Sunday, April 14th - Church

We attended church today with the Murdocks. We first went to a ward in Umlazi (check out the surrounding street names on the map!), which is pretty much an all black ward...just a couple of white people. The talks were great, the people humble and it was a very nice sacrament meeting. We met the leaders of the ward and they were very nice. We spoke to a lady named Zanele Hlongwane. She is putting together a Mother's Day project to honor mothers and she wants to advertise on the radio about the event and try to get sponsors. I didn't know what to say, as Mother's Day is only three weeks away and the scope of the project is huge. We agreed to try and get the radio station to air news of the event and get a speaker from the station. She said the Relief Society in her ward was making the food. When I asked her how many people she expected, she said about 300. My mouth dropped and I squeaked out, "Does the Relief Society know that you are making this much food. She said they did and they were used to making that much food for weddings. Yikes! She is very energized, so I'm sure she will pull it off, but she wants to offer free massages to the women (or very discounted). It's kind of wild, but maybe normal here.???

Recently the Elders in the surrounding areas all painted a mural for the Umlazi Library. It was a sweet thing to do. I thought you might like to see them and the mural they painted. Hopefully I won't get in trouble for copying the photo...ha.

After Sacrament meeting, we went to another ward in Chatsworth. It is an all Indian ward. We attended Relief Society and the sister that taught did a great job. We all sat in a semi circle, only about 10 women, plus Sister Murdock and I. It was fun hearing a lesson "Faithfulness in Times of Trial" in an East Indian accent. There was one woman answering all the questions. Everyone else was kind of quiet...probably because us white folks were there...But they were all very sweet and pretty with their dark skin and black silky hair. The children are really cute and very well behaved. After church, we came back to our flat in Durban and the Murdocks packed up and drove back to Johannesburg. We will miss them, but we are enjoying our peace and quiet and not having to rush off anywhere.

Saturday April 13- PDay

Today is PD and I spent the day washing clothes and getting caught up on personal chores. Then we went to the large 4-story mall with the Murdocks to look for some items we could not get at the mall close to our place. I bought a curling iron that actually works with their electrical system here and we tried to find some adapters for our camera and cell phone chargers. This mall is so huge that I was glad the Murdocks were with us, because we would have been lost for sure. The Mall is VERY crowded with mostly Indian people, some blacks (and almost all workers in the stores) with just a few whites. We are definitely in the minority. Elder Kyle was trying to buy some Tylenol in the drugstore and was informed that he needed to wait in line for the pharmacist to okay it. They do not have regular cold, allergy or pain medications on the shelf. He had to wait a long time and they did not know what Tylenol is. They ended up giving him a non-aspirin pain killer with a strange name, but we are not sure if it is Tylenol or not. It doesn't use the same ingredients on the label. I also had trouble finding a curling iron or curlers for large curls. They have different hair issues here than in the states and my hair would not be the norm....Ha. I tried to find a keyboard that attaches to my Lenovo note pad, but the store did not have much variety and we couldn't get anyone to help us. The ones we did find that might have worked were way more money than I was willing to spend.

The grocery stores do not have the same spices here that I used at home. I could find no ground oregano, only the leaf kind. I had trouble finding black pepper that was already ground. Hamburger is called mince. Ketchup is called tomato sauce and tomato sauce is called tomato puree. The tomato sauce tastes very bitter and the ketchup is very sweet. French fries are chips. Beef Jerky is called Biltong. Powdered sugar is called icing sugar. Brown sugar is in kind of crunchy pieces instead of ground. White sugar is crunchy too, so you have to look for castor sugar to get the refined sugar. They do not have chocolate chips at all or pieces of nuts...only the whole nut. They do not have a large supply of green leafy vegetables. You have to buy your spinach at Woolworths in small packages of organic spinach. If you buy it at the main grocery, Pick and Save, it goes bad pretty quickly.

