LOOK UP August 21–26, 2012

Your perspective and view of life will change when, rather than being cast down, YOU LOOK UP! 

This was kind of a calm week for us.  As I was living the week, I felt like we were not accomplishing much and it was slow but as I reflect back on it, we were busier than I thought.  After the amazing evening we had on Monday night with the Lobamba boys, we went back to see them Tuesday morning because I had forgotten to give them a treat that I had made….Swazi version of muddy buddies (chex cannot be found here).  It was great to see them.  Then we hurried to visit the Msibi family.  We hadn’t seen them for a while and felt the need to go.  We found Sister Msibi doing much better but Thandasile was not feeling well.  She asked us for a blessing and Dennis gave her the promise that she would feel better.  We are so grateful for priesthood power – the ability to look up and bring the blessings of heaven down. 

Today, August 21st,  was also transfer day.  Now we have never had an uneventful transfer day since we have been here.  Oh, how we wished and prayed for one.  Guess what, we received our answer to our prayers.  It went so smoothly.  We  drove to Petro Port, about 3 hours, to drop off Elder Puso who was going to Durban and picked up Elders Maclean and Guthrie.  Does Maclean sound familiar?  It should.  Now we have two Elder Macleans and they are cousins and best friends.  They are both from England and grew up together.  What a happy reunion when they met at our home that night.  All the elders were at our home to greet the two newest Swazi missionaries when we returned.  We had dinner, dessert and a welcoming party.  They are going to fit in great. 

Saying good-bye to Elder Puso

Welcome Elders Maclean and Guthrie; we will miss you Elder Puso

Cousins greeting after 18 months

Welcome New Elders

New companionship – Luddington and Guthrie

Our new Zone Leaders – Elders Maclean and Kanyembo

Cousins – Benjamin and Carter Maclean

Wednesday, August 22, began with baking of brownies – are you surprised?  I cannot visit without bringing a treat.   Then off to the airport to pick up another return missionary – Elder Vusumuzi Mamba.  He had served in Joburg.  When Dennis released him he asked what was the highlight of your mission and he answered, “I converted myself.”  He was a convert of 3 years before his mission and has an amazing story.  I will tell you some of his story in a later blog.  These people have amazing stories.  When things got bad for them, they looked up and saw a whole different view!  I wonder if I would have had the courage to change my perspective by looking up.  Later, we picked up Sister Chozen and went visiting.  Her counselor in Relief Society had just had a baby girl on Saturday and we were so excited to visit them.  She has two boys and was so happy to have a little girl.  Her husband is not being very good to her right now, so she is kind of alone.  We loved the visit.  The baby is adorable and it warmed my heart to see a brand new baby since I will miss seeing my own little granddaughter being born in December.  How hard that is going to be for me. I can’t even bare to think about it.   But the Lord blessed me with the opportunity of holding this brand new spirit.  Her name is Yenzokuhle which means ‘do the right’.  All names here mean something.  Her two boys names mean – choose the right and always do the right.  How can you go wrong with names like that. (I can’t tell you the Swazi names but people have told us that their names mean things like heaven, enough (their mother had had enough children – funny) first born, amazing.  I love it.  We need to start traditions like that.  When we arrived home, Dennis ran off to Manzini for an audit.

Elder Mamba

 

Greeting his brother

Branch members to greet him home

His release

We took him to where he is staying and some family members were there

Yenzokuhle (Do the Right) Dlamini – 5 days old

Me (horrible picture), Sister Chozen, Sister Dlamini, Yenzokuhle, her brother and some outfits I brought for her

