East London - Visiting a Farm Today

So it has officially been month! I have only 23 more left, wow, time goes by quick here! So, lets see...what is new here?  The week has gone by pretty fast and I feel Like a missionary!  So here's a story: on saturday we went to a member's home out on a farm and had lunch and boy was it a crazy experiance! I attempted to ride a donkey, but it didn't last lond because he didn't like me on him. I have video of it but that would take forever to send via email so look for it when I send the memory card home (I have like 250 pictures left to take before that moment).....sorry for accidently sending that one before I Sent it....anyways!  So this person that lived on the farm,she is really nice but there were animals all over her house (cats and dogs) and I'm sure that the place hasn't been cleaned since who knows when.  I just felt gross when inside the house, sorry i'm not trying to bad talk, let's just say that my stomach was tested when we ate (hamburgers, and I didn't use the fork because it had old food still on it!) But besides all that, it was a fun trip and I was able to see a few cool animals (look at the pictures). 

 

So Elder Devenney and I moved into our new place tuesday, the location isn't as cool as the other place (no more monkeys :(  ) but at least we have our own beds and aren't sleeping on the floor!  It's in Cambridge and the property is being remodeled right now(our place was the first to get done) So we have everything new: New bathroom, fresh paint, clean tile floors...etc.  The only bad part is that something is wrong with the water heater and we only get one hot shower in the morning, so we take turns on who gets the cold one haha. (this morning I had cold) We talked to the guy in charge of the building and he said that it shouldn't be like that and that he will get it fixed real soon. He said that if we have any problems, for us to tell him and he'll check them out...real nice guy.  So that's our new flat, it's really small, but it works for us and has everything we need (except food, we need to shop today, I'm tired of eating corn flakes for breakfast and peanut butter and bread for lunch!) 

 

Speaking of food, man I'm fed well!  The Bishop here makes sure we are fed everynight!  He says we work better when we don't have to think about making food, such an awesome guy!  So everynight I go to a members home and get a hot meal...sometimes I feel wierd because I don't know if it's safe due to how they prepared it, but that's just me being a germaphobe!  Elder Devenney is a good cook and made me a good lunch the other day.

 

We are getting along really well, he's a good guy and I'll be sad when I have to say goodbye to him in a few weeks...but he served his two years and deserves to go home.  He's a really good teacher and is really helping me learn how to be a good missionary!

 

Well, I should go email President Probst now, he likes hearing from us every week.  I'm going to work on some letters today (family and chelsea) and hopefully get those sent off!

 

Love you all!

 

 

Elder Naylor!

Elder Naylor's new address

Brian is officially a missionary out in the field.  Here is his new address to send him mail.
SOUTH AFRICA CAPE TOWN
PO BOX 181
OBSERVATORY 7935
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

