May 21, 2012

 Went to the local newspaper, Talk of the Town, and turned in a news article about the change in the Port Alfred Branch presidency.  The Robinson's suggested we do this as the newspaper has done several articles on the branch.  So we did, and had our picture taken as well as interviewed. 

May 20, 2012

Well, we have been here in Port Alfred for one whole week all by ourselves.

Sunday was my first ever experience at presiding in a sacrament meeting. It went fairly well except for a few things. I welcomed everybody to church, introduced my new councilors, had an opening song and prayer and since there was no branch business went immediately to the sacrament song. The members here sing well and it was a lovely song, I enjoyed the spirit it brought. When the song was over I got the sacrament prayer card from under my seat that I had so carefully placed there before the meeting started and waited for the prayer to start. There was only one problem, it didn't. I had forgotten to have priesthood assigned to administer the sacrament. No problem, I have two councilors, problem solved. We waited while they broke the bread which gave us (me) more time to reflect on the need of the Saviors help in our lives.

 Being a little un-nerved I proceeded to announce the rest of the program. The two full time Elders were speaking and I thought, good, things are now under control. I can sit back and enjoy the Spirit and be taught, and I was taught but not as I had anticipated. Sacrament meetings are to last 1 hour and 10 minutes but the Elders were done leaving 15 minutes of time. Lesson #2 ALWAYS be prepared with a message to share no matter who is speaking. I arose, bore my testimony of the truth of what had been shared and closed in the Lords name. I then looked to see what the closing song should be and noticed I had forgotten to announce and therefore sing the intermediate hymn, which would have come in handy to have done. All worked out well though. I'll take what I can get. Anyway it gave me more time to visit with the investigators and members of the branch. At least we didn't have a drunk come in during sacrament like last week and start asking people for money. I think the Lord must have known my plate was full and He extended one of His tender mercies.
It's a good thing I have people praying for me or things could have gone badly. Keep praying for us. I know with your prayers and ours, the Lord will help us be a better example of how the church programs should work.

Next week will go better.

Janet helped in primary as one of the councilors, who was to give the lesson, did not show up.  So she winged it for about 20 minutes. All those family home evening lesson we gave our children came in quite handy. You sing, play, and sing, play and time to go home comes before you notice. I think Janet has finally started her exercise program, head, shoulders, knees and toes numerous time as fast as you can is a good start.

 She surprised herself as it turned out fairly well.  Their primary is so small that they only have a president and one councilor and she only comes half of the time.  Today there were 10+ children ranging from 3 to 12, (some of them were moving too fast to count) and it is kind of hard to hold the attention of everyone because of the different ages and attention levels.  President Stumm is planning on splitting the primary into two classes, which should help quite a bit.

May 19, 2012

 President Stumm went with the missionaries to a service project to help an investigator take out a tree. (Actually it turned out to be a gnarly tree/bush that scratched him up pretty good!!)  While he was helping others, I went shopping. We needed a few thing and the young Elders were in need of cleaning supplies which we purchase and then get reimbursed by the mission.  When I returned home, I thought I had turned off the security alarm, but I was so wrong. It turned out that no matter how much you want to silence the loud, annoying alarm it’s just not going to happen once you set it off. I called the alarm company and told them about the false alarm but before I could finish the call the building security was calling on the other phone. When I want attention I know now how to get it. The guards showed up and showed me what I did wrong.  You have to hold the button down until the light on the device comes ON and then the alarm system will shut off.  Me and alarms just don’t get along!!!!!  What a day.

Ricks day was a little different.  He and the Elders had a service project taking out some brushes and trees for and investigator because they didn’t have the money to hire the job out.  The Elders said that they could get it done in a couple of hours, but Rick was highly suspicious of that.  The only tools the Elders came up with were a couple of machetes, an axe and a small bow saw.  The axe was pretty sharp, but the edge of the machetes was about like the side of a 2x4.  They tried bludgeoning the bush with the machetes for about 20 minutes. Great exercise and the bush didn’t seem to mind, in fact when they were sitting down sucking wind the bush showed no signs at all of giving in. Seeing that they were having no success in falling this mighty bush, Rick headed off to the hardware store for something to sharpen the machetes with. He also was going to contact some members and pleaded for some mechanized equipment to even the odds against this devil bush.  No luck, I guess here in South Africa people would rather work all day with a machete rather than an hour with a chainsaw.  He has found that nobody seems to have any tools. When working on a few things at the chapel, he had a hard time coming up with a pair of pliers and a screw driver.  He is going through withdrawal.  He has decided he really is a tool junkie!!  To make matters worse, it seems like this bush had the ability to reach out and get you with its thorns, even if you didn’t touch it.  He came back looking like he had been in a cat fight and lost!!! 

