Welcome to Secunda and new companion Elder Wilombe

Email #39
Area: Secunda
Companion: Elder Wilombe

Hey Everyone,

The week was really slow, but now we made it to pday so I am super excited for that. A LOT has changed and A LOT is different about this place than Cosmo. So much work is needed here in Secunda. Just to start off, it is a branch and looking at the stats of the branch they have about an average of about 30 people at church. It is a town and so that is a change as well. I am used to township. There is a township area that we work in, it is called Kinross. There are 3 investigators in Secunda and about maybe 10 in Kinross. They just had a baptism last week, so at least there is potential. There are also a lot of less active people, so we are trying to reactivate those people. So I have come to find that Afrikaan people are not very receptive to the gospel. They are too much into the world, but hey someone has to try and teach them. This is the hardest area in the mission right now from what I can see. We are in Mpumalanga, not quite sure how you spell that. But I am no longer in Gauteng anymore, so that is a bummer but it is in the northeast. A ton of farm land and it is beyond flat ground here, just flat everywhere you can see. It is about a 2 hour drive from the office so yeah it is pretty far. The flat I stay in is okay it just needed some uber cleaning, but now it is good. My companion is Elder Wilombe from Zambia and is 21 years old and 3 months on mission. The one who trained him just swapped areas and we are follow up training each others sons. So now I have had a companion from 3 different countries in Africa and one American and one Canadian. So it is a lot to adjust too, but for some reason I know that God has given me each companion with their strengths and weakness's to make of for mine! He loves to draw cartoons and is a child of record like me. We don't have too much in common. But hey you have to have those companions sometime in your mission. We have interviews with Pres. tomorrow and a temple trip next week and then zone meeting the next week. Then zone conference the next week and then a week off and then it is transfers again. So I am happy that we are staying pretty busy and everything especially with a new area and everything. We drive an automatic car, so that is different as well I am used to driving stick so it is a nice change. This area is a testimony builder and will strengthen your patience. God has me here for a reason and my mom always has told me I can do hard things and so if she believes that I can do than sure why not! Have a good week everyone wish me luck!

Elder Bryner

Excerpts from Mom's email:

I really do miss Cosmo so much, but it is ready for the next missionary to take over and help it grow even more! I am going back there what ever it takes. That would just make this all worth it. I absolutely loved that place. Sure it had its downs, but so does everything else in life so just get over it and move on. There isn't an email shop here in this area, so we are at the chapel using the clerks computer and we just bought a modem to use. So yeah it is good in that way so that I can just take my time and email everything that I need to. But yeah this area really needs some help seriously. The members are not that into missionary work and they are not that unified either. We know what we are going to be doing in this branch. Get them motivated and love each other haha! They are a sweet people. One white guy here is 76 and said that he has been to salt lake and was there for about 3 weeks haha, but yeah he said that the missionaries came to him 4 times until he let them into his house. So yeah no effort is wasted and be persistent is what I learned from that guy!

Excerpts from Dad's email:

We teach about 1 to 2 lessons a day and the rest we tract and street contact so by the time I am done here I will be an expert at that haha! It is just so weird every companion has a little bit of jaren in them haha. He loves cartoons and gaming and stuff like that. He is a little bit messy and doesn't like to clean, but last night I cleaned it pretty well. eah transfers were way different and i really liked them actually. I have met a few people, but yeah the people here are either muslim or catholic some christian. This is a country where I have never seen so many religions before, it really is a new world here. Wow i can't even believe that spencer is home already and hunter will be home soon as well.

That is their shower curtain 

I hope this is before they cleaned the bathroom.

His new companion, Elder Wilombe

The new kitchen/laundry room.

New bedroom with lots of fans.

New Companion, Zone conference and a challenge

Email #19
Area: Cosmo City
Companion: Elder Perez

Hey Everyone,

Another week gone by. Not too fast, but a Monday is here. A lot has changed but its part of what we do in this life, change we just have to get used to and know that it is going to happen. We just had a Zone conference and it was really great to see a lot of the Elders I haven't seen in awhile. The area is a little difficult at times, because we don't know much of the area and where every investigator lives but we are managing because of God. He really does help us with our stress and gives us comfort and peace. We talked to this Less Active this past week and she said she is waiting for a sign. She said she knows the Book of Mormon is true, Church is true, but won't come to church.

