January 4, 2013 

 District Meeting was held in Grahamstown today.  The District Leader there is Elder Olyabo, who gave a great lesson.  The other elders from Grahamstown are Elders Swenson, Von Brughan and Khumalo. Elder and Sister Stokoe were also there on temporary assignment until a new senior couple is assigned.

 
We like the trip to Grahamstown…that is where we also get water from the natural spring right outside of town.  The water is good and it’s free!!  We had to be back to our boarding by 3:30 where we were to meet a realtor taking pictures for the owner. We needed to be there and let them in.  I hope they don’t sell this place before we leave in October!!  Don’t want to move.  We then made several visits.  We saw Comfort Mudodo and gave him some pictures of his baptism day…boy was he excited. Things that we take for granted like pictures of important events the people here are not use to and they find great joy in having them.  We visited a while, listened to some of his problems and I think made him feel better.  I hope so.

January 2, 2013 

 It is kind of nice to get back on a visiting schedule.  We are trying to take some of the new curriculum to the teachers and presidencies.  Because of hurricane Sandy, the shipment of our 2013 supplies has been delayed so we are having to download the material from the internet and then training each group how it should be implemented. This new way of teaching is going to be great, but it will take time for members to catch on.   

January 1, 2013

 Happy New Year!!  Today we will spend the whole day at our boarding.  Because of all the partying and drinking that accompanies this time of year, the Elders and senior couples are not allowed to go into the townships. Even though it is raining and all of the people who would probably be out parting are staying home, we are obedient missionaries and will have the Elders come over, play some games, eat food and watch “17 Miracles” which is still a very powerful movie even after having watched a number of times.

December 29, 2012

 Today we visited a museum of sorts which had a number of great old cars…including a 55 Thunderbird, a 65 Mustang and a Corvette.  The man who owns all of this and many more cars.

55 T-Bird

55 T-Bird

 

Early 65 Mustang

Early 65 Mustang

60 Dodge Polara

60 Dodge Polara

1946 v12 Lincoln

1946 v12 Lincoln

1946 v12 Lincoln

 He also collects old medical equipment, including an old iron lung.   

  When we finished there, we headed back to Port Alfred. It was a nice mini vacation and now it’s back to work. 

December 28, 2012

 Well, today is our 44^th wedding anniversary.   We are in East London, actually Gonubie, staying with Elder and Sister Fowers.  They invited us to come spend a couple of days around Christmas time so, here we are.  Our day started with reading scriptures on the deck overlooking a valley and hoping to see animals but no luck this time.  After breakfast, we met up with Elder and Sister Stokoe for a competitive game of miniature golf. The course has 27 holes, but we only played 9 of them.  It was fun and as competitive as old people can get. We all scored within two points of each other and Rick and I tied for second. After lunch at the Fowers it was off to “The Lion Park”.  It is a small park where there are numerous animals…rabbits, llamas, a leopard, several full size lions, tortoises, one very tame deer type animal, crocodile and baby lion cubs, which we were able to pet and play with a bit. 

 
  There is a keeper in with the lion cubs, but we are able to interact with them by ourselves.  Rick was first to play with them…they liked to lick him and one seemed to enjoy his shoe. 

 One jumped on his back, but I didn’t get a picture because the keeper moved in front of the camera to remove the cub as I was pushing the button to take the picture.  When it was my turn, one of them bit at the pocket of my pants and then on my arm.

 I thought he drew blood but when I looked there was only a bruise.  They are 5 ½ months old and very playful.  There was another cub which was only about 2 months old in another pen that had deformed front paws. 

 He was a little more fearful and you couldn’t be around him for very long before he took off.  

December 27, 2012

 Ahhh…today is the day we are going to East London to spend a couple of days with Elder and Sister Fowers before they leave South Africa and go home.  We will miss them.  We are taking dinner for tonight and decided to make great chicken, but cook cubed chicken breast, then make the sauce for the dish and put the chicken in and then put it over cooked rice.  It is an easier, quicker version and still really good.  Alas, the original is the best, but this works great just the same.  Elder and Sister Stokoe  also came for dinner. They are a new missionaries serving a PEF mission out of Port Elizabeth but have been loaned to the Cape Town Mission to serve in Grahamstown  until a new mission couple can be assigned to serve there.   Everyone loved the dinner dish and wanted  the recipe.  I love it when the dinner choice works!!

Our journey to East London was very uneventful, except for one cow that really didn’t care that the roadway was for cars and not for a cow.  We were able to divert around it, but it was close!! That is South Africa for you…next time it could very well be a goat.

We also did a flat inspection at the Elders boarding this morning.  They have a few things to work on…I think they hate seeing us coming for this event…I know I would!!

December 26, 2012

 We did a few odds and ends today, but we also made a HT/VT visit to Sister Kenney who lives in Kenton on Sea.  She is moving to Johannesburg at the end of January and will be serving in the temple there.  She is a delightful person…tells it like it is kind of person.  We will miss her.