Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts
Monday, September 7, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
"I don’t fear what they can do to me at work, God needed me at church!"
Dearest Mother! (& everyone else! You can use this for my blog cause I don’t have time to write one today :P)
Wow, this week has been crazy! I’ve been super busy! And my mind is so scattered! But it’s a great scattered and a great crazy! Haha these new leadership calls really help me cause I think they help me "elevate my game" if you will.
Elder Kairu and I are already best friends! haha I love this guy! He is from Uganda but his dad is from Kenya. He is 23 years old and turned 20 months on mission today! We actually served in the same zone (Benoni) for 3 transfers when I was in Daveyton and he was in Kwa Thema. One cool thing is that he is from the tribe of Dan of the tribes of Israel! Isn’t that such a cool thing!? He joined the church like 5 years ago I think when he was studying to become a catholic priest! haha Needless to say, he is a powerful teacher and we WORK hard together! Zac was so right when he said I was more likely to get a comp who likes to work! THANK YOU! hahah I need it! But yeah I’m stoked to be his comp! We’re learning the area together because he only had 1 transfer here and was only here some of the time because the other times he was on exchanges in the zone!
In our zone, the Northwest Zone, we start in Carletonville, and Khutsong, then up to Krugersdorp 1 & 2 with Roodepoort and Ruimsig (the APs area), then over to Randfontein and Munsieville and alllllll the way up in the northwest province to Rustenburg and Phokeng! We actually got to drive there on Friday after our temple trip to do a baptism interview! Haha we're busy!!! But we have good time in our own area to see miracles and do lots of great work! The biggest miracle is the father-led family which is the husband of our recent convert. He told us on Tuesday that he wanted to be baptized and then even ditched work yesterday to attend his wife's confirmation!!! When we saw them at their house afterwards, he said "I don’t fear what they can do to me at work, God needed me at church!" <---- that faith is inspiring!!!
Ey this ward is AFRIKAANS with a capital A which is a cool thing but it’s weird cause I’ve never seen any white boys passing sacrament before and there were only like 13 black people in the congregation! How unique! But it’s great here! I love it! I hope that says a lot! I wanted to typie but literally I’ve had no time! haha I haven’t even had time for my journal! (But don’t worry, I’ll update it)
Today we're looking to play soccer at Roodepoort with Pres. Dunn! Haha I’m stoked for that! and yes, a very good thing that I’m close to the office! :)
One thing that sucks though is hearing the joking attitude about the “Month of Miracles” for 100% obedience. Some people just don’t get it! haha Oh well, it must be my place as ZL to learn how to love and inspire even the elders who don’t really like obedience! That’s what I’m most excited for is humbling myself and ministering to them. I hope I can do my best!
Eish I’m out of time! But I WILL have access to mail every week! So idk if people besides our family can send me a dearelder.com or letter instead of email cause I think I may not have time to email people other than my family. :(
I love you mom :) I know it’s probably not nearly enough and you have even more questions but I hope I was detailed enough for you!!!
I love you so much!
Love, your boy Bursie
Elder Smith
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| HOWZIT? |
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| The newest Northwest Zone Companionship: Elder Smith & Elder Kairu. |
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| These are the places within the Northwest Zone. The elders live in Krugersdorp. |
Ey this ward is AFRIKAANS with a capital A which is a cool thing but it’s weird cause I’ve never seen any white boys passing sacrament before and there were only like 13 black people in the congregation! How unique! But it’s great here! I love it! I hope that says a lot! I wanted to typie but literally I’ve had no time! haha I haven’t even had time for my journal! (But don’t worry, I’ll update it)
Today we're looking to play soccer at Roodepoort with Pres. Dunn! Haha I’m stoked for that! and yes, a very good thing that I’m close to the office! :)
One thing that sucks though is hearing the joking attitude about the “Month of Miracles” for 100% obedience. Some people just don’t get it! haha Oh well, it must be my place as ZL to learn how to love and inspire even the elders who don’t really like obedience! That’s what I’m most excited for is humbling myself and ministering to them. I hope I can do my best!
Eish I’m out of time! But I WILL have access to mail every week! So idk if people besides our family can send me a dearelder.com or letter instead of email cause I think I may not have time to email people other than my family. :(
I love you mom :) I know it’s probably not nearly enough and you have even more questions but I hope I was detailed enough for you!!!
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| Elder & Sister Scott & Elder Smith (they were his mom & dad for 4 1/2 months!) |
Love, your boy Bursie
Elder Smith
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| This "posterity" is legendary in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission. In the middle top row in the grey sweater is Elder Matos, Spencer's trainer and the "Great-Grandfather." From right to left on the bottom row is Spencer, the "Grandfather" who trained Elder Clegg, the "Father" who trained Elder Savage, the "Son." We hope to get the rest of this "family history" so no one is left out! |
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| Elder Kewuti shared a flat with Spencer in Daveyton. He is heading home to Cape Town, SA. |
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| Elder Perez is heading home to St. George. I wonder if Spencer ever "destroyed Elder Perez in Magic???" |
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
"It’s motivating to live the right way and work super-super hard so I can set a good example."
This week’s letter consists of answers to many of my questions. As he says, he frequently runs out of email time so he didn’t write a blog post, but this letter was informative so I wanted to share it. -Mom
Alright I have to apologize I ran out of time really quickly today in email. I always go in with the best intentions and game plan for how I’m gonna do it and then, like today, I’ll get an email that is unexpected and my whole thing will be thrown off haha. Oh well I guess it’s all part of it :P and for that, I’m glad I have typie :) so here I go- I think I’ll answer all your questions first then go from there!!
