04 March 2013 - Elder Bricknell, Baptismal Interview,

Happy March!

It is my favorite month.

I also have school stuff to do today so I don't know how long this will be. Firstly, last week I forgot to tell you was Stake Conference. Elder Bricknell gave some powerful talks on families.

This week there was not too much going on. Zone Leader Council was on Friday in which the Zone Leaders and President Wood discuss some outstanding issues in the mission. Then we relay that information on to our Districts.

Elder Colin H. Bricknell
2nd Counselor of the
Africa Southeast Area

The next day, Saturday, I gave my first baptismal interview. It is a bit odd that I've gone this long without giving one but that's just the way it turned out. It was a very spiritual experience.

We do not have too many investigators but the ones we do have are very powerful. Just yesterday we were teaching the Plan of Salvation to one of them and it made him so happy that he had finally found something that made sense to him.

The Church is true! I know that.

Love,

-Elder Tekulve

Elder Brennan Tekulve's Mission in South Africa is also recorded at:

http://www.missionsite.net/elderbrennantekulve/main

25 February 2013 - In Mowbray - Cape Town, Peggy's 90th, Monopoly

Cape Town, South Africa

Hello,

I am now in Mowbray, back in Cape Town again and having a great time with Elder Giles. It's busy work being a zone leader and I'm pretty tired come the end of each day. Even now I only have a few minutes left to e-mail you.

A week ago Monday was Sister Peggy's 90th birthday. She usually invites missionaries over Monday night and this just happened to fall on a Monday so we had a little party.  We ended up getting Monopoly for her, then discovered that she has been around longer than Monopoly!

Sister Peggy and her sister, who is 88

Once I landed back in Cape Town I started learning about Zone Leader-ing and getting used to this large urban area I'm in now. We have some awesome investigators that I will tell you about next time. I hope everyone is doing well and want them to know that I love them and pray for them every day.

-Elder Tekulve

All the Guests at Sr. Peggy's 90th Birthday

18 February 2013 - Will become a Zone Leader in Cape Town

Dear Family,

L to R: Elder Tekulve, Elder Tukuafu, Sister Loretta
(going on a mission to England in March), Elder Pebe, Elder Strauss

First things first, transfer week has rolled around again. This transfer was only 5 weeks long because of MTC schedule changes. I do know where I'm going on Wednesday. I will be going back to Cape Town to be the Zone Leader in the Cape Central Zone. I will be working in the Mowbray Ward and my companion is Elder Giles from Utah (I think). Elder Giles is in my transfer (meaning he came on mission at the same time as me), and this is the first time I've been a companion with someone in my transfer. I am excited, as I only have 3 transfers left and this may be my last area.

L to R: Elder Strauss, Brother Dylan (who has submitted mission
papers but hasn't received news yet) Sister Phila (going on a
mission to Uganda in March), Elder Tukuafu,
Brother Garron (same as Dylan), Elder Pebe

Transfers made me forget everything that went on this week. Let me check my planner...

Oh yeah, this week I went on 2 exchanges in one week, one with Elder Tukuafu and another with Elder Strauss. Then in between the exchanges was a leadership training where I learned a lot about what it means to be a district leader or zone leader. We had new investigators as well, and East London 3rd Ward is doing well. Today is Sister Peggy's 90th birthday and several missionaries are going to visit and have a little dinner party. I will get her a gift but I don't know what yet...

I'm having a fantastic time on mission and am very excited for Wednesday when I will be back in Cape Town.

Thank you for all your support and e-mails. I love hearing from everyone and anyone, it doesn't even matter if you think nothing interesting has happened. Mail me anyway please. :)

The Church is true!

-Elder Tekulve

You can email Elder Brennan Tekulve here: brennan.tekulve@myldsmail.net

The "Pink House"

11 February 2013 - Service Week, Egyptian Construction Techniques

Dear Family,

This week has been a very unorthodox one. We did over 12 hours of service throughout the week, mostly for members of the Ward.

One interesting this we had to do was move a very heavy chicken shed. We couldn't just carry it, though we had 6 people. What we ended up doing was tipping it on its roof and sliding it along on a bamboo track. Like how the ancient Egyptians moved stone blocks around. I couldn't believe it actually worked. Otherwise it was a slow week. We spent all our time in service.

The Ward started a mission prep class this Sunday because if all goes according to plan there will be 12 missionaries from this ward out by June. And even more by the end of the year. For the class some missionaries from this Zone came up with a new rendition of our mission song. It was pretty cool, and if I can get a version to you somehow I will.

Elder Tukuafu and Brother Dylan doing service

Well, gotta go. I spent most of the time here looking for ways to make video files smaller. Bye!

-Elder Tekulve

East London 3rd Ward meets in
this chapel on Belgravia Crescent

Two Cool Dudes

I took this last night out my window.
I took over 300 pictures trying to get a good shot
and this was the best

04 February 2013 - Twelve Tribes of Israel and the Book of Mormon, Aubry

Hello everybody.

I didn't get to write last week because I was busy doing urgent University application stuff. Sorry. Not much happened last week anyway.

