02/22/2016 - BAPTISM OF TSUMI

I'm sure all of you tend to think that my emails are really great but I think my greatest emails come from speaking how I feel. Sometimes my emails feel lame because I don't feel like speaking my feelings but today I'm going to speak my mind even though I'm not feeling cheery. Lately I've been feeling a lot of stress and fear about coming home and enduring to the end. Only return missionaries know what it feels like at this point. It's a strange feeling. Life is like a novel and as you read on you keep hitting new chapters but every time you do you find the next chapter blank and you can't help but wonder what's going to fill those pages. Life upon arriving home will be mine and I fear if I will make the right decisions and if I'm actually going to be the one making them. People say have faith, pray, and everything will be alright but it's never that easy. I love my Heavenly Father and all that he has blessed me with. My constant prayer is that he will continue to guide and bless me. I don't know what I would be without the gospel. It hasn't been the best two years but it has been the most important. Upon arriving home I hope that everyone will support me in my decisions and that my mission experiences continue to drive me. I thank you all for your support as I have served. I love you all and wish you all the best with where you are at in your life. As the apostle Paul said "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;" (2 Timothy 3:14). We have been having a good time here is Kagiso. Despite the challenges and opposition from the ward leaders we finally baptized a boy named Tsumi.

He is wonderful and wants to be a missionary one day. Ive had many wonderful and some crazy mission stories. I'm sure you will hear more about them soon. Enjoy your week.

Elder Hepworth

02/08/2016 - ZONE MEETING

We had quite a busy week this week. We had two exchanges this week with our assistants to the president and one of our district leaders. Then we taught a powerful zone meeting. This week a missionary went home from our district and another from a different area so they closed the other kagiso area. So we are over all of it and two wards. We go to church from 9 a.m. til 4 p.m. and it's pretty exhausting. Also I got a cold this week and I was tired all the time and I'm trying to keep going even though I only have a month left ha ha. The work is going good though. We are going to be pretty busy with two wards to cover. It's a shame that many missionaries are going home these days. Mission isn't easy I can promise you that but it's been such a great life changing experience.

Elder Hepworth

ZONE MEETING

01/25/2016

Hello everyone,

6 weeks left! My mom just told me she got my flight intinerary. If that doesn't make it real I don't know what will. Last week was kind of hectic. They have introduced a lot of new policies in the mission. The main one being how transfers are done. It was pretty hectic because there was a lot of responsibility on us as zone leaders to make sure people got moved around. Everything went well and I'm grateful I was kept with my same companion or it would have been a lot more hectic. We are now incharge of training the new district leaders so we did that in Friday and it went well. This week we had some powerful lessons. We have some new investgators that are really cool. Sunday was awesome we had 12 investigators come to church and like 3 referrals. The missionary work here is booming and it's wonderful. We should be having a baptism on Sunday of a 14 year old boy. There are so many blessings around us and sometimes we just need to look around and notice them. Have a great week everyone. 

 

Elder Hepworth

01/18/2016 - ELDER HEPWORTH'S LAST TRANSFER- HE COMES HOME IN 7 WEEKS

Happy Monday everyone,

I don't know if it's only me but some things don't seem to be real until they happen. Like when I came here. Now I can't believe my mission is coming to an end. We just started my last transfer which will be 7 weeks. I have no more companions or areas. It's so weird. All mission we talk about going home and how great it will be but when it comes it gets a little strange. It's going to be a little weird readjusting but I did it once and I can do it again. I'm going to miss this place so much though. The people I have met and the places I have been. South Africa has made such an impact on me. I hope to come back one day. I'm enjoying the rest of what I have. This week we had some great success. The two kids that I baptized last week were confirmed and the church was packed. I'm glad I'm staying with my companion because I don't know a lot of them haha. The holidays are officially over and people are seeking God again. I love seeing God's hand in things. To meet someone and see that God has prepared them or how he moves his work forward while we are just his hands is so amazing. Look for God and you will find him I know it's true. I read a quote by Gordon B. Hinckley which said the course of our life is not determined by great, awesome decisions. Our direction is set by the little day to day choices we make which chart the track on which we run. Live one day at a day. Have a great week everyone and stay warm I hear it's pretty cold back home. 

