Realize that everything is in God's hands

Email #43
Area: Secunda
Companion: Elder Wilombe

Hey Everyone,

Another good week, we saw a lot of the recent converts and less actives this week. We got a new investigator named Ugene. He has been taught by missionaries awhile back and yesterday he came to church for the first time. He said just like everyone does, the first time that they try something new that it will take some time to get used to. He likes the churches with all the band and drums and stuff, but we are far different. We saw Synthia again and she is doing really well and she is getting her house built and has been really busy, but we manage to see her still. She told us that she is going to open a gas garage and you have to be pretty cheesy to open one of those. She has four cars and a huge house in the making, so yeah we could say that she has some money. The Lord is blessing her and helping her so much through all the struggle she has gone through. We also met our on date guy Jerry and we taught his cousin as well and now she is interested. She told us she goes to church already and she told us that the service is held at her house. That wasn't a surprise to me, but it is something that will be hard to change for her. We went on splits with the zone leaders on Friday with Elder Ranjato from Madagascar. He is a cool guy and goes home is three months, so he is scared but excited. We had a good day at church. The other Elders spoke so yeah we do speak in church sometimes, but I haven't been asked to speak yet and my companion got asked to speak this Sunday. I didn't so we will see what happens. Transfers are next Tuesday, so that will be sweet! This transfer went by really fast and it will be one more until I hit HUMP DAY, so I am super pumped for that! It is so crazy how fast time is going and it doesn't even feel like that I should be this old on mission yet. I am not complaining, but I do miss the past areas I have served in. But all is well and I am doing alright. The air here in Secunda just smells all the time, because there is a refinery here so it always stinks like rotten eggs here especially in the summer time. The passed few days have been really cold in the mornings and throughout the day, but I can feel summer is coming. The members told me that it is colder here than in Gauteng, so that is a relief kinda. I hope everyone is doing well and having a good one. Good luck to those starting school this week, Live it up because it goes by too fast. Don't let a moment pass you by! Love you all and have a good week!

Love,
Elder Bryner


Excerpts from Mom's email:

That woman is really something she knows God and has no doubt that He is behind her in everything, I just hope that she will see that just knowing him isn't enough. You have to be apart of his kingdom on earth and some people don't realize that here. They just think that if they have accepted Christ as their savior, that they are automatically saved and everything is good. Then we tell them about what James said that "Faith without works is dead" and you do believe, don't you think that God would want you to exercise that faith. People have a different way of thinking here, but it has taught me something.... you can't and won't have true happiness if it isn't within this church. My happiness compared to other people here is off the charts. When I tell people that is the reason why I am here, they sometimes accept and sometimes don't but no effort is wasted. You can't force anything on anybody.

Excerpts from Dad's email:

You know I have come to realize that everything is in God's hands and that what ever happens it is for the benefit for other people. I have learned that in order to be strong you have to test your strength and test your capability. Synthia is a great example of someone who has exceeding amount of remarkable strength. It is hard to hear such stories, but it just makes me more grateful for the knowledge I have about everything. Those missionaries that died because God chose to take them away, but just think of the place they are now. Far better than this place. They are teaching and continuing their mission where they are needed... This is teaching me a life lesson or lessons and one of them is that no matter what happens to not be scared, because it is all for the benefit of our salvation. I don't know what I can say to bring you at peace but I am at peace and I know that God is watching over me and what ever happens it is all in his hands and he knows what is best for us. We are not meant to stay in this life forever and it just brings happiness to me knowing that the second coming is getting closer although it will get harder it is because God know we can handle it. Remember when you told me no matter what happens stay out there? No matter what happens never lose your faith! Don't worry about us, we are okay just put your trust in God when you do that all worries will go away.

Not much happened this week and actually we saw the same exact people and everything was pretty much the same. We had 17 total lessons this past week, so the amount of lessons are growing and this area is getting better slowly but surely it is happening. It has been cold here the past few days but it is nice I would rather have that than hot and rain. In the summer it is hot and then it rains like crazy like flooding the streets but it is different in each area.

