GO and DO…..DON’T SIT and STEW July 1–8, 2013

We were watching Time Out For Women DVD that our daughter sent us, and one of the presenters (don’t remember which one) made this comment.  I loved it.  What a simple statement with a huge meaning.  This can pertain to almost everything we do in life and in every stage.  Are we sitting around and stewing about the things we should be doing?  Or are we getting up and doing and being an instrument of our Heavenly Father in accomplishing his work?  For those couples who are contemplating a mission, get up and do it.  It will be the best decision you make.  Yes, I miss my family and friends terribly, but the satisfaction and love of serving Him makes the ache worth it.  And the rewards are great! So GO and DO – DON’T SIT and STEW!

Happy July!!!!  Can’t believe that we are already in July and what a way to begin this winter (summer) month.  I was up early to prepare food for our zone activity.  The elders started arriving at 9:30 but of course we didn’t get off until nearly 10:30.  But we arrived at the Cultural Village in time to take a tour of the village and then saw the fantastic show of traditional song and dance of the Swazi’s.  Then we headed for the Mantenga Waterfalls which is part of the village experience.  The elders brought their meat to braai and we provided the fixins.  I love these boys.  We had such a great time.  They work hard and play hard.  I am so lucky to be a part of them.  A lot of them gathered at the home after until it was time for them to return to their boardings to prepare for their evening appointments.  The Lobamba group (I now call them group because of the addition of the young women) gathered for another wonderful FHE.   We had a potato bar after.  They enjoyed that…but then again, they enjoy anything that is edible.

Our excursion to the Cultural Village

The execution rock in the background – a reminder to keep the laws

A little hard to enter these huts for these tall young men

Inside the gogo’s hut

Waiting for the show

Elder Whiting with some of the performers

Elder Goodwin found a fellow ‘mate’ from Australia

Our elders doing their version of the Swazi dance

Mantenga Waterfalls

The cook

Family Home Evening

On Tuesday, July 2nd we left early to attend Nhlangano’s DDM.  Elder Preslar does a great job with his ideas and training of his district.  We talked about how to incorporate into our life Christlike attributes to make us better missionaries.  There was some great discussions.  After the meeting we went for Chinese food – they seriously make the homemade noodles while we are waiting and I think even fetch the vegetables, so we wait forever but the food is so good and only around $3.00 American dollars.  So we play cards while we are waiting.  We also were helping Mfika and Mancoba with preparing their mission papers.  Mfika just needed his 6 passport pictures and signatures and Mancoba needs a bit more.  It will take a few more weeks for his to be finished.  Mancoba arrived at the government place at 7:30 a.m. and after waiting all day, they told him to come back tomorrow.  So he goes back the next day and they tell him to come back the next week.  Now mind you, he lives in Gege which is 45 minutes on dirt road and costs him quite a bit to take kombi.  Even Dennis went in to try and influence them, but they weren’t budging.  So we tried to go get his fingerprints done in between all this and they close at 3:00.  It is an endless wait for them to get any government papers.  Mancoba needs his ID before he can get his passport.  We went to visit Bro. Dludlu and found him out shoveling his rocks to make a ditch for his water way.  He is really an older man.  We told him that they should get the branch to help him.  We will have to make a plan.  Bro. Dludlu wanted Dennis to bless his home, so he did.  After he said, “Now everything will be okay.”  Such a sweet, lonely man since his wife died.  We finished our journey to Gege where we dropped off Mancoba and then went to see Bro. and Sister Malinga.  Bro. Malinga’s mother passed away a few weeks ago and we were unable to attend, so we needed to express our sympathies. There remodeling job is still not completed.  I swear it has almost been a year!  After the 1 1/2 hour drive home, we found Xolani there because he needed to skype Sister Shirley in America.  A busy day in our missionary life.

Waiting for our lunch

Mancoba is the one of the right that is waiting for his ID

Elders Armstrong, Preslar, Mfika (ready to hand in his papers to the president), Nzioka, Wilson, Lombardi

Mancoba in front of his home in Gege

Wednesday was a quiet day for us.  I made caramel popcorn for the treat for the Mbabane/Ezulwini DDM.  Elder Stengile did a presentation on how to use the Book of Mormon in teaching.  Dennis’ favorite subject.  They had role play which Dennis and I were the investigators – I was impressed with the way they handled the different situations and their spirit was felt.  The Elders came over to the home after – fun group.  Dennis went with the  Manzini elders to an appointment and then went to his presidency meeting, while I made soup, vacuumed, and did blog.

HAPPY 4th of JULY – It seems so strange to not be at the fireworks tent with the family.  After 20 years of doing it, my heart and soul automatically turns to fireworks mode!  We are so much grateful to Terry and Trista for taking care of it for us the past two years.  Even though it is not our families favorite thing to do, they support us and help us man the tent and spend this holiday inside a hot tent.  We are forever grateful!  It is a good day to be an American!  One of the children said that it took us being half-way around the world to celebrate the 4th the way it is suppose to be celebrated.

