Clothes Lined by a Clothes Line–June 25, 2012

Dear Family,
Sounds like everyone is good and having a lot of fun:) I was glad and
super excited to know that my package got to you:) I was thinking
about it all this week and was really hoping no one broke into it.
Jacob sounds like a crazy teenager right now and his life sounds like
a big adventure:) Mom I'm sorry that your not feeling too well, but it
will come together soon. Dad thanks for the email:) I'm doing really
well and yeah I have times that I'm down, but I don't stay down for
long. Life is too short to be sad all the time and when your a Dalton
life is too good to get you down. You can also tell sister Diaz that a
Braai is a BBQ:) All my grilling before mission really helped perfect
the art of cooking meat.

Anyways not too much has happened this week. We taught 21 lessons this
week and have 15 investigators that are working towards baptism. We
have been getting a ton of referrals and have a few new families to
meet this week. Elder Jenkins and I really tear it up together and
laugh all of the time. We've fixed a family's door that had no lock,
pulled a huge prank on other missionaries by pouring a huge bucket of
water on to the car they were in from the 6 floor ( they both screamed
so hard, We laughed till we hit the floor), and we cooked for Nat and
Odwa for a family home evening. I really love this companion of mine
and we have fun bringing the spirit into play.

The biggest or should I say most painful thing that happened was last
night. I went up to the roof of the Maseta's flat complex and got
flipped on my back from a clothes line. I caught it in my mouth and it
chipped my k9 with a huge cut on the inside my cheek. When everyone
came over to see if I was Ok, I was more embarrassed than hurt. It
must have looked so funny to watch a huge guy go down so fast in the
dark. My cheek is really sore today LOL:) Elder Jenkins said there is
no dull moment with Dalton. That's the truth.

Well, besides the chipped tooth and sore cheek, I'm doing very well
and very happy:) I love hearing about your adventures and that
everyone is happy. I can't wait for the package and letters:) Stay
safe and know that time will pass by fast and I'll be home before you
know it:)
Lots of love, send pictures of you and the stuff:) Have fun at Lagoon:)

Love your Son and Brother,
Elder Jack Forrest Dalton
Always Forward South Africa!
:)

Becoming the Missionary I Want to Be–June 11, 2012

Dear awesome Family,
This week has really been one full of work and crazy dealing. This week I've stepped up in ways that have shown me what I can do and it has also shown me where I need help. I've had many nights here where I often think about who I want to be. I also learn all the time how I am the master of my feelings and can make my future what I want it to be. It has made me think a lot about what mom taught me when I was a child, " Jack, you can choose to be happy or you can choose to be sad, it's your choice." Mission really shows you who you are and what you can do.

Monday was the coolest P day I've ever had! What we did was I wanted to have a Braai down here and play some sport. So I invited almost every missionary to go to the office for a braai and volleyball. I didn't know however that I needed to get permission from our zone leaders, but luckily the APs love me and okayed it. I've never had so much meat and played so much beach volleyball! The best part was how much we joked and laughed, my sides were sore the next day from laughing. It was that moment where I found a portion of my mission that I will always remember. I was also complimented on how well I could braai here, it was all thanks to dad's grill and lots of chicken breasts!

The rest of the week went really well. The Lord's work is really moving and we are harvesting like crazy! We found a huge part member family of 8 where only 1 goes to church. We love teaching them and uniting a family to move closer to the temple. Elder Jenkins is a very cool guy and is very in tune with the spirit. I really enjoy teaching with him, because he brings in a whole new way of teaching that makes us mighty servants. I joke that he comes in with the left hook and I come in with the right upper cut, spiritually of course :) Plus we joke so much here, I've never played so many pranks and fell for so many, it's hard to think of the hard times when we have so much fun down here. Dad you said that it was funny to think of two Utah boys walking the streets of Jozi, I think it's awesome. I love talking about this back at home and him knowing what I talk about. We really get along very well. I did have a dumb moment this week. We found a place were you could run on a wall and almost do back flips. It probably wasn't the best things to do in church shoes or period, but I tried to run on the wall. I fell strait on my butt and started laughing so hard. Everyone around came to see if they could help, but I was fine just embarrassed. Elder Jenkins laughed the rest of the night at that.
This week has also called for me to step up and reclaim the ward. I've been communicating with my bishop and ward mission leader to move our investigators in the right direction. They can be difficult, but it helps me to work out problems with hard people. The challenge isn't that they don't work, but it's that they are so cautious on letting people be baptized. It's good that they are, but it's hurting the work and shows that they don't trust our keys or caliber of people we are bringing them. Patience is the key, but there are times when I want to take a shambok to them.

