ALL IN A WEEK’S TIME

Each day this week has been full and busy but not with our usual routine.  For instance, Monday was cold (to the point that I was in coats and blankets because we do not have a heater) and today, the following Monday, it is very hot!  We have had few opportunities to introduce the gospel to someone (didn’t make our five) but the ones we have been working on are doing great!  We made a trip to Durban for presidency meeting and couldn’t wait to get back to Swaziland – our home.  A cow hit us but  got it fixed in one day!  Unbelievable!  Met a lot of new people – other Durban Senior Couples – but no knew Swazi friends.  All this in a week’s time!

Sunday was a beautiful day!  Nombulelo came to church!  We picked her up and she was ready to go.  The Ezulwini branch welcomed her very warmly and the YSA’s were so glad to see her.  Elder Maclean gave a wonderful talk and I was given the opportunity to bear my testimony in Relief Society.  After the sacrament closing prayer, I turned to Nombulelo and asked if that was given in English or Siswati because I did not understand a word that was said.  She reassured me that it was not English which was a great relief.  We had Mbabane’s Branch President over for dinner that night to discuss the marriage class that Dennis and I will be starting in a few weeks.  It was a good day!

Branch President Ntshalintshali

It rained all day on Monday and turned extremely cold. The blankets and coats came out.   The church is trying to make it possible for members here to be married by someone in the church.  So far, it has not happened.  Dennis and Bro. Shongwe left early to meet with someone about that.  It doesn’t look real promising – it is a two-week class, all day and then a test.  Who has that much time? We did some shopping, baking and the Elders came over.  

Tuesday we drove to Nhlangano for their Districts Development Meeting and Dennis interviewed someone for a temple recommend.  Branch President Bulungo drove back with us, where we fed him and then he went to Mbabane for business.  Dennis did another temple recommend interview that night.  I stayed home to get ready for Durban.  I don’t know why but Dennis and I noticed that there is no graffiti here in Swaziland.  I wonder why that is.  There is a lot of litter, but not graffiti.  I find that interesting.

Nhlangano Branch President Bulunga

Off to Durban we went on Wednesday.  After a lot of phone calls for Dennis and doing last minute projects, we left around 9:30.  We had to return to Nhlangano to deliver some papers to the Elders.  Right after we left them, we were driving to the border post on a road through some beautiful landscape, when this cow comes around a bush, down this hill heading straight for my side of the bakki.  Dennis swerves and slams on his brakes but the cow still managed to hit us.  I will never forget the face of that cow and his huge horns looking straight at me through my window.  We finally stopped but the cow kept going.  We don’t know his damages because he didn’t stick around long enough for us to find out if he was okay.   Our windshield was shattered on my side and there were a few dents.  After assessing everything we drove on.  The rest of the trip we watched the windshield cracks get bigger and bigger.  We were just very grateful that we were on paved, good roads and not the dirt, rutted ones we are used to.  We called the mission office and let them know so they could arrange to get it fixed while we were in town.  When we arrived in beautiful Durban, we drove to Grace’s – our B & B that we stayed in when we first arrived on our mission – got settled and then drove to a restaurant where we met most of the other couples in the mission.  There were many that we had not met yet.  What a great group!

Shumway,  Zweifel,  Heninger, Hudson, Petersen

Gunderson, Zawacky

DeLaMare, Miller, Berry, Zawacky

Gaye Gunderson- her birthday!

The next few days consisted of taking our car in to get fixed (we realized later that we did not take a picture of it!!!! What were we thinking?), sight-seeing in Durban, going to Bake-A-Ton to get baking supplies that I can’t get in Swaziland, shopping (bought an African wrap-around), eating on the Indian Ocean beach, having a mission presidency meeting which the wives were invited (a very good meeting), dinner with  President Von Stetten, bed, getting our bakki back looking very nice, driving to Richards Bay, South Africa where we stayed with Clyde and Yvonne Nuzman (another senior couple) in their home, saw more of the beauty of the Indian Ocean, ate at a pier restaurant, got up very early (4:30) so we could make it to a game reserve at opening, spent 5 hours finding all kinds of animals – elephants, giraffes, bamboo's, monkeys, water buffaloes, wart hogs, then driving home where we found a wonderful surprise.   The funny thing, Dennis had blisters from all the driving that he did!  I really need to learn to drive on the other side of the road, on the other side of the car using my left hand to shift to help Dennis out on the driving.  It was a good trip but like I said, the minute we crossed the border, we both commented on how good it was to be home.

Berry, Zawacky, Gunderson

Nuzmans

Richard’s Bay – isn’t it beautiful

We started the trip by a cow hitting us and ended the trip with this!  Life is good!

Have I mentioned how much I love the Sabbath day!  We attended the Mbabane branch.  They had two confirmations, 3 fabulous talks, a great Gospel Doctrine class and a Relief Society less that was superb.  I couldn’t have asked for more.  My testimony was strengthened.  On the way home from church, we decided to visit our young investigator, Nombulelo.  She was at work and so excited to see us.  She said that she was just going to call to say Hi.  It was so good to see her.  It is amazing how fast these people can weave their way into your heart! Later, we were to meet the Manzini elders to visit some investigators but the couple did not make it home so it was cancelled.  But all was not lost.  While we were at our meeting place, two young men were walking by and we started talking.  He had an Old Navy 4th of July 2006 shirt on.  I told him that I had that exact shirt and he proceeded to tell us that he wanted to go to America.  He figured if he wore that shirt long enough he would make it!  Great reasoning, don’t you think?  Since my brownies were not going to be given to the investigators, I gave them to the young men along with a pass-a-long card, of course. 

Today, was a little discouraging.  Dennis and I had a taste of what the elders most feel a lot of the time.  Everything that we had planned, fail through.  We were suppose to go with Sister Chosen, Ezulwini’s Relief Society President, to visit some of the sisters who are sick in the branch.  But her daughter had a c-section a few days ago and she was taking care of her and the baby, so couldn’t make it.  I was really disappointed.  I had been looking forward to this for a week.  But we rescheduled.  Then we were going to visit a 90-year-old man that we met at the market whom we promised to visit, but he was on his way to Mozambique.  A little out of our mission area!  We did feed some elders pancakes for breakfast, went to the meat market, baked brownies and cookies, did wash, cleaned and now doing my blog.  Dennis is off with the Mbabane’s PEC committee on an overnighter!  They are having a sleep-over in some camp place, then a devotional and training session tomorrow (it is a holiday here – I have no idea what holiday they are celebrating) and then hiking up some mountain.  Of course, they asked for brownies and cookies, which I gladly supplied.  But that leaves me alone and this home makes a lot of noises which I am trying to ignore.  Thank heavens for computers and baking because I have no television, no car, no neighbors besides the elders whom need to be teaching, and no where to go. 

This all in a week’s time.

Some of my laundry

Autumn has arrived in our backyard

HLUHLUWE/UMFOLOZI GAME RESERVE

Birds called the African Weavers makes these nests!  Sabrina, this is one you should look up!

Aren’t they amazing animals!