Pictures

Porter with his companion.

He was so proud of this buy, his very own Christmas tree.

I love the pass along card ornaments :)

Cows in the road.

His companion with some investigators ready for baptism.

Feb. 23, 2015

Good Morning my Wonderful Family,

Just wanted to tell you all how much I love you. I hope all is well on your side of the world. For me all is going good. We are working toward a baptism coming up pretty soon. We have Makhaziwe, Noskombuso, and possibly Slugo. I am so happy to have been able to have been hear for their growth in the Spirit. It is a great work. We are also preparing for Stake conference. It should be pretty good. Crazy to think that I was still here in the PE stake when we had the last conference. I have not moved very far. But transfers are coming up pretty soon. (About 3 weeks) So that might mean another big move. We will see!! But that is about it for my life right now.

Dad, Wow what an experience. It is a good thing that the Raspberry is not going anywhere while I am gone, but the Spud. I imagine that it will help out him and his family a lot more. Thanks for the story. Heavenly Father does have a great plan for us. Just like for Elder Thompson, I remember him. Weird to think that he is in the same area again, but I as a missionary right now have learned just to trust in His plan for me as I minister among His children. I imagine that he is feeling the same way. 

I know how hard it is to focus sometimes. My mind has been wondering lately. Keep Focused :) I love you dad. My plans this week are beginning to be achieved. I love it when a plan works together (or whatever Hannible says in the A Team :) (My movie quotes have not been as good as they used to be :) (But I have loved quoting our Church Leaders :) I Love You Dad, Hope you have a great week!

Mom, I hope you got the pictures. I really have to find some WiFi, it is so much easier to send them that way, but I hope you were able to get a smile out of them. We have some crazy things here. The picture with the giant tree (if you got that) The rooms to the left are what make up our church building. It is different meeting at a school, but the church is still as true as ever in the school :)

Thanks so much for the funnies and the spiritually uplifting thoughts. I love it. It is amazing how much we can learn at church. In Gospel Principles and in Elder Quorum we talked about the Sacrament. What a great gift the sacrament is in our lives. I read a Liahona article a while ago that talked about how during that hour we can watch with Him just as He instructed the disciples as He was in Gethsemane. What a precious hour it can be. Thank you for making it so special in our youth :) I love you Mom and hope you have a wonderful week as well!!

Bryant, I have been asked many time if I am married, but I just explain one that it is a different finger but than that it is a CTR ring. The understand. But no one has told me to take off the ring. I am sorry if that has happened. But that question does come up a lot... Are you married? But i feel that you can easily tie it into why you are here on mission. CTR. Have a great week My wonderful Brother. Remember that unity is important and that service is a great way to show your love for your companion. For me sometimes it is hard to say, but easier to do. But know that I do love you!! Have a wonderful week!

Meagan, Keep working hard on your homework. The time will go by like that. Enjoy it. You are going to miss it. And you have broken many toes? What do you mean by another toe. That is not good. Your toes are special :) and you are not a total klutz, you are just getting a hang of the gravity around you. You will get the hang of it soon. Just laugh it off and smile. My week has been great. The funniest part was probably when we were doing some studies in the park and these cows just started walking through the park (luckily we were in car). but the cows are everywhere here. It is kind of funny. I will keep thinking f some funnies for next week. Thanks for the pictures. She is a cute girl. And that foot does look bruised. Sorry, but you are right,. Gotta love dance :)  Love you Meagan!!

Heidi, I love Baseball too. Do you play all of the parts. Do you pitch like your brother bryant? I would love to see you play sometime. I hope you enjoy the time in the fresh air. Keep playing baseball for me. I love you Heidi. I am doing great and now even better to read you guys emails. Love you Lots!!!

Jera, Thanks for the email. I too am grateful for the wonderful plan of salvation. I do love teaching that. Around here there are so many funerals and the like, so the plan of salvation (or the plan of happiness) truly does provide some of the answers to the deep soul questions. Our eternal identity and purpose. We are children of a loving Heavenly Father whose work and glory is for us to be eternally happy and with him! What a wonderful Plan!! Thanks for your  email. And yeah, I am nervous about driving back home. It will be totally different. I have been having to adjust here. bad habits and all :) It will be nice to be in a relatively normal driving situation some day. I love you Jera.

