Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 5:5 -email-

Mama!!!

This week has been sweet!!! we have had some great lessons and some fun experiances. we were in some really scetch areas tracting but it was fun we didn't get mugged so it was good. this is the last week of the transfer and i'm getting a new companion or a new area or both we find out tommorrow it should be good. me and martin have been companions for four and a half months.

1 You said a while back that someone you were teaching was getting ready for baptism. Are you still teaching them?
1.ya she hasn't been to church since then so not for a while.

2 Do you feel like the people you are teaching feel the spirit while you're there?
2.ya for sure the spirit is super strong in most of our lessons.

3 Are you still with Elder Martin?
3.yep!!
4.transfers are this week so this should be cool

5 Any new investigators?
5.not too meny we have been tracting a lot but it doesn't do much.

6 Are any investigators progressing better than others?
6.ya some are a little faster than others but thats how mission is.

7 What usually holds things up? As far as baptism goes?
7.they will not come to church in this mission if you get them to church they usually get baptised but thats the trick getting them to church.

8 Do they struggle with the word of wisdom?
8.Yep i would say 80% of people in SA have a word of wisdom problem.

9 Are the people in general, nice to you for the most part?
9.ya they are nice just not interested.

10 Do you feel like you have grown spiritually?
10.ya for sure i have grown most in knowledge.

11 How, in what way?
11.in my studies i've been learning lots

12 What is chair football?
12.it is like soccer but no teams its every man for himself and he protects himself and you only have three goals on your goal and you are out of the game.

Special question of the week:

13 How would you explain that God loves all of His children, when some live in terrible circumstances? Why do some have a better situation in life than others?

13.i would say because we all are differant so he puts the strong ones in harder situations because they can overcome the trials. and he puts the weak in the cradle of good surcumstances.
anyway things are going great we are still working very hard. i'll let you know what transfer neews is next week.

                                                                   Love Elder Flexy

  Baba!!

man i missed thanksgiving they of coarse don't celebrate it her so we didn't have a feast. hopefully when i get home for thanksgiving all the family will be there. man i miss snow so bad it is so fetching hot down here and if i get transfered to richards bay it will be even HOTTER. ya jazz game sounds awesome i hope you have a good time, maybe Sage can come along and shout "Go Wild Cats!" haha that was freakin funny. ya Brett the shelf maker!!
Wow so we are sitting in the email place and we hear a loud engine outside so we went out and it was a Lambergini Murchilargo its worth about 4 million rands which is about five hundred and seventy thousand dollars that is a big person car!!! anyway keep helping with mendozas and all will be well in zion!!!
                                                                     Love Elder Flexy

Sunday Best!

"Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. 

It is what he is. 

Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is....It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us." -David O. McKay

******************

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): Family Photos!

Do you have bins of photos? 

I do! 

I have a plan for what I'm going to do with them. I'm going invite my family to have a little "Family Photo Organizing Party".  We will all sit together and go through the photos. 

This is what else we'll do:

*Label the photos with the date, (to the best 

of our knowledge), on the back. Be sure to use a pen that is archival quality. It will be labeled "safe for photos". (Sharpies have an alcohol base and are not good for photos.)

*Put the names of those in the pictures on the back, using the special pen again. 
*Organize them into groups: families, trips, people, year, etc.
*Then we'll put them into some books with acid-free plastic sleeves.

One day I'll have all of them in scrapbooks, but until then, we'll be able to look at the photos, and be able to enjoy them. We'll also not have to worry about remembering all the particulars about each photo. If you have a selection of older photos too, you might want to have a "Family Photo Organizing Party" with your extended family. See who remembers the important information and get it written down before it's too late! ;)

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Receive All Things With Thankfulness!

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19

19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

***************************
Receiving all things with thankfulness is sometimes a challenge. At least it is for me. (I'm still working on this.) What if we are dealing with a difficult situation? What if we are sick for a period of time? What if we are sad? What if someone we love has left or passed away? What if a choice someone else made has changed our life? The list goes on and on. We all have reasons to be sad or unhappy at times in our life. But remember, we are here to experience challenges and trials, and learn and grow. What makes life wonderful is to find the lesson in each experience and learn it (quickly, if possible), and thank God for the blessing of that experience and move on. When I think of all the struggles or challenges that I have had in my life, I can usually find a blessing associated with that struggle or challenge. Sometimes the blessing is that the struggle is over. I can see how going through tough times has made me more thoughtful of others, when I see them dealing with a challenge. I consider myself a stronger person, than I used to be. I am fairly patient. I feel like I get closer or more in tuned to our Father in Heaven when I'm struggling. The most important lesson I have learned is this. Receive all things 
with thankfulness! 
Choose joy! 
The mind that lives in joy
 does not live in complaint! 
You are in charge of how you feel! 
If your first response to a situation is negative, stop yourself and thank God for the journey. 
Put a song in your heart and be happy!
*****************************
Psalm 34:1

I will, bless the Lord at all times: 

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.


