Mission is good. life is good. :)

Date:  August 22, 2016
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

My eyes have been opened

Date:  August 15, 2016
Area:  Mseru, Lesotho
Companion:  Elder Leonard

So this week we had quite a lot of interesting and for me humbling experiences.

To start off there is a less active member in the area who is really struggling right now.  Not with just coming to church but family issues as well as work. One of his daughters had to leave her husband and needed a new place to stay so he did some looking and found a humble home for her and her son. We helped pick up this brother, his daughter and his daughters son. They had just a handful of possessions, we drove to another village to the home they will now be staying in. It has two rooms. No kitchen, no bathroom really nothing. You open the door and enter into a room smaller than my bedroom back home. Then there is an even smaller room through the next door. That is the whole house. This kind of housing is actually really common and we teach people that live in these circumstances all the time.  It really hit me this time though. She borrowed a mattress from the neighbor and sat down her four or so bags, all her and her young boys possessions. They had no heater to keep warm but a few blankets. The nights get cold here and I sleep with a heater blanket all night to stay warm. We left her to her house and headed home. I wanted to cry as I though about how much I have. I have clothes, food, electricity, water, tables, kitchens, chairs, rugs, and so so so much. She really didn't have anything and I am constantly ungrateful for the many things I do have. I pictured how they would spend the night as the boy would cuddle up next to his mom on the only thin mattress in the place with some blankets trying to keep warm. I though on how she will probably continue to live like this for a while, and my heart aches that I am helpless to do more. I just see it. And I see it daily. People who are suffering. who are sick and literally dying. I can't do anything but watch, and it hurts to see it, to love these people and watch their pain. Their struggle. 

Another man who we teach goes by the name of Zacharia. He is really struggling and works a twelve hour day seven days a week for a pay of thirty two rand. That is practically nothing. In one month he would make around 900 rand if he worked every day without a day off. As missionaries we get 1500 rand a month and that is just for food and toiletries and other things we need to buy but our electricity is paid for, our housing, our car, our petrol (gas) and we still struggle sometimes.  When I tell people that is how much we live on month to month they are surprised that its so small, it is about 100 USD.  This man has to buy food, gas to cook his food, rent and all the things of life on less money than we missionaries without a day of rest. You cant do it, and he is but is suffering pretty bad. It's tough and we don't know what to say but to just encourage and be there.

So those are two of the humbling things this week. My mission is teaching me a lot. And I hope I can really learn from the experiences here.

I'll share a bit of a conversation I am having with Hailey about the book of Mormon,

It is amazing to me the Love the Jesus Christ has for us. He led and guided prophets throughout time to record which may have seemed at the time insignificant, but in reality with a grand purpose. I know that God would preserve or have written down one particular verse or even chapter for just one person. That is how much he loves each of us.

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it is so true and so so good. If we but read and pray with sincerity and our whole hearts, wishing with every fiber of our existence, God will answer. I have read and prayed many times about the message this book contains and I am met each time with a prick in my heart that screams to the the very sinews of my being YES!  To me the book of Mormon is a testament not only of Christ himself but of his great love for us. I know it was translated by the power of God. I love what Elder Holland says from his father " No bad man could write such a book. And no good man would, unless it was true" There is a light contained within the book that seems to connect with the light within each of us when we allow it to.

I love that I can feel my Savior near as I read through the pages. I find answers, council, and comfort from withing the pages.  You will feel the love of Him who died for us if you read this book. You will know who the Savior, Jesus Christ was and is. You will know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, You will know that you are a daughter or son of God, you will know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His church.

I love it, I live it, it's good for me its good for you. Read it!

I love you all and am truly thankful for your prayers, you are in mine.

Elder M.North

update from Lesotho

Date:  August 8, 2016

Area:  Mseru, Lesotho

Companion:  Elder Leonard

Okay fam,

Tract..... knock..... buzz....... all of these things have been a big part of my week. we dont really have to many progressing investigators at the moment and our teaching pool has shrunk which means we go back to the grind and get knocking on those doors.

