AFRICA ~~~~A SPECIAL PLACE

We are so blessed to be here to see the gospel unfold in Africa~~~a special place.

Saulsville Ward

Orange Farm Branch

Motupa Group meeting under a Mango tree

A VISIONARY PEOPLE 20 April 2016

"And it came to pass that my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision, I should not have known the goodness of God.." 1 Nephi 4:5
Lehi was a visionary man. If he hadn't been think of how the history of the world would have been different.  
Joseph Smith was a visionary man.  Not only the First Vision where he saw and talked to God and His son, Jesus Christ, but numerous others throughout his life.  He remarked late in his life, "It is my meditation all the day and more than my meat and drink to know how I shall make the saints of God to comprehend the visions that roll like an overflowing surge, before my mind."  (WJS, p. 196) Joseph Smith had 76 visitations.  Truly, a visionary man.
The longer we spend in Africa the more we realize what a visionary people the Africans are.   Most people we interview have had dreams that have witnessed to them of the truthfulness of the gospel or has directed them to the church or paved the way they should take in their lives. What makes a group of people so visionary?  I would love to have the answer to that one.  Even the king in Swaziland many years ago had a dream of a white man bringing a book to his people.  So when the missionaries from Europe showed up with the Bible, the king and his people immediately grasped onto Christianity.  A visionary people.

I am going to share some stories that substantiates this truth.

JANET 

Meet Janet, a member of the Adyel Branch in Lira Uganda as shared with us in our oral interview with Elder Bernell and Sister RaNae Taylor. "We met Janet while performing an audit of church records in Lira. I noticed that she paid tithing weekly and was very impressed with her apparent faithfulness in the Church. Before leaving town, we stopped to meet her in her thriving shoe shop downtown. Here is her beautiful testimony.

"I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seven years ago. I met the missionaries who began to teach me the restored Gospel. My husband chose not to hear their message.

About this time, my infant son became seriously ill. I was afraid he might even die. The missionaries had taught me about prayer, so I prayed for my baby. I felt an impression to toss him in the air three times, which I did, catching him each time.(My note: Doesn't this sound like the story in the Bible of washing in the river seven times?) Then I took him to the hospital for treatment. By the time we got to the hospital, my baby was fully recovered and we were sent back home. This was a first experience with being guided by the Spirit.

Later, the Elders taught me about fasting and prayer and paying my tithes. I fasted and prayed for two days and nights without stopping. At the end of this experience, I had a most curious dream. I saw myself in a shop down town and doing very well. At that time, I did not have a business or had I even thought about owning one. In the dream, as I marveled at the healthy business, a voice came to me which said: “Be sure to pay a full tithe on this business.” Then I woke up.

Some time after my baptism, I started selling shoes along the roadside here in Lira. I paid my tithing every time I got money. The business grew step by step. Within not long, I had enough money to rent this shop I am in. Today, my business does very well. I go to Kampala often for more inventory. When I’m coming back home on the bus, I calculate how much my shoes cost, along with my rent. Then I figure my tithing. I pay my tithing every Sunday. I have been richly blessed by paying my tithing. I have a strong testimony in God’s blessings when we do what He asks. I will be forever grateful for my membership in this true Church, and for impressions and dreams that have saved my son and blessed us so abundantly."

"Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this sweet, beautiful Sister is how she glows. We could see how the Gospel has lighted her from the inside out. We felt a reverence while sitting in her shoe shop and hearing her amazing testimony."

