02 August 2009 – Sunday

It is almost 11 p.m. and the rumble of thunder rolls over the house. It has been raining almost all day but the thunder is new. It has been a good day in many ways.  There has also been some disappointments. But in the long run it more than balances out to be a good day.

The alarm cut into a really deep sleep – neither of us were ready for it. But we got up and prepared for our usual Sunday activities.

We were the first ones to Esikhawini so I opened everything up. Since there was still no water pressure we knew we would be going to Richards Bay for the baptism. PEC consisted of 5 elders and brother Wenzie. President Malinga woke up not feeling well so he would not be at church and would not be able to baptize sister Zibani so elder Mbithi will do both.

The morning was cold and threatening to rain as the members started coming in. We thought we had a real problem when we could not get the lights to stay on but finally they did – at least for most of the meetings. Brother Wenzie did a good job getting the meeting started only about 5 minutes late. Which for South Africa is well within the ‘on time’ zone – I guess that is something like the way the airlines figure their on time percentage.

There were some great testimonies. As I mentioned before, there are almost no preaching, faith promoting stories, travelogues, or such. Most people give thanks for blessings they receive and bear their testimonies of the truths they know. Sister Khumalo started her testimony by saying “I know God loves me and knows my name.” I was greatly touched by that thought. It is something that I think is a really important part of a testimony and shows her relationship with God.

While testimony meeting was going on it started to rain and it just kept getting harder and harder as the block went on. For all those who have to walk home or to the taxi stands it was not going to be a pleasant day.

Brother Nyawo taught adult Sunday school – they really need to get a regular teacher. The lesson was on the scriptures and he got the members involved.

Priesthood was another highlight of the day. Brother Mthalane – the recently returned missionary – taught a lesson on the sacrament – the importance of preparing, blessing and passing it with the right spirit. We then read our way through the blessing on the bread and as we did this, I realized that while I had thought of the individual parts of the blessing, I don’t think I ever thought about the order of the blessing. The idea that after we eat the bread in remembrance Christ,  we then witness (covenant) with God to willing take upon us Christ’s name, always remember Him, and then keep his commandments as he has given them…when we do all this then the great blessing of always having His spirit to be with us is assured. I do not think I will ever take the sacrament after this with out thinking about what I learned today – at least I hope not.

After the block we started to organize the cars to get people to the Richards Bay chapel for the baptism services. We ran into a bit of trouble when we found that the branch mission president who was supposed to conduct had left and we could not get him on his cell phone. To make a long story short, Mary and I took one of the young sisters who wants to learn to play the piano home so she did not have to walk in the rain with the keyboard we are lending her and then went to the RB chapel where we found everyone except someone to conduct. It seems the BML got busy somewhere else and was not going to make it. Once more wonderful brother Wenzie stepped in and conducted a meeting he had no idea he would conduct.

The baptism went well – brother Zibani had to be done twice because elder Mbhiti was standing too close to the steps the first time. About the only people who actually watched were a group of missionaries, the couple’s daughter and Yaya Mathe who we think is somehow related. As always I was touched by how simple the ordinance of baptism really is and yet without it there is no entrance to the straight and narrow way that leads to Eternal life. I can kind of picture Phillip baptizing the eunuch in the river along side the road – just the two of them and perhaps some of the eunuch’s servants. Yet this simple scene was greater than the baptism of a new royal child in some great cathedral.

After the baptism we came home, broke our fast, and then I took a nap. When I woke up I helped Mary in cleaning up the house and getting the food ready for feeding the elders. We were ready for them to start to arrive about 7:00 but they ended up arriving later than usual because they had all been working or at least they had been busy in their areas. Elder and sister B were unable to come because of her illness.

Elder Torgerson had an unhappy day because a couple that they have been working with for months and thought was ready to be baptized, told them that they were going back to their old church. As we talked I told him that even if they do not continue to come, the experience that they have had with the church will never leave them and we may never know what that will mean as the years go by.

For the best part of a couple of hours our house was filled with elders happily talking about their work, the food, and what they might do tomorrow if it continues to rain so we can not go to the game park. Some of them – elder Musemare especially – are rather quiet. But for the most part they keep up a continual chatter stopping only to eat a large quantity of food. Just after 9:00 our 12 great elders went home full of BBQ beef, baked beans, corn, garlic bread, brownies and ice cream.  For some of the African elders it was the first time they had BBQ beef and baked beans – all of them like the beef – I am not sure they all appreciated the beans.

After they left I finished the dishes and then we just sat around and relaxed until it was time to go to bed. Any day that I can watch two people enter the waters of baptism is a great day.