A guy throws crisps at my feet and believe I can see the future

A couple of main things this week. We've made some real progress with some of our investigators and had 4 of them at church this week!

One of them, Tshepang, who is actually my age and we get along really well, he smokes weed but wants to be baptized, so that is his only hurdle to try and overcome. But at first, he said that his only friends smoked weed, but the only time he smoked weed was when he was with his friends! So at first he wasn't too sure if he wanted to give up his friends, so we went away a little down, but when we came back the next day and talked to him, he said he'd thought about it and come to the conclusion that if his friends weren't willing to accept his decision then he would leave them and get new ones!!!! What an answer to our prayers!! I really want him to get baptized because he's a really cool guy and he loves the gospel.


Another intervention by the Holy Ghost was when we went to see this lady, who we'd met like 2 months ago in the mall of Africa. Anyway, I felt inspired to give her a call and we arranged an appointment. As it turns out she was ill and had a swollen eye, but agreed for us to come. We were a little bit wary because we didn't know what to expect so all 4 of us went. As it turns out we just got to know them and brushed briefly over the message that we have, now the roommate (who she'd lived with for only 2 or 3 weeks) was interested also, but quite skeptical and a bit wary, but there was this one point when she asked what the basic beliefs were, so I talked about God and Jesus Christ and then immediately she softened up, in her words, she'd been looking for a church for a long time but hadn't found any that she'd liked, but when I was talking she said that she had felt the Holy Ghost, and from then on she was quite open! I was amazed but very thankful and it was great to see. So hopefully the other elders will continue teaching them and they will make progress.

The other time that this happened was when we were walking to another appointment (the one that we wanted to go to wasn't there) and there was this group of guys on the street just sitting, so I approach them and start talking. One of them was a self-made atheist (because of the contradictions in the bible he didn't believe in god and didn't want to talk to us) but a couple of the others would so we talk to them. When I introduce the Book of Mormon the niece of the man I'm talking to gets interested, so I explain a little and she was interested, so we got an appointment with her, and then as well her uncle, he said he studied the Old Testament but said he couldn't find Jesus there. So I sit down there on the street and go over it with him, explaining about how when it says LORD it was translated from Jehovah, and how Jehovah is Jesus, and I finish by showing him Hosea 13:2 (which I'd only come across that morning!), he reads it (it talks about I am the lord god, there is no saviour but me) no joke, he stares at the page for like 30 seconds (up to this point he was being a little difficult and not really interested, couldn't make an appointment) then he looks at me and simply says "continue" and I knew he was interested! In the end, he accepted a Book of Mormon and a return appointment which made me quite happy :)

The other was a little weird. This drunk guy calls us over and starts talking to us, wanting us to pray for him. During the conversation, this kid comes over with a back of crisps, trips and some fall at my feet. Now I don't notice this, but while I'm talking he interrupts me and points this out. Now background information, one of the ways that the Sangomas work (the traditional witch doctors) is that they will 'cast bones' so they will throw a bunch of animal bones and then apparently can foresee the future. So this drunk guy claims that this small child has 'cast' these crisps at my feet, that there are spirits in the air, and then asks me what I think of it... or what my interpretation is. It takes all my strength to not laugh, but i explain I only believe in what is true... he he he ah it was weird

Also, a guy in Mayibuye apparently used to eat the rats that live around! Yummy!

Okay now that's all done

Elder Lino is actually a really good missionary! He's a powerful teacher and likes to work hard and be obedient. So I think that this transfer is going to be good. One of his strengths is making commitments. At times I think he is a bit forward but it seems to work well. I just hope that I can work as hard :)

One of my wisdom teeth is coming through but no problems for me :) (Lino actually means tooth in Setswana)

I love being a missionary. Yes, it is hard work at times but there are so many days when you just don't want it to end. It is a great feeling being a missionary and it is a work where you actually mean something, the work you are doing is extremely worthwhile, you feel you are part of something so worthwhile and you get to do it every day! I just have to have that feeling all the time then I will be the happiest guy ever :P 

Till next week

Jack 

Found a woman who believed she could raise her cousin from the dead

So transfers are this week!!! As it turns out I am staying (which I am glad for because that means I am going to see some baptisms!) and Elder Samuel got a call to be a District Leader! In the next district! So he is staying in the zone. Actually the area he is going to borders our area! So it is quite funny

So my new companion is Elder Lino and apparently he is from Mozambique so we will see how that goes! Means I'm going to have to tidy the flat!