I love you all Very much! I hope you have a great week! Make every moment something special :) Talk to you next week!

Love, Elder Pennington the Elder   

Feb 16th 2015

Hey Everybody!!

Things have been going pretty good this week. The rains have been on and off. Almost as much as the power. Load shedding has been crazy! They will plan to turn off power in certain areas of SA, but we learn to move with it. Roll with it kind of things. 

A very interesting thing happened this week. I don't even fully understand, but I kind of want to share it. This last week there was a day in which I all of a sudden woke up at 12am . Middle of the night. Tired I woke up and sat up. My companion did the very same. We (thinking it was time to get up) knelt down for our companionship prayer. I said a pray that I don't really remember what I said, but it sounded pretty normal. Then we mumbled some personal prayers (still very tired, but still not knowing that it was the middle of the night). Then upon finishing we looked at the clock and there was still time to sleep, plenty of time. 

We talked in the morning and no on really knows why we woke up all of a sudden and niether one of us remember what we prayer for. Both of us feel that something needed to happen. Makes me grateful for all the times that we trust in the Lord and listen to the Spirit. (Even if it might not have made sense to us). Small little thing that provided much thought and pondering :)

But this week was pretty simple. 

Dad, A real Estate agent. Sounds like fun. Thank you for your wonderful example. It is kind of cool to see the change happening on the other side of the world. I am going to go home to a completely different world nay? I am excited for everyone. I hope that you are doing better. And I often find comfort in eating some kind of chocolate. :) I do like chocolate :) I miss three musketeers. :( But I make do with M&Ms and Snickers. But all chocolate is not created equally. :) Bry and I don't get to write too much, but we do throw around a few emails and such. Letters and such. Which reminds me that I got the letter from Christmas this week. It was nice. Thank you so much everyone. 

Dad, thank you for that story. The little things that we do make a big difference. By Small and simple things has been our saying the last little bit. So many small things have brought forth something great. Thank you for the small and great things that you and Mom have always done for me. I am eternally grateful. I am trying my hardest to keep a good record but I get too caught up in the easy way sometimes. I will do better though. I have been trying to make all I do a little bit more meaningful. From Prayers to planning to studies to car rides with my companion. I love this gospel. I love you Dad!

Mom, I like your car more. Right now I am driving a Aveo and it is nice to move around, but i do wish that sometimes I was the big car :) But I am doing okay. I hope that you had a wonderful birthday. Things are moving forward nicely. I have not had too many other bad headaches, but I do have some medicine around me now, just in case. Migrines are terrible. Thanks for the updates. Plan of salvation is so wonderful. Truly a plan of happiness. Yesterday I taught "our Heavenly Family" in Gospel Principles. Great lesson. Just to testify that Our Heavenly Father has given us this life to reach our Eternal Potential of becoming like Him. Of becoming better. And that He has purpose in everything. He has a plan! I love this gospel. 

Things are going great. We have a couple of people preparing for baptism on March 7. Sister Makhaziwe is right on track. Brother Slugo is doing great, we just need to share more in each of the few lessons with him. But he will be powerful. Just like his dad (who recently was baptized last year and is in the branch presidency.) And then Sister Noskombuso. She is great, she and her Sister Dimekadso just need to keep coming to church and then commit to come of the commandments. But We are working hard.

I love you Mom!!

Meagan, I am happy you got your permit. You are growing up so fast. Your hair looks great. So Mature. Keep having fun and dancing (preferably in the rain :) I love you so much. Keep Practicing and driving. So much fun Meagan I am proud of you! Love you!

Heidi, I love the faces. I think my favorite was :-* Funny!! Have a great week. Soon you will be driving. Everyone is growing up so fast. What are you like 36? I love you so much Heidi!

Bryant keep loving your companion. I can't wait to see you again either. remember who you are and what/ Who you represent! I love you Brother!!

Love you All Very Much!! Have a great week.

