You are NOT on a mission

I was speaking to a loved one the other day about some of the amazing things we have done since we've been in Africa. Her response was, "You are not on a mission."

It got me thinking. What Does it mean to be on a mission?

Wikipedia says " Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the LDS Church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and community service."

Let's see then, I AM A VOLUNTEER REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LDS CHURCH. Bruce and I pay our own living expenses while serving as missionaries. We go to the Area Office Monday through Friday for 8 hours each day and receive no financial reward.

We are not proselytizing missionaries, we are Welfare Services Missionaries, which means our primary calling is to do Humanitarian Work, however, we are often asked about the church and what we believe. We carry copies of the Book of Mormon in our car and are happy to share them with those who want to know more. We carry "pass along cards" that have the number of our Mission Office so that people can get in touch with the proselyting missionaries to learn more.

 One year ago, March 24, 2014, my husband and I entered the Missionary Training Center and happily placed these black nametags on our shoulders. We wear them everywhere we go. These nametags tell everyone we meet that we are representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Welfare Services Missionaries

 

I like this definition of a Missionary

 

 

 “Every missionary experience requires faith, sacrifice, and service, and these are always followed by an outpouring of blessings…And what marvelous blessings they are" 

Elder Robert D. Hales

 

 

When we told our non-member friends that we were leaving to serve a mission for 18 months they often asked, "How can you leave your family for that long?"   Of course it is hard to leave my family for 18 months but I know that the Lord needs Senior Missionaries to do his work just as much as he needs the younger missionaries.  The Lord has blessed my life in so many ways.  I know the numbers of senior couples who are healthy enough to serve 18 month missions are limited. I would be so ungrateful if I didn't accept this call to serve my Heavenly Father.

We also volunteer our time in the community. We each accept church assignments to be shadow leaders. I attend the Primary and support the Primary President, her counselors and the teachers. Bruce attends Sunday School and Priesthood Meetings and offers support to the leadership.

We visit a local orphanage with other Senior Couples and spend a few hours playing with the children.....

and sometimes we find a quiet spot and just sit and reflect on how much Heavenly Father loves his children.....

I don't know what my friends definition of serving a mission is, but I do know that for me serving a mission HAS required


FAITH

                     SACRIFICE

                                               AND   SERVICE

There have been days when I have felt inadequate

There have been days when I have had to lean on my Heavenly Father for strength to do the things he called me here to do

There have been days that my heart ached for home

However,

I know with a surety that my Father in Heaven knows

He knows every detail of my life

He knows the challenges I have faced, he knows the sacrifices I have made

I know he knows

because in the midst of the challenges, I see his hand in my life

I see it in the  brilliant African Sunsets

I see it in the African bush

Our Heavenly Father has promised he will never leave us comfortless. He filled my aching heart with friends and experiences I will never forget

Faces that will leave an imprint on my heart forever

 

 

 

A mission does require, Faith, Sacrifice and Service

 

but the blessings that follow are immeasurable

 

I left my home and family in America with a heavy heart.

But Heavenly Father blessed me with the opportunity to serve and work with the most amazing people. He blessed me with the opportunity to attend the Orange Farm Branch each Sunday.

 

I will miss the little black fingers that gently stroke my pale white arms each Sunday

I will miss these little hands in mine

I will miss the sweet little faces who run to greet me each Sunday

 

 

When I complete my 18 month mission I will leave a piece of my heart in Africa

In a small branch in Orange Farm

In a small orphanage in Tembesa

In the African Bush

And I will know that my life will be forever changed

because I answered the call to serve a mission in South Africa

Finding Jenny Lake

I have a really good friend that I have known since I was in 7th grade. She is one of those friends who you don't have to see often, but as soon as you are together, you pick up right where you left off.

 

We haven't lived in the same city for many years but we still keep in touch. When I told my friend, Kathleen that I was coming to Johannesburg she told me that her Great-grandmother, Jenny Lake was buried here.

She told me that Jenny and her husband came to Johannesburg as missionaries in 1907 with their 7 children. Jenny died several months after arriving in Johannesburg. Her husband John G. Lake co-founder of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa.

I promised Kathleen that when I came to Johannesburg I would look for Jenny's grave and take some pictures. It's been a year now that we have lived in Johannesburg, and every time I pass a cemetery I remember that promise I made to Kathleen.

I kept telling myself, someday......................

 

Well, today was the day

 

 I printed a photo of Jenny's tombstone, scribbled down the directions to the cemetery,

which by the way,

there are nearly 35 cemeteries in Johannesburg

 and Jenny was buried in the Braamfontein Cemetery, which is less than 4 miles from our house.

