2019 April 17-May 18 Interviews and Training

Wednesday, 17 April 2019

The day after the transfer we started interviews and training. The following is an article I wrote for our mission newsletter about my training while President Leavitt was interviewing.

Improve Teaching

President Dallin H. Oaks said: “We do not preach and teach in order to ‘bring people into the Church’ or to increase the membership of the Church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives…..We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this” (“The Purpose of Missionary Work,” missionary satellite broadcast, Apr. 1995), Preach My Gospel p. 9.

During interview training time we discussed these words of President Oaks. They help our missionaries focus on their missionary purpose as they plan, find, and teach. We want to give others the opportunity to have all the blessings our Heavenly Father wishes to give us.

We discussed the Doctrine of Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. We ended by defining what ‘enduring to the end’ means. Making and keeping temple covenants by the priesthood authority and power of God are among the essential requirements. Our end goal is to become a celestial person and live a celestial life with our Heavenly Father (see Moses 1:39). We must be willing to do many things. We must make and keep commitments. Missionaries can help those they teach helping them make and keep weekly commitments of reading assignments, pondering and praying and coming to Christ’s restored Church each Sunday.

We live the Doctrine of Christ within the Church organization. We must receive priesthood ordinances, Church callings and blessings from other priesthood holders. We serve in callings and minister to others. The Doctrine of Christ—Christ’s gospel—is perfect. But members living the gospel within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not perfect. We can expect growing pains and bumps along the way as we each learn, practice, make mistakes, repent, forgive and grow. We can become more like Christ—gain more Christlike attributes; or we can become offended and disaffected. Missionaries need to help people they teach understand progress requires our best efforts and patience with our own and others’ weaknesses.

Next, we discussed many small teaching improvements that would help missionaries teach more effective and Spirit-filled lessons. Each companionship role-played teaching another missionary the Restoration lesson from Preach My Gospel. As an observer, Sister Leavitt would stop the teaching, ask questions, make observations or additions. The missionary would rewind to a previous point and continue teaching. A critical focus was bringing the Spirit of the Holy Ghost in more abundance by each missionary sharing his personal experience of what he did and how he felt when the Holy Ghost communicated truth to him. What powerful testimonies were then shared.

We drove to the Protea Glen flat for interviews and training with them and Glen Ridge.
  

Elder Sande, Elder Hess, Elder Banda, Sister Leavitt,
Elder Previatti

We drove to Kagiso 2 flat for interviews with them and Kagiso 1.

Elder James, Elder Campos, Elder Dos Santos, Elder Bogosavac with Sister Leavitt

Sister Leavitt, Elder James, Elder Campos, Elder Dos Santos, Elder Bogosavac

We drove to Munsieville and had interviews with them and Krugersdorp.

Elder Barnum, Elder Muh, Elder Hamilton, Elder Eldredge with Sister Leavitt

Thursday, 18 April 2019:

We drove to Mayfield flat and had interviews with them and Daveyton 1 & 2 and Daveyton 3.

Elder Ricks, Elder Mthembu, Sister Leavitt, Elder Mlenze,
Elder Lubwama, Elder Wailagala, Elder Maylett

We went to Etwatwa 1 flat for interviews with them and Etwatwa 2 and Rynfield.

Sister Leavitt, Elder Bah, Elder Andrus, Elder Ratshikhopha, Elder Truman, Elder Taylor, Elder Kunjuzwa

Elder Taylor, Elder Truman, Elder Ratshikhopha, Elder Bah,
Elder Andrus

 On the way home, we stopped at Florida 2 flat about 1 kilometer from the mission office and met with them.

Elder Avanitele, Elder Bonfim, Sister Leavitt

Friday, 19 April 2019

We drove to the temple but it was closed. We were planning on interviewing and training with the Alexandra elders after our session, lunch and district meeting. Instead we interviewed their district of six, including Orange Grove and Bedfordview while they were present.

