June 24, 2012

 Our new elder, Elder Dale is having a hard time with the township….the dirtiness, mud, garbage, rats and everything.  

It is hard to take at first, but we know he will get used to it because he has a great desire to serve the Lord wherever he is called to serve.  He is a greenie and will weather through it, it will just take time.

Okay, I admit… I am still not feeling that comfortable there either. It has taken me a while to accept the township living conditions.  I know the people really don’t know any other way to live, but it is hard for me to understand how they can live with all of the garbage around them. 

 Then there is the mud, the cold dark homes, the dim lighting, cows, chickens, goats, pigs just wandering around wherever they want.  Oh and watch out for the do-do stuff it’s everywhere!!  

 It seems like I am always cold.  We layer our clothes but it would be nice to just be warm. We have a small propane heater but you can’t heat the house with it, you just have to sit up close and personal if it’s going to do you any good. I sure miss our wood stove.  It is such a different world here than I am used to.

There have been a couple of times I have been particularly desirous to just go home.  I got over it when I remembered why we are here and who we are serving, but nevertheless they did come. The first time was when I was the teacher in Jr. Primary. I only had 4 children to deal with, but it was overwhelming for me.  Two of them were off the wall…throwing things, hitting each other, climbing (or trying to climb) the shelves and running around.  One of the other boys doesn’t speak or understand any English…he just looks at you and does whatever he wants.  All I could do at that point was call it “the nursery from my worst nightmare” and try to survive!!!  

Enough of the whining. Now for the good stuff.

As hard as it can be some days to go into the townships, it is also wonderful. To visit with the members and share in their joy of the gospel is amazing and so fulfilling.  When we visited the Nteyi family, Patrick Nteyi who was asked to do a lesson in Elders Quorum, wanted to know how he did. He was so grateful for a chance to teach and felt pleased to be of service. He was also glad to know that Rick felt he did a good job.  Sister Priscilla Tunye, the Primary President, is so happy to serve. When asked by Rick to teach the primary children the Articles of Faith, she went at it full speed ahead. Three weeks later the children sang a song in Sacrament Meeting and from memory gave the first three articles of faith, afterwards bearing testimony about what they just gave. They are now set every third Sunday to do the same, sing a song and have children give from memory four or more articles of faith. Now that is magnifying your calling.  They did very well, and brought a wonderful spirit into the meeting with the testimonies they bore.  Sister Tunye is eager to do all she can to serve and welcomes any helpful suggestions we offer.  There is the Mgadi family, who open their home once a week so seminary can meet there and they always join us as well. Then there is Sister Dell, who would give the shirt off her back, and did give the shoes she was wearing to young sister she saw who’s shoes were falling apart. She walked away in just her socks but had a smile on her face.  Brother Nobebe loves to go fellowshipping with the missionaries whenever asked and is always doing something for his neighbors.  The list can go on and on of those who are helping others and are so grateful for any help given to them.  We are very humbled every day at the wonderful spirit these people have about them and the kindness they have toward others and us. 

You never know what you are going to get on Sunday at church but today was great.  The Sacrament Meeting went better than it has since we have been here and the speakers were excellent. The Spirit was very much in attendance today.  Last testimony meeting was also amazing. It is so humbling to hear people who have so little, and struggle so much to just provide food for their families, testify about the love in their hearts for our Heavenly Father and the Savior and how blessed they feel.

This is what mission is all about. There are hard things to endure, but the blessings are so great.

June 23, 2012

 Today is the two month mark for being out on mission. Just a note… a couple of days ago Rick took me to the store and purchased a pair of fleece pajamas…..much warmer now. 

This morning I once again baking cookies for another baptism. This one was for Tanisha Denston.  Her family was baptized last week, however, she turned 8 two days after their baptism so she had to wait until today.   Yesterday Rick interviewed her for baptism and she requested that Elder Stumm baptize her.  That was a big surprise.  We thought she would certainly want Elder Scicluna, who taught the family the gospel, to baptize her and we asked her three times just to make sure.  Nope….Elder Stumm!  

While I was baking cookies for the baptism, Rick and the missionaries were back at the investigators home with the big bad tree and with the new chainsaw Rick got this last Tuesday. They made short order of the project.  RRRRR….more power!!!!!

The Elders did all the work teaching Tanisha but Rick had the privilege at 2pm today of baptizing his first person in South Africa.

The baptismal font is outside and was quite cold.  It took her breath away as it did with her family last week.

 We forgot to bring Rick’s baptismal clothes to the church, so he would just wear something from the church….a jumpsuit. He didn’t have dry garments to wear so he simply dried them as best he could with a towel and went on with the rest of the program.  She will be confirmed tomorrow at church. 

June 21, 2012

 This is just some notes on interesting things and happenings around here, typical of South Africa.

This isn’t really typical of all of South Africa, but here in Port Alfred we are not to drink the water from the tap.  It is bad, smell and otherwise, so we buy bottled water to drink.

Shortening does not exist in South Africa, so it is only margarine or butter for cookies.  Actually, that is what I always used anyway, however, I wanted to make biscuits once and all I could use was butter, which I did.  I thought they were great; however, Rick was not impressed.  They were not the ones he liked with his beans, therefore, not okay.  I fed some to Elder Scicluna and Elder Moangare and they inhaled them, especially Elder Scicluna.  Guess I will make more of them before he leaves.

Brown sugar is definitely not the same.  Their brown sugar looks like a lightly colored white sugar, except maybe the granules are a little larger.  Doesn’t have much brown sugar flavor. They do have treacle sugar which has a molasses flavor. I now use it in cookies to give them better taste and is really quite good.  Brown sugar as we know it does not exist here. 

