Before we could drive to Durban to be closer to where we were going for the Couples’Conference, we had to go to the hospital to let the wound nurse work on Mary’s pump. It kept getting clogged and beeping at her. While she was getting that taken care of, I did some shopping.
Since the pump was again functioning and Mary was not too tired we packed up the car and drove to Durban. We went straight to Little Haven and soon after settling in we went to the Griesmers’ boarding to have family home evening with them, the Coxes and the Mickelsens. We watched the scripture discussion on part of Isaiah on BYU TV – I must confess that I still do get very excited about most of Isaiah. I am glad that his writing speaks clearly to many members but other than a chapter here and there, it is all Hebrew to me. Maybe when I get to see him on the other side he will be able to explain what he was saying in simple terms that I can understand.
After the broadcast we had some delicious chili dogs and chips. Our donation was one of our bags of Bugles. When dinner was over, elder Griesmer showed us a card trick that is really very good. I got some pictures of Mary and elder Mickelsen playing – I plan to use them as blackmail material in the future.
After the party broke up we drove back to our boarding and passed the time until the Van Blankensteins who are serving in Lesotho got in. As we were talking we found that sister Van use to live in Gardena and we knew her mother from our time in Torrance North. By then sister Van was married and not there but we knew many of the people in Gardena that she did.Â
Although only our dear friend Sister Mickelsen questioned me about what happened to my blog posting, I decided since I had most of February already written in my journal, I decided to post it just in case someone who had nothing else to do might read it and find something of interest in our experiences.
13 February 2010 – Saturday
I had a rather busy early Saturday. The first call was from President Nyawo who wanted to make sure that the Career Workshop that was postponed last week was really going to be held this week. Neither of us could get President Van Thiel on the phone to confirm so I did some calling around and he called me.
My next call was from the Swaziland Wilsons asking if I could fax them the sustaining list for a District Conference. It seems all of their district computers were down. So I called Calwyn Baldwin who agreed to meet me at the chapel so he could print it off for me. He was agreeable so I quickly dressed – no shave and no tie – and met him there. While I was getting this I got to see President Van Thiel and Vanessa Baldwin – it was a rather busy place for a Saturday morning.
As I was leaving the chapel with form in hand, I received a call from President Baldwin asking me to let the branch presidents know that there would be a special training meeting on Tuesday night for all the branch presidents, elder quorum presidents and the branch Family History Consultant. A couple from the Area is coming in to give some special training on Family History. Since as far as I know, none of the branches actually have a FHC, we are asking the presidents to either call one on Sunday or to bring someone who they may call to that position. My big concern about a meeting at night is how we can get the people who must use public transportation back to their homes safely.
For some reason Mary is very tired this morning so we are not going out until it is time for her piano lessons at Esikhawini. Hopefully by next week she will be strong enough that we can go back to working full time.
14 February 2010 – Sunday
The only break from our usual Sunday activities was that after PEC at Esikhawini, we went to Richard Bay to interview and sustain brother Burdick to be the branch clerk. I had a nice interview with him and found that he had been with the US department of defense and had met his wife through the internet. She is South African and after he retired they found a home in Manzini and moved here. He has a good spirit about him and they should be an excellent addition to the branch. We had sacrament at RB so that I could have him sustained.
We then went to sacrament meeting at Enseleni. It does not seem to matter that president Vilane has been diligent in starting almost on time for months now, many of the members just do not arrive on time. So it always looks like there will be no one attending and yet by the time Sacrament is over there is 50 to 70 people there.
After the meeting President Vilane talked to me about some families that needed food orders and we talked about what they needed and how he might help them become less dependant on the Church for food. I kept reminding him that he had the authority to give any help he felt was needed and that in the long run he must make the decisions – I am willing to give some counsel but he is the Lord’s man on the ground. He is such a humble servant and really does go around the branch checking up on the people.