I made cinnamon rolls for the holiday while Dennis took Mbongiseni to the doctors for his mission physical.  We attended the Manzini DDM where Vuzi Mamba did a ‘color’ presentation – what color personality do you have.  Then we drove to Piet Retief (1 1/2 hours) to meet the New Castle Zone Leaders to pick up Lungelo so he can hand in his visa papers.  Then we drove back home.  We delivered sweet rolls and then went to the Mbabane elders boarding where we celebrated the 4th.  I had fixed a casserole and Elder Bingham made brownies.  We played games and then let off a firework that was great.  The next morning, their neighbor came over and asked if they had heard the shots during the night.  They said that he was really frightened and couldn’t sleep the rest of the night.  How sad.  They were truthful and told him they had lit a firework.  We should have warned the neighbors.

It was a chilly night and they had lit a fire in the fireplace  – I was so excited

Playing the game ‘BANG’

Our picture of the firework – great one

Elder Bingham’s brownies

A great 4th celebration – even for the Aussie

 

We had Nathi, Lungelo and Mbongiseni over for breakfast on Friday.  After Dennis took Mbongiseni back to the doctor to finish his papers.  Then we met Manqoba in Mbabane to order the van for our temple trip with the Lobamba boys next Thursday.  We visited Sis. Thoko Shongwe’s school class and then visited with Zweli, Maxwell and Senzo to set up appointments for their baptism for the dead interviews.  Sbu came over to wash the bakki and then had correlation here after.  I was up late cooking getting ready for this weekend’s visit with the new mission president and his wife.

Breakfast – Lungelo, Dennis, Mbongiseni, Nathi

Sister Shongwe’s 4th grade class

The other day when Dennis was doing dishes for the umpteenth time, he turned to me and asked how many times had I used the red spatula that I brought from home.  We both laughed because I think it is used 10 – 20 times a day and bless Dennis’ heart, he washes it that many times.  Saturday it was used a lot.  We had to prepare for a Relief Society enrichment activity, the new mission president and his wife arriving for a meet and greet with the District presidency and all the branch presidencies and their wives and for the elders interviews and their dinner with us on Sunday.  It is a good thing that I feel much more comfortable in the kitchen then behind a pulpit.  I prepared rolls, chicken salad, rice, Heavenly Delight dessert and cole slaw.  While I visited with the ladies at the Ezulwini enrichment activity, Dennis vacuumed the chapel and visited with Manqoba.  Then we went home to stuff the rolls and left for the Manzini chapel to prepare for the meet and greet.  Everyone was there on time except the mission president and his wife who got a late start in Richards Bay and got behind a slow truck.  But it was great to meet President John Zackrison and his wife, Dorothy.  Everyone enjoyed the evening.  After, we found out when we took Pres. and Sister Zackrison to their hotel that they did not have reservations for them and they were booked.  Eish, we tried one other place and they didn’t take credit cards, so they ended up at the Lombardi B & B who gladly took them in.  We had a great evening getting to know each other.  They are wonderful people.  The mission is in good hands!

Ezulwini Relief Society Enrichment

Learning to sew

Waiting for President and Sister Zackrison

Their arrival…

We attended the Ezulwini Branch with the Zackrisons on Sunday.  The Swazi’s have such simple, sweet testimonies.  I love hearing them  bear it.  After sacrament meeting they showed the missionary broadcast for the next two hours.  Even though I had seen it last week, I enjoyed it as much the second time.  We were trying to find Pres. and Sister Zackrison in the audience but never did find them.  After, the president had interviews with the elders – not actually interviews….more like get-to-know-you-views.  They went until 7:00 but Sister Zackrison and I came home around 5:00 to get dinner prepared and to handle a medical situation with one of the elders.  I had planned on 6 for dinner and ended up with 10 because the Nhlangano elders where here and had fasted all day and were starving.  But I think there was enough for all.  Then we invited the Ezulwini elders over for dessert – apple crisp.  The president shared stories with the elders of the miracles that occurred to get the Rome temple built.  He was the lawyer instrumental in accomplishing the task.  After the elders left, Pres. Zackrison set Dennis apart as a counselor in the mission presidency.  Sister Zackrison went to bed and Dennis and president talked for awhile.  They will make a great presidency.

The Shongwe women

Waiting for their getting-to-know-you-views

Story time at the dinner table

It was early to rise on Monday, July 8th because we were headed to Hlane Game Reserve with the Nhlangano elders.  It has been a long time since we have seen game animals, so we were excited they invited us to join them.  We arrived about 6:30 and were not disappointed.  We saw giraffes, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, wart hogs, cranes,  wildebeasts, impalas.  It was a good day for animals.  We came home and got ready for FHE.  Another great lesson and discussion on temples and the atonement.  They must be thinking about these things because they sure had some thought provoking questions.

Look at the crocodile in the water – we waited for him to attack, but he never did

Can you see the jaws of the crocodile – also in the reflection in the water

The rhinos were blocking the road.  Needless to say we backed up and went in another direction

The 3rd one flopped and joined the others – it was so funny to see such a large animal just plop down

It was another great week on mission.  As I review what we did, I always wonder if we accomplished all that we were suppose to do.  There are so many people that we have not seen in such a long time and should be visited.  I know of some that are sick and could use a meal and a friend.  We haven’t taught or bore testimony in a while.   Maybe we should have done all that instead of gone to the game park with the elders.  It is hard to know if we have “Done and Gone instead of Sitting and Stewing”.  As it says in D & C 4 -   I have the desire to serve God with all my heart, might, mind and strength and I hope that I can stand blameless before God at the last day.   I pray that the Lord will direct our path as we try to serve him each and every day and at the end of our mission we will have no regrets.