1-How is district leading and working with Elder Ah Wong?” Well, I love both and being DL has its challenges! It’s amazing to see how experience that can only be gained thru companions and time help you to learn how to live and work with all sorts of companions! That being said, the Lord blessed me with Elder Ah Wong because we are very similar and he is just so easy going that he is able to put up with me haha. I love working with him. I don’t think I’ve ever realized how hard of a person I am to live with. I don’t know if its mission but I think I’ve become a bit OCD and stressful. Part of me knows that’s bad and I should be more patient but the other part of me understands because this is the work of salvation and so I can’t just be skippdy-doodle or else my accounting before the Lord won’t be that fun ya know! Another thing I’ve learned so far is that it doesn’t help to complain about any problems because it is what it is so I try to only focus on the good things and the future! District leading, like I said last week has been very eye opening! It’s motivating to live the right way and work super-super hard so I can set a good example. Idk mom, tell me what you think, whenever I make a small mistake I apologize and say I’ll do better and all I get is a weird look like “come on Elder Smith, you were 2 minutes late.” Now it’s not the two minutes I’m worried about but it’s the example that I’m setting. Maybe I’m too worried about being perfect? :)
2-Nelspruit details: so Nelspruit itself is a town that has its white parts, black parts, colored parts, and then mixed parts make up the majority but it’s all got one thing in common: $$$ or should I say RRR (*R for Rand= South African currency) Haha they are all cheesy! (*Cheesy /Cheese/Cheese-boy = Expensive/Luxurious/Posh) All nice cars and nice houses and big gates and big mean dogs Haha it’s a far cry from township where you have humble people and humble circumstances. Now all of that is Nelspruit town. Our area goes all the way to Komatipoort by Mozambique, up to Bushbackridge in the north and down on the borders of Swaziland. So it’s about a 3-4 hour drive from one of the ends to the other. It’s BIG! That being said, then you have Kanyamazane which is the other elders’ area and branch in the middle of ours and that’s a township. So for us, we cover the whole range from village to cheese-boy town. Haha but we mainly work in town because that’s where the chapel is and where people can get to church. Once a week we usually pick some far area like Sabie, Lydenburg, Hazyview or Barberton and go there to strengthen the members and teach the few investigators who are out there that come to church. We don’t do finding there cause it’s pointless to teach someone who can’t get to church for baptism. It’s all good tho because they’ll get their chance for the gospel. We’re striving to build up this kingdom so we really only try to teach those who are keeping commitments hardcore. Haha it’s funny to then look back and see how many joker-ish people we had in Daveyton. What that means tho is that we do a ton of finding! Tracting isn’t effective during the day cause everyone has a job and isn’t home so we are trying to do as much parking lot finding as we can. Haha it takes a lot of motivation to get ourselves excited to go talk to grumpy white people :P you can imagine that we jump at the chance to talk to a black guy in a car! It indicates someone who has transport to church, somewhat humble, kind and not rude like most white people. Now don’t get me for a racist cause there are some very nice white people! In fact, in my 11 months on mission I actually taught my first white guy on Friday!! Haha funny thing to think about right? Missionary work is different here that’s for sure but it’s an area that’s teaching me! No time to be lazy here! Haha another funny thing I noticed is that my planner is a lot less full -____- and I like teaching so that sucks a bit but it’s an adjustment. I think that helps build mine and Ah Wong’s relationship because we spend a lot more time facing adversity and finding ways to overcome and still have fun! :)
3- We live in a complex called Villa De Sutene in a suburb called Stonehenge. That’s where us, the Swans and the Scotts live! Have fun finding us!
We do most of our work in Stonehenge (teaching a lot of students who are down to learn and at a crucial point in their lives) so you can take a look at the streets :) then a place called “Steiltes” and “West Acres” we spend less time because its more affluent and less kind :P
4-That lady who we thought was a golden investigator is Prudence Tshabalala and we were so excited for her except when we tried to check on her yesterday we knocked and nobody answered (now the funny thing is there were people inside and funny enough when they saw us in the window, they figured they’d play hide-n-seek and not answer for us) so that’s discouraging. What most likely happened is that her brother in law (who is a pastor) probably told her his opinion on us and the Book of Mormon so now we’re trying really hard to see them but they don’t answer our calls or our knocks :/
5- I too loved conference and I love conference talks! Like the last two weeks I have uploaded 2 talks that have really helped me! I was glad to steal them from Elder Bizimana back in Daveyton because I listen to them as part of my morning routine. The Brethren really are an inspired bunch aren’t they?! It’s crazy somewhere I heard that they receive revelation and do things like 25 years in advance to help us prepare for the future! Now idk if that’s true but it’s pretty amazing! And thank goodness we have this gospel, eh? I have loved being able to read your testimony every week for almost a year as much as you say you have loved being able to share! It is a part of parenting I think I chose to skip out on back home and that choice I regret. But here we are now and I’m thankful you didn’t give up on me! :)
Love, Elder Spencer Smith
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| Elder Ah Wong baptized Ezrom's daughter, Violet. |
1-How is district leading and working with Elder Ah Wong?” Well, I love both and being DL has its challenges! It’s amazing to see how experience that can only be gained thru companions and time help you to learn how to live and work with all sorts of companions! That being said, the Lord blessed me with Elder Ah Wong because we are very similar and he is just so easy going that he is able to put up with me haha. I love working with him. I don’t think I’ve ever realized how hard of a person I am to live with. I don’t know if its mission but I think I’ve become a bit OCD and stressful. Part of me knows that’s bad and I should be more patient but the other part of me understands because this is the work of salvation and so I can’t just be skippdy-doodle or else my accounting before the Lord won’t be that fun ya know! Another thing I’ve learned so far is that it doesn’t help to complain about any problems because it is what it is so I try to only focus on the good things and the future! District leading, like I said last week has been very eye opening! It’s motivating to live the right way and work super-super hard so I can set a good example. Idk mom, tell me what you think, whenever I make a small mistake I apologize and say I’ll do better and all I get is a weird look like “come on Elder Smith, you were 2 minutes late.” Now it’s not the two minutes I’m worried about but it’s the example that I’m setting. Maybe I’m too worried about being perfect? :)
