11 August 2009 – Tuesday

 

It was nice to see blue sky this morning.

We went with the Bartholomews to Durban for a Mission Tour meeting tomorrow with Elder and Sister Koelliker and three zones. We were supposed to leave about 10:00 but they had an emergency food order so we did not get off until about 11:00. I would like to say that we spent the extra time studying, but actually we spent it reading.

The trip to Durban takes between 90 minutes and two hours but we usually stop along the way to have lunch at the seaside city of Ballito. It is an upscale residential/resort town which has lots of excellent stores, art galleries, and good restaurants.

The Guinea Fowl – The Mission Office – Elder Sessions – the auto repair expert!

We ate lunch at a restaurant specializing in sea food and I had one of the best Kingklip fillet of the mission. It was cooked just right and had a light lemon butter sauce. I will certainly come back again on some p-day or on another trip to Durban. While we were there we also bought a couple of small ceramic crested guinea fowls. I have no idea why this bird fascinates us but it does.

Our first stop in Durban was, as usual, the mission office where we found almost everyone was out at lunch. But we got to talk to the assistants for a few minutes before they ran off on an errand and then the rest of the folks when they returned.

Elder and Sister Sessions, the office couple, are leaving in about a month and there are no replacements in site. In fact as far as we know there are no couples coming over the next few months when three couples will be leaving. I guess that the economic times and the lack of couples sending in their papers is causing a loss of couple missionaries in most missions. The Sessions not only run the office, but elder Sessions also serves in a branch presidency in one of the township branches.

 

We then went to Little Haven, the bed and breakfast run by the Rawlings that we first stayed in when we arrived in Durban 7 months ago. They are a delightful  and faithful couple.

After unpacking we went out on the deck and was surprised to find sister Koelliker was also there. When we left the mission office we were told she was with Sister Mann in the mission home. But it turned out they had dropped her off at the B&B so she could relax while her husband and president Mann had a meeting.

We had enough time to get to know her a little and we shared information about our families, where we have lived, etc. I asked her what she thought when they received the call to serve in South East Africa. She said they had a meeting with President Monson who spent the time sharing some experiences, telling stories, and talking about families. It was not until they were at the door of his office getting ready to leave that he said “ Oh did I mention you are going to serve in the South East Africa Area.”

She said that she did not have any reluctance to serve where called but often when she told others they thought she was kidding. I am afraid Africa has does not have a good reputation among the general population.

We had arranged to have dinner with the Bartholomews and Sessions at a French Restaurant that is not open on Monday nights which is when we are usually in Durban for meetings. It is in a small mall not far from the mission home and when we got there it was open but empty.  We got to meet the owner and his wife, have a nice meal, and enjoyable company.

The interior of the restaurant – excellent art. The Piers, Bartholomews, and Sessions. I think sister Sessions has a great smile in this candid shot – elder Sessions saw it coming

I ordered Escargots as an appetizer but was disappointed when I found that they were cooked whole and not ground up and stuffed back in the shell like the other times I had them. The only person who would try them was elder Bartholomew the rest were happy to let us eat them all.

We got back to our B&B fairly early and I spent most of my time trying to catch up this journal. When I get three or four days behind it takes me forever to catch up. But I managed to write four days worth but I could not put the pages on our blog because the internet connection was not strong enough.