Have a Safe and Happy 2014!!

Happy birthday to Aunt Nene!!! :)

Hey! Phone calling was pretty cool! Tell Dad I’m sorry that we didn't get to talk long....I really really really really really really wanted to talk to him and my friends (other Elders) had to cheer me up cause I was so down about it. I had to borrow a phone that had airtime on it because of the phone requirements in Africa.... I miss you all! Transfers are this week...Have a nice week! I am going to send that package very very soon now so expect it in April :P hahah Love you!

Elder Petrie

(This portion is from Elder Petrie’s mom).

We had a great visit with Elder Petrie on Christmas Day. He was able to Skype at 5:00am, and call around 11:00am. He told us that his mission has humbled him quite a bit! He said that he is known for being the “fun” Elder. (All the other Elders want to be his companion), but that it doesn’t mean he does not do the work. He put it this way, “Just because I have fun doesn’t mean I don’t do the work, I find that everyone enjoys the work better when they are having fun!” Elder Petrie tends to live his whole life this way! J  He also said that his mission has changed him a lot! He loves South Africa and the people, and is working hard to teach them the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the Plan of Salvation. He misses everyone back at home and sends his love. He would love to hear from all of you!

Merry Christmas and Have a safe and Happy New Year! J

Sherri Petrie

Thank you for the Christmas packages!

Hello everyone from America...I miss you. It is very hot here! I don't have much time today due to irregularities this morning. Sorry!

I did get to play soccer with some pretty cool guys in our district, and I got to see my past friends from my last zone including the great Elders Zsembery and Whiting! Haha.

I got in a car accident this week but everyone was OK. A driver pulled out in front of me so I hit the brake and swerved to get out of the way, but we still hit due to him continuing without noticing us on the road...eish such is Africa.

Sooo we have had some things happen this week. Not a lot but some. We taught a nice lesson on members helping missionaries and the people we taught with this inspired lesson were very touched. I know I’ve asked you before, but please help the missionaries find people to teach. Hasten this awesome work. I'm tired of tracting :P Haha. We also did a lot of service this week…a lot involving moving.

We are celebrating a holiday in Africa right now and the building I am in is shaking from the music outside and from the people dancing in the streets....Africa is a little different haha.

 I have also learned a LOT of patience and humility before the Lord this week…and Preach My Gospel is inspired...It helps not only with things pertaining to missionary work but it also helps us deal with matters of the heart.

Well, I don't have any time left. Sorry. I love you!!!! And miss you!!!

Love,

Elder Petrie

P.S. I am still diggin this Christmas package!  Hahaha :)

Speaking IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, and IsiSwati!

 MA!!!!!! I love you :) Wow......That (Christmas) package was crazy....I was like WOW!!! Now our boarding is like Christmassy and it is flippin awesome and I love it. Sooooo the wall in our front room is now covered in the pictures you sent and they all like it (all 8 of us) because it says Elder"s"!:P I can't even tell you how excited and happy and loved I felt from that package...How did you get EVERYONE to do that!! WOW! IT IS SOOOOO COOL! I CAN"T EVEN DESCRIBE IT!  hahaha

Sooooo. Umlazi is a township that is crowded with little shacks and it is like a jungle around. It's pretty cool :) You have to be aware of what you are doing, but if you greet everyone it isn't a problem :P Sooo we live 15-30 minutes away from Durban and I know this city really well so when I take you all here I can be a really cool tour guide, haha. So I am driving like an African now which means....I am driving so much WORSE, haha! But if you drive defensively you won't ever move....(see picture below)!

So the beloved 1st President of Mzansi has passed...Nelson Mandela has passed and everyone is missing him signs were everywhere saying, "Hamba Kahle Madiba" It was cool. That man is a great great man. He was a very forgiving man.

So this week we went and tracted A LOT! Eish. This area is still kinda dead but the resurrection will come soon, haha. I am still working to know this area so I can work with my members better.

My Zulu is improving and I even pray in Zulu in lessons sometimes if I'm feeling cultural :P haha, it's sweet though. My pig Latin is getting good too, cause I speak it with the other missionaries from America, haha. I may try to start learning Afrikaans but I already can speak IsiZulu and I can understand a little IsiXhosa and I can speak IsiSwati a little as well.Yep. Africa is pretty cool.

Oh! We had zone conference and that was pretty cool!!! :) We talked about working with the members. Please work with the missionaries cause I know the missionaries need help if they are anything like here...and since we are all children of God I know they are a lot like here.

Hey some funny questions I get...Was Jesus black? Do you worship these pictures of Jesus? Why do we have to wear clothes cause we only do because the white people came here and made us... :P Haha Why do I need to worry? I will never die! haha Will you marry me? haha Those are all heard often except the “I will never die”...that was just one crazy guy :P

Soooo I love you all and miss you...Thanks for the package and those awesome flippin pictures!!! Love you all! :) Stay Well!!!