Fruits are great. Their potatoes are different...no Idaho type potatoes. Their pinto beans are called red speckled beans and they have no black beans. None of the restaurants so far even serve any kind of bean. It seems so strange that a country like this wouldn't use lots of beans. I have cooked one pot of beans and they are almost all gone. You can't get any corn tortillas here and the white tortillas are not plentiful and not all that great. The only chilies that are used a lot here are jalapenos. It's hard to find a boxed cake mix here and the only ones I've seen in small quantities is chocolate cake. They do not sell Pepsi or Doctor Pepper here, mostly coke and sprite products. They do not have 100 orange juice, only OJ blends all of which have sugar in them. Their bread selection is pretty small too. Luckily, we really like their brown bread that obviously has lots of grains in it, but it is not called multigrain, only brown bread. The choices are brown or white bread. They don't have natural peanut butter, only the one with sugar and oil in it. They don't have pie fillings. I made a chocolate cherry cake for the Murdocks and had to make my own cherry pie filling to put in the cake. There are lots more differences, but this gives you an idea of our grocery store selections. There is no Target, Walmart, Costco or any other store that we are used to at home. Woolworths is the closest to Target...It has clothes and a small grocery department. Since the only thing I cooked so far is a pot of beans, brown rice, cheese crisp, ground hamburger and chocolate cherry cake, I need to figure out some local favorites that we will enjoy. Even the pizza here is different...crust is not that great and sauce is different. No pepperoni here on pizza either and cheese is not the same. We've eaten out a lot and we've had some really good food, but it all seems pretty fattening. We will try to experiment with Indian food. All we've heard about it is that it is all really hot. Sounds good to us! Ha.

On the other hand, seafood here is great and very cheap compared to the states; however, their shrimp looks like a sea spider, because they leave all the legs and the head on. I wouldn't touch the stuff, but your Elder Kyle ate a place that was piled high with the critters. I'm trying to be creative and we certainly aren't starving. Every day is a new adventure, in food, culture, weather and people. We work hard, but get enjoyment out of the experience. I only wish everyone we love could be here too. What a party we would have!

Friday, April 12 - shopping and wheelchair give-away

Native African Clothing in Victoria Market

Today the Murdocks took us to Victoria Market downtown. It is full of handmade African wares at great prices. I stocked up on some African necklaces that everyone here seems to wear (at least all the Senior Sisters) and watched Sister Murdock make some purchases. I was introduced to a member of the church that has a shop there and bought a necklace from her. I bought a beaded eyeglass chain, but it broke when I tried to put it on my eyeglasses. Since it only cost $2 and probably took six hours to make, I did not complain. There are many African Zulu dresses here. Sister Murdock had already purchased a complete outfit. I admired a dress that a lady in Lesotho was wearing and she offered to make me one in any color that I like. I decided to wait until I have a better idea of what I want. Elder Kyle bought a shirt that is very African. When I get my dress, we will take a picture.

Wheelchairs made by local business 

We then went to an appointment with TJ, who has a store that makes wheelchairs. We have a project coming up with Lotus FM radio station. For their 30th anniversary they want to give away 30 wheelchairs to people who need them, but cannot afford them. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is paying for the chairs, which have the church's name on them, and Lotus is advertising the contest. We will have a part in choosing the finalists. We talked with TJ about the need of 30 wheelchairs and he told us that he also manufactures the chairs and will want the people we choose to come and get measured for their chair as soon as they are chosen. We took TJ to lunch and learned a bit more about him and his family. He is of Dutch descent and has lived here most of his life. He is a very nice man and we will enjoy working with him on this project. He ordered coffee and lunch and then apologized for it. Of course, we told him he could order whatever he liked, which started a conversation about what is healthy and what is not as most of us proceeded to order the unhealthy...ha

Thursday, April 11th - Mission President

This morning we went into the area office to meet with the Mission President that we will be reporting to while we are in the Durban mission. President Von Stetten is a very nice man and welcomed us into the mission. He told us about the successes and challenges of the mission and the dos and don'ts while we are here, plus gave us a packet of written materials to take home with us. He even gave us a peak at the missionary board that shows all the missionaries in the mission, plus the ones due for transfer and the new ones coming. What a huge responsibility he has for all these missionaries. Of course, he closed the board quickly so none of the missionaries working there would see it. We met the others in the office as well. Three other couples work in the area office.

