That's What I Love About Sunday's.‏

Well everyone I am still loving my time here in East London and loving the chance I have to be a missionary in this part of the Lord's vineyard. It's been wonderful. 

BUT. The sad thing is my time here in East London is coming to a close. President saw me and took me aside on Friday and told me that I'd be leaving somewhere this week. So I need to get the area book and everything in order for the new elder to come in and join Elder Pope in working in this area. I'll tell you all where I am going in just a little bit.

The other day while we were at a members home, he was playing this song by Craig Morgan, and it was just too fitting, so I had to send a few of the lyrics.

New believers gettin' baptized.

Mama's hands raised up high.

And a hallelujah good time.

Smile on everybody's face.

THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SUNDAY'S.

By: Craig Morgan

We baptized six people into the East London 2nd Ward yesterday. Ohh it was so amazing. The spirit was so strong and so apparent. The ward really showed up in numbers to support the baptisms and all the people that were investigating the church. It's just interesting how you can remember almost every lesson you had with someone. All their trials and fears and all their successful moments. You just feel such great love for them. Me being able to see these people enter the waters of baptism as well as the two others from the other elders area that I also worked with be baptized was SO amazing. It was the perfect way to end my time in East London. I know I did what the Lord wanted me to do while I was here. And that is the best feeling ever. My joy, at this time, is full.

I am going to Queenstown to serve. I know it is to teach me and help me become better. It's what I need. I am going to learn so much. I am honestly feeling very humbled. I have a ways to go and SO much to learn, but it's going to be such a great growing and learning experience. It'll be a big change. So I'll have to grow and learn a lot really fast. I have some big shoes to fill, I am replacing Elder Malpage who is going AP. So he is a dang good missionary. It'll be great. Queenstown is doing really well, I hope to even help it become better.

We had 18 people at church and the other elders had 10, so the ward had 28 investigators at church yesterday. It was amazing. The Lord is working. I am sad to leave East London, but I know in order for me to continue growing I need to go.

My new companion is named Elder Freitas. I think he is from Brasil. He is a very intense missionary, but I hear he is SO good at what he does. I know I will learn a lot from him and it's going to be a great experience. Honestly, I have had great companions and I know he will be another great one. So this will be a great experience for me as I learn and grow. So you should see a lot of change in me over the next little while.

This week was really great because we had a Zone Conference with President Merrill. He spoke to us about the first vision and had us study it in preparation for the past few weeks. He started taking it from an Anti-Mormon perspective. And gave us facts to help us know and understand all of this. It was really good for me to hear and come to know the first vision and the arguments surrounding it a bit better. But all in all, my testimony of the first vision and the prophet Joseph Smith have just become more and more firm. It's been wonderful to testify of that every day of my mission.

Cool story. This week Elder Pope and I had prayed early in the day that we would find someone who needed to be touched with the gospel. Well then Elder Pope had the thought to follow up on a previous investigator that we had taught the restoration to and never seen or heard from him again. So we went to his house. We went and knocked on the door only to have a lady answer, tell us he wasn't there, and tell us she wasn't interested in hearing our message. So we walked away from the door kind of wondering why he had that impression. 

All of the sudden as we are putting our bags in the car there was this total totsi (gangster) guy walking by us. I stopped him and started asking about who he was. He was so shocked that I was talking to him. He then started opening up telling us that he was going through very difficult things in his life and wanted to find a way through them. Honestly, the Lord was just planting thoughts in our minds of what to say, I asked him, "So am I right when I say that you have tried just about everything under the sun to be happy, EXCEPT for Jesus Christ?" He then told us that was exactly right. He had never before prayed or even been to church in his life. Wow.

Well we set an appointment with him, Luyanda, and went to see him the following day. He had two of his friends there, Yoacham and Luciano. Well we sat down and taught them the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were feeling the spirit. We introduced the Book of Mormon and it really hit them between the eyes. They were blown away by it. We told them we wanted to come back and see them that weekend, they said no because they were going to be smoking weed with their friends all weekend, but they want us to come to meet with them again and help them come to church. It was pretty amazing honestly to see these hardened men be so humbled by the simple and true gospel.

I honestly think that if it hadn't have been for the hard trails and circumstances in which they found themselves in at that time, they wouldn't have ever taken time to hear our message. Brigham Young said, "Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation." For these brothers, their trials and experiences had given them the chance to change. It made them WANT to change. So salvation, if they take this seriously, is at hand.

Shoutout: To TAL. Brother, I am so proud of you. Keep preparing and becoming better and better as you are about to embark on the greatest adventure and experience of your life. Look at these pictures of this baptism. That'll be you, just in Scotland.

Well everyone, I'll tell you how it is in the new area and everything once I get there. Thank you all for the love and support that is constantly coming my way.

I said bye to several people that I have grown to truly love. The Mlindazwe family, the Human family, the Ngamlana family and SOOOO many others. I'll finish my goodbye's tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures!

