MENSIVERSARY (Monthiversary) June 29 thru July 5, 2015

July 5th marks our “mensiversary” (mensis is Latin for month)….one month since we stepped off American soil and landed on African soil.  As I look back on the past month, we have learned so much, reunited with so many former friends, amazing new people have entered our lives, gained a greater appreciation of how many people it takes to run this global church (and our area office is just a small section of the world),  had to rely on the Lord to compensate for my lack of “technology” skills and continuing to grow in my love for my eternal companion.  All in a month.  Can’t wait to discover what the next 17 months will bring us. It will fly past, so we need to savor each and every day.

Monday, June 29th was a marvelous way to start the week.  Sleep eluded me again, so at 4:00 I was up making cole slaw, cleaning and enjoying the morning, which I seldom ever see the early dawn.  We went to the center early to get some work done because we had a busy day ahead of us which would take us away from our center responsibilities.  We were meeting some of the temple couples and President and Sister Dunn of the Johannesburg mission for a “field trip” of the Joburg mission office, MTC facilities and then the mission home.  It was a most enjoyable time.  I am daily reminded of the enthusiasm and energy of all the wonderful couples that surround us.  It was great to see our Swazi elders name and picture on President Dunn’s transfer board.  We enjoyed seeing the results of the remodeling of the MTC center since we were here last mission.  But the greatest time was spent in the Dunn’s home.  What a warm, friendly and vivacious couple they are.  Perfect as a mission “dad and mom”.  After a great lunch of butternut soup, homemade wheat bread, cole slaw and dessert, we had two special guests speak to us….Ike and Edwina Swartzberg.  They have seen and been a part of the church growth of the Pretoria/Johannesburg area for years helping with the building of the temple and establishing the kingdom in South Africa.  He was a counselor to 5 mission presidents and was able to enjoy being in the presence of 5 church presidents.  He was a lawyer and handled many of the law logistics for the church in this area.  He has captured many of the faith-promoting stories in South Africa.  It was a most enjoyable afternoon being with this group.  Also, Irene Shabalala, Sister Dunn’s helper in the house, we found out is in Patricia’s ward – Dobsonville in Soweto.  We told her that we would be in their ward on Sunday for the blessing of Thondo.  How are lives intertwine.  We went back to the office where we worked until 9:00.  That was a blessing in disguise.  A group from Luputa came to the patron housing.  I have been reading testimony stories about the members from Luputa for two years and to meet two families from there, was such a joy for me.  (I talked about their story in the entry entitled..Come to the House of the Lord)

Sister and President Dunn of the Johannesburg Mission

Temple Senior Couples in Johannesburg

President’s transfer board – 3 of our Swazi elders are on that

Johannesburg Missionary Training Center

They recently started teaching 3 different languages

Garden Room

MTC President and Sister Collins

New addition to the MTC is this room for the sisters

Lunch in the Dunn’s home

Dennis, Sister Linda Dunn and Ike Swartzberg

Amazing dessert from Sister Taylor – a gourmet cook

Our discussion after with Ike and Edwina Swartzberg

The entire group

Edwina and Isaac (Ike) Swartzberg

Irene Shabalala

Luputa DRC group

Tuesday, 30 June was an extremely busy day with responsibilities and then the extra curricular activities.  Marc Jackson, our IT young man, found me some mini marshmallows so that night I made him some “everything but the kitchen sink” brownies.  So good!  We had people from Brazzaville, Congo at the patron housing plus our families from Luputa.  We met a couple from Zimbabwe that was being sealed today.  She makes skirts and shirts for a living, so we have contracted with her to make me a skirt and Den a shirt and we will pick up when we go to Zimbabwe next month.  I was wearing one of my Swazi skirts – that is how we got talking about it.  Now I will have one from Zimbabwe.  So excited.  We went to the temple with the MTC missionaries – 21 boys and 4 girls.  After, I rushed to the Gatehouse where they tend the children that are waiting for their parents to be sealed.  Our sweet Luputa children were there.  They were such well-behaved children.  We had children from Madagascar, Congo, Zimbabwe and Luputa. One of the difficulties was that most of them just spoke French.  As the parents’ sealings are through, they call us and we bring the children to them.  Unfortunately, I stayed in the gatehouse and was not privileged to be able to take the children in to their parents.  I would have particularly enjoyed taking the Luputa children into the sealing room with their parents.  I didn’t get out until after 7:00 and Dennis was so patient waiting for me.  It is freezing cold!  I can’t believe that I left my black boots at the airport.  One of my bags was 2 pounds over so they made me take something out.  I chose my black boots instead of the brown sugar….what was I thinking????  Now I only have one pair of brown boots and my feet are screaming for those black ones.

