IT’S BEAUTIFUL Sept. 3–9, 2012

In Swaziland the people love their pictures taken.  It doesn’t make a difference if their young or old, skinny or plump, male or female they see a camera and say “Shoot me”.  I gladly oblige.  And then of course, they want to see the picture on the camera.  When I show it to them their response is always “It’s beautiful” and smile and giggle – young or old, skinny or plump, male or female.  It always shocks me because at home people’s response is never that.   When I see a picture of myself all you hear is - “That is a horrible picture.  Look how fat I am.  Look at all those wrinkles and double chin.  When did I get so old.  My hair looks terrible.  Where are my sunglasses, my eyes look so bad.”  Why are the responses so different?  (We just heard from a friend that said when he points a camera at his wife, she says “I will shoot you if you take that picture.”)

They see themselves as BEAUTIFUL!  It could be because they do not have many mirrors to spend time looking at all their imperfections; or life is so hard that they are just glad to be here; or to see themselves captured in a moment is breathtaking; or maybe they are just glad to be who they are!  I think we can all learn from them.  I know I can.  Let’s not spend so much time looking at our imperfections but more time seeing the beauty within us.  In a picture being taken we are alive enjoying a special moment that is being captured.    We need to “love” who we are.  We have been taught, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Next time you see a picture of yourself, let your response be “It’s beautiful”!  These people are beautiful and so are all of you.  I miss seeing the beauty in all of you. 

Pres. Mahlalele and Bulunga – the men on the outsides – were in our car and had us stop because they wanted a picture with this man that they had just met in their marriage officer class. “It’s beautiful” was their response.

Some of the “BEAUTY” at home

Monday, Sept. 3rd started early for Dennis.  He has to be at the Manzini Chapel by 6:45 to meet Pres. Mahlalela and Pres. Bulunga to take them to a marriage officer class in Mbabane (a class to receive a license to perform marriages in Swaziland) by 8:00 am. The class was all week everyday from 8:00 until 4:00  I have to tell you something Pres. Bulunga from Nhlangano said.  He is the one that has 3 children and his wife passed away a few years ago.  So we asked him if he was going to go home every night and then drive back each morning – a 1 1/2 hour drive.  He said that his children cry for him when he is gone and it makes his “heart hurt” as he patted his chest.  Isn’t that the sweetest way to say that he misses his children terribly.  He went home most nights and it was a very rainy week.  We worried about him but the Lord watched out for him because he was safe and made it on time.  They both think they passed after their testing on Friday.  It is P-day for the elders, so most of the were over.  I love those time.  At 2:00 we had to be at the Manzini chapel again for an appointment with Xolani and his friend, Simon Zulu.  Simon was married traditionally about 10 months ago and he is struggling with the marriage.  He has 2 children- 15 and 10 – with another lady.  He has been raising the young 15 year-old young man his entire life.  He dated his wife for 3 years and she seemed to enjoy his children.  But after he paid labola and married her she seemed to change.  She told him that the young boy could no longer live with them – he has a good job and a large home – and he could no longer support his two children financially.  He had to send his son to his mother’s and now she won’t even let him see them.  He said that the children phone him and cry because they want to see him.  He is torn and doesn’t want to choose between his wife and his children but said that he cannot give up his children….he loves them and they are his responsibility but he also loves his wife.  What a dilemma he has.  We all talked for a few hours and said that we would visit again.  What a good young man.  Most men around here do not take responsibility for the children they produce around here.  If more males were like him, I don’t think we would have the orphan and children poverty they have here. The Manzini elders are giving him the discussions.   Monday night we had the Nhlangano and Gege elders over for dinner.  They are up for Zone Training Meeting.  We had a braai and played games.  We are really enjoying our time with the just the elders from their districts.   Later I called Sis. Dlamini to see how her newborn was and found out she was in the hospital in Hlathikhulu – by Nhlangano – and was on a drip.  She sounded exhausted and so discouraged.  Told her we would try to come see her.

