"you know Elder Robinson Nelspruit is a beautiful place and I love seeing the lights at night driving up the N4 and I think you'll really enjoy it as

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

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

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

"Guy's... we have a boat.... We don't need Jesus" -Afrikaaner in Nelspruit

So the greatest news is we got 2 baptisms on Sunday! so that was sweet Mbuso Fortune Sikumbuzo Shumba and Thandiwe Emelda Ngomane were baptized at richman poorman furniture store parking lot yesterday and it was so flippin sweet. you know... sometimes you tract 12 hours a day 6 days a week and get rejected time after time, have to kick a dog in the face that is chasing you, put up with blisters, cuts, swarming bees, and all kinds of other problems but then sunday comes and you see the change in two peoples lives and you get to be part of it and you look back and say it was all worth it. what a January is all I can say.

Also cool this week... well actually today WE GOT THE CAR BACK!!! so now we can visit all of our investigators again, make it to appointments on time, drive to locations to tract rather than walk 2 hours, and enjoy AC! just some more awesome ways the Lord hooks us up

we had two pretty sweet rejections this week... one is from the headliner "guy's we've got a boat... we don't need Jesus." and another favorite was "LISTEN!!! I'M DRINKING RIGHT NOW AND I DON'T WANNA LISTEN!" ah we have fun tracting haha seriously it is fun just the simple day to day fun of missionary work you just have to live to understand.

Our members are working on missonary work now and also sweet is that we should have 11 on date for baptism by the end of this week so I really hope we can work well with these guys and help this branch grow. I just think it'll take a lot of work but luckily we got 2 baptisms to kinda put the fire back in our hearts. and the car helps a lot too haha.

Man so super bowl this week... hard to believe that much time has gone by I mean it's february tomorrow what the heck. you get shocked more and more how fast time goes by like I just look now and say 7 months gone Elder Rama keeps telling us haha you've hit 6 months you guys are dead... me I might as well be on the plane it's crazy.

anyway it was a good week... but long... but sunday made it all worth it and we're now pumped to go back out and work again.

Elder Kantu is going to be leaving to Botswana but we don't know when yet which will really mix things up out here as far as transfers, future transfers, and what kind of missionary that will be coming.

this week we are going to Tzaneen for zone conference which is a 5 hour drive part way through Kruger National park so that'll be cool and we'll get to see the baboons who sit on the side of the road and wave at cars. So all in all good week, some new investigators we'll be seeing this week and two baptisms... what up nelspruit.

Have a splendid week

go Steelers

happy February

Elder Robinson

Hotswana, the car back!... for one day..., bafana bafana, and 2 count em 2 baptisms.‏

Welcome one welcome all to KFC south Africa... yeah so we got our car back not last monday but last thursday 13 days after loosing scardizio (our Aveo) and enjoyed the colonels 11 herbs and spices in celebration of happy feet, air conditioner, and being able to make it to our investigators again. and then we went to Lydenburg... we had an epic drive through the mountains and mist and it is an incredible view it kinda reminds me of those pictures you see of stone hendge like big green rolling hills, waterfalls, rivers, and this huge sun. So that was sweet. we met with President Sigauwke who has a new investigator for us and we introduced the family mission plan to members out there. They are the strength of our branch in Lydenburg so I'm worried that if they start to see a lot of growth they'll open a branch there and Nelspruit would die so hopefully something works out for the best the problem is it is 98k's from the church so... yeah... and then the night came. and our car wouldn't start. we assumed eh maybe it just needs to be jumped but no so appearantly the starter is dead so a guy basically hot wired our car and we drove back. We had a sweet drive back though fog so thick we had to drive like 50k's an hour the whole way... like 35mph and we saw duikers all over the road which is basically like a midget gazelle and we almost hit one haha. and then we arrived back and ate pillow for the night. then without a car once again we commenced tracting in the blazing sun with barely even being able to plant passalong cards. so haha once again we're struggling in the work because we can't make it to our humble areas and we've tracted almost every where else...