 

Elder Hepworth

01/11/2016 - TWO BAPTISMS

Hello everybody,

Sorry for not sending an email last week. The email shop that we email
at is terrible. Even today it is really bad but I'm making it work.
Things are becoming a lot better with the holidays ending. The kids
here started school today I believe and everybody is going back to
work. The week was good. This week we had a nasty heat wave come in.
It was like over 100 degrees during the day and 80 degrees at night.
Then rain came down so hard that the windshield wipers didn't move
fast enough. The weather has chilled out now though and it's enjoyable
again. The highlight of the week was Sunday. We had two baptisms and
they went really well. They were of a 9 year old girl named Rethabile
and a 13 year old girl named Tumi. I had the privilege of baptizing
them. We also had 10 investigators at church and had a less active we
teach come back. It was a day of success. Those days that you can
actually see that what you are doing is paying off. This week we also
experienced many policy changes in the mission that are difficult to
except but we have no choice. Sometimes we had to remember why we came
out here and endure through it. We were talking to a family this week
and as we introduced our selves they said if you can do this nothing
in life will stop you. Mission is life changing. It is hard but
rewarding just like everything in life. If you want to learn an
instrument you will struggle but when you master it you will never
regret it. God's plan and our plan can be very different sometimes. We
always want things simple and easy and his plan stretches and teaches
us. He doesn't do it because he wants us to suffer or beat us down but
he loves us very much. I know that is true. Don't ever give up. Have a
great week. You are all in my prayers.


Elder Hepworth

01/04/2016 - NO LETTER- TERRIBLE INTERNET

12/21/2015 - MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ELDER HEPWORTH

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!! I really can't believe that
Christmas is this week. December has just flown by. I'm happy to hear
that it has been snowing a lot back home because I miss that stuff but
I pray you will all be safe this holiday season. Out here there aren't
any Christmas trees, lights, or spirit. So maybe that is why I don't
realize Christmas is here. Out here the work is going good but it
always slows down during the holidays. Many people are going to visit
family members and go on vacations. Here Christmas time is also summer
break for the kids so we get a lot of see you in January haha. We did
have a cool experience this week and are finding more people to teach.
We have a family that we are teaching and some of them were struggling
to get to church. As we were teaching them I felt that I should invite
them to a tour of the chapel during the week. They accepted and we did
so. It was awesome to see there response and the man came on Sunday and enjoyed it. We also had a woman who came up to us and said that
she wants us to teach and baptize her daughter. I still love Christmas
on mission because it puts an emphasis on Christ like I've never
experienced before. I can now see that it isn't all about the gifts
but the gift that God gave us. I pray you will all find ways to put
Christ into your Christmas. I'm very grateful for all that God has
given us including his son. Enjoy the holidays and all the blessings
that God has given you and I'll do the same. Have a great week!

Elder Hepworth

12-14-2015- MADE ZONE LEADER AND REUNITED WITH A PREVIOUS COMPANION ELDER ADJIN

I have been reunited again with a old companion. I'm now serving in Kagiso which is a township with Elder Adjin. It's awesome to be with him again because we served together in Khutsong and we were loving it. It has been so hot this past week and being back in township means back in the shacks which are like ovens haha. It's crazy how tired the heat can make you feel. It finally cooled down though and it is raining right now and I love it. This area is pretty great even though I haven't been here for long. I've met some really cool members and investigators. Being a zone leader is pretty awesome. Being a leader or not being a leader doesn't make you any different in God's eyes though. I'm having fun and working hard. My motto is work hard play hard. It's the only way to live but keep the commandments still haha. Live each day in a way that you will never wish there was a time machine so you could go back and do it differently. 

 

Elder Hepworth

 

 

PICTURES FROM ELDER HEPWORTH'S PREVIOUS AREA!

 

The Moodly Family!  Lisa has become friends with this family.

