This Is (Still) Africa

No pictures of our Elder this week! Enjoy his Email:

It's been 2 weeks and what 2 weeks they have been. My last few day's at the MTC I was the goalie during sports time... I have never been so beaten up by a ball in my life. I have bruises all over and my wrist has finally recovered from a block apparently everyone said I should have let pass... but that's not me, is it? By the end of the game everyone was surprised how I was still standing.

Elder Eki is my new companion, and he's also the district leader. This is what happened:

I leave the MTC ceremony with him, then we go to our flat and shopping (until I can find out what to buy, Im living off of PB&J, eggs, and hamburgers that I make... send recipes please). Immediatly after, I'm on an exchange on day one... Oh boy. I was with the Zone leader, Elder Clegg so that the other Zone leader could train Elder Eki how to be a district leader. So I spent my first day in the field in a much nicer part of Africa than where I actually serve. It was a fun day: got to hand out 6 BoM's, went and got 2 burgers (my hero, this place called Steer's), and then the two important meetings. 

We arrive in this home of an investigator (I could not spell his name if I tried). He's a father of two with a Catholic wife... he wanted to learn about the intro to the BoM, but his wife was ready for war. She threw every anit-Mormon thing she could find on the internet at us. From the Trinity to the definition of salvation. We countered and answered every single question she had as if they were nothing, both from our belief's and from bible scriptures. I bore my testimony on the BoM and how it has blessed my life, but she was having none of it. But as we left, the Zone leader told me there was no way I was a 2-day old missionary. He said I spoke with confidence, power, and authority in every point I made. We touched the heart of the Husband, but she was angry she wasn't able to get us.

The next meeting we gave a blessing. It was the first blessing of the Mission, and boy I'll tell you the power went out half-way through it. Not sure if that's a god or bad sign... either way, the brother (still couldn't type the name) tripped a few circuits of the house.

It was a powerful first day out in the field, and I love the work. I'll tell more about the flat I'm living in next week and the Area I'm actually servign in, but for now just know I'm the only white guy in all of Etwatwa and that that's what the kids call me... White Guy.

-Elder Schnepf

P.S.

Read D&C 84:85 if you want to know why Jack Sparrow is so good at what he does.

-Elder Schnepf

He Has Arrived!!

Alright folks, Elder Schnepf is now officially out in the mission field! He went out Tuesday, January 19th, 2016!!! We are so excited for him! Since he has just left the MTC, we will not receive an email this week on Thursday because his P-days are now on Monday!

His first area is Etwatwa (pronounced eh-twah-twah) and his first companion/trainer is Elder Eki. Elder Schnepf seems to be more than ecstatic about serving the Lord in the Johannesburg, South Africa Mission. Here is a little of what his mission president, President Dunn, sent us yesterday:

I am happy to report that your son, Elder Schnepf has officially arrived in our mission! 

We are so delighted to have him safely here with us in Johannesburg. He seems happy, looks great and is excited for his service as a full-time missionary. Thank you so much for your part in helping him prepare for this sacred duty. Attached please find a couple of photos from our meeting earlier today.

This morning, after we greeted your son at the MTC, he was given an orientation that began with a panel discussion moderated by missionaries who are just completing their service here. It was a very candid, thorough and practical introduction to the realities of missionary life in South Africa... 

I also had the wonderful opportunity to interview your son and get to know him as he begins his mission. Again, he appears ready and eager for service.

Based on my impressions about your son he has been assigned Elder Eki to be his trainer and first companion, and his first area is Etwatwa. Please look for an email from your son this coming Monday which is his preparation day, where he will no doubt be sharing his impressions of what is usually always a very hectic but exhilarating week. 

Again, on behalf of my wife and our entire mission we are so thrilled to have Elder Schnepf in the South Africa Johannesburg Mission, and are committed to doing all we can to make his mission the incredible, life-changing experience it should be.

There you have it! Elder Schnepf is very excited to go and do the Lord's work!! Here are some pictures that we received of him this week:

T.I.A.

Sorry for the late post!! I'm a little tardy to the party. I swear his P-days are on Thursday!

This is Africa.

In my district, we absolutely are the greatest. We have 2 native Missionaries from J Burge named Elder Motahjana and Tchabalala. They are the funniest people alive and are the ones that got us to all start saying "My Man" or "TIA" or "WHATCHA!"

In our district named Moroni, we have the zone leaders of the MTC (awesome people) and Me and My companion, Elder Day, are the District Leaders. He leads, I back him up. We have had tons of fun bonding and playing games that the two locals hate us for. We love them so much.

