Week 65: What I am most thankful for....

Dear Friends and Family, 
This week was great! Our days have gone from mostly tracting to being pretty jam packed with lessons.
On Tuesday we had interviews with President Leavitt. Those were great and very uplifting! 
On Wednesday we had a crazy full day of appointments! Straight appointments from 10 am to 8 pm. It was a great time and we found some pretty amazing new people. It was a very rewarding day.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving, we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Vosloo family. They don't really have turkey in the stores right now so we had chicken, rice, mixed vegetables, and gravy. It wasn't really a traditional thanksgiving meal, but it was still really good and thoughtful.  What made the day even more special was when we sat down at the table there were letters from our mother's sitting on the table in front of us. As we sat with the family after dinner we all shared what we are most thankful for. I am grateful for many things. I am grateful for a loving and supportive family. I am grateful for how close knit our family is. I am grateful for the families and people here in South Africa who take us in and make us part of their families. I am grateful for the precious time I have to serve the Lord and the people of South Africa. I am grateful for President and Sister Leavitt and the love and care they show us. I am grateful for the many missionaries I get to serve along side of. I am eternally grateful for my Savior who has atoned for my sins.
Friday, we went on exchanges with Elder Rakotonindrina and Bishop again. I was with Elder Rakotonindrina (from Madagascar) in his area. We had a great time biking and walking. I got quite the workout biking our member present around on the handle bars lol. 
On Sunday, someone who we are teaching that is a Rastafarian, invited us to a Rastafarian gathering lol. Elder Siale and I looked at each other and said "Why not!". So we had a great time visiting a Rastafarian gathering and learning more about their beliefs and traditions. I may not believe or support some of their beliefs but they definitely have a great time lol. 
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving back home. I heard ASU took the territorial cup once again! Sorry uncle Troy. Bear Down? For what!
I love you all and will talk to you next week.
Also Congratulations Kamee and Tyson!

A little piece of Oregon in South Africa!

 

Ever herded goats before?  Elder Rash has....

 

Exchanges with Elder Rakotonindrina from Madagascar.

 

Walking the dirt roads of South Africa

 

Giving a member missionary a lift on the handle bars of his bike!

 

What a work out!

 

Rastafarian event with an investigator.

 

Elder Neeley and Elder Rash

 

Elder Neeley, Elder Rash and Elder Bindrup....together again!

 

 

Elder Rash and an unknown Elder?

 

His day was packed full in his planner!

 

Week 64: Walking, biking and tracting...the life of a missionary

This week was a very jam packed and eventful week! It started Monday night when Elder Siale and I were able to go and play touch rugby with about 20 non-members in Northmead. We then ran over to Kempton Parks flat so we could conduct an exchange with them. So on Tuesday I was with Elder Gray (Colorado) in his area Kempton Park (town). We had an interesting day, needless to say. It consisted of tracting, biking to one appointment, taking a broken bike to the bike shop, blown tires, and a two hour walk just to be driven back to where we started lol. Elder Gray and I had a blast though.

On Thursday Elder Siale and I had a great time tracting in Crystal Park (black town). We had a few lessons with some people we found the previous week. One of those lessons was with a man named Thulani (29). Last week we were able to share with him a little bit about why Jesus Christ established one true church. On Thursday we were able to finish sharing with him about how God restored that church back to the earth. As Elder Siale and I began to bear our testimonies about the truthfulness of the message and the Book of Mormon, tears started to stream down his face. The spirit was present and so strong. We were able to come and do service for him the next day, Friday, and met one of his friends Thabiso. Thulani is a referral machine. He kept telling us about how he told all his friends and how he is going to bring a crowd to church. Thulani came to church on Sunday and he loved it. The crowd didn't follow with him but hopefully next week.

