July 6, 2008

Dear family
Its good to hear from you as always, and I'm glad that you got my email last week. It sounds like you had a great 4th of July week end. That is something that I wish I could have been around for. I can't imagine all the changes that are going on around home. I hope the garage sale turns out and well. I am doing well and things are going good. This week we had transfers and an all zone conference. It was really good and I got to catch up with a lot of the missionaries I haven't seen in a while.
My companions is form Nyrobi Kenya, he is doing well but I really miss having an American compaion. He good but sometimes he really tests my patience. I think that I will be getting transferred to a new area next transfer. The mission is changing a lot in the next few months. A lot of the old missionaries are going home and a lot of new ones are coming all at once. The missionary work is going well. We have a baptism coming up on the 20th and we have had a lot of members working with us lately which is a huge help. The ward I serve in is nice. The Bishopric is very old and struggles sometimes, in Zulu culture. You can't tell someone older than you what to do, so its hard for us to show them correct ways to run certain things. The strength of the ward is in the younger adults. Usually there are about 100 or so people at church, but there are over 5 hundred names on our records, that gives you and idea of the less active work we have to do.
This week I had a pretty cool experience. In Zulu culture they slaughter cows and goats and stuff on special occasions, and this week the first councilor in the bishopric slaughtered a cow at his house and we got to go and help, after we killed it we skinned it and as soon as we cut the meet off they would throw it on a grill, but they also eat the organs too. I ate intestines, and stomach, it was pretty gross. I have some pictures I'm putting on photobucket so check those out. It was a pretty fun experience.
For my birthday maybe it would be the easiest to put some cash in my home account. I think I want to by some shoes, and maybe a few other things. I have written Reily back but I don't think it made it. I hope that you guys enjoy your week. I'm glad you got my email, I will make sure you get this one. I'll talk to you next week.

June 29, 2008

Dear Family
Its good to hear from you and it sounds like you are doing well. I sorry to hear that you didn't get my email, I recall the first time we had trouble communicating and the problem was on your side, so I don't know what is going on but I will make sure it gets to you this time. That is great to hear about people getting mission calls and things. That is pretty crazy about Kyle Burke and Quinn Garber. I am glad I'm missing all that construction around the overpass and stuff, that sounds like a real pain.
I really like Bishops analogy about training for the triathlon, and your likening it to Africans. I had the opportunity of experiencing a new aspect of African life this week. Somehow I got thread worms in my digestive system and on Thursday I was in the boarding all day and couldn't venture too far from the bathroom. I took some medicine though and expelled all the worms from my body. Elder Taaga who stays in my boarding had the same thing last week so I figured out what was wrong pretty fast. Its winter time here and its actually been a little cold lately, some storms have come through and it has rained a lot. Things are going good with my greenie Elder Kitili, he is pretty good at missionary work and things, but he is kind of a pretty boy and I give him a hard time about that a lot. Things have been going good with missionary work though. We have a baptism on July 20th, and and the guys name is Sipho Mstzani, he is doing really well and we will probably have a few more baptismal dates set this month. I have been bad about taking pictures but I will get some and send them to you soon.
Speaking of packages I could use Reeses, protein, beef jerky, pretty much anything. I could use some money in my home account if that's alright, I'm almost out.
I have found a new love for board games, I play clue risk and monopoly with the guys in my boarding when we get a chance and its fun.
Ryan I am pretty jealous of your Halo escapades, that is one thing I miss a lot, but there are probably more productive things you can do. Spence sounds like things are going good for you. I am still waiting for that email you said you were going to send me. Well thanks for everything I am always happy to read your emails and here about what is going on at home. I will talk to you next week.

May 25, 2008

Dear family,
Sounds like things are really busy at home. I am so happy to hear everyone is doing well. Ryan's dedication to wrestling is very impressive, I hope that he will have success seeking his goal. Sounds like Spencer is doing well and living up his last little bit of high school. Jordan, thanks for holding on to those CDs for me and congratulations on the dance win. I don't know what I want for my b-day yet but I will let you know soon, I'm glad the picture will work out. I received a package from Aunt Julie and the family tell her thank you, and Grandma and Grandpa. I really enjoyed it so let them know. Oh and FaceBook is OK. I mainly use it to keep contact with other missionaries and members here in SA.
Well this has been a week of challenge for me. On Wednesday night Elder Ricks and I were heading back to our car after some tracting at dusk, and as we walked up the street two guys came up to us with knives, one stood behind me while the other went through our pockets and took our cell phone, car keys, money, and my planner which has all my appointments in it. I was so angry that I couldn't do anything to stop these guys. The APs came and brought us a spare set of keys and stuff. So I'm alright and everything was fine but it was definitely a humbling experience. The next day was transfers I found out that I'm training a brand new missionary. I was really surprised because generally missionaries don't train until they are around a year or older. It is was tough to because my planner was gone so it was like starting from scratch on our appointments and everything. My greenie is Elder Kitili from Nairobi Kenya. He is 23 years old and a really nice guy. He has thick accent so its hard to understand him sometimes but we are working well. Its funny because everyone thinks that he speaks Zulu and I don't but its the other way around. Well that's the big news from me this week. So thanks for your support and prayers they really help me out. I hope that everyone has a good week, I'll talk to you next week, and I'm putting more photos on photobucket.

