Where we live!

January 20, 2013

We hope everyone is doing well.  We appreciate the continued emails we receive telling us about family and friends back home.  We are grateful for the technology that allows us to stay in touch especially FaceTime and Skype that where we can see and talk to our children and grandchildren.  Today, we were able to FaceTime with Kara and Megan.

It sounds like it has been cold in Wyoming and Utah, but we wonder just how much snow you have.  I don’t think we associate the weather here with the months we are in because December and January are definitely summer months.  We don’t know what to expect when June and July come and we find ourselves in the winter months.  We know they have had snow in Johannesburg but only a couple of times.  It is very beautiful here although we have had some rain.  It stays warm at night and since we don’t have AC, the apartment seems to be quite warm all the time.

As we have mentioned, we have an apartment in Duke's Court.  Here is the street in front of our building.  You can see the parking garage for the Killarney Mall on the left.  Many missionaries walk the rooftop parking in the mornings.

I jogged to the Military Museum and took my camera to show some of the area in which we live.

 You can see how things are growing, green and beautiful.  You can also see the flowers in bloom.

 This is the street going to the back of Duke's Court.  The building on the left is our building.

Since I have showed the outside, I thought I should show you in the halls and entrance to our apartment to give a full record of where we live.

This is the entrance to the parking.  We have covered parking here and at the temple which is very nice when raining.

At the end of my jog, I saw the outside of the museum and an arch on the grounds.  We will come and visit and report more on it later.

I had to take this photo of  a common bird but I don't remember the name.

Last Monday, we had the opportunity to attend a Family Home Evening/Fireside in the devotional room of the area offices. This is a photo before we started.

 It was presented by Elder and Sister Kneutson who have the special assignment of gathering and compiling the history of the Church’s commencement and growth in the Southeast Area and West Area of Africa.  Much of the history is not written so they not only do research of church records, but they also take the opportunity to interview many people to obtain that which is only oral history of what has happened here.

For this fireside they presented  used a video prepared by the missionaries who preceded them.  The video was prepared to show the start of the church in four specific countries.  We only had time to see the videos showing the start of the church in Ghana and Liberia.  I am not sure how or if the program on BYUtv on the saints in Africa portrays the same events we saw in these videos, but it truly was a special evening and was personally meaningful to us because of our experiences here and in the Congo.  The faith, commitment, and dedication of those who endured so much for fourteen years before the Church officially opened Africa and sent missionaries is veritably a testimony to each of us.  When Elder and Sister Palmer, the first missionaries sent to Africa, arrived, there was already a congregation in Ghana of some 2000 wanting to be baptized.  It was necessary to slow things down and let them know that they needed to go through a baptismal preparation process to make sure they were ready to be baptized.  In the first baptismal service, 89 were baptized with the others following very soon after.

Many of these early converts had been introduced to a single copy of the Book of Mormon and started congregations teaching it’s truths before they even knew the source.  Some of them were interviewed.  After much fasting and prayer, after much written contact with the church in Salt Lake, and after being told to be patient for so long, they told of their excitement when they were told that missionaries had arrived.

I can distinctly remember where I was and how I felt when the revelation that all worthy males of the church could receive the priesthood, but my feelings and emotions Monday night were even stronger and deeper,  and tears came to my eyes as I heard these early African saints express their joy as they heard the same announcement on BBC radio.  I know my feelings are so much deeper now we have come to know the wonderful members here.

I took these photos as we left.  The first shows the two vans provided to get us to the temple.  They are also our mode of transportation for our other needs including shopping, to meetings, etc.  We have to have more than one couple going in order to use them.

This is a photo of the Area offices.  The patron housing for the temple is on the upper floor.

I love the opportunity to be in the temple here and see so many coming for the first time as they take out their own endowments and are sealed as families.  We had another couple come from Kinshasa this week.  I was able to help them in the temple, but what made it even more special was that Elder Mabaya, the  Area Seventy from the Congo, accompanied them.  I didn’t know he was coming, but he recognized me and greeted me by name when he saw me.  We visited briefly before the endowment session, and then I was able to help the husband from DRC and Elder Mabaya at the veil in French.  There are just so many wonderful opportunities and experiences here.

I continue to grow and learn in the workings of a smaller temple.  This week we were on the late shift which means that we leave at 1:30 PM except on Saturday when we leave early because the last session is at 2 PM.  I was able to officiate the 7 PM session twice this week and was able to officiate the 1 PM session yesterday when a newly called missionary came with his family.  Even that is a special experience as you meet them when they arrive, help them in initiatory. and finish with the endowment session.  I easily feel the excitement of the missionary and at the same time feel how proud and happy the parents are.  This missionary lives close by and had family and friends there with him.  However, in so many cases, the missionaries come from far off and only go through the temple while they are in the MTC and don’t have any family with them.

Laraine has enjoyed putting a puzzle together each holiday season.  She found two puzzles here that proved to be quite challenging.  They have stayed out for much longer than normal, but she finally finished the second puzzle this week.  Here's the process and the finished product.

We hope everyone is doing well.  We send our love.  We feel your prayers and thank you for them.