Elder Taylor far right and Elder Hepworth next to him

 

12/07/2015 - CALLED AS ZONE LEADER and MISSION TOUR

I am now 21 years old and 21 months on mission. All I can say is time flies. I had a great birthday because the members here are so awesome. We have had a pretty good week. On Tuesday we had the mission tour and Elder Hamilton from the area presidency visited us. A lot of people seem to be going on holiday and it gets hard for missionary work out here but we keep pushing. It has been an interesting transfer. If I have learned anything from mission is that it is full of suprises. I'm leaving this area already. I'm getting transfered on Tuesday. I don't know where I'm going but I know that it is one of seven areas because I got called as a zone leader. I'll see where this new journey takes me. Have a great week everyone and enjoy every moment. This is a season of family and joy.

Elder Hepworth

11/23/2015 - REUNITED WITH ELDER TAYLOR

I have some interesting news this week. My companion Elder Ainslie went home from depression. He was a great guy and was tossed about it for some time but the Mission President and others decided that it was best for him to go home and get better. I have learned a lot about depression on my mission. I have had two companions that suffered from it and it has been inspiring to see their strength. I have a lot of sympathy for those suffering from depression and I thank the Lord for all that I have and am.

My new companion is Elder Taylor. Elder Taylor and I knew each other in my last district and became good friends. We wanted to be companions and I prayed for it but it was kind of strange how it happened ha. This week we didn't have much else going on. I had the privilege to go to the temple with our zone and Elder Ainslie on Friday before he left. It is always great to be in the temple. We had stake conference this week and they talked about paying tithing and self reliance. We hear about that a lot here lately. I don't know about everywhere else though. I'm looking forward to my time with Elder Taylor though. We are going to have fun and work hard. I'm also looking forward to this week with Thanksgiving and my birthday on Saturday. Can't believe that I'm turning 21. Have a great week everyone.

Elder Hepworth

Elder Ainslie and Elder Hepworth

11/16/2015 - MISSION SUMMIT

We had a family home evening with some members and they gave me jolly ranchers. It was cool because I haven't had them since home. They got them from some import store.  We got our car serviced this week and they kept the car the whole day until the next morning which was dumb because all they did was change the oil and oil filter so we didn't get anything done that day. We had a big mission event on Wednesday called the mission summit where the whole mission was there and we listened to some speakers and talks by the mission Presidency. One of them was a lady from South Africa who summitted mount Everest and I decided that I'm never doing that ha. She isn't a member but her message was awesome. She said that when your purpose is greater than your challenge there is no finish line you can't reach. Then we went on a hike. It was cool but not cool because it was so hot and I think half of the mission practically got heat stroke. Later we went to a members and held the ice water to our heads to cool us down. The rest of the week was pretty simple and normal until Sunday. It seemed like a lot of people who are necessary for the ward to work nicely on Sunday weren't there. So we gave the prayers in Sacrament meeting and almost had to help with the sacrament and there were many errors. The church is still true though. The four that were baptized last week got confirmed this week and I did one of them. I messed up the name pretty bad I think because it was an African name but God knows what I meant ha. It is definitely summer here and it feels like last years summer in Limpopo. Even members are saying it is way hotter than usual. It is so hot because we are going through a drought here in South Africa. There hasn't been much rain and we are praying for it. Everything is going great though as my time here slims down quickly.

Elder Ainslie and Elder Hepworth

 

Elder Ainslie and Elder Hepworth

 

BAPTISMS 11-15-2015

 

 

ELDER HEPWORTH CAN COOK!!!!!!

11/09/2015- FOUR BAPTISMS

This week we had four baptisms. It was awesome but very stressful I have to admit. The preparation was difficult like no other baptism before and then the water at the chapel quits. So we ended up having the baptism at a members home in his swimming pool ha. It was cool but I'm glad it's over and that they got baptized. Both of them were completing families and now they just need to get to the temple. I do have pictures but unfortunately they are on my companions camera so I will have to get them to you guys next week.  Another cool experience we had was when we were going to visit a member and unfortunately she wasn't there at that time. Then as we stood there a guy came up and said are you the Mormons. We answered yes and said are you? Turns out he is a member that moved here from Malawi a month ago and has been looking for the church. It is great to have experiences like that and see how God works. God is definitely in control. My week was good. This week I'm hoping to be a lot better. We need to find more people to share the gospel with and it isn't so easy in town. 

