"Now for the rest of the story"

As promised, here is the rest of the story......  On December 26th,  at 5:30 AM we headed out on our final game drive. 

You can see by the rain drops on my camera lens that it was raining.  It was fun to see the landscape in the heavy rain.  We enjoyed it even though it was very wet.

Inge, myself and Wayne enjoying our last look at Nambiti.  Can't wait to share it with our children the first part of February.  Rod, if you want, you can even book a fishing experience while you are here.  Let me know so I can book it, if you are interested.

These are very large animals.  When they start flapping their ears, that tells the game driver that they are annoyed that we are too close and that we had better back off. 

This is by far my most favorite animal to see in Africa.  They are so graceful and beautiful.  Watching them walk is just like fluid butter, they are so smooth.  We are having a carver carve us two giraffes to take home.  Can't wait to show them to you.

Lida loved the tub in her room and said it was a very comfy bath.

After we left Nambiti we headed back towards Fouriesburg where we met up with the Shumway's and we checked into a bed and breakfast in an old sandstone home that was really quite quaint.  We stayed over night before heading into Claren's the next morning to meet up with the Olson's and the Murdock's from Durban.  They decided to come out our way to see the sights and learn about Lesotho.  We were happy to show them around.

The next morning we were served a delicious breakfast before we headed off for a long day in Clarens, Golden Gate Park and then the Basotho village.

I won't show you more pictures of Golden Gate National Park, as I have shown you many beautiful sights in past blogs.  So you are all aware by now how gorgeous it is.  It took us a long time to get through as the Shumways, Olson's and Murdocks had to keep stopping to snap photo's.  Inge and Lida also enjoyed getting their share of the photos.

We were very fortunate that morning to see many baboons on the sides of the road.  There was a male baboon that was trying to come into another male's territory and there was a lot of growling and yipping going on as well as charging at each other trying to declare whose territory was whose.  It was quite exciting to see. We have not seen so many baboons since the winter, so we were quite excited to be so entertained.

We took everybody to the Basotho village.  This is a village that has been recreated to depict how the basotho culture was developed, how they lived and some of their customs and traditions.  Here is Lida in front of the healer.  She has a bag of bones, dice, etc. and she blows on it three times, shakes it up and throws it on the ground.  The healer for a price will tell her future or if she is ill will give her medicine that will heal her.

This is the hut of the chief's 2nd wife.  She has just ground some corn and she then shares some with everyone.  The men are served first in their culture and then the women are served.  Inge is getting a taste of the ground corn.  The ground corn is mixed with a little salt and sugar.  It really tastes pretty good.  It is eaten and then they drink water.  The water makes the corn swell in the stomach and makes you feel full.




After the village we headed back into Claren's where we enjoyed lunch together, the Holt's, Inge, Lida, Shumway's, Olson's and Murdock's.  We then parted and we headed back to Ladybrand to our little home.  The rest went into Maseru and spent the night there.  We were all meeting up early the next morning to go into Maletsunyane Falls.  We had never been there, but had read about it and seen it on the map.  We had talked to the branch president and he told us it was about a 3 hour drive from Maseru.  When I got home I made two batches of cookies, made sandwich fixings, fresh fruit etc.  for lunch for everyone the next day as there is no where to eat where we were going.  We headed out and after getting lost once, we finally got on the right road.  Almost six hours later...... this was the sight that we were faced with.

This picture hardly does it justice, but it was the most beautiful picturesque sight you can imagine.  However, the road up there was absolutely horrible.  There was a time when Lida and I had to get out of the back of the Bakkie and go ride in the Shumway's car.  The lower end of the gear ratio just did not have enough power to pull us up the steep inclines.  In some spots the cars were too low to the ground and we would bottom out on the rough ruts.  We finally got so we would get out and walk through some of the really rough spots so that the cars would not scrape on the bottom.  However, we did get to see countryside and little villages with people herding their sheep or cattle.  Farmers plowing their fields with some cows and a hand plow.  Women out with a handmade hoe hoeing their corn.  Children running around playing outside their huts.  It was a very quiet and peaceful surrounding all the way up.  We were very grateful to have been able to see this way of life.

It was very warm and windy up so high.  We enjoyed our lunch off the back of the bakkie and then we headed back down to Maseru.  It took us almost 6 hours to get up to the falls and it took about 4 hours to get back down.

There were these beautiful wild lillies growing amidst the rocks and on the hillsides.  Such beauty everywhere.

I am not sure what they were hauling this greenery for, but the donkeys were loaded with it and they were taking it home.  The might have fed it to their cattle or sheep or goats or something.

These two young men were thoroughly enjoying this beautiful hot day and were going for a little dip in this mountain stream (in their birthday suits).  We saw some of the cleanest water we have ever seen in Africa on this drive in these mountains.

