During Sacrament today, I had an amazing experience. I was flipping through my Book of Mormon and it randomly opened and some incredible scriptures would pop out. I would read one scripture and then feel like I should go on and this continued for awhile until I got to the one that summarized everything that He was trying to reveal to me. I am going to take you on that journey……
“O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.” 2 Nephi 9”20 & 21
“Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” Helaman 3:35
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind, and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.” Moroni 10:32
Which led me to this scripture---the ultimate gift for all that we try and do during our sojourn on this earth…..”Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him: for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.” D & C 88:68.
NGIYABONGA KAKHULU Father for “again” sending me a message from Heaven……..
Monday, July 20 – it is going to be a long two weeks. The temple is closed for cleaning for two weeks (they are tearing down all the wallpaper and putting up new…there is a group of 10 men from America that are here working almost 24/7) so that means there are no families, couples coming to the temple to receive their endowments. That makes my day so enjoyable when I get to meet them. But the canteen (cafeteria) is being cleaned so the senior couples came into our center for lunch. We had a great time. Dennis brought me home at 3:00 and he went back. I had to prepare for a special FHE tonight with the Tshabalala family. It was really a good thing that I came home because at 5:00 we had load shedding – no electricity! Luckily I had everything prepared. They came at 5:30, so we had dinner by candlelight. It was adventurous for us but I think they are used to it because when it came time to watch “Meet The Mormons” which they really wanted to see, Dominic got his laptop out and we sat around the table and watched it. The kids were really good. The lights did come on around 9:00 and we were still having fun. They left around 9:30. A great evening.
Our “Men in White”
Connie and Bruce Barton
Lane & Eileen Davis, Dennis, Walter and Susan Peterson
Tshabalala Family – dinner by candlelight
Watching “Meet The Mormons”
Eish, I hate when I take blurry pictures – but too cute to not include….
The little girl that Dominic is holding, was asleep on the couch and just didn’t want to wake up for pictures or to go home!
He’s a good father!
Tuesday, July 21 was spent in the center working on oral histories, making preparations for our Zimbabwe trip, preparing for tomorrow’s oral history, lunch with the Weeks and Waltons, our future boss, Leon Holmes, came in, worked out and blogged. I told you….without the patrons coming to the temple, there is not much to talk about.
A mosque by our home
Dylan Lorimer and Marlee Redford are married!!
“…..I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation.” Moroni 8:17 (Another scripture I found Sunday during the sacrament)
Wednesday was a PERFECT day! We set out early to make it to Parys, South Africa to Interview Bobbi Swanepoel about 1 1/2 hour drive. She is a delightful lady who is fighting lung cancer. She has had treatments in the past and has decided not to treat it this time. But she has an amazing story to tell and we wanted to capture it. In the early 80’s, just after the black received the priesthood, she was asked by her bishop in Johannesburg to go to Soweto – the huge township where the blacks were sent during the Apartheid – and help the recently baptized members there to establish the church. (I will have to tell you later the story of Moses who waited years to join the church who was from Soweto. She worked along side him.) She spent quite a few years going into Soweto to worship with them, start a choir, help them find places to worship, visiting – she and her boys had to have a pass to go into Soweto, just like the blacks had to have a pass to go where the whites were –, and just being their friend. She did this at the expense of her own white ward shunning her. She also lived in Namibia for a few years where there was not an organized church. Her and another group of 5 people would get together and worship. She served a temple mission in the Atlanta, Georgia temple. Now she is in Parys and is the only member there. She is too sick to make it to church which is 35 minutes in Potchefstroom, so said she watches the General Conference DVDs every Sunday for her Sabbath day worship. She cried though as she talked about how much the sacrament meant to her and so grateful when the missionaries bring it to her. She is quite a woman. Her strength and devotion to the gospel is an example to us all. Then we drove to Potchefstroom to visit with Elder and Sister Pier. We told them of our desire to visit some members and to find DIRT roads. We miss them! So they accommodated and found us both and even an orphanage. First we visited Sister Mary Mothobi from Promosa and she gave us some archar….a homemade African spice topping that they like to eat. I put it on a sandwich the following day. Pretty good. To get to her home, we had to take a dirt road. I felt right at home. Then we went to an orphanage where George and Lolo takes in children. They now have 9. They were not home but their young daughter was. It was such a joy to be there among them. Elder Pier told me…”you come alive when you are with the kids.” I have forgotten how much I missed this part of mission. I do miss the children and the humble, kind, loving members. We also drove through Ikageng where the branch attends church in a school. It was a PERFECT day. Thanks Piers for introducing us to Bobbi and Mary and the children.
Bobbi Swanepoel and Lewis, her dog
Mary Mothobi’s home in Promosa
Bill, Mary Mothobi and Mary Pier
The kids were playing in the street as we left Mary’s home. I have missed seeing children playing outside!
Some boys outside of the orphanage – eish, I have missed them!
They love the camera…..
Of course, suckers. I brought two bags of Dum Dums from home and haven’t had much of a chance to give them out. It felt good!
The orphanage – outside of George and Lolo’s home
They were coming out of the kitchen
The one in back, is the daughter of George and Lolo. The others had been here since birth. Aren’t they cute?
Their daughter
Their bathroom
Some sites of the city
A beautiful lake – picture not too good.
A mountain of gypsum
Ngiyabonga kakhulu, Mary and Bill, for a wonderful day!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVAN – 11 years old!!!!!
