Monday, October 20, 2014
Shared 10/20/14 - Durban riding Segways
"Be an advocate of joy." --Brandon Flowers
Namaste!
It wouldn't be mission if there weren't ups and downs, would it? This week was full of them! I remember while I was with Elder Marumo he would always point out that your faith in finding can fluctuate day by day, hour by hour, and sometimes even minute by minute... Oh how true that is! What day was it... Wednesday I think? No, Thursday! Elder Mphaka and I were walking back from doing service at the clinic, and I saw a group of guys standing around so I thought I'd try and talk to them. I go and say, "Hey, do you guys know if there's a McDonalds around here?" And one of the guys pointed out that I didn't greet them first, so I apologized, asked how they were, and he says, "There's no McDonalds in Stanger. You can move now." I don't think I'd ever been rejected that hard before, and I hadn't even gotten to the good stuff! So my faith was a little down, but then later we were in the grocery store, and I was looking at the different chocolate bars and another man was standing next to me, so I asked him which one is his favorite. He was super friendly, told me all about how he likes...eish I can't remember which flavour, but he likes having it with his lunch. He saw my nametag and told me Jesus is his king, so I showed him a Book of Mormon and he was STOKED about it! Faith, through the roof again! There are people being prepared for this message! Granted, most people aren't... But hey, I guess it wouldn't be called "finding" if you didn't have to do some serious searching, hey?
Let's see... Where to get started... Ah man, it's been an exciting week! We cruised around the Durban promenade on some Segways last Monday, and what an experience that was! Something about a cool ocean breeze that just puts my mind right... We exchanged with Phoenix after that, and I was with Elder Sieverts there. Ah Phoenix... What a fun area. Stanger's pretty diverse, but Phoenix is almost exclusively Indians and Pakistanis, and those are some of my favorite people. We had dinner with a long-time member that night who I'm pretty sure thinks she's an American... She's always saying "Powerrr!" really emphasizing her "r's." Which apparently we do. But she isn't shy to show everyone the February 1993 Ensign that she's in! If you have that go check it out... There's an article about the Church in South Africa, and it talks about how she gave up a R10,000 modeling job because it would have required her to wear an immodest swimsuit. Let's hear it for the faith of the saints!
Tuesday while we were on exchanges, Elder Sieverts and I had a few appointments bunk, so we had some time to do some contacting. We met a few guys that seemed solid, and then one guy who seemed REALLY solid. Super friendly and everything. But then after we talked to him, another brother came up and told us that guy was crazy and that he had killed someone years back. So that's the kind of people we're talking to. Elder Sieverts and I figured it would probably be a really good idea to seek guidance from the Spirit before following up on that guy. But all in all, a really good day. We had dinner with President Pillay that night, who's the branch president of Phoenix, whose wife's sister is Sister Singh, President Singh's wife... It was cool meeting them and hearing his conversion story. I guess they were Hindus before they joined the church something like 8 years ago.
Our Quit Smoking class was kind of a learning experience for us. On the downside, no one showed up... But on the plus side, we've got the material sorted out for when we try it again. The Rowberrys had come for the class, and they offered to take us out for dinner. Elder Mphaka had seen a place called the Copper Chimney that we wanted to try, and over dinner we were able to discuss what we could do to make it better next time. We discussed location (we had used the chapel, which we figured would be a good idea because it would get people to the church, but the downside is it's in a quieter part of town...) and advertising (a lot of people we talked to that seemed interested we had invited two, three, four weeks earlier... Most likely had forgotten. So we came up with some good ideas for the future. First on our list is going to be finding a community hall to rent to host it in a more central location. The Rowberrys are great by the way... The Copper Chimney served Indian and Pakistani food, and they were telling us about their travels that had taken them to India and Turkey amongst other places. One of the things that I thought was super cool was Sister Rowberry telling us how they had gone to a Mosque and participated in one of their prayers. She said she went in with the scarf Muslims wear and everything, and she found it to be a very spiritual experience. Elder and Sister Rowberry are completely devoted to their beliefs (so much that they even politely rejected the Coca Cola they brought us at the restaurant!), but are still able to see the beauty and spirituality of other belief systems. That's something I feel like the world could use a little more of.
This was super random... I think it was Saturday? Anyway, we were walking through the township and out of nowhere comes another mlungu. That caught us really off guard, because usually I'm the only mlungu in the township... But this guy was an Afrikaaner. Super drunk, but super friendly. I think he could best be described as "rebel without a cause." I guess he lives there... Because who says a mlungu can't live in the township?! He showed us his tattoo of his Zulu girlfriend, and uh... Well, I tried teaching him a little bit about the Book of Mormon, but eish... Nearly impossible when someone's drunk! Hopefully our paths cross again once he's sober.
