Indawo Enhle

Sanbonani!

Ah... Back in Zulu land! "Indawo enhle" translates to "beautiful place," which if I'm not mistaken, translates to "nauvoo" in some native American language. But there's not better description for the country of South Africa. What an absolutely beautiful place I've been blessed to serve in. Elder Nthengu, Elder Sarai, and I got to road trip through some of the better parts of it on the way to Durban on Saturday, but I'll talk about that more in a minute...

What a fantastic week it's been! Lots of goodbyes, lots of reunions, and lots of laughs and good times. (And I guess some really good spiritual experiences too!)

We had zone conference in Bloem on Wednesday, so instead of driving back to Thaba Nchu on Monday just to drive back again the next day, we ended up splitting with the Rocklands elders and working with them. I got to be with Elder Doane and Elder Odhiambo, which was super great because uh... Doane and I had been planning for him to kill me for a while now, and it just didn't end up working out. But, dying in the same zone and getting to work together a few times and spending p-days together... That's close enough to being companions, right?! We thought so. So we had a good day together, then slept and prepped for #ZoneConf the next day.

So the thing with this zone conference... Elder Stanley G. Ellis of the Seventy came and taught us, and from what the zone leaders were saying, he was going to come with a lot of fire. Be super stiff and whatnot. But as zone conference went on, we found him to be full of jokes the whole time. Elder McNee is from Leeds, and Elder Ellis started poking fun at his British accent, telling him he needs to learn "real" English. We were laughing the whole time, but we were learning a lot too. He taught us about keeping in view the vision of what we want to accomplish, which ultimately, is to help our investigators not only be baptized, but endure to the end and inherit eternal life. "Begin with the end in mind" was the topic. At the end of it, he asked us to make a goal -- what are we going to DO after learning here? It was powerful. I think everyone else had mission-minded goals in mind, but for myself... I kept getting the impression to go home and learn about the temple. So, that I'll be excited for in a few weeks.

Got to see some missionaries that came up for zone conference one last time. I was really bummed last transfer that I wasn't going to see Elder Marumo again before going home, but he's a zone leader in the Bethlehem zone now and they came to our zone conference! So that was a good reunion. Man... I have a good son. Our four and a half months we spent together were some of the best on mission.

We drove back to Thaba Nchu after that for about a day and a half... Lots of hellos a couple weeks ago, and lots of goodbyes this week. It's really too bad I was only in Thaba Nchu for such a short time. There are some pretty incredible people there. We spent Thursday teaching a few lessons and throwing in goodbyes in the open hours. Ah... I'm really going to miss those people. The last family we saw was the Sebusi family. We chatted with bishop for probably an hour. He was telling us all his crazy stories from when he served mission. I think the one that cracked me up the most, though, happened before his mission. He was living in Connecticut teaching ballroom dancing, and I believe he was staying with the bishop. Anyway, he went out with the bishop's sons one night and I guess didn't know the difference between a pina colada and a virgin pina colada. So they got accidentally got super wasted. So they went back home that night and experienced a hangover for the first time ever. When they asked the bishop for priesthood blessings, he refused since they were drunk. Hahaha... Man. I guess some lessons you have to learn by experience, eh?

The next day we needed to grab Elder Sarai from Kimberley, and Elder Nthengu and I both served there, so... The zone leaders said it was cool if we wanted to go spend the whole day there. What an amazing experience that was. Seeing people from my greenie area that I haven't seen in a year and a half... That's enough to put you in a really good place. One thing that I found ironic is that a number of people had been married and had kids in the time I was gone. Which I feel like is going to be the same thing that happens when I'm back in Mormonville... Hmmm. Anyway, I think probably the most special visit we had all day was to Martha. It really is an absolutely incredible story with her. The impeccable timing of our starting to teach her can only be attributed to the Spirit. She had just given birth to her baby Ellie a few weeks back when tragedy struck. I remember Elder Reeves and I showed up one day to her grandmother telling us that things were very, very bad. We found out that Ellie's uncle had done something terrible that left her in very critical condition. After she was at least stable and out of the hospital, we gave her a priesthood blessing. Things didn't look good. It was likely that she was going to need ten surguries to keep on going. Soon after that, I got transferred away. Talking to Elder Reeves and Elder Lewis later on, I heard updates about Sister Martha. Elder Reeves had the honour of baptizing her, and he told me that the Book of Mormon essentially saved her life. After just four surguries, the doctors said that Ellie wasn't going to need anymore. She was healed. But, that still left something else. The uncle. I believe one of the toughest commandments Christ has ever given us is to forgive our enemies. It's something that's much easier said than done. But somehow, Martha was able to find a way to forgive her brother for what he had done to her child. And when I walked into their home on Friday, I saw two of the happiest people I've ever met. Ellie is a year and eight months now and happy and active as ever. Martha's testimony of the gospel as well... Man. Things have been turned entirely around. Hands down the greatest part of missionary work is seeing the gospel bless someone's life who desperately needs it. And that was the case with Martha. Definitely a tender mercy of the Lord to get to be able to see her again.