This is the Murdock's.  They are the Public Affairs missionary couple.  They work out of Durban and have visited us a couple of times in Ladybrand. 

This is the Olson's.  They serve as the office mission couple.  Sister Olson is the mission secretary and Elder Olson serves as the fleet co-ordinator.  This was their first trip to Lesotho.  I think it was memorable enough they will never forget it.

On the way back down from the falls, Wayne saw these little children on the side of the road.  He hopped out and got the left over cookies out of the back of the bakkie and fed these sweet little children the rest of our cookies.  They loved it.








We were all exhausted by the time we got home.  It had been such a long day.  The next morning we were up and ready for the Olson's, Murdock's and Shumway's to come to our home in Ladybrand.  The Olson's wanted to see what this little town was like.  They were all supposed to be here by 9:00 AM, but somehow got waylaid and didn't show up till about 11:00 AM.  By the time we had showed them around and visited a bit it was time for lunch.  So we slipped downtown bought some pizzas, cut up some fruit and I pulled some cookies out of the freezer and we served everyone lunch.  By the time they left, it was too late to do what we had planned with Inge and Lida, so we took them up the road about 20 minutes to two very cute little roadside shops.  Inge found some cute things for her nieces and Lida found a cute little outfit for her.  We came home and played some games, then headed to bed as Sunday morning comes early around here. 

Sunday we went to Masianokeng for church.  It was soooo hot.  Lida opted to stay home as I think she was exhausted.  When we got home we had a delicious roast beef dinner.  After a little nap we went out for a walk to cool off. 

When we got home Inge was complaining that he back was really tight.  She said "please walk on my back?"  I had a hard time actually getting on her back and walking on it, but she assured me that it felt good.  I didn't cripple her, so it must have worked.

We then went to work getting a big potato salad ready for the Braai that we were having with the Elders the next day.  Lida was the chief chef on this one and it was a delicious salad.  We were the choppers and peelers.








The next morning was New Year's Eve day.  One of our Elder's had a Dr.'s appointment in Ladybrand and so we had four Elder's here for breakfast.  The Elder's used our computer to e-mail home to their families and then four more Elder's came and we served everyone a delicious Braai.  We had hot dogs, and hamburgers, potato salad, chips, cookies and ice cream bars for desert.

Our first Braai experience in South Africa.  While Dad barbequed the elders played games, visited and had a good time being together.  Elder Daine's couldn't stand to see the other Elder's bakki dirty, so he used our hose and cleaned their bakki for them.  After lunch, the Elder's went off to play a little soccer and then came back to our flat.  It was getting close to 6:00 and so I sent them on their way home.  I didn't want them on the road too late on New Year's Eve and I didn't want to feed them another meal! 

This is the whole spread we laid out for them.  I think they went away well fed.  I am still amazed every time I feed them how much food they can put away. 

You know, it is great having a school teacher around.  Inge showed us a really cool thing - a week before the equinox you can make an egg stand on its end.  Bet you didn't know that.  So.... this is what Inge showed us.  Pretty cool huh?

Tuesday morning we were up early after a night of fireworks, celebrating and bringing in the new year.  We had to drive to Leribe bright and early to pick up their Bakki and drive it down to the Maseru 2 Elder's.  Maseru 2 elders are on bikes or walking, but Elder Dickerson has a serious boil on his "sit-upon" and he sprained his toe very badly - consequently he can't ride his bike and he can't walk.  So...... I had to drive the bakkie from Leribe down to Maseru.  I know that I am the only senior sister to ever have driven in Lesotho.  It is such a scarry thing to do.  Gratefully I had Inge as a co-pilot and with prayers from the other side of the world, I made it safely to the Elders flat in Maseru.  On the way down to Maseru we stopped in Ty and took Inge and Lida to the weavers.

This is the weaving that Inge purchased to take back to Canada.  It is so beautiful and I can't wait to see it hanging in her home.  It will always remind her of the way the African women always dress so beautifully and elegantly. 



We then had to head to Masianokeng to check out a flat for the Masianokeng 2 elders to move into.  Unfortunately it was not suitable, so we will just have to keep looking.  We headed home to prepare for Inge and Lida's last full day in Africa.  I had to get a birthday cake made for Elder Adam's birthday the next day. 




We headed into Maseru to deliver Elder Adam's birthday cake.  We sang "Happy Birthday" in English and then did the dutch rendition for him as well.  We then headed to the "Home Affair's office" in Maseru to get out passport stamped with six month visa's for Lesotho so we don't have to get stamped everytime we come into Lesotho.  Gratefully that didn't take too long and we then headed up to the non-school outside of Ty.  Inge had asked the school children and teachers to donate books for the non-school and she came with a suitcase full of books - a total of 50 - which we put Shauna's label in - and then took up to the non-school.

