Ty's Mission to Durban, South Africa

Good day everyone! It's been another week in Africa and it's had some highs and lows. Best we start the week with where I left off. On Monday we had zone P-Day in Hillcrest, where we discussed in zone conference the importance of having confidence when doing the work of the Lord. We then had a Briie (basically a South African barbecue) and headed home to shop. Tuesday we started progressing more with the ward. Not only did we go tracting with Buhle, a member who's looking to serve a mission, but we also had Natasha with us for a lesson. Having members participate really brought a power to the lessons. Wednesday we really put the invitation of confidence to the test. During district council we were able to discuss more about it and bounce ideas around about how to do it. After that we went and ate lunch at a place called Nando's, and it was delicious. One lesson that really stuck out was with someone name Bheki. We taught him the restoration and then we got to the Book o...

Sawubona! It's been a great first week in South Africa. Imbali is huge! I was driving a couple days ago, and accidentally ended up on the wrong side of the road, the car I came face to face with pulled up next to me and asked "What country are you from?" When I said America, they said "I KNEW IT" and drove away. 😂 Talking to people is hard here. They all speak Zulu and I don't know Zulu, but I'm slowly picking up some things, like greetings and saying goodbye. Since everyone here has houses fenced off, we have a way of knocking with our voices that Elder Magot has helped me figure out. I even have a Zulu name to help me relate to the people here more. The name is Nkosinathi, meaning "The Lord is with us". I'm hoping that as I reside here I'll be able to understand people better.  We had a baptism on Sunday! Her name is Natasha (she gave me my Zulu name) and she's pretty cool, she had a cool experience when she was reading the book ...

This week was the week. Finished off my time at the MTC with a trip to the instant care to check on an issue with my hand and then it was off on a 15 hout plane ride. I'll definitely miss the MTC and the friends I made there, But I'm excited to do the work! The plane ride was long, to say the least. 17 hours sitting in a metal tube is definitely no laughing matter. I was able to sleep during most of the ride though. The sunrise in Jo-Burg was incredible though. The breakfast served at the hotel we stayed in before flying from Jo-Burg to Durban was delicious, from the eggs to the pineapple.  South Africa is defilately different. The driving here is the most terrifying thing I've ever seen and I can't wait to be a part of it. They shake hands differently here, and the way you shake depends on the demographic. You also have to make sure both hands are visible when shaking hands or passing someone something. The climate is actually quite similar to that of home except that ...

 Hello all! With a full week at the MTC having passed, I'm amazed by the constant companionship with the spirit while I am here. I'm growing tired of stairs. My legs hurt. I'm on the top floor of the residence hall, and there's no elevator, so I have to climb. All. Those. Stairs. And my companion had the incredible idea to climb six floors worth of stairs to get to class. Not to mention there are stairs to climb in pretty much every building on campus, plus the stairs to the temple. If I never have to see a set of stairs in South Africa, I'll count myself blessed. It's incredible to have such close access to a temple, especially one as beautiful as Provo. I'll be sending blessings that Mississippi can get one of its own. It was a special experience to help people be sealed to their families for time and all eternity. I think it's also important to highlight how much I love my district. Everyone is so supportive and fun and we all just want to help each o...