Christmas, Christmas eve, feasting, and hippo attacks... yes seriously hippo attacks.‏

So first off Merry Christmas and a happy new year from the land of many colors! It has been a pretty legendary week to say the least and I can't wait to talk about it so lets go for it...

So first things first I'm an unlce and that's just about the coolest shiz in the world and man I can't wait to see that kid and do all kinds of crazy uncle/nephew stuff with him. I hear he's a big dude and has shiny straight hair so ladies look out. :D man its so cool to be an uncle let me tell you words can't describe the awesome so maybe you'll just have to see in 18 months or so...

Christmas was sweet but lets start with how the week was. It began with a Christmas party in central Jozi where I caught up with all the old MTC crew and we had an awesome chat/feast/singing/picture with santa haha it was so cool and rad to hear the testimonies of over 100 missionaries. plus to hang out with my old MTC district minus the sisters who hopefully now are enjoying the cold at temple square.

We then drove back 5 hours to Nelspruit and the heat and had two 12 hour days of tracting in 45 Celcius... that's 110 for you folks back in the states and 85 percent humidity which was straight up murder. It rained for 15 minutes one day and just made the roads steam and turned all of Mpumalanga into a giant sauna... but we found some sweet families which always makes it worth it... the only problem is everyone is leaving for the holidays so we have to wait for January 5th... but then we have 20 names to call. so that's pretty sweet.

The hilight of teaching this week was definitely justice and his family. we've taught him 3 times now and is already calling us life changers and thanked us for no joke like 20 minutes fro bringing the gospel and book of mormon into his life. I'm so pumped for those guys but once agani they will be gone in Swaziland for 3 weeks so that's a bummer. Work is difficult now as everyone is gone but we still have a lot of fun through the trial.

So Christmas eve we spent at the flat singing, reading Luke 2, and combining Christmases from Madagascar, Uganda, Idaho, and the STG so it was pretty dang fun and then we woke up Christmas morning to Weetbix, Strawberry Jam toast, and presents (new ties and MOTAB CD's) from santa which was awesome. We then went to Mama Africa and had a sweet Christmas braai of Kudu, Buffalo tounge, ham, and turkey plus a bunch of Potato salad which for some reason I can't get enough of now. we had it in a sweet thatch roofed bungalo overlooking the mountains and we got to play with monkeys... one of which bit me which was so flippin cool. We then got to call home and I heard the news of "little carlito" DJ, Eli, my nephew being born and got to talk to him over the phone about some future plans haha... then also to the family which was awesome and just completed the day... We then went to the Atkinsons and had rootbeer floats and watched the Christmas devotional and then ate pillow back at the flat...

Sunday was the slowest day in the world... with just 11 people at church we went home after sacrament and then tracted all day with no one home... but something Legen wait for it... dary happened... While tracting in Kamagugu a small rich township just accross Enos Mabuza drive and Crocodile river. so we were just rolling into the township when a hippo... no joke a hippo was sitting in the middle of the street. so I drove closer... and it charged our car haha so I peeled out backwards up the street and it turned around and ran to the river... then all the people in township saw it to and we all ran after it and got some awesome pictures. man that thing was big it would have smashed our little aveo into bits and we saw it blow steam out of its nose and charge the car... legenDARY!!!

So just one more of many to brag about my mission... We get charged by hippos driving through town... but of course NBD just another day in Africa.

So anyway time is just about up but mission is sweet. hard to believe its already been like 6 months and I have so much adventure to go. being an uncle is sweet, and so was climbing to the tallest mountain in Nelspruit this morning. it was straight up like a Vietnam movie set. Jungle, misty mountains, crazy thick trees and brush, and wild animals. It was sweet and we've got some awesome pictures so much fun, hard work, and life changing experiences. Mission is AWESOME!!!

