GOD vs.GOOGLE 18 - 31 July 2016

I have recently discovered Google.  It seems that I am going to it all the time to find pictures, facts, all sorts of things.  The other day I was talking to my daughter about something she is trying to make a decision on and I told her to go to Google to find out some facts.  Now seriously, why didn't I tell her to go to her Heavenly Father who knows all!

James E. Faust said that "today we are barraged by multitudes of voices telling us how to live, how to gratify our passions, how to have it all.  At our fingertips we have software, databases, television channels, interactive computer modems, satellite receivers, and communications networks that suffocate us with information."  So where do we find truth?  Where do we go for answers about our life?  Do we search GOOGLE or do we turn to GOD?

James 1:5 reads, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God"...not Google.  There are 1000 different opinions on any subject under the sun.  Theories being proved and then disproved. Textbooks being printed and then shelved.  Almost every Google search will send you in a thousand directions, and many times with differing opinions....and many times, not clearly defined.  Our Heavenly Father and Christ knew of the confusion we would go through here on earth.  He knew that we could not rely on our intellects alone in order to learn truth.  So he gave us the Holy Ghost....the "still small voice". The Holy Ghost "will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).  The Holy Ghost can testify directly to the spirits we brought with us from heaven. He "shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26) so that we can find a clear signal amidst the confusion of life.  

God is the fountain of all knowledge and the source of truth.  Google....though a great and wonderful place, is a maze of opinions. So when we're seeking truth.....ask God, not Google.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a busy few weeks with saying good-bye to friends, Dennis having arthroscopic on his knee, dinner guests, visitors spending the night and meeting new friends from Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique.  We may not get to travel to other African countries, but the Lord has blessed us with bringing them to us.

Monday, 18 July, 2016  - They required Dennis to pay for his knee surgery before the operation.  So Monday he went to Rosebank Hospital and took care of that.  That night we had Sandile Makasi and his two children over for dinner.  His wife was at a conference in Durban.  Manqoba Shongwe, Pontsho Mokoena and Sifiso Ndwandwe from Swaziland also joined us as they were spending the night so they could talk to the temple about their sealing the beginning of September.  This weekend they were going to Lesotho so pay lobola.  We are thrilled for them.  The table conversation was delightful and his two little girls were perfect.  I love having people in our home.  It completes me!

Dinner with Sandile and family and Manqoba, Pontsho and Sifiso

 Pontsho got the bed and the boys got the couches!

Tuesday, 19 July, after helping Manqoba and Pontsho arrange the details for their temple sealing, we did an oral interview with Thomas Mahlo who works in the area office.  He grew up in Lenyenye, near Tzaneen, and was involved in the growth of the church there.  A great interview.

Dennis, Manqoba and Pontsho

Thomas Mahlo a good man

20 July, we arrived at the Rosebank Hospital at 6:30 prepared for Dennis' surgery on his knee - a torn meniscus and a cyst..  By 9:30, he was in recovering and by 12:30 we were home.  What a trooper Dennis was.  He never took any of the pain medicine that the doctor prescribed.  We were both impressed with Dr. Glen Vardi' work.  He specializes in knees and we feel blessed to have had him operate on Dennis.  Dennis was told to stay down for 5 days, which was difficult for him since he felt so well, but he was pretty obedient.  We had visitors stay with us and people over for dinner and games, to keep him occupied and not go crazy.  It was a good few days.....I loved being home during the daylight hours and puttering around the house. An enjoyable few days for me.

Rosebank Hospital

Dennis reading over all the papers before the surgery.  We were shocked when we went into a room with 4 other men in beds.  It was a ward.  I hadn't been in a ward since Trista was born. But the men were great to get to know.

 Ready to go home....

Swazi's come to brighten Dennis' spirit.  I brought a whole bunch of BYU T-shirts from home when I came.  I had a few left over and the girls snatched them up and Nathi!

Masisi Dlamini, Simile Simelane

Constance Dlamini, Tilungile Ntshalintshali, Nathi Dlamini

Constance Dlamini, Tilungile Ntshalintshali

Saying good-bye to some of our Swazi family....

Dennis was craving homemade pizza, so we invited some friends over to share it with us.

Linford and Mary Louise Beckstrand~~~Karl and Margaret Blake

 Sunday, 24 July, we went just to sacrament meeting in Johannesburg.  Returned home and Dennis relaxed.  I fixed a swiss steak dinner with all the trimmings and shared it with Greg and Sherry Weeks.  I figure if we can't go out, we will bring people to us.  Later we watched "Miracle from Heaven" with Jennifer Garner.  I highly recommend this movie.  It is a true story with such a beautiful message.

Greg and Sherry Weeks

 The message of the movie!

Monday, 25 July, we went back to work.  Dennis did so well.  He endured the entire week with constant ice packs on his knee and getting up and walking around periodically.  I was so impressed with him. Besides our work in the center, this is what happened during the week......

We said good-bye to this amazing couple - Martha and Bob Egan.  He was our IFR (Infield Representative) and were the ones that greeted us at the airport when we first arrived.  Our very first friends here.  We will miss you guys!

 Our Family Home Evening at the Powell's flat

This young man served in the Durban mission.....He came in to say Hi

Elizabeth, who is the director of the Distribution Center, was baptized by James Amoh in Uganda. Years later they are reunited.  James was one of the first that we interviewed upon arriving in South Africa.  He became an immediate friend.

This is Gertrude from Jinja, Uganda...lovingly known as Mama G. She came into the center and we talked for a while.  We captured Mama G's story the following day.

Elder Steven and Sister Julie Broadbent are our new IFR couple.  They were previously mission president in Kenya.  Mama G's daughter served under them.  The couple at the end is Mama G's daughter and new husband.  They met on mission.  They were at the temple to be sealed.

