Fwd: GO JAZZ

Hello hello helloooooo

Hows it?

This week was really great! We unfortunately didn't have as many lessons or investigators at church. ugh. people bail and im like. yeah shame. hahha but it was still a great week! 

Some of the many highlights were all you can eat pizza, zone conference and int. with president Merrill, too much ice cream, Bongiswa and Ntando's confirmations, and a member being car hijacked, stabbed and kidnapped... All is great!

We have these really 2 amazing brothers. Aphiwe and Aviwe. They have read everyday this week and have such strong testimonies of Joseph Smith. They are still a little hesitant about being baptised. And feel like they need a stronger answer than what they have. Unfortunately they went out of town saturday and couldnt come to church, but we saw them friday morning before we left to queenstown. We taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, and emphasized baptism, and receiving answers through the STILL, SMALL, voice of the spirit, and that the answers that they have of Joseph Smith and the BOM are reasons to be baptised. They took it really well and will hopefully be ready next week for the commandments and will stay fire. They are preparing for the 14th of may!

We went and taught Clive, the yomie who has the old BOM. He knows that thing soo well. He has read it 3 times all the way through, in order, and everyday since! He knows all the stories, and loves the 3 Nephites. He is also convinced that they have been to him. "3 men came to me, in suits. and taught me. so yeah. it must be them!" HAHAHa it is soo funny! He has been always looking for the Church of Lamb of God, but could never find it. He now found it! He struggles a lot with smoking unfortunately, but it will just be a speed bump, and we know that the Atonement of Christ will be there to help him. He is very poor, and stays in a shack, so it will be hard to get him to church, but we are hoping a less active, brother Dion, who stays nearby will be able to hooketh with rides. It is sweet, that no missionaries, no church, no members, just the Book of Mormon alone can convert people! The power of the Book of Mormon is unreal. Read it everyday. 

We had a great "When In Queenstown" weekend! It started Thursday night with all you can eat pizza at panorattis with a super nice member Siyonela, paying for all of us! We had such a fun night with SOO much food! We then left friday and got to queenstown right in time for the new KFC grand opening!! We got out of the car to them with a huge tent with games and prizes and the people on the radio. I took this opportunity to do what i do best. So I started dancing, and the other 3 elders joined. Everyone went NUTS! It led to us getting a bunch of free meal cards, free KFC beanies, and footballs, and me getting a bit on the radio! I was able to speak in xhosa and tell the whole of queenstown how much we love KFC, and how we came all the way from america to find the BEST kfc, and that we finally found it! everyone was going nuts, and it was so fun!

That afternoon i had great interviews with President, and together we really focused on the BOM.

That night, Elder Gibbons and I had a great reunion and had a great McDonald's session followed by homemade cookie dough late night. It was bomb.

Zone conference was really great. We learned so much and it focused on how all things need to point to Christ. We need to be HEROS. It was really fun, and im so grateful for the wonderful time spent with the Merrills, and we are excited to be having the Lebethoas coming in July!

Its so sweet to hear about the Jazz. Our branch presidents wife really hooks it up with those updates, blessed. They better win and then take GSW to game 7. then... hmmm they can beat steph on a buzzer beater. Watch and see. Ahhaha. I love you all and am so grateful for another amazing week in Mthatha.

LOVE YOU! Have fun and no more wrecked knees!

Elder Ivins

(Bro Godfrey's story:) He was driving home from a friends( in his friends car), and he was at a four way stop. the other car past, and these 2 guys walked out in front of him. He just thought they were passing, and then one ran to the window and punched it, grabbed him, and starting stabbing his hand, telling him to get in the back, and to give the car. They also had guns. So they go. Brother Godfrey was out of airtime, but miraculously had some, and sent a 911 to his friend and they called the cops. They went into our area and then down a long dirt road, and he said, "I knew I was going to die." Suddenly the cops caught up, and the two guys ditched the car and ran away. He is all good, and we had an appt with him last night. He got dropped off by the police 3 min before we got there. We were able to give him a blessing. He is confident all will be well cuz he poured brake fluid over the cuts, supposedly supposed to help? idk ahahha. Pretty crazy! 

