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!

Saturday, June 8th Groundbreaking Ezakheni Branch

We got up Saturday morning about 6:30 am for our breakfast with the Wildings, but they called at 7:45 to tell us they had to rush out to help an Elder with a problem, so they agreed to meet us at 9:15, so we could follow them to the site. When we got there, Elders, leaders and members were trying to help carry chairs from the old meeting place to the site where the new building would be. There was no truck to carry the chairs, so they put one of the long church tables in the trunk with half of it hanging out and started stacking chairs on the part hanging out. They had to make several trips, but it was certainly resourceful.
Their current building used to be a butcher shop and slaughterhouse that sold meat to the neighborhood. There was one large room where they held sacrament meeting at one end and did baptisms in a fiberglass pool at the other end of the room, by the garage door where they used to bring in the sides of meat. Creepy! There were only two small rooms, one for the primary and one for whoever got there first. The primary room was so small, that I commented they must have a small primary. I was told that they had at least 20 children meeting in that small room. Wow, was all I could say. I will never complain again when I think a classroom is too small. That is the amazing thing about these people...they never complain, no matter how bad their circumstances.

There was a building outside that looked like a storage shed. I was told that they bought this for the priesthood to have a place to meet. Originally it had ceiling fans and was nice by their standards, but it got broken into and not only was the fan stolen, but all the electrical parts in the walls, etc, plus any lesson books or other items that they kept in there. This happened twice and they finally gave up. They now keep the door open for light and hope for a nice breeze in the summer.



Thus is the reason for a new building that is secure, with a locked gate around it (normal for Africa). They had a photo of the new building posted just inside the door to their current building. Every time I looked at it, a member would stop and say, "Isn't it beautiful? That is our new building." I had to write a story about the ground breaking for the newsroom, so I just copied it below, so you can see what happened, plus I will add a couple of other comments at the end.








On Saturday, June 9^th, members and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Ezakheni, South Africa township picked up a shovel and turned over the soil to officially announce the lot where their new chapel will be built. The District President and Elder Miller were the first to pick up the shovels and turn over the dirt to signify the beginning of constructing a new chapel for the saints of Ezakheni.

Plans for New Building

Plans for the new chapel were on display and construction was due to start immediately after the ceremony. Of course, as usually happens in African events, they were not ready to start at 11:00. They were waiting for the tent (awning) to be erected, the sound hooked up and the people to come that were speaking. The wind was blowing so hard that I was sure the entire awning was going to blow the awning away carrying the two skinny guys that were trying  so hard to put it up. When everyone was there and ready to start, the sound guys finally showed up and began wiring for sound. The Branch President asked everyone to be patient. We were patient, but they never got the sound to work, so we started about an hour late and did the ceremony without a microphone, even with the wind howling in our ears. Non of the members seemed to mind.


Voices singing “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning,” while the gusty winds threatened to collapse the make-shift tent, seemed to parallel  the years of meeting in an old butcher shop/slaughter house for their worship meetings.

(Leaders in attendance, Left to Right) Elder Craig Miller -  Elder Scott Wilding -  Ezakheni Branch President, Titus Egwuatu - Former Ezakheni Branch President, Amos Moloi – New Castle District 1^st Counselor to the District President, Mthenjwa S. Gamede New Castle District 2^nd Counselor to the District President, Samuel Mbhele - New Castle District President, Thamsanqa Ngubane

Elder Kyle with Amos Moloi

Also in attendance was Amos Moloi, the first Branch President of the Ezakheni Branch about ten years ago. He spoke about the history of the branch that originally met in Lady Smith. Members had to take a Kombi from Ezakheni to Lady Smith each Sunday for services. President Moloi and others helped pay for this service. The members longed for a place to meet in Ezakheni and were eventually able to rent another church’s facility on Sundays, because this church had their services on Saturday. President Moloi tells of the time the church officials of the other church told them they could no longer meet in that building. They had nowhere else to meet, so they were faced with having to go to Lady Smith again in kombis for their Sunday service. The members prayed they would be able to stay in Ezakheni and when their leaders went back to plead for the opportunity to continue to meet in their building, that they had been praying that he would change his mind. They were told that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint members must have powerful prayers (“Perhaps you can pray for our members, " he said), because when he asked the members again, they said the branch could still meet there. They met there until another building became available, a former butcher shop/slaughter house.

