Sawubona!
So You Wouldn't Believe this... Down here in South Africa the date is written backwards... 11 November 2013 instead of November 11, 2013. So that turns November 3 into 3 November, or 3/11/2013...meaning! I get to celebrate 311 Day twice a year now! Woot woot! If you don't know my love for the band 311 you're probably All Mixed Up right now.
Anywho...man, we worked hard this week! Lots of finding...but not in the sense of finding new investigators, but finding less actives! On average about 70-80 people show up to sacrament meeting here, and on the ward directory we Bishop Tshabalala...there are more than 200 members in the ward. Es muy Loco... So we took a map of Kimberley, the ward directory, and spent a couple hours over a couple mornings just mapping out where everyone stays! In our freetime instead of tracting, we just go knock on doors of less-actives and Visit. It's been good...but occasionally you find out that the person is either moved away or dead. Eish...no bueno. But! It's a great Use of Time. We've found some promising families. Families that haven't been to church in years...families that don't even remember who Joseph Smith is...we've got a ways And a Ways to Go!
Where to start where to start... Last Monday! For our zone activity we climbed Thaba Nchu mountain! It's been forever since I've hiked and man...it Feels So Good! It was about 3.5 miles straight up and straight down! The biggest mistake we made was not taking enough water. I had a litre and it was gone about halfway up the mountain. What Was I Thinking? But it was ok because the view at the top was incredible! You know the hymn There is a Green Hill Far Away? I think it's talking about the top of Thaba Nchu mountain...it was dry the whole way up, but the top was a green meadow with rock formations that resembled Arches National Park. The plan was to go to a buffet afterwards, but it was only open Saturdays. So instead, we celebrated the traditional African way...with Chinese food! Elder Gold and I ordered sushi. Kinda Random, but whatever. P-Day well spent.
Tuesday we had our zone training meeting, and the zone leaders taught us the same way that Elder Bednar taught us a couple weeks ago. Instead of preparing material, they assigned us chapters to read in Preach My Gospel and asked us questions. As opposed to lecturing us, we all participated in a discussion. Great stuff. Afterwards, Elder Reeves high tailed it back to Kimberley to make our appointments for the night. We went and visited a family with the Bishop, and it was really good talking to him. He's a powerful dude and has an AWESOME vision for the Kimberley Ward. I'm so happy to be working with him to make it happen.
Wednesday and Thursday consisted of our searches for less-actives. We found so much success! In the words of Ezra Taft Benson... "Work, work, work...there is no satisfactory subsitute, especially in missionary work!" We parked our car somewhere and just started walking with the map. We found a family called the Rammutles... Their address was wrong and they weren't home, but miracles do happen! Because we were stopped a ways down the street by someone who said he had been baptized in our church. When we asked his name, lo and behold it turned out he was one of the Rammutles' sons! We'll be having an FHE with them next week.
Friday, the Rocklands elders were here for exchanges so that Elder Kambuzuma interview Liberty for her baptism Sunday. I was with him all day, and man...I love that dude. He cracks me up. We worked hard, found more less-actives, and! We knocked on the door of an investigator I had taught once with Elder Kruger, and then she had just sort of disappeared off the face of the earth. She was home, stoked to see us, and had just had a baby! So we're teaching her next week, and she's stoked to be seeing us again! Elders Kambuzuma and Tibbits stayed at our Hive that night, and man...it was so good talking to another Dart! I love Elder Tibbits. And I love that he knows what I'm talking about when I say Club Chev.
Sunday Liberty was baptized finally!!!!!!!! Ah man, I was so so so happy for her! The baptism went smoothly, and her testimony she bore was so powerful. We asked Zenzile to give the closing prayer for her, and he was super nervous... He told me we could write his name down for the prayer, but he would be long gone by the time it happened. But It's All Right because he was there, he prayed, and we were blown away. One of the most powerful prayers I've ever heard!
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