Chapter 39
I think this is why I stopped writing novels. I have become
bored or boring. Life has done its inevitable softening around its edges and
become normal. As I returned from the
Swan’s flat I looked up into the hills that surround our apartment complex and
noticed the purple trees across the road; the new white blossoms mingled with
the bright pink ones of our neighbor’s trees as the branches intertwined and
thought, “Ah, it must be spring again. It is truly beautiful here.” I suppose I
had stopped looking at the beauty that thrilled me when we first arrived nearly
a year ago. Today, I recaptured the
excitement of being in Africa! Can you imagine? Africa!
Never in my life would I have imagined I would be writing a
blog page from my flat in Africa…!
But…as each day folds into another I find that I have
“nothing new” to report so I report nothing. Life is pretty routine. We get up
as we should, we go here, we go there, always busy and working but not at new
things, just at ‘normal things.’ We are living life.
Except for the one startling fact that Elder Scott is sick
again. Sadly, he is really sick again. He got sick to his stomach on Monday
night and today, (Friday) he is still ill. Did I ever mention that every kind
of illness is termed “flu?” here? Well, what he has is really the flu. The US
version of the intestinal flu. Just as my system seems to have returned to a
somewhat more balanced nature, his has become totally unhinged. Wow. I would
have thought he just wanted to have more empathy with me except for the
duration of his illness.
We have a few, 3, new missionaries… So I guess that is new.
It is now Friday, a week later. ES is well and do I have a
cure for what is called here a “running stomach.” We all know it as
diarrhea. It worked miraculously. I was
told about this at church. You mix a full glass of water with a Tablespoon of
Corn Starch then drink it down. 2 glasses later ES began to feel better and by
the 3rd glass he was well. He’s been great ever since. Completely
back to normal.
Back to our new jr. elders. Elder L and Allen and Xabile
left us… Elder X went home and L went on to be a Zone Leader alongside Elder
Smith. Elder Allen went somewhere but nowhere I had ever heard of. I’m sure he
is doing fine.
We now have Elder Pickup—yup, Pickup as in Ford, Toyota and
the like. He’s from Provo but originally from WA State. He’s our new District
Leader and doing a great job of it. Then we have 2 Tongan missionaries. One
knew Elder L and one lived on the same island as Elder L but didn’t know him.
Both of them have had to learn English here. Elder T (?) will be going home
next transfer and Elder V (?) just came out in June. Nice typical islanders.
Big Eaters. Big tall boys.
The elders have been working hard to locate new
investigators and they’ve found a few. They are currently teaching 3 different
ones who are progressing with one on date for baptism in September.
I’m busy doing the same old things I always do. I made a
zillion itty-bitty cookies for our Helping Hands outing for Saturday the 15th
of August. I’m in the process of making a huge potato salad for the same event.
September 5th will be a community event called
“Bears and Prayers.” President Dunn was attacked by a grizzly bear and he gives
a great fireside event regarding it. We are setting up an event in Lydenburg
with President as the guest speaker. It ought to be great. I’m working with the
advertising and since one of our members own a printing company she is working
with us to do this work. Should be great. KaNyamazane is hosting the Dunn’s the
next day for the same presentation but for their branch and a few guests.
Sadly, we did not take any photos of our farewell dinner for
Elder X, our welcome dinner for the 3 new ones or our district meeting today!
I’m not sure what brain cloud has alighted over our thought process but …
Sorry.
I’ll take pictures of Helping Hands… Hopefully.
It’s now Wednesday and Helping Hands was a huge success. We
had a great turn out and accomplished several projects the Millennial Home for
Children needed doing. Like painting the garage, building a sand box and raking
the debris from several huge trees. The youth and YA guys were the busiest.
They worked so hard and still had a great time doing it. Our Elders helped put
the sand box together. A group from a school was also there but they only had 2
girls show up to help so our great Elders volunteered to put the box together
for the school teacher. They did a great job and the husband and wife team from
the school was really impressed. They were really impressed that there were
“Mormons” in Nelspruit. They had heard about us but had no idea that we were
real and worldwide. All in all, it was a great productive day!
We, the RS, brought lunch for everyone. Besides making 2
batches of very small chocolate chip cookies, I made my now famous potato salad
and someone else made Chakalaka… Real thing… really, I promise. Its grated carrots, white beans, chilies of
some kind, and an oil dressing. Super-hot. I did not like it. We also had
Boers. Which is a sausage here that is served at every Braai or BBQ to us.
Tastes a bit like bratwurst but heartier.
Sunday was a great day with a baptism afterward of a child
of record but like all the other baptisms we had lunch afterward. I wasn’t
asked to bring anything so I enjoyed the goodies without any work. At every
event, someone always brings marshmallows.
Pink and white mix. You cannot buy plain white marshmallows—they are
always mixed so when you use them to make rice Krispy treats the color is
always a bit weird.
