Orange Farm

I sat next to these two little angels today during the first hour of church.
They were so adorable and sat so reverently during the entire service. When the 3 hours of church ended
I saw them begin their walk home
ALONE
I asked someone who they were and where their parents were
So one of the members asked the girls and they said their parents were home.
Their parents are not members of the church so these two sweet girls came to church
ALL BY THEMSELVES
I remembered when they arrived and I helped the little girl take her backpack off
She carefully unzipped it and brought out her Book of Mormon
She held it in her hand throughout the entire meeting

The third hour of church this little angel and I played with my I-pad. She loved taking her own picture.
Then we just looked though all my family photos.
I love going to church at Orange Farm. I especially like when I get to interact with the members of the church.
Today before church began I spoke to a woman and her 39 year old daughter. When I asked the older woman how many children she had,  she paused a moment, then said,

"I had 5 but then one of my sons

DISAPPEARED"

She went on to say,

"so now I have 4."

I wonder what that would be like

To just have a child disappear

The bond between a mother and child is so strong

Every day I see mothers caring for their babies,
Last week at church I watched a baby begin to fuss in her mothers arms and the mother gently wrapped her baby around her back and began to rock back and forth
  soon the baby was fast asleep.

Today I saw a mommy tie her baby to her back and when the mothers friend tried to adjust the blanket the mother said,
"Oh now, he is going to fuss"
Her friend tried to assure her the baby was fine,
and  asked
"Why do you say he is going to fuss"
The mother said,
"because I can feel him begin to struggle"

It made me think about how close a mother and her child are

From the moment we feel the first flutter as our child stirs within our womb are lives are interwoven.

In just a few days after birth we begin to develop an innate ability to read our babies cues,
We learn to know the distinction between a cry of hunger and a cry indicating it is time for a diaper change.
We know when our children need a little extra coaxing or encouragement to try something new
We know when our children need a little extra attention

It is an amazing, gentle knowing that mothers develop

We know that someday they will leave us
We know that someday they will be ready to be on their own
We prepare for the day they will marry and someday raise children of their own
But we are never prepared for a child to just

DISAPPEAR

today I am counting my blessings
and praying for my sweet friend
that someday
her beautiful son will return

Children are the same all over the world



Following the Disaster Response Vans into the area that experienced the fire

THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THE CHILDREN

As I watched the vans being unloaded I couldn't stop looking at this little group of girls playing jump rope. I stood on the other side of the cyclone fence that surrounded the community center where all the donations were being distributed. I found myself drawn to the girls.
I was no longer  interested in the plastic bags we had taken days to sort but in the gentle snapping of the jump  rope and the sound of laughter coming from the children. 
It reminded me my own childhood and how I couldn't wait for the recess bell so that I could rush out to the play ground to jump rope with my friends.
 Oh how I wished I could run over and join them.
There was nothing holding me back but the warning we had been given by the leader of the Disaster Response team who told us it wouldn't be safe to be alone in this community.
The community center where the donated items were to be distributed was behind a guarded gate and several police officers were standing by in case there were any disturbances when the items were being distributed.

It struck me how resilient children are
How these children were happy to have their peanut butter sandwiches,
 their friends,
a jump rope
 and a rolled up plastic bag to play with

SOME OF THESE CHILDREN MAY HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES,
SOME OF THEM MAY BE SLEEPING IN A NEIGHBORS SHACK UNTIL THEIRS WAS REBUILT
SOME OF THESE CHILDREN MAY HAVE GONE TO BED HUNGRY
BUT TODAY,
THEY WERE JUST BEING KIDS








Fire in Capetown

 

 

Last Monday we were asked to go to Capetown in response to a fire that destroyed 200 homes in this community

 

 Capetown has several of these communities and it is not uncommon for them to experience fires that quickly ravish the area. The church was asked to help in the sorting of clothing and household items that were distributed to the affected families, We worked with some of the local members of the church so that the next time their community is affected by a natural disaster the members of the church will be prepared to respond quickly.