So that happened Friday, and the rest of the week was a lot of driving. South Africa is an absolutely beautiful country. On the way to Durbs, we passed by Bethlehem and visited the Van Der Leek family. They used to live in Bloem and fed the missionaries like crazy. We drove through Golden Gate National Park after that and saw some beautiful rock formations resembling Yosemite or Bryce Canyon and a sign for a small village called "Alma." Missionaries always get pictures by it, but no one seems to know where the name came from... Hmmm... Road tripping is fun though. Especially being with Elders Sarai and Nthengu. We've been scarce around each other since the MTC, so it's been good catching up with them.

While we're doing the PMTC, we don't really have a proselyting area, so we're free to attend church basically anywhere around Durban. Elder Nthengu's first area was Molweni, so we went and attended there on Sunday. Visited some people he had known and taugh, then spent the rest of the day in Umlazi. Ah... Overall just a really good day. Molweni's a cool place. Up until a month ago, they were just a group. They're now a branch. A small one, but a branch nonetheless. Serving somewhere like that I feel like would be really special. There's a lot of unity when numbers are few.

Welp, we start PMTC today at noon! And from now on our p-days will be Saturday, so just a heads up, if you have something you want me to read this week, make sure to get it to me by then! Life is good. Mission is great. I'm just excited for whatever lies ahead this week.

Sala kahle, stay positive, love your lives my friends.

Thanda kakhulu,

Umdala Johnson

Shared 6/15/15 - Thaba Nchu, Mandela statue at Naval Hill, and Rocklands

Mandela statue..

 We Braaied

Hebrews 13:1

Dumelang!

Ah... I have felt better these last two and a half weeks than I've felt in a long time. In response to my email last week, the Z Man said, "I'm glad that you are finishing strong in a good area, even if it is far away and new to you. It feels like it might well be the "cleansing" you needed to finish your mission with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment." Those words couldn't be more true. President's vision for us as missionaries from the beginning has been for us to become humble, consecrated servants of the Lord that can "speak with the tongue of angels." And this last week more than ever, I've felt that be fulfilled.

You may remember Barend that I mentioned last week. Yoh, he's a character, but he's a good guy and a lot of fun to teach. One of the times we visited him we found him outside playing chess with a neighbor. He wouldn't start the lesson until I played him. There's definitely something not right in his head, and I was worried it was going to be one of those things where he's just randomly crazy good at chess. As the game got started, I was surprised when I was able to take his queen pretty early on. And eventually, one by one his pieces started disappearing. And lo and behold, I was victorious! Perhaps joining the chess club in grade 2 ended up coming in handy! But then he challenged me to a second game, and with a new sense of confidence I gladly accepted. And then he beat me in three moves and my ego was shattered. Ay... It's ok though. We had a couple good lessons this week, and aside from a couple random outbursts, they went well. (Random outbursts meaning asking, "So you want me to join your church?" during the Plan of Salvation or, "Do you believe in ancestors?" while we're reading the introduction to the Book of Mormon. That question followed with, "Dead people... Like Osama bin Laden? Do you think he's really dead? He's still alive. It's just American propaganda.") He lost his mother last year, and I think the Plan of Salvation is really bringing him a lot of comfort.

