Report July 31-August 7

Here in the area offices, we have another missionary couple who have been orienting us.  The Bassos are a warm, friendly couple, originally from California and returning to live in Arizona after their mission.   They are also the other couple serving in the Employment Resource Center doing what we do.  (Which is…..)

Friday, August 3, we went to an orphanage in Tembisa.  Mama, whom I call Beautiful Mama, has 20-30 children, some are day care, the older ones go to school during the day.  Some are permanent. For example, one mother dropped her little girl off for 3 hours of day care.  The mother never came back.  The little girl is still there. 

For a long time, Mama bathed her children in a broken tub with no plumbing and a bucket of water to dump over them.  For a toilet they had a broken toilet unplumbed in an outhouse.  The tin roof leaked when it rained, and the kitchen was a sink, stove, and no cabinets.  For a yard there was only dirt and a single little swing.

The Savages were the couple we replaced.  They have regularly visited the orphanage bringing what they could in the way of food, etc.  Their daughter lives in Salt Lake.  She visited her parents and decided to do something.  A campaign started and she raised thousands of dollars. 

Now Beautiful Mama has a bathroom with 3 flushing toilets, 4 sinks, 2 bath tubs with hand showers and 2 shower stalls. The yard has swings and tires to play on and has some pavers to keep down the dust.  There are 2 washers that work, a new stove and cabinets in the kitchen, and a new tin roof over head.  Some of the broken down doors are replaced.  She has had some office furniture donated that she is organizing for shelves and storage.  The rooms are still not heated, but sweet Beautiful Mama is so pleased.

Sunday, we had the privilege of visiting Orange Farm Branch.  This group, with about 80 attending, meet in a school out in the townships.  There is no need for parking, as there are no cars. 

They meet in 3 rooms of a grade school and use the courtyard for their young men and women.  They sit on small children sized plastic chairs.  Things need soap and water.  They have no keyboard, but I have never heard more beautiful singing.  The chorister sings a couple of measures of the hymn, says "two" and the group starts in.  In Primary even a 9 year old stood with her clear beautiful voice and started the singing.  The hymns they sing have slight variations in the melodies.  The children have no paper pencils, cheerios, toys, or entertainment.  They probably eat one meal a day.  I have never seen more reverence. 

There is no heat.  It snowed on Wednesday, August 8.  I thought of the branch.  Primary meets altogether.  The chairs are carried from room to room and the primary room is swept out before primary begins.

The primary president said, “don’t just pray and say, I am thankful for my blessings.  Say what you are thankful for.  I am thankful for my family, I am thankful for my home, I am thankful for the gospel, I am thankful for the sunshine.  At one point she used the story of the kids playing a prank on the man working in the field with the old shoes. She asked who knows what a field is?  One little guy raised his hand and said like a soccer field?  She replied, that is a field, but not the one.  Another raised her hand and said like the field you clean up?  She said good answer, but not the one.  This is a field for planting, for growing things.  Then she finished her explanation in Zulu.

 

The sacrament trays are filled in the court yard with a water pipe with holes punched for drinking.  Note the arm across the body, this is a sign of reverence.