15 February 2010 – Monday
In the morning we went shopping for three food orders. By the time we were done Mary was not feeling well – she did too much over the weekend- so I took her home and then went to Enseleni to deliver the food. I was sorry to find that Thandeka was not at home and her phone was out of service. I really wanted to see her or at least talk to her because President Vilane said that she was not looking good. If she is not eating and taking her medicine she will probably be dead in a few months. There is nothing that can be done for her because she can not get back into the TB hospital again. It is sad that so much effort has been done by others to keep her alive.
16 February 2010 – Tuesday
We went to Zone DM in the morning and Elders Larios and Nkosi did a good job training. I liked the fact that they only set only 2 zone goals. We got to role play investigators who were being taught and committed. I got to ham it up a little and got those who watching to pay more attention. I was pleased with the way Elder Dimene over came my inattention and got me to agree to a small commitment that I would probably keep.
In the evening we went to a District Training meeting on the new Family History program at Richards Bay. Elder and Sister Reed came from Joburg to teach it. We were happy to see all the branch presidents came and most of them had their elder’s president and some had their newly called branch FH consultant with them.
I had promised the Presidents who do not have cars that if they came, we would get them home. Lucky for me Elder Mavundla came and so he could drive the Esikhawini group home. I had asked President Baldwin to please take President Vilane’s group back to Enselini. I then needed to take President Machaka and Quinton back to Port Durnford. Since I did not feel good about doing this alone, I asked President Vezi if he would come with me. I decided if I got hi-jacked it would be good to have someone who spoke Zulu with me.
The trip to Port Durnford is interesting even when the sun is shining on a rainy night it is a little intimidating. It did not help that President Vezi told me to only pause at the robot because that is where the hijackers wait to jump on the hood and point a gun at the driver. Of course nothing like that happened and I never really felt concerned, but I will say that I kept a prayer in my heart much of the way.
The only real problem we had was that the trunk latch keep coming loose and I had to get out in the rain and shut it. I finally gave up and tied it with my tie and drove home. Mark Deplooy had taken Mary home so by 9:30 we were safely back in our boarding.
17 February 2010 – Wednesday
I went down to the panel beaters to see if they could fix the boot latch. They did their best but it really needed to be replaced. Unfortunately they had missed this fact when they had done the repairs and of course had no replacement latch on hand. They did some temporary repairs and assured me that it would hold until the new latch was available.
One good thing came from this. It turned out that Morris, one of the men who helped me, had been contacted by the elders and they were teaching him. When he told me this, we talked a little about why he was interested in learning more and it turned out his current church could not answer some questions he had and he said he felt rather like Joseph Smith.
After returning from the shop, we packed the car and headed off to Durban for the Zone Conference tomorrow and to have dinner with the couples and Elder and Sister Watson of the Area Presidency. We had met them soon after we arrived in Swaziland when they came through for last years’ mission tour. Later we had the opportunity to meet them in Joburg when we went with a group of members from Manzini to do temple work.
It is always nice to stay with the Rawlings at Little Haven. They are such kind and caring hosts. Mary really needed to rest before we went out. Unfortunately it was raining on and off so I could not repeat my sunbathing of last week when we were here.
We decided to go to the mission home so we could either go with or follow someone to the mall. We still are not sure which mall is which. So we got to travel with the Manns and the Watsons to the Westville mall for dinner. During the dinner we had a good time talking to the Mickelsens and Watsons who were sitting near us. We were also happy to have a few minutes to visit with the Coxes and see how they were adjusting. Bob said that they were pretty much in synch as far as sleeping was concerned and they are already busy with the CES work and becoming part of their branch. After dinner we went back to the mission home where we picked up our car and took the Watsons back to Little Haven.
Unfortunately the latch on the boot did not stay closed and I had to stop a number of times to shut it. I talked to Elder Johnson and he said tomorrow he would take it to the panel beater that we give lots of business and get it fixed. Of course that did not help tonight so I had to stop and shut it until I just gave up and drove with it flopping in the wind.
18 February 2010 – Thursday
After a nice breakfast, we took the Watsons to the Berea chapel for Zone Conference. Once again we made the trip with a flapping boot lid. However during the meeting our dear friend Elder Johnson got it repaired so we could drive back to Richards Bay in peace.