We live by the North gate mall and area really needs some work. Still eating sandwiches and we eat pizza and we went to this way good Mexican place last week it was so good!!! It's different with a companion that is really old on mission sometimes it does get hard, because he talks about home a ton and he goes home in October, so I will be a year when he goes home. He is from Colorado and is 16 months on mission and is a district leader. He is a great teacher and knows the Bible really well, which comes in handy with these people because that is all they know. The great thing is we had 10 investigators at church yesterday and that was a huge thing and mostly because that the chapel/canisters are in our area haha. If you look, the chapel are metal storage containers, but nothing is different about the spirit you feel let me tell you that.

Mission President told us at Zone conference to do a challenge. The 86 day Book of Mormon reading challenge. We started yesterday and will finish June 2. So I challenge all to join in and it is 6 pages a day. Not a race but to really gain a testimony and really know that it's true. Mark passages that stand out to you "answers to the soul" About the Atonement and the mission and life of Jesus Christ. It's not to see how fast you can read but how much you get out of reading it. Its what you put in, is what you are going to get out. Pray before you read and ask that the Spirit will attend you as you read.

2 Nephi 31:3
Read this passage and you will understand the purpose of reading with a purpose. Where much is given, much is required. Never lose you your faith, never doubt your faith, believe in your faith and never lose hope.

Love,
Elder Bryner

He loves Mexican food

Chicken Fajita Burrito

MMM!!! Found some good stuff.

New apartment & pants :-)

New companion, leading area & more pics

Email #8
Area: Pimville Zone 1
Companion: Elder Wambua

Hey Everyone another fantastic week. We went ice skating last Monday for Pday activity and Elder Wiltse found out on Tuesday that his Visa came for him to go to Zimbabwe and he was able to start saying goodbye to everyone. We dropped him off at the Mission home on Sunday and he left Monday morning at 10 AM. Now I have a new companion and he will finish the training. He is from Kenya and his name is Elder Wambua. I had to learn the area in 2 days as best as I could so that I would know where each appointment is. President Omer called me to lead the area although I'm still be trained he saw that I was ready as well as the Lord saw that I was ready to lead the area. I hope I can remember where all of our investigators live. If I wasn't losing hair before I sure am now!! We work Christmas Eve until 6 so that should be nice and hopefully we can get a lunch or a dinner. As a district we are going to get up at 5 AM to hike this hill behind our flat to watch an African sunrise. We will also have a district breakfast!

Today before we came emailing we went to a Lamborghini, Mercedes, Jaguar, Lotus, Bentley, BMW dealership and got to take pictures of the cars. The guy that was working let us sit in some of the Lamborghini's and take pictures in them but I'll have to send those home next week. There was a brand new Lamborghini Aventador on display and someone had actually just recently just bought it. One of the coolest experiences I have ever had. Bentley, Lambo, all of those super cars and I got to sit in them!! So Sweet!!! Hope everyone has an amazing Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Love you all!!

Elder Bryner


Excerpts from Mom's email

Yeah I hope that I am getting skinny because the food is so good here especially KOTAS!! They are the best thing, but so fat! They have Fries, Bread, a Vienna, ham, and other African food, but its so good so yeah I'm glad you think that I am getting skinny and don't worry about me not eating because you know me I am always hungry.

Teaching is pretty rough because everyone is gone because of Christmas but in Jan. it will pick up and it will begin to grow more and I am so excited for that. I have a lot of trials in front of me, but I can do it especially with you and everyone on my side and the Lord will always be there, not only for me, but for you as well mama!!

Unfortunately this is all we got

We got companions!

Email from Sister Reber:

The missionaries have been put into companionship.  The Elders come from seven different countries. There is great diversity yet already we feel love towards each other.

Elders:
Bomba/Cahill
Malloy/Kibirango
Bradley, Tucker, Oldroyd
Motlhaping/Delahoy
Packard/Allen
Silvester/ Holloway
Bryner/Van Heerden
Thompson/Thomas
Labrum/Nasibu

Aren't they a happy group!

Love,
Sister Janet Reber
South Africa MTC