This week we also found out that they are still having problems getting Visas in Botswana for more than 90 days so we may be having an emergency transfer with the Botswana Elders and Elder Kantu may be leaving Nelspruit sometime this week. we'll get the phone call tonight. I think he is ready to leave but I think he wants to see progress from the families we're teaching and of course our two baptisms this sunday.

Speaking of that... bam two baptisms this sunday to basically kick off my 2 months in Nelspruit.It's crazy to see the time go so fast but looking back I feel like i've been here a LONG time. but still much work is to be done. Mbuso and Thandiwe will put us on track to make our trimester and will give us drive to keep planting seeds, tracting, and getting rejected. and of course teaching a humble few.

So some sweet news... in Sudan next week there is an African cup of 16 countries and Bafana Bafana (the national team) is training in Nelspruit right up the street from our flat... so we got a bunch of pics with the team and even run the same hills they do twice a week. so that's pretty cool and we even gave one of the coaches a book of mormon... so if they do well in the tournament you know what's up haha.

well not to much else to talk about other than it's hot, the work is picking up a bit, members are helping a little, and WE'RE GETTIN 2 BAPTISMS... I would dance but it is against mission rules. speaking of mission rules funny story. When Elder Nelson and I were still together he told me a story of a missionary who even defended the mission rules in his dreams and he said now that's an obedient missionary. well this week it happened. I had a dream I was back home with Martin, Wade, Collin, Uncle Weston, (the wonky ballz crew) and we were all gonna go ride motorcycles. and I was like guys... we can't it's against the rules and we need baptisms. then I woke up. yeah when your mind is continually on missionary stuff haha you go a bit crazy.

This week I saw a Baboon and they stand on the side of the road and wave at cars haha it's pretty classic and I've heard you can feed them bananas so maybe we'll try that soon and yep they've got crazy colored butts. We've got some old missionaries that used to serve in Mozambique and Nelspruit and they're pretty sweet haha they even wore their badges to sacrament from 6 years ago so that was interesting. and we enjoyed another sweet Sunday night with the Atkinsons having some ice cream, snickerdoodles (GOD BLESS AMERICA) , and popcorn and chatted about the week which is always nice.

I think I'll close this week by talking about a kind of sort of investigator the Atkinsons are teaching and we help with a little bit. his name is Frek and he's a crazy Afrikaaner with a heart of gold. back in the day Angola and South Africa had a war going on so they parachuted him in to the bush to basically terrorize some of the army and well they forgot about him. He's basically a South African Rambo but a sniper and he's skinny. So basically he survived in the jungle 10 years by himself killing people for food, clothes, money, bullets, or whatever else he needed just doing his job for his country that forgot about him. and then came back to south africa and snapped two times on people who crossed him funny and killed them. but he's got the heart of a champion and they guy is a big teddy bear and bought a suit so he can come to "jesus's true church" every week. so that's Frek... he's the man...

anyway guys time is short but things are pretty good. and I'm excited for sunday and hopefully to have our car back again by tuesday... Next monday I may have a new companion, more crazy stories, and of course a new box of Weetbix... YE....BO!!!

Ke Nako... it is time.... cheers ney?

January: the hottest month of the year welcome to the southern hemisphere‏

Well where to begin our car still is in the shop so this week I'm estimating we walked about 115 miles round and about to appointments and things. GM is kinda a joke here so maybe I'll talk you through my 10 days of phone calls about the car. last friday we took it in and they gave us a call about our engine coolant and AC and how they have to order some new pipes. the cost is about 5000 rand so they wanted us to make a down payment and because of being on foot and the distance we had to wait until saturday. Thabo told us our car would be fixed tuesday. tesday comes and we call around 1 o clock and he says "eish boss your car will be fixed friday morning" so friday morning comes and we call. "um your car will be finished monday" so hopefully at 12 o clock today we have our car. if not we may be hoofing it again. But its seriously effected the missionary work because we can't make it to many of our investigators and we've tracted everyone within an hours walk. But all that aside we had a dope week.

Thandiwe is a super cool lady we met at spar. we basically got our groceries, gave her a passalong card, talked a bit, and invited her to church. Sunday came and bam she was there and said "How can I get baptized" now something sweet happens with missionary work. sometimes you walk and walk and knock and knock but what you really needed to do was work hard and be obedient and the lord hooks you up. she'll be baptized on the 30th.

