Elder James Bryner A LDS Missionary In God's Army In Johannesburg, South Africa: Talent show was a big success!!!

Email #55
Area: Secunda
Companion: Elder Going

Hey Everyone,

We had a really good week and had a great talent show activity and it was a good turn out and everything. People are already asking when the next one will be haha!!! People had a great time and they were even impressed with our cooking. I made some of the traditional food it is called pap the stuff that looks like mashed tatoes yeah I mastered it haha!!! Yeah I am trying to learn all the african foods and have tried some weird stuff haha. Like chicken feet and intestine and other weird stuff but don't freak out I am fine and my stomach has been holding up on the weird foods here but some of it is really good!!! One of the members is Sis Khumalo and we usually cook with synthia but this wednesday the member is teaching us the traditional bread that they make!!!

We got it organized perfect, nothing went wrong except the weather. So in the morning of Saturday it was nice and later on about 10:00, it started to rain and we planned to have the activity start at 1:00. We were going to start with the bbq stuff and all the meat and setting up for the talent show. We said like 3 prayers haha, but it actually turned around and the sun came out about an hour before it started and were able to do everything. We also planned to watch the restoration movie and during the movie it rained. After we had a bomb fire yeah, bomb fire haha and it stopped raining. We had two girls that came, one of them is a sister to a recent convert and they are friends. They are kinda young, but we talked about the book of mormon yesterday and they said they even prayed about it. They said that something told them that it was true and the movie helped them to understand more about the church and that there should only be one church. So I think they are going to be baptized soon, we will put them on date this week maybe!

So the questions I will try to answer now. Jerry is doing okay, he got a job so we see him only on Sundays now but can't get to church still. The less active sisters are sisters to Thato and they are doing good, but they are in their own other church. So it is hard and their mom doesn't like the church. They were baptized when they were 8 or so, but we also found another less active family that is from Zim. There is her sister there as well in bethal so this place is exploding. We are going to try and get a group started out there! So the food in the pics is dombollo which is a bread. The green stuff is spinach, it is called moroho super good. The orange stuff is pumpkin and the other is just mince or hamburger meat and veggies. A member made dinner for us one night and gave a left overs so nice, but I am learning to cook all of that!!!!! I actually don't miss all that much food from home! Synthia wants to be baptized in December with her husband and the daughter later! Yeah got some pics yesterday, I will send them home! Yeah the weight is Elder Going haha he has to take it to every area and is a huge hassle, but it is worth it. Me and him are eating way healthy and working out!!! Yeah that was my week in a bit and hopefully I can stay here one more transfer that would be way cool! The teaching was alright and we had 18 lessons, but we had the activity on Saturday!

Love,
Elder Bryner