Patience Week.

So to begin welcome to this weeks edition of Ayoba in Africa. Hello to everyone back home good to hear life is well and all of the happenings in Utah, California, Vegas, or wherever you may be. To begin lets talk about 2 count em 2 baptisms yesterday. So Ntokozo Mxolisi Soko is a totally changed man... when I first got here... he did nothing but drink and smoke weed all day but he felt prompted to read 2nd Nephi 32 and it completely changed his outlook on life... he's truly a changed guy and yesterday I had the privellege of baptizing him nothing but huge smile the whole day at church and during the baptismal program. Now also baptized was Barney Neethling McCarthy who I have had the pleasure of teaching a few times, home teaching, and who was being taught by the Atkinsons and now he has been passed along to us. Barney is the man... l have never seen someone so converted to the gospel. When I first met him he was a bit stubborn but had a testimony... and now man you would think he has been a member for 20 years... Now one of the coolest things about being a District Leader is getting to interview people for baptism... Now this can seem a little intimidating because its like you are the judge of if they are ready... But it is so powerful to hear the testimonies and to see the changes they have made... I was able to interview 4 people on Wednesday and man probably one of the most profound experiences on my mission. Barney was incredible... I would ask a question just like the basics and he would expound of how he was converted to live the principle and how he never ever wants to change the guy just kept breaking into tears man and he's not a crying kind of guy... big Afrikaaner who constantly smells of biltong but man he's the man...

Which brings us back to sunday... He was baptized by his son our 2nd Counseler and man the guy was just in tears and they just hugged in the font for like 3 minutes and man it was the most powerful thing I've ever seen. then his wife came down who has been a member for like 10 years and simply said one year til the temple then they cried and hugged for some time as well... The gospel is true... nothing else to say...

So also this week our car is still broken and so that means a lot of walking and a lot of sunburn... my nose is like practically radioactive but supposedly this week will cool down. Also this week I was able to teach my first district meeting which was pretty intimidating to teach a group of missionaries but I felt it went really well and the Lord made it good. it was about becoming a S.P.O.W. (Spiritual Positive Obedient Worker) and D&C 88 80-81 and D&C 127: 4 so I think we were all pretty motivated which was nice :D

We have found a lot of cool families and we currently have 8 people on baptismal date for march which would be more people baptized in 3 months than the last 3 years... so hopefully all goes well. Tonight we'll be teaching 3 families Elvis and Daisy, George and Xabelo, and Benjie plus wife who we haven't met yet... so I'm excited... The District is doing well and I'm excited to do my best in helping it grow. Our new missionary in the District is Elder Morowa and he is from Zimbabwe and is a rad guy and super funny.

Maybe I'll talk a bit about the weekend because it was pretty epic... so Saturday we had like 10 appointments scheduled so we were pumped but lo and behold ditch after ditch after ditch after ditch and a 38 degree day which is like 102 back home... so we tracted... got shouted at by muslims, chased by a pit bull which I kicked in the face bringing my total to 7 dogs kicked in the face, yelled at by Afrikaaners, and vuvuzela blasted because the Kaizer Chiefs were Playing the Orlando Pirates so its like BYU vs. Utah football... only soccer. and sunburn bad haha... I put a frozen towel on my face and the towel was melted and warm within two minutes... awesome... and then because we had baptisms scheduled in Kanyamazane and Nelspruit we had to wake up at 3 and take the font to Kanyamazane... after getting that ready we had a service over there and then drove to Nelspruit missing sacrament and frantically set up the font there... because the water was going to slow we had to bust out the fire hose and then had an epic baptism (see above haha) and then we walked to kamagugu to teach Irene who is having some difficulties right now and heard we were "the Mammons" from her pastor but we commited her to pray and read and even to be baptized and she accepted. Then we walked to Stone henge 20 k's away then back to the flat 10 more k's only to realize we left the keys at the chapel locked out dehydrated and had to wait for Kanyamazane to get back. then I did my call in report to the zoneleaders sat on the bed and the next thing I knew it was 6:30 this morning... and I didn't move or hear a thing last night... my eyes kinda look like tomatoes with a blue bit of mold on it for my corena or however you spell that...

But all is well... Mission is sweet... we won't have the car back until Friday and so thus begins patience week. Pretty sweet eh?

Well enough of that...

Enjoy the week

enjoy mexican food.

Enjoy march...

Say goodbye to February

Elder Kenyon Robinson
Nelspruit South Africa
AKA the Refiners Fire

Peace out