On Saturday I had the privilege of bringing Elder Julander (Panguetch UT) to my area on an exchange. Elder Julander has been out in the mission field for a whopping 3 weeks! He is an amazing missionary. We had a blast tracting practically the whole day. We were both able to really refine our tracting skills. Close to the end of the day, about 4 pm, we moved closer to our 5 o'clock appointment to tract around there. As we got out of the car I said a quick prayer in my heart saying "Heavenly Father if it be your will, help us at least find 1 person that we can get a return appointment with." Up till that time we hadn't gotten any. The last 4 houses we knocked we were able to get two potential return appointments and they gave us their phone numbers. #tendermercy. After our 5 o'clock appointment with Wendy and Nqobile (the two girls that were baptized yesterday) we decided to stop by an older couples home. We had a great time visiting with them and getting to know them a bit better. Their in-active daughter, who hasn't been to church since at least I got here, joined us and we had a great time talking about their memories of missionaries in the past when they would stay with their family at their home, take missionaries to movies, etc. On Sunday, as I was on the stand to bless the sacrament, I watched their daughter walk into church. The work of ministering is amazing.

Sunday was a great day! We had a great turnout at church. We were a little disappointed because some people we were expecting to come didn't come. We had a total of 11 people at church. A few of them had come for the first time which was awesome! Later in the day we came back to the chapel for the baptism of Wendy and Nqobile, in the Northmead ward. We have been teaching Wendy and Nqobile for quite some time. They are two of the sweetest young women. It was a special moment when Nqobile called me and asked me to baptize her. The spirit was so strong at the baptism and baptismal program. The love and support that these girls have received from the Northmead ward is indescribable. The faith that these girls have is amazing as well. They wouldn't let freezing cold water postpone their baptism. The geyser was broken so there was no hot water. Let's just say it was refreshing and an experience I'll never forget.

I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. I know that His hand is constantly in our lives. I know that we must align our will with His. As we do that miracles begin to happen.

Love, Elder Rash

Note from mom:  I asked him if he was going to get a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Here was his response:

So we actually had two families volunteer to make us a Thanksgiving dinner. One of them thought Thanksgiving was the last Thursday of November and I didn't know so I just went with it, so she signed up to feed us on the 29th; but that's a week after Thanksgiving. Another family, the Relief Society President, signed up to feed us this Thursday. Her and her daughter asked me what we wanted them to cook for Thanksgiving or what kind of things we eat on Thanksgiving. So for the first time in 3 Thanksgivings on my mission, I will celebrate Thanksgiving. Yes, they are white families that will be feeding us. Black people don't celebrate Thanksgiving. White people don't really either but a lot of them have family overseas in the states so they know about it.

Asked if he was excited to be an uncle:
 I can't believe I'll be an uncle in 3 weeks or so... 3 weeks on a mission flies by so It's going to feel like tomorrow when that day comes.

Splits with Elder Gray

Splits with Elder Julander

Wendy and Elder Siale

Blessed day!

Nqobile and Elder Rash

Sometimes a picture just pops up in his google drive that I have never seen before. 
I don't know when this picture was taken, but I know he loves these missionaries.

Week 63: Working hard makes you very tired

This week has been a really good week but also a quite exhausting week. I'm not sure if I have done this already but I will paint you a picture of how diverse the area we cover is. So we cover two areas and wards. The first is Rynfield. The Rynfield area consists of a squatter camp (hundreds of shacks, poverty, all dirt roads), a township (houses and shacks, some poverty, some dirt roads and some paved roads), a black and white town (all paved roads, a mix between township and town, some high walls, some low or no walls), and a straight town (practically all white, high walls, loud dogs barking, and no one on the streets). Our other area is Northmead and this area is completely town. In the past all the work we have done has been in the township in the Rynfield ward. This past week Elder Siale and I implemented a schedule to prevent that from happening and so we can get the work progressing in all of the areas. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday we spend our time in the township. On Thursday, in the black town. Friday, Rynfield town. And Saturday, Northmead town. I will now begin to explain why this week was a bit tiring.

On Thursday we had no lessons scheduled because we are not teaching anyone in the black town. So Elder Siale and I spent a solid 3 hours tracting all day. We had quite a bit of success and found some awesome new people.

