06 June 2010 – Sunday

It was one of those Sundays that makes a couple feel needed but also shows how the branches may have come to depend too much on us for some things.

We picked up the Esikhawini elders and took them to the chapel. We then picked up the Nyawos and brother Nkosi for PEC. However we could not stay for it because we had to run home and get the baptismal programs for Esikhawini that we managed to leave on the counter. We will have to make some arrangements for getting them done when we leave.

We went to Esikhawini’s sacrament and enjoyed the testimonies of the members. I tried to write down the main thoughts of each testimony. I find it helps me to listen and feel the testimonies. There were a number of investigators at the meeting and the elders were very pleased.

As we were getting in our car we found that I left the phone there and a number of calls had come in from the Enseleni elders. I called them and found that they did not have any sacrament cups. Usually we keep sacrament cups in the boot – something I had learned from brother B – but I took the box out because the latch was broken. I thought that would not be a big problem because I could just borrow some from Esikhawini until they could get an order in. Unfortunately Esikhawini  had used their last cups for today’s sacrament. It was a blessing for them that I checked or they would have been without any next week and we would not be there to help them. But this meant we had to go back to our boarding once again and pick up some sacrament cups and take them to Enseleni.

When we got there, the elders said that president Vilane wanted to come to church so we went and picked up him and his family. I asked if he was sure he felt up to going and he insisted he was. I told him if he got sick because of going that sister B would thump us both on the head.

I had forgotten that president Baldwin was coming to Enseleni to interview a brother to be branch clerk. He presided and brother Chiliza conducted. Brother Chiliza continues to get better at conducting and in a couple of more months he should be able to do it with little or no help.

After sacrament president Baldwin had his interview and afterward we talked for a while about the call and about his plans for when we leave. He is going to have the members of the District Council watch over the branches more closely and that will be a wonderful step in making the District self-sufficient.

I almost forgot that president Vezi had sent us an SMS saying that he needed tithing envelopes and that is one thing I could not help him with. President Baldwin is going to have the district order extra sacrament cups, tithing envelopes and other supplies that the branches might need that they can not safely store so they are available as needed.