May 18, 2008

Dear Family,
It was really good to hear from you today. I really enjoyed the phone call and it was nice to talk with everyone. That is too bad to hear about Louie, I hope he is still kicking when I get back. That is a funny story about Steve Fuller, sounds like something that would happen to him. I'm glad to hear that my card and letter made it in time for Your birthday Dad. I took that picture you need so I'm going to post it on photo bucket today.
This week went well for me. We had a baptism on Sunday, my companion baptised Lihle Sithole. We found him about 5 weeks ago and he is a very powerful guy. He will be able to go teaching with us and hopefully he will go on a mission in the next few years. My companion is leaving on thursday and I am so excited. This kid really has been getting on my nerves. I just can't wait till I get a new companion. I will find out who that is tomorrow night. They try to keep us missinonaries in areas for about six months, or four transfer cycles. I have been here for a month and a half, one transfer. I will probably be here for three more transfers. Today we are going into down town Durban to go to Victoria Street Market. There are a bunch of Indian shops there and you can bargain with them for a deal. I am looking to get some soccer jerseys. Well I hope everything goes well for you this week and I will here from you next Monday. I am looking forward to getting that package. Thanks for everything, talk to you later.

May 11, 2008

Hey its good to hear from you once again, sorry the phone call didn't work. I waited until about 11:30 then I decided to just go to bed and figure things out in the morning. My companion was on the phone from about midnight to one, so if you were calling around then you would have definitely gotten a busy signal other wise I don't know what the deal is. Anyways call again same time today, I will be at the Zone leaders boarding for exchanges and they have a land line which will get a much better connection. The number is 0319037137, you will have to do the country code and all the stuff but I think this will work much better. Just to be clear you can only make a mothers day call and a Christmas call but it doesn't have to be on the exact day, just near that time. So I am looking forward to talking to all of you tonight. Sounds like a lot is going on at home. The new chapel sounds cool. That's too bad about the bullet bike accident. I liked Spencer's joke. That was a good one. I can't believe he is graduating next month. I feel like I was in high school yesterday. I am not going to write very much because I am going to talk to you in just a little bit so Happy mothers day, sounds like you have had a good one. I will talk to you in about nine hours.

May 4, 2008

Dear Family,
Its is really good to hear from you again. Sorry I didn't have a chance to check the email until now. Its a little harder now that Im not around couples who have internet. Sounds like things are really changing around home. Dad spending money, Jordan going to the dump, Spencer graduating from seminary, high school, and starting his papers. It seems like yesterday that I was doing all of the stuff. Its all very exciting though. I am looking forward to Spencer being able to have the whole mission experience.
I will try to answer all of your questions but I will probably miss one or two. Umlazi is really nice, we don't work on strengthening members here, mostly regular missionary work. Tracting, street contacting and all of that good stuff. We are working hard on bringing members with us to teach. It gets them excited about missionary work and helps us fellowship our investigators. Oh yeah about the phone call you should call my cell phone like you did at christmas. My phone number is 0832815474, you will have to put in the country code and that stuff, if you have forgotten how you can look online. Try to call around 2 pm your time, on sunday. I think the cell phone should work this time. About going on my mission and who inspired me, the biggest influence for me to go on my mission was knowing that I can't give my little bro's an exuse not to go on their missions. Another influence was watching the people who went on their missions when I was young. Time is going by really fast. To be honest there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about what it will be like to come home, even if it is just for a minute or two. Thats funny that you discovered that here in africa they call mixed people coloured. Things here are really different in some ways and really similar in others.
This week went by well. We are teaching some great families which is so nice. I also was fed a few times this week which was a really nice change. My companion goes home in 2 weeks so I'm pretty excited about that. Today for P day we had a zone activity and went to Tala Game park. I saw hippos, wildebeest, giraffe, Rhinos, zebras, and some warthogs. It was pretty fun. We play soccer every P day to and I am getting better at that. By the ways thanks for the rugby news, that was interesting. I am really enjoying my time here so far and I am looking forward to talking to you on Sunday. Thanks for the prayers, support, and everything else. I hope you have a good week.

April 28, 2009

Hey well I am able to email today but it looks like you haven't had a chance to write your e-mail yet so I will just have to read it next week. I really like the pictures you sent, its so weird to see nice houses and temple square and stuff like that. Ryan really looks different. This week has gone by really fast once again. I realized the Mothers Day call is just two weeks away, next week I will give you the details on how the call will go. This week has been pretty cool temperature wise. Its raining today but I think we are still going to play soccer. I've adjusted to the area almost completely and I know my way around now so that's nice. We have been working hard on finding potential priesthood and families to teach, so that is nice. People here can speak English better than they did in Nseleni so that's good. My area covers two college campuses though, and those college kids think they know everything. The other two elders in my boarding had they're car broken into and our boarding keys were stolen so we had to have the locks changed, and two other elders in our district had they're boarding broken into and their cell phone and wallets and stuff were taken. If my stuff ever gets stolen I am going to be so ticked off. Elder Katende from Uganda and I are getting to be pretty good friends. He is one goofy kid. We go running on the beach twice a week and he tells me some crazy stories of things going on in Uganda, Somalia, and Sudan. One time someone tried to steal his and his brothers soccer boots, they caught him but there aren't really police to turn him in to so they hit his toes with a hammer and let him crawl away. Elder Katende said that they gave him a pedicure. I'm sorry if that story is too graphic, I think I am a little desensitized by now. Well I will hear from you next week I guess. Thanks for the pictures, I put some new pictures on photobucket so you can check those out. Thanks for all of your prayers and support, it helps out so much. I will talk to you next week.

