Another week, another dollar... out of my pocket.
Nothing much has really happened here for quite some time. Yesterday was a public holiday, and the email shops were closed, so we got permission to email today instead. For some reason, everyone has waited until this week to ask for our help. It was nice to get out in the sun and do some gardening and spring cleaning though. I needed the change in the schedule. Things were getting a bit repetitive. The African sun is HOT. Even when the temperature doesn't seem to be too hot, the sun seems to sap the strength right out of you. We have been sleeping quite well as a result. Killing a dying missionary has its rough spots, but it also has its perks. We got permission to go with our zone leaders WAY outside our area to a place called Chameleon Village. It is basically a flea market with all sorts of cool African stuff for very cheap. I wish I had more money, I would have bought more souvenirs. Also, on Friday we will have the opportunity for a temple trip. Because the temple has been closed, the returning missionaries have not been able to go in quite some time. They have organized the trip for the departing missionaries and their companions only, so I again feel privileged. We just found out that Elder Holland will be making another trip here, and he will be coming to address us in Gauteng. We have actually known for a time, but the anticipation has finally set in. Apparently he comes here quite often, so I should be able to see him a few more times before I come home. I should also know by this Friday how long I will be staying in Daveyton... We shall see...
Until next time,
--Elder JW Davidson
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Letters 09/17/2012
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
As the summer nears, so do the rains. When it rains in Africa, it pours. We had just left our flat earlier this week, and we noticed some dark clouds rolling in our direction. Being that we drive the car every day of the week, I made a joke directed towards the other elders, to which they responded with menacing glares. As Elder Mcknight and I laughed, Elder Lewis stated that it would not rain on them, in addition to some other rude comments. He then said that his faith was greater than mine, and he knew that it would be well. I jokingly did a rain dance several times around the car and told him that in addition to MY faith, I had the African Mootie (Voodoo magic) on my side. He glared some more, and then he got into the car.
As we sat in our first appointment, we began to hear the tinkling sound of rain on the tin roof. I smiled to myself and continued to teach. Soon, the tinkling changed to a sound not unlike that of hammering. Soon we were not able to hear our own voices as we taught, so we decided to wrap up the lesson and head to a home with a more insulated roof. As we stepped out of this family's door, we were welcomed by three inches of water on the ground... I smiled even wider. The storm turned into a flash flood, and the streets had in most places at least a foot of water. Luckily, the remainder of our appointments had ceramic roofs, or they had insulation to block the noise. As the day concluded, we picked up the other elders. Elder Lewis was DEAD silent as his companion explained how they got caught in the worst of the storm in between their appointments. He sad that their next was on the other side of their area. When they got there, they had to wait out the remainder of the heavy rains. I know it is not good to be spiteful, but Elder Mcknight and I laughed the rest of the way home.
The rest of the week has been off and on in terms of storms, but apparently it rains a great deal here in the summer. What is even worse, is that when the rain comes on saturday night, people don't tend to come to church. We only had 8 investigators at church this Sunday, as opposed to our usual. On the upside, we had a few more of our investigators baptized. The water was quite nippy, but fortunately, all of our investigators asked Elder Mcknight to baptize them... The work continues, but aside from our wet and wild adventure, nothing much has happened. We're still truckin....
Much Love,
Elder JW Davidson
As the summer nears, so do the rains. When it rains in Africa, it pours. We had just left our flat earlier this week, and we noticed some dark clouds rolling in our direction. Being that we drive the car every day of the week, I made a joke directed towards the other elders, to which they responded with menacing glares. As Elder Mcknight and I laughed, Elder Lewis stated that it would not rain on them, in addition to some other rude comments. He then said that his faith was greater than mine, and he knew that it would be well. I jokingly did a rain dance several times around the car and told him that in addition to MY faith, I had the African Mootie (Voodoo magic) on my side. He glared some more, and then he got into the car.
