On the road...........AGAIN! 07/30/12

Hello All,
Well I guess I'm leaving again haha I don't know whats up with this.  President Wood called and apologetically told me that I was leaving again, but you can tell he really does feel bad because I'm going to an awesome area with what will probably be my 2nd favorite comp or equal to the 1st?  I will be with Elder Cowey from England!  We are in the same transfer.  We are both way excited.  Plus I will get to travel to George and Knysna for exchanges and visit people there, so that's a huge bonus!
It will be way sad to leave Bellville, but after all the moves I'm getting used to great friends going home and me leaving awesome areas.  Its not fun but its getting easier.  I will for sure miss our awesome investigators but they are progressing so well and probably will be baptized before the end of August!  So, Tuesday will be a rough day but Wednesday will be better!
We taught this awesome family that we have been teaching and the daughter had a concern about prayer. She was uncomfortable praying because she felt a bad feeling when she prayed?
So we decided to go with the ward mission leader and offer a prayer to invite the spirit.  Sometimes also know as dedicating a home.  I have not felt the spirit so strong in a long time.  I mean obviously I feel the spirit every day but not that strong it was a powerful experience!
We are also doing well with our other investigators and they were all at church yesterday so that's cool.  It sucks saying goodbye to them but its all good.
Well I know this is way short but my next one will be longer!  I'm so thankful for all the blessings that I have. Its nice to look back and see everything I have been given.  I hated moving so much and honestly its still not the best but its something I have really never experienced my whole life.  I mean same schools, same house same everything, no deaths, basically my whole life and now I have NO stability what so ever.  I have moved every six weeks for the past six months and its crazy.  I always figured I was doing something wrong or whatever but president said, no I was good haha.  I still wonder?  So its really mixed emotions.  I'm getting used to change but I still don't like it.  I'm willing to go wherever and do whatever I need too.
Thank you everyone for your letters and emails. I really appreciate it!
Love ya,
Colton

07/23/2012

Hello All,
AHHHHHH my camera is dead and I left the charger in Grahamstown, dang it!!!!  Oh well I'll make a plan! Well its been a good week, nothing out of the ordinary except I was really rushing to get home the other night (I won't say why....okay I will I had to pee) and I ran through a very short yellow light that turned red and here in SA they don't use cops much they only have cameras that flash really bright lights and yes I got flashed but it was so cool!  With the red and yellow and green lights and then FLASH the whole street lit up it was cool but I dread getting the dang fine!!!!  Oh well!  It for some reason has been an incredibly long week. We have had great lessons with our investigators and things are going really well!  We so far will have two baptisms on September 2nd.  They are both progressing so fast that I am sure it will be before that!  It is so weird to teach here because if the people are really interested they will google more about the lesson. Like the other day we were teaching my favorite investigator and we asked about the chapter we left her and she explained it so perfectly!  So I had a grin on my face and she said wait is that wrong....and I said, no no, no that is awesome.  Its the best description I have heard!  She paused and said "OKAY OKAY I GOOGLED IT!!!!!!" hahahaha  It was so funny she acted like it was bad.  She promised she read it then googles it then read it two more times hahahaha it was so funny!
So I will still not admit that I'm getting tired but physically for some reason I feel exhausted!!!!  So, I have been praying a LOT!  More then usual and asking for help.  The coolest miracle happened.  I have specifically been asking for people to teach who are prepared.  On Wednesday I got a call from some Joburg missionaries and they said that their best investigator is moving to Bellville!  I was so happy!  It wasn't until later that I realized that it was a huge answer to my prayers!  AGAIN, I see that He is there and He does listen.
So I have been getting some great letters.  All I can say is thank you.  It means a lot.  I am trying to be good about writing back but its hard enough to get home late and write in the area book and then my journal (which is not the best record but I'm really trying!)  So, I will try but I can't promise but I do want you all to know that every letter is a huge blessing and I am so thankful!  I love you all have a great week.

