THE 6th FLOOR 15 - 21 February 2016

We live in an apartment building that has five floors.  In fact, we are surrounded by five-story apartment buildings.  But what many do not know is that there are six floors.  The elevator only has buttons for five floors, but there is an extra floor on the roof.  This is where you will find the servants who clean the apartment building or those who work for those on the lower floors.  You get to it by climbing up an extra set of stairs off of the fifth floor.  The sixth floor has one-room places that I think were originally used for storage units but has been transformed into resident places for these workers.  There is one facility place which contains a toilet, sink and shower which is used by the people.  (The unit we live in has a storage unit.  We had a young lady ask if she could stay in it but we had to decline because we do not own it.)

At Christmas time Dennis and I with Mac and Donna went caroling on the sixth floor.  Had no idea that these workers had families up there living in these one-room places.  We enjoyed meeting them so much, that we thought it would be enjoyable to do something similar again.  The majority of our senior couples live in a different place than us - they live at Duke's Court.  So we planned a 6th Floor Thank You luncheon at Duke's Court.......Saturday, 20 February 2016.  We got it approved, taped invitations on their doors and showed up with our pulled chicken, salads, chips, fruit, vegetables and of course, desserts on the appointed day.  It was extremely hot and on the roof, there is no shade just the clothes out drying.  We were told that there were 33 workers living up there but had no idea about their families....so planned for more.  But we didn't anticipate that some have to work on Saturday and those that don't, sometimes spends the weekend at their homes.  We didn't have a great turnout but hopefully those that came enjoyed it.  We did have a great turnout with senior couples and I was so thankful for their help  We had a great "hot" time. (Even one of our elders who is afraid of heights, made it up the fire escape stairs which is the only way up to the 6th floor. A true sacrifice and dedication for the cause.)  I hope we can do something similar again with a better turnout.

6th Floor on the apartment house across the street

The extra floor in our apartment house.....we live on the first floor on the far right end (102)

Each little window would be a room.

 The place for our luncheon - 6th floor at Duke's Court.  Many of the rooms did not even have a window.

Elder and Sister Jubber helped us deliver the invitations for the luncheon

(Sorry about the pictures.  They were taken with our phone.)

 This is the hallway - each door is one resident

This sweet lady was the only one in their rooms.....We asked if we could take her picture and she kept saying that she was ugly. We couldn't convince her otherwise.

On Saturday, 20 February, we brought all the food from our car to Duke Court's 6th floor by way of trolley

 Sister Walton and Powell helping set up

 Hot day on the 6th floor

 Some of the workers

 Trying to find some shade

 Got to love these people.....

 Sister and Elder Egan

 Sister Egan with one of the helpers

This week we were busy at the center organizing a collection by Clive Nicholls who was a self-appointed South Africa Church Historian.  Brother Randy and Sister Barbara Knudsen (senior couple in Church History in 2012-2013) convinced him to donate his collection to the Church History Center....what a collection.  Now they want them digitalized so we need to take all the papers out of the sheet protecters, file them and prepare them for digitalization.  It is quite a job so we hired someone for a few days to assist Dennis and I.  Yoliswa Hlongwane is her name and we had such a great time.  What a delightful young lady.  She is married with two little children.  She brought her husband in to meet us.  We did it in two days.  Good for us!!!

We are working on our Annual History and we took this picture to be placed in it.

 Before we knew we had to take all the papers out of the sheet protectors, Dennis and I had taken all the pages out of the binders (top left) and had put them in folders and boxed them. Now we had to take each folder out, remove the papers and put them back in folders.  A huge job.  So thankful for our helper.

  These are all the binders that we had to empty.

 These are only 1/2 of the sheet protectors that we inherited.

YOLI.........she was so good and fast.  Loved our days with her.

Yoli and her husband, Sandile.

Other days we were busy helping Leon Holmes put together booklets for his seminar in Zimbabwe that he has next weekend.  I also have been trying to catch up on the stories that I have to extract from the oral histories we get.  It just takes me so long to do these technological items in this calling.  I really doubt I will ever become fast at it.  Oh well.  Dennis has been going golfing at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with some of the senior couple elders.  He is having a great time.  I need to go just to get pictures so I can document it.  Friday afternoon I went to get my hair done by Justine at Tangles.  So many months in between appointments makes for some really bad hair days! On the way home, we decided to invite Vernon and Janet Jubber and Walt and Susan Peterson over for games. After all, Friday night is date night and we need to share it with friends.   It was an evening of laughter, fun and good treats.  We are truly blessed being surrounded by such great people.