There is absolutely no central heat or air conditioning here, either.  Most people have portable heaters of some kind.  We have a propane gas heater which I often cling to in the “winter” nights. 

 Now winter isn’t quite like our winter.  They think it is cold, we think it is just spring weather, but it is chilly here in the evening.  Often times it is warmer outside than it is inside.  I should have brought more warm clothes.

Mail is delivered by a man on a bicycle.  

 We also have a PO Box where mail, mostly for the branch, comes. I am not sure how they decide which mail comes to our home address and what goes to the PO Box because it all has the same address on it.  It’s just weird.  We get packages both ways.  Mail from the states still needs to come through the mission home and they post it to us.  The mail to our home address is delivered to the guard at the gate and they give it to us when we go through.  There are a number of different guards, and it is amazing how they all know who we are when we come through.  

They are now painting the buildings in our complex.  All of them are 4 stories tall and they use ladders to reach the top.  

 The ladders are just tied together.

 You won’t find that in the US.  It looks a bit precarious to us!!

In most parking lots, there are usually young men there eager to show you where to park and to help you back out of your spot.  Of course, you are expected to tip them.  We spend a lot of rand just tipping people, even if they don’t help.  They also seem to know which car is yours as they will stand behind it as you arrive.  Rick will tip them after we back out of the parking spot and many of them say “Thank you president” after they receive the tip.  It has kind of baffled us on how many of them call him that. How do they know? 

 While we were in town, Rick found the car and bakkie of his dreams.  The little truck (bakkie) really is kind of cute!!

Because everything here in South Africa, like electricity, internet, phone, and water cost a lot of money, most people have water tanks to hold run-off water from their roofs. 

It does rain a lot here, so filling them up is usually not a big problem.  They use the water to bathe in and do laundry, and some even drink the run-off water, even if it has wiggly things in it!!  Not us!! NO, we do not have a tank.  We are spoiled with regular shower and washing facilities. And, yes again, bottled water.  The people in the townships usually only have a small barrel size tank they use for fun-off. 

June 19, 2012

After visiting and home teaching the Barris and Kenney families we were off to Port Elizabeth and Makro’s where Rick bought a small chainsaw to be used on service projects, and a couple of other tools, since he feels out of sorts without his tools.  There are just some things he needs to have but I’m going to have to put a limit on how many tools are bought or Rick will have a complete set of South African tools before long. 

June 16, 2012

Today, Steven and Leah Moore, Levonique Denston, their granddaughter, and Mary Van Rensburg were all baptized, entering into the first of the covenants that will lead them back to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.  They were all ready for this ordinance and the spirit was strong. Elder Scicluna and Elder Moangare baptized them while Rick presided and also welcomed them to the branch.

That evening we joined the missionaries on a much anticipated dining experience (especially by the missionaries) at Fish River Sun, a resort and very nice restaurant. 

They had a buffet with fish, prawns, beef, chicken, pork, and other many and various dishes plus a large array of desserts for R155 each person. (About $18). We paid for the evening as Elder Moangare will be leaving this transfer and it was our present to him.  We love both of them, they are a great team, have taken great care of us as we learn our job here and work very hard as missionaries.  We are sad to see Elder Moangare leave, but know that whoever is sent will be the right person to help move the Lords work along.  The evening was also in celebration of my birthday.  We had a very nice evening with them.

June 12, 2012

Another birthday has arrived!! Just getting closer to when I can sign up for Medicare!!! The Elders brought over a birthday cake for me and had fun lighting the candle.  

We have no matches but finally figured we could use the flame on our propane heater to light the candle.  It worked great. 

We were invited out to lunch by Sister Helen Dell who is a great lady in our branch.  She has very little money, but wanted to do something special for me.  Very Sweet. We went to Guidos, where I think it was more than she expected to pay.  However, Rick paid the bill, and I think she was grateful.

We then went to help teach Sister Van Rensburg, her last lesson. She will be baptized on Saturday .  

Elder and Sister Van Sickle who are another senior couple serving in Port Elizabeth came by our flat on their way to East London.  They are in charge of employment and were helpful to Rick with guidance in that area for the branch.  Unemployment is very high in Port Alfred. 

Next we visited the Kondile’s and the Nteyi families, both are great families. 

Brother Nteyi has been struggling a little lately so we wanted to visit with them.  They are the family who just recently went to the temple and were sealed together for all eternity, the first and only family from our branch to be sealed.

Brother & Sister Kondile and Elder Moangare

The Kondiles’ live in Port Alfred, but their families live in Port Elizabeth where they go most weekends and attend church. 

We could sure use them here as they are both talented and strong in the gospel. Our visit went well with them and they said they would attend here on Sunday.  

It was a great day!  

June 11, 2012

Today was P-day.  We picked up our missionaries and headed to Grahamstown to meet up with the Elders there and the Nye’s, the senior couple to go to an elephant sanctuary. 

The cost was R85 each, which is around $10 in our money.  There we “met” four female elephants that were rescued from another game park where they were destined to be destroyed to keep the population down so the reserve would not be over grazed. 

 

We were given a short lesson on elephants and had them perform for us by following a number of voice instructions given by the trainer.   We then were able to feed them, pat them and feel their tusks.  It was interesting and fun feeding then both in the trunk and right into their mouths.  Everybody got goobered on, at least a little bit!! 

We then went back to Grahamstown for lunch and ate at a Steers restaurant where they were having a two for one burger day!  Anyone who knows us, as the tightwads we are, can guess what we had. That’s right, two for one. 

What a deal.