Happy 
 Thanksgiving Day  
World! 
Love, Joy

Two Cents! by T and G.

T: Ya know what? 

When your the same number (age)

 you're called twins! 

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

 Elder Flexy 5:4 -email-

 

Mama

this week has been good we are still working hard. and our families are comng along very slowly. so i probably won't be the one to baptise them but they will be baptized.ya i miss going to the temple. on saturday i won first place in chair soccer it was way fun!!

1 Do you have a favorite scripture that you use a lot while teaching?

1.well i use my mission scripture a lot for spiritual thoughts at member missionary lessons.

2 What is your favorite story about Jesus?

2.i would have to say the story of the lady who was healed by touching his clothes that one is awesome!!

3 What is your favorite Book of Mormon story?

3.Samuel the lamenite for sure!!!

4 Do you find yourself ever saying "slow and steady, wins the race?" or was that just for me?

4.ya sometimes but we try not to be in too big a hurry.

5 Are you the shortest elder?

5.yep its the same story as always

6.we see president when we go to the office and at interviews but not much else.
7.we are quite close to other elders so we see them a lot.

8 Do you think it feels so hot to you, because the humidity is so high? I looked up the temp and it was like 82 degrees, which wouldn't be that hot in a dryer climate.

8.ya it is the humidity that is killing me i sweat so much but nothing happens its still hot!!

9 Are you still teaching the same people?

9.yep
10.yes we have two families that are progressing faster but they are still not ready.

11 Have you had any faith promoting experiences? Or experiences were you have been saved by the spirit? (Remember Chad Cederlof in the alley?)

11.we have had faith building lessons but we haven't been protected to our knowledge.(could have but we didn't see it.)

12 Have you received any more of my letters?

12.ya i received two more and i would write back but we don't have much time to do it.

Special question of the week:

13 What do you do when you are discouraged to help you snap out of it? or have you been discouraged? How would you encourage someone who feels like they are not loved or valued?

13.ya i've been discoaraged but you just get over it and go to work. i just push thoughts and feelings like that out of my mind.
anyway things are going great i hope all is well in zion. love you mama

                                                                                  Love Elder Flexy

Baba

I shall call you Mantla( means power in zulu)Baba and you shall be mine!!! :) i'm glad you are still making shelfs i'm doing some wood work of my own i'm fixing our table in our flat it should be good. ya idk if they celebrate thanksgiving and that cheese cake sounds so good!!! ya i wan't to play some one on one soccer woth you that would be awesome. anyway i better bounce love you Baba

                                                                                   Love Elder Flexy

Sunday Best!

Article of Faith 

#13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men: indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.  

-Joseph Smith

****************************

"We need to greatly increase religious observance in the home. Weekly family home evening and daily family prayer and scripture study are essential. We need to introduce into our homes content that is "virtuous lovely and of good report or praiseworthy." If we make our homes holy places that shelter us from evil, we will be protected from the adverse consequences that the scriptures have foretold. 

In addition to protecting our own families, we should be a source of light in protecting our communities. The Savior said, 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.'"

-Quentin L. Cook

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): Preserving Old Family Records

We all have, or have had, a box, or boxes, of family records and history. Hopefully we have taken great care with them. How are these records being taken care of? Are they in the attic? In the garage? If we don't take care of them properly, the condition of the records will change. 
We need to keep them: 
*In a temperature much like our bodies (like not too hot, or cold) 
*In a place that is not too drafty
*Away from direct or indirect light, especially UV light 
*The basement might not be the best place either. If a flood came, or even if a pipe in our home broke, water would fill the basement. 
*Not on the floor, especially if it is cement. 
*You don't want animals making a nest with your records, so a plastic container would be better that cardboard. 
*And the most important thing to me, is if they can be easily rescued from the home if a fire or a natural disaster should happen. 
*One other way to care for, or preserve, your special documents is to take a picture of them with a digital camera and save them on your computer.
I keep my records together in one place, they could be easily loaded in the car if needed. But not only that, mine are not the only copies of our family history. We have several copies of our history, so if something did happen to one person's copy, they would be able to replace it. You can find a more information about caring for you family records here!

