Greetings From South Africa,
The past 2 weeks have been filled with many opportunities to serve the wonderful people of South Africa...both members and nonmembers. We feel so PRIVILEGED to serve a mission. We don't want anyone to feel this is a sacrifice. We feel so blessed! We get utterly exhausted, frustrated and discouraged (and elated) but we are ALWAYS grateful to be here.
SENDING OUT MISSIONARIES
Parents know how exciting it is to watch a son or daughter receive a mission call! We had those same feelings as we watched 2 young men (in the last 2 weeks) open their mission calls. The church (and many other organizations) do not send any mail to the townships because the mail is unreliable, at best. The mission calls are sent to the mission office and then they courier them to us. So we are able to deliver these calls personally! How touched we were to be present as they opened their calls and shared in the excitement on 2 different occasions.
One young man has been raised by his grandparents (although his father lives a few blocks away but never comes to see him or contact him). The second young man is raised by a single mother. We have spent many hours with each of them filling out the forms, going to so many doctor and dental appointments (Lindani had never been to a dentist before. He had to get a root canal and fillings! Here if you go to a government hospital and need a root canal, they just pull the tooth!) They needed chest Xrays because of the high incidence of TB, extra bloodwork, police clearances, passport pictures, etc.
Samkelo, the other missionary, was so grateful to us, he took a bucket of water outside and washed our car until it was spotless! He said, this is my "service to you". We were so touched.
We feel these young men are the future of the church in South Africa. They are both going to the Johannesberg Mission in South Africa.
FAMILY HOME EVENING
A week ago we drove to Durban for our P-Day. We joined the Senior Couples there for Family Home Evening. There are 8 couples serving in Durban and they get together weekly. We are alone in Meerensee so it was such a treat to be with them. We watched a seminary video called the John Tanner Story (I think). As we watched it, the spirit filled my soul with a confirmation that this church is true. I could barely contain my feelings of gratitude for blessings we receive because of the gospel. Larry and I shared tender feelings about the experience that night. Joining with other missionaries, reminded us of the great power that comes when saints gather together.
RELIEF SOCIETY NEWSLETTER and EMAILS
We love the RS newsletter! Thanks Robyn! We are grateful to know the news of our Centennial Ward family! We love the calendar you sent with us. We have read your messages so many times....clear through December. We watched the Lamb of God DVD and were touched by the message and performances of so many ward members! Wow!
Thanks for your emails from friends and family.
TEACHING
We were thrilled when Elder Hansen, who was finishing his mission in 2 days, asked us if we would join him in teaching a discussion. Afterwards, we would take over teaching the discussions to the couple (about 50 years old) They had been reading a great deal of anti-mormon literature. We listened to her comments for quite a while. It shocked me when I realized how hurt I felt to hear someone verbally attack Joseph Smith, who suffered so much to restore the gospel and then was murdered. But the spirit was strong as Elder Hansen (an outstanding missionary!!!) bore his testimony. Then we added ours. Sharing our testimonies reconfirms those truths in our heart.
How grateful we feel for the Savior and His atonement. The longer we stay in Africa, the more we realize that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to solve the problems of poverty, crime, and immorality. We are sharing this wonderful message with members and nonmembers alike.
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