On Monday we had a real day off. We slept in a bit later, we
did some shopping, took a nap and then went to dinner and a movie with the
Swans. We saw Mission Impossible—whatever number it was. But, really great
movie! Enjoyed every minute of it. And really clean! One swear word that I
heard anyway. We were on the edge of our seats the entire time. Loved it and
will see it again when we go home.
Tuesday was a Lydenburg trip where we met a new
investigator. His name is Cecil and he is Afrikaner. He is 18 and a referral.
Which is totally rare out here. He was going to school in Pretoria and he met some
missionaries while one of his friends was being taught. He was so interested
that he called the mission office to request missionaries. Wow. He’s a great
kid.
And… he has the cutest dog. A black Scottie named Bobby. So
cute. I do have pix of him and the dog. They live in a beautiful home that was
built in the early 1900s. Loved it and so typical of plantation South African
times.
We saw and taught many of our regulars out there but didn’t
have much time to visit with them. We did go and look at Lindi and Simon’s new
stand. Here’s how this works. If you are a South African citizen then you can
go to the Home Affairs office and sign up on a register for a stand—a piece of
property. When the province decides they need to develop additional lands they
go down the list and see if the person still wants a piece of property. You
sign your name on the deed and give them a promise that you will develop it
within 2-3 months. You have to do something on it at least. You do not pay for
it but most stands have a 50 Rand a year tax on them. Your water comes from a
spigot about 5 stands away but there is no electricity out as far as their
stand or sewage for that matter. They will have to dig an outhouse. It will be a 2-3 room wood frame surrounded
by corrugated metal paneling and a corrugated zinc roof. A lot of things will
be done outside because it will be hotter than H-E-double-toothpicks inside! But
you won’t find two happier people on the face of the earth now that they can
build their own house.
Today, Wednesday, I attempted to help two branch members
with their family history. We decided we’d meet at our Branch building. After a
few phone calls and several failed attempts to locate the Wi-Fi for the branch
we decided to change the location to my flat. Well, I got on for one sister and
actually entered several family members but due to the recent birth dates of
the deceased she has to get approval to do her cousins work. So we are waiting
for that.
Then when I began the brother’s log in we got all the way in
only to find out that he had an existing account but didn’t remember his
username or password. So by the time we got it sorted 2 hours had passed and
the Elders were expecting me for lunch. I gathered all the information and told
them I would finish imputing it for them and get the papers for them to do the
work next week when we go to the temple.
Tonight is our Book of Mormon class and I have to do a bit
of reading for that. Busy day. But a fun day helping. Family Search has really
changed a lot and for the better. Super easy to move around in. Enjoyed doing
the work today. I guess I’ll have to do more of it when I get home. I remember
when Rabecca and family lived with us, we’d sit at the island and do family
history. Good times.
Institute was canceled due to a lack of students. So, ES and
I watched NCIS and had dinner.
Thursday was an interesting day with shopping in the
morning, meeting the President at the branch for him to interview temple
recommend holders. In the evening, the Branch leaders had a meeting with the
mission president while Sister Maleka, Sister McCarthy and I went to McDonalds
for a laugh fest.
After district meeting, which was really great, ES and I
drove to Lydenburg to pick up the flyers, poster and signage for the upcoming
Lydenburg Bears and Prayers event.
Saturday was Seminary. We watched Joseph Smith; the Prophet
of the Restoration—the same DVD they used to play in the Joseph Smith Building.
Great movie. Of course, I cried but so did the others.
The Elders went to Lydenburg while I stayed home and cooked,
cleaned, mended and worked on assignments regarding the branch’s history.
Another new week!
This week was full of adventure as we had zone conference on
Wednesday in Johannesburg. That’s about a 5 hour drive if you stop for lunch
which we did. The Swans went with us even though they were both feeling poorly.
Sister Swan has strep throat and Elder Swan developed a cold the day of and was
really feeling it by the time we arrived at our B&B. They had arranged for
a nice place on the edge of a golf course. We settled in then arranged for
dinner.
Zone conference was excellent. We had several guests and
guest presenters which brought another dimension to what we needed to learn.
There was a newly baptized couple who told their story and answered questions
on how they found the gospel.
The Schultes… I think. They are Afrikaner which is quite
different from the norm around here anyway. His brother is a member from way
back but lives in New Zealand. Brother Schulte always knew there was something
different about his brother who always seemed to be the sensible one; the one
with all the answers; they one who knew who he was. While he was a drug addict,
a heavy smoker, a partier and really concerned with the world and not with his
family and certainly not with God. He became quite adept at mixed martial arts
and became South Africa’s champion. He thought he had reached his pinnacle. His
wife was into spiritualism, super-natural healing and drugs along with
Eastern-type beliefs without really embracing any of them fully. She said, all
they did as a family was fight. They were so unhappy. Well, one day the
missionaries just happened to knock on their door. Because of the brother and
his connection, she let them in. They seemed to connect. It went on from there
lesson by lesson until their lives began to change. They have only been
baptized for few months but they are glowing with happiness. As they tell their
story you can feel the spirit bear testimony that they really know the church
is where one finds the saving ordinances.
