5th May 2014

Hey everyone!

 

  Again, this will be a short email! Apologies! This week has been slow again because our car is still broke and the insurance is taking for ever! I am super excited to talk to you guys this Sunday!

  I play rugby again today which is super exciting! Rugby is a man's sport!

 

Love you all!

Elder Prisbrey

 

 

Elder Prisbrey's New Area "Shack City" (Khayelitsha)

 

Elder Sombke and I (last comp)

Elder Steele and I (My Best Friend on Mission)

 

28th April 2014

 

Hello Everyone!

  This email will be short because nothing happened this week and we are rushed! I am going to go play rugby and run over some people! Just like in the good ole days of football 2 years ago.

  Last Tuesday we were unable to go to the area because our car is broken, and it is still broken! So I went to the gym three times and I read a lot of scriptures!

  On Wednesday we got in to some tripanionships (three elders) I went walking with Elder Lund and Elder Khumalo and Elder Bullock went with another companionship. We walked a lot and I was not used to it!  Friday was different. It was me Elder Lund, and Elder Bullock in Elder Lund's area. Three white guys in the middle of Khayelitsha. Everyone was staring at us. Elder Bullock has a theroy that no one will try and rob us unless they have a ratio of 5:1. That is an accurate statement! But Elder Bullock and I got to teach together for the first time and we did pretty awesome for no planning or anything!

  Saturday I was again with Elder Lund and Khumalo.

  Sunday was church and this family that loves Elder Bullock brought us dinner! It was this Africaner Mom and daughter that live like 30 min away. They brought us beef stew, rice, potatoes, MOUNTAIN DEW (I miss that stuff) and a delicious cake. They spent some serious money on us.

  Today we ate at Eastern Food Bizare, just me and Elder Bullock. I ate food from Istanbul! It was like a burrito from cafe rio but bigger! Instead of sour cream for a spread, it was hummus and then delicious chicken! It was called a Shwarma!

 

Love you all!
Elder Prisbrey

Date: Mon, Apr 21, 2014 at 3:48 AM

Hey Everyone!

  This week has been interesting! I have left my greenie area of Mdantsane and I am now in Khayelitsh! Khayelitsha is a black township outside of Cape Town. Its straight up ghetto! My companion is Elder Bullock from Pleasant Grove, Utah. He is way cool and we will have a fun 6 weeks together.
  So last Tuesday I said goodbye to everyone in MD which sucked. I hate goodbyes. You all know that! It was like I was home leaving on my mission again. But I am excited to be here in Cape Town!
On Wednesday I flew from East London to Cape Town, which is about a 1.5 hour flight.

  Thursday was chill. Elder Bullock showed me the area and some members. We also worked out! In the apartment complex we are in, we have full access to the gym so hopefully I can take advantage of that. Elder Bullock reminds me of Sean. He is pretty darn big.

  On Friday we had District Meeting. In my district is Me, Elder Bullock, Elder Khumalo and Elder Lund. Elder Lund is a Hoss! He is this big strong kid that was raised on a sheep ranch in Ephraim, Utah. He is the nicest guy ever! He looks like "Hoss" of off Bonanza! We all stay in the same apartment. We all get a long very well so its going to be a fun transfer.

  On Saturday Elder Bullock and I trained with this member around 12. Elder Bullock did MMA before mission and knows some Ju-Jitsu and Mui Thai so he was showing me some stuff. That was fun. After that our car just decided to die. Well it started dying on Friday. We have changed like 20-30 tires in the last 3 days! And we don't have a nice jack, we have a hand crank! But we got really good at it and I'm pretty sure we could be on a NASCAR team! The car ended up being broken into and stuff but nothing inside was of any value thank goodness. So we have no car for a couple days. So today and tomorrow and probably Wednesday will be spent studying, working out, eating, and sleeping! Not too fun but what can I do?

  So yeah, not to much to report on but I am safe and will be smart while I'm in the area and not get in any fights! Just messing, that won't happen! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

  Guess What though!? Cam Stratton is serving in Port Alfred with the Wheelers! I AM SO JEALOUS!!! Maybe I'll go there in 3 months and serve with him. That would be awesome!

  Lately I've been reading Jesus The Christ. I hadn't read it in a while but I'm on like Chapter 32 or so. It talks about the Passover and the sacrament. That book is powerful and very good! I recommend it to everyone!

I love you all! Pray always!
Love,
Elder Prisbrey

 

14th APR 2014

Hey Everyone!
  So this is most likely my last P-Day in Mdantsane.

  Elder Sombke had a procedure done to his foot that has put him out of commission for a while. So this week we did not teach at all!  We stayed in the boarding all day on Wednesday, most of Thursday, and Saturday. I miss working!  I shouldn't complain though, Elder Sombke needed his foot fixed.

  Thursday we had Zone Training/Interviews from our Zone Leaders and from President Wood. That was awesome and uplifting!

  Yesterday (Sunday), we had 6 baptisms in our ward, 2 were from my area! I was blessed with baptizing Siphuxolo!  Linda was also baptized in my area! It was an amazing baptism and the water in the font was brown! I couldn't see the bottom! Dang Africa:) It was also very very cold! Our Ward Mission Leader said we were trying to mimic the water from the River Jordan where Christ was baptized! Lame but funny joke.

 

 

  Tonight I find out my transfer news. I hear through the great vine that I am leaving my area but I have no idea where. So I don't know where I'll be! Somewhere in South Africa! No worries, the Lord will take care of me.

  Sorry for the short email but nothing really happened this week! I'll send some pics! I love you all and miss you! Thanks for everything!  

Love,
Elder Prisbrey

14 APR 2014
Update

Well, I'm getting transferred to Cape Town I believe and we are eating out to celebrate, check the pic!

