Monday, April 13, 2015
Shared 4/13/15 - Goodbye Umlazi...Berea, here I come!
Take a good look, Umlazi, 'cause it's the last time you'll be seeing these!
Sanbonani!
Ah... Transfer time again. And if all goes according to plan, this should be my last. Last time growing to love people for a few months, only to have to say goodbye once you really start to love the people. Mission's weird like that... So many people coming into your life, and so many exiting just as quickly. You get used to it after a while... But it still never gets easy. Especially when you've spent six months in one place. Ah, Umlazi has been lekker as they get. Met some of the best people in South Africa. Learned so much about love, leadership, brotherhood... And now, I get to spend my last three months as a normal missionary in Berea. Central Durban. The ward that started it all.
But before I get too much to the new, it's time to reflect a bit on this last week. Lots of ups, downs, diagonals... It's been crazy, but great nonetheless.
Tuesday was kind of a weird day. We had to take our car to get serviced, and ended up being at the dealership all day. There's this thing in South Africa called load shedding. The country's producing a lot of electricity, but they're selling a lot of it to neighbouring nations. Which is great for the economy, but kind of doesn't leave enough for Mzansi. So for a couple hours at a time the electricity will be out in one place, then the next couple hours it will be somewhere else. So we caught the butt of it at the dealership and didn't make it back to the area until 5. And then, just as we prayed and got out of the car for our first appointment, the lights went out in Umlazi as well, and there went the rest of our evening. Not really safe to be around Umlazi with no lights... But it ended up being ok. We met up with the W elders and shared missionary experiences while we waited for the load shedding to finish.
I think the Lord gave us a good number of tender mercies this week. We were blessed to teach a brother named Timothy. Elder Aman'galia met him on an exchange the week before with Elder Faganello. My idea of the qualities that someone must have to be considered a "golden contact" or "prepared investigator" has changed constantly over the course of mission. I don't think I can narrow it down to anything specifically, but Timothy is prepared. He once went to a church, but it's been a long time, and he feels that he needs God to be more a part of his life. I think he's pretty lonely. He has an injury that leaves him limping on one side, and he isn't able to leave home too often. If anything, I think he enjoys our company, but has been asking us really great questions as well. Seems like a really good guy, and Bishop is gonna come meet him with Elder Aman'galia and Elder Kelsey this week. (Oh yeah, that's who's replacing me! Is Umlazi going to be in good hands? You better believe it is!)
Universally among the missionaries, weekly planning is never really looked forward to much. It's kind of a drag sometimes. I was talking to Elder Faganello earlier in the week and he was telling me that in one of his previous areas, to spice things up a bit, they hiked a mountain one day and did weekly planning up there. We don't have any mountains on the coast, but we do have a beach... So that mighta been where our two districts did weekly planning this week. And from this point forward, weekly planning is no longer dreaded. Hee yeah!
Some days go as you plan, other days definitely do not... Saturday morning we got a call from Elder Doane in Margate who had ordered scriptures for a member that was moving to the United States the next day, so we had to make an emergency trip there... And also take him a letter that had just arrived at the office from a nice sister. But we ended up attending their district meeting as well. Not planned, but it was good. Elder Gwebu's a good district leader. Instead of giving the lesson every week, he gives the other elders in his district a chance to do it. Pretty cool of him.
We met a family called the Shabalala family a couple weeks back... I think I mentioned them last week. We had a chance to sit down with baba this past week, and I think we did some good. We didn't teach anything, but we just talked. It almost reminded me of sitting with a Navajo chief or something making peace and passing around the peace pipe. Perhaps that's because he was smoking, or perhaps it's because we exchanged great amounts of wisdom. Whatever the case, it was a good meeting. We even asked him at the end of it he'd ever had the desire to quit smoking. His answer was the same as everyone I asked in Stanger. Of course he did, but it's tough. We offered to help him, and he welcomed it gladly. Afterwards, Elder Aman'galia and I decided conversion on his part was going to be tough, but it wouldn't be impossible. As Christ counseled his disciples, we must be "wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves."
