10/20/2014

October 20, 2014

I have to say Happy Birthday to my mom this week. I hope she has a good one. Her first one without me. I bet she is going to cry ha. This last week was transfers. On Monday we had a 5 hour drive down to the office and spent the night. My companion got his bag somehow stolen with some very important things in it. He was so humble about it and knew God would take care of him. I'm missing that guy but my new companion is pretty sweet. His name is Elder Olson. He is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He knew the new mission president before he even came so he has got an in haha not really. Our mission president is awesome and trying his best to lead the mission the way Heavenly Father wants. My companion is the DL and he is only one transfer only on mission than me. After the 5 hour drive back up it was dark and we didn't get to work until the next day. He is really enjoying it up here. It really is amazing in Limpopo, South Africa. He is learning the area and meeting all the great people. Just like everywhere else it has it's problems but I love it. I want to stay in this area for this transfer and another. Hopefully that is God's will. We have been having very spiritual lessons and lots of fun. Just yesterday one person we saw was getting her hair done and we had them put a weave in our hair haha. On Saturday we found out that our recent convert named Desmond's little brother died. He was only seven months old. It was so sad but the gospel got to him just in time. We are going to do service for the family this week and go to the funeral. Families are forever. Stay close to the gospel. I love you all. Have a good week. 

Elder Hepworth

10/06/2014

This week was great. It is getting pretty hot up here in South Africa and it is supposed to be getting hotter. Last Monday we had a family home evening with one of our member families and it was so much fun. He shared a message about journals and I need to get better at that. Record keeping is important. We played games and they even fed us which was awesome haha.

Saturday was a weird day. We didn't have much success in the missionary work but I feel like Heavenly Father just won't let us have a bad day he makes it funny. To make the story short we were driving to get some food so we could start our fast and in the middle of the road was just sitting a man. We thought it was weird and laughed. Then on the way back a woman was screaming at us in her language for help. Someone said it was something about her husband. When we got up there it was the same guy in the middle of the road. He was so drunk he had no way to get home and she wanted our help to get him there. So she picked him up and they climbed in the back of the truck and her grandchildren got in and we took them home which wasn't far. It was a random act of service that we just had to laugh about after. The lady was so thankful so we felt good about it even though we weren't supposed to have them in our truck ha.

On Sunday our two baptisms last week were confirmed and they received the Holy Ghost and one of our recent converts from last month received the priesthood. I got sick in the evening so we went home early and I slept. When I woke up I was feeling a lot better. I always feel bad when I have to go home early because the time to serve is extremely short but I figure that Heavenly Father doesn't want us to feel bad while we serve. We must not run fast than we have strength but still serve with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. Finding the balance is the trick haha.

My hero is Jesus Christ. When I was young my heros were the power rangers. I had all the action figures. Then when I got older my dad became my hero. We have spent a lot of time together and had good times. Now that I'm on mission I realized how much Jesus Christ is my hero and everyone else. He has suffered for us. He has died for us. All out of love. That was the most heroic act of all time. May we always remember him like we promise in the sacrament prayer.

Elder Hepworth

09/29/2014

This week has been great. It went extremely fast. We had our two baptisms this week. They went really well. One of them was a mother of a missionary in  Cape Town and the other was a wife of a member. The husband got to baptize her which was cool. At church we had over 100 people show up and usually we only have about 80. We had a goal to get over 100 people there and we did it. A lot of them were less actives and 5 of them were investigators.

On Saturday we had an activity were the senior couples came and played a movie in the chapel and we invited everyone all week to come. We are doing this to try and bring back less actives and get members and investigators involved. We watched Legacy and I had never seen it before. I really liked it but I'm not sure if that is because it has been so long since I saw a movie ha. On Wednesday it was heritage day and everyone was supposed to dress up in beads and traditional stuff but we were the only ones who did. The people just took it as a day off and time to drink ha.

I'm really enjoying mission. This is the busiest I've been so far since I have been out and it is great. It is exhausting, stressful, and hot but I love it. Missionary work is great. The work must go forward.

Elder Hepworth

09/22/2014

Wow I can't believe it is already the 22 of September. This week went by fast. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting here sending my last email. So in South Africa they all have meanings to there names and they ask me what my name means all the time. Then a member this week looked it up and it said it a motto that is faithful unto death. I just thought that was pretty cool and thought I would share it. Stay faithful Hepworth's haha. They also said in a town near where I am there is a store called Hepworth. I guess it is a clothing store. It would be cool to check it out but it is pretty far away.

