Monday, October 25, 2010

The Good, the Bad, and the Wet

Dear family and Friends

hey! Greetings from the wettest place in South Africa haha. its been raining all weekend. kinda sucks. people don't like to see you when the weather is bad. it was quite fun changing a tire in the rain. got all wet and it was a challenge to wash my hands, we used the the nice rain water in the gutter haha. better than greasy hands on the steering wheel. So yeah we had not one but 2 flat tires in one week. wasn't the best thing but luckily i know how to change a tire! it was a slick swap haha.

We had the special visit from Elder and Sister Watson yesterday. it was really good. he spoke really boldly about the Restoration and how Joseph was only 14yrs when this all happened to him. it was really cool. he had a 14yr old come up and stand next to him as an example, then he had a 17yr old come up, to represent when Joseph saw the angel Moroni and then a 21yr old come to represent when he received the Plates. it was kinda funny cause all three were taller than Elder Watson. I got to shake his hand before the meeting started and of course he asked me where i was from when he saw my name and i told him and he said, " oh of course your from there, lots of Rigbys in Idaho" i told him i knew Ryan and he said well we will have to get a picture together. But he left before i could get a chance to =( but its ok. It was really good to hear him speak about how he has served for 7 Presidents of the Church. and how he got really nervous when he had to give a talk in sacrament meeting and the prophet was presiding. Its always nice when the Prophet calls you up 2 days before Sunday to tell you that he will be attending your ward. we all chuckled.

we are here in East London today for pday, we came yesterday and then just stayed the night with the zone leaders. to save ks. but its not the best day to play to sport since its raining but we are going to do it anyway haha or go play in the chapel in the gym. glad to hear that you got the letter from president, i thought he was going to send an email. guess not. but yeah i know its a big responsibility to be a DL and do all that stuff i'm trying my best and the zone leaders are here to help me if i don't understand. and of course my Heavenly Father. I'm so grateful for His love and comfort that i feel everyday. i love this gospel.

No we don't have primary programs here, too small. on saturday they had and activity and one kid pulled the pin on the fire extinguisher so white powder was all over! So the elders came to the rescue to help clean up. vacuum worked really well.

I don't know what i want for Christmas. music would be nice and a new tie haha. i'll keep thinking. i'm not too picky

Well i love you all and miss you! Have fun, be good and what? Remember who we stand for =) love you guys!

Elder Rigby

Monday, October 18, 2010

But we did Work!

Dear family and friends,

Greetings back home! How is the weather? the weather here has been pretty nice actually. warm and then cold warm and then cold. it fluctuates big time but is Africa it happens. Its been an ok week. nothing exciting happened that i can tell of. appointments fell through and people didn't come to church. and fellow shippers weren't available. so member presents were really low this week. if you look at the stats it looks like we didn't do anything productive. i hate that. but we did work! So i can't say anything bad.

We did give a baptismal date to a guy on the first lesson but then when we went back for the return appointment he wasn't home. i kinda don't think he really understood what we were asking him, cause he just kept saying "ok, alright" like the Xhosa people do. yeah its really annoying. but its fine its fine. We had 2 mommas come to church yesterday but they left after sacrament meeting, i asked them before they left if they wanted to stay and they said no. i don't think they liked it too much. i don't understand what there is to not like about church.... but anyways. we will visit them this week and find out the details.

We've been working a lot with the less active members. Bishop wanted us to really focus on retention and reactivation so thats what we are trying to do. the people that we visit make promises and then don't keep them so we really aren't getting anywhere, some are just plain lazy to come and others have problems with transport and money to come. in PEC we were told to work closer with the active members to try to get the lost ones to come back, whether it be for them to visit or have them go and pick them up. So we shall go for that approach this week as well. I'm enjoying this area and the members are great. we didn't have a D.A. yesterday which sucked. We were planning on one as we always do so we really didn't have much to eat in the boarding. but we had some nice bread and rice. yeah wasn't the best Sunday afternoon meal i've had. Yo the last time i didn't have a D.A. on sunday was back in Mthatha. I didn't like it.

I get to watch conference on the 30th and 31st of this month. next week the stake is having a special visit from Elder Watson, area presidency, so we will be going to Mdantsane next week for church =) i'm excited haha. the zone pday will hopefully come next week i have to write an approval form to the zone lords and then they will send it to the APs so it can get approved which President already approved but we still have to write up the explanation thingy. but yeah excited for that too =)

Well i love you guys!! have fun! peace out!

your missionary,
Elder Robert S. Rigby (CTM)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Simple and Plain Truths

Dear family and Friends,

hey everyone, glad to hear you had a good week back home. Is it getting cold yet? its starting to warm up here. So dad got some sunshine hauled eh? haha thats good thats good. i don't miss that but i do miss tractor work. Round up time, i was wondering when that was coming. sounds like a big coming week with Island Park and Spencer in the same week. have fun with that. can't wait till 2012 when i can join in on it again. i may not stay here too long. President told me to boost up the area and that i will probably only be with Opolot for 6 weeks so i don't know what will happen i can't predict anything haha

I have had a good week. lots of work had commenced in King. :) Bishop is very pleased with what we were able to do during the week as he mentioned in PEC yesterday morning. We have done lots of LA work and we even have gotten the brethren to come out with us to fellowship. so work is picking up a bit. its been fun working with Elder Opolot. haha he is a funny character. he needs work on his teaching, cause i talk a lot in appointments now. didn't realize how much i like teaching until i talk the entire time and my comp is just sitting there being quiet. but i do give him time to teach. being senior is quite the responsibility. wow. i have to make all the decisions and have to report to the ZLs and yeah. Elder Samuel Opolot is his name from Uganda and has an interesting accent.