MARY LETSEBE NDABA

We interviewed Mary Letsebe Ndaba from Alexandra, South Africa on 14 April and what an amazing story she shared with us. But for this segment, I am just going to relate part of her interview about a dream that she had.  While being taught by the missionaries, she believed immediately all that they were teaching her except for the Joseph Smith story. "But I was still finding it so difficult about Joseph Smith but whatever they were teaching me was perfect except for Joseph Smith.  I always complain to myself..I had no one to talk to anyway so I can get this clear, so someone can take my head and understand about this Joseph Smith.  And this is the thing that I never, ever wanted to share with anyone.  They will think that I am making up the story. My husband was working late shift.  So about 2:00, I was suppose to wake up so I could go fetch him from work.  So that day, I opened my eyes, they became so heavy into sleeping.   I fell asleep and as I fell asleep, I opened my eyes and it was like I can feel this heavy thing over me that is pushing me to sleep and a loud voice went like, "This is my Son, Hear Him."   And I just jumped out of the bed. "This is my Son, Hear Him."  Ummm.  You know I was so shocked.  But "This is my Son, Hear Him".  I do hear the word of God.  I do believe in Jesus Christ. "This is my Son, Hear Him" and I started crying. Then I said, "Is it God? Is it Jesus Christ? That is telling me I must hear Joseph Smith."   She was the first one baptized in Alexandra (4 July 2002) and has been a faithful servant ever since. 

EDOUARD NGINDU

Eduoard Ngindu from Kananga, DRC, never expected to become a member of the Church.  However, his life changed in 1987.  He met a man named Mutshipai Kayembe who was a leader of some kind of church.  He was holding an intriguing blue book.  The book was handed to him and he read the title: "The Book Of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ."  He looked through the title page and the testimonies of the three and eight witnesses and decided it was an American book and did not want to take it.  Mr. Kayembe said with great energy, "Guard this book and read it in full.  It is written in French and I cannot read it, but I know it is the work of God.  If you read it, it will enrich you and your family."  Eduoard says, "I wrote him off as a fool and threw the book in his face and turned to walk away.  After I had walked two steps he called me and said, 'Eduoard, I beg you to take this book.  I promise you will receive great blessings from it."
"Suddenly a peaceful feeling enveloped me.  Ashamed, I returned and accepted the book.  That night I and my family knelt in prayer and asked the Lord to help us understand the Book of Mormon."  During the night he had a dream where he was visited by a personage who said, "The book you have is not an invention of Americans as you think.  It is the word of God and is intended for the whole world.  If you believe its message you will be happy in your life and you will discover God's purpose for mankind.  Your life will change."  He couldn't sleep and read the book still wondering what it all meant.
He and his family attended church and felt the warmth of the members.  He was given lots of documents to read and being an avid reader he devoured them.  His testimony grew and he and his family were baptized, and he went on to serve as branch president and stake president.  And he is now our DRC Kananga Church History Adviser.

THOMAS MOSAPI

We first met Thomas Mosapi in a session in the Johannesburg Temple.  There was something about him that radiates goodness.  We later had the opportunity to talk to him. Here is his story:

Thomas Mosapi begins his history of his life with a dream.  It occurred in 1968, when Thomas was twenty-five and in jail.  He had been unjustly convicted of theft.  His dream came as a gentle grace from above during a time when Thomas felt abandoned by everyone~~not only the political system, but those whom he thought to be his friends.  He was life Job, downcast and alone.  But also like Job, Thomas enjoyed communication from above in the midst of his trial.  He dreamed that he was in a hall.  He saw chairs set up but no furniture.  And then he saw a picture of Christ hanging on the cross.  He saw people, white and black, running towards the picture.  He himself was one of the people running towards it.  When he woke he was puzzled.  What did the dream mean?  No one could interpret it for him. 
Fast forward ten years later.  Thomas is out of jail and living in Soweto, a black township adjoining Johannesburg.  A few years earlier, the white ruling class of South Africa announced that English would no longer be the language of instruction in public schools. Blacks would learn Afrikaans, submitting to the white ruling class.  In response to the change, Africans took to the streets to express their displeasure.  They picketed.  They marched.  They kept their children home from school.  And then things go violent.  The initially peaceful protests changed when a white police force in Soweto, trying to reign in protesters, fired into a crowd, killing a young boy.  Blacks fought back.  They bombed schools.  They murdered some white police.  Soweto became a war zone.
The violence alarmed peace-loving people like Thomas Mosapi.  He saw the young children in his neighborhood becoming violent extremists.  He wanted to get them out of Soweto.  thomas started working with an underground movement that secretly transported South African children across the border into Botswana.  The South African government soon became aware of his activities.  He was tipped off by a detective friend that his life was in danger.  At that time, African dissidents often disappeared, secretly murdered.  In 1978, thomas slipped across the border into Botswana after bidding farewell to his wife and young children in Soweto.  For the next fifteen years, he lived in exile, seeing his family only on rare occasions when they were able to sneak across the border and visit him.
By 1993, Thomas started preparing to return home.  Soweto had calmed down, children were learning English again in the schools, Mandela had been released from prison, and things were looking up for South Africa.  As he prepared to return home, Thomas was in the Botswana passport office when he noticed two missionaries standing not far away dressed in white shirts and ties.  He had a burning desire to know what their name tags said.  Thomas approached them.  They told him they were missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  They asked him if he would like to come to one of their worship services.  His first Sunday in church, which was held in the home of one of the members, one of the speakers mentioned the Word of Wisdom. It piqued Thomas; interest.  He hated liquor, and he thought cigarettes were a waste.  The missionaries gave him a Book of Mormon, but he couldn't get interested in it.  He was about to leave the church.  But the missionaries were persistent. They asked him to pray about what he was reading.  He promised them he would.  One night he prayed earnestly to know if the Book of Mormon was what it proclaimed to be. After prayer he retired for bed.  That night he had a dream.  A person appeared and called him by name.