Love,

Elder Petrie

It's Summer!

Hey!!! Sooooo yea it is summer! How was Thanksgiving?? I miss it :( The way I explain it to the Africans here is it is a holiday we sit down as a family and eat a lot of food and say what we are thankful for :P hahaha did I do a good job?

So, I am in Umlazi which is a flippin big township. There are 8 elders that live next to each other and we all work in Umlazi. It is pretty cool.

So, Umlazi is a township that is packed full of people and it looks like it is in the middle of a jungle; ma it kind of looks like the Okinawa jungle, but African.

My companion is Elder Chathyoka and he is from a country called Malawi. He is cool. He jokes a lot and we get along just fine. He is a great teacher. And he tells a LOT of stories which is fun. I serve in sections A,B,C,D,V,E,S, and I think...part of W too. (The Township of Umlazi is divided by Umlazi A, Umlazi B, etc.).

My comp has been out for almost nine and I am almost five. We are probably one of the youngest on mission together. So I left my area with a lot of people getting baptized within the next 6 weeks. I am very very very sad I don't get to see them all the way to their becoming a member of Gods Kingdom. I will miss that. BUT the area I am in is a great opportunity for me to polish up my talking with new people abilities cause we tract...every day. There is no one here that is prepared for baptism soon...We have A LOT of work to do. We were tracting in a bunch of shacks the other day, and the people there don't see Caucasians very much and they only speak Zulu. My comp speaks IsiZulu alright and can communicate but not too well.

We ran into a gogo that told us she wanted to stop drinking and smoking. She told us as she was smoking and grabbing a beer. I told her to put the cigarette out and put the beer away and I told her she must pray and also act by not buying them and throwing them out of her life and that it would be hard but with us and mostly God to help her she could do it....I had to explain it all in Zulu to her as well haha. Unfortunately, she just picked up her beer and drank anyways saying she would continue to pray haha.

So the members here are cool and they are strong in their testimonies.

I am learning this new area. We spent today walking around the huge city of Durban. I love South Africa. Oh and your Christmas presents should get there in March....hahahaha but really, I'm too poor to send it by air :P I love you all! Have a good week! I miss you.

Love,

Elder Petrie

Tranferred to Umlazi!

I'm glad you liked the pictures. :)

So there is a lot to tell so I'll just get down to it. I am leaving Mpumalanga. I am being transferred. I got the news Saturday night and it was a surprise because everyone thought I would stay another transfer but I guess my time is up here. I was very blessed in this area to see people come back to church and to see many accept the challenge to follow Jesus Christ, our Savior, and be baptized, but I just won't be able to see them actually BE baptized :( I love these people sooooo much and it hurts to think I have to leave them now. I will leave my companion Elder Whiting after this one transfer. It is a shame because Elder Whiting and I got along to well and we were having heaps of success. But all good things come to an end....And then more begin :)

I am going to a place called Umlazi!! It is one of the biggest townships in South Africa...if you don't know what a township is look it up. Haha. :) It is about 1 million people I think and they all speak..........ZULU!!! Yay I will continue to speak Zulu :)

My heart is full. It is an extremely bittersweet experience and a lot of people were sad with me but they recovered quickly because they won't really miss me. ;) Haha. It's been pretty cool here. We had stake conference and there was a story told that I liked a lot. “A man was driving very fast in his jaguar that he just bought and while he was cruising a brick hit the side of his car. When this happened he slammed on the brakes and backed up and got out. He grabbed the closest boy he could find and yelled at him for doing such damage to his nice car and was telling him how much the repairs will cost and then when he asked the boy if he had anything to say the boy began to cry and say I'm sorry for hitting your car!! I just needed some help because my brother has fallen out of his wheelchair and he is too heavy for me to pick up. You were driving so fast that the brick was the only way I could get your attention. Please help my brother he said. The man choked back his tears and helped the boy and put his brother back in his wheelchair. He took his handkerchief and dabbed the wounds and scrapes of the brother and the boy said thank you sooooo much and wheeled his brother up the street. The man never got that noticeable dent fixed so that he could always remember not to go too fast in life that you have to get hit by a brick to stop. “Clever story eh? I got hit by a brick when I was told that I was leaving. Soooo I'm glad I never took this place for granted :) I love these people gosh.... Well I love you all soooooooo much!!! :)

Love you!!

Your missionary,

Elder Petrie
P.S. I love you all back home sooooooo much :)

P.S.S. Hey! I learned a hymn the other day and I am continuing to learn the hymns on the piano so I can play for church. If they have a piano....haha.