It turns out that as a result of praying in the best room in the temple your eyes get really exhausted and begin to sweat... I love this temple, and every part of it is wonderful! I can not wait to go again, because I get to go every 3 months!!!

Also, turns out that they have almost none of the American candy here, which I'm fine with but the candy we do have is like the most precious thing to our two home boys. They can't stop eating it.

Ok, gonna have a bit of a spiritual moment here so bear with me (they don't have any bears here surprisingly). On Sunday for sacrament meeting we sang "Spirit of God" and I can not tell you the power behind that song... but that's why there's more english words than what I know to do with. It reminded me of every hard time or impossible task that I had over come. It was as if a reminder to me that I can do it and I can accomplish anything with the Holy Ghost. 

Rugby. It's the greatest sport known to man and I love every part of it. We went out to go play sports at about 3:30 every day and on Monday we met some field boys (missionaries) out there. They taught a few of us how to play, and it was amazing. If there's one sport you can get me to play, it's that one without a doubt.

I'll add a few pictures so you can see what it's like here, and I can't wait to to have more stories to tell... But for now I'll say that there are some missionaries from here that don't understand what "no flirting" means, including my companion. Don't worry about me though: I turn the guy in the mirror away.

The one thing I'm missing here is music, and the song I miss most is "Army of Heleman". If that song is being sung as I get off the plane in two years I think I'll... well I don't know what I'll do.

Remember: T.I.A. 

​Elder Day is in the front-right, Hamilton Front-Left and Flanagin back left... and a Stud on the right (apparently I need to remove that from my vocabulary here)

Elder Schnepf

Fresh Off the Boat!...Or Plane.

   It's official; Parker Schnepf became an Elder on the night of Monday, January 4, 2015 at 8:30 PM. Then, on the very early morning of Tuesday, January 5, 2015, our Schnepf clan woke up at the holy grail-forsaken hour of 4:30 AM to drop our brand new Elder at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

   As we headed out, we tried to savor our last hours we had with him before we dropped him off for the next two years (but it was really early- I may or may not have passed out in the car ride there and back). When we finally arrived at the airport we cracked some jokes, helped carry luggage, hugged a lot, our parents shed some tears, and tons of pictures were taken. Then, as we all walked him to the security check point, my sisters and I all held on to some part of Parker as we escorted him to his new adventure.

   It wasn’t until he actually walked into the security check point that we all looked at each other and thought what now? Well, I will tell you what we did: we waited.

   My father sat at his computer all day tracking his flights that started at 8 AM. Elder Schnepf flew to Salt Lake City, Utah, awaited his next flight to Atlanta,Georgia, then finally headed to Johannesburg, South Africa on a seventeen hour flight (and that doesn’t even include his connecting flights!). When he finally arrived in South Africa, it was about 5:30 PM there on Wednesday, January 6, 2016; meaning it was 8:30 AM in good ‘ole Arizona. There is a 9 hour time difference, if you hadn’t already guessed that. Elder Schnepf was super jet-legged and had a hard time sleeping on the cramped plane. Here is one of the first emails he sent us upon his arrival:

This is my second group email, and it won't be my last. The amount of flat balls down here is too many. Bad news is I've lost all skill to shoot a hoop. Good news is I am the king of defense down here! Basketball is the Elders game and boy are the competitive! I now know what the term "Church Ball" means.

As I write this I get pulled away and received some shots. Hepatitis is apparently a big deal and they gave me both a and b.

ANYWAY, this picture was of me and Elder Veney on the plane ride over. I got lucky and I got to sit next to one of the Elders!

The food is good and American so far, but give it a week and we'll see. 

Timestamp, it is 11:40 am and it's like early morning for y'all.

The showers are nice here. I was a lobster coming out. Dad, you should invest in these kind of water heaters. THEY WORK.

It seems that everyone here is so friendly and at the same time I feel like these jocks are really friendly like all the way. Most of us are in the city, but the rest are going up north to Zambia. Three Sister Missionaries are going there along with a third of our group. It's so weird to think that in two weeks, on Jan 19th, I will be a Missionary that is out preaching and teaching. I can not wait to do the Lord's work.

I will not come home early, this I promise to all of you. My mission will be hard and it will test my faith, but as I said before I left:

"What have I to fear when righteously serving My God?"

If you want to quote me on anything, quote me on that. Doubt not, fear not.

Next Thursday is my P Day in the MTC. Expect to hear from me again then.

-Elder Schnepf

And there you have it; our Elder is doing great and loving every minute of the MTC so far! Here is a group picture of all the Elders and Sisters that just arrived at the South Africa MTC:

Stay tuned for another update on our Elder next week! For those of you who would like to email Elder Schnepf, his email is parker.schnepf@myldsmail.net .