Well where to begin. how about the subject line... yep as crazy as it is I'll be the new DL for the Nelspruit district starting tomorrow after transfers... its a crazy feeling to be going from being follow up trained 2 transfers ago to follow up training someone myself and now leading a district... its pretty intimidating but I feel confident the Lord will provide a way even for me to do it all... Also sweet is that Elder Alder is gonna be training so we'll have a really young district and now it's crazy because I'm starting to realize we're getting old on mission now... just about 8 months ago I was still home and honestly it's pretty insane... But yeah DL Elder Robinson ready... well kinda... to rock....
As far as the work goes... this week we once again lost our car do to overheating problems so went back on foot. but Nelspruit seems to be changing... we're getting in houses and people are receiving us... Just Saturday we sat down with Musa and Vutima and taught the restoration and when asking the follow up question "how do you feel about what we've taught" they were like... its true... so we commited them to pray about it a bit more and put them on baptismal date for March 27th... also we have started teaching 5 new families and all look pretty promising... also awesome we are making some real ground on the branch mission organization and well things are sweet. But man I'm tired at night haha I've never been so worn out on my mission but I'm lovin it.
Also crazyness is that another transfer is over and I'll be starting my 3rd transfer here in the refiners fire and going on 4 and 1/2 months... which honestly when I first got here seemed like centuries away but just like everything on mission the time flies by and you just get confused haha...
the saga of Pastor Dan continued this week with much more shouting prayers but we had to tell him we couldn't come back anymore and so we left a book of mormon and commited him to read and pray about it. who knows what will come there... Kruger will be next week do to the drive to Jozi in the morning and another gas workers strike in the country...and boom we'll be getting a baptism next week with Ntokozo... he is pretty dang awesome... basically he's been taught by missionaries and never took it seriously and always went back to drugs or whatever else but felt prompted to pick up the book of mormon and read again. he read 2nd Nephi 32 and decided to pray and said he knew he knew it was true and couldn't run away anymore... he's a converted guy and it all happened it 10 days which is once again proof to me we as missionaries don't do anything it's all the Spirit. But awesome stuff nonetheless.. Veronica will get baptized next month just her mom is slowly dying and its kinda slowed her progress and the work is just going great I'm really starting to love this place... It's taken some work but the branch and the growth i've seen makes it all worth it...
Lets see we just got news on the new mission president coming in June so that's crazy and only 3 transfers away... and that's also my hump transfer... what the heck haha time is mind boggling... Congrats to Kasey working on his mission papers that is freaking sweet and is there any other sweet news from back home... mission calls? I haven't heard from Andy at all how is that guy doing?
crazy to think how fast life/ mission is coming at me... I remember thinking when I first came out... if I get made a DL or a trainer it won't be for like a year and that's forever away... and well just look now...
I guess if I could close with a thought for the week it would just be enjoy yourself... whatever you are doing, wherever you are, how tough or easy things are, enjoy it, live it to the fullest, and put on a smile. You never know what's gonna come or when it'll come but you can always be excited and fired up for it.
Well before this sounds like some womanish diary entry I'll stop and do a few pushups... phew there we go... I'm back...
enjoy the week, live it up, write some letters and use dearelder because it is free and I may even get them by tomorrow :)
Yebo baba
Elder Robinson
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentimes/Valentines day
Well first off happy valentines day to all of you wherever you may be and to any missionaries who happen to get this happy serving the Lord/ P-day/ Brodeo with your companion/district... Hard to believe a year has gone by since I put my mission papers in and honestly I don't know what the heck has happened... As far as news around Nelspruit Elder Brey and I get along really well and we're seeing a lot of success lately prayers really have been answered and this month we should be getting another two baptisms... veronica who we've been teaching for a while and lives in Sabie is really progressing and gaining a testimony and I feel for the first time she's doing it for herself and not her member friends out there... also Ntogozo who was taught by missionaries in the past stopped us on the street and said guys I really wanna change now... I ran away before but I've been reading the Book of Mormon and I know it's true.. I need this in my life... so both are on date for February 27th...
Also news the Atkinsons are going to be transfered to Tzaneen and Elder Atkinson is now a counseler in the Mission Presidency so that is super cool but we'll miss them a lot down here. But some good comes with the bad we will be inheriting two investigators who are progressing well and one of them is Frik (The south African Rambo) so we're pretty pumped for that. Also cool is the members have been bringing referrals and investigators to church and well things are coming along very nicely...
The crazy thing is it is 5 days until transfer news and Elder Rama is probably leaving which will create some really interesting changes in the District... for one... a new district leader... also no senior couple... and there are currently 3 young missionaries here... we may be getting another meaning Elder Alder or I would probably be DL... and due to issues in botswana we may be getting Sister Missionaries... So yeah big week and very interesting...