I love hearing about school being out and it being so hot back home, mainly because it is freezing down here! I loved seeing pictures of everyone in their robes and tons of smiles, it made me really think about how much I miss everyone there:)

Mom and Dad I love you two so much! The more I stay out here I gain so much respect for you two. I realize how well you prepared me for the world and how I can fine strength when I'm down. I find myself in the middle of teaching a principal and just realize how you taught it to me. Mom, I pray for your surgery to go well and that you are surviving on a liquid diet, haha. Mom Stay happy and know your children love you soooooo much! Dad, I know the ward is tough to manage, but the Lord picked the best man to unite our ward. At least you have a percentage of home teaching and visiting teaching, it doesn't exist really in my ward here, LOL! Just kill them with love, if there is anyone that can do that it's you. This life was never meant to be easy, if it was there would be no point.

I still love mission and love the people I'm serving. They love so much and are so humble here, it's hard not to move the work forward. This Sunday as I sat in the back of our chapel, I watched my investigators come in, my ward take the sacrament, and little kids run around like back home. It was at that moment a wave a deep love hit me and brought me to the verge of tears. These people are my brothers and sisters I promised to come help and love. These people are my family. They are totally worth my sacrifice. Only if you could meet them, you too would see what I talk about.

I love you all and I love Africa!!!!!

Love your Son and Brother,
Elder (Bumba) Jack Dalton
ALWAYS FORWARD SOUTH AFRICA!

Elder Dalton and Elder Jenkins

Have Faith in the Future–June 4, 2012

Dear Family,
Having faith in my future is something that has been a major idea and
lesson I've been learning this week on mission. Not only has it been
because I have a new companion, but because I'm now a fully trained
missionary. It's been a long week, but one full and packed with
lessons to be learned. MY hope is bright and my will is strong in
facing the unknowns of my life here. Faith is my new skill I'm
learning to use here on mission and it can be scary at times.
First off my new companion is from South Jordan Utah. His name is
Elder Jenkins and he even trained my MTC companion! He is a very
powerful missionary, with a great skill off inviting the spirit. We
get along very well and the change has really not been as bad as I
thought it would be. He seems to teach me even more than Elder Fagg
started too and we are both learning too use our skills at building
the kingdom in Jozi. I have great faith in my future, because of him.
I got the idea of faith in the future from a talk by Holland called
"Remember Lot's Wife". It talks about how we need to move forward and
not dwell in the past. That we should stop thinking about what we used
to have, but what we do have. IT also shows our heavenly father that
as we move forward as he directs, we show faith that he will bless us
even more in our future. History is to be learned, the present lived,
and the future thought of.
I've done a lot more tracting with this new companion and I have a real
love for it. I love talking to everyone and listening to their life
story. Every time I listen to someone I think of my family and how the
gospel can bless them like us. Some stories really pull at my heart
and I can see my eyes are changing. They are changing more in how I
see everyone, that I really see how they are worth it all and they are
my siblings lost. Elder Jenkins has really opened me up to a new way
of being a missionary, almost a higher level.
Still, we have tons of fun and joke all of the time. Myself, I always
seem to have things go wrong or something funny happens to me. Like
our first day together we locked ourselves out of the flat and had to
break in, I tried to do a backflip (key word tried), broke a cabinet,
and had the longest talk with a drunk guy convincing him heaven was in
the United states. Mission really is fun and amazing.
WE had four baptisms yesterday and I got to baptize 2 of them. They
were Akhona ( a 19 year old girl) and Tumelo ( a 15 year old boy). The
spirit was there and I really love the magic in that sacred covenant.
I always get so pumped from that. our next ones will be on the 17 and
we will have 7 that day! The work is really moving my side yo. IT will
all be amazing if the lord sees it fit:)
I'm glad to hear that summer is in full swing there as I'm in winter.
My package should reach you this week and I want pictures of you guys
and the stuff. I'm about to go play beach volleyball and have a huge
Braai. I love you all so much and keep me up to speed. Be safe and
stay happy:)
Love your son and brother,
Elder Jack Forrest Dalton
ALWAYS FORWARD SOUTH AFRICA
:)