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Monday, May 12, 2014
Shared 5/12/14 - Nambiti, Wildebeests, Zebras, Elephants, Giraffes, Impala, biryani and al habib
4 Discussions to Freedom
Sanbonani!
Sometimes you can determine how power your week is going to be based on whether or not you started it by watching two lions hunting a herd of impalas. By that standard, our week was incredible. Yoh man, Nambiti last Monday was one of the coolest things ever. When we arrived at the Springbok Lodge, we were greeted with warm towels and homemade lemonade. Don't think a hot towel sounds nice? I didn't either at first, but hey. Next time you have house guests, greet them with a warm towel and count how many more friends you have. But enough with these unnecessary luxuries, on to the game drive!
You know the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland? That's basically what our modified Toyota Land Cruiser felt like most of the time, but real life. It had a canvas roof with open sides, so the wild elephant and those wild giraffes we saw were about as real as it gets. We saw wildebeests (pronounced with an Afrikaans accent), zebras (pronounced zeh-bra here in Africa), jackals, warthogs, and other li'l critters. Didn't get to see the two big 5 I'm missing, but hey... The kudu made up for it, and then the lions at the end of the journey... Oh man. Story of the week. It was dark, and our tour guide Steve (a native South African who caught my Napoleon Dynamite reference. Chalk one up for Idaho!) was using a spotlight to see the reflection of animals eyes. We saw plenty of impalas, but no big 5. Finally, as our drive was drawing to a close, we got radio that another group had spotted two male lions, so we made our way over to them. Not only did we see them, but we saw the herd of impalas they had their eyes on. For around 20 minutes we watched this story play out before they made their attempt, and man was it lekker. The lions were unsuccessful, but Steve told us we'd see that twenty times before the lions find success, so we left satisfied and smiling. It was too dark to take pictures of that, so uh... Guess you'll have to experience it for yourself.
Oh man, don't even get me started on the rest of the week though. Yoh... We saw some of the finest examples of Homo sapiens this world has to offer! They read their scriptures, they say their prayers, and they even prepare diligently for baptism. You meet some that are hostile, but then you find some that will invite you into their homes and serve you juice and biscuits. Truly fascinating.
But for real though, awesome people we have to work with. Tuesday a couple elders informed us that none of the township elders would be working in their areas Wednesday due to concerns of an uprising during the election (my fellow Americans...please don't take for granted a peaceful election), so we worked with Brother Gbenga all day to recruit some members to help us blitz Newcastle, only to find out the Madadeni elders actually were going to their area, and the ZLs would be traveling to Ladysmith... Only for Madadeni to change plans AGAIN, leaving us to scramble putting together a couple threesomes last minute. Yoh... Planning for one companionship is stressful enough, but three?! Ah, by the time my bed hit the pillow that night I was finished. But hey... Memories, right? I ended up working with two of my very favorite people, Elders Childs and Morole. Somehow or another we found ourselves tracting into Hindus and Muslims, only to reconcile our sorrows with chicken tikka at Al-Habib. All in all, a most lekker day.
The work continues to move right along. We had to go on exchanges Friday so Elder Esplin could do a few baptismal interviews for us, and hurrah! They all passed with flying colors! Ah man... I'm so excited for everyone! I'll have stories and pictures about each of them as their dunkings come to pass. I was with Elder Morole that day, and gosh dang it, we got transfer news Saturday night and he'll be departing us to Umlazi. My baba Elder Kruger, too. He's making his way to PMB. Eish... Mission's a weird time of life. So many people coming in, and so many people leaving your life just as quickly. But it's better looking at them as "see ya laters" instead of "goodbyes." Oh and speaking of transfer news, Elder Marumo and I are still here, no changes with us other than I'll be the district leader this coming transfer. So that'll be a neat experience.
But, no matter who's there, the work must still be hastened! Elder Marumo and I were looking at some finding ideas that aren't tracting during weekly planning this week (because let's be honest... Tracting? -______-) and we came up with a couple we're pretty excited about. We're gonna start a scripture study class at the chapel a couple times a week, with emphasis on the Book of Mormon, and encourage members to come and invite their friends. The other thing is a fireside in the middle of June that members can again invite friends to. We proposed it to Big Z, and not only did he love it, but he even agreed to come speak at it! Hurrah for Israel!
