03/09/2015

                                                                                                                                 March 9th 2015

Hey,

So we had zone conference in Port Elizabeth last week. It was a very long drive from George to Port Elizabeth. But, it was also a beautiful drive. There is a lot of scenic stuff on the way there. The drive is by the sea. We arrived in PE in the evening. We spent like an hour just driving around the city and just exploring the area. After that, we met up with the zone leaders at their flat and our whole zone gathered for a zone finding activity. It was pretty cool to see all the other missionaries.

The finding activity was pretty fun. We spent some time tracting in a very prosperous area. But, we were actually quite successful in talking to people. We spent the night with some of the missionaries at their flat and we had a pretty good time. We bought some South African KFC talked for awhile.

The next morning was zone conference. Our mission president, President Merrill gave a really power training on how to be better teachers as missionaries. We then were fed with some really good lunch from a South African fast food place known as Wimpy's.

After the conference, we said farewell to everyone in Port Elizabeth and started the long journey back to George. We have been teaching a lot more people recently. Some of them have set really powerful examples to me of detected people. 

This one guy walked all the way from his home in another town to our branch in George. He did this because he felt that his life was empty and he was looking for the true church. My faith has been definitely strengthened by the example of this man. My testimony of the this restored gospel has also been increased by the examples of others. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve the Lord for two years.

Love,

Elder Sean Patrick Herrick

03/02/2015

                                                                                                                      03/02/2015
Hey,

We have been doing a lot of finding these week. We talked to some pretty cool people. It will take some time to gauge how interested they are. There was this guy who insisted that we teach him a lesson at McDonald's. It was definitely a new experience. 

We have devoted a lot of our time working in the Xhosa township here. The people are a lot more open to our message there. We met this older guy who believes in ancestor worship so he prays to his ancestors when he is in trouble. Xhosa people have some really unique traditional beliefs.

There a lot of places here to eat sea food. So I have spent the last week sampling some places. The fish here taste much better than the ones back home. Probably because they come from the sea and not the river. I can honestly say that my diet has changed since when I first arrived.

There are some really cool game parks in the area that I would like to visit some time. There is a place where someone can race ostriches. There is also a interesting cave complex in the mountains that I want to see in the near future.

Missionary work has been very dry here recently. But I know that there is a lesson to be learned through all of the adversity that we may face in life. I am so grateful for the all the trials that I have gone through. I know that as work through them, we can grow as people. I have testimony of the work that I am doing and I know that it is true.

Love,

Elder Sean Patrick Herrick

02/23/2015

                                                                                                                             Feb.23rd, 2015
Hey Everyone,

Last Monday drove to Knysna to check things out there. It is a incredibly scenic place. There is a huge cove there where the Indian Ocean meets the coast. So we went down to see it for ourselves and take some pictures. It was incredible! Driving down the N2 along the coast is always rewarding because we get to see such breathtaking nature. I can see why they call it the Garden Route.

The work here has been slow. On Tuesday night the zone leaders came down for exchanges with us. They are both pretty chill guys. We spent the whole day finding. We talked to a few cool people so I hope that we can start teaching someone. It rains a lot here so all the plants and trees are very green. The mountains are constantly shrouded in clouds.

The weather has been cooler lately it got down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. So everyone was complaining on how cold it was. The branch here is small but it has some really cool members. Elder Moliki and I ate a ton of fast food last week because we were to lazy to cook. We have been to Nandos so much that the employees there recognize us.

The senior couple assigned here. The Kjars have been really good to us. They feed us every Sunday night and sometimes during the week. They are super chilled and funny to talk to. It can be discouraging when we spend most of the day finding people and they aren't interested and push us away. But I know that if we push forward and continue to do our very best. Miracles will happen.

Love,

Elder Sean Herrick                         Pictures of the Indian Ocean at Knysna

Sea cave that we came across.

02/16/2015

                                                                                                                      Feb. 16th 2015
Hey Everyone,

So Its been a busy week here in George South Africa. The work has been rather tough though. We are currently not teaching anyone at the moment. The branch here is kind of small and its members are struggling. The branch president is this cool guy from Zimbabwe. 

So I'm starting to get more familiar with my new area. I don't think that I have ever made so many u-turns in my entire life. I found out that we cover the largest area in the mission and its just the two of us. Its been really tough. We don't have any people that we are teaching so that means we have to spend our days tracting. People here are very prosperous in some places so finding someone is going to be an uphill battle.

The weather down here has cooled down considerably. It rains often here so George is very green. On the bright side, we have been eating out a lot lately so I have gotten to sample a lot of South Africa's food.

These next few weeks are going to be tough but I have full faith that the work here in George will move forward.

