Elder Hill got to meet and have his picture taken with the YW of Port Durnford who were having class under their usual tree. Elder Hill asked what they did if it rained and I told him they all have to meet in the one room chapel. At Enseleni brother Larry Bartholomew passed out hats while elders Dimene and Webster changed his flat tire. Soon everyone had a hat – except it seems elder Webster.
I noticed I did not show any of the YW with hats. Nonhlahla got a great looking red one but it seems Thandi could not find one she liked.
23 May 2010 – Sunday
 We had a very nice and for the most part unplanned first part of the Sabbath. Everything started fairly normal as we picked up the Nyawos and brother Nkosi for PEC. Then things started to change as the elders were 15 minutes late getting to PEC. Then I got a call from President Baldwin saying that Elder Hill had a flat tire and would be late for Esikhawini’s sacrament meeting. Because of this, President Baldwin went directly to Port Durnford to make a change in the branch presidency.
We stayed at Esikhawini for sacrament and were surprised when Elder Hill arrived about 40 minutes into the meeting. He came just in time to be the last speaker.  He told how he had borrowed his son’s car to come to Esikhawini because he did not want to drive his double cab into the township. Along the N2 he drove over something and got a flat. When he went to change the tire he found that he had no jack so he did a U-turn and hoped that he could get to a town he had recently passed on what was left in the tire. However this was not to be but he found a man with a bakkie who had a jack and a spanner that would work on his lug nuts so he could change the tire. Back on the road he tried to hurry to still make the meeting and of course got pulled over for speeding. He explained his problem to the police and they let him go without a ticket – which was why he made the meeting at all.
After the meeting I introduced us and asked if he would like visit Port Durnford or maybe go to Enseleni for their sacrament meeting. I told him a little about Port Durnford and he asked us to lead him there. We tried to call President Baldwin to tell him we were coming but he had his phone turned off during the meeting.
We got to Port Durnford – we went on one of the sand roads – soon after President Baldwin left for Esikhawini and they were just breaking into classes. The primary was setting up under one tree, the young women under another and the RS and PH were still inside. Elder Hill said hello to each group and I elder Hill was asked to talk to the adults for a few minutes until it was time for us to leave for Enseleni.
As he started that President Baldwin called and I told him where we were and we were sorry to have missed him. He was in Esikhawini to interview and call a new branch clerk. Before I went back in to the chapel I stopped and told the YW just who Elder Hill was – they did not realize he was a general authority. They made me promise to take a picture of them with him.
Elder Hill gave a completely different talk to the group in Port Durnford from the one he gave in Esikhawini. He told of when he and his family were baptized in Zambia and were the members for quite some time. Now there is 3 wards and a branch in the town where they lived. He said that Port Durnford could be the same if the members have faith and live the gospel. After the meeting he kindly stood with the YW for a photo and then we left for Enseleni.
The Bartholomews were at Enseleni when we got there. Khulekani and Nonhlahla were working on getting a program organized. They asked the Bs to speak and then Elder Hill. By the time brother Chiliza arrived the program was set and when enough PH finally arrived they were able to start only about 8 minutes late. When we sang the opening hymn there was hardly anyone in the audience but by the time sacrament was over there were about 50.
The Bs gave great talks about their love for the people and gave some council about being an example to others. Elder Hill gave another great talk that was perfect for the branch. He talked about tithing and then about helping each other be strong. That if they would stand shoulder to shoulder that they could be kept safe like the 2060 stripling warriors. He also told a story about how a call from his wife probably saved his life as he had fallen asleep at night on the freeway.
After the meeting Elder Hill talked to many of the members. I introduced him to Khulekani and told the story of how he was able to go on a mission when it did not seem possible. When we went out to the cars Elder Hill said goodbye and headed back to Durban. The Bs had a tire that they knew was going flat and by the time the meeting was over it definitely was. But the Elders and others pitched in and soon got it replaced so they could be on their way.
In the evening the Bs came over for dinner and we spent 2 delightful hours talking about our missions, the wonderful people, and how much they mean to us. I said that it did not seem like they have been gone for 6 months. It just felt natural to be with them. They mentioned that it felt different to them because they no longer could wear their name tags. They brought them with them but were not going to put them on because they were no longer missionaries.
On the great news side, President Vilane was released from the hospital in Durban. They found that the medicine that the public hospital was giving him was causing most of the problems. They cleared out most of the accumulated liquids and gave him a new prescription that should solve his problem. Now if Sister Vilane can just get a job as a nurse they can have both a good income and real health care.
It was a wonderful day. To see and hear the way Elder Hill was able to give just the right talk to three very different groups of members without really knowing anything about them testified to me of how the spirit leads his chosen servants. I know he was called of God by revelation to serve as an Area Authority 70 for Southwest Africa.