The first thing we did was enlist the younger missionaries who are serving their missions in Capetown
We couldn't have done it without them

 

Elder Kinghorn and Elder Lee kept right up with them, they were busy, sorting, stuffing, and carrying these heavy garbage bags for 3 days

We had to take a picture with Elder Wilde and his companion because he is good friends with Bo Oldroyd who was in our District in Ukraine for several months. (just had to show Bo who we ran into on our mission)

 

2014 Humanitarian Couple's Conference

 

All of the amazing couples who serve as Humanitarian Missionaries throughout South Africa including, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, DRC Congo, Lubumbashi, Burundi, South Africa, Gabon and Madagascar.
Also included are a few of our presenters, including, Kenneth, our Water Specialist and Project Manager, Sherrie, our Behavior Health Specialist, Sharon Eubank, our Welfare Director, and Phillip Moatlhodi, our Area Welfare Manager, and President Cook, and his wife Lynette.  President Cook is  the 1st Counselor in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency.

Round Tables
President Cook and Phillip Moatlhodi were available to answer questions from the couples

Round Tables
The couples enjoyed a few moments with Sharon Eubank to ask questions

We just completed a week with these amazing couples who are serving as Humanitarian missionaries all over South Africa. Once a year the couples come to Johannesburg for a conference that is both informative as well as spiritual. When we were in Ukraine serving as Humanitarian missionaries we had the opportunity to attend 2 conferences, one in Bulgaria, and one in Armenia.

This time it was a little different because, as the Area Welfare Specialist we, along with the Lee's, were IN CHARGE of the conference. Elder and Sister Lee had done a lot before we arrived. They had already done the agenda, set up all the presenters, arranged the Hotel reservations and reserved the room for the Conference and I am sure a whole lot more.

However, we have been spending the last 3 weeks preparing for the conference as well as working our regular shift in the area office

• We made welcome bags filled with goodies for each of the couples hotel rooms. (Which required a day of shopping to purchase everything)
• We wrapped gifts for all the presenters. (The Lee's had already purchased the gifts)
• We purchased and wrapped small gifts to give out during the conference
• We put together binders for each couple (which required printing, collating, stapling handouts for 23 files in each binder)
• Sister Lee and I made at least 3 trips back and forth to the Hotel to finalize the contract for the Conference.
• We planned, and coordinated trips to the airport to pick up Sharon Eubank and 11 couples who were all coming in on different days and times.
• We trained 2 new couples for the 3 days before the conference began
• We arranged for the couples who came in by Sunday to have rides to Church
• We organized a Sunday fireside before the conference began
• We presented an all day finance training the day before the conference began
• We arranged to get all the couples to the Temple for an 8am Temple session.
• We shuttled all the couples to the Johannesburg train station to take the Redline City Tour and see the Apartheid Museum.
• I was the IT person setting up the projector with power point presentations for several of the presenters
• I ran back and forth to the Area Offices numerous times to make sure 3 of the new couples computers would be ready for them to take back with them, to pick up a new cord for the microphone that wasn't working, to drop Elder Kinghorn off to pick up the van.
• Many of the couples arrived in Johannesburg with a To Do list that included such things as;  buy a curling iron, hair gel, and hairspray,  buy a new phone, fix eye glasses, pick up a computer for someone, buy yarn to make newborn baby hats, get haircuts, buy new shoes, buy fresh fruits and vegetables, buy church materials at the Distribution Center, buy office supplies, buy a bedspread.
• We arranged several shopping trips to try to accommodate the diverse needs of the group  

THE REALLY HARD PART WAS, FOR THE TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE COUPLES ARRIVED WE HAD TO TRY OUT LOCAL RESTRANTS TO FIND THE PERFECT VENUES FOR DINNER WITH PRESIDENT COOK AND SHARON EUBANK, DINNER WITH THE COUPLES, AND A WORKING DINNER WITH SHARON EUBANK. (Ok, so it really wasn't the hardest part, but I am sure I have gained 5 more pounds these past few weeks)

Actually the really hard part was saying good-bye to everyone. It was a wonderful week but today the couples began to head back to their respective Countries. We have three couples still here who will be going to the airport tonight, Monday and Tuesday. So I guess a few more airport shuttles will be happening in the next few days.

Everyone trying to figure out which car they were riding in to the airport. We met at the Hotel at 7am to drive people to the airport and even the couples who weren't leaving yet, came out to say good-bye.
 

