PDay with the young Elders - Wild Life in South Africa

Hi everyone, 

We just wanted to tell you about our Pday with the young missionaries. They wanted to go to Addo which is about 45 minutes from our flat in Port Elizabeth. They are not allowed to go to places like this without a senior missionary couple. So they called us and asked us to go with them. We were really excited, so on Monday we went to the Elders flats and picked up 14 young Elders and headed to Addo. We had Sherberts another senior couple with us. They are from St George. So we had a caravan of missionary cars following us. Addo has miles and miles of wild animals.The best place to find them was at the water holes. It is so incredible all the animals Heavenly father created. We saw Elephants, Zebra's, Black backed jackal, Lions, Warthogs, Bush Buck, Water Buffalo, So many more  It was a wonderful day. Look at the attached pictures. We love and miss all of you. 

Love Elder and Sister Van Sickle

New Years Elephant Ride

We got to ride elephants for our p-day today. It was so much fun.

Inspiring Temple Experience- Jan. 2013

I JUST WANTED TO WRITE AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT OUR TRIP TO THE JOHNANESBURG TEMPLE WITH 10 MEMBERS FROM THE KWANOBUHLE WARD.

THE TEMPLE IS 12 HOURS AWAY FROM US. BOY, DID WE TAKE IT FOR GRANITE BACK HOME WHEN THE TEMPLE WAS 20 MINUTES AWAY. WE WERE SO EXCITED THAT WE COULD GO BECAUSE JOHANESBURG IS NOT IN OUR MISSION. THESE PEOPLE ARE REALLY POOR SO IT IS HARD FOR THEM TO GET TO THE

TEMPLE MOST OF THEM CAN'T AFFORD IT. THEY WAIT YEARS TO GO TO THE TEMPLE AND BE SEALED AND HAVE THERE FAMILY SEALED TO THEM. SUCH A

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST COUPLE THE MBUSI'S DID THERE ENDOWMENTS THEN WERE SEALED THEN HAD THERE FOUR YEAR OLD SON SEALED TO THEM. THEN BROTHER MBUSI HAD LOST HIS FATHER A COUPLE YEARS BACK SO HE DID HIS TEMPLE WORK. SISTER MBUSI'S PARENTS HAD PASSED A WAY

A LONG TIME AGO WHEN THEY DID HER PARENTS TEMPLE WORK SHE SAID SHE FELT SUCH A WONDERFUL FEELING.  WE ALL JUST KNOW HER PARENTS ACCEPTED THE GOSPEL. MTBELLI AND HIS WIFE GOT THERE

ENDOWMENTS. HIS WIFE GOT REALLY SICK AND WAS THROWING UP BEFORE THEY WENT IN TO THE TEMPLE.SO ELDER VAN SICKLE AND I DECIDED TO VENTURE OUT AND GET SOME STOMACH MEDICINE FOR HER AND BOY WAS THAT A VENTURE IN THE BIG CITY OF JOHNANNESBURG WITHOUT A GPS FIRST WE CAN'T FIND A PHARMACY. THEN WHEN

WE DID WE COULDN'T FIND OUR WAY BACK.OUR GPS HAD BEEN STOLEN. SO WE HAD TO BREAK DOWN AND BUY ANOTHER ONE.ONCE WE GOT

BACK AND GAVE HER THE MEDICINE WHICH DIDN'T STAY DOWN FOR LONG BECAUSE BY THE TIME SHE GOT INTO THE TEMPLE SHE THREW UP AGAIN. SO ELDER VAN SICKLE AND HER HUSBAND MTBELLI GAVE HER A BLESSING. SHE FELT FINE AFTER THAT. ANOTHER COUPLE GOT THERE ENDOWMENTS AND GOT SEALED. THE FIRST TIME WE MEET THEM WAS AT THE TEMPLE. ALL THESE MEMBERS

ARE  PIONEERS IN THE GOSPEL.THEY ARE THE FIRST TO BE MEMBERS IN THERE FAMILY. SINCE THE LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE TOWNSHIPS IS 45 MOST

OF THERE PARENTS HAVE ALREADY PASSED AWAY. IT REALLY MAKES ME WANT TO DO TEMPLE WORK FOR MY ANCESTORS INSTEAD OF JUST GETTING

A NAME AT THE TEMPLE WHEN WE GO THERE.

 

BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE ATTACHED PICTURES

Merry Christmas!!

Hi Everybody, We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We had a really nice Christmas but we missed everybody. I want to tell you about our

experience last sunday. We were so excited because new area opened up in Motherwell. We have been working with this lady that has 3 kids. She wanted to go to school.

