June 20, 2013 The elders came over and made us lunch

The elders came over and made us lunch…well Elder Davuke made us lunch.  He gave me a list of the ingredients he needed and with Elder Tennants help peeling veggies, he made us Chop Suey. 

 It turned out pretty good.  However, he wouldn’t eat it because it has vegetables.  However, he suggested it!!!  We had brownies for dessert, and of course, he had an extra large helping with a glass of milk!!! After lunch we finished getting ready to go to East London for zone conference.  We stayed at Shiraz B&B along with the Chases. 

 It was fine and was only R550.  The mission pays for it because President Wood wanted us there to go to dinner with the Area Authority who comes about once a year.  This time it was Elder Collin Bricknell who is the 2^nd Councilor in the Area Authority Presidency right now.  Evidently he is kind of temporary until September. After that he will go back to being an area authority.  We had dinner at Prazia Restautant.  We ate there the last time the area authority in the presidency came to visit…Elder Carl B. Cook.  This restaurant has really good food…the best we have had in South Africa. 

 

When we were on our way, we stopped at a craft shop in Birah and purchased a few things we had been thinking about buying before we leave our mission.  Rick bought a native spear…he actually wanted two, but they only had one that he wanted.  He also bought a really cool hat, which wasn’t on his want list, but he found it and it really looks neat on him.  It was R300 which is about $30…not a bad purchase!!  I purchased a couple of candlesticks I had been wanting and we also got had carved rose wood serving spoons.  The wood is really pretty.   After we left the shop, a young man stopped us and wanted some pamphlets the church hands out when the missionaries are teaching.  Evidently, he had been taught by missionaries before and wanted more information.  We didn’t have what he wanted, but took his phone number and name and will give it to the East London missionaries, which is where he wants to find boarding.  

June 17, 2013 P-day

 P-day and I get to bake cookies for the upcoming zone conference.  I am making chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies for 56 people.  Sister Chase is making two different kinds, as well…then we will buy ice cream to go with them.   Rick spent quite a bit of time at the church working with Brother Canny and Brother Nteyi  cutting out some thorn bushes from heck.  Rick came home quite scratched and a bit bloody from the work.  Tonight we went to the Tunyes and presented a FHE on family unity and talked about what it was and how to bring the family closer together. 

  Rick then taught the flour game to them.  You pack a cup with flour and tip it over very carefully onto a flat surface so it holds the cup shape then you put a coin in the middle of it and take a knife and start slicing at it.  The first one who makes the coin fall gets to take the coin out of the flour with their mouth.  Obviously, no one wants to make it fall.  The family had fun with the game and Magret, the daughter, received the opportunity to retrieve the coin!!!  

 We also left them with a dozen chocolate chip cookies to enjoy after their dinner.

June 15, 2013 RS enrichment meeting

Well, I was “encouraged” to participate in the RS enrichment meeting even though I really dislike doing what they were doing…CROCHETING!!  They were making these cute hats for winter, 

but I really dislike needle work.  It drives me CRAZY!!  I just wasn’t made for that kind of stuff!!  However, I agreed to do it.  

 Part way through the making of the hat, Sister Daka, who was teaching the class, took over my project and “fixed”  it for me…at least for a little while, then she gave it back and told me to “continue on”.  I will, but about that time Sister Cockbain, the RS president, told us it was time to stop and get our refreshment and end the activity.  My little partly done hat will be patiently waiting for me until I get up the courage to do more…then I still need help finishing it.  We will see how it all goes

June 13, 2013 The Sherbert’s served us a great breakfast

 The Sherbert’s served us a great breakfast and then we all headed to Addo Elephant Park to meet up with Elder and Sister Henderson, Elder and Sister VanSickle and Elder and Sister Chase.  Today was the day of the jackals, we saw quite a few. 

We didn’t see as many animals and we have before, but we did finally find the elephants for the Hendersons to see.   

We had lunch at the restaurant at the park.  Once again we had hake and chips.  It seems to be our “if nothing else looks good, get that” fall back.  It was good, as well as the onion rings we had.  We had a great day and got back to Port Alfred around 6 pm.

June 11, 2013 They have started tearing down the temporary bridge

 When we went out today guess what…they have started tearing down the temporary bridge to our boarding.

