Fwd: Hot Hot Hot

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jarod Jason Ivins <jarod.ivins@myldsmail.net>

10Kmilesaway@blogspot.com

Hello! This week was awesome! It went by really fast and had a lot of laughs and great smiles.
As it is starting to get really cold and snowing home, here it is getting hotter and hotter. yesterday at church was the hottest and we had 100 people there\\! Most it has been in months! so that was awesome! 

Earlier in the week i went on exchanges with Elder Bozer! my companion from the MTC! It was really fun to be with him and see how much we have both learned and grown in the couple months in the field compared to what we thought we knew in the MTC. 

We had a lot of stuff to do before the baptisms on Saturday. we had a great tender mercy from the Lord in finding baptismal clothing. The other elders had a baptism earlier in the week, and the font didn't work, and they couldn't find any clothing. We went again on Thursday to look, and we thought we were in trouble because they couldn't find any the day before. But then we opened a closet and found 2! and they were the exact sizes we needed! It was really cool!

Then on saturday we had to move the baptism to 830 because of conflicting events throughout the day. So at around 5 we got up to get everything ready, and when we got to the church in kwama kxaki to fill the font, and it was half filled, with old smelly, green water, full of bugs. HUGE cockroaches, spiders, and ants. we didnt know what to do, and called some people and the font wasn't even draining. so we did our best to hang from the glass and scoop out as much as we could, then fill it up the rest. The baptism was really great! Elder Watson baptized and then confirmed Nozi sunday, and then I was able to baptize Lisa and Elder McCarroll confirmed her! The spirit was really strong and they both have great testimonies! It is so great to see the whole process of them coming to the church. Lisa from her aunt, and being able to see her start from lesson 1 and not be baptized, and also Nozi, who was very stubborn but finally realized it was true. But after the baptism, the font wouldnt drain, and President Zitshu, the Branch president asked if we would stay till it was empty, so no one would fall in and drown, or anything. We couldn't figure out the drain, so we decide we would take 2 gallon buckets and scoop out the 250 gallon font. It was SO HOT, and we got so sweaty and wet and man, it took about 45 min. 

This week, also was ruined by me and elder McCarroll having fleas, either from Cleary boarding, and also from Motherwell.. so it has been not fun at all having all of them biting us and everywhere. i think we are getting rid of them, but still awful. 

We are working more with the members to introduce the Light The World initiative. which is really well! They are all soo kind and loving. I love them here and growing closer to them is so much fun. some families we saw this week were the Mgwanqa family, and the Flekies and Willies. we will be seeing more this week! Hopefully they make food as well ;) hahaha. 

I love learning more about the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon. Teaching about it and prayer builds my testimony that it is true everyday. I love the gospel and i can see the blessings it brings to peoples families here everyday! 

I hope all is well and everyone is great! Thanks for all the pics and emails and love and support. Keep being amazing. 

Love, 
Elder Ivins 

Fwd: THANKSgiving

From: Jarod Jason Ivins <jarod.ivins@myldsmail.net>
Subject: THANKSgiving (Said in the Blindside accent)

SUP people

This week flew by. It was really good! We have been working really hard and been seeing a lot of people. I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Greening and Elder Takavingei, and both times we got fed. Maybe they are the goodluck charm. they are awesome Zone leaders. This week we ate mphukoqo, 7 colors and a lot of chicken. which is really nice.

Nozi and Lisa both got interviewed and will be getting baptized next saturday! I am so excited for them and it has been really awesome to see them accept the gospel and to gain a testimony! Anawe we havent seen in a while, but hopefully after exams we can be able to help her progress. Her sister, unfortunately is falling behind, we went to see her on her birthday, and her friends came and told us to come back later, and Mzo was able to find out she didn't want to see us cuz she was drunk. ugh. Kind of a set back, but we will hopefully be able to help her see that those things do not bring true happiness, and that the gospel does.

We have a couple people that are doing well, like a young boy named Ayabulele who loves the BOM, but unfortunately this week is leaving for the bush, so we wont see him for 3 weeks. but hopefuly he will keep reading there!