Leaders of the Branch were the first shovels to break ground

Although the building was not ideal, the members gave thanks for a place to call their own. As the Ezakheni  Branch continued to be faithful and grew their members, they were finally granted their own building, to be built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as a place for their members to not only meet for Sacrament service on Sundays, but for children’s activities, youth seminary, institute and activities, as well as women's group meetings and other member activities. The Ezakheni Branch President spoke about this being a long journey and that Heavenly Father takes us step by step until we reach a level where he wants us to be.

He then said that they had reached that level and were being rewarded by this new building. He congratulated the members on taking those steps and remaining strong in their faith. He is shown above turning over some dirt with Amos Moloi.

When Elder Craig Miller, Counselor to the District President, spoke, he said that as they sang the song about the “Spirit of God”, he hoped they felt the Spirit of God in their souls and would reach out to the community and serve them. Pointing out how it would not be long before the youth of the church would be on missions or become teachers to other youth, or young women leaders and branch/ward priesthood leaders, Elder Miller asked the members to think of this building as a beacon to all the people who live in Ezakheni and to continue to do things that will help the branch grow, like creating strong families (as families are the center of this Church), doing service for the community, inviting others in Ezakheni to come to the church services. He said that with blessings come responsibility and members had a responsibility to be good examples by studying the scriptures, praying often and performing service for others.

Elder & Sister Wilding with Elder and Sister Miller

Elder and Sister Wilding, along with Elder and Sister Miller, were instrumental in hurrying this new building along. Both Sister Wilding and Sister Miller expressed a deep love for the people they work with. They are serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as unpaid volunteers who donate their time to serve the people of South Africa.

With construction due to start on the building directly after the groundbreaking ceremony, the mood was one of appreciation and excitement. Everyone wanted to have a part in breaking ground with the shovels. A couple from each group was asked to come forward and dig in the shovel. Although shy at first, eventually they all 

took part and enjoyed being a part of this amazing day.

 The beautiful young women above would not take a turn with the shovel and were embarrassed to get their picture taken...not so different from the girls in the US.

We then went to lunch with our public affairs person for New Castle. Her name is Nokuthula Zikalala. Her ride was the Millers and they had to leave, so we told her we would pay for her to take a taxi back to New Castle (about two hours away). She picked a place that served hamburgers, steaks and ribs...a very modest place. She ordered the largest thing on the menu, which was a combo ribs, chicken and steak along with spinach and some other vegetable and french fries. And, she is a small woman. She asked us first if she could order it and explained that she didn't have breakfast. She then took part of it home, so we figured that might be her only meal of the day. She was very organized and we talked a lot about the projects in her area...helping hands mostly. They have a lot of things going and she seemed on top of it all. Her only problem is a lack of transporation and a branch that has it doing all kinds of things in addition to her calling as PA director. It was good we got to talk to her, but it was weird dropping her off at the taxi by the side of the road to ride in a van with 12 people she doesn't know for two hours. The people here are used to doing it. It is their main mode of transportation, but it was hard to do.

We then went back to Peaches and Cream and relaxed a bit. I sat out on the porch and read my book until it got too cold to be out there. We went to bed early. The wind and excitement took their toll, but it was a good day.

Thursday - Friday, June 6-7 delivering mail to Lady Smith

Thursday we prepared for our trip out of town by picking up the mail at the mission office for the areas we planned to go to. Sometimes the missionaries have to wait a long time to get their mail, so we try to pick up all mail at the mission office before we go anywhere.  The mail totally filled up our entire trunk (boot in SA). We also had to get groceries...out of everything, and gas up the car. Then back to the flat and back on the computer. I found a sound and lighting guy, Enrico, that is willing to help us look for a venue. He asked for a list of places we already looked, so I sent him a full page of venues and haven't heard from him since...I think he hates to admit that he can do no better...Ha.

