Elder Bednar comes to South Africa!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Debbie and Happy Anniversary Happy Anniversary Happy Anniversary HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! happy happy happy happy. (Mom and Dad)!

My new companion is awesome. He is from Utah but he is not a missionary robot haha. He is learning IsiZulu too and he asks me for help a lot :P I have to translate sometimes. We have A LOT of fun. When I say this, people often think I neglect the work. People even ask us if we get the work done while we are here.... In response to that, we have A LOT of fun....WHILE we get the work done :) It's not a sad depressing work we are doing so why can you not have fun during work? :) People don't appreciate your visits with them being referred to as work haha. :)

So, this week we had some difficulties. Our beloved Elder Zsembery had to get his appendix out and we had to carry him on our backs the whole 100 km it took to get him to the hospital...Just kidding :) He had to stay at the hospital for 3 or 4 days though and we had to visit him and bring him things from home and it really put a dent in our schedules :/ We had to work his area as well since we were with his companion in a threesome. So two areas are definitely a lot more people to see haha double the usual load :P He is recovering well though. :)

Soooo, Elder Bednar came this week! He got down to business and did not sugar coat things. His wife as well spoke and she is soooooooooooo humble and cool :) They told us to not take notes on what they said but on what we felt. It was inspiring and will help me to change for sure!!! (For the better haha). We also got to go to the stake conference with Elder Bednar yesterday izolo. It was PACKED full with a mix of races! :) It was sweet! He talked about the temple being built, (the location has not yet been announced)........He said DO NOT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!! So you all at home better not either. He has been doing a lot of missionary work here too by talking with high up officials and radio programs and what not :) He is sooo cool! He even had a little extra time to take a picture with us! (I will post it below.)

So, I left the lights on in the car while we were at the chapel. The battery was DEAD! You have to turn the lights off manually and it was foggy for a bit so I turned them on then forgot to turn them off....So we pushed it in mud and tried to kick start it but my companion in the driver’s seat didn't know that it had to let the clutch off hahaha so we were standing in the rain for a long time and members were trying to help us as they pulled out but none could. One man had cables and tried to jump it but it was deader than dead. So he gave us a ride back to the chapel and was trying to help us call someone. So we ended up waiting for about 2 hours at a youth fireside soaking wet and freezing till the AP's came and helped us kick start it by pushing. The battery had recharged a bunch… it was fun :) hahaha. That was our week of fun. :) I love you all! :) Miss you!

Love,

Elder Petrie

Ngiyanithanda khakhulu!!!

My companion (Elder Whiting) is to the left :) Elder Zsembery (appendix-less elder) is in the middle on the top right above Elder Bednar.

Transfer Week!

How is it amanmganiwami?? This week was pretty good, first, we had transfers and my beloved baba (trainer) Elder Kinyaka has been transferred to be a zone leader in Lesotho. My new companion and I (Elder Whiting) took him to the bus station. We were talking for a bit and they called for everyone to get on the bus. He looked at me and handed me his name tag that he had from the MTC. (He has been out for 19 months) and he said he wanted me to have it. I declined and told him it was his whole mission and I didn't want to take it from him. He then looked at me and said, "No man, you were my whole mission." I then took it and put it on. I took mine and gave it to him as well. We said bye then he said he had to get on the bus before he started crying,  anyways, I later found out that he had prayed for a missionary to come that would be a relief on his mission cause he was having a hard time with a lot of arguments and what not…mission. My new companion said that he told him I was that answer. Wow. That guy will forever be my brother and I will never forget what he has done for me. Now, my new companion is Elder Whiting and he has been in my boarding serving on the South side of Mpumalanga 1. He just switched rooms and is now with me in Mpumalanga 2 :) He is from Utah but its ok, he is cool. Not a Utard. (Just kidding, haha). He is learning IsiZulu and we get along very very well. He is VERY good at soccer and he pretty much rocks.

So, this week we put a man named M… D…… on B-Date and he came to a baptism once and said, “I’m going to prepare myself so I can be baptized in the Lords true church.” He keeps urging his brothers and sisters and their families to come to church as well. This guy is awesome.

So, the next day I realized I lost my wallet.....I was searching everywhere. So, we tore the boarding apart (more than once.) We went back to M……'s house and they had it and gave it to me straight off haha. It had no money in it to begin with so even if a robber found it wouldn't be too much of a temptation :P hahahaha But they were soooooo nice. They were so excited to give it to me and asked if everything was in there.  :) They said we're family so never worry, if I lose something they'll find it haha. We had a braai (BBQ), and had a bunch of missionaries over at a member’s house and we ate A LOT of good food. We FINALLY got to watch conference! Not very many people came Saturday, (So far for everyone to travel), 6 people not counting the missionaries. I know why they have the Prophet speak on Sunday morning! Everyone came for that session. There were more of our investigators there than members on those unattended sessions ha.

Conference was sweet!!!! I liked Elder Oaks talk and Edward Dube (from the Zim (Zimbabwe)) and many many more. Halleluiah! I'm so happy for all the talks about women needing to be tender and stuff. We have enough "tough" prideful drunk baba's we don't need ANYMORE people like that. Please women lead the way on being kind and tender. Eish I'm tired of pride. Elder Bednar is coming this week!!!

 So an Elder got his keys for the boarding stuck on the chapel roof so naturally he came to me for help...the newest Elder in the area. So I climbed some pipes and bars and finally reached the roof, in the rain. It was pretty sweet.

Sooooo I love you all and I chased some springboks in the bush recently and ngiya thanda emzansi njalo! Futhi, Ngiyanithanda njalo!

