Primary - Seminary

Weavers apartment building!  Those are the little male birds working  furiously!

September 3-30

Pretty standard busy stuff and life as we know it!  

    

  All hands on deck for Primary with all of us taking classes and me doing sharing time.  I was sort of  in charge since we didn’t have any teachers yet.  Monday was complicated with Kent Picking up Alfred from home and taking him back to the hospital.  I stayed home and studied and blogged, made a cake for an Elder that I forgot. 

  We would be getting  new Elder during transfers this week and had to get new bedding and transport our bed over. Tuesday was our class and Wednesday was our transfer day with 10 Elders for pancakes in shifts.  Ladysmith is a transport hub and buses and vans meet here and all day and night movement is happening.  A logistical nightmare that thank goodness the APs ( assistants to President) take care of! 

  Browns were here all day on Thursday and we went to Winterton for lunch –but this time it was not good.  We had Elders spending the night on Wednesday and Friday with zone leaders needing a place and an overabundance staying on other Elders couches.  We were gone from 9-7 am to our assignment for transfers to transport missionaries going through Ladysmith to Bethlahem.  It’s about 21/2 hours away and has a mall.  We had lunch and shopped an hour before back to home.  I love the spontaneous! 

  DeKlerks were at church Sunday and she did music with me on the piano.  55 kids were a strain on the system and she could see that.  I did sharing time.   Management in a small room becomes imposible with that many chairs and no room to move.  We were going to divide but didn’t because our only teacher was not ready to do it.  I called an impromptu meeting with 2 councilors and newly called music leader and Sis DeKlerk.  I had just been sustained as the new District Primary President (over 3 branches) and thought we should talk about this division for next week and how it would work.   We still had only 1 teacher over the 6-7 year olds.  We had a sub nursery leader and the President was teaching Sunbeams.  Elders were still teaching the largest group, all Senior.  I was trying to explain how we would divide the group and have Elders teach 2 groups the same lesson and not go into sharing at all.  These were creative solutions to room problems and large primary problems but the Primary Presidency was not understanding our solutions.  Communication was an issue and both Sis DeKlerk and I brought up issues not for the whole group and all in all it was a contentious mess not needed at all to be done.  My most unpleasant experience so far on our mission. It was a long day with patching up in Ladysmith chapel and Sis DeKlerk serving food to all.

   Primary will get sorted, but not as fast or the way Sister Deklerk wants it done.  We will be gone in a few months and she will do it the way she wants soon. 

     On Tuesday  we had Institute and got a sub for the next week.  Made Sharing time kit for Sister Madlala but didn’t give to her till Friday.  We went over everything and that she would do it 2 times.  On Thursday we invited the Mission President, wife and his mother to Penelopes for lunch.  They loved it but had to scoot off to Newcastle for more interviews.  On Saturday we were in Newcastle for Zone Conference from 9-5(we actually got home before it was really dark).  We visited 2 institute classes during this time with Kent and I dividing and conquering.  We listened to Zone conference too and bought a rug!  Good day!

   Couples Retreat was from 18  ^th - 21^st and at a Drakensburg resort. 

We were bored with that idea since we had already done much there, so many times.  Big beautiful resort and good 3 meals a day.  We wanted  to hike and have TV or internet at night , but nada!

Every morning we had our own private showing!

We had a gorgeous Peacock outside our room at night and we did go to the Boy’s Choir again which was good. The Conference was too long indoors for such a beautiful venu and maybe I’ve just been there- done- that—because I was just a little tired of it all.  We loved rubbing shoulders with our friends that are doing similar things as us.  We found some new  shops to go to  and on the way home went to an Antique/used furniture place and bought some needed furniture for the Elders. Got home at almost dark.  All in all ok!

Got creamed by the Collin's!

Learned to lawn bowl

At the Drakenburg Boy's Choir

   Friday was usual in Ezakheni I met with different Primary members and he with Branch Pres.  Saturday was another Heritage day at Ezakheni. Very cold but fun. Left early and went to Chinese food.

   

Branch President and Councilor in Ezaheni

Took B. cake for Kent’s birthday to Institute and that was not a small deal.  Darcy brought us German Chocolate cake mix but the coconut frosting was a trick.  Only one place in all of Ladysmith sold “sliced coconut” which is better 
than the powdered, desiccated stuff they sell.  It is not sweetened but at least it tasted like coconut and was quite good.  Of course the Africans had never had anything like it!

   Wed and Thursday were errand and cleaning, washing days and on Friday I put up my pics in the Primary room in Ezekheni.  I only got half of them up because the younger children have such a language issue with English being their second.  Birthdays with year were mandatory and Junior primary partially knew them.  We only had like 12 children on church records and computer because they don’t bless babies in Zulu land.  There are also so many people that are just new converts.  Almost all children in Ezakheni have no Fathers in the home much less in the church.  To date we count 2 married couples with familes.  Both husbands work or go to school away and come home rarely on holiday.   We make sure and get a member of the Branch Pres come in and talk to children once a month for sharing.  None of them are married but are wonderful young men.  Modeling a family unit seems to be an urgent need all over our mission.  People do not marry—and if they are shacked up must marry to join the church.  That’s how we get our family units.  After we dropped Cds off at Sister Sosibo, we took off for Newcastle to spend the night with the Browns. 