Friday, we called the mission office and they had more letters for us to take to the missionaries in the New Castle District, so we popped in there and picked them up. We then took off for Lady Smith, a very scenic trip, and arrived at the Peaches and Cream bed and breakfast that we stayed at previously with the Murdocks. Since it was only about 3:30 when we arrived, we checked in and unpacked, called the Wildings (Senior Couple in Lady Smith) and asked them to breakfast the next morning at Peaches and Cream, before our ground breaking ceremony at Ezakheni at 11:00. They wanted to get there early and it is about a 40 minute drive, so we decided to meet at 7:45 for breakfast.

Since we were pretty free after that and hadn't eaten since breakfast, we decided to get an early dinner. Our landlord recommended the Ginny Fowl, so we headed over there for dinner. It turned out to be excellent food; however, when we tried to pay our bill, they would not take the credit card (our PA card from the church). This was a bit frustrating, but we paid with a personal card. The last time we used the card was when we went to Swaziland and it worked fine.
We had trouble sleeping, between allergies, light from outside shining into the windows and a noisy heater, but finally managed to fall asleep.

Monday - Wednesday, June 3-5 - inspecting missionary apt - sr couple FHE

Today we worked again on trying to find a place for the David Glen Hatch concert. We are running out of ideas, but have a couple of possibilities. We are not enthused about either of them, so I will continue to find just the right one. The problem is we are running out of time.

We finally wrapped up things at our flat and drove to the first Elders apartment. We had to park on the road and call them to come and get us, because it was impossible to see where their apartment is. Many places here have a house in the front and back and because there are so many hills, you cannot see what is in the back. They came and got us. One elder was from Zimbabwe and the other one from Phoenix/Texas/California (He says his family moved a lot). Elder Kyle inspected their car while I inspected the apartment. We had checklists that we were supposed to fill out as we went. This apartment was pretty old and the kitchen was pretty dirty. I opened the refrigerator and it was pretty awful. The dishes were all stacked in a drying rack. There were so many that it's a wonder they could stack them that high without falling, but at least they were clean. Not much else was. I opened the microwave and there was a package of chunks of uncooked meat in there. My first thought was, how long has this meet been in there, but the elder said he just put it in this morning to thaw. So he took it out and put it back in the refrigerator. This microwave was probably the dirtiest I've ever seen, so I told the elder from Zimbabwe that he would have to clean it right away. I took out the round piece of glass and told him to wash it in the sink. Then I turned to look at something else and the elder had the microwave in his hands and was headed toward the sink. I asked him what he was doing (I think he was just going to run water right into the microwave until I told him to just get a rag and clean it. It was a big microwave too. Ha.) Some of these African elders have never seen a microwave before their mission. Some have not had running water, nor indoor toilets. It is all a learning experience. I had my eyes opened today.

The other apartment we inspected was very clean. Of course the apartment was newer and easier to keep clean, but these African Elders were very neat and clean. The cars were clean as well.

We attended Family Home Evening at the Holts that live in the building below us and two other couples were there. We were supposed to look at the conference talks and pick one that really meant a lot to us and explain why. Elder Kyle and Sister Holt talked about Elder Enrique Falabella's talk, 'The Home, the School of Life.' She said that she really liked the way he talked about his wife...you could tell that he really loved her, and he recounted that his wife said to him after they first got married, "It takes two people to contend and I will not be one of them." She said it caused her to think about how she treats her husband and how hard it is to be together with him 24/7 and she is sure it is hard for him too. That started a whole discussion about it and I think we all felt better knowing we were not the only ones having a hard time too. Elder Stark said that he was told by one of his friends who went on a mission that when his wife was in a mood to just go buy some bread (which I think is code for give her some space). It was light-hearted, but helpful. Sister Stark and I talked about Elder Holland's talk. He was telling us that it's okay if we believe a little bit...to work on that and not focus on what we don't know. It was a sweet talk and I loved that he said, "If you don't have a strong testimony, then lean on mine." He is a great speaker. I couldn't help but think of those African elders that are on missions who have not been members themselves for very long and I know that their testimonies have not fully developed yet, but they have such faith. Of course some of us picked the same talks, but we got different things out of it, as we always do.