 

 

As we entered the cemetery we quickly realized, that even though we had a plot number,

 it wouldn't help much because none of the plots were marked.

We drove around the cemetery with no idea where to begin to look

I asked Bruce to let me out of the car and he continued to drive awhile

It was a beautiful day.

Not a soul in sight

 

 

I wandered through the cemetery,

praying to know where to find Jenny's grave.

Bruce eventually parked the car and joined me

 

 

As we wandered through the cemetery the thick bed of leaves crackled under our feet

 

It was so peaceful, not a soul in sight, just Bruce and I wandering between the tombstones, stopping every few feet to read a marker

After awhile,

Bruce and I headed off in different directions

 

Bruce came across this section of the cemetery where firefighters and police officers had been buried

 

I wandered aimlessly until I came to this child's grave

 

For a moment I was excited as I noticed that this little grave had a plot number on it

But as I continued to walk I realized that none of the other graves nearby had numbers and this number was not even close to the number I had for Jenny's grave

 

 

After about 20 minutes of wandering directionless, I looked out at the huge cemetery and thought "How disappointing it would be if I couldn't find her gravesite"
Just then I remembered that I had other photos that I had not printed that Kathleen had emailed me.

 I don't usually have access to mobile data on my phone but today I just happened to have enough data to allow me to check the photos in my email. Kathleen had not only sent photos of the gravesite but she had sent a photo of a plot map of the cemetery. I don't even remember seeing that map before.

 

 

 

 I quickly found Bruce and together we studied the map.

Then I noticed another photo on my phone that showed what the side of the road looked like that lead to Jenny's grave

 

It just took me a minute to find this gravesite next to the road and I began to run 

straight to Jenny's grave

 

 

Bruce was so sweet he pulled the weeds around Jenny's gravesite.

As we walked back to the car we realized that our car was parked just a few yards from where the Gravesite was located.

Like Kathleen says, "There are no coincidences"

So grateful that I could do this for my friend Kathleen,

It really was a beautiful day!
 

 

Maturation Kits

 

It never occurred to me that girls would miss school because they don't have proper sanitary supplies.

I have learned that young girls miss up to 2 months a year of classroom education while they are menstruating.  

Here in Africa girls use leaves, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, and mattress stuffing because they can't afford to buy disposable sanitary napkins.

 

One of the goals of the Humanitarian Program is to find local solutions to problems. We learned of a non-profit that was addressing the problem of young girls missing school due to not having proper sanitary supplies.

 

Days for Girls International is a grassroots 501(c) non-profit,  whose vision is:

 

"Creating a more dignified, free and educated world through access to lasting feminine hygiene solutions. 

Women, and girls discover their potential and self-value, are equal participants and agents of social change and are given opportunities to thrive, grow and contribute to their community's betterment while ensuring quality sustainable feminine hygiene."

 

 

"If you have to choose between feeding your children or providing sanitary supplies, which would you choose? The answer is clear. Where do you dispose of soiled pads when there is no trash service? Littered pads only add to the stigma girls can face. A quality answer that she can count on month after month that is comfortable and effective AND discrete gives her back days of possibility, safety, and dignity".

 

 

In an effort to find a local solution to the problem, several of our Welfare Services Missionaries have developed sewing projects that not only teach women to sew ,but teach them to make reusable sanitary napkins and hygiene kits, as well as offer personal hygiene training.

 

Each kit includes; washable pads, moisture barrier shields that hold the pads in place, 2 pair of panties, and a gallon sized zip lock bag, and a carrying bag and an instruction sheet.

 

 

 The missionaries have reported that these projects have been very beneficial and quite successful.

The women loved that they were not only learning to sew but they were able to help the young girls in their communities

 In Kinshasa, even the men got involved

 

Women of all ages participated

In Lubumbashi and Kinshasa young mothers brought their small children along as they learned to sew

 

 

We have received reports that these projects were very successful for many reasons. The first and more obvious reason was that the completed Maturation Kits were donated to young girls in the community. Fewer girls would miss school due to lack of proper sanitary supplies. The second was that the local women, and in some cases, men, gathered together with one goal in mind, to help the young girls in their community. This project strengthened relationships. It helped to build a stronger community. It helped the people see that they could solve their own problems. .

 

 

I LOVE THIS PHOTO OF THIS SWEET SISTER. THE SMILE ON HER FACE SHOWS THE JOY THAT SHE EXPERIENCED AS SHE PROVIDED A SELFLESS ACT OF SERVICE.

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me".

Matthew 25:40
 

Christ-like Service

Last week I received this photo from Sister Johnson who is serving a Humanitarian Mission in Kinshasa with her husband.