Elder Hepworth

11/02-2015 - ELDER WORTON GOES HOME AND HALLOWEEN PARTY

It was a fun week for us. On Tuesday we went to transfers even though we weren't getting moved to see Elder Worton and Elder Holloway bare their final testimony and go home. I was super proud of Elder Holloway who has experienced many challenges on mission. Those 3 transfers with him were awesome and won't be forgotten. This week we got 4 people prepared for their baptisms on Sunday. It will be awesome because both of them are completing families who can now prepare to go to the temple. The only sad thing this week is that a lot of investigators are dropping us so we will have to do a lot of finding to see who is next for the waters of baptism. It is funny the way they get rid of us here. Since they are behind huge walls, gates, and complexes we had some who just block our number. They could have just said no though ha. We think some of them went to the internet and looked up the church and got their opinion from there. It makes us sad because they definitely won't find the right answer there. Like if you are sick you go to the doctor because every time you go to the internet you end up with cancer. It is the same way with the gospel. Holidays on mission is the towns here are super fun. Many people may thing that I had even forgotten it was Halloween this weekend but I didn't because we had two Halloween parties to go to with members. It was super fun. I think I forgot it was Halloween last year because I was in township and nothing was happening but not this year. I can't wait to see how Christmas goes ha. My companion and I dressed up as Super Elders.  Halloween here isn't as big as back home but it is evolving. Especially with members of the church.

Elder Hepworth

 

 

 

 

 

10/26/2015 - DERICK'S FRIEND ELDER WORTON IS HEADED HOME TO IDAHO

Well it's coming down to four months now and I can't believe it. This week Elder Worton is going home and I remember when I was in the MTC and he came to visit me. This week was pretty slow. My companion was sick for most of it. I guess there is a virus going around it some water where you get a bad headache and throw up. I just hope I don't get it. We still got a little bit of missionary work done though. We had some interviews for baptism this week and planned on a baptism this Sunday but it didn't work out so they will be baptized on the 8th of November. We have the coolest members here. The members we ate dinner with yesterday were awesome. Their son owns a few snakes and he brought them out to show us. I told him to keep them on the other side of the table away from me ha. They told me I need to get a picture with one before I go and I know it would freak out my mom so I think I'm going too. This week as my companion and I were sitting around we started talking about mission and life. This is where my thought for today comes from. Don't worry... Be happy. We were talking about how I'm getting close to home and how I don't feel ready. Then we realized that we didn't feel ready for mission or most things in our lives but life carried on and all was okay. We tend to worry a lot but most of the time there is nothing to worry about. I know our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy and not worry much. When we follow the path Jesus Christ set there is nothing to worry about. Have a great week everybody.

Elder Hepworth

10/19/2015 - MAHARA FAMILY BIRTHDAY PARTY

This week was awesome. It started off kind of bad but turned out amazing. On Monday we went to our appointment and had forgotten our phone to call the person so we couldn't get in the big gate and it was a bummer. Then on Tuesday we did service at a home for special people. We feed the little kids and it is a cool experience to be around so many humble and perfect spirits. Then there wasn't much the rest of the day. On Wednesday we got a knock on our window at 6:30 by the zone leaders saying that President wanting to come teaching with us. So we scheduled an appointment and President and sister Dunn went teaching with us and it was super spiritual. Then that set up the rest of our week. We decided to go check a referral and as we were talking to him a lady said hey Elders. So I went and talked to her and it was a member. She had been praying for missionaries the night before and it just happens that we met her on her way to work. We are going to visit her this week. It was a cool experience. On Thursday we had a birthday party with some members and I think we had more fun that them. Then later we found out if was another members birthday so we got a lot of cake ha. This weekend we watched general conference and it was really good. Personally I think the theme was faith, hope, charity, and love. I like how the spirit guides them on what they should talk about before and then we get to see it all come together. I don't remember who it was but they had the wheels spinning in my head. I was thinking about what it meant to be cool. Growing up and in school usually the ones who are cool are the ones who are unique in a certain way. Like really good athletes for example. These days the world is such a way that everyone can be sinners. It is more unique to be a follower of Christ as we are. We are cool. You are cool and don't forget that. Have an awesome week.

Elder Hepworth


Birthday party with the Mahara family.