04 December 2009 – Friday

Today was quite interesting starting with the weather that went from hot and very humid in the morning to rain and a nice cool breeze in the afternoon and evening. We got quite a bit accomplished but there was also times when we just filled in. By the end of the day we were tired but not sleepy.

The morning got scrambled a little when President Vezi called and said he could not be at the B’s to move the large items at the time we had planned so we switched a couple of things around and went shopping for everything we need for lunch on Saturday for the leaders to dinner on Sunday with the elders. I also found time to pay the Telkom bill so we can have internet for another month.

After hurrying home to unload and put away the groceries we turned right around and made it to the B’s boarding right on time. In less then 30 minutes we had the last load in the car and the big items in the truck and were on back to our boarding. It did not take long to unload but it did take time to put things away – we needed to get the house ready for visits by the Manns and perhaps the Koellikers.

After lunch we went to Enseleni and taught English to one sister. President Vilane could not be there because he was at the hospital trying to get his inflamed tooth taken care of. Of course they could not do it right away so he will have to go back on Monday. However he was at home so while Mary taught English I went over for a quick visit to make sure everything was on line for getting people to District Conference on Saturday and Sunday and to see if he needed any help.

From Enseleni we drove to Esikhawini. We went over to President Machaka’s shop to tell him that we were going to ask Sandile Chirwa to serve a 10 day mission and be a companion to elder Maremela so elder Wengert could be elder Reeder’s companion so elder Weaver could go to Durban to rest his back for 10 days. I also checked to make sure things were arranged for the conference.

We got there early so we stopped by the chapel where elders Vinson and Dishon were teaching the youth – unfortunately there were only two YM there but they decided they would hold the class. As we were leaving a young man came up to the car. I thought it was Solo Mthalane but it was just someone who was passing by and felt that they needed to go to a church to pray. We directed him into the chapel to talk to the missionaries and drove off.

Since I am writing this on the following Monday I can tell more of the story. The man went in and joined the class where the missionaries were teaching about – that is right – prayer. When the class was over the man said I am now a member of this church. The elders told him that there was more that he needed to learn before he could actually become a member and invited him to the Sunday meeting of District Conference. On Sunday he showed up at the chapel in time to get on the taxi and so he spent the next 5 hours in the company of the saints. Hopefully he will continue to come and to learn so he can be baptized.

Next I stopped and interviewed brother Wenzie Thusi to be the first counselor to President Nyawo. He did not know that President Malinga was going to be released but agreed to serve. From there we drove out to Port Durnford so I could invite brother Chirwa to serve his 10 day mission. He was baptized only about three months ago but has already said he wants to serve a full time mission.

One problem I ran into was that he had a job for the day and so we had to wait until he got home. The next problem was that because of the rain that had fallen over the last week, I was not willing to drive all the way out to their homestead so we asked him to meet us where the ‘road’ – actually two tracks through a field – got bad.

Of course while we were waiting it started to rain and so he had to walk to our car in a pouring rain and was soaking wet by the time he got there. I got out and motioned him into the car. I did not care if the seat and floor got wet. I then told him about what we would like him to do and he was thrilled to do it. I then got out our extra umbrella and gave it to him so he would not get too much wetter as he walked back.

I still had one more call to make and that was to Sne Mthalane who was supposed to call me when he got a break from his work. He never did so I just took a chance and stopped at the mall and went to the theatre where he just started to work as the stock manager and asked for him. He came out and we went to a quieter area and I extended the call to be second counselor in the new branch presidency. He was both surprised by the release of president Malinga and his call as counselor. He mentioned that his mission president had told the missionaries who were being released that they would be going home to become counselors in bishoprics and branch presidencies but never expected it to happen so soon.

My mission completed we headed back to our boarding where Mary spent much of the evening getting lunch ready for the Koellikers and others tomorrow. We also finished putting away things we had brought from the B’s boarding and getting the house clean and organized for our possible visitors.

I can honestly say it was a very interesting and rewarding day for us. The Lord’s hand could be seen in many things that we got accomplished.

03 December 2009 – Thursday

We continue to clean out the B’s boarding and this morning we got enough moved that we should be able to finish it tomorrow with President Vezi’s help. Of course then there is the problem of what to do with everything once we get it to our boarding. We must continue to decide what to keep, what to give away and what to throw away. The hard part is deciding if something can be just thrown away. There are stacks of Ensigns and Liahonas, old manuals – especially the Teachings of the Prophets going back 6 or 7 years – and other material. Mainly I end up not making any real decision and just pack it away in a box.

After lunch we go to the Nzamas for our English class of delightful gogos. Mary teaches those who have some English skills and I spend an hour trying to help a very fine illiterate gogo learn the alphabet. She tries so hard and just can not remember the ABCs – even the song does not help. So I concentrate on the first 13 letters and then teach her some simple words like cat, dog and mop. This gives her some success for all her hard work.