Love, Elder Pennington the Elder

Feb 9th 2015

Hey You Guys!!

This has been a good week. Not one of Motherwell's finest but it was good. I have seen and felt of my Father's love. Yesterday I had a terrible headache. I was out of it. Mid day. It started from walking in the heat with some Investigators. I had not properly hydrated myself. So after church it caught up to me. Our appointments started dropping and my ability to focus also. My head just hurt. We had lunch planned at the house of the 2nd counselor in the branch Presidency. So I was driving to go and pick up the other Elders and I was going to let out everything in my little tummy. The headache was that bad (prior to that I was trying to get a little bit of rest so that I would be able to participate in the appointment that would take place later that night. So I was driving and had to pull off to the side, I jumped out and puked. Nothing much just the water that I had been drinking to try and catch up on hydration. I felt a little better. But my head still hurt. So we had the other Elders walk to our position and I rested. A man that had been walking and had noticed me puking went and got some more water from a near by house. Help number two (coming after my wonderful companion who sat by and helped me). Then After feeling strong enough to go to the lunch appointment I got there safely and I had to just sit down. they gave me some water and I tried to eat some food, but couldn't do it. I had puked again over there (Mom and dad, I have gotten better at finding a good place to do it :) Sister Pakade had been a nurse and had some things to help my stomach calm down and gave me some tablets that help take away the pain. I even was able to take a fifteen minute nap right there on the couch. I felt bad for not being able to complete my responsibilities, but I was touched by the surrounding love that I had felt. People who were willing to help me. It was very nice of everyone. Eventually we had a good lesson with Mama Joy and all felt good when I fell asleep at night. But this whole water thing is killing me, but has also opened my eyes a little more to the kindness around me.

The week wasn't too bad, but this next week is looking like a great week! I will have some fun!

Dad, I love that thought. Purpose. Personal Ministry. We read the talk this last week from General Conference. The thought, Why am I here? Mission is nice and structured. It will feel different going home. To keep purpose in life. But one thing that I read from my blessing is how my life's mission is going to take some great study on my part. So I can start that study now...easy. The study of the scriptures has been wonderful thus far. I do love those inspired words of comfort and counsel. 

We watched a mormon message this last week with a Less Active. She had them on her laptop. She wanted us to watch "A book of Mormon story" About a man in England and his testimony of the Book of Mormon. My thought during the message was if we could watch the message called "Origins" which goes through Joseph Smith's testimony but from a different view. Powerful combination. How we can all grow in our testimonies and how we need to keep the fire growing. With that there were several moments of the spirit. We had some great lessons and you could feel the spirit there. Some responded nicely. But some kind of just shrugged it off. Then you wonder what else you could have done. But we move forward. 

I love You Dad!

Mom, It was a good week. Nothing too exciting to share. Being a District leader has been a very interesting calling for me. For sure one of growth. I do have a great district. They are some great Elders. Being a trainer though is a great honor that I love even more. Elder Mei is the best. He has been a great companion. Always there for me, to help me out. I am honored to train him and hope that I am doing okay. There is that whole agency and learning thing that we experience everyday on mission. Both in our lives and in the lives our investigators. What a wonderful gospel it is. Tidings of great joy!

Skydiving, I am very surprised that Brandon and his dad when. Not as surprised that Brother Goodman did. But I imagine that it was fun. And Havasupi would be fun. Fun times! 

Mom that package finally came. I got conference and my calender. I am very grateful. Super excited to do some awesome studies of it. Thanks for everything! I love you very much!

Meagan, Sounds like you are growing up. Missing two questions is not bad. I wish you luck. I am happy you feel comfortable driving. I am also happy that you will never have to deal with this crazy motherwell driving. (it is not that bad, but at the same time, it is a lot more crazy then that at home) I know that you will do great on Wednesday. A new hair style. Nice. I will talk about the hair around here some other day. But I bet you are just as pretty as ever. You better stay away from those boys until April. Which know that you are lucky Bry and I are not there, we were going to fallow you and your date around :) JK but that would have been a great idea if we were not far away form home. Enjoy each and everyday. 

