11/23/15 SAJM SUMMIT

Good Morning Fam, 


Another week has passed here in Jozi and I am grateful to email you all this week. I think it would be a fitting topic to email about with Thanksgiving coming up, but I had an awesome experience this week!

So after the "SAJM SUMMIT" President Dunn challenged us all to try and set some goals and find out what we can do to reach our own personal summits. So I was just pondering this past week about what I can do to become a better person and it was interesting because as I was praying in the morning a thought came to my mind, "Say thanks". So that has been my goal this past week (and hopefully forever) to always have an attitude of gratitude. 

Even better on Friday, the topic for discussion was being grateful. 

So I wanted to make my Top five list of things I am grateful for!

#1 The Gospel

#2 My family..........shout out to dub :)

#3 My friends

#4 President and Sister Dunn for constant guidance

#5 Opportunity to serve a mission and the people of South Africa.

Love you all. Have a GREAT week

elder bhead

11/16/15 #beinspired #climbanything

Hey Fam,                                                  11/16/15

Another power-packed week here in V-town! Things continue to come together, just like those 1000 piece puzzle at Grandma's, one piece here and another there but the area and ward continues to grow. We received official news that the split in the Stake will be happening this Sunday, so we will cover 2 branches for a couple of weeks and hopefully another set of missionaries will move in and take over the new area! Other than that news, we had a lot of great things happen.

On Wednesday, we attended the first ever SAJM (South Africa Johannesburg Mission) Summit. The entire mission came together to try and make a final push to achieve the goals that we set. We had a woman who had climbed Mt. Everest come and speak to us. Let’s just say I was so pumped after hearing her speak that we came back and set some goals as a companionship and for the zone as well. (I also put hiking Angels Landing back on my bucket list lol) She wasn't a member, but she quoted Russell M Nelson in saying that we have to begin with the end in mind. So true, why start something without visualizing yourself at the top or succeeding in whatever you try! #beinspired #climbanything

Update on our investigators.... the Lotz bunked church this week :( but are still on date to be baptized in 4 weeks. Another lady that I don't think I have told you about her name is Helen. She is from Rhodesia (aka Zimbabwe), and is completely deaf, and has communication problems. So teaching her is a little difficult, we have to write out the lessons and mouth out the lessons so she reads our lips when we teach her. My jaws feel like they have been through 8 rounds with Muhammed Ali after the lessons, but it is amazing that even regardless of those disabilities and communication barriers, she still feels the spirit testify to her of the truthfulness of the gospel. Wow it’s so powerful.. 

Thats a wrap of my week !

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder bhead

11/9/15 Lots going on!

Whats up Fam,                               11/9/15

I’m short on time but here’s a quick recap of the week!

Tuesday- We checked in on a less-active and she wasn't there so we just wanted to knock a couple of houses and the first one we knock is a guy who had a BOM and lost it and wanted to know more about it. So we basically went over the Restoration and what we do as a missionary, and he wanted to pay us for the sacrifice we are making of 2 years. hahahahahahah We just told him to keep the money and take his mom out for lunch one day, so we will see how that went this week. 

Wednesday- LOTS and lots of teaching. On the real, we taught the Lots, the ones that I told you about this week. They are really progressing and are on date for the 22nd of Dec. They are golden! Reading and praying and attending church, so keep them in your prayers. 

Thursday- We met with President Dunn for a Mission council and he told us that they stake we are serving will be splitting into a stake and a district. Big news considering this is the second stake to split this year in our mission! The work is going forth here in Africa

Friday-We got up early and took off to drive and do some baptism interviews and turn in some paperwork to the missionaries in Potchefstroom. Then we drove back and stopped at this trailer on the side of the road and bought some Vetkoek. I'll take a picture of it next time it we get one, but it is pretty great. Then we taught one of our progressing investigators named Mamoketsi. She isn't married yet, but we are working really hard on trying to get them married so she can be baptized. Anyways at the end of the lesson, her boyfriend surprised us and said that he should be done paying lebola by the end of the year so she could be baptized! 

Thats the good word for the week! 

Hope everything is going good!

Love,

Elder bhead

11/2/15 Vereeniging here I come. . . . .

Hey Fam,                                                                                          11/2/15

After a whirlwind couple of days, things are finally settling down here in the area of Vereeniging (pronounced Fair-in-knee-hang). It is an interesting area with its own set of unique circumstances, we cover two universities and have members spread across a radius of about 70 kilometers. It is a diverse ward with people who have very diverse interests and lives. I will make sure to send some pics next week of an area but it is kind of like a wetland area because there are rivers in the area. Anyways, I talk you through my week. I'll go through give you a shot of Elder Bhead week in South Africa!

Monday-said goodbye to a couple of families got fed so much that I threw up on the way to our last appointment. Elder Clegg took a video of my sufferings, but the people here are too generous and I don't know how to say "no thank you."  Not a bad problem to have, just a little inconvenient.

Tuesday- TRANSFER DAY! It was a day of mixed emotions for sure, I had to say goodbye to a couple of great friends and companions that headed home. Shout out to Elder Henderson (who already has a beard) and many others inspiring missionaries who will be missed. But life goes on. . . .  so after saying goodbye we headed to Vereeniging I figured this is where I will be spending the next couple of months so let’s go to work!  We got back and met a couple of people for the first time. It was a great start.

Wednesday- I took a missionary back again to the office for a dentist appointment and some doctor issues. Nothing to great other that my voice was completely gone. You know how I like to yell :)

Thursday- We had some interviews about an hour away from us for some other missionaries, so we did weekly planning and took off. We went on splits and it was pretty amazing. We had a miracle happen, there is a investigator who was taught here that was on date to be baptized and then he moved up to Klerksdorp. They haven't been able to contact him for the past couple of weeks anyways, while we were up there guess who called!!!!!! THAPELO!!!!! So he will be baptized up there in the upcoming weeks. Miracles all around.

Fast forward to sunday :) First week in Vereeninging. It reminded me of being back in Alberton, just the same kind of diversity. We had an amazing lesson with a family called the Lotz. As we discussed it turns out that his boss is an active member of the church and he could tell by the way his boss held himself that this church had to be true. I again was reminded that you never know who is watching and our example can be the most powerful missionary tool. 

Lots and lotz of amazing things are happening here and I’m grateful to be n a new area working up a storm. Enjoy your week and remember you never know who’s watching!

Love you all!

Elder Bhead