2-Nelspruit details: so Nelspruit itself is a town that has its white parts, black parts, colored parts, and then mixed parts make up the majority but it’s all got one thing in common: $$$ or should I say RRR (*R for Rand= South African currency) Haha they are all cheesy! (*Cheesy /Cheese/Cheese-boy = Expensive/Luxurious/Posh) All nice cars and nice houses and big gates and big mean dogs Haha it’s a far cry from township where you have humble people and humble circumstances. Now all of that is Nelspruit town. Our area goes all the way to Komatipoort by Mozambique, up to Bushbackridge in the north and down on the borders of Swaziland. So it’s about a 3-4 hour drive from one of the ends to the other. It’s BIG! That being said, then you have Kanyamazane which is the other elders’ area and branch in the middle of ours and that’s a township. So for us, we cover the whole range from village to cheese-boy town. Haha but we mainly work in town because that’s where the chapel is and where people can get to church. Once a week we usually pick some far area like Sabie, Lydenburg, Hazyview or Barberton and go there to strengthen the members and teach the few investigators who are out there that come to church. We don’t do finding there cause it’s pointless to teach someone who can’t get to church for baptism. It’s all good tho because they’ll get their chance for the gospel. We’re striving to build up this kingdom so we really only try to teach those who are keeping commitments hardcore. Haha it’s funny to then look back and see how many joker-ish people we had in Daveyton. What that means tho is that we do a ton of finding! Tracting isn’t effective during the day cause everyone has a job and isn’t home so we are trying to do as much parking lot finding as we can. Haha it takes a lot of motivation to get ourselves excited to go talk to grumpy white people :P you can imagine that we jump at the chance to talk to a black guy in a car! It indicates someone who has transport to church, somewhat humble, kind and not rude like most white people. Now don’t get me for a racist cause there are some very nice white people! In fact, in my 11 months on mission I actually taught my first white guy on Friday!! Haha funny thing to think about right? Missionary work is different here that’s for sure but it’s an area that’s teaching me! No time to be lazy here! Haha another funny thing I noticed is that my planner is a lot less full -____- and I like teaching so that sucks a bit but it’s an adjustment. I think that helps build mine and Ah Wong’s relationship because we spend a lot more time facing adversity and finding ways to overcome and still have fun! :)
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| Found him! Thanks Google Earth! |
We do most of our work in Stonehenge (teaching a lot of students who are down to learn and at a crucial point in their lives) so you can take a look at the streets :) then a place called “Steiltes” and “West Acres” we spend less time because its more affluent and less kind :P
4-That lady who we thought was a golden investigator is Prudence Tshabalala and we were so excited for her except when we tried to check on her yesterday we knocked and nobody answered (now the funny thing is there were people inside and funny enough when they saw us in the window, they figured they’d play hide-n-seek and not answer for us) so that’s discouraging. What most likely happened is that her brother in law (who is a pastor) probably told her his opinion on us and the Book of Mormon so now we’re trying really hard to see them but they don’t answer our calls or our knocks :/
5- I too loved conference and I love conference talks! Like the last two weeks I have uploaded 2 talks that have really helped me! I was glad to steal them from Elder Bizimana back in Daveyton because I listen to them as part of my morning routine. The Brethren really are an inspired bunch aren’t they?! It’s crazy somewhere I heard that they receive revelation and do things like 25 years in advance to help us prepare for the future! Now idk if that’s true but it’s pretty amazing! And thank goodness we have this gospel, eh? I have loved being able to read your testimony every week for almost a year as much as you say you have loved being able to share! It is a part of parenting I think I chose to skip out on back home and that choice I regret. But here we are now and I’m thankful you didn’t give up on me! :)
Love, Elder Spencer Smith
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| Never miss a chance to share the gospel! |
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| This is how we do service projects in South Africa! |
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| We use machetes to clear the forest. |
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| Oops |
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| The first cluster meeting in Daveyton. They met their first time after I had already left for Nelspruit. |
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| Clegg and the Daveyton kids! |
Monday, November 10, 2014
I have thoroughly enjoyed my 6 months in Daveyton!
October 13, 2014
Whaddup!!
Elder Clegg and I decided that for our last week together we would do our blog post together! So I'm sure you can check it out on his blog "Tanner Clegg, Called to Serve in Africa" as well as here! But we have had a great run as companions as well as I have thoroughly enjoyed my 6 months in Daveyton! I'm on to a new area, new companion, and new calling so wish me luck! Enjoy this weeks audio blog post :)
Love ya!
-Elder David Spencer “Tony” Smith
Whaddup!!
Elder Clegg and I decided that for our last week together we would do our blog post together! So I'm sure you can check it out on his blog "Tanner Clegg, Called to Serve in Africa" as well as here! But we have had a great run as companions as well as I have thoroughly enjoyed my 6 months in Daveyton! I'm on to a new area, new companion, and new calling so wish me luck! Enjoy this weeks audio blog post :)
Love ya!
-Elder David Spencer “Tony” Smith
Audio Blog Post: the companion edition (click here)
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| Visiting FNB Stadium (aka First Nation Bank Stadium, The Calabash or Soccer City): Home of the Kaizer Chiefs F.C. and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is also the site of Nelson Mandela's first speech to Johannesburg after his release from prison in 1990 and was the venue for his memorial service in December 2013. Click to learn more. |
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| Elder Clegg. He landed it perfectly ;) |
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| Elder Clegg and Elder Smith |
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| Representing Copper Hills Lacrosse in the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |
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| Joining the Kaizer Chiefs, aka Amakhosi |
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| Saying goodbye to his first "son," Elder Clegg from Lehi, Utah. |
"Back to the Basics"
October 27, 2014
Whaddup!!
So this week has been full! I didn’t get time to type or even a second (okay I didn’t really make time cause p-day snuck up on me) to record a blog post but I did get some time to type out some of my thoughts from conference this week! We got to see it Saturday and Sunday and I absolutely loved it! So I hope you feel the same way as I did with these inspired men and women of God. I loved how conference was so very "back to the basics" and the reminders it contained! Enjoy! I love you all!!
Love, Elder David Spencer "Tony" Smith
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| The Nelspruit Branch Building where I watched conference. |
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| Watching conference! It was great! |
Pres. Monson- hey it’s cool to be a part of over 88,000 missionaries!
Pres. Packer-We will always find His arms of mercy open towards us every time we forsake sin and repent.
Elder Robbins-wasn’t this a great talk!? “Which way do you face?” is what sticks with me most from this conference! And I love how he used the example of Moroni as someone who knew which way he faced and what kind of an impact he has. No time for acquiescence! We always should evaluate which we face at any given time.
Sis. Esplin- I loved these talks on the sacrament! I have truly grown to love the sacrament and ability we have to repent and renew the covenants WEEKLY! It’s the best spiritual recharge we can get! And any time we can reflect on all aspects of the Atonement, we will be better off than we were.
Elder Wong- Now I thought this was super cool how these general authorities were able to deliver their talks in their native languages! We heard the translation on our recordings of the conference instead of subtitles but that was just cool! And what a great way to look at the story in Mark about that man! I liked the way this talked highlighted what pres. Dunn calls “Mesh-inary” work, or members and Full-Time Missionaries working together in the work of salvation!
Elder Christofferson-no excuses talk again! I love the way he explains moral agency as it pertains to personal responsibility. The commandments are the manifestation of God’s love for us! And freedom comes not from resisting but from applying.
Pres. Uchtdorf- basics of prayer! I think we all needed this reminder! And I love the 4th step he adds after praying which is to act! When we are acting is when we can receive that confirmation!
Elder Oaks-kindness is powerful! And as Disciples of Christ, we should be examples of civility
Elder Anderson-“be sure to adjust your own mask before assisting others.” I gained a lot of strength from this talk in courage to stand for what I believe.
