Back to Outer Darkness!

Oct 14, 2013 Hello everyone, Transfer news is here and I'm headed back to the outer parts of the mission once again. I am being transferred to a town called Osizweni in New Castle. It's about a 6 hour bus ride from where I am currently located in Durban. It will once again be a very small branch (It's actually only a group) and they are meeting in a school. I'm hoping to serve in at least 1 ward while I'm here but I do enjoy helping these small branches grow! I only spent 3 months here in Marianhill but it has probably been one of my favorite areas! I am so sad to leave this soon but I know that the Lord places us where He needs us. I really enjoyed being companions with Elder Wambuzi for these 3 months, we found a lot of success here after white washing the area and we were able to turn things around. The Lord really opened doors for us, I am forever grateful for the people we were able to find and the lives that have been touched by the restored gospel. This past week we had a couple of incredible experiences, I couldn't think of a better way to close my time here. First off we have been teaching a sister named S___, she is 21 years old. We have been teaching here for these past 3 months and she is a very intelligent young lady. She has been somewhat difficult to teach because she doesn't want to leave her church. She has recognized that everything we are teaching her is true, she kept saying she wants to be baptized by our authority but that she wants to stay in her church. Well we came to a road block on what to teach her to help her progress and we haven't been able to get her to visit church...BUT that all changed this week! As we were planning and trying to decide what to teach, I had an idea to show her this video called "How Rare A Possession The Book of Mormon." I watched it one time in a previous area with an investigator who also did not want to leave his church. The video is perfect because it shows a man who was a pastor but he finds the Book of Mormon on the street and becomes converted to its teachings. In the video it describes this mans experience as he prayed and how he received his answer. As he described how he felt warmth and joy come over his body as he prayed, Sne said: "That's exactly how I felt when I prayed about the Book of Mormon!" Sne was really touched by the video and she finally recognized that she was taking the Book of Mormon for granted and she needed to act! She agreed to be baptized and she came to church yesterday. I hope that she continues to progress with the missionaries and I'm happy the spirit finally touched her heart in a way that made her act. We also continued teaching this girl named N______. This girl has had a terrible past until she came here a couple of months ago and is living with a member. We have been teaching her and she is going to be baptized by the end of the month. She told us that she has seen a huge change in her life and that she just feels so happy. She can't read so I bought her the Book of Mormon audio CD's and she was so happy! It was great to see her reaction. When I told her that I'm being transferred she started crying and it was hard to say good bye. I can understand that it can be difficult for our investigators to see their "first" missionaries leave. It has been so enjoyable to teach her and to see the incredible change in her life. When we first met her she didn't even know who Jesus Christ is and didn't even know how to pray. Now she prays constantly and we can all see a change in her countenance. It is always a difficult thing to say goodbye to people in an area. I am so grateful for the friendships I have created here and the many seeds we have planted. I have no doubt that some of the people we are teaching and the people we have found will continue to progress towards the waters of baptism. The Lord is over this work and I truly have seen miracles as my companion and I have been obedient with exactness. There is something magical that has happened here these past few months as my companion and I have exercised unwavering faith, worked diligently and continued to do our best. We have seen the Lord's hand and have felt the Holy Ghost in an undeniable way. I love you all! I'll be reporting from a new area next week. Elder Summers