Ohh, and the picture with Elder Pope and I standing on either side of sister knipe with bishop next to us was after one of the BEST DA's I've ever had.

Okay I am just throwing up a TON of picture from this week of awesome things that we have done and people we have been with. It's been a great one. :] As you all can see. I love all these people so much.

TIA - This Is Africa‏

Moloweni Usapho! (Hello Family!)
Well it's been an amazing week this past week! We as an entire Zone are doing MUCH better than we were last week. I'll start with my companion and I. We really focused BIG time on testing Gods promises and applying 30 minute or less lessons and pamphlet teaching. It has made all the difference in the world! As we have been working and striving to get things done the Lord's way and applying faith we have seen major success. Not only with teaching lessons, but also in strengthening and supporting the ward. My companion and I have been going through the ward list and have been visiting/finding many less actives and establishing contact with them. We are really excited about it. 
Also, we had the thought to really get the members involved. So we picked a family per investigator. Example: The Ndabeni family (members) are responsible for smsing, scheduling and hosting the Danileyo family for lessons. They also will be helping them find a way to church next week. Or the Labazi family with the Anthony family. etc. So we are really excited to see how that goes. We are giving the part member families a visit as well. We have 6 recent converts in our area and they are all sisters, so we are hoping to pull in some of the guys in their lives as well. We need Priesthood here.
Last week I had exchanges with Elder Williams in my area, and Elder Freitas and Elder Kjelson had exchanges in Illinge. As for Elder Williams and I we had an incredible exchange from the very first moment. We contacted former investigators, followed up on others, and met with members challenging them for referrals or offering help/service. We had a wonderful exchange. Elder Freitas and I have been pamphlet teaching (which is basically teaching the message of the restoration purely off of the pictures in the pamphlet and asking, like the angel asked Nephi, "What beholdest thou?" then teaching based off of what they see in the pictures. It's fast and really simple. It helps us missionaries get out of the way of the spirit and let him do the real teaching), but I don't think I received my witness fully until this exchange. We were in then out of the house within thirty minutes of all 8 lessons we had that day. It was incredible. Elder Williams was so dang excited about it. He was just talking on and on how he wants to come serve with me in eZibeleni next transfer and keep this going. He was so stoked that he presented and had his entire district meeting on pamphlet teaching/short and powerful lessons. He really is a great elder and is pumped about the work. It was awesome to see how as a leader, you can influence and inspire others to want to be and serve better.
Two weeks ago we had 12 lessons, and this week we had 30. Faith makes ALL the difference. Rejection has been good for me though. I haven't experienced as much as my cousin Sarah has in her mission in Finland. I have had hard times, but not day after day rejection and trials like I have had the past couple weeks. It's been so good for me. I have learned and grown a lot. So yes, things are good for me. I am feeling so happy and so content with my service and with the efforts we have been putting forward. Sometimes we forget that the work can be the reward.
Shoutout to Talmage!He should be in the England MTC right now killing teams.Love you brother.
Well I have a couple stories for you this week to make you chuckle.
A drunk mama came up to us very concerned. She told us how she knew us Mlungu's held salvation. So she asked us if we could come teach her family and her. We said we of course would and she took a pamphlet of the restoration out of my bag then held it up to her chest and proceeded to bear testimony of how Jesus is her Lord. She said that all of us here in america should send food, clothes and money to her family so they can live like Jacob Zuma (SA's president). Since you are all good Christian people, I am sure you will send all of that this way.
Please send all donations for this Mama to:Elder Mitchell Ryan ThayneSouth Africa Cape Town MissionP.O. Box 181, ObservatoryCape Town, 7935Republic of South Africa
Naturally, I'll keep half the donations for myself as a finders fee.
Just kidding. Don't actually send anything.
Another story real quick before I close. Brother Labazi, who was just called into the Stake high council, called us Wednesday morning and asked us to come over. We headed out the door right after studies to see him. Once we got there we saw that HALF of his house had been burned to a crisp. He told us he heard a tapping on his window, woke up and opened his bedroom door only to have fire burst into his room. He got out and they threw lots of sand and eventually put it out. Not after a lot of damage had been done though. We walked into the house and asked Mama Labazi how she was doing. We fully expected her to say things are hard or something of the sort. Rather, she said, "We are so blessed. God is so good to us my elders. We could have died, but he saved us and also kept half of our house." Wow. What a woman. So sweet and so sincere. AND SO FAITHFUL. We gave them blessings of comfort, prayed with the family and went on our way. 
This tragedy, while really sad, is huge blessing for our fellowshipper brother Siya. He is preparing to go on mission. While the Labazi family lives elsewhere, he is getting paid by the insurance company to live in their half burnt house so no one robs them. He needs the money so badly so it is such a blessing. And it is a blessing to us as we have a hard time getting a fellowshipper. Now we can take him out everyday. It's something we had been praying for help with. So awesome. I'll attach pictures with him.
Also, there is this guy named Lelethu who swore we would never teach him. We had a really funny relationship with him where whenever we would see him we would ask, "Hey, can we come teach you today?" He'd laugh and usually say something like, "You wish! Get lost!" Well one day we were talking to him and he invited us to come over for his birthday. He was turning 28. We came, brought a little cake and sat down with everyone there. He turned to us and said, "Alright, pull out your Bible's. I know you want to share something with us." Well we then pulled out our scriptures, said a prayer with everyone there and started to talk about how he is growing up, and how he has the potential to one day become like God. We stressed how he is His son and how important he is to heavenly father. Well, he started asking questions like, "So do we die then it's just heaven or hell and that's it? Will we really be burning forever in hell?" We addressed his questions and talked with everyone about everything. The spirit was extremely strong as we bore testimony of the Atonement and told him all this will be accessed by baptism. He was blown away. He couldn't even pull sarcastic remarks out. He just said, "Alright elders, let's set an appointment for next week." Elder Freitas and I just stared at each other for a second then fumbled for our planners. Then Lelethu, of course not wanting to show that he was at all interested said, "Of course this isn't a formal thing. I just want you elders to tell me about the pretty girls in your church."- Haha what a joke. Nice try man. We all know you want this. Anyway, yesterday, a couple days after his birthday party, we were driving past his house and saw him outside, we yelled the usual, "Hey Lelethu,can we come teach you today!?" Then he said, "Sure, why not? Come over in 30 minutes!".... I think I just about wrecked the car when I heard that... WHAT? "Well...uhh... Okay! Sweet! See you soon!" Haha didn't see that one coming. We then taught him the restoration and addressed his questions. He said, "Alright, well I need to go, but I'll pray or whatever, then you guys can come for our ACTUAL appointment on Wednesday. Remember, I don't really care about all this though." - haha... Yeahh.. so he says. Anyway, we are going to see him wednesday and let you know.
Things are good. The church is true. We can't stop smiling. And that is all because we are doing everything we can to live up to our purpose. One of my now all-time favorite scriptures is Isaiah 61:1. It says what we are out here to do. Mom, if you can, change my mission plaque scripture to this one.
Love you everyone.
Elder Mitchell Ryan Thayne

