Easter

-Molweni! The work is going great! Here's just an update. 

 

-Our friends Onam, Zukanye, Live, and Asange are progressing super well. We have had really powerful lessons with them these Last 2 weeks. Live was telling us the difference he felt as he read The Book of Mormon, and said it was something he had never felt before, he then bore his testimony that he believes it's true. It's such a blessing to see the spirit touch people's hearts. Hoping and praying to have them on date soon here.

 

-Some of our Elders here got their apartment broken into and robbed. Luckily whoever it was only stole one phone and a 2 liter of coke lol. Funny enough, those same Elders and the companionship they share a car with had their car break down in the middle of the village at around 8 o'clock pm. So, we had to go drive about an hour out to where they were stuck. We didn't end up getting the car towed out until around 10pm. It took the emergency assistance a while to get to us. So, all 6 of us ended up sitting with this guy who invited us to wait in his home. Which was definitely a blessing because it's not exactly safe to be just standing out there in the townships. One of the guys was a bit drunk, so he kept us entertained while we waited, lol. 

 

-We saw a lady walking around our area with a monkey on a leash. First time I've seen that one, lol.

 

-With it being Easter break here. Walking around was pretty entertaining this week. Way way too many people under the influence. However, it is interesting most of the time that they come up to us and tell us how much they want to change their lives. It's sad because this terrible addiction has destroyed their minds. They have no control over their choices. They are "acted upon" by alcohol. It destroys people's lives and families here. As I've been a missionary here my gratitude for the word of wisdom has grown significantly. It truly keeps us safe and away from spiritual and physical pain. 

 

-Our friends are progressing well.  We are just waiting for Sizwe and Rebecca to get married to be baptized. They said it'll be in April so by May they should be baptized! Andile and Xolani are still waiting for the go ahead from our mission president, but they are both super powerful and will be baptized in the near future. Our guy Borin and his daughter Desire are awesome. They are from Zimbabwe and are so devoted already, they'll be baptized in just a couple weeks. We also have some more friends progressing that we are working with. Just praying to start getting all of these wonderful people in the waters of baptism! Also, we are making a greater emphasis on finding through members so we can reach the stake goal of baptisms this year. We need the assistance from our members. So, pray the members will be willing to be all in on missionary work.

 

- We had a good Easter Sunday. Elder Roberts and I have really been focusing on emphasizing the Atonement in all the lessons we teach. And as far as I'm concerned it has really helped our friends understanding and commitment. As they come to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ it starts to change them. Something I loved as I have been pondering about the Saviors sacrifice this Easter season is the verse found in Mark 15. It's verse 34 and it reads "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?". As I've studied and thought about this I've learned that of course our loving Heavenly Father would never have abandon Christ, but he had to withdraw His spirit from Him so that the Atonement could be complete. Christ had to feel what it was like to experience spiritual death along with physical death to know perfectly how to succor His people. Understanding this has made me realize to a greater degree what Christ suffered. He felt the same emptiness that comes from sin, that I have felt. That feeling is one of the absolute worst things, yet Christ willingly endured it all not just for me but for every single person who has lived, is living, and will yet live. I love my Savior, I know He lives. I hope everyone felt that gratitude and love form Christ this Easter. Yes it's true we cannot repay Him for such a sacrifice, but we can honor Him and thereby show our appreciation and love for Him.

 

-Elder Quick