The children from the village gathered at the chief's house and then they played games, sang, danced and showed us how they could say the months of the year, days of the week, seasons, etc.  They were so darling.  We have some very cute movie clips showing them do this, but I'm not smart enough to attach them, so you will just have to wait till you come or we come home to see them.

Inge, getting some hugs from some very cute little children.  I know that these children will love these books in the months and years to come.  Their lives will be greatly enriched by everyone's generosity in Stirling.

Lida really enjoyed getting right in and playing with these sweet children.  They are very loving and loved to feel her skin.

This young man was our self-imposed translator at the chief's house.  He was very helpful to translate what the children were saying, what the non-school co-ordinator was saying and in general just keeping us informed about what was going on.  Inge took a picture of him and he looked at it and told her she had to do it again cause he looked too "black".  We thought that was pretty funny.

We then headed to Kome Caves and showed them the people that live in these caves year round.  These caves have housed their families for many centuries. 










We headed back into Maseru and took them to the "Hat" to find their final trinkets to take home.  About 4:30 we headed to the border to head home, only to find a huge long line-up a few miles before the border.  2 1/4 hours later we finally got through the border.  I guess they needed to experience what we often have to experience.  It happens at the end and the beginning of every month - unfortunately. 

The next morning was a very sad day for us as it was the day that Inge and Lida had to head back to Bloemfontein to head home.  They have been such delightful company.  They just pitched in and helped us with all the preparations to feed and entertain the Elders, they helped us clean up when it was all over and they were ready to do and go, whenever and where ever we had to go.  We have created some great memories together and we were so glad to have them here. 

After we dropped them off at the airport and we were heading home this was the skyline.....

We are very grateful for good friends and family who love and support us.  We are grateful to be here in South Africa serving these wonderful people and Elders.  The Lord continues to bless us and we are so grateful.  We love you all.  Thanks Annie for the encouragement to keep doing the blog.

Wayne, Barb, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa!

A Most unusual Christmas

It has been a few weeks since I have had an opportunity to sit down and update our blog.  First of all, thank you Annie Holt for noticing that I have not done it.  Sometimes I think that I am doing this blog just for our mission diary, that no one even reads it.  However, she sent me an e-mail and asked if I would be sure to send another blog entry.  So, just for you Annie - here you go.  My last entry was Dec. 16th, the day before my birthday.  On my birthday we spend the day running around like crazy trying to round up 400 more blankets and the supplies for 200 hygiene kits.  There had been another disaster in Lesotho that the Humanitarian department was providing these supplies for.  Elder Eggett and a Elder and Sister Da Bell (I think it is your Dad's cousin Brittany) were arriving on the 18th to do all the purchasing.  We then spent all day Tuesday meeting with the Red Cross people and then purchasing all the supplies.  I had put a roast beef dinner in the oven before leaving so that I could feed all these people at the end of the day. This was the day before mission transfers and late in the afternoon Wayne had to leave unexpectedly to drive up to Leribe with the passport for one of the Elders being transferred that got left in the Bakkie that was crashed and parked in Maseru.  So, I then had to drive the wrecked bakkie from Maseru to our flat while Wayne headed up to Leribe.  While Elder Egget and the Da Bell's finished purchasing the hygiene kit supplies I ran home to get the dinner on the table.  It was a crazy day.  The next morning we headed to Bloemfontein to pick up Lida and Inge who were arriving from Stirling and Holland.

The weary travelers. 

We then spent the next two days getting ready for the Elders Christmas party here at our flat.  I was cooking turkeys, baking rolls, etc. .  We did take a little time to get the kinks out of Lida and Inge's legs and took a hike up to little rock.  Wayne had to take the Bakkie to Bethlehem, so we went without him.

Inge and Lida couldn't get over how warm and sunny it was. 

After we got cleaned up we went to "Living Life" for lunch.  It was delicious.    The next day we cooked another turkey, Inge made her almond cakes for the Elders desert and I made the icing for the Elders to ice the 10 dozen sugar cookies I made on the Monday.  We filled the 16 stockings I had previously sewed for the Elders.  We stuffed them with candy bars, tooth brushes, new socks, cookies, candy etc.  I had previously wrapped a remote control car for each elder so they would have a toy to play with. That night we relaxed and played games in preparation for the big day on Saturday.

Inge and I filling the Elders Christmas stockings.

The Elders arrived bright and early Saturday morning and enjoyed hanging out here, icing the cookies to deliver in their areas.  Each bag of iced cookies had a pass along card taped on the back so they could contact the elders if they were interested in learning more.