April 20, 2008

Dear family,
Its always good to hear from you. Sounds like things are going well at home. I received the package you sent me last Monday after I e-mailed you. Thanks a ton. I really enjoyed the tie, socks, candy and razor of course. I don't think I have too many questions about whats going on at home. Spencer, after listening to your description of St George and Prom it sounds like you have taken up the life of an English yuppy. I am going to laugh when you are on your mission in Zimbabwe and have to boil your water before you drink it, and take sponge baths. Anyways I appreciated the e-mail from g-ma Dorathy I hope she continues to improve. The idea to clean window wells was a pretty good one, don't complain too much Jordan and Ryan, once you are on your mission instead of dealing with crud in window wells you will have to deal with cleaning crud out of peoples lives, and that's a little harder to get rid of.
I will try to answer all of your questions I hope I get all of them. I am really close to Durban, I can see it from one part of my area. I live in a flat with three other elders, The elders in the other companionship are elder Katende, he is from Uganda, we go running in mornings on the beach. The other morning we brought a bucket with us and caught some crabs and now they are in our boarding. His companion is Elder Morril, he is from West Valley and used to work with Brett Cragun at the airport pushing wheel chairs, small world. Things with my comp are going good, I worked him really hard this last week and I was so tired last night. I have a car in my area so that's really nice but we have to be careful with it. I will describe Umlazi to you a little bit but you can't go call President Mann and tell me to be transferred. Umlazi is like the big city of townships and it has one of the worst crime rates in the world. I was reading in a Doctrine and Covenants manual and Joseph Smith once said the day will come where the only place people will find peace will be in Zion and her stakes. That is the case in Umlazi. The family unit is so broken down that kids are being raised by TV, and other children and when they are adults they don't know the difference from right and wrong. I guess that's how they can kill someone for their cell phone. But anyways I'm venting a little bit, there are good people here who are waiting for the gospel of healing and we are really careful so there is nothing to worry about. Its really nice to be in a ward. Its funny because the strength of the ward is in the Young Single Adults because that's where the return missionaries are. They fill most of the callings. Well next Monday is a holiday so I won't be able to email you till Tuesday just so you know. I forgot my camera but a have a bunch of photos to load onto photo bucket next week. I like the idea of the tie that gets passed around I will carefully ponder which tie that should be. I will talk to you next week, take care, thanks for everything.

April 14, 2008

Dear family,
Its really good to hear from you. I can't believe they changed the young mens organization so much, hopefully it all works out. That's awesome that KJH took district. Don't worry I'm not mad that you called about the tick bite. All that happened was that president asked how I was doing. I'm doing fine. Anyway I'm about over the whole thing and I knew what was going to happen because I know other missionaries who have had it and went to the doctor. I'm really glad that you got the package that I sent, The wrap has a Zulu shield on it but its a Swaziland style (red, black, and white). And you can do what ever with it, tons of people wear them here. I haven't received your package yet so I don't know whats going on with that, hopefully its just taking a long time. Well there have been big changes here for me. I was transferred from my area. I am now serving in Umlazi W. Umlazi is the second biggest township in South Africa and I have 5 sections of it each with around a thousand houses in it. Its gonna take some time to learn the area. I'm really excited though because I'm in a ward and we meet in a chapel. Umlazi is right next to Durban so I am right near everything. I stay in a place called Isipingo which is right next to Umlazi and its an Indian community. I stay in some ghetto apartment but its cool. On one side I can see the ocean and on the other I can see the airport. The other morning, on the way to church, I saw some Muslims playing doubles tennis in their dress outfit things, I thought that was pretty funny. The downside to this new area is my companion. In my first area my district leader was elder Ricks and he has a rep through the whole mission as the guy you don't want to be with. Well he left when I was 3 months out and I thought I would never see him again. Well he is my comp now and he is going home at the end of this transfer. He is a super stubborn and mega dorky kid, but I guess pres thinks I will keep him working until its time for him to go home. Well that is the important stuff this week. Elder Clark is in my zone now so I will get to see him every P day so that is cool. Thanks for the prayers and support and everything I hope that this will be a good week for all of you, and I hope that Grandma Dorathy starts to do better, I will talk to you next week.

April 6, 2008

Hey sorry that email was so short. There have been frequent power outages here in South Africa because they don't have enough electricity. To fill you in on a few things I watched all the sessions live except for Priesthood and Saturday afternoon. Things this week have been tough because elder Randri failed his drivers test and stats weren't great for us this week. I also was bitten by a tick and have been suffering a severe headache, fever, chills and swollen glands especially in the groin region. Oh well the wise Heath Ledger once said "take the bad with the good"... RIP. The whole thing should pass in a few more days and then I am immune to it for the rest of my life. I celebrated my six month mark on Friday by burning a tie with elder Parry and then going to eat. I haven't received your package yet but I sent one to you more than a week ago so you should be getting it any day now. I will find out if I am getting transferred or not in about an hour. I'm starting to get a little antsy. Well I am looking forward to getting a little re-up in my home account soon so hopefully that happens. Well other than that there is not a lot going on, thanks for everything I will e-mail you again on Monday.

April 6, 2008

Hey good to hear from everybody as always. I am really jealous of the trip you guys are taking but I will just have to do that later. The Grand Canyon hike sounds cool to. I really loved conference and it was awesome to participate in a solemn assembly. That is cool to hear about our Kaysville wrestling team. Prom sounds like it will be pretty silly. Things were good here, I can't type long because this there are power outages all the time so Its really annoying. This country is falling apart. Anyways my absolute favorite part of conference was when Elder Bednar said missionaries are full time teachers and members are full time finders, that was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard uttered from that pulpit. I also really loved Holland's talk. He is a real baller. The whole thing was good though I watched all the sessions at the chapel in Richards bay, but I will try to send an e-mail with more info in a little while.