Love,
Colton

PS...We are going to the Lion Park today for P-day, it will be awesome.

07/16/2012

Hello everyone.  Well it’s been a crazy week.  I think today we are going bowling!  I can’t wait! It’s still pretty cold here and should warm up in a month or so.  I think I told you all about the homeless man that they found at MES.  He passed away in the hospital  a couple days later.  The doctors said he had cancer and was not healthy.  At least he died in a warm bed and not the streets.  We still volunteer at MES and it’s been a lot of fun.  We are teaching some great people.  We are teaching one of the members oldest daughter.  She is awesome.  She is married and has no kids.  She is Calee’s age.  We get along great!   So she set a goal to be baptized on the second of September!  I was so happy for her.  Her mom has been a member her whole life and she has grown up coming to church here and there but not a lot.  Now this will be the last child in the family to be a member.  They sort of remind me of my family.  They have a lot of fun and there just way cool!  We are also teaching a cool lady who has two little boys she is a single mom and she is doing really well.  She also has a baptismal date for September second. Then her sons will be raised in the church and bam two more missionaries hahaha.  We also watched the restoration video with the other family we are teaching.  They fed us which is always a bonus.  I think this could be a good last area because people feed us a lot so I’m gaining weight haha.  As we watched the video the mom said she felt chills when it showed God the Father and Jesus Christ coming to Joseph Smith and restoring the gospel through a prophet.  I felt the chills too.  She said she just felt good.  We explained with the bible that she was feeling the spirit.  I love teaching about the restoration of the gospel because it’s the missing piece.  It’s like when you lost something and then found it.....you feel happy.  Sometimes you don’t even know that it was gone.

We also had flat inspections and we live in a pretty nasty flat haha, but we cleaned it and when Sister Oldham came she whispered to me " I told Elder Oldham that this flat would probably be transformed because Elder Balmforth was here" hahaha and she said it was.  She even took pictures.   We scrubbed the walls!!!!    Haha, I’ m not bragging for myself, I’m bragging for my momma, haha she made us wipe off the crown molding and everything haha, so I was taught well!   Thank you mom!  Anyway, sorry this email is a little short.  I love you all and thanks for everything!

Love,

Colton

"I will join you if you say I can have seven wives in the next life." 07/09/12

I FORGOT MY FETCHING PLANNER!  It has everything I wanted to write because I know my emails have not been the best!  So, just know I really try!  Before I forget the two girls in Kwano< Mtikazi and Sikilele, who couldn't get baptized because of their mom.....yeah they got baptized!!!!   I was so excited they are so powerful!  AND, I just saw Malcom Fredrick's who is Tanya Fredrick's husband.  I taught and baptized Tanya in Khayelitsha.  We went through a ton with her!  He said she is doing well.  I just saw him now in the email shop!  Its good to see people!  So, we just went on a hike with the Krugers.  We hiked Skeleton Gorge.  It was the best hike I have ever been on!  I did really well too because I'm still in pretty good shape from the bike!  It was raining the whole time and there were waterfalls and it was a blast, we were soaking wet and we froze!  It was way fun!  It is straight up almost the whole way.  There are ladders and ropes and it was so fun.  When I was hiking today I really felt grandpa, its so weird how that just randomly happens some times.  It hardly ever does to me but when it does I'm glad I take the time to remember him. Things in Bellville are really taking off.  Its going well.   We have one white guy we are teaching and he is way funny.  We were teaching the plan of salvation and before we started he said "I'll join if you say I can have 7 wives in the next life"...................ummm too deep we will talk later hahahaha.  Hahaha, but really he just seems so prepared, he agrees with all the doctrine and said that is what he pictured it all to be.  He is a cool guy.  Then we just started teaching a new lady with two small kids, she is also incredibly prepared!  She went to the church when she was way young and remembers primary.  She now wants her kids to grow up having a relationship with God and says she feels drawn to the church.  She is awesome.  Her oldest little boy is an adopted black baby.  He's way cool. She is white. (not that color matters its just weird to work with white people).  Then we are teaching another white family and they are awesome.  She is recently divorced and her kids have been through a lot.  They really need the gospel and its helping them so much.  Its cool to see the spirit work and begin to change a family.  Its going slow but we can see it.
So on the fourth of July I had exchanges with Elder Staheli.  It was possibly the funnest exchange ever!  We had appointments and it was the 4th of JULY!!  So we had fun.  We were invited to Braai at the Botha's, they are awesome!!!!  We had a ton of fun.  Brooke, I made them deep fried Oreos....don't be jealous.  We had a good day and Carey, who is Sister Botha's oldest daughter bought sparklers.  We forgot to light them but we probably will this week!
We also eat at the Kruger's house every Sunday and that is a lot of fun.  They have a pool table so before dinner we played a quick game and it made me miss Oma haha.  She was the only one I'v ever played pool with and it was fun.  So, Oma beware I'm just getting warmed up!
I have been getting letters, I got one from grandma as usual and it was awesome and two from Marilyn Hancock and Oma and mom.  Thank you all for writing!  I am not the best at writing back but I will try.  I know you all deserve it!
Well its obviously been a good week.  I miss and love you all and hope you have a good week. Oh yeah,......HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY AUNT LEZLEE AND ON WEDNESDAY DAD AND ANNIVERSARY EMILY AND TYLER (I remember that one because it was the same day I got my mission call two years ago).  Wow!

