Ho boy. It has not been long since I got out here, but it feels like forever.
The MTC (Missionary Training Center Karissa, not Missionary Training Camp) has been fine so far, I have been cleaning my plate (must've eaten 20+ pounds of fruit by now) and yes Jordan, you can HAVE my old snowshoes. I've outgrown them. I'm glad to hear KH actually exists and is in my room, that'll be fun to get home to.
The video I sent this week wasn't really well thought out or anything, but I wanted to send something quick. Also, there are two photos of papers, try and read them. One of them is a spoof on the thirteen articles of faith that was written by missionaries (made all the Elders bust a gut when it was read out loud, myself included), and the other one is a parody of 'I hope they call me on a mission' that one was pretty funny too.
I also wish I had brought my mini hymn book, but I should be able to pick one up later this week at the distribution center for (wait for it) 270 Rand. That is very expensive, but I don't have anything else to spend the 410 I got from dad, so I'm not too worried.
Could you please set up a blog or something like that to put my videos and these mass emails, and let me know when you've done that? (Please include Julia in that too). I'm intending for this email to be put on that blog.
This week has been pretty spiritual overall. There is an interesting rule where missionaries aren't allowed to join the prayer circle at the temple, and the temple there was very small. I sent quite a few photos of it in this bunch, so you'll get a good look. Choir practice was fun, and FHE was hectic (I think you'll see something on facebook about that). Aside from that, we've been attending a lot of lessons, and stuff.
Here's something fun about South Africa: The D word, and the H word, are not swear words here, so all the African missionaries sound like major potty mouths to the American Missionaries, and the word 'Bloody' is a swear word, so I sound like a major potty mouth to the SA missionaries. Kinda a funny relationship.
Sleep is still hard, I get up at six because my companion suggested it, and I agreed. It lets me take a long shower.
I also discovered my biggest trial on this mission: Pap. See the included video for more details.
I feel pretty blessed to be going to Kenya. Of the different missions I've been hearing about, it is the safest (i.e. the one with the least amount of muggings), and there still is some danger, but it isn't as bad as some of the stories I've heard, and they are NASTY. Won't get into details here, but ask me more later.
Thank you for that wonderful email Karissa! It meant quite a lot to me.
Also, when I get home, ask me to show you how to do the SAMTC handshake. I'm curious to see if I'll still remember it...
Now, I'm sharing this story because I trust you guys. This story is NOT to be shared with President Bester, both sides were in the wrong for different reasons, and both sides had reason to believe they were in the right, but the issue has been resolved, and all hard feelings have been forgiven. Okay? Good. (This is especially directed at you MamaBear, you need to show me here that I can trust you with negative stories)
District One, and District Two (my district) were lectured very harshly yesterday for over an hour, here's what happened: We had finished comp. study and had some free time, so we decided to play spiritual hangman. We had received permission from our RM (Returned Missionary) teacher to do this before, so we didn't think much of it. After we were playing for a little while (less than five minutes) a RM teacher came in (not our usual one) and dragged the two district leaders out into the hall to 'talk' with them.
They came back in a few minutes later, and he began to lecture the entire class. My strategy at first was to just respond to him the way he wants, and the whole thing would be over faster, but after 20 or so minutes of this long winded (and fueled by the devil's angels) lecture he noticed that I was checking my watch every once in a while, since we were late for the next lesson, and he got mad at me, told me it was rude and asked why I kept checking my watch. I told him that it was because I wanted to get onto the next lesson and so he sent my companion and I into a room across the hall to get started on it.
I had hoped that everyone else would come too, so the situation would be ended faster, but we were the only two who left. I felt bad, and my companion convinced me that we should just stay with the rest of our class. I agreed, and we were back in the room less than a minute after we had left. I tried to extend a peace offering and invited this Brother to join us for the next lesson. My thinking was 'if he's so worried about us wasting time, then he should just join us,' but that just made him more angry.
The lecture went on for a little while more, then he singled me out. The second he singled me out, my strategy was: 'keep my mouth shut' and 'don't break eye contact'. I only found out later that maintaining eye contact while being rebuked is a challenge of authority her in Africa. Well, he kept tearing into me, and I kept quiet. One of the other Elders complimented me later on for not showing any weakness while he was doing so, and it was a small blessing that I was the one singled out, because I had a few of the other Elders telling me that if they had been in my shoes, they would have torn into this Brother, they wouldn't have taken it.
Well, eventually he tells us all something along the lines of "you aren't out here for the right reasons, whatever reasons you have, they aren't good enough." That was what sent one of the other Elders over the line, and he pulled out his scriptures, and ignored the Brother. I later learned that he was looking up scriptures about teaching by the spirit to use them to attack this Brother, but he never got the chance to use them.
Two of the Elders had started crying during this whole situation, his lecture had brought on a bit of PTSD from these two Elders who had the worst of home and family life, and I felt really bad for them.
Anyway, he kept tearing into me and called me 'prideful' and that I 'wouldn't make it in this mission.' (put down the phone MamaBear, and keep listening) I just kept my mouth shut, and I didn't care about what he had to say, looking back on it, some of the stuff he said was good, but it was told with the wrong intent, and with an evil spirit.
So, after he called me prideful, I asked him HOW I was being prideful, and HOW he wanted me to fix it. He just kinda laughed at me, and resumed lecturing the class. It ended not long after that, and by the end he had calmed down a little, and was actually able to say something worthwhile about putting others before yourself, before he walked out.
I then offered some blessings of comfort to the rest of the Elders in the room, and nobody accepted. It was weird hearing the opinions of the other Elders after the experience, a few of them said I was a 'Saint' and that they wouldn't have taken what this Brother was throwing. Well, I didn't care to fight back, it wasn't worth the time or effort. It wasn't that I was too good, but that I was too lazy (yes, that's also why I'm wearing the same tie).
Well, RM teacher (our usual evening one) mediated the whole thing, and heard both sides of the story, he explained why we were wrong, and why that Brother was wrong.
The Brother that lectured us yesterday, was our sub teacher this morning, and he had actually had the spirit this morning, and he got to know us. Once he knew us, I think he realized that a lot of what he said was uncalled for, and both sides forgave each other. I am not mad, nor bitter, but if he had addressed us yesterday, like he did this morning, then I wouldn't have felt the need to share this story.
So, I would like to leave you all with this one little lesson I learned from all that: "Even if the words you say are great, if they aren't spoken with the Spirit, you CAN'T teach others. It just can't be done." For good or for bad, I hope you all remember these words when you have to teach or speak in church.
(I'm outta time!) I might be able to email next week (I'm not sure), but I am thinking of you guys, and wish you all the best!
Elder Benson
No comments:
Post a Comment