HOLIDAYS 21 - 28 March 2016

I love the holidays in South Africa and in March they are plentiful.  21 March was Human Rights Day, 25 March was Good Friday and 28 March was Family Day.  So, that was three holidays in one week and on these holidays the office and temple closes down.  The question, what part of beautiful South Africa are we going to experience during our time off?

For Human Rights Day we planned an area and temple couple activity in Hartbeespoort.  Some went to the Elephant Sanctuary (Dennis and I had already done that) and others joined us for a tram ride up a mountain to overlook the beautiful Harbeespoort dam and lake.  We then joined together for lunch at a restaurant looking over the lake.  It had been a great morning but it wasn't over.  Five couples then continued the day for an adventure on a zip line.   It was great fun!

The mountain......... 

 The car...........

 The people..........

The view........

Made for a perfect experience!

 Sister Cynthia and Elder Allan Lee

 The Aerial Cableway....

 Dennis, Me and Ginny Graf

 Hartbeesport Lake

 This was a restaurant on top.....

 ...and this is part of it.  They had a fire a few months ago that destroyed part of the restaurant.

 Ginny and Paul Graf

 Liz Walton, Janet Jubber and Me

 Pizza anyone?

 Platform for the the brave ones that want to paraglide.

 But not his man.....

 Part of the group

 Lunch at HERO'S at the bottom of the cableway...

Jann Powell and Jean Gatten

 Ted and Shauna Nielsen (Ex-pats)

 Then off to Ama Zwing Zwing Zip Line to continue our perfect day...
Putting on our harness....

We are ready...

 Here we go.....

 This was the scariest part - climbing this to a very high platform

 A great day with great people......

 Marva and Doug Peterson leave for home on 24 March 2016.....they will surely be missed

 Marva is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever known.  Her heart is tender and her spirit just completely good!

 Rene Gorman gave me flowers and a necklace from the Congo for my birthday.  Love this woman.

With Friday, 25 March being Good Friday and Monday, 28 March being Family Day, this made for a four-day weekend.  So off we went to Richards Bay/St. Lucia on the Indian Ocean with some friends.  We left early Friday morning and made the 8 hour drive to Richards Bay.  The beauty along the way made the trip so very enjoyable along with the great conversation we had in the car with Vernon and Janet Jubber.  We arrived at the Imvubu Lodge, settled in our individual cottages and then went to the water pier for some dinner.  I absolutely love the ocean.  It has a memorizing effect on me.  Everything is perfect when you are surrounded with the beauty and the sounds of the ocean.  The following day we arose early and drove an hour to St. Lucia where we took a river cruise to see the hippos.....and boy did we see hippos - including babies.  Then we entered a nature reserve to get to our ultimate goal - Cape Vidal, a beautiful beach.  You would never guess that there was a drought going on here in South Africa by looking at the lush greenery in this area.  Truly a magnificent spot of God's creation.  We enjoyed the warm water of the Indian Ocean and then headed back to our lodge.  Sunday, we attended the Richards Bay Branch where the branch president wantd the members to have the opportunity to bear their testimonies on Easter.  It was a powerful meeting.  What strong testimonies they shared.  We met some people we had heard of - Bro. Ted Baldwin and his wife who had started the church in Swaziland in 1987 and also, the son of Ike Swartzberg - a good friend we have made in Johannesburg that has contributed a lot to the church history in South Africa.  It was Easter and I had brought marshmallow eggs for the kids and adults - a way to wish them a Happy Easter.  Just a small remembrance of this wonderful day and the sacrifice of our Savior and the glorious resurrection.  I was taught by some pretty amazing people.  How I love my Savior! That night we gathered in one of the rooms and had a gospel discussion.  It made for a spiritual day. Monday, Chuck and Liz Walton and us got up early to return home.  Jubbers, Grafs and Nielsens were continuing their vacation for another week but we needed to get back.  We drove through the Hluhluwe/Imfolozi game reserve where we saw a lot of animals.  Eish, I never tire of the magnificent African animals.  Then we continued on route to Joburg after waiting 50 minutes in slow traffic at the first toll booth (holiday traffic).  It was a good weekend - a good week of enjoying all that this area has to offer in beauty.

It was hazy during the day, but hopefully you can sense the beauty of this land.

 Piet Retief, South Africa - the petro station where we would meet Elder and Sister Miller to transfer elders when we served in Swaziland.  Brought back so many wonderful memories.

 The group....

Shauna and Ted Nielsen, Vernon and Janet Jubber, Paul and Ginny Graf and Liz and Chuck Walton

 I love this country.....

 This was our first experience of Swaziland on 16 May, 2012.  Little did we know that we were entering a place that would become home.  Down memory lane.......

16 March 2012

Stopped at a roadside market to get some pineapples

 Arrived at Imvubu Lodge....

 

and was greeted by these long-lost friends.

 Our personal cottage

 Isn't this an magnificent tree outside the lodge....

 Richards Bay waterfront

 Ocean side dinner....

 A full moon on a most perfect evening....

 Our drive to St. Lucia from Richards Bay

 Getting ready for the river cruise...

 We immediately saw a crocodile 

 He slid into the river and disappeared.  We felt pretty lucky that we got to see him on land.

 Enjoy these magnificent animals~~~~~~~

 This hippo must have broken his jaw in a fight as a youngster (they told us that they are always so close together that fights break out all the time) and some of his teeth grew outside.  This is a broken tooth.  Look how humongous.  

 

 We found these moneys on the roadside playing with each other.  We had to stop and just enjoy the sight.

Entering St. Lucia Marine Reserve

 Cape Vidal...

 Dennis finally found a wave that he could ride....

 Where's Waldo......

Cape Vidal in July 2012

 Janet and Vernon Jubber

 Couldn't believe this little boy was climbing this wall

 A perfect picture if it was clearer

Richards Bay Chapel

Primary with their marshmellow eggs

 Paul Graf, Ted Baldwin and Dennis

 Dennis with Bro. Swatzberg

 Imvubu Lodge private beach

 Our Easter discussion

 Enter the Imfolozi/Hluhluwe Game Reserve

We took time to do some missionary work

 Enjoy these majestic African animals

 We almost ran over this lone tortoise

 This cape buffalo had found his mud spot and enjoyed every inch of it

 We drove a little bit further and found these two rhinos enjoying the mud....I guess they were trying to cool off

A cape buffalo herd

 Couldn't tell if they were fighting or playing but their horns got hooked together

 These babies look nothing like their parents.....

 Back on the road to home....

This car stopped in the middle of the traffic that we were stuck in and they pushed it through the toll gate.  

You may think that we don't work.  In the three days that the office was open this week, I created a timeline of South Africa for our wall in the church history center.  I have also processed 53 oral interviews in three months, helped prepare for the Kinshasa Temple ground breaking and working on the Durban Temple ground breaking, transcribed interviews, helping our 22 advisers get their countries annual histories completed that were due on 31 March, documenting RPC items, We do work hard and when the office is closed, we take the time to enjoy the beauty that our Lord has provided. 

 Our family posted this on face book.....a moment down memory lane.  Celebrating Dennis' birthday with our amazing children (a few years ago)

 Our adorable "Swazi grandchild" Sivuse......