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!!

Darcy's Visit Continued

By Tuesday we are heading home from the coast
traveling the back roads and not the highways.
It was quick but we got home in one piece and we are
about 51/2 hours away from home (but reality was
closer to 6 or more hours because of short-cuts
that weren't short. Darcy is taking pics of the Sugar cane.  We
could smell the burning fields the night before.  They were harvesting some of the fields
and it takes over aa year to grow a crop of cane.

    

On Wednesday at 11 we took the girls to Nambiti for their game drive.  It is by our house and since we have been there a few times
we chose to stay home and work.  Darcy has lots of pics on facebook of game.  We picked her up at noon (Africans don't know what noon means) the next day.

Thursday was pick-up day and go to Penelope for a late lunch.
Friday was  a surprise for all of us.  I mentioned that I needed to take the girls to something cultural at Institute class  and Sister Zwane , our Seminary teacher in Ezakheni and good friend, said she had something planned in the form of dance with her current and former students at the school where she works.  She asked the our girl's sizes, which I gave her,  (they are of course different) and one of our handy seamstress sisters made these dresses for them to wear.

My Girls

They set up at the end of the church in the shade, so many pics are dark.  At the end we had a traditional feed (rice, baked chicken, potatoe mash) for the dancers and we got to serve it and of course have some.   My neighbor Uticka, came along for the fun and loved it .

I had to pin Darcy into her dress, but Lindsey was ok.  It was their gift.

Click here to see Zulu dancers.  Video!

Go Go Zwane and Mama Zwane

  I thought the boys dress and dance was by far the

most interesting.  

We don't know what the dances were about but the Zulu were warriors by heritage.  Children

all learn these dances in school and the best compete with other schools much like cheer-leading. 

On Saturday we took the girls to the Drakenburg mountains and the Birds of Prey.  There were too many people -all Europeans I think.  We saw a lot more show than the last time and got different information about these big birds, but it was harder to hear and see,(than the last time) because of all the people.
  D& L went on a gentle hike and we went to a lunch place at a hidden bakery.  We thought we would be by ourselves but again -wrong!
  Prepared for Sunday and went to Ladysmith chapel.

We went off to the airport after lunch and went to the Durbin Temple site as our last event before they boarded and went home. It's going up and the tar paper walls are in place after over a year and the Palm trees too.
By Darcy and Lindsey--It was a wonderful week and went by too fast!!

   

Darcy's Visit

Darcy and Lindsey awoke to the crashing waves at their B&B Monday morning.
The night prior they arrived at Shaka International without their
luggage.  We took them to Ballito Mall to have dinner with  fried oreos in pancake(crepe) batter.  By 7:30 that Sunday night we picked up their luggage and went back to Ballito to our 2 separate B&B's.  Their"s looked over the beach and was a beautiful place. It looked like an  Italy  seascape.  They were so jet lagged they couldn't care.
 

They couldn't wait to get in the water the next day.

We watched Monkeys that morning, but the Indian Ocean was calling the girls.

Finally!

We found a beach with a sewage moat around the bathrooms.
They didn't fall in and managed to emerge-----

We managed to leave the Ocean and continued up the coast past Richards Bay and 

spent the rest of the day in St Lucia .  We took a drive on a game reserve and it was

so lush and green.  We managed to see a few animals but it was a large reserve and
we were fighting darkness.  Got up early the next day for the shopping and

for the hippos

and crocs!  They love the sun!  They open their mouths to balance  their temperature
with the water and sun.

 On to the hippo pods.  

There were lots of babies!

Institute, Family History and Scripture Power

Can't get enough of this no matter how long I'm here.  They must start very young apparently!

  On Sunday the 9th of July we went to Madadeni 1 Branch and

 gave talks, played piano for Sacrament Meeting and taught  their Primary -Scripture Power.  During the last hour, we talked with some people in a meeting about how they hated their Branch President. They were very serious about their worries and asked to meet with us. We told them up front that we had no power and we would just listen to their complaints.  (Unfortunately there has been a lot of money corruption in the past and some think that it is still going on.  Mission President thinks there are problems in the Branch but not corruption problems.)  Went to Dundee to chat with the Browns after and in-between their meetings about this. We actually got home at a reasonable time.
   Monday saw us cracking the books for The New Testament class starting on Tues out in Ezakheni.  We also looked at 3 more boardings for the Elders but didn't like any.

Our Institute class that changes every week with this many people.

   Tuesday was our class at 4PM with a Branch Pres.meeting before the class at 3.  Pres. was going to change all the auxillary heads at the same time because everyone had been in about 3 years.  (the Branch's building has only been around that long and the Pres. has been in that long).  This was all prompted by the lawlessness of Primary the previous week and the Primary Pres.(age 17) announcing to the President that she was done.  Long night till 7, but I think the Pres will wait on the Young Women release.
   Wednesday was chile day (to make for zone conference).  We made 2 kinds and the Browns made 2 batches and we traveled to  Newcastle and served it up.  Afterwards we ditched and went to the Browns favorite home store and shopped for the brand new boarding that I knew we would get but did not have yet, for the Elders.  We had to furnish the entire apartment from scratch.  Mop to dishes!     The next day we did home chores and had the Mosia's over for Family History.  We got their membership #s and Elder Rasmussen was going to take them to the temple in Joburg.  As it turned out -the temple was closed for cleaning for 2 weeks when he was leaving for home.  We needed more details from Mosias anyway for names to be taken to the temple.  There is not much of a paper trail to find dead relatives when the black families have lived and died for generations in the townships. Word of mouth from living relatives is about the only way we get information, so dates are  usually slim  and not accurate.