"Thomas Mosapi?"

"Yes, sir."  Thomas answered.

"The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ."

The next morning, Thomas found the missionaries and asked for baptism.

Thirty years after his first dream, church leaders started building a new meeting house in Soweto. Thomas was asked to be the bishop of the congregation.  As he walked up to the construction site for the first time, looking out onto the rising walls, he recognized the building as the same hall, without furniture, that he had seen in his dream of 1968.  It was a sign of God's mercy to him over the course of his life.  He had had the dream during a time when he was unjustly incarcerated.  God had watched over him, leading him to Botswana, and out again.  

Thomas is now a sealer in the Johannesburg temple and has done all the work for his ancestors.  Both his mother and father have appeared to him in vision, since their deaths, to convey their approval of his temple work for them.  His mother came singing beautiful hymns. About a year ago, Thomas had his right leg amputated just below the kneecap.  He is a diabetic and the blood flow couldn't get to his leg.  He is now in a wheelchair, but still fulfills all his responsibilities in the church and the temple. He believes that the people he saw, black and white, running to Christ represents the people that he seals together in the temple for time and all eternity.  Another visionary man!

 Thomas with his nephew, sister, grandson and daughter-in-law

"Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime."  2 Nephi 4:23

    

KUBB TOURNAMENT 29 March - 10 April 2016

Before our mission to Swaziland in 2012, Dennis discovered a Swedish lawn game called Kubb.  He enjoyed it so much that he bought him a set and brought it to Africa as his carry on (I was over-ruled - I had so many other important things that I thought we needed.)  It was probably the best thing that we brought with us.  The elders, members, friends, etc. loved the game and we had a great backyard for it.  We left our set with a family in Swaziland and when we arrived home, one of the first things he did was buy him another set.  So, preparing for this mission, I was pretty adamant that the Kubb game was staying home and not coming with us - I needed brown sugar, chocolate chips, spices, etc. and it was way too heavy and besides we were going to Johannesburg and living in the middle of a huge city.  Where would we play it and with whom?  Upon our arrival, we discovered that our complex had a beautiful backyard with a swimming pool and lots of grass.  Immediately, I could see the wheels turning in his mind - a perfect place for Kubb.   He found a place that would cut the wood pieces for him and we started introducing people to Kubb.  It quickly became a favorite pass time and we found out that Elder and Sister Ellis of the area presidency, also loved the game and had brought their own set.  We introduced the game at a conference with all the Johannesburg South Africa mission elders.  They enjoyed it so much, that we had another set made up for them.