Elder Callister-This talk got me thinking about how much I love my parents! The home is the ideal place for learning the gospel. I love the examples of Enos’ and Alma the Younger’s fathers and the quote that “my mother taught me” because I truly love the example my parents are to me!
Elder Klebingal- I think this was my favorite talk all in all. It’s so hard to find peace in this life with all the evil voices around us. I love his 6 steps that he lays out and I really appreciated the boldness of his remarks! It was just direct and really answered the question that I approached conference with!
Elder Gavarrel- never follow a wrong voice. Simple enough eh? It made me think about missionary commitments in that would Jesus ask you to do anything different than what we are asking?
Elder Holland- first off, when you hear the emotion in his voice, it brings a special spirit! And I really love the reference to kind Benjamin’s “are we not all beggars?” as well as Isaiah’s “how beautiful upon the mountains...” What a great talk!
Elder Perry- 1 of 3 references to Helaman 5:12 and I like reminder to never let the noise of the world drown out the still small voice of the spirit.
Pres. Eyring- Personal revelation lifts us beyond our own capacities. I think that if I had to speak about the experiences in which my mother’s (and fathers) personal revelation brought me to where I am today, I would get very emotional just as he did. Was there a stronger spirit? Man I loved it!
Elder Nelson- reminders on what it means to sustain a prophet!
Sis. McConkie- 2 of 3 references to Helaman 5:12. More great words on how sustaining the prophet is how we stay on the gospel path
Elder Hales- 3rd reference to Hel 5:12. What a great talk on the sacred nature of the Godhead!
Elder Hamula- another great talk on the sacrament and how the emblems remind of the things we committed to and the atonement! I loved his reference to 3 Ne 27 and how we truly need to always repent ad the sacrament allows us to do that!
Pres. Monson- I love our prophet! Walking AS Jesus walked is more important than walking WHERE he walked. And that is the goal to our mortal life. We are agents unto ourselves to walk the path of obedience J whether that is mission or life obedience.
Elder Ballard- we really need to “Stay in the boat!” cause the old ship Zion is where we want to be! As tempting as it may be to go for a swim, it’s not worth it to drown.
Elder Scott- this talk touched me as he talked specifically about prayer! I loved all 4 tools but his thoughts on prayer, when applied, make all the difference!!
Elder Godoy- some of the best advice on making correct decisions! And cool enough, the morning we heard this talk, I was also listening to Elder Oaks talk about “good better and best” and he referenced it in this talk!
Elder Packer- let us not be distracted and remove our personal obstruction of hesitation.
Elder Martinez- every soul has great worth! Service reflects the pure love of Christ.
**”celestial glory shall be mine if I can but endure”-I am a Child of God**
Elder Kacher- what a great talk about our examples! This world definitely has too many unseen (and even seen) dangerous currents that we need to avoid!
Elder Bednar- “come and see” our church always has been an always will be a missionary church! As we turn to Christ, we will turn outward
Pres. Monson- at all times and in all things, may we be followers of Christ
*we don’t get priesthood session till next Sunday but if the talks there are anything close to these ones, I can’t wait!
This is an excerpt from Sister Scott's blog, one of the two missionary couples in Elder Smith's district. It explains some of these photos he sent:
"The staining project is one Sister Jennifer (the RS President) asked for help to do. Elder Scott and the Elders volunteered to help her protect her all wood house. It is a most unusual home built on stilts and completely out of wood. Most houses here are cinder block and concrete. She has indoor plumbing—after a fashion—and wood walls and floors. Most everyone else has tile everything… But because of the rains she needed to protect the wood. They rolled and brushed every nook and cranny of the tall house with 6 liters of the best stain and sealer combo. Elder Scott said they were all covered in stain especially Elder Swan who drew ladder duty. He even had his bald pate covered in red mahogany spots. As it turned out, it was Sister Jennifer’s birthday. Later, in a text, she said it was the best birthday gift she has ever received. Elder Scott said it was the absolutely most fulfilling service project he has ever participated in."
Sister Scott's Blog
This is an excerpt from Sister Scott's blog, one of the two missionary couples in Elder Smith's district. It explains some of these photos he sent:
"The staining project is one Sister Jennifer (the RS President) asked for help to do. Elder Scott and the Elders volunteered to help her protect her all wood house. It is a most unusual home built on stilts and completely out of wood. Most houses here are cinder block and concrete. She has indoor plumbing—after a fashion—and wood walls and floors. Most everyone else has tile everything… But because of the rains she needed to protect the wood. They rolled and brushed every nook and cranny of the tall house with 6 liters of the best stain and sealer combo. Elder Scott said they were all covered in stain especially Elder Swan who drew ladder duty. He even had his bald pate covered in red mahogany spots. As it turned out, it was Sister Jennifer’s birthday. Later, in a text, she said it was the best birthday gift she has ever received. Elder Scott said it was the absolutely most fulfilling service project he has ever participated in."
Sister Scott's Blog
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| Service Project: Staining Sister Jennifer's house. |
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| Elder Scott getting the stain off of Elder Swan's head. |
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| "One last spot here..." |
Monday, September 15, 2014
"What a great birthday present to all of us as God’s children!! The ultimate gift!!"
WHAddup er’body! Hey hey hey it's been a freakin great week and guess who got a typie for their birthday!? Yebo, muzungu Clegg! Haha he's kind enough to let me use it to again start doing my blog post in my short spare time so I can manage my email time better! :) Email time is golden so we don’t waste a single second!! But this week had a ton of great moments! My 1st of 2 birthdays on mission, Soweto towers, birthday lunch (thank you VERY MUCH grandma and grandpa!!!!!), transfers, adding to the list of crazy stuff that happens to SAJM missionaries, and many many wonderful miracles! So let's get to it eh?
Well, I've heard from many different missionaries about their birthdays on mission and I'd say that the positive vs. negative responses were about 50:50. Which IS a shame but I decided that I wasn’t going to be a part of the pessimistic club. The wise advice of “you get out what you put in” as well as the reminder that "these two years are the Savior’s" helped me to really get the most out my birthday! In the several times that I remembered “hey, I"m no longer a teenager” and “it's my birthday today” I was able to think about the Atonement! What a great birthday present to all of us as God’s children!! The ultimate gift!! (John 15:13) And what a great opportunity to be able to share the message of the Atonement with the wonderful people of Daveyton! I thoroughly enjoyed it and even the bishop was kind enough to invite us over and feed us dinner and then a birthday cake!