Elder Brimhall came on an exchange with us this week, and man... That was power. He's in my MTC group, so we're going home together in just a few weeks. We got to catch up on a lot of stuff and try to keep each other from being too much trunky. (And we had some powerful teaching moments too, don't worry!) We're teaching a brother named Mokie who's getting baptized at the end of the month, and he's one of the best non-member missionaries out there. He's invited almost all of his friends to learn about the gospel, and we were teaching one of them with Elder Brimhall named Tebogo. (We call Tebogo "Laman" and his other friend "Lemuel." Our hope is that they understand the significance of that when they start reading the Book of Mormon.) Anyway, Elder Brimhall's a powerful teacher and he brought the Spirit in amongst lots of loud laughter and a lack of seriousness, and their interest in what we were sharing skyrocketed. Pretty cool what the right spirit in a lesson can do.

I'm continually amazed by Bishop Sebusi's wisdom. He started teaching a mission prep class to two brothers in the ward that are preparing to serve missions by the end of this year, and he asked us to be a part of it. The first class he expounded the counsel that Christ gave to his disciples to love one another. He asked the two potential elders (but I was paying attention, too, don't worry!), "How will people recognize you as disciples of Jesus Christ?"  We thought the answer was obvious... Love them! But then he shared a paradigm shifting insight. John 13:35 reads, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." People will recognize us as disciples of Christ if we love our companions. If people can see us unified in our purpose, the Spirit will be there and testify to them that we come with something great. So that was pretty cool.

Occasionally we'll find nine year olds that have slipped past eight years old without being baptized, so they have to be taught by the missionaries. We're teaching a nine year old named Tulamo right now. Great kid. I'm not sure where he got this from, but when we asked him, "What do we promise God when we're baptized?" his response was, "That we're going to go to America!" "And what does he promise us in return?" "Eternal love!" So there you have it my friends! Get baptized, go to America, and God will bless you with Eternal Love! (Which Sister Molutsi told us is actually a Bollywood movie...who coulda guessed?)

The members are still power as ever. We've been visiting more and more asking for referrals, and I'm amazed at how many people the members have for us to teach. And all it takes to help them realize this is inviting the Spirit. We visited the Makgalane family Saturday night, and after sharing Elder Wilford Andersen's talk "The Music of the Gospel," we asked them who the Spirit might be nudging them to talk to. Sister Makgalane asked us to work out a time to teach her sister, and Brother Makgalane his mother. They decided it was time for both of them. Man... The Spirit is great, eh?

So that's been this week. What a blast it's been. We visited the Mandela statue on top of Naval Hill, slept over at the Rocklands boarding before ZTM, braaied... Just like old times out in Kimberley. It's been a whole lot of deja vu. Yoh... And more coming this week, too. The last two weeks of mission I'm actually going to be out on the coast iwth a few of the elders in my MTC group doing something called the post-MTC. It's something that President Zackrison asked Elder Poelman to organize for the African elders going home to prepare them for post-mission life, since often times they'll be going back to circumstances far less fortunate than what the American elders are going back to. But, they've had such a positive experience with it that a couple of the American elders in past groups have done it, too. I got a call from Elder Poelman a few weeks back asking if I'd be interested. There isn't a driver amongst the African elders in my group, so I'll be behind the wheel during those last two weeks. And the deja vu's happening this coming Friday... I'll be driving Elders Sarai and Nthengu to Durban, and Elder Sarai's out in Kimberley... So I get to visit my birth place one last time before going home. Pretty stoked for that.

So all in all, this will be my last proselyting week on mission. We've got zone conference this Wednesday with Elder Ellis of the Seventy, so that should be a pretty cool way to go out on. I'm on a spiritual high and couldn't be happier to be out serving right now.

Until next week, sala kahle, stay positive, and love your lives my friends.

Thanda kakhulu,

Ntate Johnson

Shared 6/8/15 - Thaba Nchu, South Africa - Maria Maroka Game Reserve (ostrich & springbok)

A home cooked meal....

 The bakkie (truck)

 Maria Maroka Game Reserve

 Ostrich!

Springbok!

Dumelang!

So "habashoe" is a Sotho word. It's pronounced "hah-bosh-way," and I believe it translates literally to "let them die!" But the way people use it is similar to YOLO. Pretty dope. So, there's your Sotho lesson for today. Habashoe!