What is MY ministry?‏

Here's how it goes.
I've always been a kind of "lead from the front" or a "come follow me" sort of missionary. I have a hard time telling the elders to do and be better, when as far as statistics goes, we aren't doing good at all. Honestly it's been the hardest time on my mission as far as the work goes. Our work and prayers aren't yielding huge and obvious results. The Lord is teaching me patience. 
I think He, the Lord, is trying to see if I will continue to pray, act and live according to the faith I have EVEN when things aren't going super well and we aren't seeing the success that I have grown accustomed to on mission. It is very humbling. My whole mission I have been the elder that president puts in a dead area, with a struggling companion, and says, "Go to work." But now I am in an AMAZING area, AMAZING zone and with an AMAZING companion, but we are struggling with the work. This zone used to lead the mission, now we are all suffering. Lots of car accidents and issues as well. It's been humbling for me. But Pres. Uchtdorfs talk in Priesthood session was SO good for me to hear. I am not here to pretend like everything is amazing. I am not doing this to receive recognition for the good or the work that I do. I am here to give my all to the Lord and working on blessing the lives of the individuals. And that is honestly what we have been doing. Yes, statistically we aren't on top, but we are giving it everything we have. We are following every prompting, serving and talking with everyone we feel we should. 
I was counselling with my companion about all of this last night and I told him I feel like we need to work on the Christlike attribute of hope. Faith is belief in the action, but hope is belief in the Lord's promise. We take action, but do we really believe the Lord is going to bless us? Anyways, I told him of my desire to gain more HOPE. Then I sat down for studies, opened my scriptures right to Alma 22:16 16 "But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest." Then I followed the footnote to Ether 12:4 "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."
Well, that was straight from God. I need to pray and repent of my lack of hope/faith and I will receive that hope. Which will be an anchor to my soul in these struggles and hard times I am having. S'all good. I know I got this, with the help of the Lord.
In our Zone we have 14 elders. 7 companionship's including us. So not TOO many, but enough to keep us busy with one thing or another just about every day. The power goes out every once in a while, which is annoying because then our food in the fridge goes bad. But we are doing great.
Don't worry about me. I just wanted to share the struggles so you could see how the Lord has reached out and sustained and helped teach me. Mission has been so good. And tell Tal, to look forward to the times beer and stuff is thrown on him. Those will honestly be some of his most treasured memories. It's all about being a disciple of Jesus Christ. If you are a good one, then there WILL be hatred and opposition every step you take, but there will also be the Light of Christ leading you forward with every step you take.
Real quick, during conference I got an SMS from Elder Mchunu (who is now our AP) telling me the Leroux Family (Reactivated the parents and baptized the children) were all at conference. They said they got their temple and patriarchal blessing recommends as a family and are preparing to go get sealed in the temple later this year. And then I just received an email from Monwabisi (or Happiness) in Khayelitsha/Mandalay telling me that he just got his mission papers from Bishop and is starting to fill them out just now. So cool. My joy was full.
Also, do you remember brother G? Brother Gcina from Khayelitsha. Used to be the Elders Quorum president when I was there. Anyways, because of extreme struggles in his life (father figure getting murdered by gangsters of his past, family getting robbed and attacked, wife kicking him out of the house after being unfaithful to HIM) he has gone less active. I had the feeling to call him and check up on him the other day because him and I are best friends (best friends with a 32 year old retired gangster) anyways he had just picked up a gun and was going with three of his friends to "put an end" to all of those other guys. I called him to repentance and told him he is a priesthood holder and cannot turn his back on all of this. He then hung up the phone. I gathered my district and we knelt in prayer asking God to help brother Gcina. I called him a week ago, he told me right after he hung up on me as they were driving to put an end to those guys, a cow ran in front of their car and they hit it. It ruined their car so they aren't able to go do that. He said it was my prayers and the Lord stopping him. He is still struggling, but he is doing better. The Lord DOES answer prayers. It happened right when my district and I hit our knees. It's real.
I learned a lot from conference. YOU KNOW Jeffrey R. Holland was amazing. But so were SO many others. I loved the talk by Dale G. Renlund. He kicked trash. He talked a lot about SA, so everyone here was very attentive. Anyways, when he said something along the lines of "... Then we would be called Latter-day hypocrites." The whole chapel burst into people saying, "Yoh, yoh, yoh!" Mama's and Tata's were put back in their seats. So awesome. They loved it.
Well, "I'm no saint, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying." - Nelson Mandela. And that is exactly what sets us apart from the world. We try.
Love.
E. Thayne