Sister Johnson explained that she had been preparing for a closing ceremony for one of their water projects in Kinshasa. They were expecting local leaders of the village to come along with many of the village residents to celebrate the new well that the church had donated. Sister Johnson said that this sweet little boy appeared out of nowhere. He told her he couldn't find his mother. He was dirty, hungry and covered in sores. Sister Johnson scooped him up and held him for about an hour. Soon the guest began to arrive and she had to set him in the chair next to hers so that she could greet the guest. When she turned around the boy was gone. This little angel who had been lost and frightened had simply disappeared.
I wept when I read this story. Sister Johnson may never know who this boy was, where he came from or how he had gotten lost from his mother.
I am so grateful for the example of Sister Johnson. I am sure she was very busy preparing for the closing ceremony, but she did not hesitate to lift up this little boy covered in dirt and sores and cradle him in her arms. We never know when the Lord will call upon us to be instruments in his hands. It is often not at the most convenient time when that still small voice prompts us put our own needs aside and serve our fellow man. The Lord commanded us to love one another, and to love our neighbor as our self.

"Thou shalt love thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. That is the first great commandment. " And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Matthew 22:36-39







Joseph F. Smith said, "Charity, or love, is the greatest principle in existence. If we can lend a helping hand to the oppressed, if we can aid those who are despondent and in sorrow, if we can uplift and ameliorate the condition of mankind, it is our mission to do it, it is an essential part of our religion to do it. (Conference Report, April 1917) When we feel love for God's Children, we are given opportunities to help them in their journey back to His presence."

I am so grateful for people like Sister Johnson who are living examples of Christ-like service. What a blessing it is to be a missionary and to witness the wonderful acts of service that our Humanitarian missionaries are providing. I am so grateful for all the missionaries we serve with here in Africa. I am inspired by their selfless acts of service daily.

Durban Projects

I found this beautiful photo on Facebook and just had to share it with you.  Sister Cinquini who is serving in Durban, along with her husband as the Public Affairs couple, posted it along with a story about donating dresses to a local orphanage. This was not a Humanitarian project. The Cinquini's  had received a donation from the US and they found a local orphanage to donate the dresses to.

We met the Cinquini's when we went on the Rhino Rescue. They are a wonderful couple. We don't currently have a couple serving in Durban, (hint, hint) so the Cinquini's have stepped in and helped out when they can. A few months ago the Cinquini's took newborn kits, that had been donated to the Humanitarian program, to one of the local hospitals in Durban and delivered them to the Maternity department. The kits contained soap, layette, booties, socks, and a hat. I have been following Elder and Sister Cinquini on facebook and they post some wonderful stories about the church in South Africa. Durban is lucky to have this sweet couple.

Zimbabwe Humanitarian Work

We recently returned from a trip to Zimbabwe where we went to train the McMurdie's. The McMurdie's arrived in South Africa a few months ago. We promised them we would come to Zimbabwe for further training after the conference. They were kind enough to pick us up at the airport then show us around Zimbabwe. We visited some of the projects the couple before them, The Stevens, had started. We went to a school where the Stevens did a clean water and hygiene training project.

 

We started out visiting a Secondary School where the Humanitarian Program provided Water Tanks, and a borehole.







While Elder McMurdie was busy meeting with the school director, Sister McMurdie and I found a small group of girls gathered around the water faucet. We decided to go talk to them.

 The school is located quite a distance from town and judging from their reaction to us, I don't think they see too many white ladies with straight blonde hair. They enjoyed practicing their English.  Their primary language is Shona. They said, "hello, how are you" and "I am fine" very well.

This is one of the classrooms in the Secondary School 



After we left the Secondary School we went to a Primary School where we had provided a Maize Mill and reroofed the classrooms after a storm had destroyed the roofs on several buildings. This teacher was so grateful for the new roof in her classroom.

While I was in the classroom shaking hands and saying, "hello, how are you" to each of the 35 children, Sister McMurdie was outside with a group of children who had gathered around her.

Sister McMurdie had taught them a new game. She had all of the children put their hands on top of hers and then count to three. On three they all raised their hands into air. It was so fun to watch. Everyone roared with laughter as they raised their hands high above them/



 

 Elder McMurdie even joined in.

I am so grateful for this wonderful couple. They have only been in Africa for a few months and they are already making a difference in the lives of so many. 



I

We had so much fun visiting these schools and meeting the amazing teachers and directors. No words can describe the joy of watching the faces of these beautiful children light up as we stopped to share a moment with them.

 

Days like this will be treasured memories of Africa that I shall never forget