28 March 2010 – Sunday

With the change in the wedding plans, our Sunday plans changed. We did go to Esikhawini for PEC and then sacrament as planned. We only go to Esikhawini’s sacrament meeting about every 5 or 6 weeks so it is always a treat to get to see our friends there. Since school is out, the youth that are away at boarding school were there. I was so happy to hear from Lisa Mathe that she passed her accounting exam.

Mary played the piano and since Yaya Mathe was not there, Musa got up from the sacrament table and led the singing. He is going to be an excellent missionary because he is always looking at what is happening and quickly rises to help where he thinks he is needed.

The speakers today were all sisters and they gave good talks. Each was different and one seemed to be mainly a condensed version of a conference talk but each of them used the scriptures and bore beautiful testimonies.

One of the exciting things about the meeting was Fortunate Shandu came all the way from his homestead as he said he would. Goodman unfortunately did not come with him but I think Fortunate is the more spiritual of the two. I just hope he felt the spirit while he was there. 

As we were about to leave I noticed that the blind sister was sitting by herself in the front while the rest of the people had turned their chairs around and moved to the back for class. I introduced myself and led her to the new front row so she could hear the teacher better. She is a lovely woman but does not come often because she is completely dependant on others for getting to church. I need to talk to President Nyawo about arranging someone to pick her up each week. I also need to check to see if she is getting the Liahona on tape or CD.

We stopped by home to get some things and then went to Enseleni. Even though there was no rain, there were less than 20 members in the room when the meeting started. I am proud of President Vilane’s determination to start as soon as there is enough priesthood for sacrament. By the time sacrament was passed, there was about 35 in the audience and by the time the meeting was over there was well over 50. There were not as many primary children as usual. Perhaps since school is out they have gone with their families to their homesteads.

When Priesthood started I noticed that Elder Dimene was not with his companion.  I found him in their car having another malaria attack. I immediately got Mary out of RS and loaded the her and the elders into our car for a trip to the hospital. Mary remembered that all the equipment and supplies that the elders bring each week needed to be taken care of once the meetings were over. So we gave the keys to the elder’s car to President Vilane and told him to please gather everything up and lock it in the car. I suggested that he take the car home so that we could pick it up later.

To make what turned out to be a long story short, they ended up admitting elder Dimene to the hospital. I now know Maggie, the admission clerk, by her first name and I signed a number of documents as elder Dimene’s guardian and guaranteed the cost of his treatment. I called the Manns and told them of the problem and Sister Mann sent a new fax so the bills will go to the mission.

There was a number of things we had to do to get elder Zondi , the car and elder Dimene’s effects all together but thanks to the Zone leaders – they had to come by our flat three times – and the Richard Bay elders it all worked out. It did make for an interesting afternoon but at least it happened during the day and not during the early morning hours.