Fwd: Heritage Day

Well, Happy Heritage Day! Last year, while celebrating in Motherwell, the experience was quite different. All the mamas and sisis wore traditional clothes to church, there was fun in the streets, and it was an amazing thing to see....

Now I'm in a white ward. yeah.

But it was still a fun weekend! We had great experiences, but it was a little harder of a week. We had lots of drops. so we made the best we could. We have one investigator, who is doing really well, Towanda. She is 25 and working, and loves the BOM, and what we have to share. 

She was so excited for church but, then Satan struck. Her sister had to go to hospital. It was a dagger and we were so sad, but she even recognized it was satan. Not too worried about her, because as long as she keeps reading and praying, the gospel will stick. That is the biggest thing i have recognized. If you are sincere, the blessings will come.

Our amazing investigator Levi is still doing well. He is getting so excited for his baptism in just a couple short weeks. We told his brother, Reagan, our recent convert, that he will be able to baptise him, and his eyes shot open with excitement and It will be so amazing.

We are really excited for General Conference this coming weekend. It will be an amazing time to listen to our Leaders. I have grown to love conference so much more on mission, and especially for investigators!

This week, I have really been praying for an increase amount of Love for the people. To be able to feel the Saviors love for them... and I know Heavenly Father is blessing me with that love. It is incredible to see how no matter what happens, you just want these people to accept it. It is so trye, and they just need to recognize it. I have grown in desire to meet and tell everyone the gospel, and I love it! We actually have a white investigator who is interested!!! NO WAY!

I love you all, and am so grateful to be on mission. I am loving our P-day traditions now of volleyball for 4 hours, then buying a kitchen sink.... the biggest bowl of ice cream in cape town... and then downing a nice Dr Pepper. 

Love you all! Pray for Rain, and Pray for Snow

Elder Ivins

Fwd: Heritage Day

Well, Happy Heritage Day! Last year, while celebrating in Motherwell, the experience was quite different. All the mama's and sisi's wore traditional clothes to church, there was fun in the streets, and it was an amazing thing to see....

Now I'm in a white ward. yeah.

But it was still a fun weekend! We had great experiences, but it was a little harder of a week. We had lots of drops. so we made the best we could. We have one investigator, who is doing really well, Towanda. She is 25 and working, and loves the BOM, and what we have to share. 

She was so excited for church but, then Satan struck. Her sister had to go to hospital. It was a dagger and we were so sad, but she even recognized it was satan. Not too worried about her, because as long as she keeps reading and praying, the gospel will stick. That is the biggest thing i have recognized. If you are sincere, the blessings will come.

Our amazing investigator Levi is still doing well. He is getting so excited for his baptism in just a couple short weeks. We told his brother, Reagan, our recent convert, that he will be able to baptise him, and his eyes shot open with excitement and It will be so amazing.

We are really excited for General Conference this coming weekend. It will be an amazing time to listen to our Leaders. I have grown to love conference so much more on mission, and especially for investigators!

This week, I have really been praying for an increase amount of Love for the people. To be able to feel the Saviors love for them... and I know Heavenly Father is blessing me with that love. It is incredible to see how no matter what happens, you just want these people to accept it. It is so trye, and they just need to recognize it. I have grown in desire to meet and tell everyone the gospel, and I love it! We actually have a white investigator who is interested!!! NO WAY!

I love you all, and am so grateful to be on mission. I am loving our P-day traditions now of volleyball for 4 hours, then buying a kitchen sink.... the biggest bowl of ice cream in cape town... and then downing a nice Dr Pepper. 

Love you all! Pray for Rain, and Pray for Snow

Elder Ivins

Fwd: Steak Conference

Hello!

This week had everything great in it! We had really fun days, that just keep flying and flying by. Seeing Jonah, and Alec, and Connor home is so weird. 2 years is incredibly short, and I'm so glad I have a year left haha. 