Elder Kinghorn
Elder Shakespeare, and Sister Hobson
The Shakespears and the Hobson's didn't leave today but they came out early to say good-bye.

Sister Shakespeare and Sister Davis

The VanWagoners

The Richards

The Stevens

We drove the Davis's to the airport and said goodbye as they headed to Lubumbashi to begin their mission. They are a wonderful couple and we are so happy to be working with them.

COUPLES CONFERENCE

THE COUPLES ARE ARRIVING FOR OUR HUMANITARIAN COUPLES CONFERENCE
THIS IS THE DAVIS'S, WHO WILL BE SERVING IN LUBUMBASHI, THE MOODY'S WHO WILL BE IN GABON AND US WITH THE LEE'S. THE FIRST OF MANY MEALS OUT TOGETHER. WE ARE HEADED OUT TO A FIRESIDE RIGHT NOW AND THE CONFERENCE WITH A TOTAL OF 14 HUMANITARAIN COUPLES WHO ARE SERVING IN 28 COUNTRIES BEGINS TOMORROW.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY AT ORANGE FARM CHURCH

WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL SACRAMENT MEETING TODAY AT ORANGE FARM
I JUST HAD TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THESE BEAUTIFUL FACES BEFORE I LEFT.

The African People

This is a quote from Elder Holland, after he visited the people of Africa

“It is my nature to want to tell people that I love them and that the Lord loves them,” he said. “I think that’s really true, and it’s true anywhere. But Heavenly Father’s love for His children is conspicuous in Africa. They have the most gorgeous smiles, the happiest faces; their children have to be among the most beautiful children on the face of the earth. It is very, very easy to love them. It is something like meeting people you think you’ve known before. We’ve all had that kind of experience—a kindred relationship with somebody. That’s how I feel with the African people. There is something special about what we feel when we come to this land, come to these nations, when we’re on this continent. Something in them, and something in us, creates a camaraderie of the soul that is immediate and almost beyond words.”

 

That is exactly how I feel about the African people I have met. I love them. I love their radiant faces, and their beautiful smiles. We have met so many amazing people here who have made us feel so welcome. Each morning when we arrive at the Area Office Building we pass through 2 locked gates that have to be opened for us. Each gate is manually opened by a guard who ALWAYS smiles and waves at us as we pass.
 It's not just a nod and a simple wave of the hand.
It is a GREAT BIG SMILE AND A HAND THAT WAVES BACK AND FORTH AS WE PASS.
 

There are many blacks who work in our building. Some work in the adjoining offices and some  clean our offices or work in the parking garage and the cafeteria.
 One day when we pulled into the parking garage we pulled into our temporarily assigned parking space, where the cars that are assigned to visiting officials park, and a young man approached us. He had a big smile on his face and told us if we gave him the keys, he would wash the car and bring the keys to us.  I am sure he must of thought we were somebody important because no one had ever offered to wash our car before. After we told him that we pay someone to wash our car in our apartment building he said,
 "Oh, you don't have to pay me" and he took our keys and sort of skipped away.
I mean, he really skipped off.
 I don't know what he was so happy about but it was a great way to start the day.
An hour or so later, he brought back the keys and we had a sparkling clean car.
 I have seen him a few times since and he ALWAYS has the biggest smile on his face and greets me with a warm hello.

Like Elder Holland said, I have too have met people that I feel drawn to, who make me feel as if I have known them before. From the first day I arrived at the Area Offices I felt that way about a lady who cleans our office. Her name is Nalutanda. She is probably the age of our daughter.  She is kind and gentle and has the most radiant smile. Today I took a few moments to speak with her and get to know her a little better. She told me about her family.  I saw pictures of her children who are 3, 9 and 14 years old.  She told me her son, who is 14, lives with her mother far away. Then her eyes glazed over and she told me she misses him because she only sees him once a year. I love Nalutanda. She has a heavy heart and yet every day she comes to work with a smile on her face.

