I was going to weave these pictures in among the days they occurred but decided that was just too much work. So here are some of two or three hundred we took.
This first elephant was about 25 feet or less from the side of the truck. He was eating his dinner when we came upon him. He really did not stop but would grab a trunk full, stuff it in his mouth and then look at us as he swallowed. I wonder what he thought about us. He certainly was not scared – in fact I doubt if much scares a grown elephant. The second picture I titled “An where do you think you are going?” Elephants and Rhinos tend to not get out of the truck’s way until they are good and ready to do so. The last picture was of just 4 elephants out of probably a dozen that crossed the road in front of us. Our guide said that the two babies are less than 6 months old.
Sunrise on the third day – Sunset on the first. While the animals are the main attraction, the always changing countryside is also amazing. Sometimes I think we were looking so hard for animals that we missed many wonderful sights.
This was the first time we had seen crested guinea fowls. Before that we only saw helmeted ones. Now that we have seen both of them, I am torn as to which I like best. We have seen warthogs at every game park we have gone to. They tend to run when the truck approaches but this family was far enough away that we did not disturb them. The last picture is dung beetles at work. I wonder how long they will be busy with this pile?
A dozen great couples together for the last time as the Klinglers, Bartholomews, and Sessions will be gone before we meet again in December for All Zone Conference. Hopefully some new couples will join us by then.
Somehow I managed to go through my whole life not realizing the importance of the dung beetle to the ecology of the whole planet. Only after visiting Tembe Elephant Park and becoming informed of their value have I come to appreciate their contribution. Notice the right hand picture where the beetle is pushing a ball of dung that is larger than it is but holding it with its hind legs and pushing backwards with his front. Can you imagine how many times a day a beetle must form, move and bury a ball of dung to dispose of the droppings of just one elephant!
For more information try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dung_beetle
After reading this you will give the dung beetle the right of way.
Thanks to Elder Mickelsen for these excellent photos.
Slept well but had to get moving this morning because the Bs were going to pick us up to go get our car. I spent much of the time posting to the blog. I am going to try to keep up each day because it is hard to play catch up.
When the Bs tried to leave their boarding they found that they had a flat. Elder B said that he had it changed in under 15 minutes. On the way to pick up our car, we stopped to drop off his flat to get fixed. Once at the Nissan dealership it took about 15 minutes to get our car paid for and out from the back. I think if I had left it for 2 more days they would have sold it.
We then followed the Bs almost back to the mall but they stopped to get their tire. We had a number of things to do at the mall including getting some money, buying air time, and getting a new battery for my watch that stopped while we were at Tembe. We would have been much quicker if the stores would not have been at opposite ends of the mall.
We then dashed home to have grilled cheese sandwiches – Mary also had tomato soup to warm her up. I just realized I did not mention that it rain all last night – hard – and started again this morning. It was also quite cold – even I felt it. After lunch Mary caught a quick nap and then we loaded up and headed to Port Durnford.
Our first stop was President Machaka’s tuck shop so he could sign the last food order. We also talked about the new business he hopes to open in Richards Bay. He and two other men are going to start a training school that will teach basic computer skills and other job skills. I hope it works for him because the tuck shop does not make enough money to support a family.
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Then we went to teach English. By now the rain was not very heavy but the wind was howling. It cut right through the sweater I was wearing. We found that Gogo Nzama was in the hospital. We will go see her tomorrow. Also our faithful Temba has a job so he will not be able to attend the class. But we taught Thandi and she is a good student. Note that in the picture she is wearing a thick coat and a hat in the house. We were both wearing sweaters. The home is un-heated because the house is not insulated and it would cost too much to pay for the electricty.
We then took her to the Port Durnford chapel for youth. With the wind and cold we did not expect many to show up but they just kept coming and except for Fufu we had pretty much a full complement. Two of them had memorized the 7th and 8th Articles of Faith and I gave them a small reward.
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Mary then played a game of ‘I am going on vacation. In my suitcase I am going to pack’ memory game. We were astounded how well they did. We called it a draw when it got down to two left and they were remembering 15 items. They loved the game. We then let them watch the part of their roadshow that we had – they thought that was great also. Finally we gave them the treats – strawberry soda and candy before bidding them goodbye.
As we were getting ready to leave, Quinton told me that he was asked to be in charge of the Helping Hands project this Saturday. They are going to clean up some class rooms at the local high school. For some reason he had been led to believe that we had been asked to supply everything they would need. I had to explain we had not been asked to do anything and we did not know what they needed. He said he would check into it with President Machaka and get back to us. But he asked us to at least go over to see what we would be cleaning up. So after dropping off Thandi at her house we picked him up and drove to the high school. It really needs as much help and cleaning as we can give it. I doubt if what we will do on Saturday will make a dent in the condition but at least it will be a good service project.
On our way home we saw this beautiful rainbow in the sky. I think we needed it to remind us that this is the Lord’s world and that there is hope for the future.
We took Quinton home, stopped by Bungumuse’s house to drop off the photo of his great backdrop for the road show and then went to the Bartholomews to give sister B a blessing. We had a nice visit and then I anointed and elder B sealed the anointing. Hopefully she will soon be well so she can finish her mission on a high note. We got home about 6:30 and had a great breakfast for dinner.