Yoh, this week has been fantastic. I haven't felt this good spiritually in a long time. Elder Agabu is the man. Studies have been on par. I've been on a home cooked diet of omelettes, chicken, and veggies. The members are power. We've found people by the Spirit. We've frozen our Biblical-word-for-donkeys off. Life is good.

There were so many times this week where what we did I truly believe was inspired and by the Spirit. Earlier on we were riding our bikes and met a man named Barant. He stopped us and told us he'd been taught by missionaries before and instantly made an appointment with us. It was a little strange. Almost reminded me of that part in the Saratov Approach where Nikolai stops the elders and asks them to teach him. But, we felt good about it and saw him later in the week. After our first lesson, we were pretty sure something wasn't right in Barant's head. But, he was sincere. He asked lots of questions and we answered as best we could. He opened up to us and told us his mother passed away last year, and from the sounds of it, she was everything to him. We talked a bit about the Plan of Salvation, and he lit up. I don't think it was coincidence that we were led to him.

So that was visit number one.

Visit number two was just as powerful, but a bit more upbeat. Barant's friend Lesley joined us as we were teaching the Plan of Salvation in greater detail, and he was mostly quiet at first. Then, we got to the Fall. He perked up and asked us, "So what was the fruit that Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat?" We told him that the scriptures aren't really specific on that, and he went on to explain that for his entire life he had never eaten fruit because he was worried he might accidentally eat the one God had commanded not to eat. Elder Agabu and I just looked at each other confused, trying to hold in a laugh, but then Barant started laughing too. He then went to the kitchen and started eating an orange in front of Lesley and really enjoying it. We all had a good laugh, and if anything, I think we at least taught a man that it's ok to eat fruit. He was really intrigued with the Plan of Salvation and said that he had more questions for us, so he invited us over to his home later this week. Great people. Both of them. It's people like them that I love to teach. People who have questions and want answers. I've never been a fan of forcing our message on people. But, if you follow the Spirit long enough, you'll find those that will accept you.

In contrast, we had dinner with Sister Makgoje on Wednesday night. I believe her father was the first member in Thaba 'Nchu. Super awesome member. One of her friends came and joined us partway through our meal, and as it turns out, this friend was baptized back in 2008, but had only been with the Church for a year or so. We had a friendly conversation, and I asked her if she still read from the Book of Mormon at all. And from their, she started airing all her grievances about the Church. She had concerns that were very legitimate, but she wouldn't give us the time of day to discuss them with her. She started bashing, bashing, bashing, and luckily both Elder Agabu and I were of the same mindset: arguing will get us nowhere. So, we let her talk for a while longer, closed with a prayer, and were on our way. Ay... That was brutal.

But that was just one downer experience amongst a whole array of positives!

The Z Man's big thing these last couple transfers has been member missionary work. So, that's where the majority of our efforts have been leading. We had a chance to visit both the Gailele and Mphuru families this week, both whom when we've asked if there's anyone they've interacted with this week that the Spirit may be driving them to talk to answered in the affirmative. It was incredible. Big Z's idea he wants us to drive into the members' heads is that most of the time, the people they invite to the gospel aren't going to be their close friends and family, but the people that are just here and there in their lives. Sister Mphuru shared a nice experience. Someone had once asked her the time, and somehow they started talking. One thing led to another, and Sister Mphuru invited her to come witness a baptism that was happening at the chapel. She came, and later herself was baptized. Ah... Experiences like that are what give me hope!

I got an email last week from Elder (well, I guess Brother now) Armstrong who had served a transfer in Thaba 'Nchu. He was asking about a member named Brother Mathobisa. We were able to drop by for a visit Saturday morning, and I think that may have been my favorite visit in Thaba 'Nchu so far. It felt like a Christmas morning... It was cold outside and we walked in and found him asleep on the couch with his kids watching a Christmas movie. There was just a good feel. He ended up talking to us for about an hour before we shared a thought and were on our way. But he kept telling us how glad he was we came by unannounced. He had had other plans that morning, but decided to stay home, and then along came the missionaries. Right place at the right time I guess.

