Oh, the weather outside is PRIDEFUL!

Sanbonani!

Man... South Africa weather is kinda like Utah weather... It can be summer in the morning and winter by the afternoon. The only difference here is that winter just means rain and it's only like 70 degrees instead of 80, but somehow we still freeze...

This week! Has been crazy. Transfer week is always hectic, and the week ahead is looking to be no different... Where to begin, where to begin...

We have this guy named Qhawe I contacted the first week I was in Umlazi, who I didn't realize at the time was super drunk... But! He was happy to hear what we had to say and was even interested in learning about the Book of Mormon! So  we see him out on the streets all the time, but the thing is every time he's either struggling to walk straight or he's sitting at a tavern. But he always greets us with a smile and a wave. We found out this week that the name "Qhawe" translates to english as "Hero," which Elder Okeng and I had a good laugh about.

We've been trying to get in the Christmas spirit as best we can! So we've got Christmas music going in the car 24/7, Elder Okeng's contemplating buying a Father Christmas suit, we're Christmas tracting, we're singing Christmas songs to members... Just having an all around jolly and merry time! While we were visiting Baba Mnguni this week with a Christmas message, he happened to be enjoying the beautiful South African weather on his back porch with a friend who had been drinking lots and lots of umqombothi. Which, in English, is traditional African beer. He wanted to start arguing with us about... Man, I can't even remember! It was funny whatever it was, and eventually it got to the point where he asked us, "Where does God stay?" As I pondered the question, my thought process was, "Ok, this guy's drunk... He's not going to remember any of this conversation anyway. This is your one chance on mission to teach Kolob to a complete stranger." So, with Elder Holland like confidence, I blurted out "Kolob!" Elder Okeng and Baba Mnguni busted up, and the drunk man just kinda scratched his head in confusion.

We had a couple powerful contacts this week! We were doing some finding in M section, and a gogo answered the door at one of the houses we knocked on. Usually the response of people is, "Oh, I'm busy..." But with her, she saw Christ's name on our name tags and ushered us right into her living room. She told us a little bit about herself and her love of Christ and her family. We had to rush to an appointment right after, but we gave her a Book of Mormon and she couldn't have been more excited. With the Book of Mormon, it's easy to lose sight of what it's true purpose is. Aside from being evidence of the Restoration, evidence that Joseph Smith was a propet, and the keystone of our religion, the primary purpose God brought it forth in these last days is to bring us closer to Christ... It's there to shed light on His earthly mission, His perfect example, and what we need to do to become more like him. And when it's introduced in that way, it opens the doors for people to find truth in it and to feel the Spirit testify to them of its divinity. And that, my friends, is what happened with Gogo Nzama.

On Saturday, somehow I found myself preaching from the Book of Mormon at a Zulu wedding for two non-members... What an experience! Bishop Magaqa is the man. He's got a license to marry, and the chapel is open to anyone -- member and non-member alike --  to host their wedding there. What a fantastic way to do missionary work. I think the only members there were Bishop, his wife, and the missionaries. People saw and mingled with us and saw the Church in a good light. They heard good things coming from the Book of Mormon. They saw us volunteering afterwards to clean up. We didn't get to talk to EVERYONE there, but we were able to plant some seeds for missionaries to harvest in the future. Showing people what we're about... Not simply telling. There's something to be said for things like that.

What's coming up this week... MLC tomorrow, ward Christmas party on Thursday, lots and lots of jolly good times ahead... Christmas time. Great time to be serving the Saviour and doing His work!

Sala kahle, stay positive, and love your lives my friends!

Much love,

Umdala Johnson