March 30, 2008

Dear family,

Things are going good here. Sounds like things are going good at home to. The Wii, prom, wrestling, sounds like I am missing some good stuff. Thats too bad about Grandma Dorathy, sounds like its been rough. It seems like Wrestling season just started. Today for P day we went to the beach and played touch rugby and had a braai (barbeque). It was really fun. The beach was in a township so we had the whole place to ourselves. We haven't had any baptisms in Nseleni yet but we have made a lot of work with getting the branch organized. I don't know if I have painted a clear picture on how basic things are in Nseleni yet, probably because Im just used to it now but this week I had to give a lesson to our branch president about clean language preticularly the F word. He didn't know it was bad and is working on cleaning up his language. Its funny though the things we deal with. Anyways transfers are a week from thursday, and I could stay or I could go and I'm actually fine with either the more I think about it. Time is going by fast. I was reflecting on my graduation and it seems like it was 2 months ago or something. That was pretty crazy. Anyways I get to drive down and spend the night in Petermaritzburg which is the capitol of Kwa Zulu Natal province because Elder Randrianirinaniarivo is taking his driver's test there tomorrow morning. I am running short on time today so this e-mail is a little short. Thanks for everything especially the support. I'll talk to you next week.

March 23, 2008

Dear Family

I always look forward to hearing from you and getting the scoop on whats going on at home. I guess I will start by answering some of your questions. I have gained a lot in muscle weight. Me and my disrtict leader have been lifting pretty hard for the past six weeks so its been good, we usually lift for about an hour every night. I think I have grown a little taller to though. It's hard to tell because the Zulu people are so short. Easter weekend was really interesting. Good Friday through Easter is a huge time in this country, tons of partying and the one Sunday of the year everybody goes to church. Monday was a public holiday too so thats why I am emailing you today. Anyways a lot of our members were out of town so church attendance was a little down. I was able to give a talk on the atonement in sacrament meeting too. That is one of the most fascinating subjects. Im reading a book called the infintie atonement that is really good. During sacrament meeting the lady who spoke before me started puonding the beat on the podeum and singing a Zulu hymn and the members all joined in. It was funny but it sent the spirit off pretty quickly. Its hard for them to leave the style of church they know behind plus they love singing and dancing. The families we are teaching are pretty cool. They are coming slowly and have been gone over the Easter weekend so we will see whats happens. The father of one of the families we are teaching speaks Afrikaans, english, and Zulu so he is pretty smart, and that is exactly what we need. I get excited just thinking about the Yamaha and spring time in utah. Gas prices are getting so high that we have to drive our car to our area and park it and walk some times to save gas. The weather is cooling off a little around here so that is good. Things with my comp are going good, its weird though, I miss American people. He is a really nice guy and eerything but he just thinks and acts in a different way, oh well. I am honestly pretty ready for a change, I hope I get transferred. Thats pretty funny about Cassidy. She wrote me a letter and my policy is anyone who writes me I will write back, but Im also not against keeping options open. I am also really excited to think about watching Ryan wrestle when I get home. I hope Jordan gets his 4.0 so that I can play with the Wii. Well sounds like everything is going good around home thanks for all the support, prayers, and everything else. And by the ways I am putting a package in the mail this week with some pretty cool stuff in it so you should get that soon.

March 17, 2008

You don't have to forward this to anyone but its kind of funny and I thought you might like to know. I weighed myself recently for the first time in a while and I am almost 200 pounds I have hit a little growth spurt since I left because that's 25 pounds heavier than when I left.

March 10, 2008

Its good to hear from all of you again. Sounds like things are going good around home. I can't believe that Dad is dropping money like that but it sounds good. I'm really excited to hear that you won your wrestling match Ryan, keep it up. Too bad you are not playing Rugby Spencer. Oh well, have fun working. I like to hear that Brayden is keeping things real, I support him. That is to bad to hear about Grandma Dorathy. Thanks so much for re-upping the home account I was able to buy some cool stuff in Durban and I will be sending it home in a package soon. We went to Durban for a Zone Conference, we have one every six weeks, which is the length of a transfer. Things are going good with my new comp. He is 23 years old and has been a member for 4 years. He's just a little guy maybe 5' 5" and only has to shave twice a week but he is a really good missionary. We get along fine and are working hard. I also spend as much time with Elder Parry and Elder Brown. I came out with Elder Parry and Elder Brown is my lifting partner. Its starting to get a little cooler so that is good, and I am really excited to watch general conference. I will watch it at Richards Bay chapel which is about 15 minutes from my boarding. Being a Branch Clerk is going good. I can only imagine what it would be like in a ward where the people have money. Its amazing how organized and efficient the Church funds work though and its really interesting. The Couples don't get transferred they normally stay in one place, so they will be here for two years. So that's what is going on here, thanks for everything. I will talk to you next week.

Letter for the Toones

Dear Toone family,

It was really nice to hear from you. Cannon, sounds like things are going well, Im glad to hear that you like Davis High. I am doing well and my mission is helping me learn and grow. Hayden I think it is really neat that you are studying the Book of Mormon, it can teach you a lot. The people in Africa treat me very well and I love being able to tell them about the restoration of the Church. Dallin, sounds like you are learning a lot about Nephi, he is one of my favorite prophets. I hope that you can use some of the things you learn from him in your own life. I play a lot of soccer here in Africa too. I hope that you do well in football. Brother and Sister Toone, thanks so much for keeping me in mind and taking the time to e-mail me. I have learned a lot about recieving promptings and taking the courage to act on them. I am glad that I can be a good example to your sons.