Another guy is Andisiwe, he works at the gas station by our house. he works so much, but is a great guy. and really interested. I hope he can learn more and can see that even though he will make sacrifices, God will bless him. That is where faith is so important, trusting and hoping that Heavenly Father really is there and will help us. 

This week is Thanksgiving, and it is a lot different not to be going to grandmas. People dont really do anything for Thanksgiving, so we might be doing a big dinner next Sunday for it, which would be really nice. It is crazy how fast everything is going. That 3 months are down. but, a lot of work is left to be done. 

This transfer has only 2 weeks left, and Elder McCarroll thinks he will be leaving, which is really sad, but i hope we will have a lot of fun these last two weeks. 

This week was also full of a lot of unfortunate sights, of seeing multuple dogs get hit and smashed, many people saying come in and then having onl;y their robes on, and those being wide open. Agh sketchy. hahaha, last week we played rugby and soccer, and had a couple kids from the university play with us, and now are interested and meeting witht the elders! And this week we are going to be playing paintball. Should be fun!

I hope everyone is doing well and I love to hear from everyone. It makes my days and weeks so much better to get pictures and to talk to all of you! Thank you for the prayers and love. I am so thankful for my family and friends and everyone. Thanksgiving is a great time to tell people you love them. I love to serve in this beautiful and amazing place. 

Elder Jarod Ivins

Elder Greening and I with mphukoqo.
Elder Takavingie and I
3rd meal from yesterday from the Mashiqa family!

Fwd: TRUMP

If you have missed any of Jarod's emails, they are also on his blog 10kmilesaway.blogspot.com
My new favorite pic of him is also attached! Have a great week. We love our missionary!!
From: Jarod Jason Ivins <jarod.ivins@myldsmail.net>

HELLO!

This week just about everyone that we met with, asked us if we are happy about trump, or if we knew, it was so funny, and usually people just dont care but love to talk to us about it, and act like they know so much about politics, it is pretty funny. pretty sure all of the riots aren't as bad as here, it is sketchy.

It has been kind of rainy this week and windy, summer is coming and it is getting hotter! I love PE and Motherwell!

This week was nice, the Oliphant sisters are doing well. They open up more and more each week, but because of exams and not being able to see them as often, we may push their baptism back. but it is okay. We just want them to be converted to the gospel, and to the BoM, not us. It is awesome to see people gain a greater testimony daily. 

Lisa is doing well and will most likely be baptized next week! Nozi is also well, but we haven't seen her as much as we would have liked to, when people miss, it is hard becasue it puts a stop on their progression.

We have also been working more with members, and usually when we go there, they love to feed us. one family, the Flekie's,have been really instrumental in the conversion of many people, are so awesome and feed us too quite often. They have a huge family and most of them are members, they are trying to get everyone to be a member so they can be sealed in the next year. They take a bus every year from Motherwell to Joburg, 15 hour drive and it is about 50 people that go from the branch each year. The temple is so cool, and i love seeing how much the people sacrifice here to go.

This week wasn't much different than the others, but very busy! I was able to go with Elder Hugo on tuesday for excahnges! and he is a great teacher and I learned a lot from him. Church was really great this week and we taught about the difference of the Holy Ghost, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The gift of it is one of the greatest gifts from God, and we are able to have the constant companionship of the spirit. We need to take advantage and always repent when we sin, and look for the promptings of the Spirit. 

I love teaching about Joseph Smith and the first vision. It is the greatest lesson and I know it is true! 

Cleary slept over again last night and we had a nice breakfast this morning! we also are getting ready to carol and sing for this coming month. the work slows down a lot because people leave for holiday and summer break, but there are a lot of fun things we are planning for! Some malls are decorating for Christmas, and it makes me miss the snow and Christmas at home, but I am so excited for it here! 6 weeks! So you all better be ready to see this good looking elder, hahahhaha jk, but I love you all and hope everything is well! 

