Pictures...

Chapter 27:

I’m off schedule but with what’s been happening I should be excused. Transfer week is always difficult and this week was transfer week. We lost Elder Smith and Elder Willombe. Elder Smith was so close to our hearts that it was especially hard. Loving these Elders sure makes it hard to say farewell. Boo Hoo!

He is now a Zone leader in the North East area which is close to the office and more affluent area of Joburg. He will enjoy working there as there is lots of variety. I’m sure he will be wonderful. Of course, we gave him a list of things to do as a zone leader…mainly, get a cluster out in Lydenburg! We have so many interested people there but when they hear that church is 100ks away they shiver… We had a meeting with Calisto on Friday and our server explained that she knew our church. “I attended many times in Kanymazane. Yes, I liked it very much. I would like to go back. Nelspruit? Oh no. I cannot afford to go that far.”  We actually talked to her about coming in with Calisto when he rides with the Sibanyoni’s. She agreed that would be great. Calisto has been spreading the gospel to all his fellow workers and three of them would like to come to church with him. With one set of Elders and Calisto we could baptize a Branch in less than a year and we already have Priesthood there and we’ve picked out a building. We are ready to move. We just have to convince President Dunn. So, we’ve given that assignment to Elder Smith… (If only it were that easy)

Our Institute class is going well. We’re already in 1 Nephi 15. Seminary is as productive but we’re only in lesson 5. I’m reading the D&C along with the kids as this is a requirement for graduation. So, along with Book of Mormon, Seminary lessons, Sunday School lessons, D&C and stuff for district meeting I’m getting a lot of reading in. Lucky me. Can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

Except for watching a few TV shows on Netflix with my companion. Fun times.

The weather has cooled down a lot. We are actually enjoying the cool mornings and cooler nights. We’re back to using our blankets for covers. I am no longer sticky and wet all day long. It’s turning from summer to winter so we will still have warm afternoons but it is not blazing hot. Ah, I can breathe again. It is however, getting darker earlier. It’s not even 5 in the afternoon and the sun is already setting.  

We are still happy and productive although with the Elders all at transfer meeting in Joburg we have had a very quiet day. Martha cleaned our flat today; we did a bit of shopping, ate at a Portuguese restaurant and even took a nap. Ah, the rigors of missionary life.

Enjoy the photos. I’ll try to be a bit more timely next week. Still no monkeys in my kitchen, thank goodness…have you seen the mess they make???? Martha would kill me!

Thandaza, our helper at Mopani Pharmacy. She gave us the pillow below. We are sending the Elders to her as she lives in Nelspruit.

cute huh? A gift from Thandaza



My Valentine's gift from my Valentine... He named him Valentino... Cutest Elephant ever!

My gift for Seminary, Elders and ES but he didn't eat any... not even one!!!! He's doing so well on his diet plan. Best he's ever done!

Our last District Meeting as "the group". Sure will miss the guy on my right.
 

Our last meeting with Calisto and Elder Smith. Calisto cried when E. Smith told him he was leaving. The woman next to ES is named Olga and sat in on the lesson.

This is Combi. She works way out of KaNyamazane but ES and E. Swan went to visit her.

This is where she works. It's called a Tuck shop but very similar to a NY Bodega or 7-11

Another view
 

Martha's house in Piernar.

Martha's gold mine... she thinks anyway

her view

kitchen

bedroom... not bad for a township
 

This is Gogo Grace. Gogo means Grandmother. And, ah, yes she is wearing only her garment top... E. Swan was glad she had that on... usually, its National Geographic time around Kanymazane... LOL

A house E. Swan and some other Branch members are building for another member... a single sister

inside. still working on the floor

But, location, location, location... What a view. Not too bad for a free house with no rent, no property taxes and no ... well, at this point lots of no's but its a work in progress and love.

Hit the 6 month mark!

Chapter 26: Satan really doesn’t want this work to go forward!!!!

 

Wow! This week has been filled with disappointments. Portia, our neighbor, student and investigator, has failed from school and had to go home to Bush Buck Ridge which is too far away from us to teach. So, she can’t be baptized since she can’t attend church. We as well as Portia were devastated. Then Ben and Tullie have spent a week going to their old church and meeting with their Pastor. They did not attend institute or come to church this last Sunday. We are very sad but not hopeless. We are still contacting them and REALLY Praying for them. Consequently, we need all your prayers for us.

But on the good side we’ve had a great week despite the fact that Eskom (our electric company here in South Africa)has started what they call Load Shedding and they turn off the power in different grids. Currently our grid is off. I’m glad I’m leaving for Lydenburg as we have no fans blowing and its hot and humid today.

 

I have to tell you a funny story connected with the power grid shut offs. We had one on Friday and it was so hot we couldn’t take it anymore in the flat so we drove to McDonalds where they have a very nice cold Air Conditioning system. We had a quick lunch and sat in the cold space. The Elders joined us but before they arrived a gentleman who was eating lunch alone asked me if I were serving in the ministry? I said yes and we began a conversation. ES joined me and we started to talk. Amidst the conversation it turned to his profession and then to the power outage. He told us he was an OBGYN and worked at the State Hospital across the street and that last night he had to complete a C-section using HIS CELL PHONE FOR LIGHT!!!!! Eish!  

Well, this has been an interestingly weird week. I know I’m really late with this post but hopefully, the pictures will make up for the lateness. We went to Kruger again and its messed up my entire life. It was great but you know how it is when you take a day off… It takes 3 days to make up for the one day off.

Oh, well. Enjoy the photos. Still no monkey’s but that’s because they’re sitting underneath a shade tree in the forest as it’s so hot in Nelspruit. Eish!

photo of Elder Swan's portrait of Elder Willombe
 

The rest of these pix are from Kruger. They speak for themselves. Enjoy!

The End! And no we did not use a telephoto lens. We were very close to these lovely creatures.