My birthday was on transfers so we went and dropped Kewuti off (he is going to Soweto) and picked up the new elder in our district: Elder Melese from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape; another Xhosa boy!! Haha he's a sweet guy! He spent the first 8-9 months of his mission in Sierra Leone (where he was originally called) but they shut his mission down because of the Ebola virus that’s killing people left and right in central and west Africa. So we’re lucky he’s safe and glad to have him in our mission! And since Clegg and I have another transfer to go, we stayed together!! Elder Allen went to Germiston which is a town in the Bedfordview zone but he's only 20 minutes away so maybe we can chill on p-day who knows!? Other than that, that’s transfers!
Hahaha now to add to that list of crazy experiences. So townships on the weekends are full of drunk people! So idk, have any of you guys back home been kissed by a drunk man that you’ve never met before? I hadn’t until Saturday but that’s changed! Haha luckily it wasn’t on Elder Clegg’s or my mouths but the neck is probably even more awkward! Haha eish that’s really all we have to say about that. Haha mission stories :P
But aside from the fun and unique birthday as well as the drunk guy, this week has been miraclulous. And I use that word because we have seen miracles all week! And I can't thank my comp enough for saying “let's look for miracles this week!” we met about 4-5 less-active families we’ve never met before, had people progress towards baptism, and had 2 new investigators bear their testimonies yesterday at their first time at church! One of them, Samuel met us on the street on Tuesday and said he had a revelation experience that confused him and that he wanted to stop smoking (holding a cig in his hand). So we gave him a pamphlet and arranged an appointment to meet with him. To our delight he was waiting for us!! Sweeeet already haha he didn’t ditch us!! But he told us he's ready to live a gospel life and wants to do it right so he's going to come to church and he did! But not only did he come he participated in the classes and bore his testimony! Telling the congregation that since he's read the pamphlet, he hasn’t had any desire to smoke! And he read a line from the pamphlet about how he wanted to change his thoughts and actions to do good and follow God! Afterwards, he told us he felt at home at church :) Couldn’t ask for a better miracle! Maybe the runner up is finding a place to possibly open up the Chris Hani cluster of the Daveyton Ward!
But this week has just been all ups! Hardly any downs and any downs that maybe crept in were swallowed up in the greatness of our week! This is mission! This week was the shot in a round of golf that keeps you coming back! It’s the save in a lacrosse game that gets the team and crowd fired up! It's what makes all the hard work and trials worth it! I LOVE IT!!
Cheers until next time! Salani kahle bafwethu, ngyikuthanda
Elder Smith
Well, I've heard from many different missionaries about their birthdays on mission and I'd say that the positive vs. negative responses were about 50:50. Which IS a shame but I decided that I wasn’t going to be a part of the pessimistic club. The wise advice of “you get out what you put in” as well as the reminder that "these two years are the Savior’s" helped me to really get the most out my birthday! In the several times that I remembered “hey, I"m no longer a teenager” and “it's my birthday today” I was able to think about the Atonement! What a great birthday present to all of us as God’s children!! The ultimate gift!! (John 15:13) And what a great opportunity to be able to share the message of the Atonement with the wonderful people of Daveyton! I thoroughly enjoyed it and even the bishop was kind enough to invite us over and feed us dinner and then a birthday cake!
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| Birthday dinner at the Bishop's house
I don’t know how anyone couldn’t love these wonderful people! So from breakfast, to all the great things Elder Clegg did for me, and to the sharing of the best present ever, I had a wonderful birthday!! I was also blessed with the sweet birthday emails from all my friends!
 |
 |
| Birthday Lunch |
My birthday was on transfers so we went and dropped Kewuti off (he is going to Soweto) and picked up the new elder in our district: Elder Melese from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape; another Xhosa boy!! Haha he's a sweet guy! He spent the first 8-9 months of his mission in Sierra Leone (where he was originally called) but they shut his mission down because of the Ebola virus that’s killing people left and right in central and west Africa. So we’re lucky he’s safe and glad to have him in our mission! And since Clegg and I have another transfer to go, we stayed together!! Elder Allen went to Germiston which is a town in the Bedfordview zone but he's only 20 minutes away so maybe we can chill on p-day who knows!? Other than that, that’s transfers!
Hahaha now to add to that list of crazy experiences. So townships on the weekends are full of drunk people! So idk, have any of you guys back home been kissed by a drunk man that you’ve never met before? I hadn’t until Saturday but that’s changed! Haha luckily it wasn’t on Elder Clegg’s or my mouths but the neck is probably even more awkward! Haha eish that’s really all we have to say about that. Haha mission stories :P
But aside from the fun and unique birthday as well as the drunk guy, this week has been miraclulous. And I use that word because we have seen miracles all week! And I can't thank my comp enough for saying “let's look for miracles this week!” we met about 4-5 less-active families we’ve never met before, had people progress towards baptism, and had 2 new investigators bear their testimonies yesterday at their first time at church! One of them, Samuel met us on the street on Tuesday and said he had a revelation experience that confused him and that he wanted to stop smoking (holding a cig in his hand). So we gave him a pamphlet and arranged an appointment to meet with him. To our delight he was waiting for us!! Sweeeet already haha he didn’t ditch us!! But he told us he's ready to live a gospel life and wants to do it right so he's going to come to church and he did! But not only did he come he participated in the classes and bore his testimony! Telling the congregation that since he's read the pamphlet, he hasn’t had any desire to smoke! And he read a line from the pamphlet about how he wanted to change his thoughts and actions to do good and follow God! Afterwards, he told us he felt at home at church :) Couldn’t ask for a better miracle! Maybe the runner up is finding a place to possibly open up the Chris Hani cluster of the Daveyton Ward!
But this week has just been all ups! Hardly any downs and any downs that maybe crept in were swallowed up in the greatness of our week! This is mission! This week was the shot in a round of golf that keeps you coming back! It’s the save in a lacrosse game that gets the team and crowd fired up! It's what makes all the hard work and trials worth it! I LOVE IT!!
Cheers until next time! Salani kahle bafwethu, ngyikuthanda
Elder Smith
Elder Smith and Elder Clegg celebrating their birthdays together.
