Week 90: Never a dull moment...

Hello Friends and Family,

Man was this an eventful and busy week!

It started off with an unexpected two day long exchange on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday night we received a phone call that my "son", Elder Bindrup, had been hit by a taxi while he was biking in his area. We rushed to the office to assist in getting some things situated for him. Thankfully we found out it was not too serious. He had some serious gashes on his hands, road rash on his arm, and a swollen right leg. He was released from the hospital the next day. Because of this incident we were able to be reunited as companions for 2 days. We had a great time and it was amazing to see how much he has grown in a year.

On Friday we were able to attend the Temple. While there I was able to see Nqobile (a recent convert from Rynfield while I was there.) He has been volunteering at the Self Reliance office for the past couple months. While talking to him he informed me that he recently received the Melchizedek! That definitely made my day. Later that evening we had an amazing lesson with the Yusuf family (a colored family that we have been teaching for a month or so that Elder Spencer and I found tracting.) We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation but focused on our life on earth. At the end of the lesson the spirit directed us to invite them to be baptized. As we did so Bro. and Sis. Yusuf unanimously accepted. We had invited them to church in the past but they had always mentioned how they had Cricket games on the weekend and would be too busy to come. However, at the end of this lesson Sis. Yusuf asked "Where is the church again?" anytime someone asks this question, as a missionary, you get very excited it typically means they are interested in coming. We proceeded to invite them to church and they said they would definitely visit and would probably be able to make it next week. We invited Bro. Yusuf to close the lesson with a prayer. Hesitant, yet willing, he offered the simplest, yet most sincere prayer I have ever heard on my mission. As he asked Heavenly Father to confirm the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the spirit almost simultaneously came upon us. After the prayer and lesson Bro. Yusuf made a comment I will never forget, "I have always wondered why God didn't just program us to do good. Ever since you Elders have been coming and sharing with our family I have been receiving answers. The things you have been teaching our family have connected with me on a much deeper, spiritual level." This comment confirmed to me that the spirit was there, D&C 50: 17-22.

17 Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
18 And if it be by some other way it is not of God.
19 And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
20 If it be some other way it is not of God.
21 Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.

On Sunday we had two of the young men we are teaching come to church. It was awesome to see them come to church and have a great time. One of them even made the sacrifice to come just for an hour since he had a soccer game around 10:30am. Also a less-active member, Bro. Sibanda who missionaries have been working with since last year, came to church. My companion and I can both attribute this to a member, their minister, who came with us earlier in the week to the lesson we had with them and he was the one who invited him to church and even offered to come fetch him. Bro. Sibanda made the sacrifice to come for the first hour of church because he then had to run to work. It is amazing to see people make sacrifices to grow closer to the Lord.

This is the Lords work. It is amazing to be a part of it and to be a part of his church.

Sincerely, Elder Rash