Molo Umjani!
For an update for the week...things are going pretty good. Ilinge is an interesting place. I was fortunate to finally see what a church service is like in Ilinge. Church started at 10 am...They meet in a couple of trailors but they're done up really nice. They have big grounds with a nice garden in the front, and the inside looks quite nice. The service was really good. As soon as the clock hit 10am then more people started coming in. We probably had maybe 60 or so people at church. I was quite surprised when only 10 were there at the beginning. But it was really good. I'm trying to learn the names which i find more difficult than anywhere else i've served, but it's alright. We have some really good leaders including the 1st Coun. in the Branch Presidency...he's a stud. Return Missionary, hilarious, and knows his stuff. His name is Pres. Ndlelo. All the rest are pretty cool too...idunno what to say.
Anyway...the week was pretty decent. Unfortunately our car is in the shop and still will be til the end of the week...so we've just walking around a lot in the area. It's a pretty good size area and so we spend a bunch of time walking. Especially if appointments fall through...then it gets really tough and tiring. But it's all good.
So Friday we had District Meeting and i decided to do it on Vision and Goal setting. We did an Area SWOT. It was actually pretty nice having to prepare for it. It all went really well.
Idunno if i told you...but when i was up in Namibia we ate some Giraffe and it was WAY good....just thought i'd let you know. O and also while i was in Nam i was drawing money out with my MSF card and i forgot about it for a minute or two and the ATM ended up eating my card. It was retarded. So i was without a MSF card for about 2 weeks...somehow i survived tho. They had to order me a new one and i just got it the other day. So finally today i was able to buy enough food for the week...i was a bit worried.
As for people we're teaching...we have one guy with a baptismal date sometime in october. I've only met with him once. We're teaching this 14 year old kid named Silindokhule who is awesome. Yo he's smart! He's been to church a lot and already wants to be a missionary. His sister is a member. He's like a 20 year old in a little boy's body. He's hoping to be baptized in the next month or so. We dont have a date for him yet tho.
Ilinge is good tho...as i think i might have said before...it's very rural. No street lights. Dirt roads. Cows walking around everywhere...it's a small township i guess. But it's fun none the less. People seem to be nice...i usually just let Elder Mkhize do all the talking since he can communicate...english is a big problem there. Probably more than half of church on sunday was in Xhosa...so i just read the Book of Mormon...tried to catch a few words and understand...but i couldnt that easily.
O i forgot to tell ya...Transfers were this week so the zone changed a bit...we lost i think 3 elders and 3 new ones came in. Elder Holt...my trainer from Canada...if you remember...is now a Zone Leader in Queenstown. It was a bit of a surprise but it's kinda cool. I'll have to go on an exchange with him sometime this transfer...so that'll be interesting since it's been about 9 months since i've seen him. He's doing well tho. He's almost done, he goes home in December.
Well that's about it. Elder Mkhize is a stud...we're doing really good. Hope you're all great!
Elder Devenney
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sept 13, 2009
So this week has been a bit interesting. As i was up in Namibia, after Elder Schamel and myself had finished doing weekly planning on thursday we got a call from President Probst. He told me that my visa was expiring for Nam on the 11th of September...friday. He said that it would be illegal for us to stay there without a renewed visa and that i could possibly go to jail.. So he told me that i would be receiving some transfer news a week early. It kinda came as a surprise although i did know my visa was expiring and i figured i'd be transfered anyway...but it was a bit sudden for me as it came very fast. I was told that i would be leaving the following morning within 24 hours and that i'd be heading down to the Eastern Cape of South Africa to a place called Ilinge. He also asked me if i'd like a bit more responsibility...i said yeah sure...so i'm a District leader now. That was good news i guess...
I said my goodbyes to those that i could in my area and in my last area...packed...had a late night finishing up stuff...then hopped on a plane heading for Cape Town. Elder Frager, Elder Hoffman, and myself were the only 3 that were leaving Namibia. It was a bit difficult as all our hard work was about to pay off in Nam...There were multiple baptisms coming up in the branch. Three this weekend, and 4 more about 3 weeks from now. So it was a bummer to go but either way things will be going great up there. We definitely left that branch better than it was 6 months ago.
So i got on the plane and like i said headed for Cape Town. I ended up going with the ZL's in Cape North and working in Langa for a day or so. Sleeping over at their boarding. The following morning the plan was that i'd go fly down to East London with President and Sister Probst, as they were going for stake conference. So that's what i did. I had a nice little chat on the plane with President and Sister Probst which was good. The flight was about 2 hours down. Then we got our rental car and drove outside of East London for about 45 minutes to the Mdantsane ward to have a bit of a conference. (this is saturday) So we got there in time for the Priesthood Leadership training meeting...and stayed later for the Adult Session. Elder Rendlun of the Area Seventy was there addressing and it was way good. After that it was about 7pm and i ended up grabbing all my stuff and loading it into the Queenstown ZL's car and driving back to Queenstown. That's about another 2 hour drive east. Got in about 9pm or so and stayed over at their boarding. Sunday we had Stake Conference but since Queenstown is so far away from EL the leaders did it twice. The one out in Queenstown was at about 2pm. So i eventually got with my companions...Elder Mkhize who will be my actual companion. He's from Durban. And Elder White who is about to leave, he's been in Ilinge for 6 months. I'm replacing him. But as for the next couple of days we'll be together in a 3some til transfer news comes. So that's my current state.