Being over activities, I thought a Kubb tournament during lunch would be a great relaxer.  We received permission from the Area Presidency to use their grounds and during lunch on the 29 - 30 March the Kubb tournament commenced.  We had a great time.  Lunch is my favorite time of the day and this just added to the pure enjoyment.

Look at that form....

 A fun time for all....

(Kubb (pronounced [kɵb] in Swedish or [kub] in Gutnish) is a lawn game where the object is to knock over wooden blocks, known as 'kubbs', by throwing wooden batons at them. Kubb can perhaps be described as a combination of bowling andhorseshoes with significantly more strategy.The alleged Viking origins of the game, combined with the fact that the game can involve a certain level of strategy, has led some players and kubb fans to nickname the game "Viking Chess."The Kubb World Championship is held annually on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The U.S. Championship is held annually in Eau Claire, WI.

For two weeks in the center we were busy with the final push to get the unit's annual histories in.  31 March was the deadline for their submission.  At that time we only had 20% from the Africa Southeast Area.  We were calling advisors to encourage them to call their stakes/districts and work with them to get them in.  We had two oral interviews ~~Lavinia Grove, a pioneer in the Durban area and Edwin and Vanessa Baldwin from Richards Bay (he also started the church in Swaziland)~~ and processed numerous other interviews. Scanning pictures, copying testimonies for the RPC, where just a few more items of business in the church history center.   I will tell the rest of my week through pictures..

Friends from Zimbabwe

Elder Tobani Chiliza from Richards Bay.  He was just released from his mission in Zimbabwe, came to the Johannesburg Temple on his way home to be sealed to his parents, Ephraim and Nomusa Chiliza.  29 March, 2016.

Members from Richards Bay with Elder and Sister Todd

Elder and Sister Todd serving in Richards Bay

My favorite place here in the area office - the canteen where I meet all my African friends

Tuesday, 29 March I spent the afternoon with these beautiful children while they waited for their parents to be endowed and then sealed.  Today there were children from Mozambique, Congo and Richards Bay.

Family from Mozambique just after their sealing

The Wilsons from America arrived, 31 March.
Kalin Wilson served with us in Swaziland and his parents became dear friends when we came home.  After a year, Kalin has returned to his "African Home" and brought with him his parents, sister and cousin who also served in the Durban mission and Swaziland.

Arriving at our home after a very long flight

 Rachel Wilson, Me and Tajia Wilson

 Hungry anyone?  I think they were more tired after their 24 hour flight.

 Kalin didn't last long before he fell asleep.

 Tajia and mom ready for bed

 We were up early Friday morning ready for the temple

 After the temple, they headed off for their discovery of South Africa - Swaziland, Newcastle, Durban and then Cape Town

 Friday afternoon we picked up Mohau Sele, another one of our Swazi missionaries, at his work and drove to his town of Kagiso - it took us nearly two hours of driving through rush hour traffic.  We drove through downtown Johannesburg, down Mandela Bridge, picked up his fiance, Lebo, who is visiting from Polokwane, and took them to dinner.  It was Lebo's birthday on Monday.

 Mandela Bridge

 A glimpse of Johannesburg

 Mohau and Lebo

 Showing off her engagement ring.  Getting married on 27 May in the Johannesburg Temple

Our oral interview on Saturday with Vanessa and Edward Baldwin from Richards Bay.

On Sunday, 3 April, we picked up Sister Tembi Zulu to show her where her ward is.  Tembi was our dear friend from Swaziland that had a craft booth in the Ezulwini Market.  Due to some circumstances, she has had to leave her four children and come to South Africa to find work as a nanny.  She had no idea where the church was in her area.  Tembi has not yet been released as Young Women's president in her branch.  After some detective work, we found out she is in the Ridgeway Ward boundry.  Our GPS told us that the Ridgeway Ward was 15 minutes away, so we left at 8:15 to pick up Tembi and then to church.  That was our plans...but we couldn't find Tembi (she lives with the family that she is a nanny for ~~ 2 children). She had been in Joburg for a month and had never left the flat so had no idea where she was or a landmark that would help us find her.  Dennis was very persistant....so at 10:00 we finally found it, she came out and we rushed to the chapel.  Sacrament meeting had just ended which enabled us to introduce her to the Relief Society President, counselor in the bishopric, missionaries, etc.  They were so warm and friendly to her.  They were setting up a ride to be picked up and brought to church.  Great people.  I was so glad that Dennis did not give up.  It was a great spirit and I have never heard such a fabulous lesson on the Plan of Salvation as we had in Relief Society. I was so excited about it I had to come home and share my new insights with everyone.  Good luck, Tembi on your new temporary life here in Joburg.