Pres. Mahlalela and  Bulunga

Dennis, Elders Zemberry, Masaya, Cauble, Sele

Tuesday, Sept. 4th, I was up early to prepare breakfast for the elders before their ZTM.  Boy it seems like these ZTM’s come more often than every 6 weeks but it is like Christmas watching all the elders gather – so excited to see each other.  Then we went to the Ezulwini Chapel for the meeting.  It was really good.  Our Zone Leaders, Elder Maclean and Kanyembo, did a great job.  They had asked both Dennis and I to speak briefly.  We did role play, had a self-evaluation exercise and they talked.   It went until 2:00 but I do not think any of the elders minded.  We hurried and drove to Hlathikhulu to give support to Sis. Dlamini.  (On our way down we followed a lot of trucks full of young maidens being returned to their villages after the Reed Dance.  It was raining and they were in big trucks without any cover.  They were stuffed in their like cattle.  How sad. I tried to take some pictures but we were all moving too fast.)  Her baby was doing so much better – off the drip – and Sis. Dlamini was much happier.  We went and bought some groceries for her and the two other mothers there.  This hospital is much better for caring for their patients than Mbabane’s but still they needed a few items. 

Swazi Bakkis (ours is not pictured)

Our Swazi Zone’s new ties – Dennis bought new ones for everyone.  Don’t they look sharp

Sis. Dlamini and her new baby – much happier make

The lady next to her in the hospital

This lady is the baby’s aunt.  The mother was admitted herself to the hospital with TB/HIV.  I sure hope this little one isn’t infected.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY ASIA!!  What a sweet one Asia is and we are not there to enjoy her growing up.  We are sure enjoying the pictures of her though.  Keep them coming.

September 5th also marks our 6-month anniversary of officially being a Senior Couple.  Six-months ago we entered the MTC.  We are so comfortable here and have made so many new friends that it feels like we have been here forever not just 6 months.  But then it seems like yesterday, too.  What a fantastic experience this has  been.  We are looking forward to the next 12 months. (Gina, I need you here to do my hair again.  It hasn’t looked this good since that day.)

Wednesday we ran errands – took frig in to get fixed, food shopping, cooking, etc.  Then we drove to the Shongwe’s homestead for Portia’s temple prep class.  We love these classes with her.  She is really spiritually prepared and it will be a pleasure and honor to be in the temple with her.  Then the Lobamba boys came over for a FHE on Wednesday night.  I fixed spaghetti and found out that they had no idea how to eat it.  They were putting their sauce on the side.  It is funny how something that is so familiar to us is so foreign to others.  I need to remember in the future to explain how to eat it.  They loved the homemade rolls.  I think they would have been happy with just that.  We showed them the Testament DVD.  They enjoyed it.  One of the boys is getting baptized on Sunday and it was great to bear our testimony of the Savior to him and the others.  They asked is we could do this again tomorrow.  At this rate we are going to run out of church movies.

Portia Khoza

Our Lobamba Boys

Thursday, Sept. 6th the YSA’s had a hike planned but it has been raining for three days straight and they thought it best that they postponed the hike but still wanted to get together.  So they came over to borrow our braai and I consisted to make some breadsticks for them.  The Ezulwini elders came over and they were drenched.  Their shoes, socks, shirts, coats, hair, everything was wet.  I showed them by rubber boots that I brought from America so that I would stay dried and Elder Mokoena tried them on.  Guess what?  They fit!!  So I lovingly offered them to him on loan.  They told us that they were the conversation piece wherever they went for the next few days.  We also have been having a lot of trouble with keeping the electricity on here in the home.  It keeps going off.  Luckily, I got the breadsticks made before it went off again.  This time it was out for hours.  We went to bed with it off and sometime during the night, it was restored.  We went over to the YSA party for awhile.  They were having a great time.  About 30 were there along with Nombulelo and her sister and Bhekiwe.  Oh, how I wish we could get these two wonderful young ladies baptized. It was a good thing that we had a dinner invitation because we had no means to cook or see without our electricity.  We had a great visit with the Silavwe’s and a wonderful meal.  She had fixed us such a variety of items.  Enjoyed every moment.

