Elder Haycock and his companion Elder Alexander and Elder Ramosoeu and Khumalo in Queenstown With Sister Van Sickle (5/13)

Elder Van Sickle is taking the picture. Elder Haycock is Chad's sister's husband's brother. We were able to meet him and his companion and have lunch with them.

Kingwilliamstown LDS Church - Favorite of the mission

South Africa Women Carry Things on Their Heads As A Way of Life (5/13)

A foundation Built of Christ (5/3/13)

Tonight was a cereal night because we got home at 10:00 P.M. We had such a full day. So I am so thank-full to Heavenly

Father for all our experiences this day.After we dropped off Wendiswa and

Chamoni. We went back to the church so Elder Van Sickle could give a young girl

 a blessing. She has been a member for two years.

     My heart is so full tonight for our lord and Savior of the world for his  atonement and repentance. Xolewa had been beaten

up by her boyfriend. She seems to choose the wrong friends to hang out with. She had a big bandage wrapped around her

head. He had put a big cut in her forehead. Elder Van Sickle said to her that she was blessed that she was alive and he did

not kill her. She and her boyfriend had both been drinking. We spoke to her about consequences for our actions. If we make

good choices in our life we get good consequences but, if we make bad choices we get bad consequences. We get to

choose what we will do. We talked to her about building our foundation on a rock. The rock is Jesus Christ and the ten

commandments but if you build your foundation on sand which is bad friends and not following the commandments.

Then you will have a sandy foundation. So when the rains come the floods and the wind which is the devils temptations.

The sandy foundation will cave in. You won't be able to resist the devil. Your sandy foundation will not stand. She was very

repentant and she knew she had done wrong. Elder Van Sickle gave her a blessing to give her strength and

power to be strong in the gospel.

     We then asked her how she was doing in school. She was taken Math Literacy. She is in the 11th grade. She said she was

having a hard time in it. Elder Van Sickle asked if she knew how to subtract and add. We were shocked when she said. Not

very well. She was having a hard time in it. I felt inspired to try a few simple math problems on her. She did not know how

to borrow or add. We practiced with her and showed her how to add and subtract. We told her to go home and practice it. I

don't know why we were so shocked because the schools in the townships in South Africa are such a mess. We love you Dad and Mom and Grandpa and Grandma and Elder and Sister Van Sickle

Critters in South Africa (5/3/13)

Hi Everybody, Missionary life is exciting you never know what's going to happen. I woke up this morning and went into the

lounge to do my scripture reading. I heard this loud crunching noise under the couch. I moved the couch to see what it was.

There was a fat cockroach. About the time I got rid of it. I heard Elder Van Sickle Holler

hey, come look at this. So I ran into the bathroom just in time to see a lizard running up the wall. One morning we woke up and

there was a huge spider on the ceiling. We just live with the critters. I'm okay with it as long as they don't jump in bed with me.

A Story of Sacrifice

What kind of sacrifice or commitment are you willing to  make in behalf of the business you have

started or want to start? Are you willing to " sleep " with the chickens?

 

Let me tell you about a man named Moses. Moses had a dream and goal to start a

small business, and began by making a plan. The plan was simple, by most standards. He

wanted to raise chickens. But for someone living where a dollar a day was a good day, it wasn't

so simple. He made a list of all the resources and people he would need to help him understand

what it would take to raise and sell chickens. First, he would need money to buy 25 day-old

chicks and enough feed to keep them for six weeks until they could be sold. Moses had done his

homework, and knew that the optimal age to sell chickens was between 6 and 7 weeks old.

 

For months, Moses, his wife and six-month old baby ate only one meager meal a day. He found

odd jobs wherever he could. and saved every "Zim " ( about 5 cents ) to purchase the chicks

Finally after months of sacrifice, perseverance, and dedication, he had the funds to buy 25

chicks. What a happy day! Moses brought the chicks home. He would now have to keep them

warm and fed until they reached the selling age. He had an old tin washtub and some wire. As

small as the chicks were, he could easily contain them in the tub with the wire over the top.

During the day, he would take them outside, but when night came, the chicks came into the

house to sleep with the family. Moses would wake several times during the night to water and

feed the chicks.

 

Everything worked well for the first few weeks, but then the chicks began to grow out of their

tub at an alarming rate. Now they had to be watched 24/7, unable to stay in the tub any longer

Because of the great risk of theft, Moses now became security for his investment. He did what

he needed to do to protect what he had struggled so hard to achieve.  He had made a goal and

plan and he was determined to make it happen! Of course at night, the chickens, no longer small,

fluffy chicks, were herded into the house to spend the night. The nights became very long

with 25 chickens running around, but you can't let them out of your sight day or night. They

were the results of a plan that was working.

 

Moses' house, to say the least, was a mess! But his wife supported him and his plan and knew what

kind of sacrifice had to be made. She tried her best to help with the chickens, while trying

to keep the house clean enough to raise their baby. What a joy it was to get to the end of the

sixth week, and sell all the chickens. Then they started the process all over again, this time

having enough profit to buy 50 chicks! For another six weeks, it now became twice the

challenge. When 100 chicks were purchased, Moses realized that housing had become a huge

problem.

 

Plans were added to the original goal, and some of the profit was used to adapt this growing

enterprise. A chicken coop needed to be built. One hundred chickens in the house at night was

just not working. Moses and friends built a chicken coop behind his house-using scrapes of

building materials. To keep the chickens safe during the night, Moses built a raised bunk into

the side of the coop. The chickens are no longer sleeping in the house, but Moses is sleeping

with his chickens!  Are YOU willing to sleep with the chickens?

 

So this is used to show people that have nothing to start out with. How much and what it takes for

them to start a business. We love you and miss you see you soon. Love mom and dad Grandpa

and Grandma and Elder and Sister Van Sickle

Temple Sealing in Johannasburg (4/26/13)

Hi Everybody

We have been in Johannesburg the last few days. It took us 11 hours to get here. We left at 10:00 a.m. in the morning and got here about 9:00 p.m at night. Joburg is

a huge city. It's probably 3 times bigger than Salt Lake. We came to the temple with the kwanobuhle 1 ward. In December it was the Kwanobuhle 2 ward that we

came with. They had about 10 people. This ward came with 29 people. There was five couples that got sealed. All 29 of the ward was in the room when they

they got sealed. We just can not tell you how wonderful it was. One couple Noah and his wife got sealed and there two year old daughter got sealed to them. Then there was a

couples in there 80's that got sealed. Then sister Joseph and her husband got sealed and there 19 year old son that is getting ready to go on mission got sealed

to them. Today we did baptism's for the dead. The ward members were doing there own deceased parents and one had a brother that had passed away when he

got back from his mission and he was doing the temple work for him. Brother Stokeway's mother passed away 6 month after he was on his mission. He baptized his

wife for her. It was just so special. These people are truly the pioneers in the gospel in South Africa. I'm going to send a picture

of Noah and his wife and daughter right after they were sealed. We will be making the long drive back to Port Elizabeth tomorrow. We are looking forward to

seeing everyone at the wedding reception. Love Elder and Sister Van Sickle.