Week 102 out of 104!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD!!!! :)

I love the thought of seeing you all again but it will break my heart to leave.......I may need a chocolate cake or something to make it better.....hahaha (Paul Blart)

So wow you are busy till I get home huh? That's awesome! It's so weird to think it's so close....I have much to still do...

So I would like to tell you of an awesome week :) So first we had zone conference. Elder Ellis a Seventy spoke about Isaiah 55: 8-9 how Heavenly Father's ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and how to receive the direction the Lord has for us.  Sister Ellis spoke on finding joy in the journey of our mission......My favorite part of Elder Ellis' talk was about how, "we can trust God." It hit me hard. We can trust him in all his promises, every single one. So I enjoyed it very well and then bore my last testimony about my favorite topic for missionaries....LOVE THE PEOPLE. I told them my story of how I came to do this very thing.

After that....V. left later in the week. :( I'll see him before I leave though. I wished him luck! So this Sunday we actually had some very nice things happen. I was able to sign (sign language) for priesthood meeting, I learned a lot too. But it was great cause the guys are so dang nice. But as well we had someone confirmed after being baptized.....VERY NICE! 

So a while ago I was with Elder P. in Kwwa Dukuza and we were teaching a member and her friend. The friend was from Umlazi and that's where I served, so I was like WOAH! I told her, “you should attend church there!” She came to church here a few times before she left then I sent the referral. I called her a month after to see how she was doing with church and she said she was going to be baptized. This week she visited our branch again, yo it was awesome, I was able to talk to a totally changed person. She was soooo converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ! I was happy :)

Well that is my week! I love you all!!!! 2 weeeeeeks!!! :)

I love you!

Elder Petrie

See you all in Four Weeks!

Thanks for sharing my mission quote with me! I had forgotten it :) hahahahhahaha 

D&C 30:11 "And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen.”

HELLO! I took care of the bugs with my companion pretty quick. We killed those suckers hahaha. We got the place sprayed, so we had it tough last week but I have my full strength and I'm ready to go! haha

We were working this week, but it's funny how much the Lord helps you...HE prepares the hearts of his people including ours. A person came to church this week that doesn't hear or speak. So V. translated in sign language for her. We are going to visit her soon.....and so in response to this I'm getting taught sign language from V. It's fun. Another language :) haha

 The voice on the recording was Sister M. She takes real good care of her missionaries here.

So we have been working hard here and I am really enjoying my good friend Elder K. He is just a really good guy.

So I got straight up rejected this week as well. When I asked about discussing the gospel and making an appointment I was shut down with a strait NO! hahaha It was funny, I was like OUCH! hahaha But we will go back next week and see what we can do.

So today is V’s b-day so I think we are going to go and have a fun time with him. He goes to Turkey soon too. He has worked with my companions and I and helped sooooo much. It's funny, when you are friends with someone you grow close, but when you are friends in the Lord you grow inseparable. It will be very difficult to leave but I am looking forward to seeing you all in 4 weeks! Love you :) Have a wonderful week!!!!!

Love,

Elder Petrie

May 11, 18, 25, and June 1, 2015

May 11, 2015

‪Hello!!!! :) It was super nice to talk to you too mom! I can't wait till I can just talk to you without any time or anything to separate, ya know :) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! This morning I got up and trained with the Elders here. We've been having a NICE day because we never get to go to Durban and it's nice with our zone here, so today has been fun so far :) I love you VERY much! And Have a great week!!! :)

May 18, 2015

Congratulations to all the graduating seniors!

I’m SUPER happy to hear about Brandon! Wow! hahaha :) I'm also happy to hear about Brandt too....I REALLY miss that guy. I hope he is doing well. He better still know Korean! haha :) Please let him know I still think a lot about him!

So this week that sister came to church and she found a friend in a recent convert, it was wonderful!!! :) We are also working with another very humble guy. It’s great! I have to leave now, because we are going to Durban so we can play ultimate Frisbee then we are going to eat some food with some Elders haha :) Anyways....I love you MOM! Sorry it's short....I hope you have a wonderful week and I love you!!!

‪Love,

‪Elder Petrie

May 25, 2015

Hi!!!

V. needs to meet you guys someday and I wish he could just come with me haha It would be sweet but he needs to stay here to build the Lords kingdom. 

So here there are few members….We try to see all of them, and are really getting to build relationships with them.

Soooooo Elder D. is being transferred. Everything is staying the same for me. I am staying here and we are still working hard! The Lord blesses us in many ways when we follow Him. Like when we work hard, people just randomly come into church looking for a church. Hahaha We are happy when that happens. We also celebrated a birthday with a good member yesterday. He is from Zimbabwe.