Tuesday, we went to inspect another car and flat for two Elders in Phoenix (South Africa, not Arizona). They were really sweet Elders and had a very clean flat. One was from Arizona and the other from Idaho. We talked about food, mainly pinto beans and crockpots, then cooking a roast in the crockpot. They were all excited about getting a crockpot, so they could cook more things.

When we got home we had just finished dinner when the little girl (in the other half of our duplex) and her father came over to bring us something they made (some sort of snack made from rice - they are Indian). Elder Kyle started talking to them about Curry and how he bought some that was supposed to be hot, but it wasn't. The little girl (5 years old) left and came back with some curry her grandmother made. Elder Kyle was in heaven and had it for dinner on Wednesday night. He said it was just the right amount of hot. I had taken the family some cookies I made on Monday night, so they felt they should reciprocate. They are very sweet people. I made chocolate, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. The little girl said she liked the peanut butter ones the best (me too).

Wednesday, we worked again on the David Glen Hatch. I got an estimate for two pianos and it was more than some of the venue costs, so it only gets tougher here in Durban. The Area office has a plan to combine the DGH concert with the LotusFM wheelchair give-away, so we'll keep praying that will work out. Lisa at Lotus is looking for a venue.

We then went to the mission office to pick up an envelope from our daughter and the twins...they made the cutest things for Grandpa's birthday and Father's Day, plus the day before he got three great books from Deseret Books. They were very good to him and the butterfly, bat and picture of Jesus that they made are precious. We also picked up all the mail for New Castle, because we are going to their District, for a groundbreaking on a new Chapel this weekend. They are currently meeting in a butcher shop, so this is a very happy occasion. We are staying at Peaches and Cream in Lady Smith again and will be taking photos and writing a story about the event for Mormon Newsroom. We leave on Friday. There was so much packages and mail that it filled our entire trunk! The Elders will be so happy to get their mail.

We then went to the grocery store...we were out of everything. We came back, had dinner and then started working on the computer again, answering email questions, making phone calls, and all the stuff that goes on all day here.

Sunday, June 2nd - Sunday at Pinetown Ward

Sunday we went to Pinetown ward for the first time. We got there about 15 minutes early and were almost the first ones there. The people started coming and almost all of them came to shake our hands...as usual, what I call as "African Friendly." No new person will get ignored in Africa! But, about 9:05 (see photo, church is supposed to start at 9:00), there was still only about ten people in this big chapel. Elder Kyle and I looked at each other and said, "This is not good." We were concerned. They didn't start until 9:10 and still hardly anyone was there. Then, the counselor in the bishopric that was conducting said, "Well I guess people are having a hard time getting here because of the race. As the service went on, people kept trickling in until 1/2 of the chapel was filled. During sacrament, when they just started to bless the water, we heard this booming music from outside. It was a little uncomfortable to have big woofers blaring in the parking lot while we were blessing sacrament and then it hit me, that is one of those taxi vans that brings 12 people. They play really loud music in the vans and when they came to drop some people off for church you would hear their loud music blaring through the open doors when the people got out of the taxi. People were late because they were having a big marathon here and I'm sure taxis were being used by those going to the race, so people trying to get to church probably had to wait for quite a while to catch a ride. Some of these members live far away and have no transportation, so they have to pay to come to church each Sunday.