Thursday, July 23 is our dear friend, Solomon Mahlalela’s birthday. We called him and so enjoyed his cheerful voice! The day was spent at the center enjoying the couples that we work with. We had lunch at Nandos with the Weeks and Waltons. We invited them over for games and treats. It was a great time. We had a huge rainstorm with lightning and thunder throughout the evening into the morning. I love a good rainstorm if I am inside. Electricity actually stayed on during the storm…which is something different than in Swaziland.
Chuck and Liz Walton, Sherry Weeks – Greg Weeks was not feeling well, so didn’t come. He missed out on a wonderful night of treats and games….
I love the people here in Africa…..isn’t that baby beautiful along with her mom!!
HAPPY 24th of JULY…….it was work as usual. Strange, but they don’t celebrate the holiday here. We love our break for lunch with the couples. They are such a great group of people. I have been having a problem with the back of my shoulder. I think it is because of being in front of the computer all the time. I really am not used to it. Never liked the computer and never like staying put for a large amount of time. Good thing I am enjoying what we are doing. But I have to do something about the discomfort I am experiencing. Self-reliance group invited us to their party after work today. We don’t belong to any group – just ourselves – so I think they took pity on us and invited us to their pizza party or it could have been that they just wanted me to bring my caramel popcorn that I had shared with them before. I think I would rather go with the first reason. We had a great time. A fun bunch of kids and adults.
HAPPY 24th of JULY
Lunch in the canteen
Self-reliance pizza party
On our way out of the area office, we found these two spending their Friday “DATE” night in the office……Matt and Lee Herbert. A great couple
We were up early Saturday morning because the Weeks were picking us up at 7:30 a.m. to go to a Saturday Market called Irene Market. They are only opened a few Saturdays a month and this one was “Christmas in July”. What a fun place. The food was fabulous. We had spring rolls, bacon/egg sandwiches, crepes, bought some Lemon Poppyseed dressing that was great, and had booths of plenty to buy. It started to rain. So that kind of ended our day earlier than planned. They then took us to a few other markets that we have been wanting to discover. Went to Thrubbs which is a food market with higher end items and that is where we ate. After they dropped us off, we went to a fruit market and Norwood Food Savers Market. It was suppose to load shed tonight but luckily it didn’t. Bed earlier than usual.
Not sure how these pictures survived the rain!
Trina leaves for her new adventure and home in West Virigina……arrived safely on Monday afternoon.
By 8:15 on Sunday morning, we were out of the home headed for the Protea Glen Branch and Glen Ridge Ward’s Sacrament meetings to meet and train their ward clerks. It was Protea Glen’s Branch Conference so it was packed with the Stake leadership attending. So exciting to see Elder Mfundo Mavundla again. The meeting was great with emphasis on reactivation. Seriously, when I read the scriptures that they were quoting, I was so touched that tears freely flowed. Please take the time to read Ezekiel 34: 5 – 16. I am going to share just small excerpts from these verses: “And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd..” “..my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and NONE DID SEARCH OR SEEK AFTER THEM…” “my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds feed themselves, and feed not my flock.” “…I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places” “…I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick:..” I reflected on a story that Busi Mahlalela was sharing with me when she was visiting. She said that the aunt, Winnie Dube, of some amazing, strong youth in Manzini, Swaziland (Mpilo, Kosikhona, Futhi) which taught them the gospel, but while we were there was totally inactive…but through the continual kindness and acceptance of the branch, has come back after 8 years. (A long, run-on sentence) Then just a few days ago, Busi wrote and said that she had just been called as a counselor to this lady who is now Ngwane Park Branch Relief Society President!!! The shepherd found a lost lamb and rescued her. I hope that we get to go back to Swaziland soon and again see this fine lady to welcome her back.
Our visit with the branch clerk, Bro. Mohau Kgabaga, was great. What an enthusiastic young man. He had already been thinking about what he could do for the annual history. That is a first. That is usually the last thing that the clerks have on their mind. Then we went to the Glen Ridge Ward. For being a ward, there were very few in sacrament meeting – but one member told us that there were a lot of members at the Protea Glen’s meeting because of branch conference. But they missed out on a fabulous sacrament meeting. Elder Johnson, one of the temple senior couples, spoke on the importance of the temples. His thoughts came from Pres. Monson’s talk in general conference. He shared some stories from the Joburg temple. A man from that ward, had lost his 34-day-old baby on Monday and was at the temple on Wednesday with a smile on his face receiving the comfort from his Heavenly Father. He said that there was a hole in his heart from missing his baby, but his perspective in the gospel brought him peace. His family was forever. President Monson in his talk said that the temple brings increase strength and comfort. A lady whose husband came home after 27 years of marriage and said he wanted a divorce, came to the temple for that extra strength and comfort. Another couple whose child was hit by a brick thrown through their car window, was in the hospital in a coma- found the temple their sanctuary. Such a good talk. The young man that followed him got up and quoted Jacob 6:12…”Oh be wise, what can I say more?” Great scripture….but his words also brought strength and the spirit. He spoke on the importance of loving. Half-way through the meeting there was load shedding. But not a moment was lost. The ward clerk that we were to meet with was not there because his wife had a baby. A good reason to miss church!
Sindisa, Portia and Tinyoki Mabasa came for dinner. It was so good to have them in our home. We had such a great time. Family returning!
Mabasa family in our home
Bro. Mohau Kgabaga – Protea Glen Branch clerk
One of Elder Mavundla’s investigators….love that smile!
Elder Mavundla and his companion from Uganda
“…But behold, I,Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” 1 Nephi 1:20 I love my Heavenly Father. He is constantly showing me His kindness and tender mercies….like sending me scriptures during the sacrament to give me direction and to reveal His will for me and the blessing of “seeing Him” if I but endure to the end.