Indian Ocean pier 10 minutes from our flat

The Murdocks then took us to the beach to show us the best part of Durban. It is the most amazing  beach I have ever seen. There are five miles of bricked walkways and five piers, all very clean and beautiful. The sand is beautiful as well and there are waves good enough for surfing. While walking along the beach (in our suits and dresses and missionary badges), it seemed we were in San Diego, instead of South Africa. But, we were looking at the Indian Ocean. Who would have thought that we would ever dip our toes into the Indian Ocean??? It is very surreal.

Elder Murdock talking to stranger about the church

While on the pier, a man came up to us and pointed at our badges and said, "I like that." This man was from Ghana and very nice. Of course Elder Murdock asked if he would like a pamphlet with the addresses of all our church buildings with a free Mormon Tabernacle CD number to call on the back. He said he would, so we walked him out to our car, so we could pick up a pamphlet. We gave it to him and he smiled and said he would try to go to church while he was here. People here often comment on our missionary badges. It is a very Christian nation and the name Jesus Christ on our badges is pleasing to them. While we were at the bed and breakfast in Lady Smith, one of the maids there came up to me, looked at my tag and asked me to pray with her. She then bowed her head and started softly praying to herself. This went on for a good five minutes. Afterwards we hugged and she smiled and went on her way...a very humbling experience for me.

Cloudy day at the Durban beach

Thursday evening we went to dinner at the Von Stetten's home here. It is a beautiful home that Sister Von Stetten decorated herself. They have been here five years and will be going home in July. We had chicken, salad, baked potatoes, broccoli, carrots, rolls and peach cobbler for dessert. Yummy meal and great company. We enjoyed it very much, especially President Von Stetten's stories about Africa. It was kind of a welcome for us and a goodbye to the Murdocks as well. It was a good day.

Tuesday - Wednesday, April 9 - 10 in Durban

Our Durban Flat - part of duplex

We arrived in Durban Tuesday afternoon and the Murdocks are doing their best to train us on Public Affairs for their area. Durban is beautiful, similar to San Diego in vegetation and weather, though today is a little chilly. According to the Murdocks that is uncharacteristic for here.  We have already met so many people on our journeys, from Priesthood leaders and public affairs leaders in all the branches, districts, groups and wards to all the area office personnel. Remembering names is the hard part...pronouncing them even harder. Needless to say, our minds are swimming with the huge task that has been entrusted to us. The Murdocks got up at 5 am today and took a quick walk around the neighborhood. We opted for extra sleep, a relief from all the early mornings of the past three weeks. The duplex where we live is located on a steep hill, at the top of an area that houses another apartment complex at the lowest part where other missionary couples live. The Murdocks requested to be moved from their apartment down below because of their lack of cell phone signal and their need to have room for an office, as they/us are the PA office for the Durban area. One side of a duplex up above became available for only $50 more a month and it is three times as large, so we are in a 3-bedroom/ 2 1/2 bath two-story home, using one bedroom for the office. It is old and not exactly up to date. The faucets don't work well and the kitchen is very small, but is has beautiful views and the other rooms are spacious, so we feel blessed to be here. There is a toilet just outside of the building in a small enclosed area. When I asked what that was for, I was told it was for the black servants, as they were not allowed to use the home's toilets. It made my heart ache to think of it.

Window from master bdrm overlooking apartments below

We are behind a guard gate. Homes here have barbed wire at the tops of their fences, bars on their windows and extra locks. It makes me a little leery, but the church security people assure us that it is just decreasing the opportunity for robberies. Since the unemployment is high here, people steal to put food on the table...it is a fact of life and the police don't seem too worried about prosecuting, so it persists. We were told that if someone tries to rob us, just give them what they want, as it keeps us from harm and they need it more than we do... A little hard for Elder Kyle and most other men, but safer. I actually feel pretty safe here and we've walked to the mall, which only a few blocks from where we live.