March 2, 2008

Its is always good to hear from you every week. Sounds like things are going good at home. I am glad to hear that you are getting the entertainment theater all ready for me thanks a bunch. I can't imagine the over pass going and the changes that are going on around home. That is really cool that Bishop Satchwell read from my letter and I hope that the young men take it to heart. It sounds like Spencer is and Jordan and Ryan. I hope you decide to stick with rugby I know that you will be glad you did, but if you would rather earn money for you mission I guess that would be good too. That is to bad about Davis B ball but it sounds like you guys had a lot of fun with it. Oh yeah Jordan, your piano skills will help you a lot on your mission. I hope Ryan gets a match soon so that I can hear about it.

Well things are a lot different for me now. Transfers came and Elder Wiggington was sent to Hillcrest in Durban which is a white area. That stinks for him because white areas are like European missions, no one wants to listen to you, but he was ready to leave Nseleni anyways. This is a hard area because of its size and lack of experience. Anyways things are going good, I have had some training on being a clerk and I never really thought about how much goes into maintaining a ward's records like the one at home. My new companion is Elder Randrianirinaniarivo. Yeah that is his name. He is from Madagascar and like 5' 5". He is a really good teacher and missionary though so I will learn a lot from him. Its is going to be harder for me though because he doesn't have a license, English is like his fourth language and we don't have much in common to talk about. I also am the one who knows the area and the people. He is learning fast and I am helping prepare for his driver's test. So that is the biggest thing going on for me. I am most likely being sent to a new area next transfer because at the end of this one I will have been here for 6 months, that is a long time. Some more good news, Makosi will most likely be baptized on March 30 and possibly her brother, whom she has brought to church two weeks in a row. We started teaching him last night, hopefully that works out. The weather has been cooling off lately but is is still hot. the days are also getting shorter but that means it is getting darker so we have less time that we can be out and about safely. The people here eat drink and sleep rugby, and I have seriously been contemplating keeping my size up and playing for a University team when I get home, and who knows maybe go for the national team if possible. I have a zone conference in Durban and one of the guys I am going with is going home this transfer so Pres gave us permission to go to a big market while we are there, so if you could put a little fundage in the home account I will be able to get some things, if that isn't possible don't worry about it.

Some of the items that I get will be in a package that I am preparing to send home including my razor, so I will get that sent sometime soon. Thanks for all of your support, emails, and prayers. I will talk to you again next week and post some more pics, including one of my new comp.

February 24, 2008

Hey family its good to hear from you again. Sounds like things are going good around home. The part about Spencer's rugby experiences and Ryan's wrestling were really cool to hear about. I guess good grades is cool too. I think that you will really enjoy rugby and especially playing flanker, Spencer. Ryan sounds like you are doing good. I only wrestled varsity a few times so you have tons of time to pass me up. I really enjoyed the e-mail from the Toones that was really cool. I am glad to hear that Matt wants to send me a letter. I got one from him last month that he wrote in October so the mail doesn't seem to work very well between Italy and Africa. I don't have a ton of time to write e-mails today so I will send a reply for the Toones next week and I will have some pictures to post. I am writing this on Tuesday because yesterday was really busy so I am using the mission couples computer to send an e-mail really quick. Things are going good around here. This is transfer week and I will most likely get a new comp but I am sure I will stay in Nseleni. I will be out for five months next week its crazy how fast time goes by. At the same time I feel like I have lived here my whole life. The teaching and things are going well we have been looking for families and things and we have been working with the branch president to get everyone callings in the branch. I am the branch clerk to so I have been working with tithing and attendance at church and those kind of things. We went paintballing yesterday and then played soccer against a Afrikaaner high school team and after that we played basketball at Zululand University. I am really sun burned now but I had a fun day. We get the call for who is going and who is staying at transfers tonight so we will see what happens. Other than that things are going about the same thanks for the e-mail and the prayers and support, I will talk to you next week

February 18, 2008

Hey mom I had the chance to use the computer really quickly today so I thought I would let you know that I'm really sorry that my joke was so offensive. I didn't really think about the way it sounded when I typed it. Anyways you can rebuke me anytime via email and If I type anything you don't want other people to read feel free to do some editing so that you can forward it.
-Alex

February 17, 2008

Hey family its good to hear from you as always. This week has gone by pretty fast. Anyways Mom you can chill out, that was a joke last week so next time you feel the need to send me some mean e-mail just wait until the family writes theirs so that you have cooled down a little bit. Sorry about that. Well the work has been going good in Nseleni. We have not been able to find tons of people interested in the gospel lately our work with members is paying off. This sunday we had 45 people at church. When I came to the branch we had an average of 25. So that was really rewarding. Makosi is preparing to be baptised soon so that is going good. The family whose mom passed away is doing fine and I think they will come around with a little time. Transfers are a week from Thursday and Im sure I will get a new companion, Im pretty excited about that. I just barely came back from hlahlue game park which was way cool. I am putting pictures on photobucket so you can see all the animals I saw. Sounds like everything is going good at home. Im glad you guys see Gard now and again. The science he is interested in is peleantology. He told me he is seriously considering it. Im glad to hear that Ryan is sticking to wrestling and I am way excited to hear about Spencer doing Rugby. You will love it. Jordan keep up the good school work. Thanks a ton for the home account funds you sent they help a lot. I also really appreciated the Porter Rockwell book. I am almost done with it. Well I am runnig out of time here so I will talk to you next week.

