01 October 2009 – Thursday

October starts in Richards Bay with rain and cold. Actually the rain does not start really falling until after noon but it is cold from the when we wake up.

We go to the Richards Bay chapel to have DDM with the Richards Bay District and to use the copier to make lots of copies of many things including the Home and Visiting Teaching messages for October, calendars for the next 6 months for Esikhawini, and other things. We were surprised to find Sisters Wilson and Baldwin doing a deep cleaning of the building. They are a marvelous pair of sisters who are the backbone of the branch.

While we were making copies, Ray Holder –the area Physical Facilities Manager –showed up to install some desks and shelves in a couple of the rooms. He gave me some supplies for Esikhawini and Port Durnford and we talked about some of the things that are needed at Esikhawini. He told me that in February we would get a new pulpit for Esikhawini that will include an amplifier and microphone. We can not get it sooner because of the budget.

The elders did not start their DDM until after 11:00 and so we did not stay for all of it. We had to run a couple of errands and have some lunch before heading for Port Durnford.

We were happily surprised when this young lady would let Mary hold her so her grandmother and great-grandmother could do their English lessons. In the past such an attempted only caused lots of tears.

By the time we got to Port Durnford it was pouring rain and I was glad we got a large umbrella a couple of weeks ago. We had a good English class at the Nzamas but we found that we need to do more reviewing as they have forgotten much of what they learned earlier. Gogo Nzama continues to get stronger – she is back working in her garden. She said that some day when it was not raining she wanted to show it to us.

After English class we went to the PD chapel for Youth. Even though it was pouring rain, most of the youth showed up and seem to have a good time learning about the members of the Quorum of the 12. Gabi was able to recite the YW theme without any help and Lindani came close to reciting the 100^th Psalm. They are a good group and I hope we can help them increase their testimony of the gospel to help them as they go through their teen-age years.

We dashed – but not to fast – back to our boarding so I could eat left-over Kingklip and rice before going back to the Richards Bay chapel for District Council Meeting. We discussed fund raising, budgets, finished the audit, discussed those who have accepted a call as District Councilors, and other things. We managed to finish just after 8:00 and by 8:15 I was back at our boarding.

I got on line to check about the earthquake that hit Sumatra and the tsunami that hit Samoa impacted the church and the members. We knew of one young man fairly well who had a business on Sumatra and we were worried about him. It turned out that I remembered the city where he lived incorrectly and was glad to hear he was probably safe. I do not think I would want to live on the West coast of Sumatra it seems to be the Southern California of Indonesia.

Although we were busy all day, I think for me it was about a 1 ½ mite day.

30 September 2009 – Wednesday

DDM this morning with the Empangeni District was the last one of this cycle. Some time spent with who would be transferred. Elder Richey is of course going home so that was a no-brainer. Elder Mokopotsa has been here for 6 months so he will move. Either Elder Babeeyo or Elder Mholo will probably go with there being a split among the group of which one it will be. With 15 elders coming in and 10 or so leaving it will be a fun transfer.

Elder Maremela gave a short talk on the reasons for being obedient with love of God being the highest. There was a short exercise on planning for a specific investigator that included a short video. As the district discussed their investigators it was obvious that the Esikhawini – Port Durnford elders did not have much going right now. Their investigator pool continues to shrink in those branches. Empangeni is doing quite well – Babeeyo and Mholo seem to work well together. Elder Richey bore a strong testimony of the work here in South Africa – I am interested to see how he does when he gets home to San Diego.

It is enlightening to hear about how missionaries came to serve a mission. Not all Utah young men have prepared since childhood to serve. In fact I believe the majority that I have met and talked to here, did not really decide to go on missions until a year or two before they came.  Of course most of the African elders are converts and their stories about how they chose to serve a mission are varied. Many of them seem to have had run into problems getting out after they had decided to serve. Everything seems to happen to them from lost or hard to get documents to branch/district/ward/stake leaders failing to send their papers in. Satan does not want the Lord’s Missionaries in the field.

After the meeting we had lunch and then went to Esikhawini for PEC with President Machaka, got bunk by a student I was to help with Accounting, and did some visiting of members including Sister Tembe. We volunteered to take her to the hospital next Wednesday for physical therapy.

We ended the day by eating dinner at the mall and then returning to our boarding for the evening.

For the last couple of months I have been tired almost all the time. I am not sure if is because I am getting no exercise and gaining weight or if I have managed to catch something that is sapping my strength.