Bedfordview Zone at the temple closed for Good Friday.
We interviewed and trained one district while the other two districts held district meetings. We had a great morning.

Front row: Elder Steiner, Elder East, Elder Shaffer, Elder Blaauw, Elder Ndlelo, Elder Mwiyawanyoka, Sister Leavitt
Back row: Elder Eriksen, Elder Kirby, Elder Bindrup,
Elder Rattana, Elder Andrews, Elder Garcia, Elder Rodrigues, Elder Neuenschwander

Elder East and Elder Eriksen teach Elder Bindrup as Elder Ndlelo and Elder Kirby and Sister Leavitt listen as part of the training.

Saturday, 20 April 2019

President Leavitt and I drove to the Springs Chapel (50 minutes) to speak at the Springs Stake Youth Convention. There were 92 people present in the chapel. We were the first speakers and were excused to leave.

We drove to the Kwa-Thema 2 flat and met with them and Springs and Tsakane 2.

Sister Leavitt, Elder Gaigulo, Elder Newell, Elder Dmitri,
Elder Robison, Elder Rocha, Elder Mills

We went to the Tsakane 1 flat along with Kwa-Thema 1.

Elder Romney, Elder Bete, Elder Odro, Elder Rodgers,
Sister Leavitt

Eating lunch while Sister Leavitt gives some training before the role-play teaching and interviews begin.

We drove to Kempton Park flat (Elders Dupaix and Egay) along with Benoni/Boksburg (Elders Harris and Delvaux). We didn't take a photo.

22 April 2019, Monday evening at Mission Home

The day started out rainy. It poured on and off all day.

President Leavitt and I had dinner with the elders from Nelspruit and KaNyamazane (3-4 hour drive) before beginning interviews and training. The Groesbecks ate with the office couples, Trumans and Reeses, before coming to the mission home to have their interviews, participate in training and sleep over for zone conference on Tuesday.

Elder Ncwadi, Elder Neeley, Sister Leavitt, Elder B. Rocha, and Elder Daybell

23-24 April 2019 Zone Conferences at the Florida Chapel

25 April 2019, Thursday

President Leavitt and I drove to the Randburg/Sandton flat (Elders Flood and Clawson), and Cosmo City (Elders Kani and Carlson) and Fourways (Elders Flynn and Bowen)

Elder Clawson, Elder Flood, Elder Carlson, Elder Kani,
Elder Flynn, Elder Bowen. Sister Leavitt

We drove to Pimville flat with Ridgeway.

Elder Dakuiyau, Elder Sol, Elder Macario, Elder Atkinson,
Sister Leavitt

We drove to Soweto flat with Dobsonville.

Sister Leavitt, Elder Mtyobile, Elder Mickelson, Elder Forward,
Elder Trammell

 26 April 2019, Friday

We drove to the Joburg 1 flat with Joburg 2, after meeting with President Koch at the area office to coordinate our Mission Tour with he and Sister Koch in June.

Elder Kireta, Elder Witts, Sister Leavitt, Elder Lubelwana,
Elder Harr

After we finished, we drove back to the temple for President Leavitt to do an interview. Our mission office carpets were cleaned today, so our staff meeting was cancelled.

27-28 April 2019

President Leavitt and I drove 45 minutes to the Rynfield Chapel on Saturday to speak in the Benoni Stake Conference Adult session at 2:30 pm. We were invited back on Sunday morning 10 am session. President Holmes and presidency were released. President Koch of the Africa Southeast Area presidency presided with President/Elder Chadambuka. President Chadambuka, president of the Botswana Namibia Mission and President Holmes were called as area seventies at the April 2019 General Conference. After the rest song on Sunday, President Holmes announced that I would speak next followed by President Leavitt, then (Pres.) Elder Chadambuka and Pres. Koch. So we spoke.

Greeting some of our elders going into the Rynfield Chapel.

President Leavitt shaking Elder Rick's hand, (unknown first person), Elder Mthembu, Elder Wailagala, Elder Lubwama

30 April 2019, Tuesday

President Leavitt and I drove to Roodepoort flat with Randfontein and Welteverden.