But, it was an 11 year journey for them. 11 years ago, she
told her brother-in-law—the member—to never mention the church again or she’d
walk out of his house and never come back. But then 3 years ago, she quit drugs
and smoking. Her husband followed to support her because she was near death
using them. Then a while ago she tried to commit suicide. Shortly afterwards
she asked a member she had met through the missionaries if he would give her a
blessing. He told her so many things in that blessing that she knew God knew
her personally and that He loved her. That was their changing point. Brother
Schulte said he had always felt the spirit—now that he knows what it is to do
so—whenever his brother spoke to him about the church but that his life was
such a mess that he just couldn’t or wouldn’t believe it could be the same for
him. He didn’t feel worthy enough to feel the joy of God’s love.
What a story. It was so moving and heart touching but not
sad—extremely joyful.
Then Elder and Sister Peterson were there to do a class on
emotional well-being. He is the mission phycologist. I didn’t even know they
had one. He is in charge of 14 missions all across the southern part of Africa.
I learned that if I have a problem I
ruminate. Which in its very nature, makes things worse. I have learned how to
break the cycle. Well, it’s easier said than done of course. But it was an
interesting class.
Overall, I think this was the best zone conference we have
been to. Now we will only have one more before we go home. Which is super
amazing to think that time has gone by so quickly or I guess a more accurate
statement is that time is going by so
quickly since we still have 6 months to serve.
I hope by then that Lydenburg will be a branch and that we
will be in our new building. Those are our goals…however, we have absolutely no
control or influence over either happening. So????
It has taken me two days to recover from our Joburg trip as
I do all the driving. Any time I have change in our schedule it really takes it
out of me. I get so tired. I think I am old. Sigh! Oh well, like grandma Scott
used to say, “It beats the alternative.”
The crazy thing is we are going to Joburg tomorrow. This
time we are going to the temple. We have permission to take the Nkosi girls
with us for them to do baptisms for the dead. They are so excited to do this
and we are so excited for them to experience the temple. I’m not sure how many
are actually going to be there but most of those recent converts will be there.
Calisto and Christine, Lindi and Simon and Evelyn and Pearl and Siyabonga as
well. There are lots of youth going. It is life changing for them. I hope it
cements their faith forever.
But, it’s another 5 hour drive and we have to leave at 4
a.m. I’m not sure what time we will get home but I hope early enough to rest
before we start all over again on Sunday.
Monday is our “”take the elders to Kruger” day. Since Elder
T from Kany is going home and so is Elder Edeouch is going home shortly, we
will spoil them with a day in Kruger.
Maybe we’ll remember to take a few photos. Oh, one more
thing. One the way to Joburg, ES’s phone screen died. It just went black and no
matter what he did it stayed that way. He had to get a new phone but I’m afraid
he has lost all his photos that he’s been collecting for me. Sigh.
One more experience then I’m out of here for another week…
maybe.
Saturday evening, I was preparing a shrimp and avocado salad
for our dinner. It was about 7:30 and I suspected ES would be home soon and
hungry so I began rinsing the shrimp. Then I began to prepare the avo’s. As
usual, I cut the first one in half and then began to remove the seed. I have
always done it this way although I may consider a new way from this point on… I
hit the seed with the edge of a sharp knife and it sticks in and I lift the
seed out. Well, that time, the knife blade slipped off the slippery seed and
plunged through the avocado and into my hand. Ouch!!!!
It really hurt and instantly started to bleed! Like lots and
lots. So being the sensible person I am I rinsed it under cold water and then
as I saw the extent of the wound I grabbed a cloth—sadly one of my Norwex
cloths—and applied pressure. About 10 minutes later, when the bleeding wouldn’t
stop I called ES asking him how far away he was…. Eish, he hadn’t even left
Lydenburg yet! I asked him to call the Swans to see if they were home and if
they could come and rescue me. About 20 minutes later (they had to change from
their pjs) they came over. Sister Swan agreed that I needed stitches so they
drove me to Urgent Care. We arrived about 15 minutes before they were going to
close so I was glad they were still open and I didn’t have to go to the regular
ER… who knows how long that would have taken. But, I was admitted immediately and
10 minutes later my hand was numb and I had 4 stitches in it. Wow.
Today, Friday, I had the stitches removed. It still hurts a
bit and wow did the back of my hand bruise. It is all kinds of purple, green
and yellow. I am positive I hit the bone with the tip of the knife!
Well, live and learn. No more sharp knives for me!
 |
| these are the only photos we have available. This is where we stayed. It was very nice. |
And gladly, no monkey’s in my kitchen. No avocados either.
(sorry no pictures of Bobby, the Scotty dog. They were all lost with the phone disaster)