It was fast and testimony meeting and the first five people who got up were white. One couple was moving to another area, and he was young men's president, so he got up to bear his testimony. Then another couple got up to say they were also moving and how great this guy was as young men's president. Then a woman got up to thank the man for being a great YM president. Then another man got up to do the same and I'm thinking, "Why are only white people getting up when most of the people here are black?" Then finally a black woman got up and gave the best testimony I've heard in a long time. It was a simple confirmation of what she knows to be true about the gospel, but you could feel the spirit. Then several other people got up and gave wonderful testimonies as well. I love testimony meeting here. It is very special.

We had Gospel Doctrine class in the chapel, taught by another white guy who was a great teacher. He explained the plan of salvation in a way I never heard it explained before. He talked about how his dad died last year and he got teary and said, I know that my dad is going to look like my dad and I will know him when I see him. That is what the Lord wants, which is why our bodies will be restored in their perfect form. We WILL recognize people that we knew on earth. He talked about the plan of salvation and Resurrection in a way I will never forget. It was amazing and he was just a humble man being helped by the Spirit.

I went to Relief Society and the guy's wife was the teacher there and she was awesome, but I'm wondering why all the white people are doing everything (Ah, but the bishop and one of his counselors is black). The Relief Society President, who is also white, was moving and being released and no other person had been called yet. So, the lady who taught the lesson talked about callings and asked a young Sister_________(a young single adult African woman in class), what if the Bishop called you in his office today and asked you to be the new RS President? This poor girl looked stricken and said, she would tell him that she would have to pray about it. Then the teacher talked about how many of the prophets in the scriptures did not feel worthy to accept the Lord's callings. She talked about how even Jesus Christ prayed to his Father when he was trying to choose his apostles and how they didn't think they could just give up everything and follow him, but they did. She talked about the early members of the church who left to go on missions to England without any money or any idea where they would stay or how they would eat, but they went. She talked about the people in the Bible and Book of Mormon who told the Lord that they weren't good speakers and didn't think they could do this thing the Lord wanted. She discussed the fact that the young sister said she would have to pray about it, and she said, "The Bishop has already prayed about it and the Lord told him you are the one for this calling" (hypothetically, of course). She asked her if she would tell Heavenly Father "No." She asked her if she knew more than He. She made her point and then she said, "Now sister, what if the Bishop called you into his office today and asked you to be RS President." The poor girl said, "Well the reason I said I would have to pray about it is because I have a job that makes me work on Sunday some times and I don't think I would be able to be a good RS President if I am not here." I know I am making it sound harsh, but the teacher was very gentle and understanding when she made her point and I doubt whether anyone was offended. In a sweet and gentle way she showed us that callings are not from man, but from Heavenly Father through his servants. She then told them that if everyone kept turning down callings because they think they can't teach or that they don't know enough, to read about the prophets who were filled with words from the Lord, so they could talk for Him. She talked about humble people preparing their lessons and then praying for the Lord's help in giving the lesson and the power that can come from the Spirit. Obviously, they are having a problem getting all these fairly new members to agree to be teachers. It was a great lesson. Afterwards, she thanked everyone and told them to have a great week. She was very sweet and compassionate, but spoke with the power of the Spirit. Another great Sunday!

We came home and I spent the rest of the afternoon making cookies for the Elders, because we are going to inspect their apartments tomorrow (and see if they are clean). I wanted to bring a peace offering, in case I have to give them a hard time about not cleaning their apartment.

Friday and Saturday, May 31-June 1 Ukhozi mtg and Indian neighbor children

Friday, we went to the missionary office and picked up some copies of Sunday morning General Conference. We then drove downtown to Ukhozi radio station and dropped off six CDs with a letter to all their management team, basically I told them that we are aware of their love of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and in particular the song, "Come, Come Ye Saints." I told them that the choir sang that song at the conclusion of the Sunday morning session of General Conference, so we thought they might like to hear and see it. It's kind of a sly way to get them to watch General Conference.