 

 

 

 

 

31st MARCH 2014

Hey Everyone!

   ...the highlight this week was Conference! I loved every single bit of it! And I didn't fall asleep once! What an accomplishment right?

     Wednesday, I had a delicious dinner! Elder Sombke has introduced me to Toppers. They are a cookie with cream in the middle just like oreos...They are just as good, if not better than Oreos! I can't believe I just said something is as good as oreos but its true! We ate 4 packs between each other for dinner. With Milk of course:) The following morning I paid for my mistake...

     Hanna Leavitt got her Call to Seoul, South Korea! Isn't that crazy?! And I hear Jeremy Waite is going to Kentucky. Cool stuff!

     One of our investigators, Linda Mateta, has a daughter, Ahlumile. She is the cutest thing ever! She turns 6 soon and every time she sees me she stops what she is doing and runs and gives me a hug! Its the best thing ever! Its like she is my niece!

     This week will go by extra quick. We have Zone Traininng and Interviews by President Wood this Thursday.

     Another cool story. I played Cricket for the first time on Friday! I was unprepared for sport except for some shoes so I was playing in my white shirt, slacks and some tennis shoes! I was allowed to play reluctantly because 1. I'm white (JK) 2. I've never played Cricket Before. I soon proved them that my athletic skills are pretty good still! The game of Cricket is super confusing, but after seeing it on so many TV's at members houses, I know how to play. Anyways, long story short, I won the game for my team! Running was easy, it was like doing ladders on a basketball court. Free throw line and back. So yesterday, the former Bishop of 2nd ward already recruited me for his team this Friday!

     The baptisms are still good for this Sunday! We will have regular church from 9 to 12, then watch the Sunday Afternoon Session from 1 to 3, and then have our baptismal service for 7 people after that! We are doing well in MD!

     My favorite talk from Conference has been the talk by Gary E. Stevenson. He is the presiding Bishop I think. He talked about the LDS athletes in the Olympics! I related to that talk so well! It was for Elder Prisbrey! I still have to watch the Sunday Afternoon Session so I might have a favorite talk next week! Who knows:)

     I love you all, thanks for everything. Apply the teachings that you learned from conference! If you don't follow up on it, it will be useless!

24th of March 2014

Hey Everyone!
  This week has flown by and many things were accomplished!  Tuesday was Zone Conference and that was the highlight of my week! For our zone song we sung Hymn 26 "Joseph Smiths First Prayer" to the tune of "Come Thou Font." We sounded like angels! I was in a quartet with Elders Oldroyd, Thayne, and Steele. Our song was the best out of the 3 zones there! For our zone report, we did the Haka! Like a legit Haka that included all of our names and some actual Polynesian words! I think Sister Wheeler recorded it and is putting it up on facebook so go check that out! President and Sister Wood said our report was the best so yeah...straight from the mouth of President Wood!

  The work this week went excellent. We could've done better but people like to cancel on us missionaries! But we have excellent people to teach and have 3 baptisms scheduled for the 13th of April. Hopefully everything goes well and all of them can be baptized! I'd love to see them baptized because most likely after that Sunday, I will be transferred to another area! Today for P-day we started a game of Risk, so after we are done emailing here, I will have "try and take over the world!"

I Love you all! Thanks for the support!
Elder Prisbrey

17th March 2014

Hey Everyone!
    You won't believe what happened today! But I'll get into that later! So NU 17 is just the best area ever! Elder Sombke is down to work hard and smart. We are really doing good. We completed half of our goal for teaching lessons with a member present in just one day! That was Tuesday. Things are looking good for this transfer.

     I have to tell you guys about Sister Lulama Sicam. She is just a golden investigator! She understands so much and comprehends everything we teach her and every scripture she reads. She marks her scriptures and writes down questions when she doesn't grasp a principle. We were meant to teach her! Hopefully everything continues as well as it has been going. Her only issue is getting her to church. She has the desire, but so many things have come up. Her mom has cancer and just tons of stuff have stopped her from coming. We are working on that and she is praying to get to church. We teach her every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:00 PM. She is very committed and like I said...just golden:)

     So today we had a Zone Activity.

 

 



We went to a Game Park! I actually got to see some African animals! Elder Steele and I are working on going to another place where we can ride the Elephants!

I love you all:)
Love,
Elder Prisbrey 

 

 

10th March 2014

Thank goodness I am done with Training! I have spread my wings and I am no longer a greenie!

Last Monday we went bowling, and I'm ashamed to say that I bowled a 77. No comment, but today I bowled a 111. I truly am the blind squirrel!

Wednesday-We had to wake up at 5:30 AM and drive Elder Olyabo and Cowley to the airport. I was dead tired! So for a while it was just me and Elder Steele which was nice cause we are good friends! We cleaned up the boarding for a bit so that the new elders would have a clean place to stay. My new companion is Elder Sombke from Virginia though he has lived in Ethiopia and Bosnia and Egypt! 

 

 I have been the senior companion and showing Elder Sombke around the area, introducing him to members and letting him get used to the area. The teaching is slow because of transfers, but this next week is going to be really busy!

Mdantsane 3rd ward has lots of less actives and so we are working with the members to do their home teaching and just to reach out to their friends to do missionary work! We got a list of like 130 prospective Elders that aren't ordained yet.

 

Sunday was nice. We were able to teach 2 lessons. One to Buncwane and Rooibos and the other to Lulama. Buncwane and Rooibos are like eternal investigators. They have been taught by the missionaries for 2 years! Lulama is just a golden investigator and understands everything we tell her and she reads everything we tell her too! She accepted the invitation to be baptized and the only thing keeping her from baptism is going to church! We are working on that with her.  Love you all!
Love,
Elder Prisbrey