Rodney and Madeline Chikenge from Zimbabwe – just sealed in the temple

She is going to make me a skirt and Dennis a shirt – family, they will be matching!

MTC Missionaries at the temple

The cute little one in the middle sat by me in the temple.  She is from Madagascar and only speaks Madagasi.  It was a pleasure helping her.

Children at the Gatehouse waiting for their parents to be sealed (blury)

The seven children of Sewil Bukasa of Luputa, DRC

This little one cried the entire time….he wanted his mother.  These two are also from Luputa…brother and sister…Kalume family

 

July 1st!!!! Can’t believe that we are in July.  At home we would have been at the fireworks tent getting ready for the big celebration but instead I spent the day in our flat waiting for Telecom to come.  We have had no internet or phone since we arrived and I was inpatiently waiting for them to come.  I baked, swept, dusted, cleaned window sills, blogged trying to calm me.  Around 11:30 he finally came.  He put some wires in and then said that he needed a modem to get us internet…….I guess the church was suppose to order one.  We called Graham in the area office and he talked to him…I have no idea what was discussed.  He did put in a phone line for us and Graham said that he would get right on the modem.  Then Cecil and Freedom came….Cecil knew I was home all day and said that this would be a good day to come because he was sure I would have been baking so they would get a treat.  He was correct! Kitchen sink brownies!  They brought us 2 recliners and our cork board for our pictures.  We also found the outside lights for our huge patio.  I blogged the rest of the day until Dennis came home at 7:30.  He had a meeting with Matt Heiss in Salt Lake.

Our phone man 

Freedom and Cecil

Our bedroom – a king size bed

Our bathroom

The part of Africa that has stolen my heart

Thursday, July 2nd we arrived early at the center to prepare for our oral history of Sewil Crispin Bukasa and Bro. Kalume translated for us. The interview was amazing.  He has given so much for the gospel.  He was a rich man until he had to flee from Katanga Providence to Luputa and lost everything.  At the time he had 5 children and his first wife left him because life was so hard in Luputa.  He was alone for 5 years until he received permission from the mission president to marry again.  His second wife gave birth to their child while he was away farming and died a week later.  He said that he didn’t want to be on this earth.  He wanted to join her.  While all this he was the first mission leader and the church was exploding in Luputa.  He was encouraged to marry again which he did and they had 4 more children.  That is the wife that is in the picture with the seven children.  He served in the first branch presidency, first district presidency and then stake presidency.  He had a dream that he was going to be released from the stake presidency which he was and made the 1st patriarch of the Luputa Stake.  He said that when he left to come to the temple, he had only $50, so thought that maybe his wife should stay but now is so glad that they are here and sealed.  What a good man.  Dennis went back to the flat for the electrician to fix my closet, Cecil brought us a bed table and then they came to install our modem!!!!  I now can call HOME!

