Elder Dallin Johnson's Mish: February 2014

Monday, February 24, 2014

Shared 2/24/14 - Goodbye Queensburgh, Hello Newcastle

Queensburgh…...

Newcastle ……..

Blessing the rains down in Africa...one drop at a time!

Sawubona!

Ay ay ay ay... This week...eh, this week has been incredible! All last weekend, I was wondering what the fetch I was needed in Newcastle for, but oh boy was I humbled and my prayers answered! Newcastle is lekker as they come. It's quiet here, which is a huge difference from Durban and Kimberley. There aren't as many people, there's never traffic, it's not hectic, and to top it all off it's safe here! In Durban and Kimberley, you had to have crazy tall gates with barbed wire and electric fences or else you'd get skebangoed. Here, I see houses that don't even have gates. I know that's not a big deal for you Utah folk, but man...that's HUGE in South Africa terms!

So the work here... Moving forward incredibly. Newcastle is a branch, and our branch president is a powerful young guy named President Mabhena. He's got a strong testimony and has been incredible in coordinating member missionary work! Our branch mission leader is Brother Bengha, and he taught the gospel principles class Sunday, and man... I think that's the most exciting investigators' class I've ever been a part of! He was so into the lesson, and everyone there was too! It's just exciting being a part of a unit that's as excited about missionary work as Elder Mukonda and I are! The Lord is hastening His work, and the members in Newcastle are stoked to be a part of it!

The members here are stellar. Lungani is one of my favorites... He's coming on splits with us this week and later on he's gonna show me how to slaughter a chicken. :) So stay tuned in the coming weeks for some lekker chicken pics.

So I should probably knock on wood saying Newcastle is so safe, because I think I may have had a close encounter with thieves earlier this week? You guys decide... So Elder Mukonda and I were printing off some pictures at a photo place in town, and a young guy walked in and asked if he could speak to me privately outside. I told him, "No...we'll just talk in here..." He kept insisting, but finally he was like, "Ok, ok, we can talk in here." Then he went into a story about how he's stranded here, how he just needs 5 rand, how he's not gonna harm me, he's not a hustler, blah blah blah... I was super uneasy about it and politely told him I didn't have anything with me. Eventually he left us, but eish... I think that could have been bad.

Elder Mukonda is FANTASTIC! He's from Zambia, and he's one of the most humble, sincere teachers I've ever met. I'm pretty sure I end up learning more from him during our lessons than the investigators do. We get along SO well and laugh all the time. And! We're learning Zulu together! Right now, mina kuluma isiZulu kancani, which means I only speak a little Zulu, but by the time we're finished we're gonna be Zulu warriors. Watch out, Newcastle!

The work is great and I'm as happy as I've ever been! With transfers as hectic as they've been, I'm so glad I ended up here and I know I'm here for a reason. Here's to the next 5 weeks to 6 months I'll be here! You just never know with Big Z... Stay positive, love your lives my friends. Sala kahle.

Much love,

Elder Johnson

Monday, February 17, 2014

uShaka Marine World, Queensburgh, and Durban

Take a good look, Queensburgh, 'cause it's the last time you'll be seeing these!

Sawubona!

Yoh yoh yoh... You just never know what to expect with Big Z! So week 5 Saturday night is the night we get transfer news, which, if there's a chance you're leaving, is always pretty exciting, but for Elder Higley and myself, should have been just another night since we're both new to the area. SHOULD being the key word. I was on exchanges with Elder Bagley in Pinetown that day when we got a call from President informing me that I'll be follow-up training a missionary in Newcastle the next week. And with that, my time in Queensburgh comes to a close. I've been super confused as to why I'm leaving so soon... But I have a strong testimony that President is inspired. His transfers never seem to make much sense, but somehow they work. For example, the elders in Kroonstad were moved to Welkom and would only be visiting Kroonstad once a week. It didn't make sense because the Kroonstad group (not ward, not branch, but group) was struggling pretty bad. But, as I've recently learned, the area has started flourishing ever since the change. They even had a couple baptisms this week! So, as sad as I am to be leaving Queensburgh already, I'm looking forward with excitement to Newcastle. :)

In other news though, our week in Queensburgh... Between member missionary work and accidentally finding a bunch of solid new investigators, it's been freakin' lekker! So Sister Shaik and her son Zak... Man, they just love the gospel and want to share it so bad and are definitely better missionaries than Elder Higley and I! Well, better than me anyway. But she had a DVD to deliver to someone, so we took it, and went to the right house but found the wrong person, which turned into a blessing, because we ended up teaching a couple sisters. Then just after that, we went to visit a man we found last week while trying to find a less-active family that, as we soon found out, had moved away. He has so much faith in Christ, and we were able to have about an hour and a half discussion just exchanging ideas. No hostility between us or him, just a nice discussion. We were able to share the Restoration with him and give him a Book of Mormon while we were at it! I think it may have been my favorite lesson we've ever taught!

So Friday night was Valentine's Day, and we scored the hottest date around... Dinner with Granny Heather! It was actually her birthday too, so we had a grand ol' time. The old folks home she lives at had given her this big ol' gift basket with non-alcoholic champagne lookin' stuff, and so she let us open it. First time I've ever popped a cork off a bottle. We got just about as tipsy as the Word of Wisdome allows.

Elder Gold's dying this transfer, so his bus came in to Durban from Bloemfontein at about 5:30 this morning... But since it's his last p-day and also because YOLO, Elder Brimhall, Elder Faganello, and I picked him up and went for a six mile run along the beach. Man it was so nice... Smelling the ocean... Being so close to it, yet so far at the same time... Didn't help that Gold was rubbing it in that he'll be surfing in Cali in a couple of days and chowing Mexican food. Eish... But it's cool. He'll be missing out on hastening the work of salvation this side!

Great adventures lie ahead...and I can't wait. :) Stay well, stay positive, love your lives.

Baie liefde,

Elda Johnson