Sometimes you can determine how power your week is going to be based on whether or not you started it by watching two lions hunting a herd of impalas. By that standard, our week was incredible. Yoh man, Nambiti last Monday was one of the coolest things ever. When we arrived at the Springbok Lodge, we were greeted with warm towels and homemade lemonade. Don't think a hot towel sounds nice? I didn't either at first, but hey. Next time you have house guests, greet them with a warm towel and count how many more friends you have. But enough with these unnecessary luxuries, on to the game drive!
You know the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland? That's basically what our modified Toyota Land Cruiser felt like most of the time, but real life. It had a canvas roof with open sides, so the wild elephant and those wild giraffes we saw were about as real as it gets. We saw wildebeests (pronounced with an Afrikaans accent), zebras (pronounced zeh-bra here in Africa), jackals, warthogs, and other li'l critters. Didn't get to see the two big 5 I'm missing, but hey... The kudu made up for it, and then the lions at the end of the journey... Oh man. Story of the week. It was dark, and our tour guide Steve (a native South African who caught my Napoleon Dynamite reference. Chalk one up for Idaho!) was using a spotlight to see the reflection of animals eyes. We saw plenty of impalas, but no big 5. Finally, as our drive was drawing to a close, we got radio that another group had spotted two male lions, so we made our way over to them. Not only did we see them, but we saw the herd of impalas they had their eyes on. For around 20 minutes we watched this story play out before they made their attempt, and man was it lekker. The lions were unsuccessful, but Steve told us we'd see that twenty times before the lions find success, so we left satisfied and smiling. It was too dark to take pictures of that, so uh... Guess you'll have to experience it for yourself.
Oh man, don't even get me started on the rest of the week though. Yoh... We saw some of the finest examples of Homo sapiens this world has to offer! They read their scriptures, they say their prayers, and they even prepare diligently for baptism. You meet some that are hostile, but then you find some that will invite you into their homes and serve you juice and biscuits. Truly fascinating.
But for real though, awesome people we have to work with. Tuesday a couple elders informed us that none of the township elders would be working in their areas Wednesday due to concerns of an uprising during the election (my fellow Americans...please don't take for granted a peaceful election), so we worked with Brother Gbenga all day to recruit some members to help us blitz Newcastle, only to find out the Madadeni elders actually were going to their area, and the ZLs would be traveling to Ladysmith... Only for Madadeni to change plans AGAIN, leaving us to scramble putting together a couple threesomes last minute. Yoh... Planning for one companionship is stressful enough, but three?! Ah, by the time my bed hit the pillow that night I was finished. But hey... Memories, right? I ended up working with two of my very favorite people, Elders Childs and Morole. Somehow or another we found ourselves tracting into Hindus and Muslims, only to reconcile our sorrows with chicken tikka at Al-Habib. All in all, a most lekker day.
The work continues to move right along. We had to go on exchanges Friday so Elder Esplin could do a few baptismal interviews for us, and hurrah! They all passed with flying colors! Ah man... I'm so excited for everyone! I'll have stories and pictures about each of them as their dunkings come to pass. I was with Elder Morole that day, and gosh dang it, we got transfer news Saturday night and he'll be departing us to Umlazi. My baba Elder Kruger, too. He's making his way to PMB. Eish... Mission's a weird time of life. So many people coming in, and so many people leaving your life just as quickly. But it's better looking at them as "see ya laters" instead of "goodbyes." Oh and speaking of transfer news, Elder Marumo and I are still here, no changes with us other than I'll be the district leader this coming transfer. So that'll be a neat experience.
But, no matter who's there, the work must still be hastened! Elder Marumo and I were looking at some finding ideas that aren't tracting during weekly planning this week (because let's be honest... Tracting? -______-) and we came up with a couple we're pretty excited about. We're gonna start a scripture study class at the chapel a couple times a week, with emphasis on the Book of Mormon, and encourage members to come and invite their friends. The other thing is a fireside in the middle of June that members can again invite friends to. We proposed it to Big Z, and not only did he love it, but he even agreed to come speak at it! Hurrah for Israel!
But even greater than the lions, our investigators, and our finding ideas combined was Mothers Day :) Sunday night the whole zone met together at the Herringtons for transfer dinner and testimonies from the elders departing the zone, and uh... They may have cooked us up Cafe Rio style sweet pork! I know that's getting you Utah people excited just thinking about it, now imagine being in the shoes of someone who hasn't had it in ten months. Nectar of the gods, my friends. Powerful testimonies from some powerful elders leaving the zone. I guess one cool, unrelated story real quick. I don't know if anyone remembers Elder Kelsey. He developed alopecia during high school, which leaves you completely hairless. The doctors have no explanation for it, and the only symptom is that you end up hairless. Welp, a few months back, as he was reading Jesus the Christ, he was pondering much about priesthood blessings, and decided to ask in faith for one from his companion. Just a short time later, hair started growing back on his head. His family was blown away while they were Skyping.