This week, though, was Zone Interviews and Training. President Wood gave a great presentation on the Book of Mormon and it's role in gathering the scattered tribes of Israel in these last days. It was very informative and helped me realize the importance of that subject today. It's applicable because I am the Lord's hands in actually carrying out these things that have been prophesied for over 4000 years. Deep stuff.

On Friday we went to the Steenbeek's farm to help them fix up a room that had been damaged by high winds a few weeks ago. We deconstructed 2 walls and are going back this week to see what we can do about rebuilding it.

The broken down walls on the farm

On Sunday we were approached by a member and asked if we could go teach somebody named Aubry. Later in the day the senior couple called and said that had a 'golden referral' for us. Turns out it was also Aubry. I guess he was really ready to be taught. He had been introduced to the church by his fiancee and had already been reading the Book of Mormon and attending the church in Mdantsane (an area nearby East London). He understands the Restoration very well, and even asked about eternal marriage. He was there in fast & testimony meeting in December and saw everyone saying they knew the Church was true. He wondered how they knew and how he can know. Aubry already has a baptismal date in March.

It is always great to talk to you. I am loving the experience I can have in South Africa and can't believe I only have 5 months left.

-Elder Tekulve

21 January 2013 - Bold Comic, Peggy, Primary Kids

Me, Sister Peggy, and Elder Gillespie

I have decided to write this letter in bold comic sans.

Hello family and happy birthday Mariah!

Besides transfers this week has been a slow one. Not much worth noting has happened. Transfer news is that I'm staying in East London. Elder Gillespie is moving on to an area in Cape Town and my new companion is Elder Pebe from near Johannesburg. Elder Madsen in my district/boarding is moving on to George (one of my previous areas) and is being replaced by Elder Tukuafu from Arizona (his father is Tongan).

Interesting fact that I just learned: Elder Tukuafu's brother plays for the 49ers and he just learned that his brother is playing in the Superbowl... the year he's on mission and can't watch it. haha. That makes our district now Elder Pebe and I in the driving area and Elder Tukuafu and Elder Strauss in the walking/biking area. Our Zone Leaders are Elder Moangare and Elder Simpson.

I got grandma and grandpa's package and also a package from Sister English with cards from some of my previous primary kids. That was very nice, thank you.

Oh! I just remembered something amazing that happened this week. One week ago on Monday I won Phase 10 for the first time! On the last hand I went down and out on the first turn, blowing through 3rd and 2nd place to steal the win. It was glorious.

L'église est vrai!
("The Church is True" - in French)

-Elder Tekulve

14 January 2013 - A Tough Week, Book of Churches

I almost wrote '14 January 2012'.

This is displayed on an old library building
across the street from where we e-mail.

This week has been... a bit tough actually. I did the math and while every day was full of appointments, 70% dropped for one reason or another. That's pretty high, but hopefully next week we can teach more. What to do if appointments drop is an art learned through experience. Popular options include visiting members, seeing if investigators who have dropped appointments in the last couple of days are home, or simply tracting. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel. You bring joy to the missionaries when you refer people to teach.

This week is transfer week, but I don't have the news yet. Most likely I will be staying here in East London 3rd Ward.

Unfortunately I have not received any other packages yet.

I'm going to start keeping a "Book of Churches" so I can document all the interesting and various churches I encounter in South Africa. There are a lot.

-Elder Tekulve

07 January 2013 - Ticket to Ride, Simphiwe's Baptism

Hello Everyone

Happy New Year 2013. I guess this means my "Mission Year" is over. Lots happened in 2012, didn't it? Not that I would know, it's all just mission to me.
Thanks for sending the pictures.

This week was a pretty slow one after New Years on Tuesday. On New Years Day, like last year, we couldn't go out into our area, so we played Ticket To Ride in the morning and went to the Steenbeek's farm again in the evening. On Sunday Simphiwe got baptized. He's a great guy with a strong testimony, and possibly a future missionary (he's about 6 months younger than me).

I would like to add the CD 'Variations on a Sacred Theme II' to the top of my wishlist at the exclusion of all else. I will even pay for it if need be, I simply must have it. Something else that I think Dad or Nikolaas would like (but that is not on my wishlist) is an artist named Ludovico Einaudi. Look him up if you like ambient-type music.

Breaking News! I now know that the day I leave mission will be June 27, 2013. Because of flight times and time zone differences and layovers I will most likely be home on the evening of Friday, June 28th. It is also possible it may not be until the morning of June 29th. That makes it exactly 2 years to the day that I got on a plane headed to London, and I can give my homecoming talk on my 24th "click day" of the 30th of June.


Just as a side note: Elder Gillespie looks a lot like Keith from Humble Ward. Unsurprisingly, Elder Gillespie's sister looks like Krista.

I mentioned last week I got the Young Women's package but I haven't gotten any other post besides that. Well, I think that's all for this week. Give my love to Humble Ward and tell Elder Ballard I'm sorry I missed him. :(
-Elder Tekulve

Elder Gillespie, Simphiwe, and Elder Tekulve

Elder Gillespie, Nadia-baba (an investigator),
and his dinner.