We then picked up a few things at the store and came back to continue our search for a concert venue. We got some call backs from our yesterday efforts and two of them said they had that day available. They are hotels, which are not ideal, but at this point we are glad to have some options. We made appointments to see them both next Tuesday. They are both located downtown close to the beach. I am praying that at least one of them is perfect! They cost less money than others, so we are praying for the best. I also found out that August 9th is Woman's Day and they celebrate that here in a big way. Most hotels are booked with events for the entire weekend. Yikes.

We also got an email from Sister Stark in the mission office telling us that we have some mail and that she would like us to do an apartment/car inspection of three pairs of missionary residences. We called the missionaries and set up appointments for Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday is filling up rapidly, as I have a doctor's appointment, we have appointments to see hotels and we are visiting one of the missionary residences that day. Everything happens at once. I've heard some pretty funny stories about inspecting missionary apartments. One apartment was inspected by Sister Shumway and she said she went in the bathroom and the shower had black mold all over it. She told the missionaries to clean it and they told her she would have to go to the store and get them some cleaning supplies. She told them it was not her responsibility...they were to buy their own cleaning supplies. She then said she would be out in the car waiting until they were finished cleaning it and there better not be any black stuff when they were done. Ha. Now I don't know what to expect. It could be very interesting.

Saturday is a beautiful, sunny day, but our landlord is coming over with a crew to replace the floor boards in the upstairs guest room. Apparently it suffers from termite damage. They arrived and started tearing things up. The first thing they did was tear out the wooden closet at one end, then take out the carpet and pad. What they found was no termites, only water damage on one end of the room. They replaced a piece on the outside wall of the room about 3 feet wide. Unfortunately for them, they had already torn out the closet on the other end of the room and it really didn't need to be torn out. They were here the entire day, so we could not leave, but I decided Elder Kyle could stay while I took a walk to the mall to purchase some ingredients for cookies, which I will take to the elders when we go to inspect their apartments. The weather is beautiful and I am so happy to get the exercise and be outdoors. It's only a few blocks and being by myself is something that hasn't happened too often since we've been here. I could actually walk around the mall and go in all stores that had groceries and see what they have. Before we were always in Elder Kyle's  "Get what we need and get out" mode. I discovered lots of treasures for future reference and enjoyed myself immensely. I still haven't found regular mustard or tomato sauce. Who would have thought those would be items we could not get here. They had one mustard labeled American mustard, but it was not yellow and it said it had sugar in it...not American at all, more like all the other mustard here...sweet. I cannot make potato salad the way we like it without regular mustard and mayo. Their mayo here is like miracle whip. Everything has sugar in it. Well, that's all for now. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

The little girl next door came over to see us. She is five and as cute as can be. She calls us Uncle and Aunty. Her brother is seven and not quite as sociable, but they are both cute. Their mother died about a year ago (which I think I mentioned on an earlier blog). The dad's hair is all gray, but the children seem to be coping well, with their grandmother living there and taking care of them. Can you imagine being eight months pregnant and having a stroke where neither mother or child survived? How hard that must have been on that family. He is the guy that took Elder Kyle out to the road to get water from the water truck when the water main broke. He watches out for us and we for him, so it will be tough when they sell their side of the duplex and move out. It's been for sale for about a month now.

Wednesday and Thursday, May 29-30-Botanic Gardens

Wednesday we drove out to the Botanic Gardens to see if that would work as a venue. We got there thanks to Lea (our GPS) and went into the office just inside the gate where we met an Indian gentleman who noticed our badges and asked what happened to the other guy that had been by and given him a bible. He didn't remember his name, but said he was very tall and professional. He then picked up a Book of Mormon with the card of the missionary just inside. It was Elder Murdock. The description was very funny because Jerry is the same height as Elder Kyle (about 5'9" - Definitely under 5'10") and this guy was at least 6' tall. I guess Elder Murdock made a 'large' impression. When we told him why we came, he directed us to another building on the other side of the park.