February 10, 2008

Salbona, injani? That means- good morning, how are you? Im doing good. Sounds like everything is going good at home. I guess I will start by answering your questions. I have air conditioning in my car but not in my boarding. It is so hot here right now. The only thing I cook are eggs. I have a new District leader and he has a ton of weights and so we put ours together and are working out everyday so now I mostly just eat eggs tuna, peanut butter sandwiches, and protein shakes. The work is going good we are teaching a lot, especially the members. Our branch is so new and inexperienced, so we are introducing all our members to Preach My Gospel and helping them learn how study, teach, and do member missionary work. Its really basic stuff but that's what they need. The couple missionaries work mostly with the Branch and District leadership and teach them how to actually run the church. The Bartholemews are the ones who help in our area and they are from American Fork. I know Grandpa was wondering. We work with them a lot and usually eat dinner at their place on Sunday nights. We are pushing the baptism we had back because our investigator has had trouble making it to church so hopefully we can work through that. I am keeping in touch with the BIG 5 through e-mail and I see them every now and then at conferences and things. Today for P day I went with my district to a place called Shaka land which is like a museum type of place for Zulu culture. They are just like the American Indians. Speaking of that I was wondering if you could put some more money in my home account because next week we are going to a game park for our zone activity. I was able to see the world wide training session and I thought it was really good, except when those non priesthood holding women had to give their insight. I just want to hear Apostolic witnesses, you know what I mean? But yeah that was really good. I liked the focus on the family and the need for converts to live the Christian culture and leave their culture behind to a degree. That's what the Zulus need to hear. Well sounds like things are going good at home. Spencer keep up the good janitor work, Jordan good luck on your quest for a Wii, and Ryan hang in there on wrestling, it will be worth it. Oh yeah and congratulations dad that is awesome. You need to let me know if you are going to go in with Mark on your business so I know if I should look into engineering or not. So say hi to everyone for me thanks for all your prayers and support. Talk to you later. Oh and I put some new photos on photobucket finally.

January 28, 2008

Hey sorry about that I don't know what went wrong. Now I have to type a whole email over again. It probably wont be as long. I just heard about the Presidents death this morning. Its weird to think that he is gone because he is the only Prophet I ever really knew, but I'm sure he is happy now. We were joking around this morning saying that now we have to teach people that our church has no prophet and 14 apostles. Anyways sounds like things are going good at home. Mom I hope you have a fun trip, Dad I hope work is going good. Spence keep getting excited for your mission. Jordan do whatever it is that you do and don't disappoint me, and Ryan work hard in wrestling and don't be timid. This week has gone by good here. Thanks for the money in the home account, I used it to buy a South African World cup soccer jersey. We went down to Durban for a multi-zone conference and we got to hear form President Mann and Elder Hill of the 3rd quorum of the seventy. It was nice and I was able to meet up with Elder Clark and Elder Richey, so four of the BIG 5 were able to meet up. Work wise the week went by well. We had 32 people at church and I didn't bless the sacrament or speak, so I guess the Branch is gaining a little independence from the missionaries. We are really focusing on families for now, that's what this place really needs. Sorry its been so long since I have posted anything on photobucket, I keep forgetting my camera. I will post a bunch of photos next week. Thanks for everything, talk to you later.

January 21, 2008

Hey family its good to hear from you again. I haven't received your package yet but I am going down to Durban for a conference on Friday so I will probably get it then. I did get a package from Grandma and Grandpa. Tell them thanks, I didn't expect it so it made my day. I also received one from the Whitings. Tell them thanks also. I got a bunch of letters from primary kids, youth, and one from Bishop Satchwell and they were really nice. I'm afraid I don't know who some of the people are who sent me letters though. Sounds like things are going good around home. I'm glad to hear that Brayden is keeping the quorum in line. Congratulate Lance on his calling for me too. That is really neat. Spence I heard that the 23's came out do you have a pair yet? haha. I have actually been playing basketball this morning and last week I learned how to play cricket. That is a really cool sport, its like baseball but cooler. Its neat to hear about other guys coming and going on their missions. This transfer we got a new zone leader and a few new guys but I am still with Elder Wiggs, so we won't part ways for another six weeks. Now I guess I will try to answer a few questions. Well I found out this week that statistically that the Durban mission is the second most dangerous mission after the Johannesburg mission, but I don't feel in danger because of obedience and all of the prayers on the missionaries behalf. The city Durban its self is a lot more dangerous than Richards bay too. Well I had an interesting experience this week with the funeral. The family actually asked me to speak. There were around 700 people there and all of them were Zulus except for my companion and I. The other speakers were Lutheran Pastors and the whole funeral was in Zulu except for my talk. There was tons of singing and dancing around the coffin and people yelling and stuff, when I stood up I directed my talk to the family and spoke on how the atonement of Jesus Christ can comfort us and bring us peace. I think that the spirit of my message was very different from those of other speakers. Hopefully the people that were there have a desire to learn more about the Church. This week we also had the best church attendance ever, 40 people, so that was really cool. Oh yeah the woman who is going to be baptized is named Makosi and she may be baptized on the 10th instead.
Well that is most of the news for this week, we got a new car with air conditioning so that has been great, and another mission couple just arrived called the Bartholemews. They will be working with Nseleni and another township called Engwelezan. That will be a big help. My razor died this week and Im really ticked about that so could you send me a new one? I could also use some money in my home account so that when I go down to Durban on friday I can buy some things at the outdoor markets from the Indians for cheap. Well I hope that things go well for you and thanks for everything, I will talk to you next week.

January 14, 2008

Hey family its good to hear from you.

Sounds like things are going good at home. I'm glad to hear that you are being blessed for my service. I received the package from the ward, that was really great and a surprise to me. Hopefully I will get the package you sent soon. Transfers are this Thursday so hopefully I will get it then. I also appreciate the political info. Sorry Jordan I don't know much about politics down here except that they are really corrupt and messed up right now. Apartide just ended a few years ago here and that's why townships even exist. That is a complicated topic so if you have a chance you can research it yourself. I'm also glad to hear that Spencer has fulfilled his dream of being a vacuum repair man.