Love ya!
Colton

Count Your Many Blessings 07/02/2012

HELLO,
I know my emails have been bad lately so this will be better.  Its been an awesome week I totally forgot it was T-Ville Dayzz but thats okay because the 4th is my favorite holiday and I freaking miss it!  I'm going on exchanges with Elder Staheli on the 4th so we are bound to have a blast.  The other day Sister Botha called, the Botha's are members and they are awesome!  Anyways she called and said "Isn't this week like an American Holiday?  And I said yes?  She said, "well do you want to do something?" hahaha and I said, YES!!!!"   So weare having a Brii!  I'm stoked!  It will be fun.
Bellville is awesome it has awesome members the work is harder and different but a lot of fun.  For the first time in my mission I have progressing white investigators!  Wierd, but they are cool!  We are teaching an awsome family.  She is a single mom with two kids and the gospel is for sure needed in that family.  They are the best and they have come to church two weeks in a row!  We are also teaching a guy named Shaqas. (its an africans name), its saved in my GPS, imagine what my GPS sounds like "arriving at Shaqas) haha potty mouth not good!
So to answer some question that I have been getting, yes I do have a car its a white Chevy Aveo.  Haha I am sure you all love the details.  I really miss my bike!!!!  I am not in as good of shape now haha, I would love to go back!  Its cold here but not as bad as Grahamstown. Yes we do get fed more, we get fed every Sunday night by the Kruger family!  They are an awesome family.
President Wood encouraged us to look for more service opportunities, so we found this place called MES.   I can't remember what it stands for but its a place that helps the homeless find jobs and homes and become self reliant.  They are looking for something for us to do but untill then we are working in the kitchen where we serve food to the homeless every Tuesday and Wednesday.  Its so much fun and has really made me realize how blessed we truley are.  I will feel so guilty going home to what I have.  Some of these people have nothing!  It kills me, I wish I could just give everything I have but then they would be serving food to me.  Oh every Saturday we go to a center for the elderly and the disabled, we have three awesome members there.  Tanya and Lizett, who are best friends and then Sister Bossman.  I love going there its just in my comfort zone.  They have a special spirit about them and really teach me a TON!
I am doing awesome.  I love Bellville and will enjoy my time here.  It could be my last area.  My companion is cool he loves to tease so it just reminds me of living at home with dad haha.
Well, I can't tell if this is long or short but its all I got.  I love you so much and I am so thankful for all of you and for all that I have!

Love,
Colton