Heroes!

Dory

I know, I know, she is a cartoon character. She is still one of my heroes! She actually reminds me of myself, in some ways. Those who know me, would say it's because I can't remember stuff for very long. I would say it's because I remember the things that are really important, like family, or friends. Also, because my life long desire is to be positive in every situation. That's what I love about Dory. She is a "glass half full" type of gal. She get's her feelings hurt on occasion, but she forgets it, and moves on with her darling little life. I want to be more like Dory in that way. 
" Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."

***************************

Marlin: The water's going down. 
It's-it's-it's going down!

Dory: Hmm. Are you sure about that?

Marlin: Look! Already it's half-empty.

Dory: Hmm...I'd say it's half-full. 

Marlin: Stop that! It's half-empty!

*************

Dory: [dreaming] Uhhh...the sea monkeys have my money...

yes, I'm a natural blue...
**************************************
Dory: I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine 
and he shall be my Squishy. 
Come on, Squishy come on, little Squishy. 
[baby talk, the jellyfish stings her] 
Dory: Ow. Bad Squishy, bad Squishy.
*********************************************************
They are inside the whale and Dory tells
 Marlin to let go of the whales mouth. 
Marlin: How do you know that nothing bad won't happen?
Dory: I don't.
************************ 
Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down 
do you wanna know what you've gotta do? 
Marlin: No I don't wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. 
Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. 
What do we do? We swim, swim.
Marlin: Dory, no singing.
Dory: [continuing] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to swim. 
When you want to swim you want to swim. 
Marlin: Now I'm stuck with that song... Now it's in my head. 
Dory: Sorry. 

Favorite TV/Movie Quotes!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

 Dumbledore, "Dark and difficult times lie ahead...soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy. But remember this, you have friends here. You're not alone." 

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 5:3 -email-

 Mama!! 

Things are going great this week we taught a powerful member present! and when we left our member stayed just to chat i think they will be good friends and be baptised. so the work is going good but the only problem is the missionaries before us didn't plant many seeds at all so we aren't having success very quickly but the people that come after us will. we are planting seeds like crazy and we are working hard. i'm glad you had a good birthday!!! i wll try to figure out the picture thing. 

1 Are you and Elder Martin teaching well together?
1.ya we are teaching pretty well its just hard cause he teaches way differant then i do but its going good.
2.we don't have a whole lot in common but we have found things.
3.ya he played soccer and he just chilled with his sisters.
4.he was out about a year when i came in.

5 Do you do anything else except soccer on p-days?
5.well today we were supposed to go ice skating but we ran out of alotment :)

6 Can you go site seeing?
6.  ya we go site seeing sometimes but there isn't too much to see in our area.

7.ya we saw conferance

8 If so what was your favorite talk?
8.it was the one by Richard G. Scott about character.

9 Are you still teaching the same families?
9.ya we are we have gone tracting a lot lately but not much comes of it.
10.we did get a refurral for the Lunda family and they are power we taught them for two hours strait.
11. other than the member present not to much.

12 Do you have a favorite lesson or topic to teach? Maybe about the "armor of God?"
12.well we like the first lesson just because we teach it so much.

Special question of the week:

13 How do you explain that because of Christ all will be resurrected? How can this be possible?
13.well to explain that i would just say that death is like a big rope tying everyone down but when jesus was resurrected he broke the rope so everyone is free.
anyway things are going great by the way i'm one sixth of the way finnished with my mission. crazy huh!!! Love you

                                                                  Love Elder Flexy

Baba

you ran into john bytheway that is freakin awesome and funny i was just thinkin utah is like the only place that that would happen. so i miss cold weather soooooooo bad its so hot here sometimes i just want to sleep all day and work at night. and i also miss camping and mountains there are no big mountains here just hills. anyway i wish i could go to the temple since the last time i went was with you guys. anyway things are going awesome better quit for now love you!

                                                                  Love Elder Flexy

Sunday Best!

Emily doing "Opera" in the kitchen!

"The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache." 

-Marjorie Pay Hinckley 

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

My Computer!

Sorry I haven't done a post for a while! 

My laptop had a tummy ache. 

I think it was a virus!! 

In fact, I know it was! 

But it is feeling better now. 

All better! 

I'll be posting again soon! 

