Saturday - August 10th day of the Concert cleaning by members, WC and concert

Well, this morning we woke up worried about all the things we might have forgotten. We grabbed all our stuff for the cleaning crew and for the event, packed the car and headed to Chatsworth. All of our weeks of preparation for this day made me a bit nervous, but Elder Kyle reminded me that we did all we could to make it a nice event and we needed to have faith that HF would make it so.

We got there about 10AM and found the most amazing sight! All I could think of was that Heavenly Father sure answers our prayers quickly. There was a whole crew of people with helping hands vests not only cleaning the bathrooms, but pressure washing the walls and floors and using brooms to scrub and clean those areas. They were cheerfully working so hard with the bishop right in the middle of it doing the pressure washing. Some children were also there helping and they were all working so hard.



The broken bathroom toilet had miraculously been fixed (not so the day before). The women were cleaning everything in the bathroom, including washing the walls and doors. It was definitely the cleanest those baths been since they were new. The old and young were all there working hard. We were so moved by their efforts... it was just like Christmas morning to me. I learned later that several families had not eaten breakfast and they were there until 2:00. We were definitely sent angels this day to help us.


The sound guys did not show up until about 11:00, but when they did, they unpacked so much equipment that I couldn't imagine what they were going to do with it all. They got busy though and seemed to know what they were doing. They set up huge speakers and very high-tech lighting. Most important, they were professional and extremely nice people. They set up a control panel in the middle and were there the entire evening controlling the lighting and sound and they only charged R3600, which is about $360.


The draping guy from Vesta did not show up until 1:00, but he got the dressing room division set up on the stage and put down the carpet. It was almost 2:00 and the lighting guys still had stuff everywhere. I told them that we were having the wheelchair event inside at 3:00 by the stage and they looked stricken; however, they recovered quickly and said they were almost done and only needed to tidy up. Ha. Actually they were great and the lighting and sound were very professional.

Actually, the only downside to the whole evening was the piano. I think I said before that it was the only place we could find that rented pianos and it was two hours away. They charged a ridiculous amount to rent the piano as well, but we had no other choice. They were supposed to deliver a grand piano, but delivered instead a 2nd-rate baby grand piano. They were supposed to tune it after delivery, but apparently did not. What they did do was use furniture polish on it, including the keys which made them sticky. I heard the pianists all making fun of it when they arrived to practice. They were comparing it to other lousy pianos they had to use on tour and it ranked right up there with the worst. Ha. Oh well, they still sounded great to everyone who heard them, but I am getting ahead of myself.

About 2:30, the wheelchair recipients started arriving. There was a van full containing Adele Walker's group from SDDS. There was a bus full from Aryan Benevolent Home and there were individuals who sent in applications to Lotus FM radio station, and accompanying care givers and relatives. It was a nice group. We got the missionaries to match up the chairs to our list of names and match the cushion with the size of chair. They were very helpful. I asked Sister Holt to help me get signatures from those who took the chairs and I had it all filled in ahead of time with serial numbers and names, so all they had to do was sign the receipt. This is very important to humanitarian services, as they have had some people selling the chairs that were supposed to go to individuals. The missionaries were very helpful through the whole event.

LotusFM had their DJ get people in the audience to talk about the event while they were waiting for the live feed from their station to actually get started. He handed the mike to me at one point and I couldn't think of a thing to say, just babbled...certainly surprised me with that one. One man from the ABH wanted to talk, so he said some very nice things about us giving them the wheelchairs and he hadn't even gotten his yet. I was so surprised by the condition their current wheelchairs were in. They were really bad. So, his words about how much he appreciated the gift of the chairs was very special. The people from this home were really in bad shape, especially the woman next to the man speaking. She had a badly deformed arm and only one leg. You can also see the bad shape of the arms of the chair that the man is sitting in.

The Lotus FM D.J. was finally able to start the program. They had their marketing manager speak about their association with our church and how grateful they were to have us give the chairs to people in need. She mentioned the church's name several times in her speech and also talked about their goals as a station to help the community and let their listeners know about the different ways they can get help in the community. She called up Lisa Chetty (middle) and explained that she and another lady (Whom we have never met) were the people behind the scenes who made things happen.

The next to speak were the Eggetts from humanitarian aid. They explained the types of humanitarian aid the church provides and that it helps everyone, not just members. Then the DJ asked the director of the Aryan Benevolent Home to come up and say a few words. She expressed her thanks for giving 20 of their deserving patients a new chair spoke a little about what their organization tries to do for their residents. They also asked someone from the Association for the Prevention of Physical Disabilities to say something and she spoke about how helpful it is whenever their people can get wheelchairs that fit them. They help people with disabilities all over the area in many communities, but because we did it on a Saturday, they had no transportation to get to the event.

Next, they asked Adele Walker from the Durban South Skills Development to speak. She is such a wonderful person. She thanked Lotus and the Church. Then she thanked Pastor Kyle and Sister Kyle. She has called Elder Kyle "Pastor" every time we have been there. She always takes us in to  where the disabled are working and says, "Hey everyone, Pastor has come to see us." She also said some very nice things about the disabled people that she works with, all 11 of them receiving wheelchairs were in attendance. She personally made sure that they had transportation to get there. They were such a happy group. We are so grateful that we took the time to go to these places and get to know the people getting chairs and the directors of the organizations. It made is so much more personal for us.