As we sat in our first appointment, we began to hear the tinkling sound of rain on the tin roof. I smiled to myself and continued to teach. Soon, the tinkling changed to a sound not unlike that of hammering. Soon we were not able to hear our own voices as we taught, so we decided to wrap up the lesson and head to a home with a more insulated roof. As we stepped out of this family's door, we were welcomed by three inches of water on the ground... I smiled even wider. The storm turned into a flash flood, and the streets had in most places at least a foot of water. Luckily, the remainder of our appointments had ceramic roofs, or they had insulation to block the noise. As the day concluded, we picked up the other elders. Elder Lewis was DEAD silent as his companion explained how they got caught in the worst of the storm in between their appointments. He sad that their next was on the other side of their area. When they got there, they had to wait out the remainder of the heavy rains. I know it is not good to be spiteful, but Elder Mcknight and I laughed the rest of the way home.
The rest of the week has been off and on in terms of storms, but apparently it rains a great deal here in the summer. What is even worse, is that when the rain comes on saturday night, people don't tend to come to church. We only had 8 investigators at church this Sunday, as opposed to our usual. On the upside, we had a few more of our investigators baptized. The water was quite nippy, but fortunately, all of our investigators asked Elder Mcknight to baptize them... The work continues, but aside from our wet and wild adventure, nothing much has happened. We're still truckin....
Much Love,
Elder JW Davidson
Monday, September 10, 2012
Letters 09/10/12
Elder D.
This week, like many before it, has gone by unusually fast. As the transfer hits its peak, my companion seems to long for home more and more. Everyone always said its easier to train than to kill a dying missionary, and now I see why. He is still willing to work and such, but he is very "trunky." You can see that he is tired, and it is hard trying to keep him up and motivated. The good news: We are still having fun. We have been visiting a family, and the mother has a problem with talking WAY TOO much. She always makes us laugh, but she always finds a way to add more than we need to hear.
We have also been visiting a certain father, who has taken our teachings very well, but he hasn't kept many commitments, aside from reading. He has always held himself very well, and he has never let on to any kind of care or trouble. As we visited with him, we invited him to come to church. He responded with a seemingly untrue story of how he had to stay with his aged mother so that nothing would happen to her. He is her only child willing to help, and they stay alone. Thinking it was a lie, Elder Mcknight and I gave each other a look of confirmation, but as this man continued to speak, he began to unfold another story about how his nephew and family have been trying to kill him with some type of African voodoo, so that they could take over his house. His nephew had just been released from prison, and had been by their home the day prior to our visit. The brother began to cry and it was then that we realized that he was truly scared for his life. If you could experience South Africa, you would know why we then began to believe him. We did our best to comfort him, but when fearing for one's life, you can only go so far.
During our PEC meeting this Sunday, I was asked to give a spiritual thought. I read a few scriptures about the priesthood in D&C, and began to expound upon them. After sacrament meeting, the second councilor came up to me and said that after hearing my spiritual though he felt that I should give a talk the following Sunday on the very same topic. He handed me my assignment on a piece of paper, and as I looked it over, I noticed that it had a members name on it. Upon further inquiry, he said that he thought I would deliver the message that needed to be shared. So far I am the only missionary since I have been here in Daveyton that has given a talk, and this will be my second venture to the pulpit. I wanted to say no, but the cheesy and incredibly large smile on his face made me say yes. I guess I will let you know how that turns out next week...
But until then,
I love you,
Elder JW Davidson
This week, like many before it, has gone by unusually fast. As the transfer hits its peak, my companion seems to long for home more and more. Everyone always said its easier to train than to kill a dying missionary, and now I see why. He is still willing to work and such, but he is very "trunky." You can see that he is tired, and it is hard trying to keep him up and motivated. The good news: We are still having fun. We have been visiting a family, and the mother has a problem with talking WAY TOO much. She always makes us laugh, but she always finds a way to add more than we need to hear.
We have also been visiting a certain father, who has taken our teachings very well, but he hasn't kept many commitments, aside from reading. He has always held himself very well, and he has never let on to any kind of care or trouble. As we visited with him, we invited him to come to church. He responded with a seemingly untrue story of how he had to stay with his aged mother so that nothing would happen to her. He is her only child willing to help, and they stay alone. Thinking it was a lie, Elder Mcknight and I gave each other a look of confirmation, but as this man continued to speak, he began to unfold another story about how his nephew and family have been trying to kill him with some type of African voodoo, so that they could take over his house. His nephew had just been released from prison, and had been by their home the day prior to our visit. The brother began to cry and it was then that we realized that he was truly scared for his life. If you could experience South Africa, you would know why we then began to believe him. We did our best to comfort him, but when fearing for one's life, you can only go so far.
