"The Kraal", When Sangomas meet missionaries, dedication, We are laying the foundation of a great work so that we CANNOT COME DOWN!‏

So you may be thinking to yourself "how is Hammanskraal?" Well let me tell you....

I love this area. When you walk out of the car and down the dusty roads you just feel this electricity in the air. People are flocking to meet with us, everyone is interested, people love that I know a little bit of Tswana from my time in Soweto, We are almost for sure gonna have 6 baptisms this month, and the field is white already to harvest.

A bit more on the area. We are currently meeting at the Renato's home in Temba at Stand #2149. Our sacrament meeting attendance reached an all time record this week with 26 people. the average is 9. We taught primary and gave talks. Primary is held in the dinning room and Sacrament in the living room,the size is a grand total of maybe an average motel room. But the Spirit is so strong you can taste it. When I say there is something in the air I mean it. We never want to leave the area. We just want to find, teach, and be there. Miracles will happen here. I give it to maybe 2013 before there is 100 plus members it is simply incredible.

This week one of our investigators we tracted into has grandparents who are members in Tzaneen and she has been praying for the church to come. So she (Jacquilene) woke up at 5:30 and walked the hour and a half to church with her 4 year old sister. She should be baptized this month and possibly her whole family of 7 in time. Across the street from the church is Pauline, Kerabo, and Koketso a powerful grandmother and grandaughters team who should all get baptized this month. Within two lessons they had burning testimonies and just last night the gave us all of their tea and had us throw it away after teaching the word of wisdom. People here, there is just something about them. Of course there is still the ones who totally get wasted every night of their lives, but those who are here just hunger for the truth. and we will bring it to them.

This week we met a Sangoma.... now I don't know if I've explained them before, but they are straight up legitimate witchdoctors, who throw bones, make potions, slaughter goats, and do all kinds of crazy things. We taught her the restoration and she asked if she could close with a prayer. after 10 minutes of jumping up and down screaming in Tswana she closed and then put her hand on Elder Bangani and "prophesied" apparently he needs to fast for 7 days straight or in 3 months something will come and make him happy for 3 days, then sick for a week, then miserable for the rest of his life... haha T.I.A. this is Africa baby. As we were leaving we noticed fresh lambs blood marked on the walls we didn't see the night before because it was dark. yeah welcome to the village ladies and gentlemen.

But yeah Hammanskraal is great. actually incredible and honestly I'm so pumped just to go teach like every minute. Hopefully someday soon there will be a chapel, stake, branches, and powerful members, and we are lucky enough to pioneer it all. I love this work!

Elder Robinson
signing off from
"the Kraal"

Hammanskraal?!?!?!?, wedding, baptisms, leaving, blessing, goodbyes, I could sleep for 3 days.‏

So welcome to transfer news everyone's favorite game... so all of the
suspense has already been spoiled I'm going to Hammanskraal!!!!!! Now
you may be thinking what the heck is Hammanskraal.... Well I'm going to
be opening a brand new area to missionary work. It's a village/ town/
township north of Pretoria so if you guessed Pretoria I guess by
default you won!!! But from what I've heard its a unit of about 18
members and has around 300,000 people so we're pretty stoked to get
the work going there and I begin tomorrow.

In other news... I'm leaving Florida. which is going to be pretty
tough I've been saying goodbyes for the past 2 days and still have a
lot more tonight and man haha this is honestly the worst part of being
a missionary leaving areas. But in happier news.

The Leopengs got MARRIED!!! We were there for everything and it was
awesome I've literally seen them go through everything to get married
but it all has payed off in the end and it was an icing on the
cake.... pun intended... to my time here in Florida.

A scary thing happened this week with sister Joyce we got a call
Thursday she was going through a panic attack because of her health
and we showed up and she basically was having a seizure but we gave
her a blessing and instantly as we put our hands on her head she
stopped shaking and was able to talk. She told us she needed to be
baptized and...