I love the people we go to church with. They are always so happy to see us and so kind and welcoming.  Last Sunday when we went to church it was Fast and Testimony meeting. Once a month, members of the church fast for two meals and then we give the money that we would normally spend on those meals to the Church to be used to assist with providing relief to others. On fast Sunday after the Sacrament is passed, we are given the opportunity to share our testimonies. I love it when children get up and bear their testimonies. Last Sunday there were about 5 children who bore their testimonies along with several adults.

The first child who got up was about 6. Her sweet little testimony stirred my soul and tears began to fall from my eyes. As I wiped the tears one sweet little mom sitting next to me reached over and rubbed my shoulder. I  was  touched by her kind gesture. Then another child got up and bore her testimony. The children were so cute when they went to stand in the front of the whole congregation and without a microphone they clearly stated,

 " I know this church is true,
I know Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God,
and I KNOW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN".

Well after the third or fourth child, I couldn't stop the tears from coming.  Then the little girl who was sitting next to me gently began to touch my watch then my hand. Then it was time for the closing song and she began to tap my hand along with the beat of the music. Then she gently rubbed her sweet little hand up my arm and examined my white skin and compared it to hers. It was so sweet, and so tender that I didn't want the moment to end.
 

I am so grateful our Heavenly Father sent us to Africa.

Missions and Summer Camp

After a long day at the office today we were on our way home and I told Elder Kinghorn (Bruce)
 

"I don't think I have completely disconnected from electronic devices".
 

 Sometimes I imagine I feel my purse vibrate and assume it's my phone.....
 

 then I remember .....

I don't have my phone.

It's locked in a safe in my apartment

 

I can't count the times during the day when I am busily

sending e-mails to Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Country Directors asking questions like,

 "Will you have time to get 2 more bids on the advertising for the Rotavirus Campaign by the end of next month?"
 or
"can you please have the contractor for the water project in Uganda send us a signed vendor agreement?"

And my mind drifts to

"I should check my personal email to see if any of my friends or family have written"
or
"I wonder if any of my family has posted pictures on facebook today"

Each day when we return to our apartment I find myself

 anticipating

opening the door

 turning on my computer

checking my email and

finding a sweet message from one of my kids, or grandkids.
(hey, it happened once)

We have Vonage and our grandson, Wyatt tried to call once and when we didn't answer Vonage took his message and sent it to me on the computer. It made my day to hear his sweet voice.

Being on a mission is a bit like Summer Camp

As long as your day is filled with activities that bring you pleasure

YOU ARE FINE

But the minute you quiet your mind and your body

You feel a tug at your heart

You miss home

And you remember....

  This isn't your home

You are a guest here

You are surrounded by people you have come to love

Soon days turns to weeks

 Weeks turn to months

Days begin to pass quickly

Friendships deepen

and soon you feel the tug at your heart again

 you know that one day

this will all be over............

One day you will pack your bags

and go

HOME

Life in South Africa

We had dinner with some of the other missionaries tonight to celebrate our friend, Jill's birthday. We were sharing some of the experiences we have had here as missionaries from America. One of the men in the group served his mission here when he was a young man. He talked about what life was like here after Apartheid. He mentioned that the blacks were treated by the whites as if they were invisible. It reminded me of something one of the ladies told me on one of our morning walks. Our morning walks take us through a very wealthy neighborhood where large homes are located behind high gated, barbed wired, walls. There are security booths located between every four homes where a black security guard sits. Each morning we walk past blacks going up and down the road on their way to work. We see black women entering the locked gates in the early morning hours to begin their workday. We see black women standing on the street corner with small white children as they await their rides to school. I always greet each person we pass with a cheerful "good morning". One day I said to my friend, "everyone is so friendly when I say good morning". She replied, "yes, they are friendly, but you will notice that they do not greet you until you first greet them." She went on to say, "it's a subtle holdover from Apartheid".

We've been here 3 weeks now and now I see that the "subtle holdover" doesn't seem so subtle anymore. We go to work each day at the Church's Africa Southeast Area Office where the Area Welfare Manager who we report to is black. In fact, many people in our office are black. However, there are also many whites who were born and raised here in South Africa. I have come to see that our office however, is not an accurate reflection of what life in Johannesburg is REALLY like. In fact, I believe we live in a kind of bubble here.