But let's talk about some awesome things this week and lets begin with last monday night and our "service" at the hospital... so we got a phone call from Pastor Dantgiie (Dah nn t KHHL(add phlegm) eee) and went to the Medi Clinic at 7... we were greeted by 3 huge pastors like 6 foot 5 270 pounds and they clasped our hands and began shout praying in the middle of the lobby... (this involves one man shouting a prayer and the other 2 shouting Jesus, Hallelujah, yes Lord, Hosannah!, or Dear Lord along with them.... and of course two missionaries holding back laughter...) We then went down the hall following these three huge guys who were acting like they were going to go play like the football game of their lives... swaying, clapping, wooing, shouting in the name of JESUS down the hall... and two missionaries following them. so basically we went room to room shared a verse, occasionally played a hymn, and listened to more crazy Afrikaaner prayers and then we made some non commital excuse for leaving after 40 minutes... Afterwards they were talking to us about where we come from... what we're all about... etc. and we basically told them we just share what we know to be true and we do this for 2 years and don't get paid and then mid sentece WHAM pastor Geerie whips out his hands slaps his hands on our faces and annoints us in the middle of the hospital with another shouting prayer.
man I honestly couldn't hold back the laughs I was shaking hahaha... then we left and they said same time next week we'll see you here! you bring a Lekker (very nice) spirit to our crew...
This morning we woke up with a call confirming the appointment... I honestly don't know what to do haha any suggestions would be much appreciated... We're gonna get pictures tonight haha
So after our "annointing" We went to work this week a lot with members and a lot of tracting... we met a way cool family from Soweto we'll be seenig thursday and also a cool lady with 2 kids from Zambia but appearantly her husband doesn't wanna meet us because "there is nothing we can teach him" We also taught a lesson with a pastor present who commited to pray about the message, and got 8 new investigators this week so it was a pretty rad week.
We'll be goin to Kruger National Park next monday so Mom and Dad if you could put maybe a bit of extra money on the home card just in case I see somethin awesome...
Well that's the news... the Lord answers prayers, nelspruit is coming right, we got annointed :D and it's looking like another good week ahead of us...
Enjoy Valentines day and the 3rd week of February 2011 haha
Much love from Africa
Elder Robinson
Also news the Atkinsons are going to be transfered to Tzaneen and Elder Atkinson is now a counseler in the Mission Presidency so that is super cool but we'll miss them a lot down here. But some good comes with the bad we will be inheriting two investigators who are progressing well and one of them is Frik (The south African Rambo) so we're pretty pumped for that. Also cool is the members have been bringing referrals and investigators to church and well things are coming along very nicely...
The crazy thing is it is 5 days until transfer news and Elder Rama is probably leaving which will create some really interesting changes in the District... for one... a new district leader... also no senior couple... and there are currently 3 young missionaries here... we may be getting another meaning Elder Alder or I would probably be DL... and due to issues in botswana we may be getting Sister Missionaries... So yeah big week and very interesting...
But let's talk about some awesome things this week and lets begin with last monday night and our "service" at the hospital... so we got a phone call from Pastor Dantgiie (Dah nn t KHHL(add phlegm) eee) and went to the Medi Clinic at 7... we were greeted by 3 huge pastors like 6 foot 5 270 pounds and they clasped our hands and began shout praying in the middle of the lobby... (this involves one man shouting a prayer and the other 2 shouting Jesus, Hallelujah, yes Lord, Hosannah!, or Dear Lord along with them.... and of course two missionaries holding back laughter...) We then went down the hall following these three huge guys who were acting like they were going to go play like the football game of their lives... swaying, clapping, wooing, shouting in the name of JESUS down the hall... and two missionaries following them. so basically we went room to room shared a verse, occasionally played a hymn, and listened to more crazy Afrikaaner prayers and then we made some non commital excuse for leaving after 40 minutes... Afterwards they were talking to us about where we come from... what we're all about... etc. and we basically told them we just share what we know to be true and we do this for 2 years and don't get paid and then mid sentece WHAM pastor Geerie whips out his hands slaps his hands on our faces and annoints us in the middle of the hospital with another shouting prayer.
man I honestly couldn't hold back the laughs I was shaking hahaha... then we left and they said same time next week we'll see you here! you bring a Lekker (very nice) spirit to our crew...
This morning we woke up with a call confirming the appointment... I honestly don't know what to do haha any suggestions would be much appreciated... We're gonna get pictures tonight haha
So after our "annointing" We went to work this week a lot with members and a lot of tracting... we met a way cool family from Soweto we'll be seenig thursday and also a cool lady with 2 kids from Zambia but appearantly her husband doesn't wanna meet us because "there is nothing we can teach him" We also taught a lesson with a pastor present who commited to pray about the message, and got 8 new investigators this week so it was a pretty rad week.