Speaking of Skyping... HUGE shoutout to the fam bam! Ah man... It was so so SO good talking to you guys this morning! I can't believe how grown up you kids have gotten in the last ten months... Wanna knock that off before I get back? Lekker. And also big shoutout to the best mama a guy could ask for. Always going out of the way to do the small things to make everyone around her happy and never asking anything in return. Hope your day was the best ever because you sure do deserve it :)
Good things to come this week. The work is as great as ever, the church is as true as ever, and last time I checked, the Book of Mormon is still blue as ever. Have a great week everyone! Stay positive, love your lives. Sala kahle.
Much love,
Elda Johnson
Monday, May 5, 2014
Shared 5/5/14
Broseph Smith (n): that guy that translated the Bro Code into English from reformed Brogyptian
Sawubona!
"How old do you think I am?" That was the magic question as we were teaching the Arends family this week. Ah man, their kids crack me up. Here's how it went down...
Me: How old do you guys think I am?
Jeanine: 100!
Darren: Probably 30s.
Jason: Uh... 50?
Me: Guys, I'm only 20!
Darren: Yeah! I was closest!
Jeanine: Haibo! I said a hundred! I was closest!
I don't think anyone else puts a bigger smile on my wrinkly, hundred-year-old face. Ah man, those kids are the best. But whatevs, enough talk about me gettin' old. Let's take a journey back to yesteryear when I was a young whipper snapper on the Lord's errand...
Ah man, what a stellar week, and what better way to start it than with biryani? Melba taught us how to make it, so uh...heads up family. Y'all are gonna get hooked in just over a year. :) The Herringtons were back for FHE, which was a HUGE blessing. Last week while they were gone, Elder Marumo and I were in charge. It should have gone well, but eish... Our treat and lesson both bunked last minute and we kinda had to wing the whole thing (you get better at that the longer you're on mission). It was kinda like we were a couple high school hooligans playing battle of the bands after putting together a group in their parents' basement (shout out to Sebby, Randy, Josh, Kablab, Alexon, and all of Team Rock It's fan(s)!), and the Herringtons were Muse playing an epic concert with lasers and fire and homemade cinnamon rolls and stuff. What would we do without 'em?
So every once in a while you get one of those days every missionary dreams of. You know, one where you have appointments scheduled all day, none of them fall through, there's a member present at all of them, you get fed twice, and you even find a random less-active priesthood holder just by being in the right place at the right time. Back home, I found myself on cloud nine if a beautiful daughter of God liked my Instagram picture or whatever. On mission, it's days like these that get me excited. They only come once in a blue moon, but man, when they do, it's celebration time (usually that just means like a louder than normal high five at the end of our day).
As far as the area goes, blessings continue to rain heavily upon us. Eish, and the colder it gets the more likely those blessings turn to snow (fingers crossed). But for real though, this may have been one of the best weeks on mission so far. I know I probably say that every week to the point that it's lost all meaning, but I mean it this time. We've started teaching two powerhouse families in Ngagane, we've got a baptismal interviews coming up for a couple powerhouse investigators, we've got members, investigators, and less-actives all helping us with missionary work, a powerhouse branch president that's making it all possible, and to top it all off, a powerhouse companionship working in unity to preach salvation to as many souls as possible. What more could a missionary ask for?
I was reflecting a li'l bit earlier in the week on how blessed we are to live in a time when information can travel cross-country in a manner of seconds. We were teaching someone earlier this week that told us her daughter in JoBurg needed to hear the gospel, so we took her number, SMSed it to the assistants, and they SMSed back in a matter of minutes telling us they sent it to the JoBurg mission. MINUTES. Look back a hundred years ago and we probably would have had to travel a week or so by donkey across the desert, fighting a pride of lions on the way to accomplish this. There's definitely a reason the Lord had to wait until now to hasten His work. How wonderful it is to be able to see it in action.
"How old do you think I am?" That was the magic question as we were teaching the Arends family this week. Ah man, their kids crack me up. Here's how it went down...
Me: How old do you guys think I am?
Jeanine: 100!
Darren: Probably 30s.
Jason: Uh... 50?
Me: Guys, I'm only 20!
Darren: Yeah! I was closest!
Jeanine: Haibo! I said a hundred! I was closest!