We had really fun exchanges this week. I went with Elder Reynolds in my area. He is a Britt from England, and it felt like I was back with Elder Hawkins again. The same funny humor, and jokes, and accent. It was awesome! we started the day by knocking down a brick wall for 4 hours, with one hammer.... It was hard, my arms are dead, but we got fed TACOS after, so of course it was worth it! 

The rest of the week was spent trying to talk to everyone. Something that is hard in our zone is members giving referrals. So we have been finding a lot on our own. We have found some good people, but they are struggling to come to church, or its all new, members are the best way... so give referrals back home. Missionaries love it! 

The highlight of the week, was stake conference yesterday! We had the new area 2nd Counselor, Elder Koch of the 70, Elder Makisi, area 70, and the Joburg temple president, along with our stake president and amazing Mission president.

I loved stake conference. Listening to all the amazing talks, and more importantly, having investigators and recent converts there to hear the talks. They needed it. It was amazing to see how the spirit directed the meeting to what everyone needs. For me, a life member, for brother Mvu, an investigator struggling to commit, who has questions with the temple, for a recent convert couple, Leonard and Liona, who will be preparing to go to the temple, and Reagan, our RC who is learning English, but most importantly just felt the spirit for 2 hours straight.

I love mission. I love South Africans. I love the Lord. D&C 100:1, D&C 31. Very helpful these weeks. I love comfort from the Holy Ghost, and from being led by the Him all day every day.

Godspeed

Elder Ivins Loves you

Fwd: Up and Down

Just a little side note to Jarod's letter today. Jason's mom has had an aneurysm in her brain for several years. She was worried that it would rupture so she decided to have surgery to fix it on Thursday. During the surgery, the aneurysm ruptured and about 36 oz of blood leaked into her brain. It was a complication we were not expecting, but are grateful that it ruptured while in the capable hands of her Dr. We were not ready to have her memory to be jumbled and all over the place, but she has been very sweet as she tells us everything she thinks as she thinks it. We've heard stories from the past, present and future, sometimes all in one thread of conversation. She remembers Jim, all of her children and also all of her grandchildren. I spent the night with her last night and was able to email back and forth with Jarod while I was there. She woke up several times during the night and would first ask me if I had just come from the football game, and then if everyone was okay, calling them all by name. She asked about her missionary grandsons many times. She also wanted to get downstairs to fold the laundry. We're optimistic that this is a temporary setback, but are fervently praying as well for her to return to her old self. We love her and she has been such a good example to Jarod as he serves his mission. 

Enjoy his love from Capetown!!! He's amazing!!!
 

Well, Hello!! 

I'm so glad to hear that Grandma is progressing and doing better. It was a stressful week and lots of prayers, but I know all will be well.

A highlight was our baptismal service for Terens, Reagan, Lenard, and his wife, Liona! It was soo amazing!

Reagan has investigated for 9 years! and bang ! Its time! The rest are just amazing people. Seeing them change these last couple weeks truly is the best. I love mission so much. We had a brother of the Reagan, Levi, come to church yesterday. It was his first time at church in 6 years! And HE BORE HIS TESTIMONY! He felt is sooo much and loved it and so he got up! He said my brother is today, and I am next month! It was so cool!

A cool experience was teaching this Taiwanese family this week. We were in the lesson, and they have been struggling to commit to church and to baptism. and as he, Raymond reads the bom, he can't understand it too well. But he has started to understand the last 2 weeks. As we taught, WOW, they told us how two weeks ago they started a juicing diet, and have essentially stopped coffee. And in the pamphlet it says if you live it, you will have the Spirit. We connected the dots and he just lit up! He shared an amazing scripture in 1 Nephi 16, and said, " I know it is true." The spirit HIT me and was like baptism. He was still talking but that was all on my mind. I was like no, they aren't ready, Heavenly Father why. Come on.  So I said a simple prayer and asked Heavenly Father to stop me if Ii shouldn't say it.... and he didn't. We committed the family to baptism!!! Amazing!

This week was full of fun, full of the spirit, and full of ups and downs. Keep the faith up, and know it will all be okay! I love you all, especially Grandma!

Elder Ivins