  

Super Saturday was ahead of us and we had to check out our food sources for lunch for this fun day.  Seminary students from 5 Branches were coming together from 10-3PM.  Elders did a game with the

group, and Kent and I did a Doctrinal Mastery game like Scripture mastery and threw bags of candy at the one that found the doctrinal mastery scripture.  They were good at it and of course the candy made it fun!  We showed short videos about "Put on the whole armor of God" and Kent gave a short talk.  After we fed them lunch from KFC and icecream bars, they watched “17 Miracles”.  It was quite the activity and we had a small budget to do it.  We went over the budget but kids don’t have mutual here or fun activities-this was it. 

   Also on this day Ezakheni had 30 people (2 taxis) go to the Joburg Temple.  That was big-- they left at about 2 in the morning and got back at about 3 in the afternoon.  Most did baptisms but we have quite a few returned missionaries- like 7.  Saturday was a great day for all of us!

We ordered about 38 lunches for kids and more for the adults.  

Braais and GA's

DeKlerk's S. African braai on the 27th at our house

August-14-31

After spending the night in Durban we took our P day and went to a big mall (Gateway) and had lunch and shopped.  I think I bought a dress and Kent and I looked at rugs.  It was a nice little respite after all the activity.

 On Tues we crashed and dumped everything to study for our class.  Wed. made and gave Yuthika her birthday cake since she put it on our calendar as a reminder, had lunch and shopped for Elders.  Took Elder Mbongi  to get shot, but had to order.  Some days are more productive than others.  Dirty house was getting to me so laundry and the works-mopping, vac, dust.  I feel better.

    Shopping for Bro Mkasi and Charles, our superiors in S and I had to happen on Thursday.  They would arrive on Friday afternoon in our neighborhood and go to our arranged- for B&B and spend the night and come to our home in the morning and have breakfast.  We would leave for Osizweni

Osizweni -first stop in their little portable.

in Newcastle and meet with Seminary and Institute students for instruction from Bro. Mkasi.  He was really good and got the kids to participate.  He is a professional S&I coordinator and an area Seventy.  They were having an RS activity with food and served us a big lunch of chicken and pap. We were then off to Madadeni Chapel for meetings with the District President and Branch Presidents.  It was Priesthood stuff, so I took the car and went to the Browns until dinner.  We then all met up and went to the Browns favorite Indian

Aftermath  of food-Elder Mkasi standing next to me.

restaurant and had a good meal and head out for Ladysmith an hour and 15 min trek.  It was a good day, but we would do more the next day in Ladysmith and Ezakheni.  Kent found the B&B and I’m so glad he did.  I could not have accomodated them here comfortably.  
   On Sunday Kent had to speak in Ladysmith and Elder Mkasi met with youth in Sunday School and gave another  different lesson.  We then scooted out to Ezakheni for a special youth Fireside after their block and gave a different message.  I didn’t hear any of this because Sis DeKlerk and I drove home and fixed dinner so they all could meet up and have dinner and chat till 6.

  Elder Mkasi was really cool with youth and I showed him my Name Shark app on my phone and he got it on the spot.   He started taking pictures everywhere he went.  He travels a lot and meets lots of different people and will use the app a lot I’m sure.

  Monday we took President Madonsela home from the hospital after a shoulder operation.  This was a 3 ½ hour project because we had to do errands for him. Special place for dog food, go see Alfred, and Dunlop tire –his work place.  He would be off for a month which was good for the Branch.  Later we took Ezak 2 Elders to a late lunch at Chinese and took them to get their desk chairs.

  It was so windy on Tuesday so we picked up GoGo Zwane and set up our new Nursery cabinet and gave her the keys.  We taught our Institute class and got home about 6:15.

Kent could not resist soccer with GoGo Zwanes' Grandkids.

Took L adysmith Elders to Penelopes before transfers happen on Wednesday.  Teeth cleaning and couch delivery to Elders and routine house stuff.  Financial training with the Browns and DeKlerks in Ladysmith and the DeKlerks spent the night.  They went to Ladysmith Church and did Primary Birthday cake and we went to Ezakheni and taught music and did the cake for 55 children.  It was rather a mess and we had to explain to GoGo Zwane that she could not make hotdogs for lunch and cake for the kids on Sunday during Primary.  She wanted them to have lunch!

  Kent had to be out at Ezak on Monday and lots of odds and ends.  Instiute on Tuesday and I oriented our one and only  new Primary teacher.  She is an excited GoGo and a very experienced previous Gospel doctrine teacher, that will be teaching 14 6-7 year olds.  We planned out her first lesson with pics and activity and read the lesson.  She was on fire!  Kent always meets with the Branch Presidency while I’m doing Primary on Friday.

   Chengwenas VT,HT visit was Wednesday.  We also saw Alfred and had desks delivered to Elders and visited with them.  We saw Sibonelo on Thursday , had Chinese, and started shopping for the Mexican Feed coming up on Saturday.  Just looking for the stuff and getting to the Elders when we did boarding checks on Friday was a big deal. We tried to have our in-resident Mexican, Elder Lopez make corn tortillas, but he could not make them stick together.  We ended up with Elder Homer's homemade Roti tortillas instead.  They do have tortillas here -but expensive and not fresh tasting.  

After

Before

   We eat a lot!!