He is officially out in the field. Welcome to CAPE TOWN

Mon, August 23, 2010 3:12:48 AM
Hello my wonderful family! So I made it out of the MTC in one piece, I do miss it, it was starting to feel like a home away from home. So my group of Elders left the MTC and headed to Cape Town...such a beautiful city! It was a tad rainy and cold, but that is something I will have to get used to during the winters. The mission is very organized and they know what's going on. President and Sister Probst are very nice and welcoming. Want to know something funny? well not really. So at the Joburg Airport, we were in such a rush that I forgot to say goodbye to my companion Elder Chuzu(he's serving in uganda)! I didn't notice till I got on the plane, I feel so bad. I hope he doesn't think I hate him. I have his email so I might shoot him something. So back to Cape Town. We all stayed at the mission home on Wednesday night, it's a very nice home. We had sloppy joes for lunch and then pizza for dinner. I felt much at home! We also went up top this hill (forget the name) and it looked out over cape town, the ocean and table mountain. IT's a great city! After dinner and a bunch of meetings, we finally were able to know where our first transfer is. I was really scared because I have grown so close to the MTC elders and I didn't want to separate. Ok, you guys ready to hear where the world am I? I was called to go to East London! (on the eastern cape of africa). I'm about 1.5 hour plane ride from cape town. And guess what, I'm right by the ocean! No one from my group is around this area so I'm all alone as a new greeny missionary. And now I bet you're wondering who my companion is....His name is Elder Devenney, he has been out for 23 months(that's right, I kill my first companion) He's from Ogden, Utah and loves to skateboard and is just overall a great guy. He hasn't served in this area yet so we are kinda starting fresh. I'm loving it though! I got my first door slam a couple days ago, it was great! besides that, most of the people are very friendly and accepting. I'm in the East London 3rd ward and the members are amazing, they really are loving and are really nice. Mom, don't worry about me eating, so far we have had a member have us over for dinner everynight I have been here, it's great! The flat we are staying in right now already has two elders in it, elder Fozard and Elder Aires(pronouced irish), they are also in the ward and serve close to us. Hopefully we will have our own place to stay soon because it's really cramped with four boys. I have been out teaching a lot, someone already said that she thinks God sent us to help her (here brother died just a few days before we knocked on her door) hopefully we can keep talking to her. Just so you know, my Pdays are on Monday now, I will email at about 10 AM on mondays ok? That should stay constant my whole mission.(I hope). So this morning I'm eating breakfast with the front door open and looking out at the scenary and what do I see? A family of Monkeys! haha, we got banannas and they got pretty close to us! I have a funny video but I can't send those, but you know what I can send dnow? Pictures! Since I get an hour to email, I'm able to send a few pictures home. I have taken over 150 so I will pick wisely. The weather here is somewhat chilly, spring is just around the corner...the mornings are chill and it gets warm during the day but a wind comes in and makes me really chilly! (you know me, no meat on my bones) Oh and elder devenney and I have a car that we travel with (the others get bikes haha). Today we are going to do some shopping so hopefully I can find some shoes that are like Vans...I'll stay cheap. Oh, I won't use my debit card much because they told us to use the missionary funds as much as we can...every two weeks we get about R650 (not sure how much in US). But I'll still use my card for things like the shoes today ok? Hmm, what else can I say? not much, I am having a great time here and I'm loving the Ward and the people. Stay strong my family, I miss all of you, but not enough to come home yet! haha. And start sending letters to the Mission home, they will forward them to me, it will take a long time though...sorry.
Tell Kinley to stay positive about school and that I love her and wish her luck!

Hope all goes well this week, I love you all! I'm already a month out..wow!

Love with all the world,

Elder Naylor

A SURPRISE EMAIL

Hey everyone, it's Saturday morning here, we don't get a P day on tuesday because we are going to the temple Tuesday so you guys get an email today.  Sorry that none of you could respond, but this gives me more time to tell you things and less time responding haha! So as the subject states, I have no more floss, I am really roughing it now!  I feel like I could go live in the bush with native Africans! So is everything going well at home? I hope it is, I probably won't get computer time until I'm in Cape Town and have a P day. (so expect one next week, not this coming week).  So everything is going well here, I am eating fantasticly well and I am getting along with all the other missionaries. Elder Chuzu and I are becoming good friends, he is a great companion to have.  He's really funny and just says things sometimes that make me laugh so hard!  I can't believe how fast my MTC experiance has gone, in just four days I will be heading out to Cape Town...wow, I'm so excited! Today at 930 we are going out the the Joburg missionaries to a township and doing some "tracking," so I get to go out and be a missionary! I'm really excited but also nervous.  You guys know how I'm somewhat shy sometimes? Well here you can't be. In just two weeks my shyness has pretty much dissapeared, it's amazing! Last night we had some people come by the MTC and we taught them as companionships, Elder Chuzu and I did a wonderful job and I am speaking with much confidence now!  The second group that I taught had a little African girl by the name of Jessica...guess how old she was? 5 years old! haha she reminded me of Kinley and I think that they would get along.  Send her down and they can play together! haha.  I wish that I had more to say this week, but I don't.  Everything is going well, I am loving it out here.  I don't think I would come home right now if I could, I love being imersed in the Gospel and being able to teach it to people that need it.  Oh, one thing that I'm doing awesome at is thinking of ways to talk to someone when you knock on the door. Anyways that is all for now! I must get off so others can email home!  Love you guys, see you sooner than you think!

 

With all the Best,

 

Elder Naylor

 

 

NO VANS!

