A Little Christmas Spirit from South Africa

So I have to be very honest with you! I have like no time now because the guy is closing the place down....SORRY! But I'll tell you my new companion is a Xhosa from South Africa. He is Elder Mbuse....cool Guy :) I have also spoken to Elder Mathebula.

Oh and this week we had a sweet Christmas party with near 200 people in attendance. :)  I did a bunch of cultural dances and stuff :P hahaha It was sweet. :) But as well we went on a hike today but this time we had it announced over the pulpit and we had about 50 branch members join us :) It was Really really really nice.  :)

 Hey so I hope this picture brings a little African Christmas spirit.  :) Know that I love you a lot and think of you often. Can't wait to speak to you  :)  

Name:  ngikukhombula khakhulu! haha kodwa Ngiyajabula khakhulu ngoba wena uyazama ukukholumanami ngisizulu :) Ngempela mama :) Ngijabulile!!!!!

I love you! Sala kahle!

Sawubona mngani wami!!! Unjani?

Hahahahaha Merry Christmas to me. :) I’ll show you what I got another time :) hahaha Anyways........haha I won't see the Christmas Devotional because we usually don't get it here....Oh well, but we have a Christmas party this week and I'll be performing some African things :) haha 

Yea so my brother, Elder Mathebula, completed his mission and went home.....4 1/2 months of great memories....THAT was the hardest goodbye I have had on my mission....He called me right before he left for home today but I guess that he is with his mama right now and she is VERY happy to have her son back...I may hear from him later :) As well, I am getting Elder Mbusi. He is a Xhosa (yes a click) and he is from the southern part of South Africa. I'm glad, but tonight are transfers and I get to stay up all night running people in the district to and from the bus station.....like 2 am in the morning :( There goes my sleep haha eish.

So I prepared to send a picture today but these computers don't have the appropriate connections.... :/ Oh well. Anyways...I think I could live in a township forever to tell you the truth....pretty sure that heaven will be one big township because everyone will know everyone and be like WOAH!!!!! Hey how are you!!! Every time you pass....but they will be speaking Zulu cause it's the language of heaven :) Ezulu is heaven so isizulu is the language of heaven ;) haha so you guys are WAYYYY behind! You better learn ;) When you pass the angels will be like Sawubona mngani wami!!! Unjani and you'll be like...wha?? hahah :) Just kidding....kind of ;) hahah Well, I love you all VERY much :)

Love,
Elder W. Clay Petrie

Study the words of Isaiah

Hey mom!!! Don't worry about sending Christmas stuff....ummmm I might get uh something.....Tell everyone don't worry about it :P haha

I would feel like I was cheating you all if I didn't continue to urge you all to study the words of Isaiah.....I have learned SOOOOO much!

So mama wami I was thinking about you all sooooo much over Thanksgiving but guess what, next year . . . I'm there ;) haha I have missed you all too and I will miss no more. :) Hahaha My clothes and shoes and things are starting to show wear and tear, haha,  but it'll last me :)

So this week was nice. We had a meeting with President and saw the couples....doesn't happen much. :/ But our area is moving a little slow now because of some things that happened, but everything is fine just eZakheni for you..... Umm, my beloved brother/companion is going home next week and I'm going to be VERY sad. I've been with him for over 4 months..... My Zulu brother is leaving :( But he is ready and has done a great job....everyone will miss him.

So today we had to spend most of the day fixing our shower because the tub had some kind of a leak beneath it.....Wow....there were like organisms living there like mold and stuff so we had to clean that out and what not...YAY! “P” day was FUN! :) haha Psych, but it'll be alright.

 I'm glad you all got to meet at the Mesa temple lights! :)

So we decorated for Christmas this week with the decorations from last year and Brother and Sister Herrington saw it and were like, "wow....you guys beat us even on decorations....we just stuck a tree on the table..." hahaha We went all out ya know....tinsel on the ceiling and fan and what not :P Bells in the hallway and Merry Christmas penguins dancing around the walls. Oh, and pictures from my family and friends :) Yep :) hahaha Side note....mom I'm starting to be a really good cook if I do say so myself....Well, I love you and I hope you have a great week! I'll talk to you soon! Really......in 25 days ;) Love you!!!!! :)

Love,

Elder W. Clay Petrie

A Special Broadcast to Africa and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy belated birthday to one of my best friends and buddies....my DAD! :)  Well then let me just say HAPPY THANKSGIVING too!!

Yes I got the “thankful fork” and the reason it was so deadly is it made elders tear up as they mentioned about home and the gospel and freedom we have....Yea...the fork was deadly ha. But as I sat at Thanksgiving....I wondered how special of an opportunity I had. We had people from England, America, and all over Africa......Lucky us neh? Mama Herrington is sort of a ma away from home. It's nice. As well as her husband...He....is a good man.

Hey I'm GLAD to hear that Brandi is feeling okay after her accident, but as well, I am sad to hear about the hardships the Plotz family is going through. I wish that they could know I'm thinking and praying for them and wish I could be there to tell them in person.

SOOOOOOOO, this week some fun things happened....haha so they do checks on the road here in RSA and they checked our car so they pulled us over and asked to see my license...Now they were confused because it was a foreign license. I started to explain that you can have this license in this country and legally drive. I started talking to the men in Zulu..... They finally called their office and after a long while they told us we could go. haha I just said thanks and sorry for the inconvenience and left. Haha

 But anyways...the week was nice. We also had Elder Gay, 1st councilor of Primary, Elder Bednar, and President Utchdorf talk to us in a special broadcast to Africa...they talked to us about Ebola and how God is very aware of it. Also they discussed how we need to leave our many traditions that lead us away from God while keeping the ones that follow the gospel. THEY also said no more Lebola (or brideprice) Halleluiah....the problem is the fathers weren't in big attendance...haha Well, I'm grateful they finally said it.

Well I love you all and hope you have a great week! Love,

Elder W. Clay Petrie 

Happy Thanksgiving from South Africa!

So this week we did have a thanksgiving after our meeting for our zone, I think they sent you a message on your email :) It was sweet! Haha Not completely home, but we had EGG NOG!!!!! :) :):)

Last week I was at a game drive where we chased some really big cool animals....;) haha

This week we had a baptism of a very dear brother of mine and he was one of the most prepared people I met with on mission.

Well...Just know that I'm still working and it’s now going on 16 months! I love you and hope you have a great week Love you! :)

Love,

Elder Petrie

The messages below were emailed to me from Sister Herrington of the Durban South Africa Mission. She and her husband are serving in the same mission area that Elder Petrie is right now, and after having their zone conference, got all the elders together and had a Thanksgiving party.

Hello dear families,   Elder Herrington and I want to thank you for preparing and sharing your wonderful sons with the South Africa Durban Mission. They are truly delightful servants, and we love them so much!    We celebrated Thanksgiving early, along with ZTM, Zone Training Meeting.  We had various African animals for place settings. We enjoyed hearing about religious freedom in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Then we passed the Thankful Fork, which quickly turned into 'Fear the Fork' because many of them cried a little while speaking. Elder Clayton actually threw it down the minute he started talking :)
Please know that the work of salvation is in good hands here. It is such a privilege to serve, and see it from this perspective. Hope all is well with you and your families. Love, Sister Herrington

Hi Sister Petrie,

Your son is such a riot! Not to mention faithful and Spirit-filled. We really enjoy watching him serve with Elder Mathebula, there is just something special about their companionship. Elder Petrie may have had the best time at our Thanksgiving Zone Conference, as you'll see in the photos :) I promise there is awesome missionary work happening; some elders just know how to make the most of a fun moment. Love this boy! Sister Herrington