Brother Bunny's I think someone I'm gonna miss more than most people. We found out this week that he loves to sew. He doesn't have much to do during the days, so I think he appreciates the business we're bringing him. I had a few shirts to slim down, Elder Aman'galia had some pants to make longer, and he welcomed the job gladly. Ah, it's a shame though... He tries not to show it, but his house burning I think has hit him hard. I would guess the lost photos and memories are the hardest part. But he's strong. He's hangin' in there. The Chatsworth elders are keepin' him company.
New things this week... I'm excited for Berea. I'm dying in the same ward as Elder Esplin. We're super excited. Under no circumstances are we going to let each other die finished. Not no way, not no how! If we can die as strong as Elder Childs, life will be good. Speaking of... We've been with him most of the morning. His family's here picking him up. Seeing people fresh from the valley... Ay, it's weird. Crazy to think that's gonna be me in three months... Oh well, shouldn't dwell too much on that. There is work to do! Watch out Berea, here we come!
Elder Atkinson and I had both received the revelation that we were going to be together in Phoenix this transfer, but I guess it's the companionship that just wasn't meant to be. But whatever happens, happens for a reason.
Sala kahle my friends. Stay positive. Love your lives.
Thanda kakhulu,
Igosa Johnson
Monday, April 6, 2015
Shared 4/6/15 - Umlazi and Franky the duck (viewer discression preparing the meal)
#NgobaUyaphila
Sanbonani!
Running super short on time today... Which is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good news is that we finally were able to do today what I've been wanting to since Newcastle (more on that in a minute). The bad news is it took up most of the day, so time is short and I've got a lot to cover this week! Punching gogos, broken teeth, career workshops, Samuel Jackson, and so much more... Where to begin!
I guess the logical place would be where I left off... So! Got the chance to exchange with Elder Duffy this week... One of my Polynesian homeboys! (I get to count myself as Poly since we're moving to Hawaii right...?) Man, what a great guy. He's from Samoa and he was kinda telling me his life story. His family's all members of the Church, but he's the first one to serve mission. And he really turned his life around to be able to do so. I think he's a true example of just what the gospel can do for someone. I think in the purest sense, our Heavenly Father expects us to make mistakes, but to learn from them and get things right the second time. That's what Elder Duffy is doing, and I think that's what we all should try doing. Our day together was great. Sister Magaqa's mother who passed away last week stayed in their area, and many people from around there attended the vigil Elder Aman'galia and I spoke at. So in between a couple appointments, I showed him the area and I think him and Elder Faganello should be able to teach some good lessons there. We finished up the night at Gogo Gumede's, who I believe is the longest tenured member in Umlazi. Every time she meets a new mission, she comes up and starts throwing punches. And then, in the midst of this confusion, she hugs you and tells you to buy her chocolate. And then tells you that she even punches our president! I guess Big Z loves her and wishes we had more gogos like her... She goes out and tracts! She hasn't been attending in Umlazi the last couple weeks because she has investigators in Bluff she's working on! Man... Every member a missionary, eh? No matter how old you are!
The next day I was back with Elder Aman'galia, and we had to take him to the dentist for a tooth extraction. Or we thought so anyway. They worked on him for a little bit and then we were on our way. He asked me if his tooth was still there. I looked in his mouth, and it was. We were confused. Usually when you have a tooth extracted, it's no longer there. Hmmm...
Thursday we were back on exchanges (that's five this transfer so far...yoh!). Got to work with Elder Shinga! Ah man... Awesome elder! Elder Bonner's training him right now and those two are workin' hard. We started out the morning helping a member teach about Agency and Accountability from For the Strength of Youth at a career workshop she's putting on for high school kids. It was a lot of fun... Ah. It's cool working with kids around that age group. They're kind of at a point in life where they're making lots of decisions about their futures and who they will become. Sister Hlongwane wants us working more with them, so that should be a cool experience... And will hopefully give us the chance to introduce the gospel to some people at a critical time in their lives! Elder Shinga's the man though. He's all smiles all the time. A little bit shy, but I think people like that. Later in the week, the people I visited with him kept asking, "Where's Elder Shinga? Where's Elder Shinga?!"
