Area: Mseru, Lesotho
Companion: Elder Leonard
I am loving it! its hard but worth it!
So Brother Thebe who is less active has come to church twice in a row now and also Sis Joyce and her son who are also less actives! Ah its such an amazing feeling when you work so hard and you get to see it pay of. All our troubles melt away when we see people coming to church.
BAPTISM!!!!
So who remembers Bolelang?!?!? I began teaching her with Elder Woodland but then she moved a while ago into the zone leaders area (Maseru 1) Well I taught her almost everything before she moved and we were working on helping her quit her addiction to smoking. She used to smoke up to 20 a day about a year ago and was now down to around 5 a day when we started teaching her. With much prayer and a lot of work on her side she has quit and was ready for baptism. My Saturday was made when I got a sms from the other missionaries telling me that Bolelang would like me to baptize her!!! EEEE!!! yippie! Ah it was amazing she has just been incredible and hasn't missed church in three months since we met her. I was so honored and humbled when I got the message. I am grateful that I get to represent the Lord in this work. He works through us! How else could young men teach about such profound and amazing life changing principles!? 
 |
| When I told her I was getting transferred she hugged me for like ten minutes. |
Well the water was freaking cold because there is no heater and its cold in Lesotho so that was rough but totally worth it! She gave a powerful testimony afterwards as well. Ah Mission is good, makes me smile. Crazy to think that Christmas is around the corner..... Yes I know its August, but still and come Christmas I will have six months left of my mission. That is just insane! Where is it all going!?
Lets see what else. oh well we got transfer news. I have been in the Lesotho for 6 months now so we were all knowing I was getting transferred but the news came to surprise us all. Elder Leonard is getting transferred to Bloem, and I am going from Maseru 3 to Maseru 1. I will be leaving my area but still in Lesotho, Maseru. Its crazy! but I am excited.
I learned and important life lesson when I got the news. I started my mission in Kimberley and they speak a lot of seTswanna their. I figured that 80 percent of our mission is in areas that speak mostly Zulu so I didn't bother to learn the language of Tswanna which is almost the same as seSotho. When I went to KZN and learned some Zulu for 4 months before I was transferred out to Lesotho, where they speak only Sotho and nothing else. You would be surprised how many people I meet on a daily basis that don't speak English and I cannot communicate with them. Well I figured I would spend 4 months here and then go back to KZN and work on my Zulu. When I found out I would stay for six months I was kinda bummed that I didn't try to learn Sotho, because I will have spent 10 months of my mission in an area where it would have been so useful! I figured I only have 2 more months in Lesotho so I wont try to learn it and I'll still go to KZN and learn Zulu. (I love Zulu because all the clicks in the language.) Well I spent my six months and found out that I am getting transferred but still here in Lesotho and I still don't know hardly anything in Sotho! I learned a lesson from it all. Don't not learn something. If you have an opportunity to learn something then take it! Don't let it pass by, knowledge is one of the very few things that we get to take with us in the next life. So why not learn everything we can. I never had a good reason to not learn Sotho, I just wanted to learn zulu more but now I don't know either language when I could have at least known a lot of Sotho. So I guess I learned that we should learn. Soak up as much as we can and don't let knowledge pass you by.
I am excited to start in this new area, I know the Lord has big plans for Lesotho and I am happy and blessed to be a part of it.
 |
| One of the members Soda can wall! |
A questioned that was asked to me this week and has been asked several times and you may have asked it as well. Why does God speak to some people but not all? Why do some people hear His voice, but I don't?
