Missionary Lifestyle

Alrighty, soooo everyone... a lot has happened this week. 

Things have been up and down-then up then-down then-down then-up. But hey, that's what brings growth, you know? I have been learning a lot with things that have been going on. I think that is the coolest part of mission, you never stop progressing, you never stop growing. The Lord will never let you get to the point when you have figured everything out or when you feel like things are all sorted.

"TRIALS ARE A COMPLIMENT TO THE SOUL. EITHER GOD IS TRYING TO STRE

NGTHEN YOU FOR HIS PURPOSES, OR, SATAN IS TRYING TO DESTROY YOU FOR HIS. IN EITHER CASE, IT SHOWS YOU ARE IMPORTANT AND WORTH FIGHTING FOR." - A quote that Elder Johnson's Grandma sent him that I thought was worth putting into my mass email.

This week, we got to continue working with Siyakudumisa (Dumisa) in the aftermath of his Baptism and the energy and excitement that has come from that. We gave him a Book of Mormon and the next day he lets us know that he had already given it to one of his friends, but would like to have another. It was great. Then this past Sunday I was able to lay my hands on his head and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost. He kept saying that it felt like wind was just rushing through his body. He was on cloud nine, over the moon, stoked out of his mind. Then later last night we were in a Cottage Meeting with the Nkomfe family and stuff and we invited everyone to share their testimonies and stories of their conversion. Dumisa started to share his then just broke down in tears about how this has changed his life. It's just been so awesome to see how suddenly he changed.

Anamandla is a stud, just got the Aaronic priesthood this past Sunday.

I am now on exchanges with the AP's. Elder Martey will probably come with me, and Elder Lafleur will be with Elder Radebe.

Then afterwords we will go to Mthatha from Wednesday to Friday. Then get back, prepare Lwando and Lucas for their Baptism interviews and then have a crazy last full week in the area NEXT WEEK. So sad, I have two weeks left here. Just going to leave it all on the field. It's how we do it here in SACTM. Trunky isn't even in our vocabulary. So yeahh, I am coming home in three months. Stoked to see you guys, and I can't wait to tell you everything, but until then, still just gettin' after it and teaching the gospel imini yonke ntsuku zonke. (all day every day)

Sorry I don't got more time to tell how things are going. It's been crazy, but as always, things are good.

Stay by the tree.

Elder Mitchell Ryan Thayne

 A selfie with me, the Ndabeni girls, Elder Sengane and Anamandla.

Signing stacks of Pass-Along cards.

More Mormon Helping Hands pictures

Us cleaning the walls in our flat.  So dirty!

I have 2 transfers left after this one. I finish this transfer on sept 2nd. TIME FLIES! haha. And yes I do like it. I am still just waiting to know where I am going for my last area so we can finalize all these plans. :] Nelson Mandela is awesome. Look up the song "Nelson Mandela" by Zahara. She is from East London and wrote that song about him. It's super sweet, I think you guys would love to hear it. The guy who speaks in the background sounds like a total Xhosa guy. 

Yes! Please bring white shirts and some ties. All missionaries would love ties. I think if you could bring/or somehow when we get here, we could buy some scriptures for some of my recent converts. They have trashed ones that they had pulled out of the lost and found and whatnot. So some scriptures would be cool.. And yeah just whatever you can put in for elder Ntuli would mean the world to him. THE WORLD. So thanks a ton mom.

I had my paper all printed out to do the ecclesiastical endorsement with President Merrill, but then I forgot it when I went to our interviews because we got surprised and told that we had to go WEdnesday night instead of thursday morning. So I didn't have it all put together. it's a shame.

But yeah, things are good. There have been some real struggles with different things, but I am learning a lot, my poor companion has been having a hard time.H is father passed away a few weeks back. Things are hard for him. But president really put things into perspective that I was sent to be with him because God knew he would lose his father. So I am just trying to be positive and supportive, despite his hard challenges that he is going through.