Monday, March 30, 2015

Interesting Week in Chatsworth

So this week got pretty interesting towards the end. 

On the way to one of our appointments, I was driving (Elder Halford doesn’t have a license) and on this narrow road with houses close on both sides, there was much room for error. One of the gates opened about 2 feet and a dog darted out before I could do anything. We hit him and he spun across the street. The owner came out and we stopped and he wasn’t angry or anything, says his dog is stupid (agreeable) and he was only concerned with our car. Nice guy, the dog was ok too so that was nice. :) 

Also this guy in our ward, Stanton (less active), was out drinking Saturday night with his brother (also less active). The two of them were out fighting or something and we were at their parents house just comforting them because they were telling us all that was happening with the sons. As we were there they said the police called and told them they caught the brothers driving and gave them a warning and told them to walk home. We were all kind of relieved so we left to our other appointments. Yesterday, we got a call that one of the brothers, Stanton, was in the hospital because they both went back and carried on driving and rolled the car off the highway. Stanton wasn’t wearing his seatbelt so he was in the hospital with a cracked skull and other injuries. We gave him a blessing and he told us that he was going to change. And I believed him.

After that we went to this less-active’s house, Marcus, and his house is sweet. He installs surveillance cameras for a living, and his house is huge with cameras outside and everything. Electric fence and the usual South African precautions. Anyway, we sat down and he told us all about the reason he went less active. He was offended by several things and then he started encountering anti-Mormon doctrine.  He told us all about how his testimony has deteriorated to the point where he doesn’t believe in God or religion anymore. Despite everything, we listened and didn’t say anything pressing. We kind of just joked about some of the doctrine that he brought up, and he said “you guys are the coolest missionaries I’ve met since a long time ago” so yeah. There’s a high councilor in charge of Chatsworth who was in the Seventy before and he has been meeting with this guy as well. We’re rubbing shoulders with some important people.

Man, it’s crazy being 18 and encountering all of these kinds of things, but I know the Lord sends us where we need to go and my testimony has been strengthened every day. 

I forgot my camera again...But I only had a picture of a snake at the chapel. Other than that we haven’t really taken any pictures. My companion and I have been doing P90X everyday for the past two weeks. Its killer and I can feel myself getting skinnier already!

Thanks for all you guys do, praying for the Hickmans, South Africa is great!

Love Elder Preator

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Here are a couple of photos of the Chatsworth area that I've found online.  One is just a normal Chatsworth neighborhood, and the other is a Hari Krishna temple there.




Monday, March 23, 2015

Parable of the Sower

Thanks for the poem. I really like it and Im glad to finally have enough knowledge to possess the parable of the sower in my repertoire. I actually know where its found and everything. 

My area, Chatsworth is good. I could leave it at that but It would not encompass all of the “things” that have happened to me so far. The members here have really picked it up. There is one family in all of the active members that is Zulu. The 23 year old guy, Nati that lives there introduced us to his cousin who lives with them, so we have been able to teach him. He is progressing very nicely, and we are planning on giving him a B-date pretty soon. I think he will be able to deliver as well. 

In addition to that, Chatsworth, a member told us, is one of the least desirable places in south Africa. Apparently there is a big drug problem here with cocaine. Very reassuring. 

I guess my companion and I are just trucking along. We both enjoy laughing so thats nice, and I feel much more confident around people because of him. He is also into looking good and style as I am so thats nice. This member in our ward said we could come over and he is going to show us how to sew, and he is going to help us slim fit our suits and all my trousers and shirts... I already slimmed a tie on my own and stitched up my skinny jeans so hopefully I will come home with lots of useful talents.

The lord really is in this work. Theres been some days where we are convinced that nothing we did was coincidential. 

Anyway, love you all!

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Here is the poem I sent him.  (from the New Testament Institute Manual)

When gospel truth is gently sown
in my unlearned heart,
I hope it finds no hardened crust
on wayside paths apart.