We had successful baptismal interviews this week and will be having two baptisms on Sunday. They are both very powerful. I first met them when I had just got here and they weren't going anywhere. I was wondering why we were wasting our time on them. Then over time and visits they became very powerful and good friends. It taught me a lesson of patience in people.

We have been traveling to this pace far in our area and giving out some church material because one of our members works there. There is no way for them to get to church or be baptized but we are setting roots there.

One thing that has kind of been on my mind a lot is families. Families are such a blessing. Up here they don't cherish families as much as we do back home. They pay for their wives pretty much in their culture and the families don't sit together in sacrament meeting together. It isn't to sham bock on these people but I've just realized how much the gospel does bless families. The gospel is such a blessing when the whole family lives it together. Simple things as family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening are so important. Families that pray together stay together.

Elder Hepworth

09/15/2014

This was the best week we have had since I have gotten here up here. Our stats were awesome. We have been asking for referrals and they have been coming in like crazy. They have been good new people too. Not just jokers. We are so busy and it is good. We had 11 investigators come to church which was like whoa! haha.

This week we went on two exchanges because of my companion's district leader responsibilities. The day that I was in the area we had a really good day. We took a young man who was just baptized two weeks ago. His name is Desmond and he loved it. He said it was the greatest day ever. So either we are awesome and he had tons of fun or there just isn't anything to do in Lenyenye haha. The other day I was in town with another missionary and lets just say I'd much rather be in village and township that town because it is a lot harder.

Saturday was a weird day. In the morning we attended a funeral. It wasn't just any other funeral though. The father of a missionary serving in Durban mission had passed away. It was sad but the missionary was really strong. he had been out for so long and I could see by his face that he was a good man and a good missionary. Then later on in the day we had an investigator break down and tell us that her  parents had both gotten HIV because her dad cheated on her mom and didn't tell her and she was just really worried about them dying because the youngest is 6. Then we come home and find out that an elder that is in our district got a call from President telling him that his grandmother passed away. The whole tragedy thing that day was freaking me out but I pray hard for everyone.

I have been thinking a lot about prayer. When we are on our knees we aren't praying to our beds but to our FATHER who is in Heaven. My companion gave a talk at church yesterday about prayer. He gave a quote by President Monson that said..."A man is tallest when he is on his knees." Remember to say your prayers and remember who you are praying too. The relationship that we can have with each member of the godhead is so important.

Have a good week everyone!

Elder Hepworth

09/01/2014

Wow it is already September. Time is going by fast. This week I will be out for 6 months officially and I can't believe it. I feel like I just left.

I'm not training or anything and my companion is staying the same. I'm excited about it though because I wanted to stay with him another transfer. We get along great. I have been blessed with awesome companions so far. It would have been cool to train but I will do what the Lord wants. 

We have one investigator named Patricia that we were teaching when I first got here and she was super shy and wouldn't talk and I was really discouraged about her. We kept going with her and now she is opening up. She bore her testimony about the savior Jesus Christ. She is honest and is progressing really well. She is getting baptized on September 28. We have had four baptism since I got here and it has been really awesome. 

This week we had our two baptisms from last week get confirmed and quite a few young men were given the Aronic priesthood or were put where they are supposed to be. We were able to join in when they received the Holy Ghost and the spirit was so strong. It is great seeing the change that this gospel will make in people and see them partake of the blessings. 

One thing that I have come to be grateful for is the members feeding the missionaries and helping in the missionary work. The gospel is great and I'm glad to be a missionary. 

Elder Hepworth

08/25/2014

This transfer is going by so fast. We are now in the last week of the transfer. I have enjoyed my time with this companion and I want him to stay for another but there is rumor that I might train. Whether he stays or I train I will be fine either way.

 

This last week was awesome. We had 29 lessons this week and I think that is the most I have had so far on mission. All of our appointments were going great and not falling through like other weeks. I don't have anything crazy or weird to say about this week. Everything just went really smooth which is nice every once in a while.

 

On Sunday we had two baptisms. They were of a 16 year old boy named Desmond and a 9 year old girl named Naomi. They are awesome and the baptism went great. The 9 year old is the daughter or a recent convert who is really strong and she started crying when she was baptized. Desmond is awesome and will probably be a stake president some day. Just another addition to the wonderful priesthood.

 

I spoke at the baptism about the holy ghost. As I sat down I realized it wasn't me speaking. That happens a lot and I am so thankful for the companionish of the holy ghost. The spirit is a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father to help us through this life. We just have to listen.

 

Elder Hepworth