I don't think anyone else puts a bigger smile on my wrinkly, hundred-year-old face. Ah man, those kids are the best. But whatevs, enough talk about me gettin' old. Let's take a journey back to yesteryear when I was a young whipper snapper on the Lord's errand...
Ah man, what a stellar week, and what better way to start it than with biryani? Melba taught us how to make it, so uh...heads up family. Y'all are gonna get hooked in just over a year. :) The Herringtons were back for FHE, which was a HUGE blessing. Last week while they were gone, Elder Marumo and I were in charge. It should have gone well, but eish... Our treat and lesson both bunked last minute and we kinda had to wing the whole thing (you get better at that the longer you're on mission). It was kinda like we were a couple high school hooligans playing battle of the bands after putting together a group in their parents' basement (shout out to Sebby, Randy, Josh, Kablab, Alexon, and all of Team Rock It's fan(s)!), and the Herringtons were Muse playing an epic concert with lasers and fire and homemade cinnamon rolls and stuff. What would we do without 'em?
So every once in a while you get one of those days every missionary dreams of. You know, one where you have appointments scheduled all day, none of them fall through, there's a member present at all of them, you get fed twice, and you even find a random less-active priesthood holder just by being in the right place at the right time. Back home, I found myself on cloud nine if a beautiful daughter of God liked my Instagram picture or whatever. On mission, it's days like these that get me excited. They only come once in a blue moon, but man, when they do, it's celebration time (usually that just means like a louder than normal high five at the end of our day).
As far as the area goes, blessings continue to rain heavily upon us. Eish, and the colder it gets the more likely those blessings turn to snow (fingers crossed). But for real though, this may have been one of the best weeks on mission so far. I know I probably say that every week to the point that it's lost all meaning, but I mean it this time. We've started teaching two powerhouse families in Ngagane, we've got a baptismal interviews coming up for a couple powerhouse investigators, we've got members, investigators, and less-actives all helping us with missionary work, a powerhouse branch president that's making it all possible, and to top it all off, a powerhouse companionship working in unity to preach salvation to as many souls as possible. What more could a missionary ask for?
I was reflecting a li'l bit earlier in the week on how blessed we are to live in a time when information can travel cross-country in a manner of seconds. We were teaching someone earlier this week that told us her daughter in JoBurg needed to hear the gospel, so we took her number, SMSed it to the assistants, and they SMSed back in a matter of minutes telling us they sent it to the JoBurg mission. MINUTES. Look back a hundred years ago and we probably would have had to travel a week or so by donkey across the desert, fighting a pride of lions on the way to accomplish this. There's definitely a reason the Lord had to wait until now to hasten His work. How wonderful it is to be able to see it in action.
We got to watch the Sunday morning session of conference this week at church, and it may possibly have been one of my favorite sessions ever. The talks were incredible, the speakers were awesome, and Africa even got a little bit of a shout-out! Sister Jean A. Stevens was talking about a visit to Botswana and Zimbabwe, and mentioned that all the little kids will say, "I'm so much thankful to God." It's true all over Africa, and it's incredible to see the amount of faith the children here have. Ah man, and the choir was absolutely incredible. Their rendition of Let us All Press On gave me chills the whole way through. Guys... The church is true. Please don't ever forget that.
So here's a story. Elder Esplin and I started doing P90x this week, and yoh... Tony Horton...That guy works you. My legs have been jelly all week. It's to the point that sitting down is a struggle. I needed to go see a man about a horse at one point, and I ended up just looking at the porcelain throne and deciding I could hold it. But it's cool because I'm gonna end up with huge Afrikaaner rugby legs and lead the Springboks to the 2015 World Cup.
So here's a story. Elder Esplin and I started doing P90x this week, and yoh... Tony Horton...That guy works you. My legs have been jelly all week. It's to the point that sitting down is a struggle. I needed to go see a man about a horse at one point, and I ended up just looking at the porcelain throne and deciding I could hold it. But it's cool because I'm gonna end up with huge Afrikaaner rugby legs and lead the Springboks to the 2015 World Cup.
We're gonna be off to Nambiti this afternoon which I am STOKED for! I was talking to Brother Classen yesterday who's from Germany, and he said out of all the 20 plus game drives he's been to in South Africa, this one's the best. Something about not being the biggest, but having the most animals packed into a smaller place. Should be freaking lekker. Expect pics next week. Well, you know, as long as I haven't been eaten by a leopard or whatever.
Love you all! Sala kahle, stay positive, and love your lives.
Much love,
Umdala Johnson
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