Thanksgiving - Week 5

This week flew by!! Missionary work is so awesome. For thanksgiving we ate lunch as a zone, with 18 missionaries total. We had chicken and other food, plus tons of pie! Also, I really enjoy African food. For some reason I like vegetables now. I used to hate them. Anyways, Thanksgiving was a blast. We have a list in our home of what we are thankful for and we write on it each time we walk past it. I think what I am most grateful for now is my family and all of you. Thank you for your love and support. I mean it when I say I wouldn't be here without you.

We committed 3 people to baptism this week, all women. Their names are Thandeka, Nati, and Sibongile. The first 2 are planned for Dec. 11th and the next is Dec. 18th. They came to church yesterday and luckily the other missionaries were having a baptism so they were able to watch. They loved it and are anxiously awaiting their turn to be baptized. As missionaries we are thrilled, but we know the work does not stop there. We must continue to find people to teach so that as many people as possible can feel Heavenly Father's love and know he is there for them.

Joshua 3:5 says, "And Joshua said unto the people, sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you". As we prepare ourselves and try to be more loving and charitable like Jesus Christ, we will see miracles worked in our life. I saw one the other day. It was raining and none of the lessons we taught were going well. We were walking though a very poor area and it was muddy. After leaving a house, we saw a rainbow, the one in the picture I sent. That rainbow comforted us because it felt like God sent it exactly for us. It gave us strength and told us to keep going. Never give up!

Also my new favorite church song is Homeward Bound by Mormon Tabernacle Choir so you should listen to it. (See lyrics and video below.)

Lots of love,

Elder LaHue

Homeward Bound 

In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red,
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning, I’ll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

If you find it’s me you’re missing, if you’re hoping I’ll return,
To your thought I’ll soon be list’ning; in the road I’ll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end,
And the path I’ll be retracing when I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing, I’ll be homeward bound again.

 

Elders Leonard, Henley, Wright, LaHue & other missionaries!

(From left to right): Elders Dos Santos, Wright, Schraedel, Maughan, LaHue, Vaughn, Bringgold,
Phillips, Chaparadza, Winkworth, Katimbo, Harbertson, Chico, Leonard, Henley, Lubamba,
Ottley, Roberts & Fransen. Bloemfontein Zone!

Elders Wright, LaHue, Dos Santos, Leonard.
"Creighton Merrell Wright, 21, was found near his home in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 23, 2017, after taking his life." Elder Wright took his life shortly after returning home from his mission. He was a soft spoken, kind man and helped me adjust to life as a missionary. I am grateful for the time I spent around him. May he rest in peace.