May 18, 2012

 Today is District Meeting, where we are taught by the district leader, Elder Scicluna.  He is a very good teacher and I bet someday he will be a great stake president.  He is very precise and very much on track of what is to be done.  After the meeting we took the two elder to lunch at a fish and chips place.  The fish was really good.  While there we also purchased a cob salmon, whatever that means.  You purchase it whole and they filet it. 

 We then had the missionaries take us to a few members’ homes, to get to know them better.  A couple of them were less active and we encouraged them to come to church on Sunday.  They said they would.  I hope so.   

We also participated in a couple of investigator lessons.  One sister is the wife of Neebazakhe Hola, the 2^nd councilor in the branch presidency.  She is very quiet and it is hard to tell if she understands what is being taught as she doesn’t speak English very well.  However, after we all bore our testimonies of the restoration she was crying. I think she felt the spirit.  She agreed to prepare to be baptized in July.  It was a great day.  It is the first day we felt we were actually doing missionary work!!

May 16, 2012

 The show was wonderful.  We wished we could have brought all of the youth from the branch to see the performance. I think it would have opened up to them a new world of possibilities and potential.  This is such a poor branch.  Most of the members live in the township, which is a really sad, poor place. 

May 15, 2012

 Today we will be picked up around 1 pm by the Fowers who are a missionary couple living in East London and  headed to Port Elizabeth where all of the regular missionaries and senior couple missionaries are going to see a production of the BYU Young Ambassadors.   President Wood doesn’t like missionaries driving the highways after dark if possible. The drivers here sometimes get a little aggressive after dark it seems so  we will be spending the night with the VanSickles, a senior couple serving in Port Elizabeth. 

Elder Fowers is the 1^st Councilor in the mission presidency and takes care of the East Cape area for President Wood.  President Woods 2^nd Councilor lives in Namibia. The Cape Town South Africa mission is the 2^nd largest mission in area in the world.  It covers a lot of territory.  

While we were on our way with the Fowers, we stopped at a Farm Stall, which has a restaurant, a gift shop and they sell local foods and breads.  Here Elder Fowers introduced us to a wonderful roll type bread that they "bake" on a grill.  They cut it open lengthwise and just put butter and jam on it then put it back together like a sandwich.  WOW is it yummy!  They also had some unique lighting fixtures made of canning jars.  Very cool.

May 13, 2012

Not only was today Mothers’ Day, but today Elder Stumm became President Stumm to serve as branch president over the little Port Alfred Branch.  We have been taught and guided by the out- going President Frank Robinson and his wife, Sister Dian Robinson.

Today they will begin their journey back to their home in St. George, Utah.  They left us large shoes to fill.  We have decided we need to find out what we are to bring to this branch while continuing the good things the Robinsons did.

After the branch meeting block, there was a get together outside to wish the Robinsons well on their journey back home and welcome the “new guys” to the branch.  A picture of most of the branch was taken which is included here.




 Here are a few pictures of our little branch building. 

Relief Society Room

Chapel

Primary Room

Front of The Church

Baptismal Font

 

Branch Presidents Office

Branch Presidents Kitchen

Back Yard and Branch Presidents Beloved Avocado Tree

Although we have no Elders Quorum Presidency or Young Men Presidency We have a strong Relief Society, a good Young Women President who is a senior in high school, a  Primary President and I have two councilors.

Elder Robinson, 1st Councilor Canny Nobebe, 2nd Councilor  Ncebazakhe Hola, President Stumm

Neither of my councilor have ever held a leadership position, never touched a computer, never conducted a meeting but I am so thankful to have them. They know the members and are so very willing to learn. With time I can teach them the things they need to know.

We are officially on our own now and thankful we have the full time Elders helping us along the way until we get our footing.

We were invited to the Relief Society Presidents home for lunch. Her husband is not a member; however, he supports her in everything.  That will be one to work on.  The missionaries were there as well as the Barris’. They are an older couple, the husband very English and the wife very German and they make a cute couple.  One of the dishes we were served was wart hog.  They may look rather ugly but served with Sister Cockbain’s special cherry jelly of some sort it was rather good.  We are beginning to experience at least a little of the local cuisine.  A couple nights ago we also had malva pudding for dessert, which is something they serve over here and it was very good.

After our lunch, we were then able to move from our temporary boarding into our new flat. Everybody in the mission has made such a fuss over how nice this flat is but I don’t understand all the fuss. It’s just your ordinary 4 bedroom, 4 baths, half again as big as our house back home, 50 yards from the beach “castle on the sea” as we call it.

Castle on the Sea

 It is a beautiful 2^nd floor flat with a beautiful large balcony off of the living area and the master bedroom that overlooks the ocean and two smaller decks off two other bedrooms.  This house may be the envy of the mission, but it is a little over- powering to us.

Front Room

Our Small Bed

Our Bedroom

Hall Way

Our Bathroom

Dining Room

From Our Bedroom

On The Balcony

Ocean View From The Balcony

Beside us is a golf course but we like to call it our private game reserve because of all the animals on it.