(Thanks Grandpa & Grandma- they look like they had a fun time!)
 |
| Gogo (Grandmother) Mhlanga! the 90 year old Xhosa version of Great-Grandma Homer! (Gogo Mhlanga has offered her home to be the new meeting place for the Chris Hani cluster- a pilot program that will allow members to meet together every Sunday for church, even if they can't afford the taxis to take them to the meetinghouse.) |
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| those little kids giving high 5 are the funniest naughtiest kids! they're a crack up in sacrament meeting but sometimes its too much! |
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| my old seminary scriptures now covered in really cool rino leather. |
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
catching up: three emails to mom
With the loss of "Typie," Elder Smith has less time to email each week so we haven't received an email written specifically for his blog as he likes to do, but he has given me permission to share his emails to me. Below are excerpts from the last three weeks.
July 28, 2014
MOM!!!
Yo this week’s emailing with all the pictures and stories is really making me feel close to home and I love it! hahah I still can’t stop laughing at how you and Clegg's mom met*, you really are stalker friends ;) hahahaha
I can’t wait to get those presents and I promise I won't peek! Pinky promise! haha That’s the fun thing is the surprise to make my birthday special! If I peek, then I won’t have as special a birthday! When you’re 9000+ miles away, you need all you can get to make it special! But a couple members have said they’d do fun things so I hope it’ll be a great day! And I’ll make it even greater for Clegg and yes, the package will get to him! And still no peeking;) haha and tell Sis. Youlton thanks from me! :)
As far as transfer news, Stilgoe went to a place called Ennerdale and Graham went to a place called Klerksdorp! Elder Kewuti's new companion is our DL. Elder Bizimana is from Rwanda and he goes home in 4 1/2 months! So Daveyton will possibly be his dying area. He is a sweet guy for sure! Now, for life as a "father" haha Yo I love Elder Clegg!
We have mutual friends so that’s cool! And now our parents are mutual friends hahaha But seriously we were wondering just how long it would take for you guys to have dinner or something and there ya have it! What I can say about training: it is mentally exhausting for sure haha. At the end of the day I am soooo sick of thinking so I appreciate sleep even more :P but man I love it! I love being able to serve him and I’ve ironed his shirt for him every morning so far and I think I want to make it for 3 months. :) He is super willing to work and excited as well! He is a fireball ready to work! Each day he has just leaped from where he was the day previous! I think training is better for me though than for him! He can learn how to be a missionary anywhere but for me, I’m learning how to again be disciplined! I love it! The fact that I set the tone for his mission is very motivating to be exactly obedient! We’ve set a bunch of goals together and so it’s going well! But all his questions and experiences and the things that he prompts me to do are taking me back to the beginning! "This is where we got the job, this is the beginning." hahaha! I love it! And though almost all of our lessons have ditched this week, it’s been successful! Daveyton needed our companionship because we are going to drop a lot of people who just aren’t ready yet. Elder Stilgoe loved them too much to let them go but sometimes you need to give certain people time. At least we can rely on the spirit or else there’d be a tone of mistakes! But that’s training in a nutshell haha!
I was telling dad how much I appreciate being able to email you guys! Seeing and hearing the joy and hope in your messages really uplifts me! I love it:) I especially loved this part of your RS lesson "They never force righteousness because righteousness must be chosen. They make righteousness discernible to us, and They let us see that its fruits are delicious." Wow how powerful! I love it!
Thank you mom :) I love you and think about you and the family daily and pray for you guys daily as well! I don’t have a ton of time but enjoy your week at Hebgen and I REALLY hope I’ll be able to receive some emails from you this coming Monday :) hopefully you guys can find some WiFi up there :) and look over observation point for me :) I would love a picture of that!
Love,
Elder Smith
PS. 1/3 done? Crazy!!!! 8 months and over a year since my call came and was opened!!!!
*Mom's Note: The day after we knew transfers would occur, I got an email saying that someone had commented on Elder Smith's blog,
"Hey to the family of Elder Smith, from the family of Elder Clegg...the new "son". President Dunn sent us a picture of your son and his name, and I've been looking through blogs to see if I could find him, and I think I did. From what I've been reading, it's a perfect fit and I couldn't be more greatful in advance to your son for teaching mine. My son's blog is tannercleggsouthafrica.blogspot.com."
So of course I had to do some research of my own and I found Elder Clegg's mom's email address. One thing led to another and of course we had to meet!
We sent the photo to our sons and surprised them that we knew each other already even before they had told us who their new companions were!
Elder Smith's reply: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA me and Clegg were talking about how our parents might even meet up one day and: here we are! hahaha How funny! That's awesome! Me and Clegg have huge smiles on right now!"
Take a look at Elder Clegg's blog. It provides another perspective to serving in Daveyton that I have really enjoyed. "Tanner Clegg, Called to Serve in Africa"
August 4, 2014
MOM!!!
Yo I have very much looked forward to emailing you today! Week 2 as a father is great! Me and Clegg are getting along better and have a ton in common that we discovered last night! Haha it’s now becoming funner and funner! :P I love serving him and ironing his shirt and stuff but I have had to learn to let him serve me! Crazy haha I know but it’s a fun companionship! haha As far as funny food stories go, Clegg doesn’t like pap so he has a long 2 years ahead of him....
I can remember that as well haha but he'll adjust! Hopefully :P
I have a cool story to tell you but I only want to type it once so you have to show dad too kay?
So on Saturday, I started my fast that I could receive strength to keep my commitments. So it was a nice day Saturday but the cool part happened Saturday night. I had a dream where Elder Clegg and I went to the mission home for a missionary class (idk why but we just did and it made sense in the dream haha) and so we got there and sat down at the table and in walks M. Russell Ballard, Jeffery R. Holland, and Richard G. Scott to teach the class. So they sit down with us and we have a great class learning and laughing! I loved how real they were and how they really cared about our areas when they have a whole world to care about. But anyway, after the class, Sis. Omer (yeah it was Sister Omer instead of Sister Dunn but Pres. Omer wasn’t in the dream) anyways, she gave us glasses of ice water and we went down to the basement to sit on the couch. In walks Pres. Monson and he sits next to me. I greeted him with "Hello Elder" and I was horrified that I just ruined the title of the president of the church! haha He laughed and said "Hello Elder Smith" and we just started talking! I remember looking into his eyes and just seeing pure love and concern! He made me feel like the most important person in the world and I knew he had the love of Christ! But after laughing with him and talking with him, I said "President Monson, I have to thank you." He asked why and I said "Do you remember being in the SLC temple 22 years ago and being sung happy birthday to?" He said "Yes, by Lynn Stephen Richards" and I said "Yes, he was my great-great-grandfather and you sealed my parents in the temple. I wanted to say thank you because now I’m on a mission." haha I’m tearing up right now actually as I type but it was such a great dream! I woke up and just had the biggest smile on my face! I said a prayer to Heavenly Father and just said "Thank you!" :) but it wasn't the end there. When I woke up, I read in 2 Nephi 4 where Nephi glories in the Lord. And as I was reading how Nephi feels wicked, I thought how he really wasn’t and the spirit told me that it was like me! I’m my own worst enemy sometimes but when I can remember who my trust is in and who is guiding me, I can only rejoice and my heart "no longer droop(s) in sin!" It was really cool as I was preparing for the sacrament that morning:) and that was a great sacrament meeting with all the testimonies:) as I took the emblems, I could only say thank you in a prayer! The rest of the day was golden as well and I loved it! I thank you for the strength I was able to feel from your prayers:) THAT is my testimony building experience for the week and possibly whole month of August!! So that was wonderful :)
Oh also, I had a cool scripture experience in Alma 26:1-8 where you substitute Joburg for Zarahemla and omit "Lamanites." Read it and see. :) It really is amazing to see how faith is such a big part. Yo it’s hard but this week I’ve really felt I made progress! I love you very much mom! I love your emails and all the love that is jam packed in here! I’ll keep you posted on the b-day package for sure:) Please tell Sis. Youlton thank you for that very much!!!