Enjoy your week

Sala Kahle from Nelspruit

Elder Robinson

Christmas in Jozi/Nelspruit/Africa‏

So welcome to this weeks email... so to begin... today I am still notan uncle which is honestly very disappointing but well who knows thecoming hours could say otherwise... as for my news from back homecongrats to Uncle Weston on the Alpine Germany Mission call that isflippin fantastic and Spence good luck out there man... I want to sayits gonna be a pretty crazy christmas this year... we're gonna startoff with the phone calls of our two african missionaries and then goto the Mcarthy's (Karl, Lisa, Barney, and "mama Africa" + the kids)and its going to be us, the kanyemazane missionaries, and theatkinsons our awesome senior couple... I believe we are going to enjoyPaptart (maize meal, potatoes, cheese, mince, russians, viennas, andcorn) so super awesome and some Kudu meat... so we are gonna have anAfrikaaner Christmas... Some sweet news is I'll get to call home andtalk with everyone which I am pretty pumped about and that is allgoing down Christmas morning... So to the week this week was so super awesome compared with last week.we tracted a lot... and I mean A LOT. but we found 3 super sweetfamilies we have already taught and some others we will be teaching inthe coming days. I'm excited to say I think things are gonna turnaround and we'll some some growth in the branch very soon. One awesome family we are teaching now is Justice and his wife andkids who for some reason haven't told us their names yet because it ishit and miss with them... but they are from Swaziland and they alreadyhave a testimony.. also, we met this guy named lucky who was taught bymissionaries in the past but when he moved they lost him... he askedlike the greatest question ever... " so when I know this book istrue... and from what I've read it is... what do I need to do?" hahathat's like asking me... "Elder robinson would you like some chickenwings?" boom I love the spirit and prepared people... this week also was awesome in terms of meeting crazy people haha wemet this lady margaret for example... so we knocked on her gate andshe came out... and was like "oh we're christians here but if I didlet you in what would you share?" so we did a 2 minute version oflesson 1 and bore sweet testimony... then she was like " that'snice..." "by the way so my neighbor came the other day and was like doyou know jesus? and I was like yes.... "no margaret... do you knowjesus?" yes... "let me explain... do you know pastor Chris? (a famouspastor with like a flippin huge house, church, and like 200 books)well yes I've read some of his books.... "so if pastor chris waswalking down the street would he say hello margaret how are you?" wellno... I don't know him that well... "that's why I ask... do you KNOWJesus?" then she was like that day I learned who Christ is and so I don't needyour church thanks though... Man we laughed for like the next 5 hourshaha.... but the ditch of the week was this We met a woman named florence in Nelsville who told us to come bysunday afternoon... we showed up on time for our appointment and sawher like 7 year old daughter outside... she was like oh you guys...just one second let me get my mom... 30 seconds passed by... "my momsays that no one is home...." priceless... hahaha... alright tell yourmom thanks... "okay!!! bye!" I love tracting haha these little day to day things make missionarywork awesome.... Well still kind of an uneventful week... some hard core rain...driving through the bushveld with monsoon like winds and rain whileyou see duikers run across the road and hear hyenas was pretty sweetthough... yeah what's up I serve in Africa take that! :D anyway not a whole lot more to talk about so I just wanna wisheveryone a merry Christmas von Africa to go along with the card andenjoy the holidays and stay safe everyone! much love from Africa I'mgoing to enjoy the mission wide Christmas party in Roodeport today andwe are singing Away in a manger so I'll leave you all with thoughts ofmy velvety smooth voice singing time loved carols haha... justkidding... but seriously happy holidays and remember what its allabout... Peace out from South Africa Elder Robinson

This is Nelspruit" -Elder Kantu‏

Well hello and Ayoba from Nelspruit... to begin with let me just say... The church is true... I left Benoni, friends, family, and my home away from home, and I gained a testimony haha. So let me take you through my typical day so far... wake up at 6:30... crack out 500 pushups eat a bowl of weetbix with some toast and plum jam and take a shower. next thing you know it is 8 and time for study til 10. He're is where the fun begins. leave the flat and tract (knock doors, gates, push the intercoms, yell, shout) until 2 or 3. then we have lunch which as of now consists of top raumen because my alotment is gone because I sent a box home (enjoy the presents and pictures!!!) and then go tract again. By around 5 or 6 we may have one appointment and then we tract until dark 7:15 then go see a member pump them up for missionary work/ask for referrals and then head back home. plan til 10. enjoy a delicious Black cat peanut butter and jelly delightful sammich and then eat pillow.

Man the days are long here and the work is super tough. I've never been rejected more in my life haha no one wants us in, no one wants what we are "selling" and everyone is "too busy come back on weekend". But let me tell you something. when you wake up and you realize bam I'm a missionary and this stuff is true and you study and then you go out all day and see how much people whether rich or poor need what you are sharing. its super comforting.

Well lets share the top 3 rejections of the week...

#3 brings us to Stone Edge... we met this guy knocking doors and said yes guys I'm looking to get back on the path come tomorrow at 4... we show up... knock... and his two huge german shepards run up to the gate. he says sorry guys I'm not interested and if you knock again I'll open this gate and they will hunt you down... :D

#2 takes us to white river. so everyone here has dogs and a lot of them so we were knocking gates and this guy comes out yelling at us in Afrikaans and then switches to english when we smile "stop molesting my dog!!! (Elder Robinson "sir we didn't touch your dog") angry man "your presence here is disturbing my dog FUTSAKH" (Afrikaans for piss off you dog.)

and #1 brings us back to Nelspruit where we saw a sign on a gate that said "Warning... My dog Bites... you have been warned... If you are from 1. The church of latter-day saints 2. Jehovas Witness 3. 7th Day Adventist or any other Sect. You can turn around and leave right now.... Also no salesmen or women or any other low life... if you are not a friend, relative, or the mailman leave now.

so congratulations to our winners and thanks for playing.