Love,

Elder Sean Herrick

Indian Ocean, George South Africa

Beach near George, South Africa.    (disregard date)

George, South Africa      (disregard date)

Elder Sean Herrick, George, South Africa, Indian Ocean in Background

Elder Moliki and Elder Herrick

02/09/2015

Hey Everyone,                                                                                             Feb. 9th 2015

So I spent last Monday and Tuesday saying goodbye to everyone in Paarl.
It was very sad to say goodbye to some really awesome people that I had only known a very short amount of time. I hope that someday that I may return there to check on all the people that I had learned to love and respect.

So last Wednesday, I boarded a plane in Cape Town and left for George. The flight lasted for about an hour. I was picked up at the George airport by the Senior couple serving in George. There names are the Kjars and they are a lovely couple from Layton Utah. After that we picked up my new companion at the bus station. His name is Elder Moliki and he is from Johannesburg. He is a pretty chilled guy.

This next assignment is going to be difficult. The previous missionaries weren't teaching anyone. The branch here has going through some real challenges. So we have a lot of work to do here to turn things around.

There are some real perks to serving in George however, We have like the largest flat in the mission. (It was built for six missionaries) The area that we cover is HUGE! So we get unlimited kilometres for our car. Finally, George is possibly one of the most breath taking, gorgeous, places on planet Earth. We are right next to the shores of the Indian Ocean. So everyday I get to look at the sea. Our area includes George, Mosselbay, Wilderness, and everything in between.

Our area is a popular holiday resort for many people and I can understand why. There are vast beaches, hidden coves, sea caves, and we are surrounded by tall mountains. I couldn't ask for a more scenic place to be.

The townships here are fun. The roads are not developed and since the townships are built steep hills. The roads often take steep drops down. The townships here are a lot less developed then those back in Paarl. Cows are often wandering in the middle of the street and there are no names for any of the streets so finding people is rather difficult.

But, I have a lot of faith in this area. I have faith that the branch here will grow and that we can make a real difference for the people here.

Love,

Elder Sean Herrick

02/02/2015

Hey,                                                                                                                       Feb. 2, 2015

So I found out that my next assignment is going to be in George. I keep hearing how much of a beautiful place George is. But it is very isolated from the rest of the mission. It is a two-man district. Which means that it will only be me and another guy there. I feeling that my next assignment might be a little tricky. But, I know that I can handle it. I leave for George by plane this Wednesday. 

Last Friday was my three month mark. So Elder Dangerfield and I celebrated by buying a ton of ice cream. It is so strange for me to think how fast the last three months have flown by. It is kind of sad that I am leaving Paarl. Adjusting to living here was very difficult for me in the beginning. But, as time has moved forward. I have really grown to love this place. 

Last Sunday we had three baptisms and they were awesome! First we had Tania. She was so excited! After that, Chris and Naomi were baptized. A huge chunk of the ward turned up to watch the baptism. It was such a happy experience! 

So Elder Dangerfield and I are going to spend the next couple of days saying goodbye to everyone in Paarl. it is also kind of sad saying goodbye to all the members of the Paarl ward. There is a very real chance that I will never see them again. Transfer week is always super stressful. I am very proud of all the work that we have done in Paarl though. Four baptisms in like one month is no easy feat.

I hope that in some point in the future I can visit Paarl again. It has a very special place in my heart. My new companion for this next transfer is Elder Mollki. I don't know very much about him. But I hope that all goes well for us as we try to turn things around in George.

I am eagerly waiting my next assignment and hope that I will be up to what ever challenge that I might face.

Love,

Elder Sean Patrick Herrick

Elder Herrick, Tania , Elder Dangerfield

  Elder Herrick  Chris, Naomi, Elder Dangerfield

01/26/2015

Hey everyone,                                                                                                Jan.26th 2015

So we had zone conference last Friday and I had an interview with President Merrill. He such a awesome guy! The only downside is that he told me that there is a big chance that my entire district may be whitewashed. Transfers are next wednesday which means that I may leave Paarl very soon. That would be kind of sad because there are some really awesome people here. 

There is a very real chance that we will have three baptisms this Sunday. The first two are this couple from Ghana. Their names are Chris and Naomi. They are incredibly warm and open people and take the things that we teach very seriously. The immigrated to SA from Ghana two years ago. They run a sort of hair salon in a township. 

The other person being baptized is this young lady named Tania. She lives in a very scary part of our area that the locals call Chicago. She has been taught by the missionaries for a long time. But she has finally been able to make the commitment to get baptized. Which is amazing because we are completing the work for the other missionaries that came before us. 

Last P-day we went into Cape Town and played some soccer with the other Elders. Soccer is a hugely popular sport outside the United Sates. And I am not very good at it. So, in order to avoid further embarrassment. I am diligently working to improve my soccer skills. 

I am sorry that this letter is sort of short. Nothing incredibly exciting has happened this last week. So I hope that I can write about more interesting stuff next week.

Love,

Elder Sean Herrick