We drove to Bloem this morning for p-day and zone training meeting tomorrow, and Bishop Sebusi needed a lift. Man... It's so cool talking to him. He's probably one of the wisest men I've met in South Africa. He served his mission in Pocatello, Idaho, and he was telling us this morning that one day he went on an exchange with President Uchtdorf. Just him Dieter. His companion was with another GA that was visiting their stake. Man... Nerve wracking much? We visited him earlier this week also and he was telling us how tough it is to be a bishop. He was telling us that if nobody likes you, you're probably doing something wrong, but that the same applies if EVERYONE likes you. If you're doing what the Lord needs you to do as a bishop (or in any calling the Lord calls you to), you'll have people that love you and people that don't. After all, the Saviour himself was rejected.

So all in all, I think I'm as happy as I've been in a long time. Thaba 'Nchu is great. Cold, but great. (Just to give you an idea, I've resorted to sleeping with sweats, two huge blankets, and an electric blanket. All because it's in the 50s at night. South Africa has turned me into a sissy.) One of the cool things about the area is that there are very few lights, so at night, the sky is beautiful. I've always seen in pictures times where you can actually see the Milky Way galaxy, but I've never actually witnessed it until here. It's beautiful. Looking up at the night sky really makes you think... Just how tiny we are in a universe so grand. God is good, my friends.

Welp, until next time! More adventures lie ahead this week. ZTM, exchanges with the zone lords, and maybe even 42,231 baptisms. That might be an exaggeration, but hey... Shoot for the stars, yeah?

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

Habashoe,

Ntate Johnson

Oh, PS... I included sent some pictures to the blog of a game reserve sorta thing. The story with that... We wanted to do weekly planning on Friday somewhere other than the boarding. So after Mama told me last week about a Maria Maroka game reserve, we set out to find it and do planning there. Well, after somewhat of a goose chase, we finally found the entrance and it was super expensive, and there wasn't even a place to sit down and plan. But, for some reason I'm not exactly sure why, the ntate at the gate let us drive around a little bit. Saw some ostrich, springbok, the works. So an hour or so and 50 kilometres later, we ended up planning at the boarding. Worth it? You bet.

Shared 6/1/15 - Thaba Nchu, South Africa - New Area

With new companion

 Our truck and bikes!

"When words fail, music speaks"

Dumelang!

Yoh yoh yoh... Where to even begin! I think last time I emailed I was in Durban, expecting to finish my mission in Berea. Well, one thing led to another, and I've found myself sitting in the same email cafe in Bloemfontein I started my mission at.

Let's find out how one thing led to another... We'll start with a quote from the Prophet Joseph Smith:

"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation."

Sometimes, you have to put that into practice. And sometimes, that means sacrificing your last six weeks in Berea so that another missionary, one who's treated you less than Christ-like, will stay on his mission. It's tough, to say the least. But, as we learn from William W. Phelps, "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven," so there should be great blessings that result from the change.

So after reviewing the transfer board with the assistants, the Z Man decided the place for me to be this last transfer is Thaba Nchu, a township a little ways outside of Bloemfontein. I'll talk more about the area later, but for now, just know it's a great place to be.

The beginning of the week was strange, to say the least. But, it was sprinkled with some experiences of joy and hope.

While we were at the office on Tuesday, Elder Esplin came to with a small package from Sister Zackrison. In it, I found a nice note and a copy of the Lower Lights' newest CD. What a tender mercy that was. When we got back to the boarding, I threw it in the DVD player and listened to it probably five or six times over the next couple days. Their rendition of a hymn I hadn't heard before, "Each Life that Touches Ours for Good," has become one of my favorites. The words go like this:

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

When such a friend from us departs,
We hold forever in our hearts
A sweet and hallowed memory,
Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

It gave me some time to reflect on all of the wonderful people that I'm surrounded by. Elders Esplin and Ocitti both recognized the transfer out to Thaba Nchu was gonna be a tough one, and both came and shared some thoughts with me. While I was at a lunch appointment with them on Sunday, one of the members had a shirt on that said, "When words fail, music speaks." Elder Ocitti reminded me of that and encouraged me to stay strong. Elder Esplin... Man. He's been one of the best people I've met here in South Africa. We talked for hours before I got on the bus. We met up at the Salt Lake airport almost two years ago, we've served around each other quite a bit, and we have great plans for back home. Among them include overdosing on all the music we've missed out for two years and growing mustaches. He's going to name his Francois. (Oh, and just a sidenote, Elder Esplin asked me to include this in this email: Just so you all know he's not crazy, when I got off the bus in Bloemfontein, I stayed at the zone leaders' boarding. When I went to use the toilet, I found no toilet paper, but plenty of napkins. It's really a thing!)