Bolelang, our old investigator moved to the other missionaries area so we are no longer teaching her which kinds sucks for me because I love this women and pray constantly that she will be able to progress in the gospel.

Nelson and his wife have been super busy and out of town a lot so its still a work in progress with them.

We do have a new girl named Kilebile. We found her tracting a while ago and now she is progressing well, She can't come to church often because she has school on Sundays, but we are very hopeful of her.

We are really trying to get the less active members to start coming back to church and we may not have success in the numbers department but I do feel like our work is getting us somewhere. We are trying our best out here and really that's all we can do.

I have really been enjoying the scriptures this week. I mean ah they are good. I always try to read them with a pen in hand and when I do find things that speak to me, I can mark them.  Lessons that I need to learn and important messages and truths that I otherwise miss. If we study with real intent and a desire to know more we will gain so much more out of our studies.

Lesotho is starting to get pretty cold most days and we are bundling up for it.

I road a taxis to church this week which was quite a fun experience. Now taxis here aren't like what we got in the USofA. They are soccer mom vans that they fill to the brim with passengers.  They stop anywhere all time cutting everyone off to unload and load different passengers. Its quite hectic but it got us there. It makes it even more difficult because you find that a lot of them don't speak any English so explaining to them our destination can be a struggle and a half.

God lives, His son Jesus is my Savior. He is the reason and source of my joy, my hope and love.

Thank you for your prayers and love,

Elder North

What a fantastic and amazing week!

Date:  August 3, 2016
Area:  Mseru, Lesotho
Companion:  Elder Lenard

We are back in Lesotho and it has been amazing since we have come back. Before that, while in Bloem we did some tracting and found an amazing investigator, needless to say I am bummed I wont be able to continue teaching them but the other missionaries will, I got a call from them telling me that they have met with this investigator and that they had an amazing week, it was just a great tender mercy to see that no effort is wasted. Our time in Bloem was not a holiday. 

We have returned to the kingdom of the sky. What amazing blessing have we seen in the short time we have been back. We were worried it was going to be tough, like starting all over but some how everything just fell into place and we are busier than we ever were before. I don't know how it happened but I love it! We now are meeting with so many more people and more less actives which I love! 

It is just good to be home. It is weird to think that I will be in Lesotho  for six months which is a fourth of my mission but it dosn't feel like that, the time has gone and the year is going I mean its just awesome everything is awesome. 

I think I would make a great art critic!

This piece is only a couple thousand rand.
That is only like $150.00

This is a cool piece of art made by
college students. It is made of cardboard.

You are suppose to take a sharpie and write something
good about the city on it.

We met a wonderful Mme name Mme Joyce (Mme is like saying mom or ma its what you call women.) So Mme is awesome, she is currently less active but finding her way back, she has been the relief society president twice and just has a huge ol heart and I love her. she is going to teach me how to cook moroho, which is pretty much spinach boiled but you eat it with pap. its the most traditional sotho meal, I am excited to cook it for all of you soon :)

We had interviews and zone conference this week! Ya, I know awesome. President came to Lesotho on Wednesday and then we had conference on Monday in Bloem, that is why I am not writing until today. Our interview was great I really love our mission president and our zone conference was even better. He mentioned something that I have been struggling with for a while. My favorite scripture is 2 Nephi 31:20 which at one points mentions a perfect brightness of hope.

 20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
I love it but I have felt inadequacy to it. I try to be hopeful but my dang mind makes me think of the pessimistic side of it all. He told a story about his family and how they would get an ice cream cone and go to an empty field at night and watch fireflies. he said that while he was struggling with this same concern he got the answer as to what it meant to him to have a perfect brightness of hope and how to do it. He said that he had many fireflies in his life, sparks here, and little there. and that when you take these little firefly or spiritual moments if you will. you can put them together and it will create much more than a simple spark but in fact a bright light. Now I hope you are following and this makes sense but anyways this was exactly what I needed. I have been so worried about this or that and not been hopeful despite my efforts. I truly want to have this perfect brightness of hope that the scripture talks about but it seemed so distant and impossible, encouraging yes, but distant. We can all have this hope though. If we look at our days. and see the times that we smiled. those little and fantastic blessings of bliss. and put them all together we can see just how great it all is. Everything starts to come together and we begin to gain a sense of hope from it all. wow.... I love it. Hope it made some sense, I should probably read through it all again to see if it does... I'm lazy...

