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.