Elder Baldiviezo, Elder Butler, Elder Bishop, Elder Williams, Sister Leavitt, Elder J. Smith, Elder Manzini

We drove to Florida 1 flat with Discovery.

Elder Rash, Elder Willison, Elder Mpapa, Elder Simmons,
Sister Leavitt

2 May 2019, Thursday

We drove to the Katlehong flat with Germiston.

Elder Garcia, Elder Andrews, Elder Rattana, Elder Shaffer,
Sister Leavitt

We drove to Vosloorus flat with Eastfield.

Elder Neuenschwander, Elder Mwiyawanyoka, Elder Steiner,
Elder Rodrigues, Sister Leavitt

We returned to the mission home and interviewed Elder & Sister Oliver before starting our Senior Missionary Conference 3-5 May, with dinner tonight at Porterhouse Restaurant. The Olivers, Fugals, and Groesbecks are all sleeping at the mission home tonight. 

5 May 2019, Sunday

After our Senior Missionary Conference at Pilanesberg, we drove to attend church on the way home in Rustenburg. We also attended two baptisms after. Then we drove to the Rustenburg flat with the Phokeng missionaries for interviews and training.

Elder Julander, Elder Cressler, Elder San Pascual, Sister Leavitt,

Elder M. Lee

When finished, we drove to Fourways for President Leavitt to do a baptismal interview for our Johannesburg zone leaders Elder Flynn and Elder Bowen. We experienced some excitement while sitting outside in a member's backyard while President Leavitt went inside to conduct the interview. A man jumped up on the high spiked fence and was yelling and waving a gun. He wanted us to take the gun as he said people were chasing him and his pregnant wife was in the yard with him! When he threw the gun over the fence, we all ran inside. Then he jumped over the fence and threw the gun and the piece which fell off in through the window onto the bed in the room where we were. President Leavitt and the man who lived in the house went out to talk to him. The security came and then the police finally came and took he and his wife (the owners in the front house unlocked a gate in the fence and let her in) away to sort things out. When we saw the gun up close, it was some type of stun gun--not one with bullets. But in the dusk, we couldn't tell what kind of gun he was waving around. While the security was talking with the man and his wife and waiting for the police to come, President Leavitt interviewed the person on the other side of the yard in the dark. The rest of us stayed inside the very small house. When all were gone, we could use the driveway to leave and to drop the elders at their car parked in front of a squatters camp. As they pulled out, we left also and drove home.

6 May 2019, Monday, Preparation Day until 6 pm.

We drove to Rabie Ridge flat with Centurion and Midrand, starting interviews about 5 pm.

Elder Mendes, Elder Nalesoni, Elder Pickford, Elder Jangard,

Elder Ellaso, Elder Gabriel, Sister Leavitt

7 May, 2019, Tuesday

We drove to Ennerdale flat with Orange Farm.

Elder Diniz, Elder Almeida, Sister Leavitt, Elder Thompson,

Elder Ondricek 

We drove to Sebokeng flat with Sharpville.

Elder King, Elder Randrianary, Elder Silva, Elder Vaughan

(Didn't get a photo as one elder was gone to an appointment with Elder & Sister Oliver).

We drove to Vanderbijlpark flat with Vereeniging.

Elder Leavitt, Elder Stoddard, Elder Burlaka, Elder Thornton,

Sister Leavitt

8 May 2019, Wednesday

We to one of the church leader's house for a two-hour meeting. We drove to Secunda flat with Embalenhle.

Elder Santos, Elder Bird, Elder Briggs, Elder Durrant

9 May 2019, Thursday

We interviewed and trained Nhlangano and Ezulwini zone leaders after zone conference in Eswatini.

Elder Jolley, Elder C. Lee, Elder Boshoff, Elder Hlatshwayo,

Sister Leavitt

10 May 2019, Friday

We drove to Manzini to Ngwane Park flat with Fairview.