The place was definitely beautiful, like being at the Summerfield hotel in Swaziland, only on a larger scale. There was a covered area full of orchids, beautiful! And there were Knarley trees that were hundreds of years old and huge. There were flowers and large lawns surrounded by bushes and trees. The birds were out in force and making all kinds of noises. There was a lake in the middle, which is one of the places they have their concerts, but they also have an amphitheater and that was what we were there to check out.


We took a wrong turn on one of the paths, but that was okay, because although Elder Kyle was all business, I was enjoying the scenery. We met a couple of men who saw our badges and the older one said he was from Ogden, Utah (not a member), the younger one from Austin, TX. The older one was very outgoing, so they talked to Elder Kyle for a while. We saw them later on looking at the trees.





We finally came to the building and found the person we were supposed to meet. She was the head of a marketing group that handled renting out the park to the public. She was a blonde lady with a thick English accent. She took us around the area that were for rent and explained about how they have weddings galore in August and September (their busiest month), but for some reason she couldn't check right then to see if it was booked on August 10th.




The option by the lake was nice, but the other two she showed us were basically grassy fields with no trees or bushes. She said if they were having a wedding we would not be able to rent any of the areas as it would disrupt the wedding.


So, we left there not really knowing much more than when we came. We then went to Elder Kyle's hair cut appointment at the mall by our house. While he was getting his haircut, I went off to the eyeglass place to see if they would put the screw back into his relatively new glasses. They repaired it and didn't charge a thing...very nice. I then went to the post office and purchased some stamps and mailed three letters. By the time I got back he was looking pretty good and ready to go. After we arrived back at the house, I got an email saying that the Botanic Garden was booked with a wedding the day we wanted to rent it...sigh...

I then spent the rest of the day into the evening looking for somewhere else to have the concert. I found some places that were too small. I found some large places that were too expensive and I left messages with several others. They all ended up being dead ends.

Thursday we spoke to Elder Murdock. Everyone is in panic mode now. Elder Kyle was on the phone again calling private high schools to see if they had an auditorium. Elder Murdock tried the Dolphin stadium again...he was going to beg. The problem is on Saturday, they have two dolphin shows instead of the three they do on weekdays. Elder Murdock was trying to get them to do a third show and the concert, but in the end, they were not willing to do add the extra show. So Elder Murdock was going back to them to see if they could let us just do the concert that evening. It's a longshot.

Elder Kyle had to go to the doctor's to get his PSI test (prostrate test) to make sure the cancer is no longer active. This is the first time either of us has gone to a regular family doctor. They ended up being two white guys, no nurses. Their office was a converted older house and very sunny and bright with a waiting room full of wicker furniture. Their office staff were very nice and doubled as 'nurses' just to show the patients into their rooms to see the doctor. I was in the waiting room for Elder Kyle's visit and a very pretty black woman (the only one there in a full waiting room) and her five-year old daughter sat close to me. I kept teasing the little girl until I got a big smile from her. We became friends right away, though her mother was not as easy to befriend. I tried to teach her to wiggle her nose, make a fish face, make a church and a steeple with her hands, etc. She was having a great time. She had on jeans with a design on front and aqua trim around the edge of the pant leg. She had on a matching aqua shirt with a cute design and aqua shoes with bows on them.

When Elder Kyle finished we went up to the reception window and he had a vial of blood in his hand. He told me that he had supposed that he would have to go somewhere to get his blood tested and wait a couple of weeks (like in Austin), but the doctor did it all himself, checked him out, asked questions, took his blood pressure and drew the blood. Then he said to call back tomorrow and he would have the results of the test. He wrote out prescriptions and we were on our way in less than 15 minutes. Wow. I think I am going to like the doctors here. I go for my visit on Tuesday next week. It should be interesting. All the senior missionaries go to this guy (Dr. John, first name).

We got back to the house and started searching out venues again. I started on hotels and found a few that sounded and looked good and were available, but when I called I found out they were both located in casinos. Not a great place for an LDS event! Back to square one. I left lots of messages. Hopefully tomorrow we will know something.

You can tell by the photos that the Botanic Gardens was the best part of these two days. We should go back when we have more time to relax.