Well this has been a difficult but rewarding week for me. There is a family in Nseleni who have been investigating the church for a long time and on Monday night the mother was laying in bed and someone shot her through the window nine times. The kids were in the next room and the father was laying next to her and was hit once in the collar bone. She owned taxis and they think her murder was because of rival taxi violence. Taxis are like gangs here. Anyways we have been at their home a lot this week giving comfort and things. That's something I dont' have very much experience in so its been little awkward if you can imagine. Anyways the rewarding part is that yesterday we were teaching another investigator and she told us that she wants to be baptised. We set a date for Feb 3. She gave the closing prayer in Zulu and thanked God for the testimony she had gained and broke down in tears. Its pretty amazing because my companion has been out for 14 months and has never seen a Zulu cry. So this week has had a lot of ups and downs but its good. Every day that goes by I get more excited for Spencer, Jordan, and Ryan to go on missions. Have a good week, I will talk to you later.

January 7, 2008

Dear Family,

Its good to hear from you again. I always look forward to hear what I'm not missing out on at home. I also really appreciate the campain info, I was pretty sick of politics when I left but South African politics make America's look like a formal dinner. Sounds like things are going good at home. The ward sounds nice and I'm glad to hear that Shelby's daughter is doing well. I also enjoy hearing about other missionaries. I do know Jeremy Pendleton, he played football when I was a junior and we lifted together a little bit. Reily's trip down to new york sounds really cool too. When I go home I think our family should go on a trip like that and see those Church history sites. I also want to go see Isreal sometime too. Thats a funny coinsidence, I taught priesthood out of The Teachings of Joseph Smith too, this Sunday. Jordan, I did take psychology and it depends on what teacher you have. I had Mrs. Olsen and I sat next to Gardner so it was pretty fun even though a lot of the stuff you learn in there is just false doctrine from Godless men. Anyways things here are going well. I am glad that the holidays are over because it will be a lot easier to do missionary work now that everyone is coming home and going back to school and work. Hopefully we will have a lot of success this year. President Mann has set some very ambitous goals for 2008 but I think we will be able to meet them. Transfers are coming up on the 17th and there is a chance that I will get a new companion but I will probably stay in Nseleni for at least one more transfer, which is 6 weeks. So thanks for the e-mails and keep them coming.

December 30., 2007

Hey family it was good to talk with you on Christmas too. Sorry this email is a little late but the place we usually e-mail was closed on New Years Day here. Sounds like things are going good at home. I'm happy to hear that you are putting another package together for me. Its the best to get mail from anyone.

Things here have been good. We had a News Years braai ( barbeque ), and spent the night with some of the other elders. News years eve was on P day so everything was closed. The work here during the holidays is wearing me down. No one is home for the holidays and everyone who is around is completely hammered. Fortunately I wasn't in Nseleni New Years Eve but I did see the aftermath the next day, it was crazy. Anyways, the holiday officially ends on Jan 16, so I hope that the work here can get back on track soon. The mission couple that lived next to us moved out on monday so me and Wiggs are on our own now but there is a new couple coming on the 9th so Im looking forward to that. Thanks for taking the time to e-mail me and everything, I enjoyed the phone call and I'm really looking forward to Spencer getting his mission call and serving at the same time as me. That will be really cool. A mission is definetly something to look forward to. Anyways say "hi" to everyone for me and keep doing what's right, I will email you again on Monday.

December 24, 2007

Hey its good to hear from you every week
I will talk to you tomorrow so I won't write too much about whats going on here but I will give you some clarification on some things. First of all I have had some trouble uploading pics but they are uploading right now so you will be able to see them by the time you get this email. On the phone call, I don't really have a land line for you to call me on so the cell phone works best. The calling code for South Africa is 027 its at the beginning of the cell number I gave you. The mission is okay with you calling on the cell phone. The last thing is it will be best for you to call me around 10 am your time, that will be around 7 pm my time. I will be visiting people during the day so it will work better for you to call me later. Thanks for the info I will talk to you tomorrow.

December 17, 2007

Hey family its good to hear from you again. Sometimes I forget that time moves on at home haha. First off I finally got my packages and it was great. I can't thank you guys enough. I already opened them and the CD player works great. I also really love the soccer socks. Sounds like things are going well at home. Say "hi" to brother bailey and TJ for me if you see them. I am sorry to hear about sister Shepherd. Congratulations Spence. I hope you and Brayden keep my old priest quorum in line. Sounds like Riley is up to his old tricks haha. I'm am honestly sorry about that whole situation. Ryan I saw the picture of the igloo and it looks great.

Well to answer a few of your questions the Zulus eat beef with butter nut squash, a weird form of coleslaw, rice, beetroot and some weird stuff called pop. This week has been acrazy week for me. We had our conference in Durban with the whole mission together which was great. the BIG 5 was able to reassemble and relive some of the MTC days. Elder Potter was also there and I was able to talk with him. I also got some really good soccer in. I have a lot of pictures that I will upload as soon as I m done writing this email. On Sunday we had our Richards Bay ward conference. It was really cool, our ward and its four units became 5 branches and we seperated ourselves from the Durban stake and became a district Presided by President Mann. Our stake president said that this is the only time in church history that he knew of that this has happened. Nseleni has a branch president now and we will organise the rest of the branch over the next few weeks. The holidays are pretty crazy over here but Christmas isn't anything like it is at home. The number you can call is my cell phone number, 027 83 281 5517. Call arount 7 am because that will be around 4 pm here. Thanks for the packages again. I will talk to you next week.