Mthatha road trip.‏

I have very little time this week. I tried to spend more time responding to and encouraging all of you who wrote me individual emails.. Thank you by the way!

All in all it's been a real learning and growing sort of week. The Lord definitely has been pushing and encouraging me to be better and be more than I now am. We had only 2 1/2 days in our area this week. Which is really sad compared to what I am accustomed to. We had several meetings with different people this week. One with the mission president, a couple with Elder and Sister Stapely, one with the Mthatha branch presidency, one with the Mthatha district and one with our Ward mission leader. Yeahh... we are dead tired. But we got a lot of work done that really needed to be done. And I think our work really was able to help the work move forward in other wards and areas other than our own!
We were able to accomplish some good work in our area with our wonderful fellowshipper Brother Siyamthanda. Or Siya. He has been so great. He submits his mission papers in just a week or so! He, like Talmage, is extremely excited to serve and is going to be such a powerful missionary. We started just hunting for potential priesthood holders that we could invite to learn and hear more. We met a few brothers on the street. Then we were talking about how we need someone who could provide transport to others here in eZibeleni to town for church... Just a minute later we saw a brother, driving a big Cara Cara (Taxi Van) down the street. I told my companion to turn around. We chased him down all the way till he parked at a shibeen... which is basically a trashy bar. Well, okay, we may have a word of wisdom issue with this brother, but it's fine... So I walked up to the window and just started talking to him. Eventually we left him with a pamphlet and got his contact details. We should be seeing him sometime this weekend! Hopefully that turns into something!
We also are teaching a Methodist pastor that we found last week with his two sons Azola and Aviwe. They are all LOVING our message. Azola is a fireman for Queenstown and always has a sweet story to share. Last week, there was a guy, who was mugged by two totsi's, then he watched them walk away and saw where they were going, he went inside his house, got a grenade (don't ask me where he got that) then threw it and blew them to kingdom come. It was crazy. I guess the guy just was crazy and shooting and yelling and then the shacks all got on fire and everything. That happened just right by where we work. Whoa. Anyways, we invited these three brothers to baptism and they committed! Score! I'll let you know how it progresses with them.
Then quickly, we took a road-trip to Mthatha to help a wonderful district of elders as well as have a great meeting/training with the branch presidency of the Mthatha branch. We had a training with the Mthatha branch presidency and ward mission leader while we were there. It was really good and I think they heard what we were saying. They have had issues with holding PEC and Correlation. We addressed that. We commended them for their enthusiasm and involvement with the work, but urged them to get things more in order and use the resources they have. We are going to be following up with them on some commitments we left as well in the next couple of weeks. I did hear they didn't hold PEC again this week, much to the frustration of the Mthatha district, but we will see if they do in the future. The Branch Presidency as well as the Mthatha district both separately requested two more Elders to urge the work forward in Mthatha. I explained that they first need to work with what they have and use the elders that ARE there to their potential. Because until that happens, I said they may not be able to receive more. The work really is exploding though!
I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Lafond. He is a great elder. Really laid back and easy going. He is from Wyoming. He said he struggled with finding, I told him that was my forte. So we went to work and had some great success. We also went to teach a few Recent Converts and I shared with him that I had found, that instead of teaching and reteaching and reteaching the lessons to the recent convert, start training them and then having them teach you. So we taught this sister and brother how to teach the restoration, and they taught it really powerfully to us. Really made them excited about missionary work since they were able to give it a try with teaching.
Well that is about it for this week. We had another two baptisms in our ward and had our bishop pretty much invite and commit the ward to come this year and gain as much as they can from general conference! I am so excited to see and hear from our Prophet and Apostles. We are so blessed to be able to hear from them.
Life is good. The struggles and challenges we go through are so important for our growth. Something that has been great for me to think about is a quote from M Russell Ballard, "It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best while we are on the Lord's errand." Thankfully, I am on the Lord's errand and I am doing my best. I know I'll be successful in the Lord's way and in His time.
I love you all!
- Elder Thayne -
Elder Mitchell Ryan ThayneSouth Africa Cape Town MissionPO Box 181, ObservatoryCape Town, 7935Republic of South Africa