When we leave the office we see a different South Africa then we experience at the Area Offices. The division between whites and blacks is more obvious. Tonight I found myself reflecting on our life here in Johannesburg. I thought to myself who do we see driving cars? and who do we see waiting at the bus stops?  Who do we see dressed in rags on the street corners begging for a small handout to buy food? My mind drifts off to memories of our dinner last night. We dined in a restaurant where all the diners were white and all the servers were black. Then I recall that yesterday when we went to a strip mall there were young men in the parking lots who we paid to help us safely park our car. Not one of these men were white. Yesterday we came down to get in our car and realized that it had been washed. We were told that a man comes and washes peoples cars and leaves the windshield wipers up so we know that he has cleaned your car. At the end of the month he is given a small payment for his service. I think it would be a good guess to say that he is a black man. Then I remember that all the men who are the parking attendants are black. Each morning when we enter our building there is a black man who monitors who comes in and out of the building. Some days when I return from my morning walk there is a black woman mopping the hallway in front of my door. We don't take our trash out to the garbage bin, in fact, we just set the bag out by the front door and someone picks it up and takes it to the garbage bin for us. My guess is, this is a black person. Our doors and windows all have iron bars. The entrance to our apartment building is locked and a guard sits nearby and opens and closes the door as we come and go. We have been warned that we have to be cautious and not go out alone or go out at night. In fact, the whole city pretty much shuts down at night. We never venture far from our little neighborhood with locked doors and security guards. Even our Area Office Building is behind a locked gate with a guard. What I know is this,

 When people are hungry and cold they become desperate.  When  begging on the streets doesn't bring enough money home to feed a family, or the minimum wage job doesn't pay the bills, people will do what ever it takes to survive.  

I didn't know much about Apartheid until I came here but I believe that there are still some

 "not so subtle" remnants of apartheid right outside my door.  

The door to the left is the Service Elevator

The door to the right is the Service Entrance that goes into the kitchen

Costco in South Africa?

This ones for our kids

They know how much Bruce loves a trip to Costco

So since it WAS "P day" (our day off)

"p" for preparation day.

When the Lee's called and said, "want to go to Macro"

We said, "of course

As you can see Bruce was quite pleased with South Africa's Costco

Church in South Africa

Some days when we are stuck in the office all day it is easy to forget we are in South Africa.

When the week end comes we have the opportunity to leave Johannesburg and travel 30 miles or so to our little church in Orange Farm. 

 As we exit the freeway and turn into the small community we are quickly reminded that

 

THIS IS SOUTH AFRICA

 

we begin to see black women walking along the side of the road with large items on their heads,

or babies strapped to their backs.

We see families dressed in their Sunday best,

 and small groups of people visiting on the side of the road.

 

When we pull off the main road and head down the dirt road to the school where our church services are held,

 we pass small homes with black men or women standing in the yard who greet us with a friendly smile and wave as we pass by.

Once we park the car and enter the school yard we are greeted with big smiles and hugs from the members who are gathered outside waiting for church to begin.

 Last week a young man dressed in dark pants and a clean white shirt was straddled over a water facet as he rinsed the sacrament trays.

It is quite obvious that we are the minority here. Most Sundays the only other white faces are those of the two young missionaries who attend church in our little branch.

After church last Sunday I snapped this picture as I saw the members beginning their walk home.

 

Then I met this sweet little girl twirling around a pole and asked if I could take her picture

Then I saw these two handsome young men loading the Sacrament Podium in the car along with the Sacrament trays and white table cloths.

 

 

Humanitarian Aide in Africa

I wanted to share a little about the WORK that we are doing as Humanitarian Missionaries, least you think that all we do is eat and have parties with the other missionary couples. This mission has been quite different then our mission in Ukraine for two reasons. The first, is that we are surrounded by other couples who are serving missions in Johannesburg. The second, is that WE are not actually going out to meet with organizations to find possible projects.