The Elders icing the sugar cookies.  Thanks Britt for the recipe.  They were delicious!

They played donkey, wacky six, phase 10.  Lida even joined in.  The Elders showed her no mercy however!

We sang Christmas Carols with Elder Daines accompanying us.

We had Living Life serve a delicious Christmas turkey dinner with all the trimmings.  My flat would just not hold 20 of us and all the turkeys to feed this many hungry elders.

 Little boys do love their toys.  These Elders loved their remote control cars.  They took them to the basketball court and had races, obstacle courses etc.  There were prizes for the winners and losers. 

 Here they are, all lined up for the final derby.  Some were very proficient at racing and some who have never even driven a car before struggled a little.  However, everybody had a great time. 

They then came back to the flat and watched the mission video produced by the AP's.  They laughed and laughed at themselves.

Then, as men will, they had to show who was the strongest, toughest & most manly!

 Then the elders all went over to the soccer field for a little soccer game.  While they were there it started to pour (rain) and they came home sopping wet.  I had all the fixings set out for turkey bunwiches and lunch fixings for their ride back home.  They put together their own lunches, loaded up in their bakkies and headed back to their areas.  They had a great day and we were happy to have provided a fun Christmas experience for them. 





Gratefully the next day was Sunday.  We took Lida and Inge into Maseru to church.  They had a nice service.  Inge met Motopela Nthabiseng, a young girl who is trying to get through high school but has no money for tuition.  Inge's sister Angelique and neices have sponsored her tuition for this next year so she can go to school.

 Motopela just cried when she found out she was going to be able to go to school again in January.  She had just about given up hope.  She is a hard worker, a very sweet young lady, and so diligent about attending church and institute every week.  Thanks Angelique and girls for your generosity to this young Sister. 

After church we took Lida and Inge sight seeing around Maseru and showed them a little of the Lesotho life.  Some of it was a little disturbing to them as it is hard to see such poverty.

We came home and had our supper and then decided to open our Christmas presents as we were leaving early in the morning to go to Nambiti.  We read the story of the birth of the Savior in Luke.  Reminded ourselves of the great gift that was given to us all that special Christmas night. 

We drove to Bethlehem so that Lida and Inge could say that they went to Bethlehem on Christmas of 2012.  We then headed on to Ladysmith where we dropped off some presents for some elders there that had been sent to us by mistake.  Then headed on to Nambiti, a beautiful game reserve.  They greeted us there with wash clothes to wash the dust off our hands and faces from our journey.  We were then shown to our rooms.

This is what our room looked like from the outside.  You were off in the woods, you couldn't see anyone elses rooms from your windows.  It was like you were all by yourselves.

This is the bedroom part of the room.  When you come back from the game drive at night the nets are all down, the beds are turned down and there is a chocolate on each pillow. 

This is the bathroom.  The tub is on the other side of the room and the shower is on the left of this picture.  There is also an outside shower.  Everything was very lovely.  They do not even have keys to lock the door as they are so far away from everyone that there is not a problem with theft.  Very unusual in this country.





We were served a lovely lunch out on the patio.  Then at 4:30 we went for a game drive.  We were entertained with a lightning and thunder show that was unforgettable.  It was so beautiful.  There was not a lot of animal sightings as it was raining quite hard.  We however were snuggled under raincoats and blankets and were thoroughly enjoying the whole experience.  Once we got back to the lodge we were fed a lovely Christmas eve dinner.  We all went to bed early that night as we were to be wakened at 5:00 AM the next morning to be on the road by 5:30 to see the animals.

There is only room for a small number of guests at this lodge.  This was the group staying there over Christmas.  Inge, myself, Wayne, Lida, John and Nicola from Johannesburg, Lindsey, Philippa & Chatto from London.  We had a wonderful time getting to know these people and thoroughly enjoyed this very different way to spend Christmas.  It was very nice, as I hardly had a chance to feel sorry for myself being so far away from family.  I am sure that we will never again spend Christmas in this way.  What an adventure.

We were given a special gift that afternoon by the lodge to go to the Cheetah Breeding Project.  Cheetah's are on the endangered species list and so this group is breeding cheetahs, taking the babies away from their mothers at a few months old, then they teach them to hunt and when they are ready, then release them back into the wild.  They are very tame for a certain period of time, as you can see here.  But once they get older their natural tendencies come into the fore and you are no longer able to pet them like this.

During the game drives we were fortunate enough to see zebras, giraffes, elephants, hippo's, rhino's, wildabeasts, water bucks, impala, kudu, cheetah, leopard and buffalo.   Our game driver was Geoffrey and he was very knowledgeable and good to find the animals and get us up close and personal.  We had a great time.  Christmas eve we were served a most delicious dinner of kudu, goose and ham.  Truly we were spoiled royally.