Elder Leterme, Elder Matayaunga, Elder A. Smith, Elder Rea,

Sister Leavitt

We drove to Mbabane to Mbabane flat with Sidwashine.

Elder W. Van Thiel Burghuys, Elder G. Van Thiel Burhuijs,

Elder Nielsen, Elder Lopuliak, Sister Leavitt

11 May 2019, Saturday

We left early to drive to Birch Acres flat with Hospital View. We spent extra time here as they were carjacked about a week ago.

Sister Leavitt, Elder Sommer, Elder Kisembo, Elder C. Smith,

Elder Daniels

We drove to Tembisa 2 flat with Tembisa 1. They received permission from the landlord to paint the two rooms that are orange. We look forward to seeing the finished product on our next visit.

Elder Tobiasson, Elder Molteno, Elder Papenfuss, Elder Nelson,

Sister Leavitt

13-16 May 2019 Interim Mission Leadership Seminar (all the mission presidents and wives and area leaders met in Cape Town for training. We held our office staff meeting upon our return.

16 May 2019, Thursday

Elder Bindrup was hit by a taxi while on a bike in Bedfordview. Elder Bindrup and Elder Kirby were brought to the mission home by Elder Ericksen and Elder East, our zone leaders, who also were helping an elder for just over two weeks try to get on a plane to go to his mission in Barbados through Germany. Elder Madhuma had come through Ethiopia to Johannesburg and was not permitted to continue. They tried putting him on a plane three times before the visa issues were ironed out successfully. It was wonderful to have a former office elder who knew the airport system to find a stranded missionary at the airport and to put him back on a plane repeatedly. They enjoyed his company, and made use of him as a male present.

I had told Elder Kirby to pack a bag for Elder Bindrup with all he would need for a few days. Elder Kirby did a great job. After visiting and taking pictures, they all left to return to their flats. President Leavitt and I took Elder Bindrup to the emergency room at Life Flora Hospital to get checked over. After he was done and we filled his prescriptions--just before the Cornerstone Pharmacy closed at 10 pm--we brought him to the mission home to sleep. The doctor ordered him to rest his leg for a few days. His phone in his pocket was smashed against his thigh where the taxi hit him--making the screen useless--and bruised his leg. His hands and arm were torn-up a bit. The next morning, the office staff took care of Elder Bindrup as we drove to Carletonville flat with Khutsong. We are so thankful Elder Bindrup was only slightly injured. He recovered quickly. By transfers on 28 May, his injuries had healed. The assistants arranged for their area to have a car for until the transfer to assist his healing.

Elder Madhuma trying to travel to Barbados to begin his mission.

17 May 2019, Friday

We drove to Carletonville flat with Khutsong.

Elder Souza, Elder Green, Elder Reidhead, Elder Davis,

Sister Leavitt

We drove to Potchefstsroom and met President Kwaikwai, Elder Osmond and Elder Earl to look at some possible meeting locations on or by the university campus. Then we went to Potch 1 flat with Potch 2 for interviews and training.

Elder Gcwabe, Elder Earl, Elder Esele, Elder Osmond

We drove to Klerksdorp and had dinner with the Fugals at their flat.

18 May 2019, Saturday

We drove to Klerksdorp flat with Jouberton.

Elder Reeves, Elder Rakotonindrina, Elder Pueblo, Elder Mercado,

Sister Leavitt

We drove to Bro. Mdlambuzi's home, former Jouberton branch president. He broke his leg and has been recovering. We had a nice visit. He is healing well--physically and spiritually.

We drove back to Carletonville flat and followed Elder Reidhead and Elder Davis to a house. I waited in the car for two hours while President Leavitt did a question 4 interview and then met with the husband of another lady. I'm glad as it was getting dark to move our car inside a fence when the missionaries left. We arrived home at 7:50 pm.

Last day of interviews and training for this transfer. I have loved meeting with the missionaries. I hope they find our visits helpful.