On Friday we were actually on exchanges with the AP's and I went to Florida with Elder Bogosovac (Serbia). We had a great time.

On Saturday we conducted another exchange. I was with Elder Bishop (Montana. Yes, you may recognize his name from when I was in Phokeng.). We were in my area. Yes, you may recall Saturday's are our Northmead day and yes we are teaching nobody there. So Elder Bishop and I had a fun filled day of tracting in town. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Between all the tracting and the back to back exchanges, I was in need of some rest. I slept like a baby that night.

On Sunday we had an awesome experience. Elder Palmer, the Africa Southeast area president, and Elder Vinson a member of the Presidents of the Seventy visited our area. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from them. It's was also fun to hear stories about Elder Vinson's interaction with the 12 Apostles and President Nelson.

The family that I told you about last week that lives in our complex came to church this week! It was a sweet experience to be able to sit with their whole family at church. Elder Siale and I were able to introduce Elder Palmer and Vinson to them. It was a very special Sunday service and the spirit was so strong. 

Serving a mission has helped me learn a lot about loving others the way the Savior would. I'm grateful for all the examples that I have had around me on mission to learn from. President Leavitt, Elder Palmer, and many missionaries have taught me a lot through their example. The Savior is the best exemplar. May we all strive to better follow his example and love those we meet.

Love, Elder Rash

Elder Siale, Elder Bishop, Elder Rokotonindrina (from Madagascar) and Elder Rash after a long day of exchanges

Week 62: Having a positive attitude makes things bearable

Hello Friends and Family,

It was another great week out here in SA (South Africa). Elder Siale and I have seen the Lord bless us with many new people who are ready for the gospel. One of which lives in our flat complex. She saw us missionaries outside one day so she came over and told us she wanted to meet with the missionaries and that she had met with them in 2012. We went and visited her on Tuesday and discovered that she was about to be baptized about 6 years ago but life got crazy and some concerns about the church came up. She expressed to us that she believes the Book of Mormon is true. Her and her husband are looking for a church now. We invited her to baptism and her and her daughter both accepted. They were suppose to come to church but her Mother-in-Law was admitted to the hospital so they were unable to make it. We are excited to visit them this week again and to meet the husband as well.

On Friday we held a Zone meeting where we discussed our upcoming plans for the Light the World campaign and watched a video where we received some insights from Elder Nielsen of the Seventy. It was a great meeting and it was fun to have our whole, rapidly growing, zone together (we added to our zone another area and companionship).

Friday evening I celebrated Halloween for the first time on my mission. Halloween is celebrated here but is not very common. It is celebrated mostly by members of the church who live in town. No one goes out Trick or Treating because it is dangerous. However we did have a Ward Trunk or Treat that evening. So that was fun.

Also on Friday Elder Siale and I tracted for 2 hours in Rynfield town. The very first door we knocked we had someone throw the F bomb at us lol. It was 2 hours filled with rejection but also 2 hours filled with success because we were doing what we were supposed to be doing. On Saturday we did 3 hours of tracting in Northmead town. Well, we had basically the same outcome. We had someone throw the F-bomb at us again as well as people yelling at us to get away from their gate, and people yelling at us telling us we were annoying them. Once again it was a successful day and Elder Siale and I were proud of our efforts. (Matt 10:22)

The Church is true. I will continue to share that with others whether they accept me or not. For I am not ashamed of the gospel.

Love, Elder Rash

note from mom:  No pictures this week.  He said that the internet café service was running slow and his pictures wouldn't download.  I'm expecting LOTS of pictures next week!

Week 61: Don't give up!!!

Drum roll please.........

Elder Siale and I will be staying together for another transfer! We are excited for another transfer together. He will be the longest companion I've had. There is a lot of work for him and I to do still here in Rynfield and Northmead.