-Queenstown-

Molweni!

Queenstown: Not at all like anything I have experienced thus far. It's so quiet where I work. I work in a little township just outside of Queenstown called eZibeleni. We have about four member families that stay out there that we work with. We have several individuals that are progressing towards baptism, but they are all females! We want to get a few powerful brothers in our pool as well. :] The girls are handling us guys. We need to do some catch up gentlemen. 

Well, I have so much to say, but as always, I have so little time. So I'll just start to rant until I run out of time, nehh? 

Wednesday was transfers! So after saying goodbye to all the amazing people in East London, my new companion, Elder Freitas and I were getting ready to leave. Then we received a call informing us that we would be staying overnight to have a meeting with the Stake President the following day. We then stayed at the Mdantsane Zone Leaders boarding and went to work with them in their area the following day. Elder Sanders and I, while on exchanges taught 9 lessons and committed several people to baptism. So I am glad the day I was there had a good impact on their area.

We had a meeting later that night with our Stake President, President Bell. He is a wonderful Priesthood leader and really has such a love and drive for missionary work. He really is wanting to have missionary work become more and more of a focus as he continues to influence and inspire the Stake. It was almost like a correlation, just on a Stake level. We agreed to have a meeting at the beginning of every transfer. He was extremely pleased with the level of obedience and work that he is seeing the missionaries put forth. I know that will continue to happen and the work will yield more and more fruit as we work along side the members of our wards.

We then slept over for a second day at the Mdantsane Zone Leaders boarding then headed back home first thing in the morning, for the first time, to Queenstown. We had a training with our Zone that morning talking about Hastening the Work of Salvation and helping the members catch the vision and become involved with our side of the work. We really stressed and talked about the issue of little to no communication with the Ward Mission Leader. President Bell is going to send a high councilor around to start training them on their duties which really should help, and from our side we encouraged the Elders to work with and remind the ward mission leader as much as possible of their duties. When the mission culture changed it was because the expectations were raised from where they had previously been. Then the missionaries answered the call. We feel like it'll be the same with member missionary work. We need to raise the level of expectation of involvement from our wards and they will rise up to the call as well. 

We are going to go around and meet with the bishopric's and branch presidency's within the zone and train them on what is expected of them in hastening the work. Our bishop is already very involved and is having us present a training with him next week on the subject as well. So hopefully the fruits of that should be very noticeable within the next couple of transfers.

Sorry for such a boring email telling about the details of the work. I just wanted you all to know what is up so that you can hear the success that will come because of the measures that are being taken in future weeks.

Okay, so now for a few stories.

Saturday evening, after finding and meeting a new investigator named Simphiwo, we made a plan to go visit his mother and his family that night in the hospital. His mother has diabetes, and has an issue with her foot. He told us she was going to have to get it amputated. So he asked us to go visit and "pray" for her. We went driving there that night. Found the hospital, but didn't even know the Mama's name. So we just started walking, while Elder Freitas (My companion) started talking with the nurse at the desk I felt like I should talk to this brother who was sitting down on the bench looking really stressed. I sat down next to him and struck up a conversation asking how everything is going and who he was visiting. He then proceeded to tell me how his girlfriend had been stabbed by some gangsters in the street of the location just outside Queenstown where he lived. He said he had been told that she wasn't going to live. I spoke to him about faith in Jesus Christ and how miracles still happen in our day. By this time Elder Freitas was standing there waiting to go find the room where uMama was staying. I told the brother on the bench that we would be back in a little bit to talk to him about our message. 