Our flat looking out the front to other couples apartments

We had a public Affairs meeting on Wednesday, April 10th, 6 pm at the Hillcrest chapel. The Bishop of that ward, who used to be one of our public affairs people), Bishop Sabela was in attendance. What a sharp, well spoken man he is. The Spirit radiates from him. The person conducting the meeting was Sipho Duma, the Hillcrest Stake PA director. Others invited were: Mpume Shangase (Government PA), Sherene McDonald, PA from Durban Stake, Basil Smith and his wife who are putting on the Family History conference for the stake (the reason for the meeting), Thembeka Mzolo (Community Outreach), Meridan Creak (Media), Sharon Thumboo, Stake High Council Rep and others. We had 15 in attendance, so it was a good meeting. It was nice to meet everyone and they all seemed prepared to spread the word in the community. The work is going forth in Africa so fast that it seems impossible to keep up, but everyone is trying so hard and the Spirit is so obviously with them. We just hope we can contribute to their efforts.

Elder & Sister Murdock in the Durban office in our flat

Monday, April 8th - heading to Ladysmith

We got up early this morning and ate a nice breakfast at our B&B (Top House B&B). Almost all breakfasts here consist of the same thing: Thinly sliced ham (that they call bacon), sausage, eggs, tomatoes, juice, toast and fruit. Their fruit is very fresh, tropical mainly and good. After breakfast, we headed back to Lesotho to meet with Sister Moorosi and the Elders. We drove to the place she thought the Public Eye newspaper was, but found out that it had moved and we had to go about a mile farther to get to the newspaper office. They welcomed us and scrambled to find enough chairs in their conference room to seat us all (7 of us). Elder Murdock introduced them to the Elders and Sister Moorosi as our Public Affairs person in Lesotho and told them that we wanted to establish a relationship with them, so our projects (like Helping Hands) could be advertised to get people to come and help and also to join with them in finding ways to help their community. The man we met with was very nice and asked for Sister Moorosi's business card. She said that after watching how it was done, she felt comfortable going to the Lesotho Times Newspaper and talking to them. Our entire goal on this mission is to help our public affairs people do the work themselves. We never want to take charge on anything that is going on in their area and we involve Priesthood as much as we can, so they can be the 'go to' in case of questions from the community or media. Our job is to train and encourage and all of our local Public Affairs people here seem to be taking the ball and running with it.

After our meeting, we crossed the border again into South Africa (a longer wait this time as people who have jobs in South Africa were also crossing the border) and headed off to Lady Smith. We got a late start, so we did not arrive in Lady Smith until after dark, about 9 pm. It was a long drive and we were tired, but the B&B where we stayed (Peaches and Cream) was great and the owner met us in her bathrobe. The next morning we had breakfast with Elder and Sister Wilding who are the MLS (Missionary Leader Support) couple in Lady Smith and surrounding area. Keep in mind, that about this time, both Elder Kyle and I are brain dead...jet lag is starting to hit. Our meeting with the Wildings was about the upcoming celebration in Lady Smith that will commemorate the Mormon Pioneer Trek and the Voortrekkers - African term for pioneer or those who pull ahead - African migration through South Africa as the wars raged around them. The idea is to show the similarities of both groups and show how the groups have come together in harmony and how the church is playing a role in that. Those members playing Mormon Pioneers will be in costume with carts and the Voortrekkers will have their costumes and authentic carts. It will all conclude in a park where a major battle during the second Boer War was fought (British against Boers - Dutch). The British used British and black mercenaries to fight the war against the Boers. The Boers were trying to extract themselves from the British rule. They were a distinct part of the Afrikaans movement and today are called Afrikaaners instead of Boers. They are a white race that speaks mainly Dutch with a little German mixed in. We had a great meeting with the Wildings and told them a bit about the family history conference in Bloemfontein. Sister Wilding is a family history buff, so she was very excited to incorporate that into their celebration. It is wonderful to see this couple so out in the middle of nowhere in this relatively small town, showing excitement about this activity and working hard to make it a success.