See we have fun even in trial.

So my goal for this area is to leave it better than I found it by strengthening members, tracting all day every day to get those who are prepared, and studying and developing my teaching until my brain explodes. also to always seek the spirit in contacting, and teaching... hopefully that will make things turn around here but honestly it is going to take a ton of work and prayers... But that's why I am here to work hard...

Some big change I noticed is when I first came out I was so excited for the African experience, languages, the animals, and all that which is still nice... But now it is like I care so much for these people when I can't teach them its like nothing else matters. so I may go crazy tracting here but I'm gonna give it my very best...

Enjoy the week talk to you all soon.

Elder Robinson

mathias_mhike@colpal.com

From: mathias_mhike@colpal.com
To: kcrob477@hotmail.com
Subject: Good Day
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 15:08:52 +0200


Hi Elder Rabinson,

How are you, its like a year missing you here l hope you are ok . here we are fine but our problem is miss you only. we miss your teaching and the word awaresome you are a great person to us very friendly and kind. l hope you are doing well and teaching others as well.

God Bless you for everything you are doing.

Thank you very much for encouraging us to be the members of the Church , we are proud of that. we say as family thank you million times

Greeting from me, Abigail, Tinashe, Shyline

From lovely

Mhike Family

From Elder Blake Williams

Elder Robinson and Elder Alder (both in my MTC group and both the best missionaries in the world) got the transfer of a lifetime! They went to the same flat up in a zone called north east. it is Jungle and is said to be the best place in the mission. They have waterfalls, wildlife, and crazy diseases in their area! (they even have to take a daily pill so they wont die!) I am so jealous

Transfer news winners are?!?!?!?!?!

Congratulations to all of those who guessed Mpumalanga... That is right I'm now a proud member of North East zone and I am serving in a province with only 3 other missionaries... So this means my area is Bombastically big... my area is Nelspruit South Africa which was a host city for the World cup, is a dominantly white area... meaning work will be HARD, includes Kruger National park the largest concentration of African native wildlife in the world (I honestly can here the Zebras at night), there is hippo and crocodiles in the rivers right across from our flat, and I GET TO TAKE MALARIA PILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so my area is pretty dang sweet. I can see Mozambique from my area as well as Swaziland and I am in the same flat as Elder Alder my MTC companion which is super sweet they are the Kanymazane elders... But the next closest missionaries are about 5 hours away so we are out in the sticks haha...

My new companion is Elder Kantu from the "Pearl of Africa" Uganda... he's a sweet guy and reminds me hard core of Gonzo from the muppets... we've been having a lot of fun and doin some pretty good work so far I just feel he's a little tired of the area because he's already been here for 3 months and this area is basically the toughest area in the mission... 2 baptisms in the last year, big BIG houses, and lots of stubborn Afrikaaners... But hopefully with prayer, fasting, hard work, 1000% obedience, and lots and lots of doors knocked things will come right here... In fact we already had a pretty awesome experience after 2 straight days of 10am to 8pm knocking doors with no results I spent a lot of time thinking and praying of where we could go and we talked and decided to go to kamagugu in just about 5 hours of work there we've already found about 5 families to teach and 10 individuals... I am praying so hard they progress this area needs the gospel hard core... I left Benoni with 10 baptisms and 10 others I left there should be getting baptized in the coming 3 weeks. I hope to leave here with similar results though the work will be tough... its really gonna take the "miracle quadrant" of positive attitude and positive effort. But things will come right.

The branch is so sweet though like our members are awesome I just hope they start giving us referrals because if not there is gonna be some big matata haha... Oh and BTW mom we have a second mom here Sister Smith she is awesome haha in her testimony yesterday she just poured her heart out to us and was like if you want blessings, feed the missionaries and give them referrals haha she is the bomb.

I am gonna have a sweet time exploring this area it is seriously like Jurassic park here there are electric fences everywhere to keep the animals off the roads I just really hope the work is as sweet as the area but I'm sure with hard work it will be... It seems as though I'll be spending 6 months here if I follow suit with the other previous missionaries which means when I peace out I'll be 10 and 1/2 months gone and about ready to make the downward climb... honestly it shocks me how fast time is going I mean its Christmas in 19 days for pete sakes... Speaking of that... I'll enjoy my 90 degree days with monsoon like rain every other day and the green mountains, waterfalls, flowers, and wildlife that surround our area... hope you enjoy snow, smoke and the like in winter that side... the funniest things are the santa is coming this summer signs...

anyway time is gone\

Elder Robinson!!!