I decided that if no one was reading this blog, that it made no sense to post to it. So while I continued to write in my personal journal, I stopped posting posting until Sister Mickelsen mentioned yesterday – Sunday the 27th – that she missed reading it. So for Sister Mickelsen and anyone else who might drop in once in a while, here is most of the missing days.
14 September2009 – Monday
More of a L for Lazy than a P-day for us. We worked on the puzzle, checked e-mail and Facebook, did a little house work, and then went to meet the Barts at the mall for lunch. We had a great time talking about our mission, plans for the future, and what we needed to do before they leave for home. Sis B is still not well but she is determined to not let this stop her from finishing on a high note. She is a special lady.
After we said goodbye to the Barts we did some shopping and then went to see The Proposal. This is the second movie we have seen since we came here and it was fun. Completely predictable but still fun. Back at our boarding we finished the puzzle, read, and just enjoyed an uncomplicated day.
Tomorrow it is back to serving others.
16 September2009 – Wednesday
District Development in the morning was excellent. The missionaries are continuing to try to have a perfect cycle – some are doing better than others but they all seem to be trying. The lesson was on praying for help when planning so that the Spirit can guide you.
After DDM we had lunch and then went to Esikhawini to try and locate some more members and get them on our map. We are determined to leave the next couple an Area book that will help them get to know the members quickly so they can be more effective.
We had PEC with President Machaka and the elders. There was not a lot to discuss and we will need to follow up on a few things. After the PEC meeting we went to visit with President Malinga and ended up spending more time there than we had planned. Mainly because he needed to tell me about how well his presidency meeting went with President Thusi. Hopefully it will wet his appetite to hold more of them so the branch will run more effectively.
For some reason by the time we got home I was exhausted – something that is happening more often lately. I hope it is just because I have not been exercising enough and of course getting older. It is a pain to be tired much of the time.
17 September 2009 – Thursday
Normal morning and after some planning we headed over to the Richards Bay chapel to give President Mann directions and keys to our boarding because we will not be home until after the District Council meeting. He was already in his meetings so we went to plan B and headed for Meernsee where we got our mail and I bought some small nails and a wrench. Then I paid the water bill – $2.50 – for the month before going to McDonalds for some lunch.
As we were driving to McDonalds we found ourselves following the Barts car and when they pulled into the mall we parked and said hello to them. Sister B seems to be feeling much better and that is great news. Lunch at McDonalds was as elder B said – always good. It was memorable because Mary did not have her traditional fillet of fish but had my favorite – a deluxe quarter pounder.
We then went back to the chapel at just the right time to catch president Mann between interviews. Actually he was taking the assistants to McDonalds for lunch. I had a chance to talk to elder Mbhiti for a while – we always have a lot of fun together and he says he is really enjoying the opportunity to serve as an AP. Mary gave the map and keys to the President and we headed off to Esikhawini.
We drove around J section with the GPS and tried to pin-point where members lived. There are not many members in J but some of the strongest members – including president Malinga – live there. We did not visit any of the members because we want to have a member with us when we visit the less actives.
We had a good English class at the Nzama’s – all three of our students were there, and an excellent Mutual. Almost all the youth showed up pretty much on time and Mary spent most of the time on the 9th and 10th Article of Faith. She had them start to memorize them, taught them what they meant and we had the puzzle game where they have to assemble the pieces in correct order. It turned out that Lindani and Siya were the champs – Lindani had them just about memorized before the class so they had an edge.
We hurried from that meeting to grab something to snack on before the Council meeting. I had a nourishing ice cream bar and a couple of rusks. The meeting was very informative and we got quite a bit done. President Baldwin taught from the handbook about who could and could not be called on missions. We also discussed adding new members to the Council which will be very good training. While all this was going on Mary and Sister B were waiting in the car for us to finish.
When we arrived home we could not be sure that the President was there so we quickly checked the alarm and found that he was there. We ended up having breakfast for dinner and talking for a few hours. I almost feel guilty spending his time talking but he did not seem to have anything that he had to do so I did not feel too guilty. It was great to talk about the elders, the mission experience, and how the spirit changes lives. It was a 1 7/8 mite day.
20 September 2009 – Sunday
With the Zone Leaders in Kosi Bay, we got to pick up the Esikhawini elders and take them to the chapel. We then picked up brother Nkozi for PEC. President Nyawo thought we were not going to pick him up so he took a taxi. So the leaders are starting to understand the importance of PEC and are trying to get it functioning.
There was an excellent turnout today – 82 was the count which is about 20 over the average of late. Two recent converts – Sister Zibani and sister Mavundla – gave excellent talks on the family and the plan of salvation. The intermediate hymn was ‘Called to Serve’ which led perfectly into my talk on service. I felt that it went well and I often felt the spirit. In looking over the congregation it seemed that most of the adults were paying attention. The youth are always a bonus.
President Nyawo taught Sunday School – they really need to call a regular teacher and the members need to be able to know what it will be on in advance. But everything take times so we will just let it progress one step at a time.
There is no teacher for Priesthood and President Thusi usually fills in. I suggested that since there was no AP teacher that he teach the youth and I would take the older PH holders. I gave a decent if not inspiring lesson on Patriarchal blessings.
Since there was no power in the whole area, Mary could not hold her piano lessons and an attempt to get people to stay and look over their records fell flat so we got to head for home earlier than usual.
There was one great experience that pretty much made the day. The two counselors have reached the point where they want to hold Presidency meetings. President Thusi told me that he had mentioned to President Malinga that they really needed to hold them each week. Just hearing that made my heart beat a little faster. The next thing you know they will be holding Branch Council Meeting. They are also starting to go home teaching – another big move that will help the branch.
In the evening we went to the Barts where we had a light meal with a few of the elders and then came home. While we were there Mary printed off some things she needed, including Elder Musemare’s genealogy. It ended up close to a 2 mite day for me.