Wild and Crazy Kind of Week!

 This is a picture we just received from our last Zone conference in the Hillcrest church.  This is a much smaller zone, but it was still big enough to have to feed lunch to.  We have served with many of these elders earlier in our mission.  Having now been out for a year, we are getting to know many of the elders.  Working in the office we are becoming acquainted with most of them.





Monday was a very busy crazy kind of day to start off a crazy busy week.  This was transfer week.  That means that the Elders who have served their two years leave to go home and the new Elder's arriving from the MTC arrive to go to work.  Also, the President moves the rest of the Elder's in the mission to different areas as he deems necessary to move the work along.  It is a logistical nightmare. 
Monday morning starts with our usual devotional at 8:30 AM.  Then we quickly went over the schedule for the rest of the day.  Many of the elders come in Monday (from the coast areas) to pick up supplies etc from the office.  Monday afternoon the departing Elders arrive with their luggage and have their final interviews with the President.  This time we had six departing elders.  I have to make sure that they have their departure packages ready with letters from the mission president to them, their family, their stake president.  Also their missionary release certificate.  We include their passport and plane tickets, plus all of their correspondence with the mission president for the last two years.  We close the office at 5:00 PM then hurry over to the mission home where we help Sister Von Stetten get the dinner ready to serve to the departing Elders.  Dinner is served and we quickly clear it away and clean up and get ready to enjoy the testimony meeting.  Each Elder has the opportunity to bear their testimony and then President and Sister Von Stetten also bear their testimony.  It is a wonderful evening.  Amongst all of this busyness we had Elder and Sister Shumway driving from Bloemfontein with an Elder who has had some serious health issues.  They were bringing him to Durban to the hospital here to see some specialists.  We have all been very concerned for this young man - he has been an amazing missionary and all of a sudden he has been having fainting spells, where he just passes out for no apparent reason.  As he comes to he has almost a seizure like episode.  The Doctors have ruled out epilepsy but they cannot find out why he is having this problem.  As it turned out the specialists could find nothing wrong with him and so we had no choice but to send him back home.  We were all heartbroken to see this amazing Elder return home.  We hope that they will be able to find out what is wrong with him so he can return to his normal routine.

 Tuesday morning dawned bright and early and Elder Holt was over at the Pinetown chapel with a basket full of bakkie and car keys, switching cars around and sending Elders off to their new areas.  He has to make sure they have "stanic" cards to match the car registration so they can buy fuel and maintain the cars.  It amazes me that he can keep it all straight.  He has a hard time getting them to get gone and on their way - they are just so happy to be together and see old companions they haven't seen for a long time.

 Besides loading them up with all of their belongings, Wayne sends mail from the office to the outlying areas.  Somehow Wayne keeps everything organized and gets it all done.

 These are the cars that have been traded out at the end of the day.  Some of these vehicles will be sold, some need repairs and will then be sent back out in the field.









By Tuesday at noon the Departing elders have been taken to the airport to leave to go home and the Mission President and his wife and the AP's have met the arriving 6 Elders from Johannesburg.  They bring the new elders back to the office where we orient them to the Durban Mission and the President interviews them and assigns them to their new area and their new companion.  We feed them lunch and then I hand out them their information packets and collect their passports, visas, drivers licenses, driving records, immunization information etc.  I have to photo copy much of this information and put it in their files.  Their passport and visa copies I have to have certified at the police station in case we have to apply for visas for Swaziland or Lesotho.  I also collect things like i-pods, phones, kindles etc. that they have brought from home and keep in the safe until they go home. 

Needless to say, we go home from work very tired Tuesday night. 

 This picture of Elder Steed, one of our AP's shows just how exhausting these few days are.  They have spent many hours organizing the logistics of how everyone will get where they need to be and then many hours calling and informing everyone of where they are being transferred to.  This is President Von Stetten's last transfer, he will go home in two more weeks.  The new President will arrive just two weeks before the next transfer and will have no idea what he is doing.  These two AP's will probably have to do this next transfer completely on their own, helping President Zackrison learn the ropes.
Wednesday we are very busy updating rosters, closing out files and creating birthday lists, e-mail lists, etc. etc. Thursday and Friday the mission President conducted his final interviews with the missionaries.  I am sure this is a very emotional time for him as he realizes this experience is coming to a close.  Von Stetten's went to Lesotho this weekend to meet with the Elder's and saints there.  President asked us if we had a message that we wanted to send to them.  So we typed up a short greeting and President expressed it in his talk today.  The Wyatt's were visiting there today for some reason and so this afternoon we received a phone call from two of the young adults that we love so much in Maseru on the Wyatt's phone.  It was so fun to hear their voice and visit with them briefly.  They want to know when we are coming back to see them.

Thursday evening Elder Holt had to go out to Umlazzi BB (about 40 minutes away) to conduct baptismal interviews for two investigators.  By the time we got back home it was quite late, but I got to have a good visit with one of the new missionaries who had just arrived April 30th.  He is enjoying the work and learning to be a great missionary.

Friday evening two Elders were involved in an accident (not their fault, and no one was hurt - gratefully), but that meant we had to be up bright and early Saturday morning to take them a different car to drive while their vehicle is being repaired.  Teddy met us at the Pinetown chapel where the extra cars are stored and we headed out to Kwamashu.  We went in to see these Elders flat.  As we were walking down a very steep hill to get to their flat we could hear what sounded almost like gun shots.  Found out it was firecrackers - someone trying to get the monkeys out of the trees in the area.  They have a terrible problem with monkeys out there.  We spent Saturday afternoon and evening getting our talks ready to give in church the next day.

Today we arrived at church to find out that since it was Father's day we wouldn't give our talks until next Sunday.  Oh the life of a missionary!

Michelle, Kaleo, Kalani, Mealli and Keola all went on "Trek" this week.  Michelle and Kaleo were the Ma and Pa to one of the families.  Each family had to have their own flag.  This is their flag.

 This is Ma and Pa Enos.  Each of their children were in different families.  They all had a great time.  Kalani came home with enough energy to go off to the Saturday night dance.  Michelle, unfortunately hurt her back just the day before they were to go.  With the help of a Priesthood blessing and some medication she was able to trek the whole way.  She did come home with a very fat lip though from sun burn - she wouldn't let me put that picture in.

 I don't know when Keola got so tall.  But isn't she an adorable pioneer girl.  Happy birthday on Tuesday Keola.  We will be thinking of you and wishing we were there to celebrate the day with you.  Hard to believe that 14 years have gone by since we welcomed you into the world. 

 What a handsome crew.  That Wyoming backdrop is miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.  Mealii  has got to be back at soccer once again on Monday.  She is in such great shape that she feels no ill effects from this three day journey.

I had to put this picture in - is this not the coolest trekker you ever saw?  I can't wait to hear how the Enos grandchildren felt about this experience.  Poor Leolani had to stay home - the only one not old enough to go.  Oh well Leo' next time its your turn.






Mealii had her hair braided in corn braids and on the bus on the way home she undid the braids and this was the look she got.  Michelle informed me that everyone got home safe and sound - mostly.  A few blisters, sore feet and tired muscles. 










Thanks for the pictures and Happy Fathers Day greetings we received today.  We love you all and are so grateful for the technology that allows us to communicate from so far away.    We love the work we are doing and feel so blessed to be here serving in this part of the Lord's vineyard.  Our testimonies are strong, our hearts are full of gratitude for the Lord's outpouring of blessings to us and to our families.  Until next week.....

Love the Holt's