I LOVE YOU!!!! I hope you have a great week!!!!!! And keep your health well :)
Love, Elder Smith :)
August 11, 2014
MOMMY!!
I need a good smile and laugh and testimony building experience this week in email! Eish, I’m feeling like death but I talked with Sis. Dunn and she’s scheduling me a doctor’s appointment this week. I’ve had this stupid cough for as long as I’ve been with E. Clegg and now last night I got the aches and couldn’t sleep. Plus I have a tingling sensation (not painful) under all of my teeth in my mandible (still pullin' out medical terminology! :) ) E. Clegg must think he got a broken companion.... haha So it’s rough and I don’t feel good at all! But I push thru to email you!
As far as the families here in Daveyton, I love Daveyton! The people are genuine and even when they’re drunk as all get out, they can be nice to us whites haha! Except that when they see us they start speaking Afrikaans haha so we have to tell them they’ve got it wrong! haha We have several "favorite members" I guess you could say! The Madumane family feeds us every Thursday and even though there are rats running around the kitchen, we enjoy the time there! They are the nicest I would have to say! I also like the Tsibogo family! The whole family are members but the granddaughter’s fiancé isn’t a member so we teach him and he really digs on the gospel! Hopefully soon they can get married and he can get baptized! Yo and one other of my favorite members is Gogo Mhlanga! (Gogo means grandma) she is 90 years old but can still read small text in the scriptures and still comes to church every Sunday! If I had to compare her to anyone it would most definitely be Grandma Homer! :) The baptism this weekend was mine and Clegg’s!! (Well, the Lord’s haha!) Nyiko Masiza was baptized by his father! It’s an interesting dynamic here how many kids that should be children of record- or baptized when age 8 - aren’t because the parents want the missionaries to teach them! So they become convert baptisms haha but the baptism was so great! Bro. Eddie (the dad) was so nervous he had to start the prayer over 5 times and baptize 2 times but eventually it was done properly! Yo what a cool thing to be a part of! And askeese, I can’t remember the photo you’re referring to! My mind isn’t working very well… eish I hate being sick! Especially on p-day!!!! :( But then I’d have to say some of the beauty we see here IS the poverty but the smiles on the people faces! They beat the band! As well, we get amazing sunsets and sunrises and the clouds are by far the coolest part! It’s amazing here! Truly beautiful!
Haha One thing we also have been dealing with this week is something called load-shedding. Since electricity is in short supply in the winter, in all the townships they kill ALL electricity for several hours haha. So that means lessons by candle light and with my torch that we bought that looks like a light-saber!! haha But it adds a unique dynamic because I kid you not, it ALL goes dark! Streetlights, robots (traffic lights), houses haha everything! It’s hectic and we've had to cancel a dinner because of it -______- hahaha not cool!
Mom, I love you so very much! Thank you for your prayers and the wonderful messages you share with me and the hope you inspire in me! I couldn’t do this without you or dad or the Lord! Please keep my health in your prayers and I’ll let ya know how the doctor appointment goes tomorrow! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Elder David Spencer Smith
July 28, 2014
MOM!!!
Yo this week’s emailing with all the pictures and stories is really making me feel close to home and I love it! hahah I still can’t stop laughing at how you and Clegg's mom met*, you really are stalker friends ;) hahahaha
I can’t wait to get those presents and I promise I won't peek! Pinky promise! haha That’s the fun thing is the surprise to make my birthday special! If I peek, then I won’t have as special a birthday! When you’re 9000+ miles away, you need all you can get to make it special! But a couple members have said they’d do fun things so I hope it’ll be a great day! And I’ll make it even greater for Clegg and yes, the package will get to him! And still no peeking;) haha and tell Sis. Youlton thanks from me! :)
 |
| Goodbye Elder Stilgoe |
 |
| Hello Elder Clegg |
I was telling dad how much I appreciate being able to email you guys! Seeing and hearing the joy and hope in your messages really uplifts me! I love it:) I especially loved this part of your RS lesson "They never force righteousness because righteousness must be chosen. They make righteousness discernible to us, and They let us see that its fruits are delicious." Wow how powerful! I love it!
Thank you mom :) I love you and think about you and the family daily and pray for you guys daily as well! I don’t have a ton of time but enjoy your week at Hebgen and I REALLY hope I’ll be able to receive some emails from you this coming Monday :) hopefully you guys can find some WiFi up there :) and look over observation point for me :) I would love a picture of that!
Love,
Elder Smith
PS. 1/3 done? Crazy!!!! 8 months and over a year since my call came and was opened!!!!
*Mom's Note: The day after we knew transfers would occur, I got an email saying that someone had commented on Elder Smith's blog,
"Hey to the family of Elder Smith, from the family of Elder Clegg...the new "son". President Dunn sent us a picture of your son and his name, and I've been looking through blogs to see if I could find him, and I think I did. From what I've been reading, it's a perfect fit and I couldn't be more greatful in advance to your son for teaching mine. My son's blog is tannercleggsouthafrica.blogspot.com."
So of course I had to do some research of my own and I found Elder Clegg's mom's email address. One thing led to another and of course we had to meet!
 |
| The Mamas |
Elder Smith's reply: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA me and Clegg were talking about how our parents might even meet up one day and: here we are! hahaha How funny! That's awesome! Me and Clegg have huge smiles on right now!"