Another guy that we met this week was named Mdu. We didn't talk gospel at all, but we were walking and talking and he told us he'd just moved here from Eastern Cape and loves the keyboard and guitar and stuff. So we have an appointment to jam with him next weekend. Really hoping this one doesn't bunk. We're gonna bring him some MoTab and a green hymn book. Hoo ah!
The week finished off great. Brother Don asked me to give a talk about five minutes before sacrament meeting started, which seems to happen quite a bit on mission. Back when it happened in Kimberley it kinda freaked me out a bit... But when you've been out this long you've always got something you can ramble on about for ten minutes or so. I went with joy yesterday, and I think the congregation felt the spirit. We'll hope so. The two families staying in Ethembeni used to have a family home evening group before the missionaries were pulled from Stanger, and we finally had time to get that started again on Sunday. Man, it was a fun lesson... We did an activity with the Golden Rule as Christ taught it. We had everyone write on a piece of paper something for someone else in the room to do, whether it was push-ups, dancing, singing, or telling secrets... And the plot twist was that you had to do what you asked someone else to do. The room was full of laughter, good times, and lots of the spirit. I guess Bheki, Philane, and Elton were baptized because of it, so hopefully it'll be able to bear some more fruit in the future!
Had kind of a humbling experience Sunday too. We were street contacting, and I started a conversation with this guy that ended up being from Limpopo, where Elder Mphaka's from. We were telling him about the Book of Mormon, and as Elder Mphaka asked for his details, we both started writing them down when he says, "Hey, he's stealing your customer!" We chuckled, but at the same time, I was just thinking... "Ah, the last thing I want is to be seen as a salesman." So I think I'm gonna change the goal of my contacting approach from trying to get their details to teaching them something meaningful. I'd much rather be seen as a teacher, or, as Brandon Flowers puts it, an "advocate of joy."
Great week lies ahead. Last one of the transfer... These just seem to fly by don't they?!
Sala kahle. Stay positive. Love your lives.
Much love,
Umdala Johnson
Monday, October 13, 2014
Shared 10/13/14 - Luthuli Museum in Groutville
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Can you buy green eggs here??
Namaste!
I was asking the Mozambican families how to say "hello" in Portuguese, but they said it's just "hello," so... Where's the fun in that? Ah man, but unfortunately, our time teaching the Mozambican guys may be coming to an end... With the language barrier, and the issue of getting them legally married, it may be too much work to realistically get them baptized while they're still living in South Africa... Our hope is that one day when they return to their native Mozambique, they'll be able to find the missionaries there and learn from them in their home language. But, like we read in Preach My Gospel, no effort is wasted! It's been a great experience teaching them, and we've seen their lives be blessed because of it.
Ah... But otherwise, what an inspiring, uplifting week! We started off our p-day visiting the Albert Luthuli museum in Groutville. So I guess Albert Luthuli was the first South African to win the Nobel Peace Prize, all the way back in the 60s. He was the leader of the ANC during that time and was one of the forerunners to Nelson Mandela. He has a pretty incredible history of working towards peace, and it's cool to me that his time with his family was spent at his humble home in this quiet, seemingly small township.
Lots of good things happening... Where to start... How about zone conference? I think this was the first time in about six months Big Z's been able to put together a zone conference for us! Last one was kinda hijacked by Elder Hamilton of the Seventy. Man, Big Z... That guy knows how to invite the Spirit. Amongst the topics were inspired planning, finding, contacting, and my personal favorite, finding joy while serving. Sister Big Z gave a great lesson on that, and different uplifting and inspiring quotes were shared as we all discussed how we each find happiness in this great work of salvation. Oh! And after 15 months, I finally saw Elder Sarai for the first time since leaving the mission home after the MTC! He's one of the elders in our group, and during our time at the MTC he was one of my favorites... He cracked me up, and he couldn't speak English that well. But, 15 months later, he's speakin' it like it's no one's business!
After zone conference, Elder Childs and I drove back to Stanger to go on exchanges. We're always talking back and forth how best we can go about talking to everyone and their dog, and finally we had a day to put our ideas into practice! We were together all of Thursday, and we specifically planned zero appointments during the day so we could spend all day walking around contacting. See, the thing is... Most missionaries will look at their schedule and see open hours and think to themselves, "OK, what could we possibly do that doesn't involve tracting or contacting?" It's kinda something you dread. But what I learned Thursday is that if you get a couple elders together that have a real desire to talk to everyone, they'll make it fun. Sometimes all you need is a few creative ice breakers to laugh about later. Like get this... We were in Checkers (a grocery store) and Childs was like, "I'm gonna go ask this guy if you can get green eggs here." And I was like, "What the fetch..." So off he goes to this guy, asks if you can buy green eggs here, and goes on to explain that back in America, we eat green eggs and ham, but he hasn't been able to find it here. One thing led to another, and he ended up testifying about the Book of Mormon to him and he accepted an invitation to learn more. We busted up laughing afterwards. Ah... Fun day!
