Today has been an awesome day, but it has gone by so fast! We woke up at 5:30 to go to the Kruger National Park! One of the biggest game reserves in 🇿🇦 South Africa! And it was awesome! We got to see Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes, Zebras, Impalas, and even a cheetah! It was amazing! We drove around for like 6 hours, took loads of pictures and some videos, it was just amazing!
Yesterday was pretty interesting, Church as usual, except we left the 2nd Ward before priesthood to go teach a lesson to someone, so didn't have to sit through that, went to adult Sunday school because there were no investigators for gospel principles class, the two that came, one went home early because her boyfriend was ill, and the other went to primary with her child.
Our ward mission leader was called into young men presidency without being released as the ward mission leader. But the funniest thing by far was that after he sacrament had been passed, the bishop got up and announced that the final speaker hadn't turned up. Everyone is waiting to see who he is going to ask. They usually ask us missionaries but this time he asked some of the other leaders to talk about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ! He he. So we dodged a bullet there!
We had to leave our flat by 5 and start driving out to Nelspruit. It ended up taking us 4 hours! Didn't get there till 9:30, it was a long trip, and I had to rest at about half way because I was tired and had a headache, problem was that I couldn't take a nap because we were fighting against the time! Be we got here safely, and actually it wasn't all that bad, it didn't seem too long of a drive, mainly because it was dark and all I had to do was to follow the road. But there were some amazing stars out at the night.
Mpumalanga, the province where we are is very different from Gauteng. It is really green and a lot more hills. In fact, it reminds me a lot of home, or more the Lake District. It is beautiful and very warm, which is nice because it is winter so it feels more like summer!
Anyway, we are here for today, I will go with Nelspruit tomorrow, then on Wednesday we will drive back home early in the morning as soon as possible, but we shall see what happens because it'll be rush hour traffic!
Exchanges are fun and it's nice here, especially because there are now 3 English guys here, me, Elder Reynolds and Elder Davey. But it's just not the same as your own space. As a missionary, because you move a lot you get used to things faster, but I still like my own space with my own stuff.
Worked on our presentation that we have to give next Sunday about missionary work. We are focusing it a lot around social media and using that, the bishop was very kind to let us use his computer and they even fed us dinner that night, after our last 2 appointments canceled! So it was awesome. The 2nd Ward bishop, Bishop Von Bruhgan, who we work out with every morning, is actually a really nice and funny guy, along with the rest of all his family!
Apart from that not much else going on. The work is moving and we are trying to do our best.
Had a really great dinner with Kevin Farquharson. He is the stake young men's president, his wife is also the stake young women's president too! He's a really powerful guy and is just such a nice person. Anyway, when we went to his house we had a down day and he really helped to pick us up!
That was my week
So transfers!!! In fact, this week has been really really crazy busy!! But it has been awesome!
I was a little nervous at the start of the week, with having to lead the area and everything, Elder Mpiyakhe having gone home, but as it turns out it's gone okay! We've been able to find a couple of new investigators and meet some more people!
My new companion, Elder Chirwa, is a really cool guy! We get along well and he's just awesome! He get's along with the members too! 2 South African companions in a row now!
So on Monday, right after I had finished emailing, we got a call from the mission President, wanting to talk to my temporary companion, in private. So he went out, and came back a little later and gave the phone to me! President Leavitt then basically explained that my temp companion was going home, immediately. Told me to go help him pack, I had to get a spare set of clothes and then get down to the mission office.
Long story short, turns out he has some health complications and he has to go home for just a month, but he'll be back. So we had to do all that, help him pack, and then drive down to the mission home! (And get stuck in traffic)
Turns out that I had to spend the night there because there was no one to be with me! So I ended up having dinner there with everyone who was going home, and also going with the APs to the mission office to help set up for transfers the next day!
Me and Elder Zitumane, the former AP, were setting these banners up that designate where all the Zone's should park. They were impossible! It took like 2 hours!! We were there till midnight! Got back at 12:30 and only slept until 5, because some of the Elders had to get an early flight!! So I was pretty tired that day!
Then on Tuesday we had some spare time, so we had to go over to the recently vacated mission flat and sort it out, mainly to take away the food that had been left there. Since we had the keys! And then on Thursday, we had to attend Mission Leadership Council too!
It was actually really nice, had pizza for lunch, and talked about some good things. They're even thinking of giving missionaries a cash reward of about R100 if they're flat is clean, every month!! SO we will look forward to that!!
Then on Friday we went on a split with the Rabie Ridge Elders. I took Elder Adamson with me, and we went to Birch Acres. Because this is his new area, he just doesn't have a companion yet, and because it is my old area and I know it well, we went together so I could show him around a bit. It worked out pretty well! I felt kinda sorry, it is not easy getting into a new area and he didn't know it too well. I was completely at home though :P
Church was pretty good, people liked my new companion! The best thing that happened though was that the bishop of the 1st ward has asked us to teach both Priesthood and Relief Society in a couple of weeks because he wants to boost the missionary work in the ward which is awesome!!
Had an interesting conversation with one of the members about how much we appreciate what our parents have done for us!
That was my week!
Today has been an awesome day, but it has gone by so fast! We woke up at 5:30 to go to the Kruger National Park! One of the biggest game reserves in 🇿🇦 South Africa! And it was awesome! We got to see Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes, Zebras, Impalas, and even a cheetah! It was amazing! We drove around for like 6 hours, took loads of pictures and some videos, it was just amazing! 