Elder Aman'galia and I have been working with a less acitve family called the Myendes for some time now. I can't remember if I've mentioned them before... But Baba is a driver, and he's driven around all sorts of famous people before. Nelson Mandela, Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema, and even Fidel Castro... Crazy right?! So he was telling us last week he was going to be on a job for three weeks in JoBurg, and he was telling us the details of it this week... Apparently he's going to be driving around celebrities that are filming a movie at Kruger National Park. The names he mentioned were Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson... So I guess that's our little claim to fame... Assuming he's not just messin' around with us. We know the guy that drives around all the famous people in South Africa. Woo!
The day before Easter... Last time exchanging with Elder Childs before he goes home! Man... But it was perhaps the best exchange I've been on in 21 months. (And if you do the math, that's the time I've been out on mission.) Yoh... Work was kind of slow this weekend due to everyone celebrating the Holy Week, so what did we do? Celebrate with them! Driving through the area, we stopped at a tent that was holding a service and decided to join them. When we got out of the car, one of the ushers came and led us to the front of the congregation next to the pastors. We rolled with it. Got groovy with the band that was playing gospel music. Listened to a couple Zulu sermons. It was the bomb. We asked the senior pastor if we could introduce ourselves to the congregation, and he said that was cool. (I was Elder Johnson from Hawaii, by the way. Saying Utah gets repetitive sometimes.) They invited us to lunch afterwards and we got to mingle with some of the pastors. It was great... The congregation loved us (especially Childs bearing his testimony in Zulu) and we exchanged details with the pastor. I mean, the pastor will probably never be converted, but I think we can at least do some good with him as brothers in Christ. And come on... If missionaries knock on the doors of anyone that was at the congregation that day, they'll be welcomed in with open arms! We think we did a good thing that day. Spent some time talking to everyone (that includes drunk people! Woo!), teaching, and just enjoying the work. Ah man, I'm gonna miss that guy. He's going home next week, but we've literally spent more than half our missions serving around each other. It's been some gooood lekker.
For some reason Zulus are really scared of ixoxo. Which, being translated, is frog. I'm not sure why. But if you pick up a frog and show it to a Zulu, they'll run. Even if they lift.
Easter Sunday was great... I think this one's had a little more meaning to me than ones in the past. I've focused my studies this week on the Saviour's last week. Culminating in the Resurrection, it was filled with teaching, lifting, and wisdom. Brother Mervin from Chatsworth was telling us some of his favorite teachings from the Book of Mormon are when the prophets deliver their dying words. Essentially, if there's just one thing that you can learn from them, they're going to tell you then. I think it's the same with Christ. Perhaps his most important teachings came during his final week. And perhaps THE most important teaching came as he rose from the dead. A testimony of that has the power to compel is to keep pushing forward, to keep hoping for better days that lie ahead, and to strive our best to be the people that Heavenly Father knows we can become.
So that was our week. And then... Today.
Remember how in Newcastle I kept talking about slaughtering a chicken? Well it finally happened today! Kind of... We slaughtered a duck and gutted a chicken. It was probably the best thing ever. You'd think it would have made things difficult having named our duck friend Franky, but it just made things all the better. When Elder Preator rung his neck, he knew it was for a good cause. There's something about a whole district and a half of elders working together to prepare a meal of duck, chicken, pap, chakalaka, and bacon that just puts you in a good place. Oh, and the chocolate covered bananas we finished up the meal with were delightful as well.
Whoo... After six exchanges this transfer, we're finally finished! Get to spend some real time focusing on the area this week. We're excited. We're ready to find some new people (since we've kinda baptized everyone we've been teaching lately...) and do some good out there. Hurrah for Israel!
Sala kahle, stay positive, and love your lives my friends.
Thanda kakhulu,
iGosa Johnson
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