We'll be goin to Kruger National Park next monday so Mom and Dad if you could put maybe a bit of extra money on the home card just in case I see somethin awesome...
Well that's the news... the Lord answers prayers, nelspruit is coming right, we got annointed :D and it's looking like another good week ahead of us...
Enjoy Valentines day and the 3rd week of February 2011 haha
Much love from Africa
Elder Robinson
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Follow up trainer Elder Robinson, 7 months old, and yeah man I'm old all of a sudden
Welcome to this weeks edition of adventures in Afrika. To begin Elder Kantu is gone and now is in Matchuti in Botswana... I am now follow up training Elder Justin Brey from Highland Utah and honestly it's kinda intimidating... like he's a sweet kid, we get along well, knows how to teach pretty well, and an obedient missionary. We both like the same music, same kinda stuff, he's just a little quiet. It's an odd feeling. Like just 2 months ago I was being follow up trained myself. I'm still only in my 5th transfer and well Nelspruit is tough. We've already seen more success than the whole of last year and I feel a little lost I would say. But its weird... like I can say the Lord answers prayers but usually not in the way you expect. for example... I've been really lost the last few weeks I would say, when I saw the area falling apart around me, my teaching going downhill because of no lessons, and the only two investigators we had become recent converts just was a shock to the system I would say. So I prayed... like no ones business... to get the fire in my heart back, to help this area, to strengthen the members, to do anything to get back on track. Afterwords I felt really peaceful I would say and the next morning we got the phone call I'd be follow up training, elder Kantu would be gone, and now word on the street is we're gonna have a young district so there is a possibility of even being a DL in the near future.
Crazy... But let's just talk about how everything has gone the last 3 days, this is the most shocking thing. Now all of a sudden with two white people we are treated differently by the people... now you may be thinking "elder you're jumping to conclusions these people aren't racist" well not once did we get a go away, we have a church, we're not interested, or anything. in fact we taught. a lot. even in neighborhoods I knocked in the past people I've personally talked to said... " no guys we've never seen you before!" The Lord answers prayers, but sometimes not in the way you expect. hopefully our area will take off now... I just really really hope it isn't a race thing.
But I can definitely say I have found the drive again to improve I feel like ready to work, study, learn, grow, teach, and all that again and I feel like we'll be able to as well. members are working with us, we just got fired up by Zone Conference, we're gonna be starting the Branch mission organization, and everything is sweet. and it looks like we'll be getting another baptism this month and hopefully even more in march.
Time is out gotta run but enjoy the week... love you all
false alarm 6 minutes.
yeah the Lord answers prayers and doors open up who knows what will come in the next few months/ weeks/ however long I'm still in Nelspruit but things seem to be coming alright. other than Justice doesn't want us anymore haha apparently he loves his church to much to leave and has tried to tell us but didn't wanna hurt our feelings. Now we've just killed another month of time with him... ugh
Lets see also sweet we're gonna be volunteering at the hospital Monday nights and doing family home evenings with some sick kids and singing hymns so that'll be sweet and well its another P-day to catch up and get everything ready to roll for this week.
now time is up...
haha enjoy the week now
Crazy... But let's just talk about how everything has gone the last 3 days, this is the most shocking thing. Now all of a sudden with two white people we are treated differently by the people... now you may be thinking "elder you're jumping to conclusions these people aren't racist" well not once did we get a go away, we have a church, we're not interested, or anything. in fact we taught. a lot. even in neighborhoods I knocked in the past people I've personally talked to said... " no guys we've never seen you before!" The Lord answers prayers, but sometimes not in the way you expect. hopefully our area will take off now... I just really really hope it isn't a race thing.
But I can definitely say I have found the drive again to improve I feel like ready to work, study, learn, grow, teach, and all that again and I feel like we'll be able to as well. members are working with us, we just got fired up by Zone Conference, we're gonna be starting the Branch mission organization, and everything is sweet. and it looks like we'll be getting another baptism this month and hopefully even more in march.
Time is out gotta run but enjoy the week... love you all
false alarm 6 minutes.
yeah the Lord answers prayers and doors open up who knows what will come in the next few months/ weeks/ however long I'm still in Nelspruit but things seem to be coming alright. other than Justice doesn't want us anymore haha apparently he loves his church to much to leave and has tried to tell us but didn't wanna hurt our feelings. Now we've just killed another month of time with him... ugh
Lets see also sweet we're gonna be volunteering at the hospital Monday nights and doing family home evenings with some sick kids and singing hymns so that'll be sweet and well its another P-day to catch up and get everything ready to roll for this week.
now time is up...
haha enjoy the week now
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