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

Namaste!

Sometimes the sweetest times of your life are the shortest, and that's what my time in Stanger's lookin' like. When our phone started ringing during General Conference on Saturday and I saw President Zackrison's name, I knew exactly what was happening. Elder Mphaka and I were really hoping to stay together another transfer, but I guess all good things must eventually come to an end. Man... Stanger. KwaDukuza. The first month here was one of the most stressful times on mission, what with opening a closed area without a car and everything, but I don't think I've learned or grown as much as that time. The members here are few, but the few are powerful, and I've grown to love them so much in the three months I've been here. It's gonna be sad leaving, but hey...that's just how it goes sometimes. Big Z told me I'll be a zone leader in Umlazi, which is a huge township just outside Durban. There are two wards there right now, with 12 missionaries between the two unites, and the goal is for there to be three, and eventually for Umlazi to split off and become a stake... So there is work for us to do! Good times lie ahead!

You ever played two truths and a lie? Here's how it works... I tell you three things. Two of them are true and one of them is a lie. You decide which one is a lie. Ready? Ok, number one... Our iron burst into flames this week. Number two... We were finally able to have a sober conversation with the mlungu in the township while sober, and as it turns out he's a long-time inactive member that's wanting to sort his life out! Number three... Remember the guy last week that made the comment about stealing customers? We were able to visit him and were pleasantly surprised to see in him a humble man wanting to find joy in life. 

I'll tell you the answer at the end! No cheating and scrolling to the bottom!

All in all, this was a great last week in Stanger. I think as a district, we found the missing ingredient in our efforts to talk with everyone and their dog. For our lesson at district meeting, we discussed the question "How can people recognize us as servants of our Heavenly Father?" The answer is simple: show them that you love them. As Christ taught in the book of John, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Love is the missing ingredient. So we made a goal to show love to all those we talk to.

Got to exchange with Elder Mackie in Phoenix on Tuesday, which is always a blast! We painted a member's house yellow. If you need a yellow house, just hit us up. That took most of the day, but we got some teaching in there as well. We delivered a DVD to someone who had requested one, and it turned out the guy was very happily active in his own church. Nice meeting him though. While I was with Elder Sieverts last week, we had a lesson with a sister named Kay, who's super into reading the Book of Mormon and learning from the missionaries and everything, but she hasn't come to church yet... As heart-breaking as it is sometimes, we can't spend time with people that aren't going to progress in that sense, so we told her that we'd schedule our next teaching appointment when she came to church. Well, she just sort of laughed it off and assumed they'd be back for their regular appointment on Tuesday. She ended up calling us that day to cancel the appointment because she had to be somewhere... And Elder Mackie and I just kinda looked at each other scratching our heads, wondering how you could cancel an appointment that we didn't even schedule... But it ended up working out alright. I sincerely hope she can be able to fully accept the gospel in the future. Her testimony's there...she just needs to take that next step! Finished up the night with the Pillay family again. Great, great guys.

We met a brother named Navin this week who runs a little stand outside the Spar by our boarding selling toilet paper. You wouldn't think you could make a living selling toilet paper on the street, but I guess stranger things have happened! He's super friendly and is a recovering alcoholic. He's been doing AA for a while and his been sober I think he said for a few years... Woot woot! As we talked to him some more, we found out his family's Hindu. I asked what the Hindu belief is about the afterlife and stuff, and he went on to say he's not too sure... But the thing that stuck out most to me was that he said he "prays to the God of his understanding." Meaning to me that he's humble enough to recognize there's stuff he doesn't know, and hopefully we can be the ones to provide that for him. Well, Elder Mphaka and his new companion anyway!

The Tembos are still great as ever! I'm super bummed I'm gonna miss their baptism in a couple weeks... But it'll be a good experience for Elder Mphaka's new companion! Oh, I don't know if I mentioned this... But Elder Mphaka's training next transfer! So that'll be exciting for him! Anyway, we popped by the Tembos I think...Friday night? Yeah! We were gonna have a lesson on the priesthood, auxiliaries, callings, all that jazz... And invite them to conference! But when we walked in, we saw Bright laying on the bed, not looking too well. I guess he'd been a bit sick this week, and his eye looked swollen. We figured it would probably be best to keep our visit short, so we condensed the lesson and just taught a bit about the priesthood and gave him a blessing. He's doing better. They weren't able to come to conference on either Saturday or Sunday, but we popped by their place again on Sunday and he looked much more energetic and less swollen. Let's hear it for the priesthood!

Ezron ended up getting a job this week, which we're stoked for him about! He's been looking and looking since we started teaching him, and he finally found one at that restaurant in Ballito we ate at as a district for my birthday last month. He's working crazy hours... Something like starting at 3 AM to make deliveries. Crazy stuff.

I think I figured out why I love Sister Moodley so much... It's because she's an Indian grandma version of Aubrey West! It totally hit me this week... They have the EXACT same personalities! We were having lunch with her this Friday, which happened to be the 21st anniversary of her baptism! She was so excited... Started telling us all these stories about her kids and her husband, and her faith that one day her extended family will accept the gospel too. She bought us ice cream and chocolate bars and kept throwing her hands up in the air she was so excited! I don't remember the context exactly, but at one point she said, "I'm going to the Celestial Kingdom! Who's coming with me?!" We all laughed and shouted for joy!

Welp, new adventures lie ahead... Elder Okeng and I are gonna tear Satan up in Umlazi. Super stoked for everything that lies ahead. It's time to rest for a season from Indians and curry... But hey, we got to celebrate Diwali this week. Fireworks and sweet meats. What better departing gift could you ask for? Merry Diwali to all, and to all a goodnight!

Sala kahle. Stay positive. Love your lives.

Much love,

Umdala Johnson

Shared 10/20/14 - Durban riding Segways

 Lunch at Subway….

 Then off to ride Segways in Durban.  With companion

 Riding along the Durban Promenade….

 With companion….

 Some cool sand sculptures

 Riding the segway...

"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

Shared 10/13/14 - Luthuli Museum in Groutville

Albert Luthuli Museum…first South African to win the Nobel Peace Prize

He was a forerunner to Nelson Mandela. He has a pretty incredible history of working toward peace.

 It is cool to me that his time with his family was spent at his humble home in this quiet, seemingly small township.

Friend I haven't seen since the MTC

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

Shared 10/6/14 - Cooking curry, eating roti rolls, and companion's hump day

 Cooking up curry!

 YUMMY!

Our great teacher!

 Rainbow

 Roti rolls…basically curry wrapped up like a burrito..eating it with my "son"

 Celebrating companion's hump day!  Traditional burning of the shirt