It was an excellent Conference with the highlight for me being talks by President Mann and Sister Watson. The hour that the president spoke just whizzed by. He is so positive while also giving strong counsel. Sister Watson gave an excellent talk about how the Articles of Faith can be used to teach many of the principles of the gospel.
19 February 2010 – Friday
We drove back to Durban with two young ladies to have them interviewed by the President. Turned out that they were too young to get their endowments but can do baptisms for the dead. I am just glad that the President did not spend 4 or 5 hours driving to Richards Bay for this.
20 February 2010 – Saturday
Morning spent shopping for dinner tomorrow for the elders. Stopped by the RB chapel to make sure that everything open for the S&I meeting. On our drive there we picked up Sne Mthalane as he was walking from the mall to the chapel. We talked about Solo and Musa getting ready to turn in their mission papers.
In the afternoon we went to Esikhawini where Mary taught piano to four students. I had a chance to talk to one of them about helping him find a job. Not an easy task here in South Africa. I recently talked to one of the managers of a local grocery chain store and he said that some days they get 50 unasked for CVs dropped off at the desk.Â
Because I managed to leave our phone at home when we went to Esikhawini we missed having dinner with the Griesmers but we did meet up for a few minutes at the RB chapel so I could give them some things for President Mngadi. They had spent part of their day visiting less active members and we gave them some suggestions about how they might get closer to them.
21 February 2010 – Sunday
Since we are going to prepare dinner for the elders this evening, Mary thought she should limit her church going to Enseleni in the afternoon so she was not exhausted by the end of the day. So I went to Esikhawini’s PEC meeting and it was quite good. I do need to work with President Nyawo a little more on preparing for the meeting but it is coming along. I just wish we could spend two solid months with the branch and attend all of their meetings. But unless the Lord drops 2 or 3 more couples into the Durban mission in the next week or so it is not going to happen.
I then went to Port Durnford for sacrament meeting. It is always an interesting experience since I never know when it is going to start and who is going to speak. The president almost has to wait until people get there to make most of the assignments. I volunteered to help pass the sacrament. I have not had a chance to do that in years and it is a blessing to serve the Lord’s sacrament to the members. I am afraid that the opportunity is often wasted on the youth.
I then went home and picked up Mary to go to Enseleni for their sacrament meeting. President Vilane once again did a good job getting the meeting started almost on time. They need to get the AP there early to help prepare the sacrament and set up the chapel. Brother Michael, a convert of a month, gave a good talk. I am not sure how much was his and how much he got from a conference talk but just to see him get up and talk was uplifting.
We came home after sacrament so Mary could rest before starting preparing dinner. I did the mashed potatoes – I am not a great fan of peeling 10 pounds of them – and did most of the setting up. We had roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, drinks, and fruit salad. They liked everything but I have to say that some of them really loved the toasted hamburger buns – elder Demine ate 3 ½ of them. Elder Larios has not been feeling well and is lactose intolerant so he did not have a great time, but he could not resist coming back for seconds on the roast beef. I told him if he did not go to the chemist first thing Monday morning I would call Sister Mann. He and elder Nkosi insured me he would be there.
This zone of elders seems to be closer than some we have had. It helps that three of them are from the same ward and have known each other for years. I asked them why the ward had such success in getting young men out on missions and they agreed it was the bishopric working with them and having lots of activities. It is something we really need to get the branch presidents here to do.
After we said goodbye to them, the elders all stood around their cars talking. They did not want the evening of friendship to end. We on the other hand cleaned up and headed off to bed. It was a good Sunday for us.
22 February 2010 – Monday
It was another P-day where we did not do much of anything. The zone leaders came over to print off their charts. Elder Larios did go to the chemist and he thought the pills were already helping.
We thought we would go to a show, but there was nothing on that was we felt were worth seeing so we bought a new puzzle and came home. We did stop at Hi-Q where I gave them the bill for the rental car. It will be interesting to see if they pay it. I think they know that they are responsible for the cost but parting with R8000 will not be easy for them.