We got a great surprise when the Vonage phone rang and it was Jim. He had managed to fix what ever the problem was with incoming calls. So now everyone at home can call at any time…hint, hint – well at least at any reasonable time.
Elder Mickelsen sent us an e-mail with a link to his Picasa album of pictures from Tembe. He must have worked on them all day. There are some great pictures there and I will borrow some for the blog. I wrote to thank him and to find out what camera and lens he is using because it is great. He got shots my Casio will just not get.
I have spent the hours since dinner looking at pictures, down loading some I want to save and writing today’s journal entry. The night has pretty much flashed by – I notice this happens quite often. Mary is now in making a Baptism program for the elders to take to Cosi Bay Saturday. They are going up for 5 baptisms and will stay over for the confirmations. If they keep growing, they will some day be an independent branch.
Once again we were up early so we could go on the morning drive. I started packing some things last night and we will finish up this morning before eating breakfast so they can take all the luggage to where are cars are parked.
The morning drive was not anywhere as exciting as the others we took. It was almost like the animals were saying – enough is enough. Our driver tried everything but while we saw lots of fresh dung from elephants we never saw anything other than the usual antelope and a couple of water buffalos. But the morning was not too cool and there were some great views. Maybe I was supposed to learn to enjoy what is there and not worry about what was not there.
After the better part of 2 hours we stopped for hot chocolate and rusk bars. We also took pictures with our guide and the other couples around the safari car. They do not use Range Rovers but Toyota Land Cruisers. They are in excellent shape for a vehicle that spends most of its time being scraped by the brush.
We were on our way back to the lodge when we briefly saw what our guide said was a black rhino – it was the first one we have seen since we got here but the view was so brief – they can really move quickly if they need to – that I can not say what kind it was. We thought that would be about it for the day when we saw a group of rhinos – white ones this time – and when we counted there were four of them. So Sister Klingler got to see her rhinos – even if they were some distance off and basically showing their rumps. Not too much further along we came upon a huge white rhino that was closer to the road but moving through the brush. We only got a couple of good looks at him but it was obvious that he was the largest rhino we had seen at Tembe.
Back at the lodge, we finished our packing and went to breakfast. Poached eggs on toast, more of the great sausage, lots of toast and jam, and of course good company. As usual we were running late for the last meeting. The Mickelsens gave a very good review on PEF and mentioned a number of things that I wrote down to use in our branches. I was especially interested in a keyboard that can be used to learn keyboarding which would be a wonderful class to have at the branches. We could have them 2 or 3 times a week so the young people – and older ones of course – could come and learn to type. After the had become proficient in that we could have a limited basic computer skills class – elder Knudsen is a IT specialist and is looking into what is available free on the internet – which would help them when applying for a job.
The highlight of the morning and perhaps the conference was a talk by sister Sessions on the atonement. She told a couple of personal stories that were very spiritual in nature that tied in perfectly with the subject.
President Mann spoke last and spent his time explaining what the focus of the mission training would be over the next few cycles. It is aimed at getting the 25 new missionaries up to speed as quickly as possible so that the work will not suffer as the 25 most experienced missionaries are released over just a 6 week period. Of course they will also lose 2 wonderful couples in the same time – the Klinglers go home at the first of September and the Sessions near the end. Then the Bartholomews will go home early in November and as of now there are no replacements called. But perhaps like the Taylors who go into the MTC just 3 weeks after receiving their call, the replacements are just getting theirs.
After the last prayer – Mary gave it – we all were gathered together for a picture. Sister Mann had been thinking about this and had just the spot picked out and knew where she wanted each couple to stand. This kept the shuffling to a minimum and everyone one could clearly be seen.
We then got into the Land Cruisers for the last time. As we sat waiting for the Manns to settle the bill and join us the staff sang and danced for us. I was able to get a lot of it on video – including a great one where the Manns had to work their way through the group to get to the vehicles.
On the way to where the cars were parked we found the big elephant that greeted us a couple of days ago. We kidded that they kept him on a chain so would only allow him to walk up and down a given section of the road so each group would see him coming and going. We had a good time thinking up how they controlled him.
At the car park we loaded up our luggage and then stood around talking and taking pictures for 15 minutes or more. We said goodbye to the Klinglers because we probably will not see them again and everyone promised to visit when we all got home. We will probably see the Sessions at least once more before they leave but perhaps not. It is strange how these friendships are established when you only see some of the couples at All Zone and Couples Conferences. But there is a bond that does not need much personal contact because we share the experiences and spirit of our calls. In fact it is only possible to really explain what we experience with other couples who have served missions. In some cases it is only possible to share with couples who have served in the same mission.
We – the Barts and us – were the last ones out of the parking lot but since others stopped at the gift shop, we were close behind the Manns on the way back to Durban. As we were going along we got a call suggesting everyone stops at the Ilala Weavers to shop and have lunch. So we all pulled in and placed our lunch orders, shopped and then ate. No time wasted this way. I had a delicious chicken salad and Mary had a toasted sandwich. The food was great and again we got to share some of our experiences with other couples. With lunch finished we once again bid farewell to those who were going home to Durban and we traveled back to Richards Bay.