We are here to not look for our own happiness, but to help others find their happiness

Email #42
Area: Secunda
Companion: Elder Wilombe

Hey Everyone,

This week was really good and we met a few more new people which just is a sign God is here with us. I will talk about one lady that we met that has just been an eye opener for me and it truly has a meaning and a place in my heart about this lady. Her name is Synthia and lives in Kinross. She is around 27 and has two daughters and is married. We met her on the street this past week and we just shared with her what we do. She told us her brother is struggling with drugs and just everything is against him and he is just having a hard time. She wants to help him and everything, but everytime that he is at her house he steals rings and stuff and just can't be trusted. But that isn't the sad part. She was married before and had two other children. The husband killed the two daughters by cutting their necks with a saw and raped them before doing so. She had high blood pressure and some kind of cancer and Aids. She said that she prayed and that all went away. When her first born with her second husband was born she had a scar on her neck and she said that God was giving back her two daughters that were taken from her. We shared about the Plan of Salvation and she just couldn't be happier and so shocked to hear that she will see those daughters again, but God blessed her with two more. She is just been so blessed. She has four cars now from coming from one that was not very nice, but now they have a wonderful home and all that she wants. Her brother is her only stress and prays that he might change. The divorce rate is very high here. The shacks that are near the homes are the husbands that leave their wives with the home and kids and they just move to a shack. The lady said that she knows of five people that got divorced on her street. She was very open with us and I just felt so blessed that I was able to hear what she said. I realized that the world is evil and Satan is real. But God is far more powerful and his plan is eternal and just being able to share that with her, just made all of this worth it. Just helping one lady, one of my sisters makes everything that we go through all worth it. Saving one life brings enough joy to satisfy all your struggle and heartache. We are on the Lord's errand and he knows us individually. HE knew that lady needed us she is happy now and has been for some time, because she knows God and she just wants to help her brother and that shows me that she isn't looking for her happiness but her brother and she is a missionary on her own. That is why we are here to not look for our own happiness, but to help others find their happiness and this is the only way you will be able to have eternal happiness.

Love,
Elder Bryner

Excerpts from Dad's email:

Monday we went to the gym and workout and went shopping, not too exciting haha! Tuesday we met some school kids and they asked if we were Jehovah's witness's and we talked about the Plan of Salvation and life after and before. Wednesday was really good we met with a guy that is a pastor for a church and we are just trying to teach and get the Book Of Mormon across to him. He knows about the priesthood and that you need it to have a church in a sense so he is on the fence a bit about us but he says that every time that we come he learns something so that is good. We saw a member family the Khumalo's and they are a really sweet family. They moved a bit and now are in a really nice home and I was talking with the daughter and just getting to know her and her name is Thembi she is 17, but she was telling me about her dad and he passed away in 2007 and they have just been doing good and yesterday we taught about eternal marriage and the mom asked about being sealed to more than one man. We know that she can't so she was just curious about that. Thursday we were in Secunda and it was rough didn't have any lessons, but it was just another day you could say. Friday we went to the temple and that was just a nice recharge and we starting teaching a members younger cousin named Siyabonga and Vuyo so that is really cool. This is the day that we met that Synthia lady and shared a message with her. Saturday went on exchanges to the other area with Elder Brown in Evander is a town. We met a cool family that go to a church called ZCC (Zion christian church) We meet a lot of those and they are finally realizing that their church is false. Sunday went to church and had a good day saw a recent convert Vusi and talked about developing talents and he has a good plan for himself and a ton of goals.

