be doing just yet, but the answer will come. I'm the kind of person who always likes to have control of an outcome, but I guess I'm not really the one in charge here. :)
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