The Rowberrys have been great, too. Some missionaries from times past had left behind sweat pants and a jersey (not like a basketball jersey...that's just what we call sweaters in Mzansi), so since they knew I was off to the winter in Free State they sent me with those. Elder Rowberry gave me a blessing also that put me at peace. I think we often times fear the unknown...the things that lie ahead. But with the comfort of the Holy Ghost, you can handle it with peace.

And with that... I was off to Bloem!

Elder Brimhall and Elder Mabetha picked me up at the bus station at 5 in the morning, and we got some rest and caught up a bit at their boarding before I was with Elder Agabu on the way to Thaba Nchu.

Man... This place is great. First off, we're driving a bakkie! Which, for you fetching Americans, is a truck! Yebo! So after 16 transfers, I FINALLY have been able to learn to drive stick shift! I've only killed it like 293847 times, but hey... I'm learning.

Elder Agabu is great. He's from Zimbabwe and just finished training. He loves to laugh. He loves the people here. I'm excited to spend my last transfer with him.

The members are great also. Bishop Sebusi is POWER. We were giving him a lift home last night, and come to find out... He served his mission in Pocatello Idaho! So he knows all about Utah and Idaho Mormon culture. He was telling Elder Agabu all about how one stake could be a square mile, and within that square mile you could find ten wards and four chapels. Whereas here, the Bloemfontein stake covers multiple countries. Yoh... Crazy stuff! And he was telling us the reason that they baptized so much in Idaho was that every time someone new would move in, Mormons, as flipping nice as we are, would bombard them with cookies and jello, and it wouldn't be long before the missionaries were invited over. Crazy crazy... And get this! Super random. Before he served his mission, he was teaching a ballroom dance class in Connecticut. "One, two, cha cha stop..." Hehe. I'll have to have him give me some tips, eh?

What else, what else... Had some really good teaching moments this week amongst some crazy stuff you only find in the township. (That includes a drunk mkhulu (Zulu for grandpa) kissing my hand and another drunk mkhulu standing in front of a giant speaker tapping his foot along to the house music that was blasting in his face.) We're teaching a brother named Piet who stays in a shack, but is super humble and was definitely prepared for the gospel. Elders Payne and Agabu found him one day when he was asking them if they could help him quit smoking. Well, one thing led to another, and he's quit, and it's looking like he'll be baptized pretty soon as well! So that's pretty great. A couple other teaching moments came during Gospel Principles class and our lunch appointment after church. The lesson was on charity (as well as both talks in sacrament meeting... Coincidence?). The discussion was beautiful, and I think everyone -- members, investigators, and missionaries -- walked out of it wanting to be more charitable. Then at our lunch appointment, Brother Modise joined us and we had an AWESOME discussion, and before we realized it, we had been talking for two hours! We talked about hypocrisy, sacrifice, the law of consecration, and the oath and covenant of the priesthood. At the end of it, we decided that compared to our Heavenly Father, we really don't know that much. And so what do we do? We keep on learning. Learn learn learn. There is no satisfactory substitute.

And I think that about sums it up. Great week, with more greatness lying ahead. I talked to Elder Brimhall, and I may even be able to make it out to Kimberley one of these Mondays. Fingers crossed.

Oh! One more thing. I'm out of Zulu land for the first time in 13 transfers, hence the new greeting. "Dumelang" is hello in Sotho and Tswana, which make up the majority of Thaba Nchu. Another new language to learn... But I think deep down, I'm a Zulu at heart. Mina ngomZulu phaqa!

Sala kahle, stay positve, and love your lives my friends.

Thanda kakhulu,

Ntate Johnson

(That's "Father Johnson," but... Close enough, right?)