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Showing posts from May, 2018

Amanzimtoti Area - Week 83

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The Masondo family. Baya was baptized by her older brother Thobane! Another week in Toti! Elder Warner and I are doing a great work here. We have been finding a lot more than I was before and opening our mouths. This week we had 6 quality new investigators: Andile, Njabulo, Ntokozo (3 men); Byron, Catherine and Makayla (the family and friend of a member of the Elder's Quorum Presidency. We taught them in his home). The focus lately has been on people as individuals and familes, getting to know them and planning for them. In a week it is easy for us to find many new people to teach, but we have to work more effectively to find people who are serious.  Missionary Leadership Counsel was awesome, I thought that it was the best one I have been to since the one at the Drakensberg Mountains back in October. I love how much counseling we did together. As leaders of the mission we have a huge effect on the effectiveness of missionaries because of the example we set. Also we have

Amanzimtoti Area - Week 82

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Elder Warner (and Elders Silva, Maughan, Ballif & Nichols in the back) Post-transfers.. back into the swing of things now! On Wednesday we drove to Pinetown to drop off Elder Sala and pick up Elder Warner. He is the assigned driver right now, which I am happy about. I have drove every day since July of last year! The mission office finally decided to let me have a break. Elder Warner is from American Fork, Utah. Funny that he is my first companion from Utah after being a missionary for so long. He is a sweet guy and he enjoys music and reading. This week we have been working very hard. Lots of contacting. Unfortunately we didn't find many people, but the Lord blessed us in other way. 4 different people came to church this Sunday for their first time! Two of them were brought by one of our progressing investigators, one was brought by a member, and the other one just showed up randomly. It was very neat to see prepared people fall right into our hands. Josh was confirm

Amanzimtoti Area - Week 81

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Baptism of Josh Boucher! (w/ Tammy & Jarred) End of another 6 weeks! This was an awesome 18 weeks serving with Elder Sala. I have been very blessed to be his companion for so long. We have done a lot of great work and had many laughs. He is going close by to Pinetown. I am staying in Amanzimoti and my new companion is named Elder Warner. I have never met him and I am training him on how to be a zone leader. Excited to stay here!! This Mother's Day was filled with blessings. The biggest one of course was being able to talk to my Mom and tell her that I love her. (And the rest of the family as well!) This was my last call home before I see them in person. Funny story is that we were very late getting out of a baptismal interview and we had to drive from Umlazi to Durban to make the calls. We were 5 minutes away and then we got a flat tire on the highway. I think God has been trying to teach me patience these days. See pictures attached. At church we had the baptism

Amanzimtoti Area - Week 80

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Elder Da Silva Week #80... we are getting there huh?! I feel old these days. It is a nice feeling.  Work was a little slow this week. There are these dogs outside of our boarding that bark at  5am  and make a lot of noise. I've been losing some sleep and patience. That doesn't translate well when it is time to go work,  but we somehow make it through each day. Durban is hot as usual but it has been cooling down during the nights. I'm very grateful for that. This Sunday we will have the baptism of a 12 year old boy named Joshua. The Sunday after that will be a girl named Baya. Sometime in the near future will be these 4 young men who all come to church together with their friends in the Deacon's Quorum. Then sometime after that we have a few other people preparing for June as well. So Toti is doing great!!! I can't complain with how the work is going here. Just hoping that May doesn't drag out for too long. Yesterday we had the Durban