We are looking forward to taking Spencer, Brittany, Rod and Michelle to this same reserve in a few weeks time when they come to visit us here in South Africa.  I hope we are as lucky to see all the "big five" when you come!

These are two male lions (brothers) and we also saw their sister at the same time.  They were trying to hunt down an impala, however the impala caught sight of them and got away.  They truly are the King of the beasts.  Quite magnificent to see.

This is our view of the week.  This was a sight on our way home from the game park.  We stayed that night in Fouriesburg, a little town just outside of Golden Gate Park.  As this blog is getting large and cumbersome, I am going to close it for tonight and pick it up again tomorrow night for the "rest of the story".  So stay tuned and I will finish our adventures tomorrow.  Love you all

Mom and Dad.

Catch-up Blog

Due to the crazy week we had before we left for Swaziland, I did not get the Blog published, much to Wayne's disappointment.  We had all the flat checks to do for our district plus we taught the final lesson to Norma Qwezi, and we prepared to teach the final Temple Preparation class to the two families in Maseru on Sunday. 

Norma Qwezi Majozi and Elder Holt.  She will be baptized January 27th, 2013

Sunday morning Wayne spoke in Maseru branch representing the district council.  He did a great job.  Once our meetings were finished we taught the temple prep class to the Nachappy family only because the other family wanted us to come to their house later to teach them.  So, once we finished the first class, we drove the Phusamane children and their dad home so we could teach the husband and wife the last lesson.  The wife wasn't there and so he asked us to come back at about 5:00.  We went back to the church to wait for the branches tithing settlement report that we were supposed to get to the district President.  They told us it would be ready when we got there, but alas - about 4 hours later - it was finally ready.  Consequently it was a very long day with lots of good teaching moments, but lots of waiting patiently as well.  We are learning a lot about patience on our mission. 

Once we got home I had to get packed up and then I also had some baking to do for our trip the next morning.  The Wyatt's came and stayed in Ladybrand so we could get an early start for Swaziland.  Their car was filled with supplies for a Seminary and Institute teacher training seminar and Opening social for the Seminary and Institute kids that would be held on December 15th.  They unloaded all of the manuals, books, game supplies, refreshments etc. in our living room in preparation for the next weekend.

We were up and ready to go very early the next morning loaded with a map, google map instructions and two GPS's.  Even with all of that - we still ended up on dirt roads - very lost.

Sister Wyatt, Barb and Wayne on the way to Swaziland - just a little lost

We finally arrived at Summerfield Botanical Garden Resort

The Summerfield Botanical Garden Resort was so beautiful and it was nice to be pampered a little with beautiful surroundings, delicious food and good friends.  The grounds were well groomed and manicured.  Beautiful trees, plants, and as seen in the photo below lots of peacocks.  There were even Momma peacocks with little baby chicks.  We were awakened each morning to the cries of the peacocks calling to each other.

This proud male peacock entertained us each morning as we ate our breakfast.

Each morning we ate our breakfasts outside beside the swimming pool, enjoying the beautiful surroundings.  Elder and Sister Lombardy, the mission couple in Swaziland very kindly took time on Tuesday morning to show us around Manzini and Ezuini.  They took us to outdoor markets, the silver smiths, and many other fun shopping places.  That evening they fed us a lovely supper at their home.  We spent a lovely evening visiting, comparing notes about our challenges in the mission field.  I decided that perhaps our little group of elders was not too bad, and I would stick with the challenges we are facing and leave them to theirs.

We were up by 5 AM the next morning to get to Hlane Game Park in hopes to go on a game drive.  Unfortunately we missed the first one, but did get to go on one a little later.  We didn't get to see any lions (lots of tracks in the wet earth though), but we did see elephants, rhinos, giraffes (from a distance), wildebeasts, impalas, baboons.

The elephants were having a good time with each other

The white rhinos were quite bashful

It was a cool morning, after a rainy night, and the Wyatt's and us were the only people on the game drive which was quite nice.  The guide tried really hard to find the lions.  We followed tracks for a long time, they had been very active according to the tracks, but we were unable to spot them.








The white rhinos were quite magnificent to see.  We got up quite close and enjoyed watching them.  We saw some hippos from a distance in a pond, but they would not come up out of the water.  We had to be content to watch them bob up and down occasionally.