During our PEC meeting this Sunday, I was asked to give a spiritual thought. I read a few scriptures about the priesthood in D&C, and began to expound upon them. After sacrament meeting, the second councilor came up to me and said that after hearing my spiritual though he felt that I should give a talk the following Sunday on the very same topic. He handed me my assignment on a piece of paper, and as I looked it over, I noticed that it had a members name on it. Upon further inquiry, he said that he thought I would deliver the message that needed to be shared. So far I am the only missionary since I have been here in Daveyton that has given a talk, and this will be my second venture to the pulpit. I wanted to say no, but the cheesy and incredibly large smile on his face made me say yes. I guess I will let you know how that turns out next week...
But until then,
I love you,
Elder JW Davidson
Monday, September 3, 2012
Letters 09/03/2012
Nothing New
If anything really new happened, it probably has no real significance. I had an interview with President Omer last Monday. We discussed many things which had been on my mind, and as I left his office I felt quite positive and content. There is an elder in our flat that I have been trying not to deck on several occasions. He gets offended VERY easily, and he likes to be spiteful and get revenge. Due to Presidents orders, I'm not allowed to mention his name. I have had to be very patient and "kill him with kindness," but for some strange reason he hates everyone. I won't mention the things he has been doing, but both Elder Mcknight and I have had some time to grow in our Christ-like attributes...
During our fast and testimony meeting, the bishop asked me to play the piano. Luckily, I have been practicing... and the piano has the hymns pre- recorded... As each person stood to bear their testimonies, they all mentioned something about missionary work and how it had affected their lives. What surprised me the most was that nearly half of the people were people that we had helped into the waters of baptism (one hasn't even been baptized yet.) The most gratifying thing about serving a mission isn't baptizing people, but rather, it is being able to see those people baptized bearing powerful testimonies in front of their peers of the truthfulness of the gospel restored through Joseph Smith, the divinity of the Book of Mormon, and the power of the priesthood. I felt like standing and sharing myself, but as each of them stood to make their way to the pulpit, I felt inspired, and content to sit back and listen. As we sung the closing hymn, I could barely find my voice, so I let the words of "The Lord is My Light" sink into my heart.
It astounds me how a person who begins with great skepticism and contention towards this message end up being some of the gospels greatest advocates, or those who have a desire to be so. Despite myself being one of them, I still can't even entirely imagine how this happens to an individual. But I do know that it does happen, and it happens by the power of Lord made manifest through the Holy Ghost.
Keep well, and I will try my best to do the same.
Much love,
Elder J W Davidson
If anything really new happened, it probably has no real significance. I had an interview with President Omer last Monday. We discussed many things which had been on my mind, and as I left his office I felt quite positive and content. There is an elder in our flat that I have been trying not to deck on several occasions. He gets offended VERY easily, and he likes to be spiteful and get revenge. Due to Presidents orders, I'm not allowed to mention his name. I have had to be very patient and "kill him with kindness," but for some strange reason he hates everyone. I won't mention the things he has been doing, but both Elder Mcknight and I have had some time to grow in our Christ-like attributes...
During our fast and testimony meeting, the bishop asked me to play the piano. Luckily, I have been practicing... and the piano has the hymns pre- recorded... As each person stood to bear their testimonies, they all mentioned something about missionary work and how it had affected their lives. What surprised me the most was that nearly half of the people were people that we had helped into the waters of baptism (one hasn't even been baptized yet.) The most gratifying thing about serving a mission isn't baptizing people, but rather, it is being able to see those people baptized bearing powerful testimonies in front of their peers of the truthfulness of the gospel restored through Joseph Smith, the divinity of the Book of Mormon, and the power of the priesthood. I felt like standing and sharing myself, but as each of them stood to make their way to the pulpit, I felt inspired, and content to sit back and listen. As we sung the closing hymn, I could barely find my voice, so I let the words of "The Lord is My Light" sink into my heart.
It astounds me how a person who begins with great skepticism and contention towards this message end up being some of the gospels greatest advocates, or those who have a desire to be so. Despite myself being one of them, I still can't even entirely imagine how this happens to an individual. But I do know that it does happen, and it happens by the power of Lord made manifest through the Holy Ghost.
Keep well, and I will try my best to do the same.
Much love,
Elder J W Davidson
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