We then spent the rest of the day just relaxing. In the evening we got calls from a lot of different people needing help or information. I really wonder how the world got along before cell phones – especially here in Africa where most of the people never had phones in their homes. I guess you just went out and hoped that people would be home or would remember to come to meetings.
23 February 2010 – Tuesday
I spent part of the morning catching up the last three days of this diary. I have been less than diligent in writing each day and from past experience I am sure this will continue in the future. I have now been keeping a pretty good journal for over four years – I think that is the longest I have ever managed. The closest I have come before was when Tom, Bob and Cindy went on their missions.
As I was reading in Alma about the missionary work of Ammon and Aaron I thought about how the Lord works in different ways to prepare people to hear the gospel and how missionaries must use the spirit to know how to teach.
We went to Engwelezane and had a nice visit with President Mngadi about what needed to be done for their temple trip on Friday. During our visit we found that there were two sisters who needed their temple recommends signed so we made arrangements to interview them tomorrow.
I have comeback to this journal almost 2 weeks later. My excuse is that later in the day we found out that Mary would have to go back in the hospital to have her incision drained and to see if there is any infection.
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Here are some highlights of the rest of the week.
Tuesday after seeing the doctor we went to the RB chapel and met the Mickelsens who had come up to help a couple of members with their PEF loans. While we waited we had a nice visit and continued it after they were through over a delicious lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant. It is right on the water at the small boat harbor.
On Wednesday morning we went to the hospital and started to check Mary in. It turned out the hospital needed a new letter from the mission saying that they would guarantee payment. Thanks to sisters Johnson and Mann that got done and they begin to process her in. Unfortunately they did not get her checked in before I had to leave to do the interviews we set up yesterday. We had already agreed that I would go do the interviews no matter what was happening at the hospital.
The interviews were great spiritual experience as one was with a woman who was going back after a long absence from the temple. She shared her joy about going to the temple and how wonderful it was when she went for her endowments many years ago. Â It is just too bad that the temple is Joburg is so far away that the members here in Richards Bay are lucky to be able to go once a year.
After the interviews and solving another problem that came up, I returned to the hospital to find my companion safely in a room. The operation that was supposed to be at 2:00 pm ended up being at 7:00 pm and took only a few minutes. The doctor cleaned out the incision and put in a drain that went to a portable pump. By about 9:30 she was back in her room, wide away and without any pain. When the results came back from the lab, they said there was no infection and that was a great blessing.
Thursday I got a call from Mary saying they were going to keep her one more day to make sure everything was OK. So I went to part of DDM for Richards Bay where I was given the opportunity to bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon.
In the afternoon I went out to Port Durnford for Youth but only two of them showed up and they were quite late. I guess they thought we would not be coming. It was disappointing because I had a good lesson and some fun things to do but since I am working on patience it was a good exercise.
In the evening I visited Mary – she really was tired of being in the hospital. Luckily the doctor had already said she could go home tomorrow after he checks one last time.
Friday she got to come home and Saturday she taught piano lessons at Esikhawini. I am afraid she did a little too much because she was very tired by the time we got home. While she was teaching, I had a good talk with my one of the members about his circumstances. I did not realize that there were 7 members in his family and besides the little he makes at odd jobs,  the father’s pension was their only income. I arranged for him to slash and clean up the garden area so the gogos can start working on getting it ready for planting.
Friday after getting Mary out of the hospital, I went to Enseleni to teach English and help with Youth but it turned out that the Minister(ess) of Agriculture for the province was visiting the township and they took over the library for a luncheon. So instead of teaching English, I talked to Khulekani about what still needed to be done to get his papers in for his mission. He still has not got his police clearance which is holding up everything.
On Sunday I went to Esikhawini for PEC and then Sacrament. The plan that after their sacrament I would drop by Richards Bay and take care of some business that only a member of the mission presidency could do. Then I would pick up Mary and we would go to Enseleni’s sacrament.
