08 July 2009 – Wednesday

A busy morning with the normal amount of housework – we do miss having maid service here – while handling normal morning missionary activities.

I wrote lyrics for one of the songs in the Esikhawini road show to the tune of Book of Mormon Stories. I thought I had to write them from scratch because I could not find the ones I wrote earlier. As I was finishing, Mary mentioned that she had a copied the earlier lyrics onto her computer. So I used some of the old and some of the new to come up with four verses.

We had to be in Esikhawini at 11 but since we had left the paints we needed at Port Durnford yesterday we had to first go there. We have found a more adventurous route to the PD chapel. While it avoids much of the pot hole road we usually take, this one is all packed sand with lots of interesting bumps and one decent gully. We think it is shorter but we will not take it when it is raining or just after a rain. I am afraid it they would have to bring in a tractor to pull us out of some hole.

Of course no one showed up on time but a few youth finally came around and got busy painting the back drop. I am afraid it is a little too detailed but the young man who drew it is really an artist. While they were waiting for the young people to arrive, Mary and sister Mavundla went through the songs. Sister Mavundla was surprised that I had written completely new lyrics for the song.

While the other were working on the scenery, I wrote a short entrée act that will explain the background of the story of the Title of Liberty. I think it is also rather funny.

After being there for 3 hours we had to leave to go to PEC with President Machaka. We left brother Mhtalane working on the scenery and after the PEC we came back to close up the building and headed for home.

Since we needed more paint than we thought, Mary had me stop along the way so she could buy what she thought she would need. It is hard to find large quantities of poster paint so we are using powdered acrylic instead. I am almost to the point where I think we would be ahead if we bought cans of water based paint for the sky and sea – luckily we still have a couple of weeks to get the backdrops painted.

Once we were home, I finished my chores before Mary cooked dinner. After dinner I spent over an hour working on pictures that I have taken over the last 45 days. I have gotten way behind editing and putting names on pictures. When that happens what can be enjoyable becomes a chore instead. Each time this happens I promise myself that I will not let it happen again, but of course it does. I figure I still have at least another hour to get them all done.

07 July 2009 – Tuesday

It was a day spent running errands and working with the Port Durnford youth. The road shows have taken over our lives. We did a lot of shopping for things we needed for the home and the road shows in the morning. The afternoon was spent at Port Durnford working with the youth on costumes, scenery and other things. At times I wonder if there is any possibility that everything will come together in the next 2 weeks? One good thing about the roadshow is that we have a non-LDS young man painting the scenery. He has great talent and we really needed it.

On the way home we stopped by the Richards Bay chapel so I could see how the outside fixtures had been repaired and to make sure President Mann did not plan to stay with us tonight. We were lucky to catch him between rooms and he said he did not want to bother us. I said to him I was not surprised and that he certainly had a lot on his plate over the next couple of months.

This week end the mission presidency meets with all the branch presidencies for a training meeting. Then next week is All Zone Conference in Durban. Soon after that there is a mission tour with the new Area President and then comes Couple Conference. While all this is going on he has to be preparing for lose 25% of his trained elders and gain the same number of new elders in September and October. Of course there is also the little problem of losing 3 couples in the same period with no replacements in sight. And to think there are people who would like to be a mission president.

In the evening Mary worked on music for the road shows while I fell asleep in the chair. I think I am growing old.