Then, a member of the Durban Stake Presidency spoke a little bit about our desire to help the community and how much we appreciate our Lotus partnership. Then he invited Bishop Sabela to speak (He was late, so the other guy was winging it.). Bishop Sabela (on left) , who normally is such a great speaker, and was a great public affairs director before becoming bishop of the Pinetop Ward, seemed a bit rattled. We found out later that the reason he was late is because one of the members of his ward had died and he had to rush over there. Considering all that, it was quite a feat for him to even show up. We appreciate his efforts and his dedication to public affairs and helping the community.

After a closing prayer by Clive Reddy of Hillcrest Stake public affairs council, we began to pass out the wheelchairs. That is when the big fun began. These people were so happy to get their chairs. Adele's group were really fun. I couldn't resist taking photos of their old chairs. They were so awful. In this photo you can see how bad this man's chair was and it was way too small for him and has no arms. He was so happy he got a new chair that he could not contain his excitement. He seemed so quiet and shy before today, this new wheelchair brought out the child in him. Very sweet.

These two of Adele's group also really needed chairs. At the beginning of the event, they sang a very sweet song and they have great voices. Look how awful the chair she had before looked. The new chairs looked like Mercedes in comparison. These gals are so cute and were so appreciative. They were just beaming. They were also the center of attention, because of their beautiful song and their pretty, sweet faces. People just gravitated to them. And, Adele acted like a proud mama. Ha.

 This is her old chair. What a mess! And look at the both of them below with their new chairs and Elder Eggett. He looks pretty happy that they got their new chairs as well. Some times being the humanitarian couple is not just hard work, but is very rewarding.

Every one there came with hope that their new chair could provide them more comfort and ease of getting around. I think they left with some pride, knowing that they are not only not forgotten, but that they are special sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father.

I love the photos below that show Adele's group and the other groups.  The one where Sipho is wheeling the guy in his chair, he was clasping his hands together and raising them in the air to thank God for the blessing of a new chair.

Utter joy was on their faces. Hope was in their hearts and we felt we may have had a small part in that miracle, so joy was in our hearts as well. At the event, one of the wheelchair recipients said that it seemed like Christmas and birthday rolled into one.

If we don't have another experience on our mission like this one at least we can take this wonderful memory home with us and know that our time in Africa was well spent. Plus, we discovered that there are many people out there who work every day to help people be better. They do not get paid for doing this...in fact, oftentimes they spend their own money to make it happen. We've seen it so many times during this mission. It gives us hope that someday Africa will have many of their problems solved and their country will become the beautiful, successful country we know it can be.


He is not covering his face. He just got finished raising his hands to heaven in thanks for the wheelchair. Pushing him is Sipho Duma, our PA director for Hillcrest Stake. We call him our son and he calls us his mum and dad. It is a funny thing we have going, because he is always asking me for my advice, I feel like his mom some times. Believe it or not, he is actually 46 years old and a policeman. But, look at that face! He is a sweetheart.



Here is most of the group. The David Glen Hatch crew arrived before it was over and loved being a part of the event. They wanted their photos taken with the recipients and tried to help them into their chairs. The DGH group consisted of 18-year-old Nate, who was the football sized piano player who is going on a mission to Washington state when he returns from the tour. He turns18 the night of the fireside Monday in Cape Town. Lauren is married with three children and does several concert tours in Europe. She came from Vienna and was going to Amsterdam after this tour. Ammon is 25 and also very talented. He and Lauren are going to music school in Michigan. During the entire tour, he kept telling everyone he was an eligible bachelor. Greg is the California surfer type, but loves snow skiing. He is 16 years old. Courtney is only 17, but seems to be the mother of the group. She is a rodeo champion in barrel racing and cutting. She is very funny and down to earth. The youngest member of the group (in the middle below) is 14 and an amazing pianist. He looks kind of shy and nerdy, but there is passion in his fingers when he plays. All audiences were amazed that a 14-year-old can play like that.

 That having been said, the concert started at 6:30 and was amazing. We had about 350 people, which was a good turnout. And, even though the piano was not the greatest and the setting was not a concert hall, they all loved that it was related to the wheelchair event and that they could contribute to those people's lives. We are so blessed to have been a part in this, regardless of how much work it was. It was a special event that all those who attended will remember fondly and hopefully think of our church when they do.  After the event we went to Roma's restaurant and it took forever to eat and get out of there. Everyone was really tired. We had been on our feet all day, so we went to bed when we got home (about midnight), knowing that we had to get up early the next day to start all over again. It was a great day.

This is David Glen Hatch and Loren speaking with the Eggetts.

Below is Elder Kyle with the PA team and the member of the Durban Stake Presidency, Gregory getting ready to play piano and me with the guy from Nando's Restaurant who donated 100 meals in a bag to the wheelchair recipients after the event.