Kyle Goes on a Mini-Mission

(Written by Kyle Nielsen - Grandson of Elder and Sister Nielsen)

Today, December 26, 2014, I had the opportunity to go with Elders Ghartey and Nkomo, one from Ghana and the other from Zimbabwe. We had arranged to meet at the South Africa Durban Mission Office at 2:00 today. Our first teaching appointment was with a non-member family. We taught them the first lesson which is about the Restoration of the Gospel. They seemed very receptive and the only real question was asked by a daughter who is in her mid-twenties. She asked, "How can I know that what you've shared is true?" She was encouraged to pray about it. Following the lesson they fed us a meal. 

We then went to our next appointment, which was a "no show." We decided to go tracting (knocking on doors) on the same street. The first couple of houses we knocked on, they weren't receptive to our message. About the third or forth house, one guy seemed very happy to see us. He invited us in and we taught a lesson about the Restoration of the Gospel. He seemed VERY VERY ready to hear the message we had to share. After about thirty minutes of discussion he, too, offered to feed us. We left stuffed, but pleased, with a follow-up appoinment scheduled for a week from now.

By then it was time to head back to Grandma's and Grandpa's flat. I loved the experience I got to have as a missionary!!!! I enjoyed it and I can't wait till I go on my Mission to Cleveland Ohio, Spanish speaking, starting in the middle of February. I leave for the Mexico MTC on February 18th.

St. Lucia

Kyle and his dad J.D., as well as his grandparents, Elder and Sister Nielsen drove from Durban to the small town of St. Lucia on Monday December 15, 2014. We took the four-o’clock boat tour of the St. Lucia Estuary. The Estuary is the home of approximately 1200 crocodiles, 800 hippo’s, and bull sharks too numerous to count.

 Hippos can’t swim, instead they walk on the lake bottom and poke their head up to get air. 

             The next day we were picked up by the safari truck at 5:00 in the morning. We spent the next ten hours at Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park. Our first sighting was a pride of lions. We used the binoculars to see the lions because they were too far away to get a good picture. Next we came upon a giraffe eating leaves on top of the trees.

 The park also has numerous elephants. 

We saw numerous water buck. Note the target on the rear end, which makes it easier to follow one another in the thick bush.

We also spotted various species of antelope including the impala which can run at amazing speeds. We also saw a huge herd of over 100 water buffalo grazing on the grass as they moved across the meadow.

      One of our favorite sightings was of the zebras.