We then walked down the hall looking for the room. We walking into a room with like seven mama's laying in different beds, Elder Freitas walked straight up to one mama and said, "Hey are you Simphiwo's Ma?" (Don't ask me how he knew) then she said, "Ewe Buthi.(Yes, man.) I am so happy you are here." We explained what we were doing there and how Simphiwo had invited us, even though he wasn't there, and opened up to James 5 and talked about giving her a blessing of healing, just as Christ did. She said yes and showed us her rotten foot. It was awful. Honestly when we saw that we wondered about how on earth that foot could be saved. We then pulled the dividing curtain around her bed and gave her a blessing. It was a very special experience that I won't go into too much detail, but the Lord is, without a doubt, working in our lives. 

Afterwords we walked back to the bench where that brother was sitting. He was so excited he stood up and couldn't stop shaking our hands. He then said in his broken English, "Maybe two or three minutes after you pastors left, I was thinking about Jesus, then I saw some nurses walking and I called to one and said she must tell me how my girlfriend is doing. She said that they figured it out and the doctors stitched her up and gave her some jabs. She should be okay by weeks end! Jesus is real mdala (elder), Jesus is real." 

There you go. Sometimes, we don't need to actually lay our hands on someones head to give them a blessing. Sometimes we just need to encourage others to exercise theirs on behalf of those they love. Faith has to be practiced. Sometimes we don't see such immediate results of our faith, but every once in a while the Lord will give us those faith confirming experiences so we can receive our own witness. So then, during the dark times of our lives, we can wait patiently upon the Lord with faith, knowing that He WILL answer the call, in His time.

Shoutout to my cousin Reggie for getting his call to the:

Washington Federal Way Mission!

Uyamboza. (You're a champ)

I kind of forget what stuff is weird back there in America for you guys. So you'll have to ask me questions for specifics. We do see everyone walking around barefoot all the time. We also are seeing cows and goats walking everywhere in eZibeleni. I actually got really close to milking one till she kicked at me and ran away. Close though. I am back to being one of the ONLY white people at church. Just us Elders. It's pretty awesome. I love my Xhosa people. I am also learning much more about the language and I hope to be quite a bit better at it by the time I leave. 

I love you all. As always. CTR, pray and read your scriptures. Do everything you can to actually LIVE your faith, not just profess your faith. Once you do that you will come to know God just a bit better. It's a beautiful relationship to have.

Salakakuhle, nehh? Cheers!

- Mdala Thayne -

Pictures consist of a dinner with Elder and Sister Thomas and other Elders in a meeting. Brother Shakes and I in Mdantsane with a bunch of little kids. Then Elder Freitas and I with the Ndabeni family. They bought a Cara Cara, which is basically a big taxi van, just to drive people in eZibeleni to church. AMAZING people. Also us eating at the Ndabeni home with our fellowshipper Brother Siyatanda. (He just turned in his mission papers YESTERDAY!)

Love you all! Letters, as always are delicious.

Elder Mitchell Ryan Thayne

South Africa Cape Town Mission

PO Box, 181, Observatory

Cape Town, 7935

Republic of South Africa

I forgot to tell you about my companion.

Elder Felipe Freitas is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has been out for 23 months already. So he goes home at the end of April from mission. He enjoys sports, has a girlfriend who he plans to marry (sorry ladies) and looks forward to a long walk on the beach at the conclusion of his mission. He is the first person from South America to ever serve in South Africa.  He basically destroys at missionary work. I look up to, and love him a lot.
That's all.

Let's Start A Riot.‏

Molweni.