Love,

Elder Petrie

P.S. What…the…Dad went to Disneyland???!!!! Tell him not to get too worn out from going cause he has to go when I get back and we will all go. :) Hey so I keep hearing things about our government closing things down? What is going on there? Will the country be different when I get back? Love you!  

Another great week in South Africa!

Thank you sooo much for the updates and for doing the FHE!

 I got your package containing the chili packets THANKS!!!!! (CHILI PARTY SOON!)

We had a baptism this week. Actually, so much has happened....A. D. was the boy that was baptized. He is 12 and he wanted me to baptize him. He is so young but he really impressed everyone on how converted he is. I love that guy. When the baptism was over, he was walking out of the font and he slipped on the steps and fell back into the water! Haha. He was fine; it just looked like he dove in for another go! We all laughed including him and when we closed the door I asked if he was OK and if he slipped. He answered yea and then we both began to laugh again. Haha.

Soooo, My Kenyan brother is leaving me to take over the area..:( I will miss him tooooo much. He has been my companion through my whole mission so far and he really was just more of a brother. He is going to Lesotho. 

STORY TIME: So when I had been on my mission a month, we got a new car (a manual) and we went to a place called Hillcrest Toyota. We talked to the receptionist and she seemed very businesslike and very formal. She helped us and on the way out she followed us out and called "Missionaries, wait!” We went back in and talked to her. She has been a less active member for 16 years. She says her life is not very good right now and she wanted some help from the Elders and she wanted some scriptures; a triple combination. We were kind of taken aback and decided that we would do our best to help her. We contacted the Elders where she lives, and we went to the office, bought the scriptures for her and we said goodbye. We thought that would be the end of it. We were playing basketball last week and the Elders that we had given her information to were there. They said thanks for the contact information and that she was really powerful and they visit her a lot and she comes to church now. HOLY COW! Our jaws dropped. So we get a call from her a couple days ago and she asks us to come back to the dealership that she wants to speak with us. Because of our schedule, the only day we could go was just before we came to the email shop today. (Cause my comp/baba Elder Kinyaka is leaving.) Soooo, she finishes her work and goes on break and then she walks outside with us.  She starts by saying thanks for coming to meet her and that the Elders that visited her were amazing and that she was sooo very thankful. Then she told us her story. She said that she had been reading anti Mormon literature many years ago, and as she was, she met some missionaries and realized how wrong the literature was and ended up converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ instead! She was a strong member and even got her Endowments, but her husband was angry and kicked her and the children out onto the streets, where she lived for 3 months. For some reason she was unable to get help, and became offended and left the church. She has been going through some very hard times recently and was not happy with her life....Then she said we came into the dealership. She teared up (she is not a woman you would see tear up) and she said she couldn't thank us enough. She knows this church is true and wouldn't even deny it when she was less active. She said she isn’t the kind of person that expresses her love much, but she said, “I have to thank you and tell you how much I love you.” Wow. Missionaries really are charged with bringing important and precious people BACK to our Heavenly Father. Wow.  

Gotta go! I love you all soooooooo much! :) Ngiyanithanda khakhulu!!!!!

Love,

Elder Petrie 

Feeling the Spirit in South Africa!

Thanks for the emails!

So Elder Bednar, ( One of the Twelve Apostles), is coming this month on the 25th. I might get to watch General Conference before then. I have heard about Elder Edward Dube a lot here. (He is a Seventy that spoke in General Conference). Zimbabwe is just next door. (He’s from there).

Having a BBQ sounds weird haha. The people here are really into that but it's called Braai ha. We have braais a lot to get families to come together and listen to us. Nothing like food to get people to gather together :P

So this Sunday will be the baptism of a boy named A…. and he wants me to baptize him. He is realllllly smart and is only 12 years old. In the interview he asked the District Leader if, when he is older, his car runs out of fuel on the Sabbath what should he do to not brake the Sabbath :P Good question ne? District Leader said, fill it up just enough to get through the day if you have to haha It stumped him for a bit though. ( This reminds me of s famous Primary song, "Saturday is a special day it's the day we get ready for Sunday...") Haha. He is also realllllllly good at soccer. He beats most the older kids here on the streets.

Ok...story time :) So there is a girl named N…. who we know. We have been trying to teach her ma but she is always gone!! So we taught her gogo but she is so used to her church. Anyways, the ma brought her daughter to church one Sunday and they loved it! The next Sunday only the daughter (N….) came to church. She loved it! She said she wanted to be in the primary program which was in one week (this last Sunday). We were given the job to teach her the songs and help her to get a testimony and give a talk. In one week! I got the CDs and went to work. We taught her one time and I felt like she needed friends in church so I thought of the girls her age in the ward. I got the perfect family and the next day we went to teach we went to the member’s house and got three sisters to walk with us to her house. When we finished that day, N… and the sisters were like best friends. We went again the next day and then we all went to church Saturday for a practice and (She had to walk to church by herself which is about 3 miles.) I helped her with her talk and her testimony. It was amazing the things she already knows. Anyways, her mom said she would come to church to watch her sing and talk. She came but her ma did not....I played the piano (recordings :P)  for the program and every time she got nervous she looked at me and gave me a huge smile and I smiled right back. She did sooooooo well! All of the children did! But as cheesy as it sounds, I was soooo overwhelmed with joy as she gave a talk and sang. It felt like Heavenly Father had allowed me to feel His love for her through me. We will start teaching her discussions this week. Well that's all I got time for this week! Love you all! :)

Love,

Elder Petrie