On Saturday we ended up teaching one of the brothers that we found Thursday, and his name was Simeon. When we got to his home, we were excited to find a family of 16! The unfortunate thing, though, was that the only ones who spoke English were the baba and one of his daughters. So, unfortunately we could only teach once, invite to church, and not make a return appointment... Shame. The language barrier is a tough one.
I think one of my favorite members here in Stanger is Sister Moodley. She joined the Church back in the early 90s I believe and just loves loves loves everyone and everything about the Church. She has every reason in the world to be sad all the time. She's lost her husband, her son, and the rest of the family has grown up and moved away, leaving her an empty nester. But, she's always one of the happiest people out there! She feeds us every Friday and is always telling us story after story that put huge smiles on our faces! She was laughing this week remembering an elder that served in Stanger many years back... His name was Elder Butt. Hehe. She gave a talk this week that just radiated everything good about her to the entire congregation!
The Tembos are still doing great, and guess what! Bright came to church this week in what looked like a brand new suit! He was all jittery because on the walk to church, someone had told him he looked like a priest! That put a smile on his face. Him and Octavia are as happy as ever, and same with Ezron. We had a lesson with Ezron this week that was power power power. He had read things online about Joseph Smith that made him a little bit uncomfortable, but he told us that when seeking truth, the best place to go is the source. We spent a couple hours with him on Saturday giving him honest answers to his honest questions. We weren't able to give answers for everything, but we bore him testimony of the things that we do know to be true. God lives. His Son Jesus Christ was crucified for us. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. And although we don't have all the answers, we know that these things are true. When he came and talked to Elder Mphaka at church the next day, he had a smile on his face and was telling us he's feeling ready for baptism. The Spirit, my friends... The Spirit is the driving force in missionary work!
Amongst all the good, we had a couple learning experiences too... Elder Mphaka and I learned the difference between the two types of member present lessons: the right member present and the wrong member present. We were trying to boost our member present stat one night during the week, so we looked at the area and said, "OK, so-and-so is close, let's pick him up for the lesson." There was something small inside telling me not to, but I didn't listen... The lesson went sour, and we're going to have to recover a little bit the next time we see that family. The moral of the story though? Sometimes having the wrong member present can do more damage than good. Make plans ahead of time to get the RIGHT member there! But hey... Thank goodness for the Atonement! Repent and do better next time.
Overall, it's been a good week. I'm feeling more and more comfortable talking to everyone. I think Elder Mphaka can say the same. Finished off strong by helping out in primary again with the ol' guitar. Jolly good fun. Man... I miss those primary songs sometimes.
Gonna be a good day and week today! Going to ride Segways on the beach in Durban for a district activity. Exchanges in Phoenix tomorrow. Stop smoking class culminates Wednesday. Let the gooooooood times roll!
Sala kahle, stay positive, love your lives my friends.
Much love,
Umdala Johnson
Monday, October 6, 2014
Shared 10/6/14 - Cooking curry, eating roti rolls, and companion's hump day
This bench is f... Uh, it's broken!
Namaste!
Ah... So in our visits with the Tembo family this week, we taught a little bit about clean language, and we told Bright there was a certain word that starts with "f" and rhymes with "duck" that he probably shouldn't be saying. The great thing with Bright is that he is so humble and so willing to bring his life in harmony with what his Heavenly Father wants for him. As we were walking into their place Saturday night, he was about to tell us the bench we usually sit on is fluffed up, but! He caught himself and we all shared a laugh. What a great family they are... We taught about the temple this week too, and they've already set that as a goal to work towards after their baptism! Life is goooood my friends.
What a week it's been... Full with so much of (<---the longer I'm here the worse my English gets) teaching, finding, good people, good food, and lekker times had by all. We started off our week with Benny and Nalin, learning how to make curry. Sister Nalin kept warning us that the "mother-in-law masala" that we were using (not kidding about the name) was going to be super spicy, but Elder Mphaka and I just kept asking how we could make it spicier. She said when we make it on our own, we just have to use chili powder. Hehe, will keep that in mind. But! For our first time making curry, we think it turned out pretty nicely! Benny and Nalin approved, as did our stomachs. Job well done.