We have been called as Area Welfare Specialist. Which means, there are 8 Humanitarian Couples who are working in various countries in South Africa, who are doing what we did in Ukraine. It is their responsibility to  find projects and partner organizations and then send proposals to the Area Welfare Specialist in Johannesburg. (Elder and Sister Kinghorn). Our job is to review the projects that come in from Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Tanzania, Gabon, Lubumbashi,  The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda. Once we review the projects we send them to our Area Welfare Manager for approval. The Major Initiatives, which include, Water Projects, Neonatal Resuscitation, Wheelchair Projects, Immunizations, and Vision Projects all require a 9 step approval process, finally ending up in Salt Lake for approval. The smaller projects which are called Area Initiatives, are approved at the Area Office. The Area Initiatives here in South Africa are projects that help non-governmental agencies such as schools, orphanages, or hospitals. We recently built a bread oven in a refugee camp.

Once a week we have a meeting with our Area Welfare Manager and discuss some of the proposed projects that have come into our office during the past week and review the progress of ongoing projects. What I have learned, is that the church is very involved in providing relief all over South Africa. One of the major projects has been providing clean water. Not only is it crucial to have clean water to prevent disease, but the village wells provide safety for the women. We have discovered that women and young girls walk up to 6 miles one way two or three times a day to get water for their families. In some instances young girls are sent alone and have been assaulted along the path. So building the wells in the villages has not only provided clean water but safety for the villagers as well.


There are orphaned children all over Africa as a result of the Aids epidemic and the turbulence between countries. I learned about a young newlywed couple who have taken in over 60 orphaned children.  I have learned about places where children live without parents and sleep on dirt floors with no mattresses We have developed projects in schools to not only provide clean water and latrines but to teach hygiene as well.  I have learned that children in many schools sit on dirt floors and attend school in shifts because there are not enough classrooms for all the children to attend at the same time. We have purchased desk or chairs for classrooms or other needed supplies. We have built hand washing stations and latrines in schools.

On a more personal level I have seen the effects of poverty in my own ward  (congregation) and neighborhood here in South Africa. In my ward, one young man walked to church last week in his socks because he had no shoes. One mother in our ward has seven children but she has had to send some to live with relatives because she can't afford to feed them all. This past week my ward had to cancel their trip to the Temple because they couldn't afford the transportation cost, which is the equivalent of $60.00, to rent the mini van for a group of members to travel approximately 35 miles. Each day when we return home from the Area Offices we are approached by beggars on the street who tie a black garbage bag around their necks and offer to take the trash from your car in exchange for a rand or two, which is the equivalent of ten or twenty cents.

This mission is different for us because we have daily contact with other couples who are serving missions, whereas in Ukraine we only had contact with the Mission President and his wife or the office couple. This mission as Area Welfare Specialist is similar to our mission in Ukraine in that we have the same goal, "to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy"  just as we did in Ukraine.  I love this quote from our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

"Not only by precept did Jesus teach, but also by example. . . He stretched forth his hand that others might be lifted. . . Unaltered is the divine command to succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. Each of us has the charge to be. . . a doer. . . lifter. . . There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out: ‘Is there no balm in Gilead…?’ Each of us must answer" (Thomas S. Monson, "With Hand and Heart," Ensign, Jan 1995, 2)"

THE FOOD IN AFRICA

 

Some of my family members have asked how the food it here. Let me just say that we have eaten out more times than we have cooked at home. The first two weeks we were in training we went out to lunch several times. We had gigantic burgers, steaks, and tasty salads, One evening we had a really nice buffet at a beautiful hotel. Tonight on the way home from the lion park we ate out again. This is what Bruce's dinner looked like. It's a hamburger with mushroom sauce, cheese, pineapple, fried egg, and bacon.



.
When we got home one of the ladies I walk with brought us this plate of yummy cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven and this beautiful beaded necklace.
Now you know why I have to walk every morning.


 

Are we there yet?

Today we left the city for the very first time and went to a Lion Park. OK so it wasn't exactly a Safari and the animals WERE in enclosures but it was still THRILLING to see these beautiful creatures up close. The male lions were absolutely beautiful.



THE LION CUBS WERE AMAZING

 



NEIGHBORHOOD WALK





This is Sister Kirshbaum exiting her apartment. We live in the apartment right above theirs

This is the mall directly across the street from our apartment building

Exiting our apartment building to begin our morning walk at 6:30 AM

Walking through the park

 

No traffic on the freeway since it was a holiday