Elder Mokoena with my polka dot boots

 

The YSA party

Simon – baptized just a few months ago

Nombulelo (means Happy) (on right) and her sister, Nombaso (means kingdom)

Dennis, Ned &  Lydia Silavwe

We woke up with the electricity on for only a moment and then off.  So frustrating.  And the fourth day of rain was also a bummer.  It is so wet outside that even the frogs don’t want to be out in it.  Yes, we found a frog in our home.  I wouldn’t even get in the shower until Dennis found it – boy they move fast.  The Mbabane elders bakki got stuck in the mud last night so we found the Ezulwini elders and went to try to get it out. When we arrived the bakki was gone.  Boy, is that a sick feeling.  But we found out a member saw it, got it out and had it save.  We later found Kayise at work and delivered a letter from her new mission president.  She is extremely psyched.  At 6:00 we met some elders to visit the Khoza family.  Babe is a when-convenient member but his wife and 5 children are not – ranging from 24 to 15 1/2 months.  The elders gave a great lesson on prayer and we found out that they all pray individually daily and have family prayer.  Amazing.  They then brought out a meal.  Dennis and I had just eaten so it was difficult to eat but it was really good – no pap.  The make (mother) had to go to work – a nurse in the Mbabane hospital – so we set up a dinner date for them to come to our home, September 16th.  A great family.  I am such an impatient person.  I look at all these amazing people that I know that are not members and want so much to have the gospel in their live right NOW.  Nombulelo, Bro. Dlamini, Bhekiwe, Bro. Mdluli, Khoza family, Israel, Tony etc.    How the gospel would bless their lives and bless the branches.

The Khoza Family

We were awakin’ at 6:45 am Saturday morning by the phone ringing.  It was Babe Hlope from Nhlangano.  The rain had caused his roof and walls of his kitchen to collapse.  We called the elders and Pres. Bulunga to see if they could go help.  We had commitments today so are trying to make it beginning next week to help.  We had been invited to a traditional wedding in Mpaka with Vusi Mamba.  We picked him up and he had sewn us Swazi tops and had purchased a sword with our name on it for us.  We went to the market to get a few other items -  a black hat, a shield and walking stick so we could fit right in and boy did we except for our white skin and no skin showing. We found out that it was an elderly couple married for a very long time.  He has decided to keep her so they are making it permanent.  I’m afraid if Dennis waited that long to make it final, I would tell him it was too late.  The women danced for hours and of course included me.  They loved having white folks at their traditional celebration.  I really don’t think they see many white people in their village which is so far away from anywhere.  They had me dancing in the middle and wanted us to take pictures of them with us.  But some of the pictures we couldn’t keep because they had tooooo little on.  Some of the girls had their Reed dance outfits on and the women’s tops did not cover them very well.  The bride – an old lady – had nothing on top but these feathers.  This is part of their culture that I have some getting used to.  But they were so kind and friendly.  I did enjoy every moment.  They partied all night and then started again on Sunday.  What a tradition.  We arrived home late and went to bed exhausted.  We need someone to show us how to put in a video.  We have some great videos and one of me doing a “kick” dance.  That was a sight to see! My only regret is that I wished I had taken off my sunglasses – I forgot they were on and for those who do not know, my eyes are sensitive to sunlight – and I had one of those “tops” that I could have worn with a shirt underneath and that would have looked just like them.  Oh, well.  Next time!

The bride is the one with all the feathers

This lady was my ‘mentor’ for the day.  She was by my side helping me dance and sing

                                                   Me, the groom and Dennis

I’m suppose to say “it’s beautiful” – Not!  That hat looks good on black people not white!

We got stuck in the mud trying to get to Vusi’s auntie’s home.  We never made it.

Another great Sabbath day.  We attended Mbabane branch again to hear Muzi Gama’s homecoming talk.  Then we went to Ezulwini to witness the baptism of Banele Sanele Magongo.  He gave such a sweet testimony after his baptism.  he said he never thought he would ever have this happen.  He thought he would always have a miserable life.  He used to run from the missionaries.  He would see them come and run away.  He proceeded to say he would never forget this day and asked us to please pray for him.  Oh how powerful the spirit.  I love being amongst these young men.  The Lord has need of them.  After the baptism,  Dennis dropped me off at home, picked up some brownies for his meeting, attended his meetings while I prepared for tomorrow’s visit of Pres. and Sister Von Stetten and worked on blog.  It has been a great week.  Next week is going to be a whirlwind of events culminating with the career/self-employment workshops and all the senior couples coming from Joburg and Durban.   Wish me luck!

Banele Sanele Magongo and Elder Maclean

Welcoming him to the branch!

Remember – you’re always BEAUTIFUL