Jarod's birthday cards/messages

Hello friends of Elder Ivins,

If you would like to include a little thought in his birthday package, please get your letters/emails/cards to me by this Wednesday, April 26th. If you want to mail it to me, I will put it in. My address is 1343 E. 5935 S. Murray, UT 84121

Thanks so much!!! we sure do love our missionary! I received a Facebook message early this morning from the wife of the branch President in Mthatha, who said Jarod asked her to find out details of the Jazz game!! Some things never change!!! I relayed to her the sad news that we couldn't play defense, but didn't tell her that we watched from the hot tub on the back deck. That might have killed him!!!

Thanks for your love and support of Jarod!! He's doing great and loves South Africa! (In 3 weeks we get to Skype with him!!! Come on over if you want to see his face!!!)

Love, Mama Ivins

Birthday Boy!!

Hello everyone!

Jarod is going to be a birthday boy soon! Actually, it's not until May 23rd, but our friend is traveling to Capetown and has offered to deliver a birthday package to him!! (I am insanely jealous that he will be so close to our missionary!)

I would love to send Jarod a stack of notes/letters/well wishes from his friends. Please send me something by next week. 

He'll love getting these!!

Thanks,

Mama Ivins

Pictures

Fwd: When in Conference

We've been traveling and just arrived home. Here's Jarod's email for the week!!!

Hey!

What a great week it has been! This whole week we were looking forward to conference this weekend, which was definitely the highlight of my week. It was fun to be able to see Temple Square and hear President Monson speak, along with everyone else. We were able to watch both morning sessions live, and then Sat pm and priesthood on Sunday. We will be watching Sun pm next week. We really wanted Conference to be fun. So we had the theme of When in Conference for the week. We bought loads of snacks Sat morning for the 2 days, and had an amazing dinner. We wanted to make it feel like Priesthood, going out for a really nice dinner. We went to Mugg and Bean, and I got the Big Daddy Burger, sweet potato fries, and bottomless lemonade. Not a bad meal.

Conference was great though! It was fun to help investigators understand it, and why it was so important. The whole week, people are sometimes reluctant to come to church, because they "have their own church", but when we can tell them that this week the Prophet of God is speaking to the world, they get a little interested. I think my favorite talk so far, was Pres Eyring's in preisthood session, or Elder Rasband's in sun am. But then that whole sessions was just on missionary work which was so amazing to have! This weekend really has motivated me and im hyped for this week!

The rest of the week was great! We really got back into the flow of things, and worked really hard. Elder Zander and I had a great exchange. We were looking for some lunch and walking around town, and saw this lady selling shishkabobs. They looked pretty great, full of beef and chicken! But then upon eating, it was very dry liver and greezed fat. The liver was just too bad. We had much better illusu later in the week at a members house, but those kabobs. no bueno. so we decided to go to kfc. much better. Outside there were a couple hundred people watching these traditional dancers dancing in this street corner. I took this great opportunity to show off my dance moves, and the hundreds of people died laughing as I walked in and started dancing with these four guys. It was so amazing.

We met this amazing lady on Wednesday while tracting in her neighborhood. We have this deal in our district that we will always knock on double stories and houses with cars, because families, and a higher chance to come to church. It has been really beneficial these past weeks, in leading to finding many large great families. So we went to this dub house and no one was there, so we went to the house down the street with a bakkie in the yard. When we go to the door, I saw this mama inside and I knocked. No response. Knocked again. Didn't phase mama. I was a little frustrated cuz I could see her in the house walking around. I was calling to her, and nothing. Then her son, Yanga, came from the back, and told us that she is deaf. hahaha i felt like the biggest idiot.

But we went in, and she is soooo nice! I was able to sign a little to her with the small things I remember (just the alphabet) and then she taught me more things! Most of the lesson was me and her writing back and forth in my journal! She writes in broken english but it is understandable. "Me want understand this book, your church and my church what different" Which led great to answer those questions about different churches and the bom. "Me heart so happy you come meet nice"

She has an amazing family and im so excited to keep working with her!

The BOM is true and I'm so glad to be teaching about it! Conf was awesome and make sure to watch and listen to the talks again and learn from them!

I love you!

Elder Ivins