Everything went as planned until some things came up at Richards Bay that need attention. By the time I was finished there it was too late to go to Enseleni so we just stayed home. I think it was actually a blessing because even after a restful morning Mary still was very tired. I am not sure missing sacrament can be counted as a tender mercy but it seemed to be for us.
February was a difficult month for us, but the Lord blessed us in many ways. Mary would have had the same problem with the old hernia operation no matter where we were and I doubt if she would have had any better care in the US than she had here. I think doctor Kelling was a little more cautious than some doctors might have been but he did what he felt was right to protect Mary from getting an infection that would have kept her in the hospital for months instead of weeks.
When we were in Indonesia we found that there was yellow watermelon. We also saw them in South Africa. But the otherday we found orange colored watermelon in our local Spaars. It taste great but has many more seeds than the other two.
We had a really nice call from the Bartholomews. We brought them up to date on many of the things that were going on in the mission and how they might help. They are itching to get back to South Africa so they can work with the people here. Sister B said for me to ask President Mann if they could come back every other month and serve in Richards Bay. I guess it could be like a service mission at home where you serve a couple of days a week while living at home.
In the morning we went to Engwelezane to meet with President Mngadi about the temple trip planned for the end of the month. There are some logistics that must be worked out to get those who have not been to the temple interviewed by President Mann. He is so busy that we probably will have to drive them down to Durban for the interviews.
While we were in the area we stopped by the two Empangeni boardings and met some of the new missionaries in the district. I imagine we will meet them all over the weekend or if not for sure at the Zone Development Meeting on Tuesday.
Our afternoon got wiped out when President Vilane could not come to our English class and then we got the good news that we could get our car out of the panel beaters late in the day. Lucky for us the Richards Bay elders did not have any appointments so they were able to help us get the rental car returned and then take us to the panel beaters to pick up our repaired car.
The paint shop was one of the cleanest garages I have ever been in. The whole floor was not only tiled but pretty much spotless. I complimented the owner on the quality of his work and the looks of his place of business.
It was a nice way to end the week with both my wonderful companion and our car both out of the ‘shop.’ It had not been the best 2 ½ weeks of our mission.
After breakfasting with the couples, we packed our bags and said goodbye to the Wilsons and Knudsens. The Coxes were picked up by the Markums and headed off to learn what they would be doing for the next 18 months. We will see them again next week and then for couples conference in early March.
We drove home to Richards Bay. I am glad that I was trying hard to stay within the speed limit because there were at least three places where the police were taking pictures.
When we got home Mary was very tired so we did not do much the rest of the day.
11 February 2010 – Thursday
Mary had half of her stitches taken out and the rest get removed on Tuesday. In the afternoon we went to Port Durnford to hold Seminary and Youth.
After Youth, Mary had a first piano lesson with Lugani – he is taking some music course in school and wants to learn. It would be a real blessing to the branch if he could play some of the hymns. It was good to get back into the work but I was worried that Mary did too much.On the way home we stopped at Bongamusa’s home to say hello to him and his mother. He told me that he is really enjoying school this year. He is one of the most positive young men that I have met in South Africa. Hopefully some day he will want to join the church.
We woke to a wonderfully soft morning. There was enough overcast that it was cool and peaceful. Vic and I sat out on the patio and just talked before breakfast. Mary spent the morning resting up for the afternoon activities. After the sun burned away the cool morning, I spent a short time trying to get my pure white body a little tan. I had to be careful because you can quickly burn under the South African sun.
After lunch the Swazi and Ladysmith Wilson arrived and we sat around discussing what was going on in our areas. It is always a lot of fun to share experiences that have happened since we last got together.
We all went to the mission home where everyone rushed to find out what transfers were going to take place on Thursday. It is going to be a busy week for the office and especially President Mann. The Coxes are coming in tonight and 11 new missionaries are coming in tomorrow. On Thursday every companionship except for 7 in the original mission area will be changed. It should almost be like an All-Zone meeting!
We then held a presidency meeting where we talked about a number of things that are going on in the mission. It is amazing how quickly 2 ½ hours fly by. While the men are working, the sisters get to sit and talk about families, mission experiences, and what ever else they find to talk about.