Tembi, Dennis and the counselor in bishopric getting her contact information

We invited the Powells and Sutherlands over for a good old fashioned Sunday meal - swiss steak, potatoes and gravy and homemade rolls.  So fun to share with friends. (The Powells had to leave)

Tuesday,  5 April, Mac Shongwe game for the night.  We love his visits - even when they are spontaneous. Luckily we had left over swiss steak!

Mandatory telephone training for all that work in the area office...

Mark and Dudley - it was a fun, informative training.

Friday's lunch with these fabulous ladies at Bretts
Jean Gatten, Liz Walton, Sherry Weeks, Mrs. Brett (?)~~the one that makes the beaded jewelry, Ginny Graf and Charlotte Needs

We had a treat on Friday, 8 April....Weeks, Needs and us spent the evening being serenaded by Josh Groban.  What a marvelous evening.....what a voice!  Truly a gifted singer and so grateful he is willing to share his talent with me.

Saturday, we picked up Vernon and Janet Jubber and drove to Lesedi - a cultural village about an hour from where we stay.  We had a great time.  They share the different tribal cultures found in South Africa with their huts, traditions, music and dance.  There was a fun dancing program at the end.  We continued on to Chameleon Village where there are hundreds of craft stands, had lunch, looked around, drove to the Hartbeespoort Dam, looked around, went through the tunnel and then headed for home.  A good day.  When we arrived home we watched the Durban Temple groundbreaking ceremony. Wish we could have been there.

Entering Lesedi

 I loved the shoes that they were wearing....so one young man said that he would trade me - my shoe fit him.  Unfortunately, they were not selling their shoes or I would have bought some.  Awfully comfortable.

 Entering the Zulu village

 Weaving a mat like the one she is sitting on

 What they use to grind their maize

 Lesotho village - notice the hat they wear, the top of the huts~~representation of a mountain they have in Lesotho

Dennis eating an African delicacy - salted, dried worm

 Waiting for the dance program

 My pictures were very poor of this performance.....sooooo sad

Chameleon Village in Hartbeesport

Hartbeesport Dam

The tunnel through the mountain

Sunday, 10 April we went to the Alexandra Branch and watched a few sessions of conference with them.  I held a 1-month-old baby for one entire session.  Felt good.  We picked up Kalin and Tajia Wilson and Kory Shaw from the airport because they don't fly out until tomorrow night.  That night we had the "Bears and Prayers" Fireside with President Dunn.  Over twenty years ago, he was one of the few that survived a bear attack while running in the Teton mountains.  He bears testimony of the power of prayer.  It is a great fireside.

Listening to the Women's Conference

 Sweet baby I was able to hold for two hours!

 Blurry plus

 Where they meet

 A fun looking building we saw on the way to church

 "Bears and Prayers" Fireside by President Dunn

 President Dunn of the Johannesburg South Africa Mission

 Sister Dunn and Sister and President Eppel of the Johannesburg Temple

 Kory Shaw with some friends he knew while serving on his Durban mission visited with us in our home.

It has been another great couple of weeks here in South Africa.  When you are surrounded by a beautiful country, wonderful senior couples, amazing Africans and the opportunity to be a representative of our Lord Jesus Christ, life could be nothing but fabulous!! 

(We are trying to figure out why our pictures are turning out in a rectangular shape and blurry. If only I could master these things. Also, reviewing my blog after it was published, I was trying to figure out why some writings are highlighted.  Tried to fix it, but everything I tried, failed! Ugh!!!))