She is a social worker. But she only has certificates and not a degree so they won't pay her very much money so she needs to go to school. We took her to Nelson Mandela

University here in Port Elizabeth to register her. Delsie can't afford to not work unless she gets a bursury which paids her tuition, room and travel and food. The closes L.D,S. Church was 20 miles

away and she doesn't have a car. So she has to take a taxi everywhere she goes. So we picked Delsie up to take her to church on Sunday. It's a good thing We had her with

us or we would have never found it. She knows where all the streets are in Motherwell. When we got there there was only 11 members. They all were Moms and Kids except for President Feli Feli. So Elder Van Sickle

blessed the sacrament and President Feli Feli passed it. Elder Van Sickle was asked to speak. It was very humbling to be in that sacrament meeting. Delsie was so

happy that she would be able to attend a branch so close. After we took Delsie home. we went to Blue water bay and looked on the board where the rentals are. Elder

Oldham is over all the boardings for the Elders and Couples. He needed a flat close by Motherwell to put some young Elders in.Elder Oldham had asked Elder Van Sickle

to find the new boarding seeing how the missionaries would be in our area. We had been looking all week and hadn't found anything Except for one boarding on the river that we didn't think would be very good. We had an appointment to meet a man to check out this boarding but we never could find the boarding or the man. We decided to call

one more time on this boarding that we had called on last week and that had said it had already rented. Elder Van Sickle felt impressed to call them again to see if it was available. We recieved no answer, so we decided to find the flat down by the river and we could not find the right address. When were in the middle of trying to find the correct address this other lady calls back and said she still had the flat and it was still available. So we decided we would go look at it right then. It was perfect in every way. We went over to the lady's house and signed the contract that afternoon. While we filled out the contract she kept asking about the church and the missionarys that would stay there. It was quite exciting to answer all of her questions. She had been divorced and she was quite concerned that her two sons were going to follow ther nonbelieving dad. He did not think there was a God. She did not know how to handle the situation with her son going to church, so she asked what we thought she should do. The doors just kept opening all after noon about the gospel. She is reallly a great lady because her and her new husband are so giving and caring for other people. When we were leaving  we went out to the car and we were able to give her a Book Of Mormon. It was quite spiritual moment.She was looking  for the truth.She said that she would read the Book of Mormon. She left on Holiday with her

family she is going to be gone til the 14 of January. We can't wait until she gets back. She wanted us to come back. She and her new husband have alot of christ like attibutes. Kindness, Mercy, Love, They took in a lady

and let her stay in one of there flat's for awhile until she can get on her feet. She was abused by her husband. Another lady was unemployed and needed a job so they have

her clean the flats.She is a financial accountant and does the books for her church. Her sons ask her why mom are you helping all these people. Why because she is

trying to be like the Savior. She shows love for her fellowmen. I just know God is aware of her and her family we were meant to meet her that day. We love the Book of

Mormon. We know that it is true. We love reading it everyday it helps us in this life to prepare to meet the Savior when he comes again. We love being missionaries and doing the lord's work everyday. We love all of you. Love Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Elder and Sister Van Sickle

More from Dec. 2012

Hi everybody again!  Here are some more pictures of experiences in South Africa:

It is very common to see people carrying things on their head. We saw this member of our church carrying brooms on her head and asked if we could take a picture of her to send home to our family

070 is a picture of a mud hut. The opening is very short so it makes me look very tall. It's very interesting what the walls are made of, straw.sticks. and mud.

                                                           Another picture of the botanical gardens

We love you all. Take care. Love Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Elder and Sister Van Sickle

December 2012

If you look at picture 080. There's a African lady in the picture.She's a member of the church. I talked to her thinking she probably had only worked there a few years but she

surprised me by telling me she has worked there in the mission home for 31 years and has been through 9 Mission Presidents. The kitchen is very big considering all the missionaries that

are always coming and going that they need to cook for. She said the average they cook for is around 24 to 30 missionaries. The other lady is the mission president's

wife and the mission president is standing always behind her. Elder Oldham is helping himself to the food he is over all the flats and cars in the mission. His wife is the

secretary at the mission office.

101 picture is at the Botanical gardens the mission president and his wife took all the senior missionaries to. The next four pictures are in the botanical Gardens:

119 This tree's roots are above the ground (Aren't they a good looking couple)

We can't get over the beauty of the Botanical Gardens

Thanksgiving in South Africa

Hi Everyone, I am sending you a picture of all the senior missionaries we spent Thanksgiving with. Last year we weren't able

to celebrate Thanksgiving because we were in Johannesburg for training. So we really enjoyed having turkey this year. Turkey is

hard to find here. They are really little so 5 turkeys had to be cooked to have enough for everyone. The mission President and his

wife are on the left second to the end. we love you all. Love Elder and Sister Van Sickle