On the way to the chapel, we drop off the students along the way. Getting four large size mature ladies in the back seat of the Tiida is an interesting feat and I have to be careful what part of the sand roads I travel on because of the low clearance.

When it is time to start Youth there is no one there except Mary, Thandi Nzama, and myself. But I am learning patience and we start teaching Thandi how to play Skip-bo. With my help she beats Mary in the first game – but we only use a stack of 6 cards.

As they are playing the young people start arriving and we start the meeting. I give them a short lesson from 1 Nephi 8 and we talk about what is of most value. I ask them if they could have one thing, what would they want? They all come back with wanting money. We talk about this and about eternal values. I am not sure that I convinced them that Eternal Life is more important than getting money right now, but I do think they understood what I was trying to teach.

We then played Book of Mormon Bingo and I added a little spice by asking some questions and gave the one who answered correctly 5 rands. At the end of the class we divided up the bananas – everyone got 4 – before cleaning up and heading home.

Our evening was spent continuing our unpacking and rearranging some of the stuff we have moved from the B’s. Mary spent a good portion of the time getting hand-outs ready for her Saturday meeting. T

The big event of the evening, was calling Bob’s and talking to the family about the sealing this morning – afternoon our time – of Taylor Pier and Spencer Taylor. The first time we called we just got to talk to Bob, Kelli, Jim and some of the other grandchildren. Taylor and Spencer had not arrived yet. But we called Taylor’s cell an hour or so later and got to talk to the new bride and groom and others. It was an exciting time and while we could not be at the temple we still got to share in the spirit of the event.

02 December 2009 – Wednesday

Just as we were ready to leave for the B’s boarding for another load, I read a letter from Sister Mann to Mary about the coming District Conference with a number of questions from Sister Koelliker about the district, branches and the Saturday afternoon meeting that she will speak at. Sister Mann thought it would be easier for Mary to answer sister Koelliker directly so she sat down and spent some time answering the best she could.

When she was finished we went to the other boarding and while Mary talked to Bessie about her trip to England for 2 months, I loaded up the car with more goodies. I think we have two more car loads and then President Vezi can come for the big things that are left. Hopefully he can do that on Friday and that will clear out the boarding.

We then motored up to Empangeni and that districts DDM. When we got there I noticed the car was not in the driveway so I called Elder Wengert to find out if why he called earlier was to tell us that there was no DDM. It wasn’t but DDM was moved to Richards Bay so the zone could practice their skit for All Zone. It seems that elder Kitili – the new District Leader – had forgotten to call and tell us of the change.

We decided to skip going to DDM and go back to our boarding to unload the car and then have lunch before heading to Esikhawini and things we needed to do there.

We had English class with Sister Ndlovu and her daughter at their house. Then we went and had a quick PEC with President Machaka before going to Zama’s house to exchange electrical converters.

01 December 2009 – Tuesday

This morning when I looked for my scriptures I could not find them. I even asked Mary to pitch in because she often finds things that I look right past. But even she gave up and I decided that I must have left them at the Esikhawini chapel. Since we needed to give one of Mary’s students a new voltage converter for her key board, we stopped at the chapel first. I looked in a number of places and was just about to give up when I found them in the chapel. The reason I had not looked there first was Mary assured me that she had not seen them there when she closed up after piano lessons on Sunday.

Our trip to Zama’s house was not fruitful –she was not home and neither was her keyboard. So we headed off to Meerensee and the B’s old boarding to start moving things out so we can turn it back over to Bessie and Hans to rent out. But first we stopped along the way at the new KFC for lunch. We hurriedly ate our lunch because the air-conditioning was set so low that Mary almost froze.

We packed up a number of boxes and filled the car before heading back to our boarding. We then spent the rest of the day going through all the things we had brought as well as re-organizing what we already have. As Mary pointed out we basically were going through supplies and other items that go back at least 3 couples – the Beazers, the Hafens and the Bartholomews. We divided things into items we will keep, items we will give to the library, items we will give to the branches, and things to be thrown away.

By the time we had finished – well at least well along the way to being finished – it was well into the evening. Once again we did not really have dinner – just grabbed things while we worked. It was not what I could call a great missionary day, but we did get things done that needed to be done.

I forgot to mention that it was cloudy, drizzled or rained all day. Nice weather for the work I was doing.

30 November 2009 – Monday

A very bland P-day that included running some errands and going out to a nice lunch at Mug and Bean, but mainly we just hung out around the house. It of coursed rained but not hard. We – well mainly me but Mary did seem to agree – just did not have much desire to go out and do anything very far from home. I managed to use some of the time to catch up all of our photos and get some of them on the blog.

I did get the FAX working so President Mann could send us some things we will need for District Conference. In the evening Elders Maremela and Disjon came over to down load some charts off the internet – the stats for the Zone are pretty flat.