Well maybe I can answer a little bit. God does speak to everyone, and He does speak to you! Now let me ask you a question... would God send an angel to tell you to pray when He could send a representative of an angel in the form of say your mom to do the same thing? Are you the same as me? No of course not you are different, we all are, and we know that we all learn differently from each other. God speaks to us in the way the will best get His message across, if its through a friend, or family, thoughts or literal words or dreams then so be it. But I promise if we listen we will see that God speaks to us and loves us very much. To me the sun rising each morning is God telling me I love you and here, let me lighten up you way. To hear the birds sing in the morning! its all about Gods love and it all depends on if you want to see it or not! Ask and you shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. This promise is a promise from the Lord and his promises are sure! we will answer, open and guide! Of this I have seen, of this I know!
 |
| Love this brand of truck! |
I have thought a lot this week about how when we look for bad we find it. I could find a reason to dislike every single one of you reading this email, and to be honest it wouldn't be that hard. But... I can also look for reason why you are brilliant and bright, why you are lovely and amazing, why you are special and precious and I am telling you I would find so many reasons. We will find what we look for. If we look for bad it will show because it is always there, but if we choose, and it is a choice, to look for the good then I know we will find it all around us. As we try to look at others the way our Savoir and Father does we will begin to see a glimpse of the divine queens and kings that walk around us. Let us look for good, and acknowledge it. Give thanks, give approval! Validation is important. We all need to feel like what we say or do is validated in the best of ways. We all seek it and need it, and we all can give it :)
This gospel is the gospel of love, truth and light! It is here for you and me. Its like a nice Chicago style deep dish pizza. So good, so much just oozing with goodness and love. You take a piece and let me tell ya, you are happy, and you just want more and more! It also takes time for a deep dish Chicago style pizza to be made. I remember going with my parents and sister and waiting and waiting for this pizza to come. I think about how pizza hut can cook and deliver its pizza in thirty minute or less. Well, we were there at the restaurant so it should be even faster but no. What's truly good takes time. It took around 45 minutes and sometimes longer for us to get the deep dish pizza. The gospel is the same, you can go here or there and get quick and instant gratifying satisfaction but its not the same. You can settle for an alright piece of pizza or for the best. The best takes time, but to me it is obviously worth it. If the gospel is not currently working for you then be patient, maybe put some more time into it. I am positive it is still "cooking" I know its good. It's literally the best thing ever.... even better than Chicago deep dish.....
 |
| Yup we did knock...Nope we are not teaching them. |
Any ways much love! If I could I would give each of you a big hug and smile, and let you know that God is thinking of you, helping you and lifting you. He loves you. cares for you and is there for you.
God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!
Stay cute and fresh out in the big world
Love
Elder North
 |
| Walking through a housewares store. |
 |
| tacos tacos tacos |
 |
| A tent church thingy |
 |
| Is this a bad number to get as a missionary? |
 |
| Who am I? |
 |
| Loving life in Africa |
 |
| My lil boys and girls at FHE. |
 |
| Uh..yeah probably true. |
 |
| WORK WORK WORK |
 |
| FUN |
 |
| The only real way to cook |
 |
| Becoming a man in South Africa |
 |
| This is how you become a man..eat up gentlemen. This is also how you fix 72% of life problems. |
FROM ELDER LEONARD:
greetings to you i hope you had a blessed week i had a wonderful week i feel the lord had tested me in a big way this week but thanks God his grace is all in all all i can tell you today hold on to jesus christ his all you need the gospel has made me a better person in these last 17months God has carried me in times when i wanted to give up if you trust the savior he will carry you from hear to t the end my faith is so strong to the point that i know everything will be ok if God is live and he will do what he said he will do he has not givien up on you so dont give up n him,
do you know what will help ypu ? faith repentance baptism and the holy ghost prayer reading the sricptures every day and going to church this is what help me if you believe God will bless you in a way you never could see i testifty to you this day remember you ways is not Gods way place you hand in the hand of the man this still the water to those of you who know that song but all in all serving a mission is the bet thing you can do i thank God for my parents for all they have done with out them i could have not had it this far i thank God i thank my companion today elder north for all his has done for me i gone thru a lot but he has stuck by me throught thank you for your prayers and for thinking of me on my misison i pray God riches blessings over you life you are more then a over comer thur Crist who strenghen you please write to me and share of how your week has been i love you dearly
have a great week and dont loose hope in chris
i love you
Elder leonard
No comments:
Post a Comment