Oh boy, hello family and friends!  I wish that I had the time to write each and everyone of you, but I only get 20 minutes on the computer! So I do apologize that these aren't very personal.  Hopefully once I get to the field I will be able to write everyone.  And just so everyone knows, I can only email Mom and Dad, the rest will have to deal with paper (it's that stuff made from trees that you use a pen to write on, I know, it took me forever to remember how to use it).  I have to do this quick because I spent a lot of time just looking over all of your emails to me, thank you for sending them, they mean so much to hear from everyone!  At lunch today I got a letter from a very special little girl, Makinley, thank you so much for that letter! It put a huge smile on my face!  I haven't seen much animals yet, just annoying birds, but I'll let you know when I see a cool one! Just so everyone knows, the MTC is a very nice place.  I have a wonderful bed to sleep on and people that wash my sheets every week (as long as I put them outside my door).  I have a hot shower almost twice everyday.  They really treat you nice.  Since it is winter, everything is dead here so it's not much of a site.  Saturday we went to the mall, and I talk about that in my letter home I will probably send today or tomorrow, so patience! The one thing I did want to mention is that they have no Vans here...none. I can't find a pair anywhere. I want you guys to send me some but the South Africans say that packages here get looked through and they probably would be taken, so don't chance it ok?  Hopefully I will find a pair soon, I hate wearing my running shoes all the time!  I wish I could just keep typing, but I am so short on time.  I do apologize.  Know that I love every single one of you and even though I miss you all like crazy, I wouldn't come home because being out here and serving the Lord is such an amazing and humbling experience! And trust me, it will go by way faster than you think.  I'll try to remember the things in the emails so I can respond to them in letters. (I sent one last week, hopefully it has come, if not, give it a few more days.)  Man, in eight days I will be out of here, on my own to learn and preach of this message.  Often I just think how bad I want to get out, then we do an practice exercise and I see that I'm not quite ready. (I forget sometimes to figure out what the investigator needs and just focus on the lesson, but I'm working hard to be more of a friend and less of a teacher!)  There is so much I want to tell you, but I will go and write them down and send them, so wait a couple weeks!

With all the Love and Blessings,

Elder Naylor

email from Brian Aug 2ndFamily and Friends, I love you all! Send me mail! I have to go, I am way over time and others are waiting to email! Goodbye for now, talk to you soon. (I'm working on my accent, hopefully it comes quickly haha!) With the Strength of the Lord and true Love, Elder Brian Rodney Naylor

Hello everyone! I hope all is well back home! It was so great to get on my email today and see all of your loving messages! Amber, I better get one this week!  So two days ago I sent a letter home, I was given three stamps for my time at the MTC, and I don't have much time to write so I sent you guys a combined letter (and then one to Chelsea). I hope that you understand.  It will take a few weeks because of the postal here and the distance. So you will probably only get one letter from me while I am here at the MTC.  And I will probably be gone before any letters come to me, but don't worry, the MTC Pres. will forward them to my mission and I will get them (just longer than normal).  Anyways, I am so glad to here home is doing well, and I know that you all miss me and trust me, I miss you guys, but I am so caught up in the work that I hardly have time to think of home.  I LOVE IT HERE!  It is so great to be constantly learning of the Gospel and how to show others it.  My companion and I are doing great and are slowly bonding (his name is Elder Chuzu (Choose with a Z sound) and I couldn't see myself serving with anyone else.  But more of that in my letter I sent.  Please feel free to send this to anyone that you want and share what you want, I want everyone in our family and friends to know how great of time I am having here! The weather feels like late August back home, it is cool in the morning and chilly in the day.  The Elders and I are bonding like no other, the friendships and brothers I am gaining, I will always remember.  Today is Tuesday, we were to go to the temple but it is closed so we are having a Pday, my next one will probably be next tuesday as well.  Saturday we are going to the mall in Joburg and shopping for a few hours and just relaxing (we learn for 10 hours a day and are always on MTC grounds, so it will be nice to get out for a bit!).  Speaking of 10 hours...try to imaging learning of God and His Plan for 10 hours a day for 20 days, it's hard to imagine, but that is what I do and I love it!  The insight to the gospel that I am receiving is something that I feel everyone should do.  There should be a MTC for everyone! haha. 

 

Well I must cut this short so I can write short to all of you:

 

Family and Friends, I love you all! Send me mail! I have to go, I am way over time and others are waiting to email!  Goodbye for now, talk to you soon. (I'm working on my accent, hopefully it comes quickly haha!)

 

 

With the Strength of the Lord and true Love,

 

Elder Brian Rodney Naylor