that every week but awesome things happen every week! So actually a lot of
really good things happened this week and I don't have a lot of time to
write about everything so I am kind of going to focus on a few of the main
highlights. So welcome to the SADM Top 10 at 10am:
Number 10: Just kidding theres not ten.
Anyways so on Monday we had a zone activity at the Mission Home again. We
went and played some games in the house because it was raining way too
much. We played a game called Quiddler which is just like 5 Crowns but with
making words instead of runs. It was really fun and I absolutely destroyed
the other guys! By like hundreds of points! Thank you mother and giving me
your vocabulary genes! haha. We had a nice Braai and then watched the
Saratov Approach again. Nice day though.
Wednesday was interviews with the Mission President. Basically I spent the
day being the taxi for all the elders during the day. Finally around 5pmish
it was my turn. It was probably one of my favorite interviews I have had
with Pres Z my entire mission. We were talking about how I have enjoyed the
first half of my mission and what I want to accomplish in my second half.
He was asking about what was my next step and all these things. I told him
though that I wasn't worried about leadership and other things but the
thing I wanted to be sure of is that in every area that I serve in, I want
to make a real difference in the lives of the members and the people I
meet. I don't care about the other things but I want to know that I did
everything I could to really help everyone become converted to the gospel
of Jesus Christ. Of course the next question was, Well thats really good
Elder Peterson, but how are you going to do that? Insert epic stupor of
thought hahaha. I thought for a minute and told him kind of the obvious
things, I will work hard, try my hardest to be effective every hour of the
day, talk to everyone, things like that. We said yes that is all good and
what you need to do but there is something else. He then started to explain
about obedience. He said that he knew i was a very good missionary. I was
obedient, others had told him I was very good and he has never heard
anything bad. He said he knows I will have a successful, fantastic mission
if I stay where I am now but then he said something awesome. He started
explaining and basically telling me that if I were to increase my level of
obedience that the blessings of heaven would basically fall upon me and I
would have an even more incredible mission. I kind of didn't know what to
say. Here he had just told me that I was obedient and doing great and my
mission is going to be awesome. Then he is saying, if you find ways to be
even better your mission will be greater beyond anything you can imagine!
For some reason it hit me so hard! Then Bro Carter just sent around an
email this week that talks about obeying the commandments and obeying the
Thou shalts as well as the Thou shalt not's. So maybe I need to really look
at my mission and study the white handbook and really find where I can
improve and get these extra blessings from Heaven! It was really such an
awesome interview and it really set the tone for me and makes me want to
have my last year be 10X better than my first! There is a lot of work to be
done and it looks like I am in a position to do a lot of it!
We also talked a lot about the idea of me transferring from Toti town into
the Illovo township. I really really love this area and love the members
here so much. I want to stay but I have been in Toti for 6 months now and
the odds are I will be transferred in December. Illovo has just split off
into its own unit under Toti Ward and they want to make it into a branch
before the end of December. The missionaries there are good guys, bless
their hearts, but they are getting a little finished. haha. Illovo is in a
position to boom!! and I want to help it happen. So I have been emailing
President for weeks begging to go there and he has been ignoring my pleas
haha. I finally go to ask him in person and he just started shaking his
head. But I explained why and his mood changed. I have worked with both
members and the leadership in both. They all trust me and I am ready to
work. The area is set up like PJ and if I work there it would be so fun and
there could be lots of success happening. President actually agreed with
me!! But just to put the nail in the coffin I have been talking to the
couples incharge of splitting wards and they are all onboard and making
plans to get me there. The Durban Stake President has been informed and
wants me there haha. All the members in Toti are calling and want me there.
Basically its kind of awesome. So hopefully I get to stay!
Thursday we did some more service at Bro Stephen's house. John Louie (JL)
the returned missionary invited a non member friend to help and we are now
working on him. I think he might have emailed you a pick mom I don't know.
But he is a super cool guy and should progress well. On Saturday we went
with JL, the friend whose name is Arnu, and Storm to the Bafana Bafana vs.