Another day another dollar...but not really. It's just been another great week. We had MANY investigators show up to church and are having many people progress and show greater and greater commitment and desire. It's really amazing to see how the work has improved so quickly here in the past three months I have been able to serve in this ward. It's been great.
It's been really fun to have Elder Matini still close by. He calls me a couple times every week asking me to define things for him, asking me for scriptures talking about certain things or asking me for advice on investigators. It really made me happy that we worked hard and did great together. Because we worked hard, he was happy, and he has trust in me as a missionary. That's what it's all about. We definitely have a real strong brotherhood! Us being together was a turning point in BOTH of our missions.
Elder Pope is doing really well. He is getting more and more independent. His knowledge of the scriptures and teaching has taken a very dramatic turn. He is doing great with all of that. I am excited to see who he will work with this coming transfer and see how he continues to grow and improve. I love him a lot.
The area itself is progressing very well. We have four people we are preparing for baptism. They are all very prepared people and all have a lot of support. They have shown great commitment as well, so it'll be great to see them progress in the gospel and grow in the church. Brother Songezo, Sister Priscilla, Usi and Litha. Mama Priscilla was the lady I met my FIRST day in this area. She said hi to me, then I asked where she lived and if we could come teach her. She said yes, we taught her, and invited her to church and she hasn't missed a day since. Usi was found when Elder Johnson and I were on exchanges tracting in the pouring rain. We were wondering if we should just head back to the boarding and wait it out since we weren't getting into any houses, but we decided to kneel down and pray and then go knock on a few more doors. Elder Johnson said, "Lets go to that house." I told him I thought we had already been there before, but let's give it a try. We did and that is the day we met Usi. She has been powerful since then. She defends the Book of Mormon to everyone who opposes it and has a really strong testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Then Songezo is the guy who has made HUGE changes in his life. Anyone and everyone can see it. He openly acknowledges the Lord's hand is his life and is going to be a powerful priesthood holder. He is brother Senzo's brother. And then there is dear, sweet Litha. She is Sister Linda's (Senzo's girlfriend) daughter. We are baptizing her as well. She is basically like my second little sister... Don't worry Afton, you are still my favorite sister in the whole world. But litha is so fun and so sweet. She asked me to baptize her just yesterday actually, so that will be awesome. We as missionaries are really trying to have the members to the baptizing and confirming, so mama and usi are having the members be involved with that which is great.
Anyway, that was just an ultra long and detailed description of our investigators.
I was able to interview two brothers that Elder Soko and Elder Johnson have prepared for baptism, and that was such a powerful experience. To really come to know and hear from them the WHY of them joining the church and their testimony. It was great for me to see the change they have undergone and the stories of their conversion. One of the brothers, named Tanyaradzwa, was actually walking down the road wondering what he should do with his life. He said he was depressed and just sort of at a loss. Well then he saw Elder Matini and I walking, and he waved at us. We came over, taught him a bit about the restoration of the gospel and invited him to church. Since that day he has never missed a day of church and has had the blessing of being taught by the other elders. It was special for me, being one of the elders to find him, to be able to interview him and see that change. It was a little love note from the Lord.
I also received an email from Elder Manzini! He is doing great and applying what he has learned from mission back home! I guess things are going well for him! I was happy to hear from him. He was our AP last transfer!
Well transfers are coming up this coming week! I should know by the next time I email where I am going and who I will be with! Exciting times as always. This past transfer and my entire time in this area has absolutely flown. It's almost sad how fast it went! The area though should be doing really well for a very long time.
This week we had a huge riot that went down all day in Scenery Park. Huge fires and they started setting up little barricades so that cars couldn't get in. People out here will riot because they don't have enough schools. So then they will burn down a school in an attempt to prove their point. Pretty interesting way to go about it!
We also went to the Zoo and got to see the giraffe again that I saw at the beginning of my mission. Then we swung by Mdantsane and I was able to see several of the people I baptized back there still strong and faithful in the gospel.
This weekend as well we were asked to teach all the youth in the stake. We were to focus on preparing for our mission. So we really encouraged and had a great lesson with 300 youth about all of that. We had a lot of them come up and thank us for it. Really cool learning experience for my district and I.
Well, the Lord is good and the work is amazing. I really can't complain. I attached a recording of one of the songs the people sang at the Old Apostolic church we visited last week.
I love you all!
Elder Mitchell Ryan Thayne

Akho ngxaki. - No problem.‏

Satan tries to take us down, God just lifts us up. I ain't got no worries.