Since we would not get home until after the Nissan service shop was closed, the B’s dropped us off at home and they will take us to get our car early tomorrow. I should mention that the sky had clouded up and we had some rain spots on the windshield as we neared home.
It was good to get back in our own boarding and relax. The couple’s conference was great but there was almost no time for just relaxing. We spent much of the night down loading, editing, and putting captions on the almost 300 pictures we took over the three days. I also spent some time on this journal. Mary was in bed quite early and an hour later so was I. Tomorrow it is back to work with the branches.
We had to get up early to be on the game drive at 6:00. The morning turned out to be nippy and I kept adding layers of clothing as we went along. On the morning drives they stop for a snack of hot chocolate – which was greatly appreciated – and a hard biscuit called rusk which turned out to be really tasty. Although they certainly contained corn and raisins, I am not sure what else was in them.
Back at camp we had a very nice breakfast with the best sausage I have eaten since I was in South Africa, scrambled eggs, cooked tomatoes, toast, juice and a great strawberry jam. Of course we also had a good time talking to other couples about our mission experiences.
The first session of the conference included a number of reports from the couples – including us. Also there were talks by the Knudsens on love, the Bartholomews on Service, and the Klinglers on Faith. All the talks were great but it was sister Klingler’s talk on Faith that touched me most. She told of a young woman that after prayer turned down a job that would have required her to work on two Sundays a month. In a country with 35% un-employment, turning down a job is almost unheard of. Soon after that she had 7 job opportunities made available to her.
She also told of a very poor member who made a suit for Elder Klingler that was much to small in chest and much too long so there was no way he could wear it. But a young man in one of the branches was called on a mini-mission, needed a suit and of course could not afford one. He was much taller and thinner than Elder K and the suit fit him perfectly. The Ks asked the man who made the suit if it was OK with him if they gave the suit to the young man and he gladly said yes. Since then the young man has put in for a full time mission and will be taking the suit with him.
Elder Griesemer talked about what they were doing with doing in Employment. It sounded like they are doing a great job in preparing the stake and district employment offices to function if they are not replaced as employment specialists. They are a great couple. He is very funny and she seems to be very serious, but when you get to know them you soon find she is just as funny and sharp as he is but she is not as vocal about it. You can easily see how much they love each other. He has a very special story about his conversion and what it has meant to his family. It is on the lines of the conference talk called “Its True Isn’t It,†but since he does not readily share it with others, I will not tell it on the blog until I have his permission.
One funny thing just popped into my mind. Since there are two Wilson couples serving in the mission – the elders are brothers – one couple is known to the missionaries as the SwazilandWilsons and the other as the LadysmithWilsons. It is almost like it was part of their last names. Sister Wilson from Ladysmith confessed that she often finds that she refers to herself as Sister LadysmithWilson to those who are not missionaries.
We ended the morning session in time for us to eat some lunch and then head out to our evening game drive. Â This was the best drive of the trip because we saw lots of elephants.
One of the trucks found a group of elephants and called to tell the others. We arrived just as they were disappearing into the deep bush and we were greatly disappointed as all we got to see were glimpses of about 5 or 6 of them through the bush and trees.
But our driver took us not to far to a rather large watering hole where there was a single bull elephant drinking. We got to sit and watch him for quite a while. As kind of comic relief monkeys would almost at regular intervals run across the edge of the pool and disappear into the bush. The elephant finally drank its fill and started to walk around the pool. A single impala came running across the edge of the pool, took one look at the elephant, did a very sharp 180 and hurried back the way it came.
We figured that we had our elephant experience for the day when out of the bush came a couple more very young elephants which started to play with each other. Soon after that the elephants just kept coming out of the bush in a long string. Big ones and little ones – the guide thought the youngest was about 4 months old. For the next hour we watched and followed elephants. At times we were pretty much surrounded by them as they strolled through the bush and down the road. I would bet that the two truck loads of missionaries took something like 1500 pictures and videos of those elephants. Unfortunately the third truck did not get the message about the elephants and so they missed out on the experience. On the way back to camp we saw a family of giraffes and our only sighting of zebras.
Back at the lodge we had a brief rest period before dinner. Dinner included warthog steak which turned out to be a little tough but pretty good tasting. We also had sweet chili chicken which was delicious. Tonight and last night while we were eating we were visited by a pair of Bush babies who have learned if they appear at dinner time, people will feed them bread so they can take their picture. The ones who came tonight became scared of something and quickly disappeared. But they later came back and I fed them while Mary took some pictures.
After dinner we gathered around the nightly campfire and had a wonderful testimony meeting. I found it amazing that such a diverse group of LDS would be gathered around a campfire in South Africa sharing their testimonies of the gospel and the work we are doing. Each knowing that they were called to serve here at this time by a prophet and each finding what they why they were called to serve where they are. We are very blessed to be a part of this group and to have the opportunity to know them and hear their testimonies. I do not think that you would find any of them who would say that they sacrificed to come on their missions. They all sing ‘Called to Serve’ with a true knowledge of what this means.