We have been teaching former investigators and working with the ones that they were teaching last transfer. we have one BD, Nomhla. she is a very nice lady and has come to church twice now. we didn't see her this past week cause she went to P.E. so i hope she is back this week. She stays in a township called Sweetwater. its an interesting place but good people. I taught gospel principals yesterday on the law of chastity, yeah talk about awkwardness! haha. but its got to be taught! and we had very good participation from the class. i like it :) I'm enjoying it here for the most part. good members and good people to teach if they will keep their appointments. we now have a ward mission leader! so the work will now progress even better :)

Well i know this is the work of the lord! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't. I'm so grateful for your love and support and all that you taught me growing up. Mission is good, challenging and worth it all at the same time. I know I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and wants me to be happy. I Know Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God who came here to die for us. Book of Mormon truly is another testament of Jesus Christ, i love the Book of Mormon and so grateful for the way that it teaches. Like in 2 Nephi, cant remember what chapter, how it says that Nephi likes to write in simple and plainness. God knew what he was doing when he commanded them to write the Book of Mormon. I love you! have a good week!

Your missionary in South Africa,
Elder Robert S Rigby (CTM)

Monday, October 4, 2010

New Area: New Responsibilities

Dear Family and Friends,

Hey! the best news is that i'm still in Mdantsane! well the zone! haha i'm now in King Williams Town. 60ks from mdantsane. Its a nice place so far only been here for 5 days and the work is well dead. So lots of work to be done. Its a ward that has only 140 members but only 40 come to church its sad. Its a very beautiful chapel, its one of its kind. it kinda has the tabernacle look to it on temple square. its pretty! :) Bishop Mpapa is a very nice man and he does his job well. the stake wants to split by 2012 as i've mentioned earlier so we had a nice lesson/discussion yesterday in priesthood on how exactly we as a ward are going to help achieve that goal. it was good. we lack priesthood/ and the less active families will be miracles when they come back to full activity. My new companion is Elder Opolot, from Uganda. He is a funny guy haha oh my sick! Its great. I'm the new district leader, yeah i have more responsibility now! great! i knew it was coming to me though so its fine its fine. I'll do the best i can and do what i can do. Its a 2-man district so its not too hard just me and the comp! haha. The boarding is a bit smaller than i'm used to but its ok. we are hardly there anyway. Lots of different town ships around the town. like 4 or 5. so many people! there are even whites here! haha we even have a white couple in church! i was very surprised to not be the only white in the ward.

I miss Mdantsane tho... it was a wonderful place to be. i'll remember my investigators and the members for the rest of my life i hope. good memories there. So when President called me on wednesday for news i was shocked haha i wasn't expecting to leave but he told me that its when you don't expect to leave that you do. He told me i did a good job in that area and now i need to be sent to an area where i can boost up the area again so we are gunna send you to king Williams town. I was very well shocked. Its next door to Mdantsane but far enough away that we I don't get to see other missionaries every monday. So we are planning a zone pday, where we will be able to go to mdantsane to have fun with the the zone.

The only thing i can say about the work is that its true and that its very important. I know why i'm here and i know what i need to do. I hope i'll be able to do what the Lord expects of me here in King. I like it so far. I don't know the place yet but there are good people with great potential. Bishop wants up to work with the less active members and families. so we shall do that. the nice thing about being senior comp is that now i can do the work my way haha. we have lots of former investigators that we can check up on. So once i get to know the area we shall have lots of fun i hope! I'm excited for exchanges with the zls haha its the only time i shall see other elders. They come here and spend a day and a half with us. so its cool. not this week but next week.

My comp is a good missionary. He has only been a member since 2007. and his family lives in a village 5 hours away from the closest chapel, they aren't members. he doesn't even email them every week. he only writes them here and there. i feel bad for him. he doesn't get mail from home. He has been on mission now for 6 months. So i'm wondering if people back home could write to him just so he can get mail. I gave him Sister Potters address haha he was excited about that haha he wrote a letter to her last night i thought it was funny. He is a funny guy tho yo haha We have fun with just the 2 of us. all i have to do is adapt to him and i'll get along with him just fine! :)

Well i love you all very much and very glad everyone is doing well. I miss you guys... But i know Heavenly Father is taking care of you and even me. I know the Lord has great trust in me now that i'm a district leader. I hope i can fulfill what He sent me here to do. I hope you all have a great week and that everything goes well. LOVE YOU!

Your Missionary,
Elder Robert S Rigby CTM