Well it's been a new week with different challenges, but nothing we haven't been able to overcome. There are so many stories and miracles that have happened, I wish I could tell you all of them. Just know, the Lord's hand is so obvious in this work that is happening, that many people including the Bishop of our ward got up and testified of the miracles that are happening here.
Well something I wanted to mention which I have observed with a lot of missionaries and from the stories I have been hearing about. I feel like as a mission we have really developed the faith to find. Miracles happen on the daily with testing God's promises to help us find those who are prepared. I have seen it in not only my area, but others that are around me. Anyway, my point is, I can see that as a mission we really need to take that faith and reliance on God to the next level. We need to apply that faith to not only finding, but also teaching and baptizing. I am seeing many missionaries, at times including myself, have these wonderful experiences, but then letting these prepared people sort of slip through the cracks. We aren't really working with and helping those we have progress. It's just a thought I had, we need to apply testing God's promises on preparing these people for baptism and, one day, the temple.
The area and everything is going great. We have had, like I said, many miracles happen here. If you ever feel like hearing a couple good stories, just call Elder Pope and I up, we have a few for you. 1 (800) U-CNT-CALL-ME. Sorry. :[ Mothers day! Can you believe that is JUST around the corner?
One of those miricles happened while on exchanges with Elder Johnson. We had about 30 minutes before we went to the Humans for our DA. So we started specifically praying that the Lord would put us in someones path to help bless. Well we started driving... and far off in the distance I saw what looked like a graveyard. I felt an impression to go there and teach someone visiting the graveyard the Plan of Salvation. Elder Johnson was a champ and agreed. We eventually got there and found two sisters that were visiting their mothers grave. She had died 3 years to the day before. While talking to them one told us how she was struggling in her marriage and needed something to help her hold on and put it back together...plan of salvation.. and she didn't know where her mother was... plan of salvation.. Then the other sister told us how she used to go to our church, but her mom never wanted her to join or meet with the missionaries, but then right before the mother died she had told her daughter she knew that she needed to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She told her to go and be baptized into the church once she dies... the girl was kind of choked up and said we made her day. She knew that we had been sent there three years to the day of her mothers death to talk to her about all this. So we got their contacts and the missionaries in 3rd ward are going to start meeting with those two sisters... AMAZING! Specific prayers lead to miracles.
A couple more stories, because that is all anyone reads these emails for anyways... Elder Pope and I were standing in line to pull our money out to go shopping for some food this past Saturday. Well we were standing in this MASSIVE line for the ABSA ATM while there were like five other ATM's that no one was going to. Elder Pope kept saying, "Elder Thayne, why don't you just go to that one?" I for some odd reason really felt determined to wait in this line for this ATM though. Well we kept waiting only to have a white couple tap me on the shoulder. We turned around and started talking to them and telling them what we do. We explained we are members of the Lord's true church here upon the earth again. We told how we meet with people in their homes and allow the Gospel of Jesus Christ to bring the change in their lives. Well they were so excited, they told us how they had been talking that morning about turning their lives and relationship over to God, because things have been very hard for them. Anyways, we said thanks, and the man, Brother Charles, said that I am a "beautiful young man". We then just left the ATM line after getting their contacts and went on our way. I realized I never even needed to pull out the money. 
Well to make a long story short Elder Johnson and I went to go see them just a few hours later only to have brother Charles open up big time telling us all of his sins an addictions that he was struggling with. He told us how he wants to come to church and get rid of all these things holding him back. He wants to actually achieve his potential. There was so much that was said and done, but what came down to it is we testified that is EXACTLY what the gospel of Jesus Christ brings into people's lives. Hope. Hope for a peace in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come.
He told me while we sat with them that he knows the Lord sent me there. He kept saying, "You stood in line, talked to us, then walked away without even drawing money. You never used the ATM." He told how he knew the Lord used us as His angels to help him turn his life around. I was taught a very important lesson at that moment. Sometimes we will have thoughts/impressions come to our mind. Well we may even at the time not recognize that they are from God, but as we heed them and do what we feel we should do, the Lord will use us to bless others and be an answer to THEIR prayers. It is so important that we always stay worthy and ready to do the job the Lord needs done. We kind of did a hand off for that lesson over to Elder Johnson and Elder Soko. Charles and Brenda stay in their area. It's alright though, I'll see them at church, and one day, I'll hear of their baptism. It was really special.
One more story, yesterday we went to the Old Apostolic church just to visit a Pastor named David that Elder Soko and I found while we were on exchanges. While there we were brought to the front row to sit in front of the 200 and something people that were there at church. They were so excited. Just screaming and preaching in Xhosa. People would come bring their offerings to the front "seeking after the praise of men" and also they would be overcome by the spirit and start shouting gibberish in the church. Honestly it was pretty crazy. Us elders would just flip from scripture to scripture pointing to each other how they have gone off track with the truth. I could feel how badly these people wanted to be close to their Saviour and do what is right, but I could see how far off they were. Revelation is KEY. They need the gospel so desperately. Our church surely is the Lords. Anyways, so after church Pastor David called us and said he will organize with the Elders of his church for a lot of people to come visit our church next Sunday. We are praying that happens! I think it really can! :] So pray that people will be prepared and have the desire to come next week.
Elder Pope is very humble and willing to work. I just want him to continue gaining confidence and growing. I think these upcoming baptisms will really help him on his pursuit to become better. We are trying to really get into a stride as companions. We are very different, but I am trying to just love him to death and help him all that I can. 
All in all our district is doing great. The other Elders, (Johnson and Soko) have helped 4 less actives return to church and start preparing to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. Elder Johnson knows that he doesn't ONLY need to baptize to be a successful missionary, but on the other hand, he is also really coming to a better understanding of the fact that he CAN baptize. I am going to suggest for him to be the District Leader here once I leave. He has the trust of the ward, he knows what works here and he honestly is ready for a bit more responsibility. Whatever happens though will be the best thing for the ward and the district.
We have been working with the ward a massive amount. It is making a huge difference in the work. I feel like we have truly won the trust of the ward, I pray that the missionaries that come in the future will not take that lightly. I think that may have been part of the reason we were sent here. To raise the wards vision and expectations from missionaries. Their standards and expectations for missionary work were so low. They were always surprised when even ONE investigator would be at church. PLEASE. There is so much more potential here than that, and I think they see that now.
Well I love you all. CTR.
Elder Mitchell Ryan Thayne

I thought you'd enjoy this one as well. Last shot for y'all. Elder Johnson and I partaking of the delicacies of this blessed place we call Africa.