Sudan soccer game in Durban! We got permission to go and it was awesome!!
The 5 of us seriously lost our minds! We had those weird trumpet things
called Vuvuzelas and just went all out! We were trying to get on camera but
it didn't happen. We zoomed in on a part and we could tell it was us but no
one else would be able to see us unfortunately... It was fun though and
Arnu was happy to see us again! SA won by the way 2-1 and are qualified for
the AFCON Cup next year! This is the first time since 2008 so ya we were
there for this part of SA History!! But my lips hurt so bad from blowing
those things non stop for 2 hours! The drunk guys behind us actually asked
us to calm down we were so into the game hahaha. Oh good times.
Sunday we were able to have 2 baptisms!! Tokoso and Gogo Phungula were both
baptized! It was awesome because Storm was able to baptize Tokoso. He was
the one that gave us the referral way back when I first came to Toti and
has been helping us teach until now. It was awesome to see and Tokoso bore
a power testimony after! He was so excited and has been asking every week
since we meet him when he was going to be baptized haha. Such a good kid
and we are very excited for him. Gogo is a funny story. So she is the
mother to one of the members in the ward. She has another son who is a
bishop in a different ward in the stake. Basically everyone in her family
is a member but her. Well Gogo is 78 years old. She was a sangoma, which is
a traditional healer or witch doctor basically. Like her grandson was
telling us that she use to use serious drugs and get high and start to do
some funky things. Well the family has been working with her and praying
and fasting for years that she would join the church. They got her to stop
all the black magic things a while back and then it was a battle with a
drug called snuff. Finally after another long while she started to give
that up and come to church. She has been attending church for years. Like
so long that all the members here thought she was already a member. We have
been teaching her lately and she wanted to be baptized by the right
authority. She seriously used the word authority the first time we meet
her. Power. We taught her and she knew everything and my companion even
retaught in Zulu to make sure she really understood and she was absolutely
perfect. Well she was baptized by her grandson and it was perfect. We were
worried about her going backwards under the water and coming up but they
only had to do it once and it was perfect! It was funny, after they were
done they were in the bathrooms changing and I was out in the hall waiting.
When she came out she saw me, gave a huge smile and started to give a
little dance walking down the hall haha. A 78 year old Gogo that can barely
walk, doesn't speak much english, starts dancing and grooving down the
hall. I laughed so hard! She said she was so so happy and she could feel
she was clean. She bore the strongest testimony. It was in Zulu so I had
Alfred translate for me but it sounded so powerful. She was just the most
excited lady I have ever seen. After the service we were invited up to the
house for the family get together and had lunch with everyone. She just
introduced us to everyone as her missionaries. It was such a good
experience.
After church on sunday we had like 5 food appointments. It was outrageous.
But the best was in the evening we went to the Riese/Russell home for JL's
homecoming party. He was just telling stories and we had a good time. But
the cool thing, There was a camera crew here from SLC that was filming for
a new teaching ciriculum that is being introduced soon. Durban stake was
chosen to be the guinea pigs. The Riese family was asked to be in the film
so they have been working with the crew for a few days. Well they all came
over just to say goodbye and we got to meet them. It was cool because they
were some of the guys that had filmed the district, Legacy, Meet the
Mormons, Like all the church movies! We talked and they showed pics of them
being with like the characters and a bunch of famous people like Mitt
Romney and all the musicians and star sports players that are all mormon.
It was way cool! I took a pic with the guy and he said he would email it to
you mom. He also knows the apartment where Marissa lives. He is from PG.
Pretty cool though. Everyone was laughing though because one of the crew
was a Native American and they all wanted a picture with a Lamanite
hahahaha. The only time they will have one in their house haha. It was
pretty funny.
Its been a great week though! Seems like a lot of random things but lots of
good random things! We are just staying busy and doing all we can to get
some good people to teach! Just 15 more baptisms in Toti and I would be
happy ;) Its been a spirit filled week and I am looking forward to this one
coming! I hope it goes great for all of you as well! I love you all!
Elder Peterson