Tuesday, 26 May was Emery Powell's birthday...so chocolate cake was on the menu.  We celebrated his and Sister Margaret Blake's birthday which was the week before when Den had his surgery.

Margaret's turn...

...now Emery's!

Jabu from physical management is surrounded by the sweet ladies that clean the patron housing.

Sister Janet Reber, former MTC mom in Joburg, sent this lady to say Hi.  Her daughter was a missionary with them.  What an incredible lady.  Love these people we get to know here at the temple patron housing.  Janet, I can't remember her name.  HELP!

Can't remember but these boys were connected to us somehow.  My memory is failing me. The one of the right served in the Durban mission.

Everyone becomes friends in the patron housing/canteen....Kenya and Uganda united!

This is a group from Mozambique

NHLANGANO ARRIVES
We waited at the center until 8:00 pm on Thursday, 28 July for the Nhlangano Branch to arrive.  But they did not get to the patron housing until after 9:00.  So early Saturday morning we were at the temple to see them.  How excited we were!!!  Here they are in the Distribution Center getting their supplies.

Sister Simelane and Brother Mamba

Dennis and Sister Malinga

President Selby Bulunga

The entire group from Nhlangano

This is Brother Mbhuti Albert Nhleko and his wife.  Today, 29 July, 2016 they received their endowments and were sealed in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple.  We were at Bro. Nhleko's baptism in October 2013.  When he arose from the font, his arms went up and he shouted "Hallelujah".  He can shout that again this day after his sealing.  How we love this couple. (You can read about him on a previous blog - October 15 - 20, 2013 entitled "Hallelujah")

Bro. (Bishop) Mamba and his wife.  At one point Mbabane, Swaziland was a ward under the stewardship of Benoni and Hillcrest Stakes.  Bro. Mamba was their bishop during this time.  When they became a district, the ward was changed to a branch.  He now lives far out in an area by Nhlangano but makes his way to church.  They hadn't been to the temple in many years.  They were so excited to be back.

Branch President Derek Fakudze and his wife and child

A family that joined us

They had been fed spiritually, now they had to feed their physical bodies.

The young lady standing next to me is Sister Dlamini.  She just returned from her mission in Zambia.  She knew and was friends with our Sibusiso Dlamini from Swaziland.  She came in with her friends to introduce herself and say Hi to us.

Meet Francisco Chimika from Mozambique.  He is the Beira Mozambique Stake Patriarch.  His enthusiasm for life is contagious.  Oh my goodness, what a sweet man.  After talking just a few minutes with him, we knew that we needed his story.  We made an appointment the next day to interview him.  What a story of dedication to the gospel and his journey to get to the temple - this was his first time.  I still wish I could figure out how to share these stories with you.  He may have his own post in the future.

Friday night, 29 July, we took a birthday cake to Samuel Kapongo.  His family greeted us as we entered the gate.  I wonder if they knew that I had a surprise for them.  Our sister-in-law, Cindy Allen, sent us a great many Christmas glasses that when you look through them, you see angels, snowmen, stars, gingerbread man, Santa Claus, etc.  We had a few left-over from Christmas, so I just happened to bring them.  Eish, they loved them.  The smiles they brought to their faces warmed my heart.

The Kapongo's had a family from the DRC visiting with them, so we had a great many - around 15 and then the missionaries showed up to join the fun.

Samuel getting ready to blow out the candles.

They were even wearing the glasses inside.  So cute.

Making sure there was enough cake and ice cream for everyone.

This is one of the missionaries that came...can't remember his name.  We had some connection, but can't remember that either.  Eish, I need to record all that happens immediately or it is lost!

Saturday, 30 July, was extremely busy.  We left our home early...went to the office, shopping, picked up Elder Jeff and Sister Marcia French to take them to the Oriental Plaza, made baked beans for the party that night, went to a soccer game, home just in time for the couples party at the Grafs, and made chocolate chip cookies for church on Sunday. We were able to accomplish everything.

The theme for the party was Safari......we didn't get home in time to change.  We had already brought the beans over before the soccer game, so we arrived a little late but still plenty of food.

 Some of the men with their safari hats on.....
Elders Coleman, Beckstrand, Powell and Walton

 What a lovely group....this is what we didn't have on our first mission.  A definite plus...

 Sunday, 31 July, the Weeks picked us up at 7:00 a.m. and we went with them to their assigned ward - Khutsong.  Sister Weeks has been giving piano lessons after church and today they were displaying their learned talents after church and we wanted to support her.  What a great ward.  We had met some of the members in the canteen and was good to see some of them.  She also directs the YSA choir and they were singing in Sacrament meeting.  They took a few minutes before church to practice.

 The young man directing knew nothing of music before he was taught by Sherry.  The picture does not do justice to the enthusiastic way he conducts.

 Sister Weeks accompanying the choir

 The recital was after the block time.  We set up the cultural hall for refreshments after.  Little did we know that the entire ward would stay after for the recital and refreshments.  Sherry had tons of goodies but we did run out.
Sherry announcing the program

Setting up the cultural hall (most meetinghouses do not have facilities like this.  I was most pleasantly surprised)

 Greg and Sherry Weeks

 Some of her piano students....

 The entire Khutsong Ward stayed.....

 Trying to get everyone to not take handfuls!!!

 All plates and drink containers emptied!!!

 Sister Sherry Weeks and her piano students.  They played beautifully.  Some really have a natural talent.

It was a good few weeks.  I love the people that surround us and bless our lives.  I love the people that we meet for only a few days and then they are gone but become instant friends.  I love the gospel that brings us all together.

'And by the power of the Holy Ghost....(not Google) ye may know the truth of all things.'  Moroni 10:5