11 September 2009 – Friday
It was a good news – bad news morning for us. The good news came in a letter from Bob that told about meeting a man – David Nelson – in the temple who was a missionary in Inglewood over 40 years ago. He served in our area for 9 months and had dinner at our house every week. He told Bob that he has wonderful memories of that time and the things Mary and I shared with him. He said that it ranks as one of the two or three best times of his life. Mary remembers him very well but I have to admit that I only remember him vaguely – one of the banes of my existence is a poor memory. But once again I am reminded that just by living the gospel and loving others, you can have a great effect on others without ever knowing it.
Bob’s Letter – BTW today is his birthday!
Hi,
I just wanted to write and tell you about something that happened in the temple last night. After preparation meeting, I have about 20 minutes before my first assignment. I was walking through the locker room and one of the other Ordinance workers stopped me. He said that he had wanted to talk to me since I had started working there but had not had the chance. He said he had heard me say that I had grown up in Southern California. He said that in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s he had served as a missionary in southern california. He was assigned to an area for 9 months and knew and worked with a man named Bill Pier. As he said that, I said, that is my Dad. He asked me if I was sure and I told him that if it was So. Cal in the late sixties it had to be my Dad. I asked him if the area he was in was Inglewood and he said it was, and I told him that it was defiantly my dad. He told me that when he had heard my name he had wondered if I was related to this man, but had no thought that it would be my father. He then proceeded to tell me that in the 9 months that he was assigned to the area he worked close to Dad and also a man named Dennis Clarke. We talked about our housed in Inglewood and that we lived in front and Dennis and his family lived in back. He also said that he and his companions had dinner once a week with Bill and his family. I told him that if he had eaten with them once a week he also ate with me and I would have been 6 or 7. He told me that in the intervening years when he thought back on his life that those nine months were in the top 2 or 3 times where he was truly happy and how much of that was due to the two of you. He could not remember Mom’s name, but I told him that at that time she went by Mary Ellen. I told him that you are on your second mission, this one to South Africa, and that when you returned in 10 months it will be to Provo. I offered to give him your email address, but he said he doesn’t really use email. I also told him that I am sure we can set something up and when you get back we can all get together. His name is David Nelson. I hope you remember him. I did tell him that I did remember that when we lived in Inglewood I do have some memory of a time when we seemed to have the missionaries over a lot. He went on and on about the two of you and the Clarke’s and how much you influenced his life. He almost came to tears a few times when talking about you. To me that was a great experience. I know that you have influenced many people in your lives, but to have someone tell me how much you meant to them at such a deep level really touched me. Thank you for being you. I love you both and am so glad for the examples you have been to me and for our family. I hope this means as much to you as it does to me. If you wanted to send him anything send it to me and I will print it and give it to him.
Love you, Bob
We spent most of our day in Port Durnford and Esikhawini. We bought and took a food order to a family in Port Durnford and visited a couple of other families while we were there. We really need to get to know the Zondi family better as they seem to be a good source of Priesthood for the branch. In Esikhawini we visited members and then attended the Youth meeting where we and the elders ended up pretty much running the meeting. However I think that as the YM and YW presidents get counselors and start working together it will improve. There were a lot of the young people out but since it is exams time and others are matricing – that is getting ready to graduate – some stay home to do homework and study.
It is hard to describe what Port Durnford and Esikhawini is like just after school lets out for the day. For up to an hour – and in Port Durnford longer – the sides of the roads and the roads themselves are teeming with youth. From the young 5 and 6 year olds who seem to often walk to and from school alone or in groups to the bustling high school students they spread out over the landscape as they head home. Since schools – even the small rural ones – require students to wear uniforms, there are groups of maroon, blue, and many other hues clustered together as they walk. Each group slowly shrink as the students come to their street or home until the one who walks the furthest walks the last section alone.
Since we are leaving for Kosi Bay tomorrow I finally got around to making reservations for our night stay and talk to brother Iris – I have no idea what his last name is – who is the leader of the little group who meets in his tailor shop each Sunday. I am looking forward to sharing Sunday with them because I imagine it will be much like it was 175 years ago when the church was still young and little congregations were meeting in homes.
We called Bob to wish him Happy Birthday – actually he ended up calling us – and found that there was a problem with the downstairs bathroom – the leak we thought we fixed obviously was not fixed. Hopefully Nate can fix it once he gets home if not it is likely to cost us a bundle to have it professionally fixed.