Along with the normal things I do most mornings I have decided to try to add doing some indexing. If the writing is legible I can do 50 names in about 45 minutes. I think it fits into our call as missionaries because we are helping to do missionary service for the dead. Isn’t it wonderful that through the web anyone can do indexing from anywhere in the world. I am doing 1920 Pennsylvania and Mary is arbitrating 1920 Utah.

I also try to read any new stories on the Church website. They are all uplifting and some give me ideas on things we can do here in South Africa. I especially enjoyed a story in Mormon Times called “He Healed the Hurt” about Brigham Young as a father. Once we got out and around, we spent most of the morning doing some errands that just seem to build up. They included buying more electricity. As I think I have mentioned before, you buy blocks of electricity and on the receipt is a pin number that you have to put in the meter in your boarding. If you let it run down to 0 – everything shuts off. I also needed to buy air time for our cell phone – it is amazing how quickly we use up airtime and of course if we run out we can not call anyone but they can call us. We both also had our hair cut. I was rather worried because it was Friday morning and I thought it might be busy. It was – it turned out that there were some major school graduations later in the day and moms and daughters wanted to make sure they looked their best at the ceremonies – but since we only wanted hair cuts they were able to take us right in. Total cost for the two of us $10 – that is less than we paid in Indonesia. Our afternoon was busy. President Machaka called and asked me to stop by before we went to youth in Esikhawini. Of course I said yes and we talked for a while about some welfare needs. We then went to Esikhawini where we were happily surprised when a good number of young people came on time. So did the new YW president and her counselor – now we just need to get an active YM president.

Since something was scheduled for 4:00 we were only had time for a short meeting and so Mary spent it all on the road show. They decided on a theme – The Title of Liberty – and a group to write it. There was also so discussion of those who could help with the scenery and costumes. We only have 5 weeks to get it all together and that is a little tight so everyone will have to work together.

Once that was settle we gave those who thought they knew the first 6 Articles of Faith. One young man almost got them 100% right and Mary convinced me to give him his reward. Sister Khamalo then said them all perfectly so she got the bonus for being the first. A couple of others passed off the first two and now only need to work on the next 4 to qualify.

After our meeting, we got to hear from brother Mthalane who just returned from serving a full mission in Ghana. He is the first full-time missionary to serve from Esikhawini. He answered questions about his mission for about 30 minutes. He told a couple of conversion stories. It seems in Ghana that the people put a lot of faith in dreams and so a number of times the missionaries were told that the person had dreamed they were coming or something they dreamed happened as they were investigating. He mentioned that one of the most difficult changes that an investigator must accept is that we are not in any way Pentecostal – even in the Catholic Churches they play drums and may speak in tongues. He also said that there was no way for him to truly explain all the blessings of a mission to anyone who has not been on one. He is a very strong young man and should be a great help to the branch.

After Mutual and the missionary discussion, Mary gave her music student a short lesson. She has two others who want to learn – one even has a keyboard. So as soon as Mary can get some more course materials she will start teaching them. When she was done with the lesson we once again got to drive home in the dark but there were no burning fields to awe us tonight.

After dinner as I read the April 1998 talk of Elder Maxwell and came across this: Our Heavenly Father has described His vast plan for His children by saying, “Behold, this is my work and my glory–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39; emphasis added). Consider the significance of the Lord’s use of the word work. What He is doing so lovingly and redemptively is, nevertheless, work–even for Him! We, likewise, speak of “working out our salvation,” of the “law of the harvest,” and of the “sweat of the brow” (see Moses 5:1; see also Inspired Version, Gen. 4:1). These are not idle phrases. Instead, they underscore the importance of work. In fact, brethren, work is always a spiritual necessity even if, for some, work is not an economic necessity.

Thus I speak to you as good young men, including seven fine grandsons listening tonight, among them two missionaries and three recently ordained deacons. I remind you that the gospel of work is part of “the fulness of the gospel.” Though joyful, missionary work is work. Though joyful, temple work is work. Alas, a few of our underwhelmed youth work all right, but mostly at trying to please themselves.

The reason I put this quote in my journal is that I have been trying to get away from saying I work in the temple and instead say I serve in the temple. Elder Maxwell’s excellent talk reminds me that while work is a four letter word, it is a good four letter word. So I guess I will go back to working in the temple, doing missionary work, and work at indexing.

Naartjie Season: Has come to the Eastern Cape and so we can buy rather freshly picked naartjies for very little. Today we picked up 3 big bags of this delicious close cousin to the tangerine for just R50 and took them to Mutual – everyone loved them.