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 5:2 -email-

Mama!

this week has been great we taught this one family for two and a half hours because they were asking so many questions! it was great i think they will be baptized soon. so we just got to the internet cafe and one of the elders was getting money out of the ATM and someone stole his card that was pretty intense idk whats going to happen.
1.transfers isn't for four more weeks so not for a while.
2.we are not sure who will leave at this point it could be either way.
3.ya elder martin has been here six more weeks than me.
4.investigators are doing well very slowly but surely.
5.it should be a white Christmas but I'm not 100% sure.
6.ya we do, do tracting pretty consistently but its not very efficient.
7.our ward is about 180 members
8.ya they give us referrals and some come with us to fellowship so they are helping tons.

9 Are any investigators coming to church? Are the members supportive when you bring investigators to church?
9.ya investigators come sometimes but that is just sometimes and the people welcome them when they come.

10 Anything on the pictures? I asked the lady that I know who is from Durban. She suggested having the members make a CD for you to send home. Is that a possibility?
10.pictures i'm getting a little desperate so i might have to break down and put them on facebook.
11.yep every p-day we play soccer!!!

12 Are there any other fun things you do on P-days?
12.we got permission to play soccer on the beach one p-day it was pretty fun.

Special question of the week:

13 If someone was having a hard time forgiving others, what would you say to help them?
13.good question first i would say that it is a commandment from God and that if Jesus could forgive us for all our sins than we can forgive the petty things people do to us.
anyway i'm glad all is well in zion. i better stop love you.

                                                                       Love Elder Flexy

Baba!!!
ya awesome that my brothers colter and scott are doing great and are doing the work. so on Sunday i taught the lesson on the responsibilities of parents in the family. and it hit me that you and mom did a fetching good job!! Yes there were some rough patches but its been awesome being your son and i will enjoy that forever!! anyway things are going great we are working very very hard. ya and i'm glad your in scouting again you teach these boys how to be men they may take time to learn but you are still teaching them. well i better stop love you Dad.

                                                                                Love Elder Flexy

Riley
My Bro!!!! dude you need to get a life!! ya man you should do more mechanics stuff in collage cause thats probably what i'm gonna do so it would be really fun. and also make sure you you have god on your side make sure your saying your prayers and reading your scripts cause you need his help and you can sort your life with him.anyway life is freakin awesome and i love you bro!!
                                                                                    Love Elder Flexy

Kelsey!

I'm so proud of you you will be an awesome missionary!! yes the adversary works you trust me it gets worse when you are set apart but you will be fine he can't tempt you more than you can handle. i hope you go some where cool let me know ASAP. anyway better go love you kelsey keep working hard. love you

                                                                                       Love Elder Flexy
P.S.thats awesome tell andrew congrats from me.
   

Em Dog the big cheese!!
Hey!!!!!!!!!!!! hows life my little sister!! yes you better be working hard at school and at work did jacob quit as well and how is karen and kathy? you better be getting good grades you don't want to end up like me!!! anyway halloween was pretty lame here most people don't celebrate so it was dumb. anyway i love you too Em!!
                                                                                       Love Elder Flexy

Sunday Best!

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith.

The stories of Jesus can be like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the hearts of our children, Jesus said,  'I am the way, the truth, and the life.' The stories of Jesus shared over and over bring faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strength to the foundation of testimony. Can you think of a more valuable gift for our children?

Are the teachings of Jesus Christ  embedded in the minds and souls of our children? Do they think about the Saviour's life when they wonder what to do in their own lives? This will be more and more important in the years ahead."

-Neil L. Andersen

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): Put some "flesh on the bones!"

Mine in Cornwall, England

What does putting "flesh on the bones" have to do with our ancestors? Well, let me tell you of an example of just that.  My maternal grandfather had a pretty rough childhood. His family didn't share much, and weren't really all that educated. He worked from a young age, and didn't have the opportunity to have much education himself. In fact, my great great grandparents, who I have talked about before on my Family History Friday, signed their parish record for their marriage with an "X", because they could not read or write. They were miners, and spent their lives working very hard. Other family lines have many hand written histories telling of the ancestors experiences in their own words, but not this family. When my mom was researching this family, she realized that she was not going to get much information except names, places and dates, the "bones". She really wanted to know more about them, the "flesh". But how? She checked the location. Where were they living? What was life like in the community? She checked the date in history. What was happening in the history of the world, area, or town? What were the customs? She read histories of others who lived in the town or area. Could their life be similar? 
You bet! 

I live in a community, 

and my neighbors have 
a very similar routine as I do. 

What about those you work with? 

Do they have a similar work day?