So if you're a bit confused...Queenstown is about as far east as we go in this mission...well south and east. The only thing farther is Mthatha. Ilinge, where i will be working, is about a 25 min drive outside of the main city...it's way rural. There are no street lights. And you drive for about 10 min on a dirt road to get out there. It's nuts. But it looks pretty cool. I was only in the area for a little bit yesterday so i cant really give a full account of what it's like. It's big time Xhosa speaking tho...So it looks like i'll drop all the Afrikaans i've learned and focus on trying to communicate in Xhosa. It might take a little bit. Apparently they struggle to find people that speak really good english in this area...but it'll be fine. We'll work it out. I've got some good ideas for this place...so it should be good.
Queenstown isn't too big of a city...maybe like Ogden or something. Definitely nothing like Cape Town. But we live in a pretty nice neighborhood. Probably the most quiet place i've lived so far. It's really nice. Well the boarding is a bit small...it's like one room with everything in it...and then a bathroom. But it should be fine. I'm a bit excited to start a new area...the only thing i'll struggle with is that language barrier. But my companion can speak Zulu so it's pretty close...he can communicate pretty well.
As of anything else....not too much is going on. Just going to try to enjoy this new opportunity and responsibilities...should be fine. It was a bummer to leave Nam, especially Elder Schamel...we were only together for about 4 and a half weeks. It was a way short transfer for the two of us.
Hope that gives you a bit of an update on where i am and what's going on here! Find me on a map!
Thanks,
Elder Devenney
I said my goodbyes to those that i could in my area and in my last area...packed...had a late night finishing up stuff...then hopped on a plane heading for Cape Town. Elder Frager, Elder Hoffman, and myself were the only 3 that were leaving Namibia. It was a bit difficult as all our hard work was about to pay off in Nam...There were multiple baptisms coming up in the branch. Three this weekend, and 4 more about 3 weeks from now. So it was a bummer to go but either way things will be going great up there. We definitely left that branch better than it was 6 months ago.
So i got on the plane and like i said headed for Cape Town. I ended up going with the ZL's in Cape North and working in Langa for a day or so. Sleeping over at their boarding. The following morning the plan was that i'd go fly down to East London with President and Sister Probst, as they were going for stake conference. So that's what i did. I had a nice little chat on the plane with President and Sister Probst which was good. The flight was about 2 hours down. Then we got our rental car and drove outside of East London for about 45 minutes to the Mdantsane ward to have a bit of a conference. (this is saturday) So we got there in time for the Priesthood Leadership training meeting...and stayed later for the Adult Session. Elder Rendlun of the Area Seventy was there addressing and it was way good. After that it was about 7pm and i ended up grabbing all my stuff and loading it into the Queenstown ZL's car and driving back to Queenstown. That's about another 2 hour drive east. Got in about 9pm or so and stayed over at their boarding. Sunday we had Stake Conference but since Queenstown is so far away from EL the leaders did it twice. The one out in Queenstown was at about 2pm. So i eventually got with my companions...Elder Mkhize who will be my actual companion. He's from Durban. And Elder White who is about to leave, he's been in Ilinge for 6 months. I'm replacing him. But as for the next couple of days we'll be together in a 3some til transfer news comes. So that's my current state.
So if you're a bit confused...Queenstown is about as far east as we go in this mission...well south and east. The only thing farther is Mthatha. Ilinge, where i will be working, is about a 25 min drive outside of the main city...it's way rural. There are no street lights. And you drive for about 10 min on a dirt road to get out there. It's nuts. But it looks pretty cool. I was only in the area for a little bit yesterday so i cant really give a full account of what it's like. It's big time Xhosa speaking tho...So it looks like i'll drop all the Afrikaans i've learned and focus on trying to communicate in Xhosa. It might take a little bit. Apparently they struggle to find people that speak really good english in this area...but it'll be fine. We'll work it out. I've got some good ideas for this place...so it should be good.
Queenstown isn't too big of a city...maybe like Ogden or something. Definitely nothing like Cape Town. But we live in a pretty nice neighborhood. Probably the most quiet place i've lived so far. It's really nice. Well the boarding is a bit small...it's like one room with everything in it...and then a bathroom. But it should be fine. I'm a bit excited to start a new area...the only thing i'll struggle with is that language barrier. But my companion can speak Zulu so it's pretty close...he can communicate pretty well.
As of anything else....not too much is going on. Just going to try to enjoy this new opportunity and responsibilities...should be fine. It was a bummer to leave Nam, especially Elder Schamel...we were only together for about 4 and a half weeks. It was a way short transfer for the two of us.
Hope that gives you a bit of an update on where i am and what's going on here! Find me on a map!
Thanks,
Elder Devenney
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