Remember you are in Africa!!

Last Monday we had a truck scheduled to meet us at the warehouse to be loaded with supplies for the tornado victims in Lesotho. Ten o'clock was the agreed hour but although we were there, there was no truck and no workers. We called our contact person for the truck and were told the truck was just leaving Lesotho....so we were to meet back at 2 pm. We called our contact for the workers and asked him to tell them to be there at 2 also. No problem... we'll just go back to the office and get some more work done until then. At 10:30 am we get a call, "Your workers are here...where do you want them to wait?" "Have them wait under the carport so they don't get wet...but if you could use them in the mail room, go ahead...we'll be there at 2 pm." So, back at the warehouse at 2 pm we are there but there is no truck. After about 10 minutes we call our contact guy. He promises to get back to us, "Just now." Oh no, we know what that means. An hour later, he is still trying to find out where the truck is. At 4:30 pm our contact guy tells us if we could stay until 6 pm he's sure the truck would be there. No way!!! We told him to have the driver and truck here at 9 am. OK, the driver says he'll sleep in the truck right by the warehouse and will be there in the morning.
Next we had to run get the conference room set up at the Area Office where we are going to show the DVD, The Work and the Glory 3, since it was our turn for FHE. All was going well, the popcorn was popped, the rootbeer was in the fridge, and the ice cream in the freezer. The couples were there in anticipation, had the prayer, a message from the conference report and the previews....then, immediately as 'PLAY' was pushed to start the movie, the electricity went off!!!
We ate the popcorn and the rootbeer floats and talked in the dark then gladly went home. What a day!!!
The next day we were at the warehouse on time, the three workers (RMs from the Congo) were there but NO TRUCK!! Elder R walked around the area knocking on any parked truck he could find to see if it was our truck...but to no avail. By 10:30 we cancelled the truck that wasn't there anyway and commissioned another truck company to help us. They were there within the hour and although the truck was half the size we needed at least it was a truck...They sent another truck and later reloaded both truckloads on a bigger truck at their headquarters. The truck went across the Lesotho border at 8:30 am the next morning. The storm victims will now get some relief.

Just a little too late

Just found these lovely pictures in a forgotten email from Elder T. They were taken in the front yard of the Area Presidency's Office and home. We could have used them for our Christmas pictures and then Jenna could have been in our pictures and the Smith's. That girl gets around!!!

Unexpected Accomodations

Traveling around South Africa has been an education for us in many ways but in this one respect we have not been too impressed....bathrooms included in the sleeping areas of our lodgings!!! We say, "What's the deal with that? Who likes to have no privacy at all in their rooms? It would be another matter if it were for one person, but..." We figured it out each time by saying, "Honey, could you please turn up the volume on the TV or step outside the door for a few minutes?"

But lest you think that we are complaining too much when there are so many that have only a slab of concrete to sleep on, we are grateful we have clean linens on our beds and pillows, shelter over our heads and food on the table. This man sleeps and lives his life on this island in the road. He builds fires to keep warm in cold weather and and holds his head over the smoke until his face is white with ashes....hence, his name 'Ash-man'.

Getting out

Tuesday evening we went to the Organic Market

with Elder and Sister J and Elder and Sister K.

We checked out the wares at each open booth, ate a meal and enjoyed good conversation while a live band played, "West Virginia, Country Roads".

Elder J is our Public Affairs person for all of the Africa Southeast Area. When he was inviting numerous leaders of other churches to a big media event in October, one person asked if our church was the "one with all the spies". Elder J said, "No we don't have any spies in our church". The person then said, "I said Spires son, not spies!" (Add a little southern accent.) He was referring to the spires on the temple by the area office. We all had a good laugh about that.

However, in this picture of Elder J people might think that there are spies in the church!!

Christmas time in South Africa

Christmas has a very different feel about it here in
South Africa. Instead of snow and freezing temperatures we have fantastic thunder and lightening storms with heavy rains. The country is now beautifully green everywhere. The people have braais (barbeques) for their family gatherings.

We haven't ventured out to the big malls to see the frantic shoppers since we aren't into that this year. We enjoyed a two hour Christmas program with many family groups singing songs of the Savior's birth last Sunday night. Cute children and attentive parents all. Makes us miss our family more.

This Christmas tree stands in the reception room in the Area Presidents office and residence. The Christmas tree in our apartment is much smaller and has tipped over three times with the wind so each time we have put the dislodged ornaments away....it is getting a little bear now!

Hospital Project

On Monday, Dec. 10th we had a small ceremony to hand over the 1200 newborn kits, 1000 patient gowns and 485 bed sheets for the maternity wards of Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. After the official hand-over we were escorted around the maternity and newborn areas of the hospital.

We handed out about 60 newborn kits to mothers of babies who are still hospitalized for various reasons. They were all very appreciative of them.

(The pink gowns are some the Church donated.)

YouTube - Strubenvales Brightest

YouTube - Strubenvales Brightest