Elder Ivins

Church attire. It went over quite well!
Breakfast with friends after a missionary sleepover.
Nice digs
Killing Motherwell
11:11 on 11/11 (of course)

Fwd: Novemba is here

Goat heads??? Really??? Read on...
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jarod Jason Ivins <jarod.ivins@myldsmail.net>

HEYA! This week was very good, but a little longer at times. Appointments are dropping more, but it is okay, we just get to meet more people! 

Lisa is doing well, but didn't come to church so that is unfortunate. She remembers things so well. Like stuff we taught over a month ago, she can remember! It is awesome!

Nozi is also well, but also didn't come to church. The excuse of no money for taxi is always what people say, but it is hard because if you have a desire, and aren't lazy, you will get to church haha. We called out a lot of recent converts and less actives on it this week. 

Yamkela, man, the Watsons called him to teach him on the phone. He read over the word of wisdom pamphlet, felt it was right, and stopped coffee completely. he has been reading the bom for a couple weeks, and is almost done with Mosiah. Man, he is so powerful. I hope he can get a job soon close to a church so he can be baptized!
The Oliphant sisters are also doing well! Anawe (20) and Aphelele (17) are reading more and both came to church! They are also hoping to be baptized at the end of the month, but I just hope they will be ready, it is good to know that everything is done on the Lord's time tho. and He knows when it will be right. But we hope to have it be then! 
The other day, we were in a lesson with an investigator sister Zintathu, and we about 15 min in, and a drunk guy came barging in, yelling for his soul mate. She was so embarrassed and just went into a different room. The guy sat down and then just made it really awkward. The sister was in there for like 10 minutes and didn't come back. The guy was yelling, you know Joseph! where is the Pillar? and it was funny but confusing. then he made us pray for him haha. SO we just left, and then she came out and asked us to come back, and he was getting dragged out by his brother yelling at us again. 

We also went to a recent convert's house, who just moved from a place called Zwide to Motherwell. They are really powerful family. the Vena family.They make us food often, and this week, made us one of the biggest meals ever. They cooked chicken in two ways, and then had pasta with meat, and rice that was amazing, and then these butternut squashes, with chicken and spinach in it. SO DANK. the next day they made us lunch with some sheep liver and it wasn't bad! ha ha They are so nice, and the old elders that taught them took a nice family pic, so we tried to top it by adding the rest of the family.Ours is definitely better. 
We were teaching there family about temples, and it was really cool to show them the picture of the Birchards getting sealed in Switzerland. They are going to be going to the temple trip in January, but just for baptisms. The sacrifices to go to the temple here are so crazy, but the blessings people receive are amazing. I love the temple!

We were able to teach a lot this week about the Holy Ghost, and how he testifies of truth. Sometimes we dont know if we feel the Hole Ghost, but anything that is good, comes from God. We sometimes over look the mark of what the feelings or answers will be. But they are there. I love to have the Spirit with us as we teach. It is sometimes hard to know if I am teaching with it, or if i can listen to it during lessons, but when any thought comes to mind, and it is good, do it! and see and pray to ask if it is right. If we get another good answer, Trust it, and trust our faith! I love learning more about the Book of Mormon. Reading it with investigators and seeing them understand is so great! IT IS TRUE! 

This week during our studies, I heard a bang and chirping, our windows and doors were open, and I said to Elder McCarroll i think a bird is in our house? And sure enough, we got a little birdy flyin around hahaha so we caught it and named it McIvin, man he was so cool, but he made a huge mess. But then we thew him and he flew home. What a cool bird.

Also those goat heads, is a meal people call smiley. They just cut the heads off and put them in these pots. We didn't buy any, but maybe this week we will. It is a little sketchy tho, cuz all the mama's and tata's just cook the meat and cow intestines and whatever you could imagine on the street, but no way it's cleaned. hmm, guess we will see when we try some.. hahaha

I love you all and hope everyone is well! Thank you for all of the love and support. I can feel the love and prayers. Keep going strong and never give up. 

1.smiley
2. McIvin
3.chef Ivins
4.DANKEST MEAL
5. Vena family