We were unable to meet with Lydia and Russell this week because they are preparing to leave for Dubai in a few days so we won't be able to meet with them for a few weeks. This week we had 3 baptisms. Zanoxolo (17), his brother Loyiso (16), and Vuyo (9). It has been a joy teaching these young men and it was such a sweet moment to see them enter the waters of baptism. Vuyo is a little boy that wasn't baptized when he was 8 so when he turned 9 we had to teach him before he could get baptized. Let's just say him and his little sister Tumi (7) taught us. It was such a joy to go to their home each week and have them literally teach us the lesson WE had come to teach. Every time we entered their gate they would both come running up to Elder Siale and I to give us a hug. They are the cutest and most loving kids ever. I have come to love them and their family (Phango family).

On Friday we did some tracting in Northmead... After a few hours of knocking gates, with little success, it was about time for us to head to a meeting. As we knocked the last gate before heading back a man came out and began talking with us. About 4 years ago he was involved in a really bad work accident that left him blind in one eye, 70% blind in the other, and with short term memory loss. We asked if we could share a message about Jesus Christ and when would be a convenient time for us to do so. Usually we get the answer of "I'll call you" or "in a few weeks". To our surprise he told us his wife would be home at 6:30 and that we could come back at 7 pm. About an hour later we returned to their home. When we sat down with him, his wife seemed a little skeptical and then asked us the usual question "are you Jehovah Witness?" once again we replied "no." We had a great lesson with them about the Plan of Salvation. Everything that we shared with them his wife confirmed that it is what she believes. It was a great lesson for us to get to know them and their beliefs and to just get into their home and help them feel the spirit. They told us that we could come back this Thursday which is when we will be able to share the message of the Restoration.

The Lord truly tests our faith. During this time of tracting Elder Siale and I experienced people rolling their eyes at us, dogs almost biting us, and people telling us they already know Jesus Christ. We saw Heavenly Father consecrate our performance when we were able to get into the very last gate we knocked. Whenever you feel like you can't go on any longer or that it's not worth it, hold on a little longer. Something amazing is about to come.

Love, Elder Rash

Well last night Elder Siale and I got a phone call about 11 pm from two missionaries in our zone. They told us that their flat had just flooded. We quickly ran over there and had a blast sweeping water out of their flat and soaking it all up until 1am. That is officially the latest I have ever stayed up on mission.

Baptism of Zanoxolo, Loyiso, and Vuyo

 

The Phango Family

Tumi and Vuyo Phango

What a sight!

 

Week 60: Tender Mercies

I think every missionary has those days where they wish there was a camera recording their whole day, capturing all the experiences, lessons, and feelings they had that day. That was the kind of day that Elder Siale and I had on Tuesday.

It started out with us stopping by and saying hi to a lady, Jane, who we had started teaching a while back but had lost contact with for a month or two. As we got out of the car Jane immediately told us that she needed to talk to us so she could share with us her testimony. As we sat down with her she expressed to us that she had received an answer, through a dream, that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was the only true church. Elder Siale and I were both taken back. She then began to cry as she told us about what her family would think of her leaving their church and how in her dream she saw that she was only able to bring with her one of her sons with her to the true church. As she shared these fears a scripture immediately popped into my head. As we walked to the car to fetch our scriptures I kept trying to remember where the scripture was located. I believed it was in the book of Matthew but I didn't know what chapter. As I began to open my bible, chapter 19 came to my mind. Almost simultaneously the first page my bible opened to was Matthew 19:29, the exact verse I was looking for to share with Jane. We continued to share and testify to Jane and then invited her to be baptized. One of the tender mercies of the Lord I saw this week/day.

Later that evening we had our second lesson with Russell and Lydia. They invited us over for dinner and we were able to answer more of their questions at the same time. They had many questions about temples, eternal marriage, and the plan of salvation. We had a wonderful discussion with them about these various questions they had. We were able to answer all of the questions they had and they were very happy. At the end of the lesson a strong prompting came to invite them to baptism. As I began the invitation it felt like the whole room went mute and the spirit began to fill the room. At the end of the invitation Lydia, with tears in her eyes, without hesitation accepted, as well as her husband Russell. They both then began to state evidences to us of how they know that it's not a coincidence that we met and that they have found the restored gospel at this time in their life. As we left their home Elder Siale and I were both speechless. 

