Happy New Year!!

January 6, 2012

We wish everyone a very happy new year.  It is hard to realize that we are already into 2013.  We were pretty boring in ushering in the New Year.  It was early in the evening when the news reported that Australia had already celebrated the New Year with fireworks and partying.    And we knew that it would be 9 AM on New Year’s Day our time when most of you would be ringing in the New Year.  With that in mind, we didn’t have the desire to stay up till midnight just to say we did it.  That being said, we hope each of you celebrated in a meaningful way to you and your family. 

About three weeks ago, the area office missionaries and the temple missionaries organized an outing to take the train ride to Magaliesburg.  It was a national holiday so everyone was trying to get out of the city.  The price of the trip included the ride on an old steam engine train out into the country and a buffet luncheon in Magaliesburg.  It allowed us to spend a very enjoyable day with all the other missionary couples and to see the beautiful countryside.  It was a fun ride on a train where you could open the windows and smell the smoke from the steam engine.

We passed through Krugersdorp.

And finally arrived in Magaliesburg.

We wandered around the small village for a little while before being treated to a fun lunch buffet.

We were given a glimpse of what the countryside surrounding Johannesburg is like and also saw areas where they have been mining gold and other minerals.

It was a fun little trip that gave us the opportunity to get acquainted with the other couple missionaries here in Johannesburg.

This last Monday, we were to meet Joseph from the Area Office to go to the police and hospital to take care of requirements to get an extended Visa.  We arrived with a simple 90 day visa and needed to get the proper visa to be a missionary in South Africa.  Joseph, who is over travel, visas, and government relations, painted a picture of urgency to get all the paperwork completed.  He said he should have been notified as so as our assignment was officially changed but that he barely became aware of our situation. 

This is Joseph outside the Area Offices.

Laraine tells this better than I can so I’ll let her tell you of what turned into a special experience:

We’ll keep this e-mail quite short, but I wanted to share a special experience that happened on Wednesday as we went to the police station to be fingerprinted.  Yes, now we’ll have to mind our p’s and q’s in both the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa since we’ve been fingerprinted in both countries.

Joseph, our special helper that works at the missionary area office and has the responsibility for visas, travel and government relations for the missionaries here in South Africa, picked us up on Monday and then Wednesday morning to get this taken care of.  Monday we were told the officer that does the FBI check was still on vacation and would be back on Wednesday.  Well, Wednesday came and no officer.  Joseph, is not one who is easily discouraged, decided to take us to another police station.  The officer outside of this police station said they could not help us since we didn’t live in their jurisdiction.  Joseph parked the car and led us in anyway.  We were met with a very kind man who was willing to take our fingerprints.  I would have liked a photo of the fingerprinting process but was told it wasn't proper.  But I did get a picture of where they had us go to wash the black ink from our fingers and hands.  It was an outside faucet under a tree.

After finishing, the officer sent us down the hall to pay.  As we walked down the hall, we noticed a couple of women (and to be honest I didn’t know if they were officers or criminals), but one woman seemed very distressed, and she was an officer.   As we went in the office to pay, Priscilla, the woman who was pacing up and down the hall followed us in.  She sat in a chair next to Joseph and Joseph asked her if she had had a good holiday and if she had enough meat to eat (which seems to be a common concern here).  She started to cry, but wouldn’t talk.  The lady behind the desk said Priscilla, had been crying all morning, but wouldn’t talk to anyone about it.  Finally, she looked at Joseph and said she saw me walk down the hall and followed us in.  She felt she could talk to me and I could help her.  I sat next to her and let her cry for quite a while and then asked if she’d like to talk about her concerns.  She shared with me that her son was 21 and could no longer live with her and was living with her mother, but he was giving her mother problems and she didn’t know how to help him or her mother.  She asked me if I would pray for her.  I was so humbled and honored and know that part of it was because I was wearing my missionary badge.  I explained that we were missionaries representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that the two men that I was with held the Priesthood, which was the authority to act in God’s name and they could give her a blessing.  What a humbling experience to find ourselves in a police station watching Joseph and Hal give this very worried and special little woman a Priesthood blessing.  She cried after and hugged us all and gave us her name and number so we could follow up and see how things are going for her.  What an incredible missionary opportunity, and how humbling to feel that she could feel that I could somehow help her.  The Lord certainly does work in wondrous ways.

The doctor wanted to get me off the medicine prescribed in Kinshasa and put me on one he is more familiar with.  Changing medicines has not been as easy as hoped.  Hal and Elder Garrett gave me a beautiful Priesthood Blessing today.  I love him so much!!!

(Hal again)  Today is Fast Sunday and I enjoyed testimony meeting.  It is interesting that a few offered testimonies in Zulu and other would change from English into Zulu and back to English.  One brother in sharing an experience changed to Zulu and everyone except we missionaries laughed and smiled.  We knew that we had missed something humorous.  But the Spirit was strong and we really can feel the strength and devotion of the members here.  We are so blessed to be here.

This is the Kwa Thema Ward chapel where we attend church.

We understand that there are some members coming from the DR Congo to be sealed in the temple this week.  That excites us especially if we can help make their temple experience meaningful and special.  I have been memorizing the ordinances in French and look forward to helping.  We will let you know how it goes.

Again, we wish you all a Happy New Year.  We appreciate your love and prayers.