One more thing

Hey I just saw the pictures you posted on photobucket. They snowman and the igloo look great. The snow is one thing I miss. Tt is going to a pretty warm Christmas for me over here, but I just thought I would say I liked the pictures. Oh yeah I just remembered your last question about the fleas. They usually are only around home with carpet but mine is completely tile so they arent a problem. Two missionaries in my zone got tick bite fever this last week so thats not fun and there are ants every where so that just means I have to be careful about leaving food in the open.

December 10, 2007

Hey Family sounds like things are going good at home. I don't know what Dad is talking about, I wrote last week, I think you guys need to get things sorted out once and for all with your email. That is a shame about Jayce, I just barely received your e-mail about that since I've been on. Thanks a ton for giving Gard and Casey my e-mail. They already wrote me and it sounds like things are going good for them. I will check out the pictures you posted when I am done here. I am sorry I forgot to bring my camera to email so I will have to upload pictures next week but there will be a lot because this week is our big Christmas conference for all of the missionaries and I will get some good pics. I will also see elder Clark so I will be able to tell him Davis will dominate Alta in B ball. I talked to one of the elders in the mission office and my packages are just sitting there so I won't get them until I go down for the conference. This past two weeks has been good, last week was transfers and the knew missionaries came but none were sent to my zone. Its still nice not to be the youngest anymore. the missionary work is going well but its really challenging. We are having a hard time getting people to church because everyone who has a job works on Sunday. We are also becoming a branch this week so that is really exciting. My companion and I are pretty much guaranteed to be in the Branch presidency so that will be a good experience. We are still hoping for a few baptisms at the beginning of the year. I can't believe I have already been gone for over 2 months. In January I will be able to say I am coming home next year haha. Anyways to answer your questions mom, I don't get fed very often, I had my first traditional Zulu meal this past week and I ate the whole thing, usually we are given cold drink, which is coke or sprite. So thanks for your emails, prayers and support, I hope you get this one, I will write you again on Monday and post pictures.

First e-mail from the mission field

Dear Family,

Hey sounds like things are going good around home. I can't believe that it is already Christmastime. I wish I could have played in the Turkey bowl. I am glad to hear that Ryan got to contribute a little bit. It sounds like I wont recognize him when I get back. Ryan, you have to earn the right to wear my cut off shirts though. Work on the pose, and by the way I am a stud. That is a shame that Utah lost again. That sounds like a pretty funny controversy over the BYU receivers statement. I am glad to hear West Virginia is doing well. Sounds like you all had a nice Thanksgiving. Too bad there were no good movies out but that is why its important to have a nice home entertainment system. Its weird to hear about all of these other people leaving and returning from their missions. That must stink that Alex is just leaving the MTC. I am sorry to say I didn't send your Christmas package this week but I will send it soon so it gets to you in time.

Well this week went by fast for me too. I am really learning to speak Zulu. It has clicks in it but the language is not a difficult one. I can great people and ask some questions and other things already. Its funny though because no white people here know Zulu so when you greet someone they are very surprised and start speaking very fast so you have to tell them you can't understand that well. The people in the townships will usually listen and are pretty nice but most of them mix Christianity with their old ways of praying to ancestors and stuff, or they believe in the law of Moses. Which is pretty silly because they have the New Testament right in front of them. Anyways its not a big deal because most people don't know their bibles very well and get confused easily when they try to contend with us. I have been learning a lot doctrine wise here as well as how the Church functions. I get up early so that I can have extra personal study time. I have finished the Book of Mormon once, and I have just finished Jesus the Christ too. Personal study is one of my favorite things about mission. Oh yeah my companion reminds me of Michael Scott because he can get a little over the top sometimes and he doesn't sweat the small stuff. He also has terrible reading and spelling skills but he is a good teacher and missionary anyways. I also bought a weight set from an elder who is leaving at the end of the transfer so I can get lifting again. That same elder got pistol whipped and he and his companion had their bikes stolen so he will probably go home with some stitches in his head. I don't know when our investigators will come around, hopefully we will have a few baptisms early next year. It takes time for people to repent and change here but once they do they have very strong testimonies. Today for P day we had a zone activity instead of soccer. we went paint balling at a course in Richards Bay, I have some pictures I will load on photobucket, and next week I will load some of our thanksgiving lunch. Thanks for taking the time to email me and thanks for your prayers. I am really glad the you are getting your patriarchal blessing Spencer and I wish I could be there. Thanks for all of your prayers and support keep the updates coming.

MTC

We didn't hear from Alex while he was in the Johannesburg MTC. Not because Alex didn't write, but because it takes a month to get a letter from South Africa to Kaysville. He wrote the first night he arrived, but we didn't get his letter, via snail mail, until he was in the mission field. I can't begin to say how worried we were since we didn't hear anything from him or the MTC. Finally, Bishop Satchwell called the Missionary Travel Office just to confirm that Alex's group did arrive safely. It was a long month of checking e-mails and jumping when the phone rang. Of course, all was well and it was only our patience that was tested. These are MTC photos that arrived to us on photobucket once Alex was safely established in the mission field.

Alex's mission call

Alex's mission call was really a surprise! Alex always said he didn't care where he was sent on his mission, "it's all good." Earlier in the day, before Alex opened his mission call, I had been talking to a friend of mine who told me that anywhere in the world was a good call except Africa! "You don't want Alex going to Africa!" Also, during football season, I had been talking to Cindy Arquette. Her son Austin had been called to Johannesburg and she was telling me how hard his mission was, especially the crime and poverty. When Alex opened his call and read Durban South Africa, everyone in the room cheered, except me, and I got tears in my eyes. Alex had the biggest grin on his face; he was thrilled. Even though I didn't like it, everyone (especially Alex) knew this call was inspired and perfect for Alex.