31 August 2009 – Monday
Another P-day that we did not do what was originally planned but we did what we should do which is more important.
Sister Tembe walking between the bars. I almost caught her determined look in the first picture. The picture of rooster is just to show the beauty of some of the roosters here. They are everywhere in the townships and countryside. This one was in sister Tembe’s yard but actually belongs to a neighbor. Everyone seems to know which chickens belong where.
We spent the morning taking sister Tembe of Esikhawini branch to the hospital so she could have some physical therapy and it turned out a new crutch. We took her on today because we forgot to take her on Friday. Sister Tembe was badly beaten in 2007 and it was thought she would never walk again. But thanks to her strong will and the help of the missionaries before us, she is now able to walk with crutches or by holding on to someone. She is determined to someday walk un-aided.
To collapse three hours into a couple of sentences, we got her to the hospital before her appointment time but it worked out fine. She did not have any actual therapy but she did walk between the parallel bars and up and down some steps until she was too tired to continue. She even took some steps un-aided between the bars but she is not ready to go very far this way. I could see the determination on her face as she walked.
The staff was friendly, helpful. As I have mentioned this is one of the best public hospitals I have seen on our missions. They provided a new aluminum arm crutch for R10 – that is about $1.25 US. I think they charge just to take care of the paperwork. When she had finished we took her back to her house and she walked from the car to the house using her two crutches.
By the time we had finished it was noon and so we decided to just spend the rest of the day around the house. While Mary picked up some fish and chips for lunch, I went to the grocery store for a few things. It seems that Coke has done something to drive Pepsi out of Spars so I am going to have to either switch stores or brands.
We found out that a number of the senior missionaries have come down with tick fever from our trip to Tembe Elephant Park. Later I called elder Mickelsen to see how he was and found that while it was rather nasty for a couple of days, it too passed. I told him I was too tough skinned for the ticks and he suggested that I was not sweet enough. Either way I am glad neither of us got it. We called the Bs to see what they were doing and they were on their way to St Lucia. It is great that sister B feels well enough for them to spend part of the day out and around.
Just after nine, Elders Weaver and Peterson showed up and returned the keyboard we loaned them yesterday. Elder Peterson also used out Vonage phone to try once again to get Zion Bank to take the hold off his credit card. You would think they would understand how important it is for missionaries to have access to funds from home when they are 10,000 miles away. Sometimes I think that commonsense is greatly lacking in the banking business.
I would call this a 1 ½ Mite Day.
So ended another month of my life – they are streaming past. Hopefully they are being spent doing what the Lord would have us do.