Stories: Tales From Umtata: Gold in Unlikely Places
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| “Wake up Elder Johnson,” Shouts Elder Thompson gleefully. “It’s time for comp’ study.” I look at him and roll around a bit before I get up. I resent the fact that he wakes me up after such a wonderful dream-- I had a new companion in my dreams.
“What are we going to study today Elder,” I said attempting to hide the irritation in my voice.
Elder Thompson furrows his brow and says, “The first discussion. If we study it today, we will teach it.”
I believed him.
After Breakfast and personal Study we went over the plan for today. We were told that planning in the morning was highly effective. We planned to do some OYM’s (open you mouth) for the morning and service at the Hospital counting pills. We had some appointments scheduled and we would visit them (we did no back-up plan. The concept eluded Elder Thompson at the time. I was his “Greenie.”). We made some last minute plans with the other two Elders in the boarding, Elder Danisa and Elder Streadbeck and we shoved off.
About noon we returned and lunched for two hours—planning to not return for dinner. After a nap, Elder Thompson and I were off. All or our appointments canceled and on top of that, we had to walk in the sweltering sun uphill both ways, well, maybe not both ways—but it felt like it. After rescheduling all of the appointments, Elder Thompson suggested that we track Singqangana Crescent. I agree fully expecting to find some good people to teach finally. The heat still beat down, and we, heads high, and armed for battle marched up to the first house and began our adventure.
That adventure was mark by disappointment. Every door we went to no parents were home or they couldn’t speak English. A few said no, which is uncommon in Xhosa Culture when it comes to having messengers of God. We were discouraged, but we shoved on with little faith of finding anyone. We tracted for 5 hours and it was getting dark. Elder Thompson wanted to turn back and do something more effect, but we resolved to tough out until the end of that long uphill street.
After a few more rejections or no contacts I gave up and wanted to go home. I was sick of not success. Elder Thompson felt the same way, but he looked at me, then looked up the street. We had 5 more house and we wanted to get them.
“Let’s just do a few more,” he said. “We might have some success.”
“Well, if we are going to have success we are teaching at the next house.”
“We will teach at this next house,” said Elder Thompson with determination. He wanted to get a good investigator for us to teach. We had prayed for such and experience. We walked to the door and knocked, but we had no answer. As soon as we decided to leave the door crept open and a handsome middle-aged Xhosa woman answered the door. She looked intently at us, waiting for us to explain our presence at her door at such an hour in the night, about 7pm.
“We are missionaries From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints.” Began Elder Thompson. “We have a message about a plan that God has for us to be happy and we want to share it with you and your family. Would you be interested?”
“O yes, I would like for you to share it with us, but I have no where for you to sit. In our house live others who I lease out to, and my family and I only use this one room.”
“We don’t mind,” I said. “We are here to share with you not for comfort, but out of love.”
“Is you husband home,” asked Elder Thompson.
“No, I am divorced” she says. Red flags went off in our minds. We knew better than to enter a woman’s home without a male escort with us. I would look shady to the neighbors and our Mission President. Something burned inside of us to teach though.
“Can we teach you outside before the night becomes to dark,” says Elder Thompson.
“Yes, on my stoup. I will get you some chairs and I will sit on the stoup.” She went inside. We looked at each other, knowing our goal to teach families. We question each other with our eyes.
I then said as we walked around the house to the open area where the stoup was, “Do you think we should teach her.”
“Yeap.”
“I do too, I hope it goes well.”
We sat well in the open where neighbors and passers by could see and commenced the introduction of ourselves and the discussion, the first discussion. Immediately the Spirit attended the Sister, and us Nomakwasi Magwensthu listened. I felt as if my heart would burst with joy as I spoke and listened—bearing testimony of my companion’s words and those of my own. She believed all.
“I asked if we gave you a copy of the Book of Mormon, would you read it.”
“Yes, but I can not have it now.” I was crushed. Did she not feel the spirit? “I will take it later because I have no money to pay for it now. How much does it cost and I will send my son after it.” Immediately my soul delighted again.
“Nothing,” said Elder Thompson, “ It is a free gift to you from us.” With that she took the book and hugged it and caressed it. We continued with the discussion, and wanted to schedule another appointment to follow-up. We did, and commenced our journey home. With that discussion, we knew a baptism would come. Our walk down hill to our boarding seemed almost effortless as we floated on the feelings we experience just moments before at Sister Magwentshu’s. We felt to fly.
But that wasn’t all…
Eventually her entire family joined the church aftyer much trial and success. She introduced several people to the gospel. The Umata Area was closed following an auto theft. It was not reopened for quite some time. |
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