The week picked up with an AWESOME family we found last week. Our emphasis has been father-led families, so typically if we find a home with only children home, we simply invite them to church and move on. So I think what...two weeks ago? We knocked on a door and found someone named Precious, invited her to church, and to our surprise, she came! We were able to make an appointment to visit with the whole family, which we were excited, but a little nervous about. We had seen on the wall a certificate saying "Doctorate of Theology," which we could only assume belonged to her father. Our fear was that the lesson would turn into a Bible-bashing session, which no good could come out of. We were pleasantly surprised as we taught to find that Baba Makhanya was one of the most humble men we've met. He listened intently to what we had to say, him and his wife asked good questions, and at the end, asked us how he could know if the things we were telling him are true. He brought up a concern that another group of people regard Shembe as a prophet (this is one of the dominant religions amongst the Zulu people -- I don't understand it exactly, but they believe Shembe to be a prophet sent directly by God and emphasize heavily the teachings in the Old Testament), and asked sincerely how he could know for himself where he could go for truth. We'll be sharing with them this week about the Book of Mormon, which we're looking forward to.
Another power family we found this week... This was cool. We were following up on a baba we had taught last week that showed a little bit of interest in what we had to say, and as we followed up, we found more of the family there. We ended up re-teaching the Restoration, and we weren't sure if it was getting through to any of them. At the end, we asked if there were any questions, to which one of the sisters asked, "There are so many ways to do baptism. Some use a sprinkling of water, some make a cross on your forehead, some take you down into the water... Which way is right?" And uh...I'm pretty sure I've asked that exact same question in the exact same wording in lessons before without much response, but now, an investigator's asking it! Do they come more prepared than that?! We'll be seeing them again this week, which we're pretty excited for.
Hmmm... We had training from the ZLs Wednesday, which was jolly good fun! Elder Childs and I have been brainstorming for months the best ways to talk to people, and that's what his whole lesson was on. We had talked months ago about using famous Mormons as conversation starters. Like for example... You have a picture of Imagine Dragons in your planner that you show to people and start a conversation with them. It just kinda sat on the shelf for a little while, but Childs put it into action this week! We've got laminated pages with pictures of Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, Gladys Knight, Mitt Romney (crazy enough, even in South Africa some people recognize him!), and a couple others that are...well, less-active...but still baptized Mormons nonetheless! Julianne Hough, Ryan Gosling, Paul Walker... So that's neat. Ate at the House of Curries afterwards and enjoyed roti rolls as a zone. Which basically is a burrito looking thing full of curry.
Stop smoking efforts are going well still, and we can finally start telling people that the class starts next week instead of like a month away. Hola! Still haven't talked to anyone that doesn't want to quit, although we had a close call... We approached an Indian fella named Jerry that was smoking, and we asked him if he ever wanted to quit. He just kinda looked away and gave a really prideful, "No." Then as best we could, we told him we're offering a free class to the community to teach how to quit if he was interested. He took a second glance at our flier, and his heart was instantly softened. He told us he had actually been wanting to quit for a while. My guess is he had assumed we were gonna start giving him crap for smoking, but when he saw that we were really just reaching out to him, his heart was softened. That was something cool. A lot of the time, people recognize genuine care and concern for them.
Branch activity happened this Saturday, which coincidentally coincided with Elder Mphaka's hump day! Ended up being quite lekker. Spent most of the morning doing some last minute invitations to members and investigators, had a nice hump day lunch at Spur, bought some treats for the activity, and then met up with everyone at the chapel! The numbers were few, but the few of us that were there had a good time. We sang some hymns to the tune of my guitar and watched the Saratov Approach, which the branch seemed to love. Benny and Nalin were even able to bring a couple that we've been teaching, and it was their first time to the chapel. They seemed to really enjoy it.
Teaching the Mozambican families is turning into something pretty fun, and the branch is helping us greatly to fellowship them at church! With Sam and Fernando's wives, who don't speak English, we've been reading the Portuguese pamphlets side-by-side with the English ones, and now I've learned that Pai Celestial is Heavenly Father, Deus is God, sacerdócio is priesthood, and tchou is goodbye. Woo! I'll be able to say something to Jana and Eraldo's family now!
Ezron is doing great too. At church on Sunday I was fiddling around at the piano a li'l bit, and he came up and said he wants to learn. The branch is getting a couple new keyboards this week, so Elder Mphaka and I are gonna start teaching some people. Neither of us have any experience teaching, but uh... I guess if we can stay one lesson ahead of the students, we should be alright, hey?
Finished up the week strong last night visiting a brother named Roshan we had met on the streets. He used to stay in a flat by the missionaries something like 8 or 9 years ago, and he had never seen the Book of Mormon before! He invited us over to share a little bit more, so we stopped by last night and shared just a little bit with him. The downer is that Elder Mphaka and I had both given away our last Books of Mormon already... Had to chastise ourselves for being unprepared, but we got a few nuggets of truth in and him and his wife treated us to a nice meal, inviting us over again later in the week.
What's on the schedule this week... Checking out the Chief Albert Luthuli museum today, zone conference ft. Big Z Wednesday, exchanges with Childs Thursday... Gonna be a good week. Looking forward with excitement to it.
Sala kahle, stay positive, love your lives my friends.
Much love,
Umdala Johnson
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