Ahhh, help me I am falling...Just kidding.

What are missionaries to do when they find a cool
area like this?  Well...play hide and seek of course.

Well what else, I mean there was so much! Okay our theme! Lead kindly light. This is our mission's new theme. and boy gee wiz is it grand! I mean just think about it! Lead, kindly light! Light is an amazing thing! What is light? that's a good question you ask! Well lets rephrase that! who is light! Jesus said I am the light and life of the world! We read in many accounts on how Christ is the light makes sense that his sign of birth was a day a nigh and a day of light and the sign of his death was darkness (the light of the earth was no more here) He really is the light! Gee that's cool, but wait there is more!!!!! We too are the light of the world in Matthew 5, it says something along the lights of, ye are the light of the world, neither does a man put his light under a bush but on a hill for all to see!

 (13  ¶Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.)

We too are the light. Why? Because we have been promised if we receive Christ then we receive all He has and all He is! That is power! Well hopefully I am not being to confusing but I do hope my enthusiasm is oozzing out of your computer!

And more! Yes I aint done yet!

Look ma I found your shop.

Why not SHOUT! This is something that sister Thompson, our mission mom talked about. she talked about treasure and adventure that comes with it! Did you know we have real treasure today! Something metal and shiny that was buried and then dug up! Yes of course I am talking about the Book of Mormon!!!!!! If you don't have one and want to see what it is about you can read it here. Book of Mormon it is a treasure! Is that how we see it? Well we should, let us treasure the Book of Mormon.  Is it not something fantastic and just o wow and ah yes and amazing! It really makes me want to shout just eeeee!!!! It is so cool and it is ours!  Yours and mine!

Well there is just so much more I could go on to say but I think my excitement is clouding my memory. So eish...

I love Jesus Christ, I really really do. He is everything. He is my brother, my friend and my Savior.  He is my example, my truth, my crutch. He is my redeemer, and source of strength. He is the great Jehovah, the great I am and the king of kings. Please, it is my prayer that we turn to him, that we feel his love. Open our hearts and let him in. Allow his spirit to enlighten, invigorate and expound your mind and senses. You will feel a spirit of power and conviction and comfort like never before. Let him in. I love Him and He loves me, and He loves YOU too.

Love
Elder North

Isn't South Africa BEAUTIFUL!

I am standing in Lesotho but the mountains
behind me are in South Africa.

Love eating African Style

Check it out.  I made a real American meal
for my companion and I.  Fried chicken,
corn, and mashed potatoes!

Is it a dog or a horse?

He did not give a description for this.

From Elder Leonard (his companion):

Dear follow brothers and sisters I hope you are all doing well. Greetings to you all from my self Elder Leonard so far mission is doing great I am in Lesotho with Elder North from Riverton Utah.  I been here for 3 months now. The people are so nice here and I am working real hard. How are you and your family what is new in Capetown? and where you are? We just had zone conference yesterday and it was great we were able to hear our new mission president teach us for the first time and the spirit was so strong. We were taught about the Book of Mormon and how to use it in our daily work it was powerful.

I am teaching some great families here. The weather is cold but i keep warm at all cost.  Today our pday due to zone conference on Monday so i get to email you all. Please share with me some things you did this week.  The work here is growing Lesotho, it is a district but very strong here with 10 missionaries serving.  I am in tha Setane area. Brothers ans sisters this work is true, I see it every day. I'm grateful to serve this mission in the Durban at this time.  I'm sure to share with you good stories when I do come home that have blessed my life. Thank you for your prayers.  Keep helping the missionaries in your wards, Heavenly father will bless you. I look forward to hearing from you soon .

I know the Gospel is true. I know it I have seen God bless you dear friends keep up the good work in your families and in the church I love you all

Love and regards,

Elder R Leonard