Nor even drops on softer spot
with hardness just below,
Where faithless, poorly rooted sprouts
are doomed to never grow.

I pray it shall not fall in dirt
where thorns have made their bed.
Where choking plants, ’mid worldly cares,
grow fruitless, nearly dead.

But let that seed find fertile soil
in deep and clean abode,
And drawing life, yield true and full
to Him who gently sowed.

                               — Anonymous

Monday, March 16, 2015

Less-Actives in Chatsworth

Elder Halford says Hi! Ill send his picture next week, I forgot my camera today. 

Things in Chatsworth are great. Because we are both new, we went and visited (and are still visiting ) all the less-actives. We came upon one who said that after she was baptized 21 years ago, no one in the church has visited or even kept in contact with her. So we are doing all we can to bring her and the rest of the less-actives back to activity. It’s actually brought up the potential for a baptism of one of their cousins! :) Anyway more on that next week.

Love you guys!
Elder Preator

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Transfer to Chatsworth

Transfers were good, I was able to fit everything in two suitcases (because I gave the other away) and my new area is basically in Durban. Its called Chatsworth and it's an all Indian area. One of three but it's a lot smaller of an area than Stanger. We can actually drive from one side of it to the other in under 30 minutes. 

This area was also closed beforehand, meaning they took the missionaries out, so my comp and I are both new. We are "opening" the area. Which apparently means I am responsible or something...Also coming into this area I heard tons of stories about the members and how they gossip and there's so many less actives because of it. We met this active lady that goes to a different ward because she is so offended by what happens here in the Chatsworth Ward. I'm so excited!! But really it should be fun.

FYI, there is NO Daylight Savings here in South Aftrica.

I had one investigator in Stanger that will for sure get baptized. She is scheduled for March 22 so Elder Petrie will hopefully send me pictures.

My new comp's name is Elder Halford. He is from Derby, England and he's been on his mission for 20 months. He is pretty sweet and a great worker. He jokes a lot as well so thats nice!  :)

working hard...
Elder Preator

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Chatsworth, is a large suburb created in the 1960s to house the predominantly South Africa Indian population. The suburb is situated in South Durban basin in South Africa and is roughly bordered by the Umhlatuzana River in the North and Umlaas River in the South.

In the 1940s, The Pegging Acts and the Ghetto Act were passed. These acts gave the government the right to remove and destroy shacks and small self-made shelters, with the putative intention of improving sanitary conditions. This led to the Group Areas Act of June 1950, which designated certain areas for the Whites and other areas for Indians, Coloureds and Africans. Indians were removed from areas such as Mayville, Cato Manor, the Clairwood, Magazine Barracks, Bluff, Riverside, Prospect Hall, Duikerfontein and Sea Cow Lake. The removed populace was moved into primarily the two large Indian suburbs of Phoenix, which is situated North of Durban, and Chatsworth in the South.

During the later 1940s and early 1950s, there were advertisements in the papers of an exclusively Indian suburb, Umhlatuzana. Then in the early 1960s Chatsworth was planned, opening in 1964 and consisting of eleven neighbourhood units. Modern day Chatsworth is spread over seven municipal wards which all fall roughly in the South Central municipal area. Chatsworth was deliberately built to act as buffer between white residential areas and the large African township of Umlazi.


Death by Gluttony at McDonalds

I’m getting transfered to a place called Chatsworth this week. It’s an all Indian area. I’m so excited...Ill talk about it next week.

Food Suicide at McDonalds: Theres a meal thats 135 rands thats called a share box. The challenge was between the Elder Mupumha and I to see who could finish one first.
It includes
        Big Mac X2
        McDuoble X2
        Large Fry X2
        Small Fry X2
        10 piece chicken nugget
        large drink X2
        small drink X2



The Indian temple by Phoenix. We had to take off our shoes. It was outdoors. Also look at the big Idol I took a picture with.






Members of the branch in Stanger.