Monday, October 28, 2013

Denouement

Area- Pretoria, South Africa
Companion- Elder Louw
Letter #99

Hey you can't use big words like that when you talk to me! I've been working on simplifying my vocabulary for the past 2 years! :P But yes, my denouement is gonna be powerful. My last Sunday Mona Lisa is going to be baptized! We have been working with her every week since I got here (6 months) and she is finally ready! I think she is very excited even though she doesn't really show her emotions on the outside. She says that she is going to buy a new dress because it is such a special occasion to her. We are going to have her interview this week and then she will be ready! We are always advised to have the interviews for baptism at least a week early just in case there is a situation where our Mission President would need to come and do a second interview. We are positive that Mona Lisa will pass but sometimes people decide not to say anything till the interview. We were asked to do an interview for a sister in Mamelodi on Saturday night and her baptism was scheduled for the next day. I interviewed her and she had a wonderful and personal testimony of Jesus Christ and of the restoration but because of history she wasn't able to be baptized because she needs to meet with the Mission President first. I'm sure she will be fine and the second interview is just protocol but if there was a week gap from the interview to the baptism there would be no problem with postponing the baptism. It was really difficult to tell her that she couldn't be baptized the next day especially when she was so excited and had probably already told her friends and family about it as well. I have had to tell a few people that they are not ready yet but seeing this lady's face and the heartbreak she must have felt was different than all the previous times. In spite of how sad she must have been it truly is amazing to see how powerful the truth is to change somebody from not really worrying about religion to it becoming their whole life and their baptism being something that they cannot live without. 

We were teaching Sipho the other day about the Law of Tithing. Most people don't understand how important it is and what it should really be used for. Sipho is definitely one of those people. When we teach him things he never knew before he always get this surprised look and then says something like "Oh! so when I was doing that (or not doing that) I was sinning! Sir, I am so sorry. I am going to keep this commandment from now. I never knew that I was doing wrong but now I must obey. Thank you, Sir, for telling me this thing that I was doing wrong so that I can change." the thing that I love about Sipho is how humble he is, that allows him to learn like a child and use his agency to act with power according to the new knowledge he has obtained. I think I said it before but I will say it again. Most of my areas we have had tons of people to teach and had to sift through the ones that are really ready for the gospel as that time. In this area it is so difficult to actually get investigators but when we do get them they are ready and prepared. 

I am going to miss being a missionary so much. People keep asking me how long I have left and I was saying a month but then the other day somebody said "Don't you go home on November 12? That's not even three weeks!" People keep saying its soon but I keep telling them that it is far cause of how much we still need to do. I feel like I'm just going to be a missionary for the rest of my life cause it's just what I've been doing for the past 2 years. It's more regular that school was!

You wanted to know more about my companion. We are having a great time together! We have very similar personalities. The only difference is that he is not much into sports but big into music and he is a chef. He plays drums and guitar. When he gets home he is going to open a restaurant in Cape Town that I am going to go to called The Avo Tree. I was scared my whole mission that I would get a companion that I would hate but I never got it! All my companions are super good friends! Brother Foote and Brother Jenkinson just sent me emails so I hope I will have time to reply to them today.

Have a great week! Thanks for making that cool announcement! The only thing I don't look forward to is speaking...It feels like so much pressure that I'll have to wow everybody. Don't get your hopes up for a powerful sermon!

Love ya!
-Elder Dirkmaat :D

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