Doug and Marva Peterson had us over to watch a movie after the luncheon on Saturday. They are returning home in a few weeks.

The entrance to where I get my haircut - a place called Tangles...

Justine doing her magic...

 Transformed - 

 After we had dinner at an adjacent restaurant called Second Cup.....

Looking what a beautiful setting it is....

Sunday, 21 February, we finally made it to the Alexandra Branch.  The branch president works at the area office - Sidwell Yangaphi,  During lunch on Monday, he came with us to show us how to get to where they meet.  Seriously, it was so close.  Have no idea how we got so lost last Sunday.  About 15 minutes from our home.  So we got there with no hitch on Sunday.  President Yangaphi was out to greet us as soon as we arrived.  I had a feeling that he had an alternative motive to be so anxious to see us.  I was correct.  He asked if we would speak during Sacrament meeting.  Eish, I do not do extemperaneous!!!  But how do you say no.  I remembered that Brother Knudsen once told me that once you serve in Church History, you always have stories to share when asked to speak.  So I took that advise, remembered a story and was able to share it with a scripture and principle to teach. Thanks Heavenly Father and Brother Knudsen. I talked about "Cracked, crumbled and dwindled" (those who let a principle of the gospel that they don't understand, crack and crumble their testimony until it dwindles to nothing) and Dennis talked about the Book of Mormon and Church History.   Dennis did a great job as usual.  I loved the people in the branch.  They were so friendly and excited to meet us.  I had brought the Valentine suckers that I had intended to give them last week and gave them out.  Valentines can be celebrated all year, correct?  Another great Sabbath in church.

 Alexandra Branch in South Africa
Split from the Bedfordview Ward on 13 January 2008

They previously met at a school and just recently was able to rent the bottom floor of this building.  Makes for a great place to worship.

 The missionaries - Elder Mgilazi and Dzowa

Waiting for Sunday School to start

 Bro. Selvin Moodley, a member of the Bedfordview Stake Presidency visiting Alexandra.  He has a great story that we need to capture.

 Bro. Moodley says this older man was his counselor in the Elders Quorum and has been a faithful member for many years even though his English is not that good.

 Relief Society 

And of course, the children...

 

 Primary

 The young men enjoying the suckers...

 ...and the young women!

 The sisters wanted their pictures taken also...

 Counselor to the Branch President..Bro. Mtshwene

 Dennis with Elder Mgilazi from Zimbabwe...

 We found our Church History poster displayed

 We hope to get back to this wonderful branch

Later that afternoon we had scheduled an oral history interview with Abram and Noma Maphanga in Kagiso.  We drove to the chapel and they met us to show us the way to their home.  It was a lovely home.  He is a math teacher.  So Dennis and Abram had a lot to compare.  They were one of the first couples to be baptized in Kagiso.  They were attending the Krugersdorp Ward then so had a great impact when Kagiso became its own unit  (1992).  She was the first Relief Society President of the new Kagiso Branch.  He was instrumental in obtaining the property for their chapel.  Love having the opportunity to meet and hear their stories.  Since we were in Kagiso, we wanted to see Mohau Sele, an elder who served with us.  Luckily he was home, so we went to see him and met his family.  Mohau is engaged and will hopefully get married soon.  We enjoyed our visit in their home. We arrived home tired but filled with love for our Savior, his disciples here in Africa and joy to be able to His servant.

Saw these children in Kagiso while waiting for the Maphangas. 

 Noma and Abram Maphanga

Mohau Sele with his sister and mother

His family

See the cabinet behind Dennis' chair - the left side?  This is what happens when you open it.....

...our secret room, the Records Preservation Room

 

 Sometimes I wish I had a mattress in there so I could shut the door and take a nap without anyone seeing me.  But just wishful thinking.

It has been extremely lonely at the center this past week.  The temple is closed for two weeks for cleaning. That means we have no people or children at the temple patron housing which is next to us. The canteen is also closed and I miss seeing Elizabeth Vizzini, the chef, every morning. I didn't realize how much I look forward every day to meeting these amazing people.  The temple opens up on 1 March.  That will be a good day.

 Since there has been no patron pictures to share, thought you might like these.

"....for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God--I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants."  Mosiah 4:26