Mbuso is from Joburg and is 19 he's finishing up school and moved up here for his last year with some friends. first lesson asked a lot about baptism and wanted to get baptized. he's also gonna make the 30th hopefully and what's rad is we'll be on track for our trimester goal and 2 baptisms in January is the same as the whole of missionary work last year. so obedience and work pays off. Plus God hooks us up. enough said haha.

we do have some pretty sweet families also who are progressing so we're hoping for around 12 baptisms by April. so hopefully the work continues to go well and with luck and the Spirit everything will be sweet.

Now for a funny story. So we've been trying to work a lot with members lately and Elder Kantu was assigned to talk on the joys of missionary work and member missionary work. so yesterday he gives a powerful talk and bears sweet sweet testimony and promises miracles in the Nelspruit branch and man you could feel the Spirit. so he wraps up the talk and no joke this is the first thing a member says to us right after the talk "don't worry elders you'll get baptisms when you leave Nelspruit" hahahahahaha man that's our branch haha they don't take family mission plan, unites, or any of their work seriously haha but a few do and that's all we ask in fact we have 2 referrals to see this week one of which is a family... so yay :D.

On a sad note a lady we're teaching, Veronica, has a mother who is dying of what is suspected to be AIDS. so it's not very pretty right now but she's still progressing and I think its the perfect time to teach the plan of salvation. Her sister and brother want to meet with us as well so who knows what will come there.

But basically it has been a pretty good week just flippin hot and I've got some pretty stinky shirts to wash. one day though we got dumped on for about 5 miles and my shoes are still trying to dry. one day it'll be like 100 and 100% humidity and the next day it'll be monsoon. TIA this is Africa. anyway thnigs are sweet and hopefully we get our car back today because my feet feel like wet cardboard that's been ran over like 30 times.

OH and thanks everyone for the Christmas cards I'll try to write back but mail has been getting stolen lately so I'll just thank you in advance we just got our mail this week.

Aufwiederzehn von Afrika

Elder Robinson

Legen.... wait for it.... DARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!‏

So what to say about this week other than it has been awesome. We tracted the crap out of kamagugu and found 6 new families and 17 new investigators we should have quite a few on baptismal date soon and will be progressing to achieve our goals. an awesome family is Solly and Happy. they are the best and its one of those families you teach and it doesn't matter how bad your day has sucked or not but you just leave happy. So I'm happy this week was sweet and hopefully everyone will be back by today so we have our full arsenal of investigators back.

time is very short haha so I'll save a lot about our new people for next week but lets just say they are awesome and 2 weeks of nothing were worth it. haha.

So story this week our cars coolant pipe broke so we've been without a car since Wednesday which means walking about 20 miles a day. haha so it has been pretty intense one day super hot getting chased by a swarm of bees the next walking in 3 inch deep rain getting blisters.

So all of this walking kind of leads to being really tired. now we take malaria pills every day and they have been known to cause strange dreams. this week I had two gems. Friday night I had a dream we were in Kruger national park and we some how ran into country legend Kenny Rogers. I simply gave him a pass along card and I baptized Kenny Rogers the next weekend. Why Kenny Rogers I don't know but I wasn't complaining and man we had good chicken after the baptism haha. Dream two and my personal favorite involved president Sigauwke our branch president. appearantly he was mad so he told us to go burn down a less active families house because they were ruining his home teaching stats and then told us to take their names to the temple for baptisms for the dead. its surprising how real these dreams seem haha.

Lets see so yesterday was a fun Sunday I spoke in sacrament for 20 minutes, taught Gospel doctrine, then taught Combined Elders and High Priest quorum. This is what branch missionary work is like haha.

well I typed faster than I thought so lets talk a little about Solly and Happy. they have had division in their house for about 20 years between the Methodist church and Anglican church and have been questioning a lot about where the divide comes from. Boom we knock their door and boom they are prepared. hopefully they'll be baptized next month.

sorry time is up but next week I'll spend more time on this bad boy and have more stories to share.

Enjoy the week

Bafundisi Robinson