That afternoon we visited the Manzini market where we bartered for nativity sets and other trinkets.  Wayne hated it, as every booth wanted you to buy from them.  After you had seen one or two booths, it became apparent that they all carried almost the same kinds of things.  We got what we came for and then got out of there.  We visited a few other fun places in Manzini where we bought some woven baskets, rugs, etc.  It was a fun day. That evening we met up with the Lombardy's and had them come to supper at the Resort with us and we had a great time.  The Lombardy's have 8 children.  Elder Lombardy was a school teacher and he retired just before they came on their mission.  Their youngest daughter and husband was arriving for Christmas in just a few days. They were so excited to have family coming for the holiday.

The next morning we visited a Swazi cultural centre.  We learned about their culture, how they built their homes, raised their families, bartered for their wives, etc.  When the children are six years old they leave their mothers hut and go to live in the children's hut.  The girls sleep in one hut and the boys sleep in another hut.  Because they do not keep track of how old they are in their culture, when a child can take their left arm and raise it over their head to touch their ear on the right side - that determines when they must leave their mothers hut.  Their culture believes that the man can have more than one wife, and a girlfriend too if he wants.  The men buy their wives with cows, generally 17 cows for one wife.  Once we went through the village tour, we were entertained by a group of singers and dancers.  They did a great job and it was so entertaining.

These are the singers and dancers.  They sang so beautifully.

They performed different dances and songs.  Some were about hunting, courting, etc. 

Dad and Elder Lombardy were picked to come up and dance with the men.

 Here are a few of the performers with us once it was all over. 
Sister Wyatt on the far right, Sister Lombardy and myself.

Elder Wyatt on the left, Dad and Elder Lombardy with some of the men performers.

 Not too far from the cultural centre was a beautiful water fall and a place for a barbeque and picnic spot.  This is a very lush tropical country.  Everything was so green and beautiful.

The trees had long vines hanging down from it.  We decided to play Tarzan and Jane. 








We then headed back to Lombardy's to get some materials that Dad needed to train an Elder to be a trainer to a new Elder.  Transfers happen this week and one of our Elders is going to get a brand new missionary.  We said goodby to the Lombardy's as they needed to get ready for their daughter to arrive the next day.

We spent the evening with the Wyatt's playing rook and visiting.  It has been a nice little break from our usual hectic time.  The next morning as we left our lovely accommodations and headed back to South Africa, back to our cell phones - and as soon as we crossed the border, the phones started ringing and life started to come crashing back upon us.  While we had been away, there had been a hail storm go through Lesotho killing many and destroying homes.  We will be working with the Church Humanitarian people again distributing blankets, meals and hygiene kits in the coming week.  We learned that one of our Elders was in an accident and wrecked the Bakkie (not his fault) and gratefully no one was hurt, but we need to get the bakkie in for repairs.  Also, same elder lost the cell phone and we would have to take a new cell phone into them. 

It was a 12 hour trip home, with road construction delays, rain storms etc.  We were very grateful to get home and ready for the next days activities.  We had agreed to help the Wyatt's with their Seminary and Institute opening social in Maseru.  We had prepared a game and they had some games planned.  We had about 26 kids there and they had a great time being together.

 In this game they had to place an oreo cookie on their forehead.  They then had to work the cookie down and into their mouths without using their hands.  Some of those kids got that cookie in so quickly and easily.  Others dropped it about 8 or 10 times before they finally got it in their mouths.

In this game, they used skewers and a plastic ball with holes in it.  They had to pass the ball from skewer to skewer without using their hands.  They had a great time playing these silly games, laughing and interacting with each other.  They also had a little devotional and then refreshments (juice and cookies).  Wyatts work so hard to get the teachers trained and the kids excited to come and participate in Seminary and Institute. 



It was great to be gone, but even better to get back.  This little retreat to this lovely resort was my birthday gift and our Christmas gift to each other.  We feel refreshed and ready to get back into the thick of the work that needs to be done.  We love our service here in South Africa.  It is not always easy and sometimes it can become very frustrating, but in the end we know it is where we are to be, and we are doing what we are to be doing.  We are looking forward to going to Bloemfontein on Wednesday to pick up Inge and Lida.  I am afraid we will be putting them to work as we prepare for the Elder's Christmas party on Saturday and also the blanket and hygiene kit delivery into Lesotho.  We also look forward to going to the Johannesburg Temple in January with the two families we have prepared to take out their endowments. 

We love you all and appreciate your thoughts and prayers in our behalf.  Thanks again for the pictures, phone calls and face-time visits. 

Love Mom and Dad

"CES Continues"

A view on the road to Fouriesburg in South Africa.  The rain has made things very green.

This is our picture of the week.  All the rain we had last week has greened things up very beautifully.  We are in for more rain this coming weekend.  You can see part of that land is almost ready to harvest.