We went on two exchanges this week. On Wednesday I was able to go with Elder Sande to his area. We had a blast. Also I was able to cut his hair. My first time cutting a black man's hair :o). On Saturday I was able to go with Elder Dupaix (West Valley, Utah) to his area. They are on bikes so that was a lot of fun. Even when it began to rain about mid-day. Let's just say neither of us were prepared for the rain or cold weather the rain brought with it. When we left for the area it looked like it was going to be a warm sunny day lol. Luckily we saw another tender mercy from the Lord that day. Each time we got to a lesson and got into the home the rain would start to come down hard. As soon as we finished the lesson and got ready to leave the rain would either completely stop or let up to a light sprinkle.

Elder Siale and I had a great week. We saw the Lords hand in our lives and in the work numerous times this week. I love you all and will talk to you next week.

Love, Elder Rash

P.S. Transfer news is this week Saturday, so you'll find out what's happening next.

Tracting.....

Cutting Elder Sande's hair

Riding bikes in the rain on a dirt road makes for a mess

What balance!

Object lesson

Finding a marijuana plant made for an interesting time

Splits with Elder Dupaix

Week 59: Coming home...SYKE!!!!!

note from Elder Rash's mom:  This heading was the title of his e-mail this week.  I was not a happy camper when I saw it; but I know this was a day that he had mixed emotions about.  I'm just glad that he was able to say goodbye to his buddies and then GET BACK TO WORK!

Well friends and family the day arrived for me to head to the airport to come home. I made it to the airport but unfortunately missed my flight and will be staying in South Africa for another 10 months to serve the Lord. Sorry mom. 

Well I did in fact end up making it to the airport on Tuesday to drop Elder Kealer off so he could catch his flight (Elder Kealer is from Peoria and we sat next to each other on our flights to Johannesburg exactly 2 years ago). It's a long story of how we got put in charge of taking him to the airport. We ended up meeting up with the rest of the missionaries from my MTC group who were heading home. It was a bitter sweet moment as I watched all of these Elders I have come to love walk through security but all is well. Glad that day is behind me.

On Wednesday we had interviews with President Leavitt. Those were great as usual. He is a very inspired man.

The rest of the week we had a normal week of proselyting. Minus the continuous rain that happened on Saturday and Sunday.

Also this week we found two awesome young men named Bongkosi and Mzoxolo. We went to teach Loyiso and Zanoxolo, who are two brothers preparing for baptism, Bongkosi and Mzoxolo happened to be there as well and decided to join the lesson. We watched the Restoration. Afterwards Bongkosi mentioned how he felt something, like happiness. Elder Siale and I were able to bear testimony to him that it was the spirit and that the spirit testifies of truth. We had a powerful discussion with them and invited them to baptism. They were definitely the highlight of our week. 

On Sunday we were able to watch the final session of General Conference. 

The Lord is preparing the hearts of many. It is our task and duty to go and find them. Not only to find them but to reach out to them with love and invite them to come and be partakers of the truth. I enjoyed the talks in General Conference that were all about ministering. I don't think we understand how wonderful of an opportunity this is and how simple and easy it truly is. It will take sacrifice but that sacrifice is insignificant when you compare it to the miracles that will be brought about. On a mission we are ministering everyday but I am excited for when the time will come when I will be able to apply these same Christ-like attributes back home. Please act now and begin ministering to your brothers and sisters. I have seen the effects of not implementing these teachings. In the world we live in there truly is no time to wait. We all need each other more than ever. The church is true and is led and guided by a living Prophet. 

Love, Elder Rash

Practicing some hoops!

I know Elder Rash loves his MTC buddies

MTC Buddies going home

Elder Siale, Elder Kealer and Elder Rash at the airport

Elder Cox with Elder Rash

Elder Rash at the Johannesburg Airport

Man or Monkey?

Pulling down the tree for service