 If you work in a mine, you're doing about the same thing as someone else working in a mine. So if you found a book or a history that described life as a miner, would this give you an idea of what your ancestors work and life might be like? If you found a history of the town or parish where your ancestors lived, that talked about the customs and traditions of the area, would this give you an idea of what life was like living in that place? What about pictures? Wouldn't it be neat to see a detailed picture of the ship your ancestors crossed the ocean on? Or better yet, actually print an internet picture from space of the town they lived in. The town that these ancestors lived in is still a tiny place. That is the kind of research my mom did to build a history of my ancestors on my maternal grandfather's family. The book of histories and information about life in the area, and at the time my ancestors lived is a treasure to our family. I believe, because she put "flesh on the bones" of this family. They mean more to me than they would if she hadn't found this information. 

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

5 Faves on the 5th!

1- Pumpkins

2-A beautiful 

**snow** 

covered peak!

3-Taco Soup

Find recipe here!

4-Oak Trees

5-Sunsets

Remember!

Smile.

The most destructive habit........Worry

The greatest joy..............................................Giving

The greatest loss.........................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work.....................Helping others

The ugliest personality trait........................Selfishness

The most endangered species.........Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource.....................Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"..Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome.....................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill.............Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease...................Excuses

The most powerful force in life...........................Love

The most dangerous pariah........................A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer..........The brain

The worst thing to be without...........Hope

The deadliest weapon...............................The tongue

The two most power-filled words..................."I Can"

The greatest asset..............................................Faith

The most worthless emotion..........................Self-pity

The most beautiful attire................................SMILE!

The most prized possession........Integrity

The most powerful channel of communication..Prayer

The most contagious spirit........................Enthusiasm

Author-Unknown

I Voted Today!

"I pledge allegiance

to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 

I am so grateful to live in this "one nation under God"! To have the freedom to choose our leaders, and vote!  God Bless America, Land That I Love!!

Howzit-Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 5:1 -email-

Mama!!

this week has gone by so fast!!! so we saw conferance yesterday and it was amazing!! it made me miss home just a little bit. the best talk to me was Richard G. Scotts talk about building your character. it was so good because if you build your character around the gospel than you don't even have to think about obeying it just comes natural.
1.ok i'll send photos home asap so you guys can see them.
2.investigators are coming slowly but surely they don't want to change but they are doing great.
3.ya we found this new family that both parents are pastors for a differant church but they are progressing well.
4.well Elder Brown my good bud from the M.T.C. is in my zone now so thats good he is a brother!!!
5.well weather is freakin hot!! its summer now so its very warm.
6.nope it never snows here and its pretty hot all year round

7 Are you warm enough?(I forgot it's summer down there now! dumb question)
7.yep

8 How is your coat, shoes and suits holding up? Do you need any more shirts?
8.they are doing fine and if i need any i'll buy them myself or i'll let you know.

9 Any spiritual teaches? Tell us about it!
9.yes we have this video that we use its called finding faith in jesus christ and it just brings the spirit into any lesson and we are teaching well.

Special Question of the week-

10 Why do we need the priesthood? and how does it bless our lives?

10.we need priesthood because all of the revelation is received through preisthood and all saving ordinances is through the priesthood 

love you tons!!!

                                                                     Love Elder Flexy

 

 

Baba, 

Holy Cow you rode 180 miles in three days!!!!!! i would have died that fifty miler was killer as it is!! thats good that you got the trailer winterized and i'm glad Emily is getting some teaching experiance. Anyway i hope things continue to go well for you dad. Love you

                                                                            Love Elder Flexy
 

Hey Flexy, 

So...I have officially decided to go on a mission!! Woohoo! I talked with my bishop today, and started filling out my papers earlier tonight. I'm way excited, but scared at the same time. I cry every time I think about it, because the witness I had that told me to go in the first place was so strong, and when I talk about it to others it brings that feeling back. It's crazy. I've turned into such a cry baby. I'm hoping to leave close to January so we can come home about the same time. Wouldn't that be so cool? Anyways, how are things going for you? I hope everything is great. Well I better go now. Love you to bits and pieces. Love, Kelsey

 

Kelsey!!!!!!!!

 My Elder SEESTER that is flippin awesome!!!! you will love it so much, its great fun and its what the lord wants us to do. you had a witness telling you to go on mission that is so freakin sweet! you better let me know where your going that is so exiting ya if you leave in january you will be coming home close to when i come home!!! oh that totally just made my day!! anyway things are going great. I love you too!!!

                                                                      Love Elder Flexy