Last week we had zone activity which was actually quite fun. We played Mormon Mafia and then also human battleships. I think that they wanted to do more, but most of the people didn't turn up until like 2 hours after it was meant to start!! So in that time we played 3 on 3 football because President Dunn had come up with some friends, and to my great surprise, for a 50+-year-old he is pretty good at it! Anyway it was actually quite fun!

So we are going to "Bounce" today because It is Elder Clegg's last time, he's going home, I actually really like him, he's a cool guy, and President and Sister Dunn are coming so that will be interesting! And don't worry I will be super careful!

I forgot last week but one of my Wisdom Tooth is coming through! I can feel it! Which is a weird experience, something I haven't had in a while!

So for food I made this pasta and mince thing that Elder Bonifaz taught me (he's now a Zone Leader!!) and it's actually really nice, i made a panful, it only costs like 4 pounds, but it's enough for like 5 portions, so I have frozen the rest of it so I'm going to be living off that! The main struggle for me is lunch, i just don't know what to have, so I'll use some of those ideas! Also as well, because Elder Musiiwa is training and we share the car we are going to have to stay in the flat till 12 so I can eat lunch

Last week and this week at church, even though it is a big ward of like 200 people, they still have to get the missionaries to help them pass the sacrament :') So I was conducting the music this week and then the other Elders were helping pass the sacrament! Just like home

The weirdest thing last week was that this lady came up to us while we were leaving an appointment, and said that the holy spirit had lead her to us... so got a little excited and launched straight into a compact version of the message of the restoration, it was going fine until i reached the apostasy (the order goes, Godhead, Gospel blesses families, Prophets & Dispensations, Saviour's earthly ministry, Great Apostasy, Restoration, Restoration of the Priesthood, Book of Mormon then Prayer and Holy Ghost) and at that point she announces to us that she is the chosen one and she IS the church. I stop at this point in surprise (although this isn't a new thing) but it gets really weird when she says to us that she's come here to 'prepare' because the next day she was going to try and raise her cousin from the dead... so at this point I got really weirded out and I was just finished writing our mobile number on the back of a restoration pamphlet when I changed my mind and put it back in my bag :'). She tells us this story of what happened to her, and we politely listened. I'm looking at Elder Samuel to say something but nothing, so I don't know how but we eventually got away. At one point she invited us into her house, and we said no (I was worried she might do something to us!) But yeah that was exciting! And a little weird!

Something that came to me was about Stake Temple week, I always remember that the missionaries who were serving used to email their testimonies and then someone would read it out in the testimony meeting and they were some of the most powerful! 

Because I can say that I have become truly converted. I've always known it was true but it is really different now. I am totally at easy with it and brings so much inner peace to me.

I like this scripture in Psalms 52:2 that I came across ;)

I also like this poem byLorenzoo snow:

Hast thou not been unwisely bold,Man’s destiny to thus unfold?To raise, promote such high desire,Such vast ambition thus inspire?Still ’tis no phantom that we traceMan’s ultimatum in life’s race;This royal path has long been trodBy righteous men, each now a God:As Abra’m, Isaac, Jacob, too,First babes, then men—to gods they grew.As man now is, our God once was;As now God is, so man may be,—Which doth unfold man’s destiny.The boy, like to his father grown,Has but attained unto his own;To grow to sire from state of son,Is not ’gainst Nature’s course to run.A son of God, like God to be,Would not be robbing Deity;And he who has this hope within,Will purify himself from sin.

That's about it from me,

Love Jack xx