Take a look at Elder Clegg's blog. It provides another perspective to serving in Daveyton that I have really enjoyed. "Tanner Clegg, Called to Serve in Africa"
August 4, 2014
MOM!!!
Yo I have very much looked forward to emailing you today! Week 2 as a father is great! Me and Clegg are getting along better and have a ton in common that we discovered last night! Haha it’s now becoming funner and funner! :P I love serving him and ironing his shirt and stuff but I have had to learn to let him serve me! Crazy haha I know but it’s a fun companionship! haha As far as funny food stories go, Clegg doesn’t like pap so he has a long 2 years ahead of him....
 |
| Pap (also known as mieliepap) is a traditional porridge/polenta made ground maize (corn.) It looks like mashed potatoes in the photo above. They eat it with almost every meal. |
I have a cool story to tell you but I only want to type it once so you have to show dad too kay?
So on Saturday, I started my fast that I could receive strength to keep my commitments. So it was a nice day Saturday but the cool part happened Saturday night. I had a dream where Elder Clegg and I went to the mission home for a missionary class (idk why but we just did and it made sense in the dream haha) and so we got there and sat down at the table and in walks M. Russell Ballard, Jeffery R. Holland, and Richard G. Scott to teach the class. So they sit down with us and we have a great class learning and laughing! I loved how real they were and how they really cared about our areas when they have a whole world to care about. But anyway, after the class, Sis. Omer (yeah it was Sister Omer instead of Sister Dunn but Pres. Omer wasn’t in the dream) anyways, she gave us glasses of ice water and we went down to the basement to sit on the couch. In walks Pres. Monson and he sits next to me. I greeted him with "Hello Elder" and I was horrified that I just ruined the title of the president of the church! haha He laughed and said "Hello Elder Smith" and we just started talking! I remember looking into his eyes and just seeing pure love and concern! He made me feel like the most important person in the world and I knew he had the love of Christ! But after laughing with him and talking with him, I said "President Monson, I have to thank you." He asked why and I said "Do you remember being in the SLC temple 22 years ago and being sung happy birthday to?" He said "Yes, by Lynn Stephen Richards" and I said "Yes, he was my great-great-grandfather and you sealed my parents in the temple. I wanted to say thank you because now I’m on a mission." haha I’m tearing up right now actually as I type but it was such a great dream! I woke up and just had the biggest smile on my face! I said a prayer to Heavenly Father and just said "Thank you!" :) but it wasn't the end there. When I woke up, I read in 2 Nephi 4 where Nephi glories in the Lord. And as I was reading how Nephi feels wicked, I thought how he really wasn’t and the spirit told me that it was like me! I’m my own worst enemy sometimes but when I can remember who my trust is in and who is guiding me, I can only rejoice and my heart "no longer droop(s) in sin!" It was really cool as I was preparing for the sacrament that morning:) and that was a great sacrament meeting with all the testimonies:) as I took the emblems, I could only say thank you in a prayer! The rest of the day was golden as well and I loved it! I thank you for the strength I was able to feel from your prayers:) THAT is my testimony building experience for the week and possibly whole month of August!! So that was wonderful :)
Oh also, I had a cool scripture experience in Alma 26:1-8 where you substitute Joburg for Zarahemla and omit "Lamanites." Read it and see. :) It really is amazing to see how faith is such a big part. Yo it’s hard but this week I’ve really felt I made progress! I love you very much mom! I love your emails and all the love that is jam packed in here! I’ll keep you posted on the b-day package for sure:) Please tell Sis. Youlton thank you for that very much!!!
I LOVE YOU!!!! I hope you have a great week!!!!!! And keep your health well :)
Love, Elder Smith :)
MOMMY!!
I need a good smile and laugh and testimony building experience this week in email! Eish, I’m feeling like death but I talked with Sis. Dunn and she’s scheduling me a doctor’s appointment this week. I’ve had this stupid cough for as long as I’ve been with E. Clegg and now last night I got the aches and couldn’t sleep. Plus I have a tingling sensation (not painful) under all of my teeth in my mandible (still pullin' out medical terminology! :) ) E. Clegg must think he got a broken companion.... haha So it’s rough and I don’t feel good at all! But I push thru to email you!
As far as the families here in Daveyton, I love Daveyton! The people are genuine and even when they’re drunk as all get out, they can be nice to us whites haha! Except that when they see us they start speaking Afrikaans haha so we have to tell them they’ve got it wrong! haha We have several "favorite members" I guess you could say! The Madumane family feeds us every Thursday and even though there are rats running around the kitchen, we enjoy the time there! They are the nicest I would have to say! I also like the Tsibogo family! The whole family are members but the granddaughter’s fiancé isn’t a member so we teach him and he really digs on the gospel! Hopefully soon they can get married and he can get baptized! Yo and one other of my favorite members is Gogo Mhlanga! (Gogo means grandma) she is 90 years old but can still read small text in the scriptures and still comes to church every Sunday! If I had to compare her to anyone it would most definitely be Grandma Homer! :) The baptism this weekend was mine and Clegg’s!! (Well, the Lord’s haha!) Nyiko Masiza was baptized by his father! It’s an interesting dynamic here how many kids that should be children of record- or baptized when age 8 - aren’t because the parents want the missionaries to teach them! So they become convert baptisms haha but the baptism was so great! Bro. Eddie (the dad) was so nervous he had to start the prayer over 5 times and baptize 2 times but eventually it was done properly! Yo what a cool thing to be a part of! And askeese, I can’t remember the photo you’re referring to! My mind isn’t working very well… eish I hate being sick! Especially on p-day!!!! :( But then I’d have to say some of the beauty we see here IS the poverty but the smiles on the people faces! They beat the band! As well, we get amazing sunsets and sunrises and the clouds are by far the coolest part! It’s amazing here! Truly beautiful!
Haha One thing we also have been dealing with this week is something called load-shedding. Since electricity is in short supply in the winter, in all the townships they kill ALL electricity for several hours haha. So that means lessons by candle light and with my torch that we bought that looks like a light-saber!! haha But it adds a unique dynamic because I kid you not, it ALL goes dark! Streetlights, robots (traffic lights), houses haha everything! It’s hectic and we've had to cancel a dinner because of it -______- hahaha not cool!
Mom, I love you so very much! Thank you for your prayers and the wonderful messages you share with me and the hope you inspire in me! I couldn’t do this without you or dad or the Lord! Please keep my health in your prayers and I’ll let ya know how the doctor appointment goes tomorrow! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Elder David Spencer Smith
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