I ended last weeks blog on Monday - telling about the breakfast "big feed" for 8 elders from Maseru.  A high suctioned vacuum couldn't have cleaned things up any better.  As soon as they left, I started  cooking again.  I had to make cookies for Elder Dickerson (he wanted to deliver them to a family who had been very kind to he and his companion) and a big pan of brownies for ZTM the next morning.

Tuesday morning we headed into Maseru loaded with barbequed beef on a bun, chips, fresh fruit salad and the brownies for desert.  We attended the ZTM meeting with the elders and then fed them lunch.  We again brought nothing home.  Kalani and Isaac, I am just banking mission blessings for you - in hopes that when you get in the mission field some loving mission couple will feed you well on our behalf.

After we finished cleaning up that little mess, we headed over to the old Maseru flat to finally hand over the keys to the property managers.  They tried to make us think that the keys were missing for two of the doors - keys that had been there the day before.  Then they were trying to say that we had damaged the walls in the living room and they would need to be painted.  They are very tricky and very dishonest unfortunately.  I know that they were trying to get more money from our damage deposit.  I am very glad to be done with that flat.

Tuesday evening I got a call from an Elder in Qwa Qwa who was suffering miserably from a terrible rash.  So, Wednesday morning I was up by 5 AM to make muffins to take to the Elders DDM.  We headed for Bethlehem by 7:00 AM to meet the Elders at the medi-clinic for him to be looked at.  After a shot, a pill for de-worming, and a prescription cream for a fungal rash we headed back to Ficksburg to teach our dear friend Norma Qwezi.  We have set a baptismal date for January 27th, 2013.  She will head home this weekend to her home in the Durban area and won't be back until January 13th.  We are hoping by then she will have her passport so she can get to church in Leribe with Sister Cadribo.  She is such a sweet, good person.  We love the time that we spend with her teaching her the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She is like a sponge, soaking up the truths.

On the way home we turned off the highway at a place called Cloclan and headed across country looking for the feed lot that our butcher buys his beef from.  It is a huge operation and Wayne wanted to see it.  Here are a few pictures that we took.  You could smell it long before you could see it.  Trust me.

Just one of many feed lot pens

This ladies job all day is to sweep up around the pens.

These are grain fed cows and make for nice prime rib roast beef!

 This last month has been a very expensive month as we moved four elders into two new flats and received two new elders into the Masianokeng boarding.  We had to purchase new fridges, microves, beds, couches, bedding, drapes, kitchen tools etc.  Consequently, it took me the next two days to get all the financials ready to submit for month end.  This is one part of the mission that is definitely not my favorite, however, it gets easier each month.

On Thursday evening, as we were saying out night prayers, we heard a car outside our flat.  It turned out that it was President Monesa, the branch president for Maseru.  This branch President has been very resistant to our help, and very distrusting of us.  He came in, sat down and visited for two hours.  He had asked us a few months ago to teach a marriage class at a couples retreat between Christmas and New Years, which we said we would do of course.  He was also asking a pastor from another church to come and do a seminar.  Wayne and I were both very uneasy about this.  We asked him where he was getting the money to do this little retreat and he said that the District was paying for it.  We spoke with the District Presidency about it and shared our concerns and gratefully the district no longer had the funds to pay for this retreat.  When President Monesa came to talk to us Thursday night he asked us if we would teach a marriage class to the members of his branch on a weekly basis.  We feel this is a much better solution to his problem and of course agreed.  So, in the new year we will be busy preparing for this new responsibility.  We were also encouraged by President Monesa's desire to come and visit with us.  We have been praying and fasting for help to gain his trust and friendship.  It seems like the Lord is answering our prayers.

Saturday I was able to spend some time getting all the Elder's Christmas gifts put together and wrapped up.  I also got one more baby quilt all ready to tie - just in case.  I borrowed Sister Wyatt's sewing machine and I am going to have to return it this week, so I wanted to make good use of it before it had to go back home.

Just want to let those of you who donated to the missionaries Christmas presents know how much they will appreciate your generosity.  As I have been doing mending for these Elders, and as I see the condition of some of the clothes that they come out with - the new shirts, socks and ties that you have made possible for them, will be greatly appreciated.