We then headed off for Johannesburg through the city of Lady Smith and Elder Murdock got pulled over for talking on his cell phone. He is quite a talker and talked the police woman out of getting a ticket. It would have cost him about R750, which is about $80 US. He was talking to me on the phone, but I was not driving. We left the town and entered some construction before getting on the freeway. We had a long wait, so Elder Murdock got out of the car to come and talk to us about how long it was going to take (We were following them). When he did this he smelled gas and looked down at the rear of our car to see a stream of gas coming out onto the ground about the size of a pencil. Elder Kyle looked down and sure enough the gas gauge was quickly going down towards empty. We call this our little miracle, because we were close enough to turn around and head back to Lady Smith for help. We called the Wildings and got a recommendation for a dealer that could fix it, so we headed over there. The guys went in and a young man (mechanic) came out to take a look. We were afraid we would have to stay the night, but he went in, got a clamp for the fuel line that connects to the fuel filter. In less than an hour it was fixed and only cost R8 which is about 70 cents US. He would take no payment himself for fixing it, but he just stood there looking at us. Elder Murdock gave him a brochure offering a free Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD and when Elder Kyle tried again to pay him, he said he would just like to see some American money.  He would not accept a $20 bill, but did accept a $1.00 bill for a souvenir. He continued to watch us as we drove away, as if he knew the Lord was with us. It was so obvious that the Lord was watching over us. We see miracles every day here (If Elder Murdock had not decided to get out of his car, if he had not smelled gas and looked under the car, we would have run out of gas on the freeway somewhere and been where we could not get it fixed). We traveled back to Johannesburg without any more difficulties and arrived in the evening. We went to a Family Home evening with the other group couples in the Johannesburg apartment building where a couple were speaking about their mission and a group of 12 young African men known as the band of brothers.

Sunday, April 7th off to Lesotho

Street heading into Lesotho

Today, we got up and had breakfast, then drove to the country of Lesotho, which is located in the center of South Africa, but they are their own country and not part of South Africa. Therefore, we had to show our passports when we left South Africa and get them stamped. We drove across the border and then had to show our passports again at the customs desk in Lesotho (pronounced laysootoo). Luckily Sunday was not a busy day, but certainly no one is in a hurry there, so it took longer than it should have. As soon as we crossed the border, it was obvious that Lesotho is a poor country. They have the highest incident of aids in all of Africa...about 54%. It was obvious as we drove down streets and saw neighborhoods that this country is poor, but when we arrived at the Masero Branch for sacrament meeting, the members were clean and all dressed up in their finest to go to church. All that we met were very humble and happy to be there.

Lesotho people selling their wares

They treated us like visiting royalty. Sacrament meeting was fast and testimony meeting and we hear the sweetest, purest testimonies that we have ever heard. After sacrament meeting, we drove to the Masianokeng Branch, a couple of miles away. They do not have a building yet and are meeting in 'speed  trailors'. Even though their buildings are modest, they are spotless and full of people. We could not fit in the trailer holding Sunday School because it was so full. They asked the Murdocks to give a youth fireside during YM/YW meeting hour. They came prepared and talked to the youth about cell phones, Facebook and social media dangers and ways to use them for good. I thought perhaps these people were too poor to know about these things, but judging from the questions, many of them have used them or have friends at school who do. After we were finished, we went back to the Masero Branch and taught the same fireside again to their youth, who stayed after church to hear it. The response was about the same. What I learned from this was the amazing difference the church is making in these people's lives, the positive impact it is having on their self-esteem, regardless of their meager incomes. The African people are a very religious people and most believe in Jesus Christ. Many cannot come to church each Sunday because they do not live close, but they save their money and take a taxi whenever they can. Their love of the Savior is very evident in their humble testimonies. Our PA director in that area is Sister Moorosi and she is a very sharp and beautiful African woman. Her husband is the Branch president of the Masianokeng Branch.

The Elders in this branch are amazing. One of them, Elder Falcom was in Ghana and got tranferred to Chatsworth, the Indian Branch outside Durban where he completely turned the branch around and then was transferred to Lesotho to help them get going. He was such a nice young man and so excited to help the African people. We promised him that we would come back the following morning, before we left to head back to Durban, so we could take Sister Moorosi to the local newspaper and show her how to approach them regarding things our church is doing in the area. We left there and headed back to Lady Branch where we were invited to dine with the Olsens. We had to stop at customs in Lesotho to exit and South Africa to enter...it took a bit longer, but still wasn't bad. Sister Olsen fixed a great meal and we watched the Sunday morning session of conference live (It was 6 pm our time). Because of the time difference and many wards not having access to the broadcast, most wards watch the conference from DVDs two to three weeks after the conference has aired, usually in their ward or branch buildings. We then headed back to our B&B for the evening. It was a GOOD DAY, but we are so very tired.