Lots of service washing cars

Email #41
Area: Secunda
Companion: Elder Wilombe

Hey Everyone,

This week went by fast, but not a lot happened. Not too many lessons this week either we just go to the appointment and no one is there or they just reschedule with us, but hey people have a life too I guess haha. But hopefully this week will be better. We did do some service this week. Tuesday we went to a primary school and we did some gardening and just made this little part of the school look really nice and fix it up and everything. Saturday we went to a recent converts in the other Elders area called Embalenhle or short Emba and washed four cars inside and out. The mother of the recent convert, was her birthday the next day so we made her BMW look really nice. We washed her other sons car and the husbands car and since we were washing cars we did our car as well. It was a good day and what was the worst part was later that day it rained and our car got muddy and at least the inside stayed clean somewhat! For some reason I enjoy cleaning cars and at home I was always washing our cars and it seems that people here love it too. When we tell them that we will do it for free, they don't hesitate to say yes and guess what it opens the door to be able to teach them the gospel. So it is all a win win! Service is one of the greatest ways to open doors to share the gospel with someone especially when that service is free and everybody loves free!!! We have another service project this week with the branch with the mormon helping hands with that same primary school. So yeah and this week we are going to the temple again so that will be something to look forward to! Well that is my week and I hope you have a good week! Love you all!

Elder Bryner

Stand firm on the foundation you have set yourself on

Email #40
Area: Secunda
Companion: Elder Wilombe

Hey Everyone,

Another week gone like that. This week definitely went by faster than last week, but we are still trying to build this place! I have already seen someone's life change. He is a less active named Thato, but now is starting to come every week now for 4 weeks. So yeah he is moving back. He and his girlfriend got pregnant and they both fell away from the church, but now since I have been here he is starting to come back and we are trying to get the other one back as well. All you can do in that circumstance is to just show them love and that everyone makes mistakes, that it is part of this life to mess up. The Atonement is real and I have felt its power and teaching the Plan of Salvation is my favorite to teach to someone. Life is hard, but it is what makes you or breaks you. Never lose your faith in what you believe in. Times are hard, but that doesn't mean that God leaves you in the dark. He is actually carrying you down the dark and dreary path! God won't forsake you as long as you don't forsake and forget him! This time is precious on earth and you only get one chance to make it right, but God gives you many chances to correct your wrong doings! We met another less active and his name is Futhi. He told us how he was baptized when he was 8 and just loved the church and he grew up and has the priesthood and everything but something that seems to be that same counter effect on going less active is the law of chastity. He had a child and he was preparing to go on a mission and he found out that if you have a child, you can't serve so after that he just fell off the edge. So now we are trying to support him and get him back on his feet. He has just been facing challenges. His younger brother died last year and he was at his place and went missing for 3 days. It was a Monday when they found his body in the Kinross park at the pond. He said that he slept walked and he blames himself for this happening. It was just a strong spirit that was there and that he opened up like that and just shared a tender subject with us. Trials will come, there is no trying to out run them. Just take them head on and stand firm on the foundation you have set yourself on and that foundation will never let you fall.

Love,
Elder Bryner

Excerpts from Mom's email:

On Pdays there really is not really anything to do so we just hangout at the chapel and go shopping and at the mall, but today we are going to go hangout with that less active guy Thato I was talking about. I have found that when you just go and to hangout sometimes especially on Monday, because he knows that it is our pday he feels that love we have for him. It also just develops such great relationships with them. Well let me answer those questions, the interview with President Dunn was really good and I loved it, he is just so relaxed and we just had it in a room with couches and with Pres. Omer he would do it in his office so it was a nice change and just was so nice! Yes there is a shop and a mall it is fairly new. Members don't usually feed us. The branch pres feeds us every other Friday and sometimes this white couple feed us on Saturdays, but on Sundays we come back to the flat and just make lunch. There is a town with white people and a township/town with black people and there are Muslims in that area as well. It is called Kinross and the town is called Secunda. Well we are trying to just find some new ones, because the ones that we have right now dodge our appointments. No senior couples, but there is a couple that comes to church that works in the area office and is from Texas named Elder and Sister Kyle!

Elder Compton, Elder Ajei, Elder Bryner

Elder Compton, Elder Kwabaisi, Elder Bryner

Elder Compton, Elder Kwabaisi, Elder Ajei, Elder Bryner

President Omer, Elder Bryner & Sister Omer

Investigator board

Tired feet

Elder Wilombe