After the meeting we all went to the Butcher Boy restaurant for dinner. We were joined by the Markums and the Mickelsens so that all the couples were there except for the Griesmers. The Markums are leaving for home on Saturday morning. We had a nice dinner – I chose steak and ribs –and lots of good conversation.
After dinner, the Markums and Manns left for the airport to pick up the Coxes and then the Markums brought them to Little Haven where they will stay until the Makrums head home. We stayed up to meet our old friends and welcome them to the mission. It has been years since we have seen them. They only live up in Taylorsville but we just never have gotten together. Perhaps when they get home in early 2012 we will socialize more.
It is a very good day or at least morning – Mary has been released from the hospital and is at home sitting on our couch. When I went to pay the bill, they said they will charge it to the mission and I can pay them. That works well because then we only have to pay a single bill and not each one separately. I still do not have any idea of what the total charge will be but I am sure it will be only about 20-25% of what it would have been in the US.
I did make one big mistake. Last night I told the elders that there would be boarding inspection this morning. I was not confident that the doctor would release Mary so I decided I should do something useful and this is the last P-day of the transfer. When Mary called to tell me that she could come home at about 9:00 I forgot to call the elders to tell them I would not be around. We were just leaving the hospital when Elder Wengert called and asked when I was coming by. I had to apologize for not calling and telling everyone that there would not be any inspection today.
However I did get a call from the Richards Bay elders asking us to stop by to pick up some things that President Vilane had given to Elder Nare. So while we were there, I did a quick check and found everything was good except Elders Reeder and Lemmon’s fridge needed cleaning as did the floor of the shower. I will check them again next week to see if it was done.
We made a quick but safe trip to Durban and after a brief stop at the Mission office where we got to talk to sister Mann, we drove to Little Haven and checked into our room. It is always a treat to stay with the Rawlings who are so kind to all their guests but especially I think to the couples that stay there.
Mary was tired so except for going out to eat, we did not do much of anything else today. It is just wonderful to have my companion back and in good health.
 Each day gets hotter. I do not see how the bike riding elders live in this. On Sunday night Elder Wengert mentioned that although it is hot outside, when they go into a house it is like walking into a furnace. He said that they felt like they needed to be wrung out after each visit. I am thankful that we now have air-conditioning at our boarding.
The Richards Bay boarding has air-con in just one bedroom and that was long ago claimed by the Enseleni elders because the boarding was originally their boarding and the RB elders moved in about 8 months ago. Elder Lemmon said he offered them R200 a month if they would switch but he go no where.
They said that when summer really hits, the breezes stop. So far that is not so but the breezes bring no relief. They are nothing but hot, moist air that actually makes you hotter than you would be without them.
If we park the car in the sun even for 10 minutes, when we come out it is like a furnace. At the branches, parking spots in the shade are like gold. Everyone wants one. Unfortunately at both Esikhawini and Engwelezane there is almost no shade. You can just see the waves of heat coming off the metal. And of course at Port Durnford there is not even a fan.
I look at the 2 feet of snow they got in Washington DC and think how nice it would be to have some of that here.
On Sunday night I was sitting around with the elders talking about how hot it has been. Elder Wengert – who will go home this week to a cool Arizona climate – was telling about his companion Elder Nkosi going from the heat of the day into a house where it was even hotter. He asked the investigator if they could turn off the heater and he was laughingly told that they did not have a heater.
One more day without my companion…not fun at all.
I made the usual Sunday morning trip to Esikhawini to pick up President Nyawo and brother Nkosi for PEC. Sne was not going to come to PEC because he needed to be at the RB branch conference but I told him if he came to PEC I would drive him to RB.
President Nyawo still has not quite figured out how to use the PEC meeting but he is trying. I think I am going to ask President Baldwin to have President Van Thiel do a mock PEC at the next training meeting so the branch presidents can see how it should be done.
I talked to Sne about how he was doing and how Solo and Musa were coming on getting ready for their mission. We had a good visit and it was nice to get to know him better. I just wish we had three or four good returned missionaries such as him in each branch. But that will come in the future.