A detour has been provided. It is quite a ways around it but we do have access to the outside. 

 It has only been since last October that the “temporary” built by the community bridge has been there.  Yes, again South Africa is quite slow in what they do.  We can only hope it is finished before we leave…at least they are starting on it.  That all sounds negative, but it is what it is.  So much is done the hard slow way using mostly manual labor and very little equipment.  It works but is painfully slow. Not too often do you see a backhoe or much of any big equipment so we are very hopeful as this job looks like it will be done with modern equipment.

June 9, 2013 Adventures in the township continue

 Adventures in the township continue…we were driving along and I saw a boy pushing a homemade car made out of a 2 liter bottle and a stick, which you see often here and I wanted to take a picture of it. 

  

Rick stopped the car and as I was taking the picture the boy dropped the stick and started waving to us big time and then ran to Ricks side of the car and wanted us to take his picture. He had a friend with him who also wanted his picture taken. Then came another little boy and another.  Soon there were children surrounding the car.

  

 Rick was trying to get them to back off so he could get a picture of them as they were so close, when a couple of drunken men walked by and wanted their picture taken.   

They asked us where we were from. Rick told them from America and they started talking about this news channel that carries news from the USA and wanted to know when they would see their pictures. When Rick held the camera out so they could see their picture he had already taken, they grabbed his hand and tried to pull the camera to them. I don’t think they were trying to steal the camera but I’m glad Rick had a firm hold on it or we may have had some trouble getting it back in a timely fashion.   Even after seeing their picture on the camera they kept asking when they would see their picture. It then dawned on us that they thought we were from the news station and since we were from the US they would be able to see their pictures on TV.  We told them that wouldn’t happen and said good-bye.  Boy we need to be careful where we stop and who we take pictures of.  Oh, yeah…the men were drunk, very drunk!!!

June 3, 2013

 Other than being windy, the day is a great day.  We headed to Addo Elephant Game Park with our two Elders, (Davuke and Tennant).  We stopped at our favorite farm stall for their great braai bread…this time with egg and bacon.  We usually just get butter and jam, which is really yummy, as well.  

 When we arrived at Addo, Elder Davuke realized that a couple of cars ahead of us were filled with Elders.  Of course, he ran out to check on it and had a great reunion with some of the elders he worked with before. 

At the entrance to the park they had some elephant skulls and it was interesting to note their construction. They are honeycombed. I don't know why but my guess would be to save weight. Can you imagine it is to save weight.

We have been to Addo a number of time and each time our quest is to see something we haven't seen before. This time around it was dung beetles but with no luck. It seems that they are only out and about in the summer and we missed them last year. We are going to try one more time before we leave in October and hope to have a sighting.

 At a second gate to the park, the attendant noticed the tags on the Elders and ran to get his Book of Mormon, I think in Xhosa.  They found out he is an investigator…obviously reading the book.   That was kind of cool.  Then on to the travels through the park…lots of elephants, water buffalo, zebra, and wart hogs, which, by the way, are very ugly!!!  There were other various animals and birds, but those were the main ones of interest.  We got some great pictures and video.  Elder Tennant especially loved the day since it was his first visit to Addo.  

  
 The park is dry this time of year and so at some of the watering holes they have wells and pumps to keep them watered. They must have had problems with the pump and removed it for repairs but that was OK with the elephants they just did their own God given water fetching tool, their trunk. 

Although the pictures don't show it very well some of the elephants got really close to us. The elephants in this picture actually had his trunk and tusks over the hood of our car. A little over a month ago one of the elephants at Addo turned over a car that happened to be in his way, so when these big guys got so close Janet was more than a little worried, but not me. If the elephant rolled our car over I was ready with the camera to get some really good pictures. The pictures below with the backward dating is from Elder Tennants camera and he is from Australia. Janet had our camera but she was to nervous to be taking picture so we had to use his.

We had some oranges and apples in the car and decided to share with the elephants.  One of the elders tried getting one to take it out of his hand...it almost worked, but not quite.  They did, however, like the fruit that ended up on the ground.

We saw our first water buffalo on this trip through.  We were so excited to see one lying down fairly close to the road.  And then, we saw a couple more...and then, more...and then, many more and then...a bunch started crossing the road and then...they just kept coming.  I don't know how many we say today, but it was a BUNCH!!!