Well, I love you very much and I can't wait to see you all in 6 weeks neh? Have a great week!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!

Elder Petrie

June 1, 2015

Hello!

Yea we heard yesterday that Elder L. Tom Perry passed away. Sad ay? I did hear he had cancer. He was a REALLY good Apostle in my eyes too. Yea I remember how tall he was! YO! He had huge hands too!

So let me not waste any time in telling you about this terribly miserable week haha.

So we went to Durban on Monday last week and we had a braai (BBQ) with all the departing Elders in our zone and we enjoyed that very much. Tuesday is where things started getting crazy. President had to reinterview a lot of people and figure out our transfers. So after 3 hours of waiting, I got a really cool companion, Elder K. from Guana. I enjoy him a lot. But because of time we had to sleep in Durban and then we went to our area on Wednesday. On Thursday I got the fever. I had it pretty bad and I was not doing too well. After that, we got bed bugs and it's really bad. I am bitten everywhere. It itches and it looks like a disease....I am not in a good state. On top of that it was a tough week and we didn't get much done and I am really not feeling good at all....tough stuff. But the one thing that does bring peace is knowing God is in control of everything and we need to just suffer through and accept His will. Something that is REAL is the Atonement of Christ and it is made possible for everyone to receive. Well, everyone have a great week and I'll see you in 5 weeks! I love you!!!!

Love,

Elder Petrie

May the 4th Be with you . . . 2015!

Hello! YO mama I'm jealous of your temple work! I can't wait to go to the temple! :( LIKE REALLY CAN'T WAIT!!!

Hey Aunt Nene! Touch neh?! Hope she continues to get better!!!!!!

The meeting didn't happen cause the rain, but we are still working on the right date.

Hey soooo we met a lady the other day who had a problem with smoking and so we talked to her about it and she wants to stop, so we are going to have a class for her and her friends that want to quit. It should be fun :) 

So we also got to see the Priesthood Session of General Conference YO!  (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch/2015/04?lang=eng&vid=4154636500001) It was awesome!!! I liked every talk.

So we were street contacting the other day and when we were on a street corner a lady came and then just shook our hands.... which is strange cause usually we have to shove our hands out ;) hahaha it's GUMMMMM!!! haha But anyways she told us she was a member and has been looking for the church,  but as we were talking, a guy came around the corner and honked and stopped. She ran over and said, “Pastor!!!" then when we invited her to come this next Sunday she said she would have to go to her pastors church here next week.....EISH. So we are going to see what we can do there...The funny thing is that's not the first time that's happened....Haha people here get very attached to their pastors and want to continue going to a church just for them,...eish I mean I know I'm boring myself but this is the TRUE gospel.... haha

Well I love you! :) Have a nice week and I'll talk to you soon.... Skype?! I don't know.... we’ll see. Love you!!!

‪Love,

‪Elder Petrie

‪pic 1 My CURRY! :)

‪pic 2 My reading glasses.....no I'm not mocking my comp :) haha he gave them to me! hahaha 

Thanks for you Fasting and Prayers!

HEY!!! :) Thanks so much for the fasting and prayers! THEY HELPED! Just like the Apostle, President Henry B. Eyring said......How can we help people? Even if we are located far away from people, we are close to God so our fasting and fast offerings REALLY DO HELP. Trust me....they are received and truly help people.

So here we have been inviting people to come to General Conference. There was a nice turn out. A LOT of investigators came on Saturday but the members were few! But on Sunday it was opposite...If we could get them all TOGETHER it would be better haha. So we have been working in our own unique ways. So far this transfer, I have learned a lot about patience.

Now before I discuss the talks I enjoyed most in General Conference let me first just say a few things....We were able to walk up a mountain with a guy we are teaching, and when we arrived we prayed together. It was nice. I was able to take some time for myself and just enjoy the peace of it and say a private prayer...really speak with our Heavenly Father. WOW! What a difference neh?  

So as alluded to above, we were finally able to sit down and enjoy the talks from General Conference! I enjoyed the talk about Grace and works and about the Parable of the Sower and the roots we require and especially about being amongst the thorns...The main idea of the whole conference to me was to trust God and NOT get DISTRACTED....or deceived. Hey so the talk I loved the most was Elder Brent H. Nielson.....( https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/is-it-still-wonderful-to-you?lang=eng&media=video#watch=video)  We need to LOVE and to WATCH and to WAIT. LOVE though, is as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said our WATCH WORD. That's what I loved a lot. (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/where-justice-love-and-mercy-meet?lang=eng )

So as of this week and the work, it's going well and we have a big meeting tonight just like Brigham Young. :) LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Elder Petrie