Sunday we had 4 baptisms!!!! The Leopeng's and Sister Joyce it was
super powerful and my favorite part as always was hearing them bear
testimonies afterward. Sister Joyce just cried and said how thankful
she was for us and her new family and the Leopeng's just talked about
every trial they went through and it was pretty intense but then they
were just all about the temple. man I love those guys it is going to
suck to leave.

Bhukis and Jandine found out their little boy has TB so that was a
huge set back but we're going to get everything worked out. and George
basically told us regardless of what happens he will be baptized next
month. So we're pumped like no ones business. and now I get to fade
off into a new land with much work still to be done here which I'm
very happy for.

Yep I'm leaving and saying a ton of goodbyes which is hard but I'm
really looking forward to the next few months it will be legendary. be
looking forward to some pictures I'll be sending them tonight.

Elder Robinson

I'm not addicted I'm just a person who has to have my cup of coffee, Leopengs!, George mah bra, everyone's favorite game TRANSFER NEWS!‏

YEP its that time again the time for you to play TRANSFER NEWS.... This Saturday we will find out if I will be getting transferred or not. Next Monday we will play the game. So get your lucky picks ready... Here are the possibilities.

1. Pretoria
2. Centurion.
3. Benoni
4. Bedfordview
5. Bots West.
6. Bots East.
7. Francistown.
8. Northeast
9.Joburg
10. Northwest
11. Soweto West.

Tune in for next weeks results on should I stay or should I go!

So to the week It was honestly one of the most insane weeks of my mission in terms of just everything that happened. I don't really know where to start so maybe I'll just talk about Investigators and then other little things here and there.

Leopengs: are getting married FRIDAY!!!!! and BAPTIZED SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now everything has finally come together with them. Brother Kgomusto has been struggling a bit with smoking so please keep him in your prayers. This week we've honestly just had a ton of fun teaching them, watching conference talks, preparing the wedding (insanity by the way haha), and just doing work. It's going to be an awesome Sunday.

Joyce: also getting baptized this week sickness is finally gone.

Randall: Here is an interesting one... So Tuesday morning we get a phone call from Randall that he is being kicked out of his house because he went drinking, got in a fight, and brought a girl home. So we come to the rescue. We talk about repentance, the law of chastity, the word of wisdom, and basically commit him to pray to God for help then ask his mom for forgiveness. So the next day we get a call... "Elders I've swallowed my pride and did what you said. I'm going to get my job back and my mom forgave me. It's a miracle" So we were more than happy about this and went to teach him Friday. We go back to Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and its like he's been filled up with total crap again. "The Book of Mormon is just another mans interpretation of the Bible. How can you say its the only true church my pastor can resurrect people." So we explained and kinda went back to the Word of Wisdom and followed up on it. "I can't stop drinking coffee it is not wrong other churches serve coffee. (Elder Robinson:" That's because other churches don't have the fullness of the gospel") "Well I am just a man who has to have my coffee every day" (Elder Robinson: Randall this is exactly why its part of the Word of Wisdom its addictive.") "I just like to have it every day.... its its... (Elder Robinson: An Addiction??") man haha you can't battle the truth. We bore powerful testimony and were just about as bold and blunt as possible... We will see tonight what happens.

George: George is back baby! We found him at the grocery store and will be teaching him again... and he will be baptized!!!

Bruno Tebogo Malu and Brenda: Early this week we saw a lot of great things and had a great family night. Wednesday on the other hand things were very different. They were struggling to read, getting discouraged and arguing. But Friday was just about the most powerful lesson of my mission. We talked about the Spirit. Bruno and Malu are RM's who went inactive didn't keep commandments etc. and they just poured out there frustration of not being able to keep the spirit. Brenda and Tebogo just kept talking about all the changes to make and the miracles they've seen and man they just started crying. They are converted. They are changed. Now they just need to be married and do what's right. I heard Malu just talk about the Temple and man I love those families Nuff said.

Saturday the Kaizer Chiefs played the Pirates and we got sweet pics driving by Soccer City Stadium you could hear the vuvuzelas for miles.

Sunday we met Ulysses S. Soares who came to our stake conference it was powerful. They talked about how taking offense is like getting bitten by a snake. You can choose to crush the snake and risk getting bitten again or dying because ignoring the poison. Or you can sort out your wound and carry on... It was awesome.