Meagan we have many young recent converts. They kind of remind me of you. All are preparing for missions of their own. I know that even if you don't serve a full time mission, you will be a pretty powerful member missionary. Just keep smiling! :) I love you Meagan. 

Heidi, Aren't you done with school yet? :) JK. But That sounds great. What book did you get and what is it about. I hope you enjoy it. Books are something special. I am doing great. Heidi, How tall are you now? 6 foot 4? I bet you are pretty tall. Growing up too fast. Keep up the good growth. I love you Heidi!!

Well everyone this is my life right now. Eat Preach Plan Sleep Repeat. But I love it!! Every now and then if we are lucky we get a little South African Load Shedding. Blackout! but That doesn't cause too much damage. Thanks for your emails. I love you all very much!!

Love, Elder Pennington the Elder

Feb. 2nd 2015

Hey You Guys!!

So my life has been good. My stress levels are leveling out. Things have been going good on this side of the world. We have been walking with people to church. But Yesterday when it rained they all wimped out. :( We had a few say they were going to take a bus, but no. they didn't come. But we had one who flat out told us that he was not going to come because of the rain, but upon reading our reply "but we were going to walk with you" he just showed up on his own. Rain... the test of ones commitment. It is hard to think that we have some fair-weather members. I wonder what kind of member I would be if I were put in that situation. I hope that I would be one to walk rain or shine. No matter the distance. 

But besides that my week has been pretty simple. Not too much out of the ordinary. 

Dad,  Thanks for the funny. IT is great to here the work moving forward on that side. We are looking always for some father-led families. Motherwell is very close to being a ward, and a couple of strong little families that can build the branch and that can grow in the gospel. This is our daily goal. But our efforts are constantly trying to juggle around appointments. There are days when there are so many people that can only see us at that time and then you have days that are just about empty. So it is really interesting how everything works out. It really hasn't boon too bad of a week. working hard. 

I found this Mission Prep student book for a university class. it have been taking a look at it and it is pretty cool all of the talks that have been given over time about missionary work. I am grateful to be involved in this great work. Thanks for your great example. Love you Dad!

Mom, Looking back this week hasn't been anything too special. I have been doing a lot of thinking though. I thought about the plan of salvation in terms of missionary work. Where did we come from? Our life before mission. What kind of person was I kind of thing. And then Why are we here? What caused us to come here on mission? The drive to do so. And then Where will we go after? What kind of Return missionary would I be. Husband, father, son, student, employee. Just a thought that I have been having. I will look though and see. 

Another thing that did happen. My companion Elder Mei had a birthday. Being his first birthday on mission I tried to make it special, but limited resources and all. But that was fun. The Lundbergs made a coconut cake. MMMMMmmm! It was a good week. Again nothing too out of the ordinary, but it was fun. Thanks Mom for you wonderful email though. Love you Alot!

Meagan, I can't wait for a road trip either. I can't wait to show everyone my south africa way of Driving :) But I am happy that you are doing good. I really can't believe how far you are with school and all. 5 page paper. Wow! that is craziness. Is there anyone that you think I should reach out to. You have my permission to tell anyone you think needs a hi, hi for me :) It is hard to think about everyone back home. Some days I miss everyone. Most days I just miss you all. For the most part though it keeps me driving forward. I am grateful for all of your emails. I really can't believe that graduation is just around the corner for you. Time does go swift. Make the most of every moment. Love you Megs!

Heidi, Love you and miss you too. That is a lot of hugs and kisses. I valentines day really coming up soon. All I know is Mom is going to have a Birthday soon. Right around the corner. And it is groundhog day. Judging off of the weather here, I feel that winter is going to continue for the next couple of weeks. Am I correct Heidi? Do you even know about groundhog day??? I love you Heidi! I hope you have a great week. 

Everything is good on this side. I am still in Motherwell for the next six weeks. Which will also give me a chance to have stake conference here in PE. Which means that i can say some final good-byes to some people in cleary. Funny how some things work out. My time is short. A year is not much time. So I must make the most of every single day. Carpe Diem!!!

Love you All Lots! Love Elder Pennington