The Elders surprised us with a serenade before District Conference.

   Zone leaders passing through on Friday and Saturday meeting for District adult meeting at 4 with an Area Seventy.  We thought at this point that we would be getting a new District, but nothing happened.  After Sunday meeting  Benson and Bro. Mosia were  set apart for the

The Mosia's , Elder Brown, and Benson and Doreen.

Melchezidek Priesthood.  We took Benson and Doreen and a cousin  to the meeting and brought them home for lunch. They were all eyes at stew and bread.  We had a cold wind storm that weekend.  Not a big deal to us but they live in the shack at the back of the sawmill and they don't eat much meat or get out much.  They loved the brownies and icecream.

When I'm 88 I want to look this good!

   Institute and orientation of new Primary president on Tuesday.  Browns came for dinner and we went out on the 19th.
   We did Madadeni Inservice on Saturday for Institute and Seminary teachers and invited all B.Presidents for the entire Newcastle District.  We started at 9 and picked up Ladysmith and Ezakheni, and Dundee seminary teachers for the meeting.  We provided lunch and salad with  Herman.  We had a big group and Charles, our boss, showed up to give me grief.  We are never on the same page and although he is the professional, seems to give outdated information and just rubs me the wrong way.  Lets face it we just tolerate each other.
   That Sunday, we,  all the missionaries (4 Elders and us) did Primary sharing time and classes.  We had the little GoGo Zwane,(new Primary Pres. who is 88 years old and who had never seen a primary operate) watch us do Primary and then teach classes.  It went well but next week she would have to do sharing time.

 We had a B-day party for Elder Moyo on Monday because transfers were Wednesdays and our big job was to feed zone leaders and let them crash till 1:30AM and then Kent took them to the bus stop for Durban.
   We had more Institute class on Tusday and Primary inservice and then my little Grandma would be on her own.  Primary music is always the hardest calling to find, but as of this writing, not one calling had been issued to help the Primary President with 45 kids.
    Sunday surprised us with a District split and new Branch President in Ezakheni.   President Manqile will be fabulous!   He was 1st councilor and has been off his mission for 3 months. He is very humble and very willing to take and ask questions.

Sister Delkerk bought this cake for our new District Pres.

   The new District President is our very own Pres. DeKlerk from Dundee.  The Ladysmith District will only have 3 branches with Ezakheni splitting soon.  We had lunch after all the settings apart happened.  Sister DeKlerk brought it for us because her whole family was also there.  It was fun and festive and all the work was yet to start.  We did music and Primary classes again.
 

Finally our 3rd and last boarding and it was brand new!

My favorite Mabel, Ivy and grandchild.

 Got a brand new boarding in a triplex that will be on Delhi road to Ezakheni -where we want our third set of Elders to live. I sent pics and info to Sis. Wood and she sets up the lease and money stuff.  Taught class on Tuesday and shopped and cleaned and got ready for Darcy to come on Wednesday and Thursday. Got keys and showed Elders their new boarding.  Home Taught the Madonsela's so we could take belated birthday cake.
   Friday we were to leave for our trip to Richards Bay inservice and to pick up Darcy and Lindsey.  Elders moved in to their new boarding on this day also and met  us at our home to get washer and our sofa.  We were then off to the furniture store for new table and benches.  We didn't leave till 11:30 so we were late to Richards Bay.

Found the restaurant find on the road to Durban.

    Saturday we picked up 2 teachers in Ezekhaweni and that is all we had at our inservice meeting.  It was a good 1-on-1 but a disappointing showing and costly meeting. Later we met up with the Collins's and hiked a cool

Enseleni chapel and 1 of three classrooms.(Richards B)

Sister Collins and I in Rafia Forest!

hike  through the Rafia forest(big old palm trees) down  to the beach of the Indian ocean.  We then ate pizza and got rained on.  All in all a very mixed day!
    Sunday, we finally went to Richard's Bay Branch, which was very small.  We bore our testimony along with the entire branch.  Took off and went to the rest of the meetings in Enselini where I went to the tiniest RS meeting ever.  5 of us talked Zulu and English for 45 minutes. Most lessons are taught by reading in English and discussing in Zulu and English.  Kuhlekani is my Institute teacher there and we had to give him his NT student manuals a little late.  (The big news is that he has a cute girlfriend that I sat next to in RS. I would love to go to a temple wedding while I'm here!  Just sayin!)
   The fun is just beginning--Darcy adventures are coming up soon!