Temple trip, being ZL's, planning, Rugby World Cup starting, spring here ah so much is happening new investigators ah I haven't slept normal hours in a week haha things are honestly insane but I love every minute of it. I'll probably sending pics tomorrow or later this week of Lion park, Tigers, Soccer City, and others. much love from South Africa and talk to you all in a week!

Elder Robinson

I felt like choking, I haven't bore my testimony in 8 years, bring n braai, boerkie, etc

So needless to say a great week. honestly I don't know where they go anymore. one day its Monday and I'm writing these emails the next thing you know its Friday and I'm in Pimville or Dobsonville, then its church, and bam Monday again. But lets give you a little look into South African culture this week.

SPRING DAY: The first day of September every year, basically this is a nation wide water fight and man it is so ridiculously fun. Like anywhere any time people have water balloons, super soakers, buckets, and it is free game... especially when you are a Mulungu (white man) in township. So last year we got drenched like no ones business but this year it was war. So we twisted the windshield fluid guns outward and loaded up with ice water and shot anyone on the side of the car. Man haha so fun. The night time was the best because we staked out the Protea Glen elders flat, absolute silence at 9:25 when a shout comes from around the corner "How was your spring day" a hail of red rubber fell down on the bedazzled elders and all that remained after was soggy ties and wet socks. Victory Soweto East Zone...good luck next year Soweto East.

Now this is a legendary holiday I will be bringing to the United States. 10 years and it will be a big deal just you wait.

But this week wasn't just about fantastic military strategy but man our investigators said some powerful things. Jason for example was invited to a party and they gave him a cigarette. Now Jason used to have a major problem with smoking but he said he just felt like he was being choked when he held it and told the girls he didn't smoke and gave them a copy of the book of Mormon and invited them to church. POW future missionary!

Also a really cool experience was Sunday seeing Bruno bear his testimony. He served a mission from 2000-2002 and went inactive for about 8 years so Sunday he stood up and just talked. He said how he felt a hope he hadn't felt in years. He feels like he's investigating the church for the first time and he was just like I love the missionaries. Then he started to cry.

Now there comes a point and time in your life as a missionary where you don't worry so much about what am I going to teach or how am I going to teach. And when you just don't worry about stupid things and just go to work. and when that happens you get things like this. Lives changed not because of anything that you've done but because you loved the people and did your part the lord saw it fit to include you.

I'm not the kind to cry but I can think of 3 times on my mission when its happened. 1# leaving the MTC and our district. #2. Leaving Benoni. #3. leaving Nelspruit. When I get up and bear my departing testimony it feels normal. I open up try to crack some lame joke and I just look out and see the people and I just lose it. Florida ward will be the same way haha man leaving sucks.

Saturday we had a sweet bring N' Braai with the ward and man it was so fun our investigators loved it, fellowship was happening like no ones business and in the coming 4 months we should have probably 20 baptisms here. Florida is on fire.

2 cool experiences this week happened. One was at Bhukis and Jandine's place. Elder Crawford (not from my group but still awesome) was with me and we were teaching the law of chastity. Turns out they aren't married yet. So at first they were like "We don't wanna get married yet." After some pause we just talked about the Temple. How its the ultimate goal for families. How when I saw the Weitz's get sealed I knew the blessings and promises were true. We both talked about how we weren't married or had kids but someday how everything would happen and how its the ultimate goal of the gospel. Afterward they were just like "When can we go" haha man I love the power of testimony. And Temples are awesome.

Also we had the opportunity to have dinner and Elder Mkhabela of the 70's house on Sunday and man he just would look at you and say something that rocked you to the soul. Revelation/ prophecy... yes haha so many things to say about that but no time or room in email.

With Summer returning the sun is back to full peak, and I looked at my watch tan line and I look like straight up leather in comparison to underneath my watch... yeah Boerkie fo sho'.

Well awesome week and more awesome to come. Stay classy San Diego.....
Elder Robinson