Sunday morning we went to Masianokeng to church.  It had been raining for two days and Sunday was a downpour.  It greatly affected the number of saints at church that morning as they have no way to get there unless they walk.  It was cold, windy and wet.  Because it had rained for two days, everything was very muddy.  However, fast and testimony meeting was still great and the testimonies born were sweet and powerful.  Right after the block they had a baptism.  Liako Elizabeth Matala and Nkhati Mohau Grace Kele were baptized.  Wayne had interviewed with these two sisters the week before and I had been asked to speak on Baptism at this event.  Liako Matala has been quite ill for sometime and is still not very good.  She will see a doctor and get a chest x-ray in about 10 days and then perhaps she will know what is wrong.  She is in a lot of pain and is unable to eat very well.  We hope she will get some relief.  Her son was able to baptize her and Elder Kiyimba baptized Grace.  It is so funny to watch these Lesotho people be baptized, because none of them have ever been in that much water before, and certainly never immersed themselves in water.  As they come up out of the water after being baptized they are spitting and sputtering.  It takes a great deal of faith for them to submit to being immersed in water.  After the baptism we hurried back to the Maseru chapel as Wayne had the opportunity to confer the Melchazediek Priesthood on an Elder in that branch.

Back row - Elder Kiyamba, Nkhati Grace Kele, Liako Matala, Solomon (her son) Elder Mukuusi, Elder Daines (front row)

Sister Holt (Left) Nkhati Grace Kele, Liako Matala, Solomon, Elder Holt and a sister who is preparing to serve a mission

 Monday morning started out beautifully, I was hoping for the morning to do some laundry, cleaning and to bake a batch of cookies for Elder Dube.  He had given me a recipe that he asked me to make for him.  I had also decided to make my first attempt at a pie here in South Africa.  I had been unable to find any lard, but after inquiring I found a product that they said they used.  While I was getting started on all these projects, I got a call from Elder Steed and he said they were coming into Ladybrand and did I need to have them stop by for anything?  So...... everything got put on hold while we made them lunch.  I did manage to get Elder Dube's biscuits made (biscuits are cookies here) and I put raspberry jam in the middle of some and I dipped some in some Calebaut chocolate.  Needless to say they loved the ones dipped in Calebaut chocolate.  The Elders came prepared to stay for a while cause they brought their Phase 10 cards and even got Elder Holt to join in a round or two.

Once they left, I got the apple pie finished and then hurried out to get the finishing touches on two Christmas missionary packages that had to go back with President and Sister Vonstetten to be shipped to these elders that serve in the far reaches of the mission.  Again, thanks to the families generosity in financial donations, we were able to make these elders a happy Christmas surprise.

We then headed into Maseru to pick up a final water bill to submit to the Durban Mission office and then hurried over to the church to open up the church for President Von Stetten to meet with two perspective missionaries.  One is a Senior Sister, my dear friend Ikaleng Kato, and the other is a young man.  President Von Stetten had been held up at the border (first of the month line-up) so he was about an hour behind schedule.  Then as he was driving from Leribe to Maseru he got run off the road by a car trying to pass when it was not safe to do so.  Fortunately, there was no damage to car and only minimal damage to the heart. 

After he finished with the interviews, President and Sister Von Stetten invited us to dinner.  We went to a lovely Pursian restaurant in Maseru and we had a lovely meal and a good visit.  He has given us a solution to our passport problem and so there will be some rather drastic changes to our assignment in March - more about that later.

Elder Daines in Qwa Qwa who is being released this month to go home, just before Christmas.  Unfortunately he is an Elder who has had his bags packed for a long time and so has not been very productive.  He will return home to Zimbabwe

Beautiful summer time photo in South Africa

By Canadian Standards it is very late in the season to be planting, but here in South Africa they seem to plant in a staggered system.  Some crops are almost ready to come off, but they are still planing others.  It gives me hope that summer will be around for a long time.

In conclusion, we are healthy, happy and hopeful.  Hopeful that we will be able to accomplish all that the Lord asks us to do.  Happy to serve and grateful for the health that the Lord continues to bless us with.  We go to bed so tired at night, thinking that there is no possible way we can do it again in the morning, but miraculously throughout the night our bodies and minds are rejuvenated and when the sun comes up in the morning we are ready to go again.  The power of prayer!

Know that you are in our prayers constantly.  We love you all and are so grateful for your calls, pictures and updates.  We miss you, especially at this special time of year, but are grateful that we are kept busy serving others, for it does not give us much opportunity to feel sorry for ourselves.  We can hardly wait for Dec. 19th when Inge and Lida will come to visit.  We are so excited to show them this beautiful country and introduce them to these wonderful people.  Stay faithful and close to your Heavenly Father.  Kalani and Isaac - do all you can now to prepare for your missionary service.  It is amazing to me to see how prepared some Elders are, and how unprepared others are.  Learn to cook, mend, and see the needs of others and be willing to meet those needs.  Of course, continue to study your scriptures, and attend seminary. You will be a powerful tool in the Lord's hands if you will but do that.  If you can just make a batch of cookies or brownies, have three or four dinner recipes in your bag of tricks, if you are called to serve in a country like Africa you will not starve.  There is no such thing as a DA (dinner appointment) here - trust me. 

Till next time
Mom and Dad