Sunday, June 9th-Church in Dundee

Today we went to church in Dundee, which is about 40 minutes from Lady Smith. The Wildings were also going to that ward, but wanted to be there early so we agreed to drive separately. I thought it was in the GPS, because I remembered seeing the name Dundee; however, when we got in the car to go, it said Dundee Water Project, which is not the Sunday meeting place. We decided to wait until we got close to Dundee to call the Wildings, but when we called them, no answer. We looked up the elders names for that ward and called them, got directions and made it there okay (5 minutes to spare. Ha). The Dundee branch members, which meet in a school, are also getting a new chapel. The growth in this area is amazing and Dundee is out in the middle of nowhere! It is beautiful though. I can see why people would want to live there, though I am not sure other than ranching what keeps the economy going. It is a small town, but lots of faithful members.

The sacrament meeting was different. I couldn't understand what the branch president was saying. I think he was announcing the men getting the priesthood, but he fumbled with the names and acted very nervous (Maybe because we were there). One of the young men sat next to us in sacrament. He looked about 15, but Elder Kyle found out later that he is 21 and becoming a Priest. He also sat next to Elder Kyle in Priesthood. I think he found a new friend. We sat on black plastic chairs in what looked to be an auditorium. There was a stage and the room was pretty big, however, the windows were open and it was a busy street, plus another church was meeting there and you could hear their singing...lots of 'Amens'. This picture is after church and after the chairs were taken down.

They also blessed a baby, the cutest baby ever...she had on a white bunny outfit with a hood that had pink ears...only a month old...and black babies really are the cutest babies. The mother looked about 15...may have been. Many young girls have babies early here. Of course no father in sight. A talk was given by the District President and he urged all mothers who had children under the age of eight to get them blessed. He said it was the child's right to receive a blessing. He also urged mothers who were not married and self-conscious about having a baby out of wedlock to get their babies blessed. He told them to put aside their feelings and get their babies the blessing they deserved. It really was a good talk.

We then separated to go to Sunday School and everyone picked up a chair and took them outside. We had our lesson on the pathway just outside the building where we had the sacrament. No one said why we didn't just stay in that building. It looked like no one was using it. The youth were up on the stage and the primary went off toward another building. I feel bad that I don't remember what the lesson was about. Ha. She had us all introduce ourselves, so that took some time out of her lesson, but she had prepared and did a good job. The teacher is the lady on the left in this picture. The other lady is the branch president's wife. We met an Afrikaner couple...the only whites in the ward and they were so nice. They have to drive two hours to get to church every week. They live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. They invited us to stay for a brie (BBQ). They brought it in the back of their bakki (truck) and were going to fix food for people after church. We told them we couldn't stay, so they invited us to come and stay at their home the next time we make a visit. They said that their house wasn't much, but they had a bed and a loo and a beautiful view. They then told us about how their house had been robbed three times and how when they tried to rob it the third time, there wasn't much left to take so they burned it down...that they are just now getting it built back up. They said it like it was a normal occurrence and they were dealing with it. No complaints or any sign of being mad that it happened. They raise Brahma bulls.

After Sunday School, we stayed there for Relief Society. The men went down the sidewalk a little way for Priesthood and the Youth met in the yard. We were all in sight of each other and one of the men in the priesthood group said to remember to sing real loud and pretty, so the priesthood could be inspired by us. It was funny, especially when the teacher rolled her eyes. This is where we met (toward the yellow wall, you can see the back of one of the men, which is where they met. You could look over and see the priesthood confirming the men to the priesthood that had been sustained in sacrament. Luckily you couldn't really hear them.

We talked about tithing and the teacher was very nice and did a good job, but she kept making incorrect statements. I corrected her when she said the church tithing money was responsible for all the missionaries and entirely paid their way. Later she said that if we paid our tithing only good things would happen to us, that if we were sick, we would be healed and if we had a problem it would go away. I finally gave up worrying about what she was saying and hoping that Heavenly Father would consider her in-experience and go ahead and heal them when they got sick, if they paid their tithing.

It is so amazing how these people accept us when we come to church. Every woman came up and hugged me and so did all the young women (They wait in line to give hugs)...hugs all the time with no reservation. The funny thing is that they rarely tell me their name. I have to ask and then I don't understand what they say half the time, because the names are so difficult and they talk so softly. After church, one of the young women came up to me and said she was glad we came and wanted to know if we were coming next week. When I said no, she looked crushed. This happened three times with other women. By the time we left, I was feeling terrible that we were not coming back. It made me want to make the three-hour drive to get there on Sundays!

How these Africans love so unconditionally when they have previously been so mistreated by whites in their own country is miraculous to me. After reading Mandela's book, I worried that because we are white we would not be accepted. It could not be further from the truth. Maybe it's the church, but for the most part, we see it all over when we go to stores and restaurants too. The only time I felt uncomfortable was once when I walked by the food court at the mall and a group of Muslim women, most with burkas were sitting at a round table and one of them was giving me a very mean look. I never get that from African women.

We went back to Peaches and Cream and got packed up and ready to go home. I wandered the grounds taking pictures, because the place is so beautiful. It would be nice to be there and have nothing to do but relax. The women who owns the place is very sweet and she was asking all kinds of questions about our mission and why we do it and was shocked when she found out that the church was not paying us to do it...very shocked when she found out we are paying our own way. It was fun telling how everyone in our church is a volunteer. I think she is an Afrikaner, because most whites in that area are, but she doesn't seem religious. She has a son about ready to go to high school, but I haven't seen a dad, so I assume she is a single mom.

The estate is huge. I don't know how many rooms she rents but there are several buildings and beautiful grounds. They serve a great breakfast as well. On Sunday when we left too early to get a hot breakfast (but ate cereal and toast that Elder Kyle made in their kitchen), she discounted our bill for that day. The lady that comes to fix breakfast has to depend upon taxis and they don't always get you there on time. She arrived when we were finishing up and was obviously embarrassed, but we told her that we didn't want a hot breakfast anyway, so not to worry.

We started back to Durban with the wind blowing so hard the car was swerving and then it started to rain. It takes about three hours, so Elder Kyle fought the wind the whole time, but when we got just outside of Durban, the rain stopped and the sky was clear toward the ocean. It was a great trip, but also nice to be back and relax. TIA!