The proud brothers

Thursday was an interesting day.  We woke up at 5:00 a.m. to pick up a member from the Ezulwini Branch, Gcebile,  to take her to pick up her mother-in-law to take her to a hospital because she cannot sit up. They need our bakki to lay her down in the back.   Sounds simple enough, correct?  Not so.    We had to drive 1 1/2 hours to the Nerston/Sandlane border.  Just at the border we turned onto a dirt road for abut 1/2 hours, arrived at the homestead.  We loaded the gogo into the truck just to have the two daughters decide they do not want to take her to the hospital.  When you take someone to the hospital, you have to have a caregiver stay with them.  She needed two caregivers because she cannot do anything for herself.  They didn’t want to have to stay at the hospital.  The gogo was in so much pain.  Everytime we moved her you could see the pain in her face.  I felt so bad for her.  Dennis gently moved her back into her place and we saw tears streaming down her face.  She asked for a blessing.  Dennis blessed her to find peace. We left her behind taking Gcebile and her two children back with us.  It was a lot of dirt roads which would have been very painful for the gogo.  She has been sick for 32 years.  A long time to be in pain.  I hope she soon meets the Savior. (I just found out a few days later, she passed away and was buried on September 1st. I am sure that was a glorious day for her.  She found peace.  Life is hard here in Swaziland.)  Later, we picked up Machowe and Nathi to visit an in-active return missionary, Lewis Dlamini,  to invite him to our reunion on Saturday.  We found him constructing his new home in his family homestead.  We had a great visit with him.  We found out that he had an accident in 2008 and broke his spine and has not been able to work since.  He said that he is in a lot of pain all the time.  I wish that we could help him.  I have no idea why he is not coming to church any more but I felt a very strong spirit from him.  He said that he would come.  We told him to please bring his entire family – wife and 3 children. Now, he did not come but he was the only one that called to say that he was sick and wouldn’t make it.  I feel like there is hope there.  If we can just help him to look up I know his perspective would change.  We also took an invitation to his brother, Peter Mabusa.  He was not there but we gave it to his daughter and challenged her to make him come and bring her.  He didn’t make it but hopefully we have planted seeds.  Mac then came home with us where he helped me make Helping Hand posters for all the branches of the pictures that I took on Saturday.  He helped me with one and then I did the other 2 by myself.  Family, are you impressed?  They turned out pretty good.  Portia came over because I am helping her with her wedding invitations.  The Zawacky’s arrived in the afternoon and so did Sbu to wash our car. Then Mancoba showed up.   It was so fun to have everyone here.   I felt like I was home with family dropping by.  I fixed dinner for everyone, we watched a video of Elder Hollands and then took the kids home.  The Zawacky’s and us stayed up and talked and then to bed.

The gogo’s homestead

That is her in the back of the bakki.  She was so little and weighed nothing.

Putting her back on the mattress on the floor

The outhouse

The toilet

A child – not sure who he belonged to but isn’t he cute

Some of the homestead

Dogs and chickens drinking water

Gcebile

 

Lewis Dlamini and his son

Friday was a lazy day – at least for me.  Dennis had to get up and take the new elders around to get their work permits completed.  When he got home,us and the Zawacky’s went to Manzini market, the Weigh Center for some material that I gave to a seamstress who is making me another skirt, went to Yebo for lunner and then home for a movie night – Forever Strong.  Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, so we all retired early.

August 25th – Sabrina’s 7th birthday.  Happy Birthday to such a cute little to me but big to her, toothless girl!  Wish I was there to party with you and the family.  The family is all together having a grandchildren triathlon and celebrating with Sabrina.  We miss out on a lot but serving is what we are called to do

Our birthday girl

Grandkid’s Triathlon 2012

My family exercising at Heber Valley Camp.  Aren’t they the cutest ever!

It was such a fun day here in Swaziland on Saturday.  We had a missionary reunion.  The return missionaries here talk about the reunions that they have back in the states during conference and would love to attend but are never able to go that far.  So we had one here in Swaziland for them.  It had a two-fold purpose. 1) to create an atmosphere for those who have returned to share their experiences and feel of that missionary spirit; 2) to rekindle the missionary fire in those who have become inactive.  Unfortunately, no inactives came.  But for those who did come, they had a great time.  We had 13 return missionaries and guests that they brought – a total of 23.  They visited while a video was showing that Mac had done with pictures of their missions.  Then short talks by Elder Zawacky, Dennis, me and Pres. Shongwe.  Then we had chicken alfredo, garlic bread, cookies for dinner followed by a clip by Elder Holland.  Then each missionary got up and shared a mission experience and bore their testimony.  What a powerful afternoon.  I have had the privilege of being in two meetings this week where the veil was thin.  The future of Swaziland was there that night.  They are in good hands.

Mac conducted the meeting

Mancoba conducting our music

Pres. Shongwe, Mac Shongwe, Portia (visitor), ? , Nathi Dlamini, Vusi Mamba?, Phila Ntshangase, Muzi Gama, (Back) Sbu Mabula, Mancoba Shongwe

4 had left before I took the picture

Lucky Khoza

Xolani Sithole

Andrew Simelane

We visited the Manzini branch on Sunday because Elder Mamba was speaking.  We met his cute mother who looks exactly like him.  Actually, she looked as if she could be his twin – that young.  Such a darling lady.  At the last hour of the block they had what they called a fireside – for two hours they broke up in groups and talked about how they can improve in serving the Lord by doing home and visiting teaching.  Then met together and had talks and DVD clips that were great.  It was a fantastic meeting.  After they had a light lunch.  We returned home and spent the rest of the night doing a lot of church work.  So behind.

I want to take this time to bare my testimony of how good our Heavenly Father is to us.  I am so grateful for all his blessings.  He loves me and all of us with a love that we will never fully understand.  The saying I began with, I believe.  I know that if we look up to him, life will look so different.  He puts things in perspective.  He makes sense of what is going on around us.  He gives us the strength and courage to do things we had no idea we could do.  I love Him beyond words.   May we all Look Up!

FYI – We just read that there were 5000 babies born in Swaziland in the last 3 months!