Monday, June 25, 2018

This week has been ups and downs.

We started the week of course with Bro Alan's tour. 

Tuesday - Friday we were really busy... We're having trouble finding fellowshippers so we've been reshuffling our teaching pool to include more males 16+, so we can teach them. Of course the downside is we've had to drop quite a few appointments with sisters (some naturally disappeared being Rhodes students so they're at home now for winter vacation). 

We've found two cool kids, one is Siyabonga and the other is Ibanathi.

Siyabonga we met on the street, he's been investigating the JW a bit but we were able to sit down and share some messages with him. He actually came to church on sunday which was awesome! I'm proud of him. Hopefully we'll be able to see a continuation of the progress he's having. 

Ibanathi is a cool kid, he studies at Graeme College. The cool part is he plays drums in the jazz band so he and I get along really well. He's been reading the Book of Mormon really well so it's exciting to see his growth as he learns it, last appointment he brought some friends too, cool stuff. 

Sunday was nice, it was weird cause a BYU professor showed up for sacrament meeting and told me I had an accent. Weird stuff. We also had 2 da's, one from Sister Remi the R.S. president from Sierra Leone, and the other with the Branch President's family.

Cool Stuff.

Until next week

Elder Smith

Monday, June 18, 2018

Well this week has been good

Monday we started early by taking the car into service, we then walked to the chapel and emailed and then went back to our boarding and did some much needed cleaning. Following that we went and picked up our car from service

Tuesday through Thursday were busy work days, but with the winter holiday coming... students are becoming more and more scarce as they are going home...

Friday was really cool.... we went in for our bi-weekly combined district meeting in KwaMagxaki- needless to say it was soooo weird going back to a previous area, I got to see bishop Philip again which was really cool. The drive was nice, we saw a bunch of baboons (vervet monkeys) and I saw two big bush pigs (warthogs)

Saturday we went to a funeral and then without realizing it... it was youth day (public holiday) so like no one was home...

Sunday was good, church was small, only 40 arrived.... we had some decent appointments after. 

This morning (monday) was cool, We took Bro Alan and he took us on one of his tours... we talked today about some of the early settlers and about his private section in the Cory Library Archives at Rhodes U. He has some really cool church books and music and everything. He lives at an old age place and has hundreds of classical CD's, he just finished half of them and he started over again Jan 1st. He's been to St. George twice. He's an awesome man, he even showed us a book signed by President Nelson.

Fun stuff.... Until the next week

Monday, June 11, 2018

My time has wrapped up in Mdantsane.... it just feels like yesterday I got there, my longest but quickest area... 

Monday was nice, 

We went to the Stevensons and cleaned our car and coordinated some travel plans for transfer day coming.

Tuesday we went and picked up orders from the Davies, man I'm going to miss both senior couples they are the best... Tuesday was also a lot of goodbyes, I'm going to miss all those people so much.

Wednesday was a long day....

We got up early in the morning to pick up an elder from the bus stop and then waited there about 4 hours for my bus. Elder Lupeni and I played some guitars to pass the time. Sooner or later I was on my bus to PE... The ride was quite nice, passed a big family of giraffes. We also passed grahamstown.... Wish I could've gotten off right there but my companion was in PE.

Anyway, got to PE and no one was there to pick me up hahaha, so had to borrow a phone and direct the elders to where I was. Later we went to burger king and got dinner and then we were on our way to Grahamstown. 

Thursday we were in the area after a run and planning... the boarding is really nice... the electric blankets are the best at night too.... 

Friday we had our two man district meeting.... next week we'll be joining with KwaMagxaki for theirs (every other week)

To be frank the municipal water is brown so we go to a well to get our drinking water. 

Rhodes university is beautiful... making me want to get back to school almost.... most of our teaching is there with students.

Saturday we played soccer with the men in the branch, pretty fun. had some good snacks after.

Sunday rolled around and the branch is nice, but small.... We meet in a house that's converted to a chapel... it's cozy and nice. The elders quorum president is really cool, he's great motivation in the post mission department haha. 3 of our investigators dropped us but it's alright because the investigator pool needs a good flush. 

Well lots of work to do... until next week

Elder Smith

June 4, 2018

Hello Everyone, another busy week down, 

with news.........

Monday was good, played some more piano, and had a nice lunch at the Davies, I'm going to miss them so much. We also took our car into the service. 

Tuesday and Wednesday were nice busy days.... We had several appointments and we were able to find some new investigators too which was cool. 

Thursday I started an exchange in the evening that went till Friday with Elder Paskett in my area. It was nice to be with him.

Saturday was a big day..... no one showed up from ward 1 to clean the chapel, so Elder Monoalibe and I did. Following that we were busy with several appointments which occupied the whole of the day. Saturday evening was the big news though... 

I'll be being transferred on wednesday to likely my last area of mission...... Grahamstown

Pretty excited, I'll be there in my little two man district follow up training Elder Mofokeng, from the same stake as Elder Monoalibe. Should be fun... about in the middle of PE and East London, I'll take a bus to PE on Wednesday to meet up with my comp and then drive to Grahamstown. 

Sunday was bittersweet, saying goodbye to everyone, It'll be sad to leave but the memories were great. Mdantsane has been one heck of a ride but I've enjoyed it. 

This week will be just a wrap up and start of everything in MD and GT, Love you all

Elder Smith

Us and Tata Hongana, Tata Magwaca (brothers) and Brother Richard

 Bro Kiti

Zizi's send off to Durban, Stevensons, Zizi, me, Tata Lubelwana, Aphiwe, Mama Lubelwana, Elder Monoalibe

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 4th ward Primary boys

Bishop Lalendle and I

4th ward bishopric

Mkwando family

Visiting a member in a TB Hospital Sunday Night

Mama Notemba