I decided to stay for the sacrament part of the branch conference and I am glad I did because a couple of the talks – especially President Baldwin were very meaningful to me. Because I am a counselor in the mission presidency I was invited to sit on the stand – I was glad I was wearing my coat.
After the meeting President Baldwin asked me to go back to Esikhawini and get some PEF papers he needed for one of the loans. So I made a quick trip back and got some paperwork but not what he wanted. A call to the Mickelsens got me the information that the loan was not far enough along for the form that he thought he needed. I went back to the RB chapel and told him the situation.
However it turned out that he promised to get me a copy of a Career Workshop certificate that was vital for the loan application to continue being processed so in the long run the Lord’s work got done and the Mickelsens were happy to hear that we would bring the paperwork to Durban on Monday. Hopefully!
I almost slept through afternoon visiting hours at the hospital. It was the first nap I had taken since Mary went into the hospital almost 2 weeks ago. She looked fine, has stopped taking pain pills, and if she was not in a hospital room would be quite happy.
I fixed dinner for the elders. We had planned for it to be simple before we even knew Mary was not going to be here. Yesterday I bought everything we needed for sandwiches, chips, fruit salad, drinks and ice cream. About all the preparation I needed to do was slice tomatoes, separate the lettuce, and cut up the fruit.
The elders started arriving about 7:40 and continued coming over the next hour. Actually Elders Nare and Tsegula did not come at all but I sent food home for them. Since it is Elder Nare’s last Sunday on his mission I would guess that he and his companion got fed all day.
I enlisted Elders Wengert and Nkosi to drop some clean clothes off at the hospital so Mary would have something to come home in tomorrow…he says hopefully. It also gave me a chance to do the clean-up which mainly consisted of throwing away paper products and washing lots of forks and spoons. No pans and only one bowl – it was very nice indeed.
Before going to bed I called Mary and made sure she got the care package. She sounded upbeat and we really think Dr. Kelling will let her out tomorrow.
During the day we got a nice long e-mail from the Bs that suggested that they might come back for a visit sometime in the next few months. I also got a call from Elder Greismer telling about their experience in Engwelezane today. It was all positive and it turned out they had 5 students for their temple prep class instead of 3.
I must say in reading the above, the day sounds busier than it really was.
Mary still in the hospital…probably will not get out until Monday at the earliest.
I met the Greismers at the KFC at Empangeni and took them to their B&B. They seemed to like it and thanks to some instruction from Elder Mickelsen I was able to put it in their GPS. I then showed them where the elders lived – it was already in their GPS as the Bs boarding. I also took them to the nearby small store where they can get snacks and things if they want them. We put that in the GPS.
Then it was to Engwelezane where they were supposed to teach three members a temple prep class. There was also going to be a social where I thought they could meet some of the members. It turned out their students did not show up and the social did not start anywhere near on time. However they had a nice meeting with the elders and found out some of their concerns and how they might help. After that they went back to their room and took a nap.
The Elders cleaned out the font for a baptism tomorrow. Â It was very hot and the only thing that saved them was that they had a hose to keep them wet. Later it turned out that the child who was going to be baptized was 9 instead of 8 so she will need to be given the lessons and the baptism was put off until the 28th.
I met with President Nyawo about some things. He told me that he was glad that I had warned him a couple of weeks ago that he needed to know each of his YSA because the area is going to focus on them in the coming year. I did not know at the time that the training on Sunday would include the branch presidents going through the lists of their YSA and telling about them. Also because I was visiting Mary, I had not been at the training so it was all news to me. I am just glad he was prepared and I hope that President Vilane was also – I had kind of talked to President Mngadi about this but can not remember if I really stressed the importance.
After I visited Mary from 3-4 I met the Greismers at the mall and we had dinner at Maxis. They told me about their day and we talked some about their work with Employment. They are a great couple and Elder Greismer and I have a great time giving each other a hard time. I found out that they are in their middle 70’s and they were home 5 years between their African missions. I think they will be a real help to the Engwelezane branch.