Bro. Bukasa and Kalume – the interpreter

Luputa DRC

Friday, July 3rd started early for me….up making pulled beef, baked beans and cole slaw for our reunion tonight then off to the center early.  I was delivering some papers and I ran into Elder Sifiso Ndwandwe.  He had just completed a session at the temple and was looking for us.  How I love being here so I have this opportunity to see our Swazi boys.  I want to share an email he had sent to us on Monday…”Remember how you felt when you left Swaziland.  I felt it last week when I left my 3rd area, it just tore me apart.  I’m still sad.”  Sometimes we forget how hard it must be for these elders to serve with all their heart and give their all and then transfer them from those they have learned to love to a different area and ask them to start all over again.  I felt HIS pain!  Leon Holmes, our new advisor that will start in September, came by to see the center.  He just returned from being mission president in Ghana and will receive training in Salt Lake starting in August.  It was nice to meet him.  At 5:00 p.m. the former Swazi elders starting arriving for our mission reunion.  Elder Riley Reeves, who is here from America and staying with us, Elder Michael Paulo and his wife, Elder Mohau Sele, Elder Deo-Gracia Masay, Elder Thabang Mokoena and Elder Edwin Kuwanatsoka arrived later with three others.  Seriously, it was so fun to hear them talk for 5 hours non-stop….barely enough to take bites of the food.  Dennis and I just sat and listened to all their stories.  We found out things we had no idea was happening on mission.  Most of the stories it was a good thing we didn’t know was going on.  Kuwanatsoa and Paulo left around 11:00 and then the rest continued through the night until around 4:30.  Of course, we went to bed earlier than that.  So good having them in our home.

Dennis, Elder Ndwandwe and me

Sifiso and his new companions

Our Swazi missionary reunion

Reeves and Sele

Dennis, Reeves, Paulo, Masaya, Sele

Looking at our Swazi mission book

Kuwanatsoka

Back: Dennis, Mokoena, Me, Kuwanatsoka

Front:  Reeves, Sele, Masaya, Paulo

Asleep on the couch…the others were in the bedroom

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

 

We are not in a tent selling fireworks but surrounded by return missionaries and sharing memories of serving the Lord.  It is good but I am missing being with my family celebrating the birth of our nation.  For the last 23 years we were unable to celebrate with family fun at a barbeque and enjoying just being together because we were in a hot tent trying to increase our financial situation.  But now for the next 23 years, we will be a part of the 4th of July celebrations!!!   So after we had breakfast with the boys, Dennis and I went shopping while they went out.  We went to our first braai for the 4th in 23 years with other senior couples in the area and the temple senior couples.  It was fun.  We took the boys to the kombi rank so they could return home until our next reunion.

Our 4th of July braai

Taylors

Connie Barton and Melinda Kinghorn

Bruce and Connie Barton

Bruce and Marnae Wilson

Greg and Sherry Weeks

Richard and Suzanne Turnbow

Bruce and Melinda Kinghorn

 

Sunday, July 5th we left early for Dobsonville, Soweto where Patricia’s granddaughter, Thondo, was being blessed.  We have been to most of Patricia’s monumental events in her church life – baptism, confirmation, her children’s baptisms, (not her endowments) and now the blessing of her granddaughter.  We were thrilled.  Nontokozo and Siya were there.  It was so good to be in church with her again.  It is really a well attended ward and ran very smoothly.  We took them home after and then home for a meeting with Warner and Melissa Molema, who are our Church History Advisers.  I blew a circuit which caused our electricity to go out in our flat.  They had to call an electrician to come fix it.  I fixed dinner for Dennis and Riley and then we went to a fireside with Area Seventy Chatora.  It is wonderful being around these men of God that give so much for the building of the kingdom.  Temple President Eppel and Elder Ellis of the Seventy was also there.  We hurried home so we could drive Elder Reeves to the airport for his journey home.  A good Sabbath and a good week.

Thondo’s blessing day with mom, Nontokozo

Love that SMILE

Parts of Soweto

This is a landmark that you can see from all parts of the city

Warner and Melissa Molema, Area Church History Advisors

President Eppel and Elder Chatora

Elder Ellis, counselor in the Area Presidency, and Elder Chatora, an Area Seventy

So happy Mensiversary to us.  It has been a good month.  We miss our family back home kakhulu and all the events that are happening back there but know that the Lord will compensate for that sacrifice.  From our past experience, we know that the first few months go at turtle speed but as the months move on, they start to accelerate to torpedo pace.  So we will savor each and every experience and moment we have here and thank our Heavenly Father daily for the gospel in our lives and the opportunity to serve Him.