OH, WHAT A WEEK!!!!

Saturday, we went to the Johannesburg Zoo.  It is very, very, nice.  It also seemed to be Creche (daycare) day.  There were busloads of small children with adults from some of the outer townships, including Orange Farm.  The children were beautiful. 

 They enjoyed having their picture taken and then looking at what I had on my screen.  I even had some of the moms posing with their children and then enjoying the picture before we moved on.

The crocodiles were big ones, they were in a pond and couldn’t get to us, Bridger.

How many hidden crocodiles can you find??????

We saw Siberian Tigers.  They were a bit shy.

Would The Real Lucy Please come forward?

Interesting Sunday on Sep 16, 2012.  It started with the car battery being dead as we tried to leave for our assignment in Kwa Guqa Ward.  The trip is about 120 or so  kilometres and we wanted to leave before 7 am to allow for whatever.  Elder DaBell pushed the car from the parking place, and then ran back to the apartment.  He called our neighbour who is techie minded to see if he had jumper cables.  He didn’t.  But...He suggested that he and his wife could ride with another couple who attend the same unit, and we could take their car. 

We were travelling down the freeway and a policeman waved us over.  He said “we are doing a survey.”  One of the things they warned us against in the MTC was unusual stopping by “police” it could be dangerous.  I was wringing my hands.  The policeman asked for Elder DaBell’s driver’s license.  He said “what are you doing in the country?”  We told him.  He said,” oh, you are a minister then.”  Elder DaBell then pulled out his ministerial license signed by President Monson and it satisfied the policeman.  We were on our way again.

The next adventure was a toll booth, for which we did not have the right change, but we did have enough rand.  Then we were on our way again.

Lucy said turn left onto unpaved road.  We did.  We wound around through one of the roughest townships we have seen.  NO church.  NO people walking carrying scriptures, and Lucy led us out on the same road she led us in on.   

Lucy, Oh Lucy!  Please, light the way, the right way.  We moved on to another township and she did the same thing.  By this time it was evident that Lucy was in outer darkness.  (See Previous post about Celest).

Elder DaBell got on the phone and called the Bishop.  Just as he answered, we saw the church building on the outer edge of the township (number 3) up on a hill.  Lucy said we should go one way, a driver stopped, said you look lost and as we asked his direction, he said opposite of Lucy and added in many, many turns.  You have to understand there are no street signs.

Elder DaBell said we are going this way.  He started through the township (number 3) opposite of Lucy and turned here and there, and there and here.  We ended up just at the church, even though we could not see it as we wound up the hill. The real Lucy did come forward.  (When the call was made to the Bishop, Elder DaBell said he felt a calmness come over him).

When we entered the chapel, we were 10 minutes late, the prelude music was playing and the congregation was waiting patiently, quietly for us to arrive.  Then the meeting started.  We had a wonderful experience in the Kwa Guqa Ward.  We spoke in Sacrament meeting, taught Sunday school lesson to the Young Single Adults, on choosing a career, and we taught training for the ward council after church.

Bishop Jeremy Rakotomamonjy is 27 years old, father of 2 and a returned missionary.

Devotional Spiritual Thought given at the Area Offices of the African Southeast Area on Monday, September 17, 2012 by Tirhane Ngomane: 

She said she is a mixture of Zulu, Swazi and Shangaane.  Her mother could not read or write, but she taught her children to love, pray and go to church, and made sure they had the opportunity for schooling.  At the age of 10 Tirhane joined the Dutch Reformed Church.  Her two brothers and sister joined other churches.  She was the youngest of the 4 children.  Her mother taught them self reliance at an early age.  They tilled the ground and grew food to survive.  When Tirhane was 17, her mother died.  The father was gone.  The brothers had married and moved to Joburg.  Tirhane lived with her older sister and they survived because of the self reliance her mother had taught them.  Her sister got a job and she was able to work ironing for others.

She moved to Joburg and lived with a brother and went to the university.  In her final year she met the missionaries and joined the Church.  Her brother did not approve, so she had move out and get her own place.  She decided to serve a mission.  In preparing she remembered her mother said nothing is for “mahala”  (free) so she washed windows, ironed and made peanut butter to save for her mission.  Many in and out of the church said why do you do this?  She said for me it was important to save and be self reliant.  Self reliance was an attitude since birth.  Even now I have a garden, she said.  She said I can go to the Temple and feel peace and make covenants with God.  How I was kept safe until the missionaries found me is a mystery.  Why me, why did the Savior do this for me?   (D & C 19)  I read the scriptures every day.  Pres. Monson said:  learn what you need to learn, do what you need to do, be what you need to be.

Foot note:  What an example of Self Reliance.  She is a mother of 4, her husband is Bishop of the Daveyton Ward, Benoni Stake.  She walks the walk, not just talk the talk.

Monday, after devotional, we celebrated Heritage day, which is actually a national holiday next Monday, so we will not be in the office.  We had a beautiful flag ceremony with the South African flag.  The National anthem was sung in first verse zulu and xhosa, second verse sung in sotho and third verse sung in Africaans and English.  There were several dressed in traditional African dress.  I had a sarong I wore over my regular clothes.  It was a gorgeous morning, warm with the sun shining.

In the center are Elder and Sister Renlund, (our area President).  Until next week.......E&S DaBell