Arrived in South Africa 10 Sept 2014

Hooray, we finally made it to Johannesburg Wednesday morning about 10:00am their time, after a very L-O-N-G 25 hours on planes! Our flight was delayed an hour in London, due to "technical difficulties", so that just added to the exhaustion we were already feeling. I have to admit though, the British Airways plane for our last leg from London to JoBurg was very comfortable, & Elder Berg & I were both able to get some much needed sleep :)

We were met at the airport by Elder & Sister Kyle. It was great to finally meet them in person. We had a fun visit on the way to our flat (AKA apartment). We are in a temporary flat until the Kyle's fly back home next week, & then we will move into their place. (Once we get over there, we'll post some pix so you can see). The flat is much larger & nicer than we had expected. It has a very large living/dining room, a nice-sized kitchen, big master bedroom & a second smaller bedroom for guests or office. We were pretty worn out, & so took a couple of hours to relax & settle in, & then were treated to lunch at the mall across the street with Elder & Sister Shupe. Having a mall so close is wonderful! They have most everything we would need: groceries, clothing, hardware, pharmacy, restaurants, barber & hair salons, & a movie theater! One of the best things is that there are 30 other senior missionary couples in our building, which will be fun to get together for Family Home Evenings & activities.  Bob was able to get a haircut at the mall & we shopped for a few groceries. I even fried up some boerwors (South African sausage) for Bob's dinner. He loved it! I'm still trying to learn how to dry & curl my hair in the living room, because there are no outlets in the toilet (AKA bathroom)...oh, the dilemmas of mission life!!!

Thursday we rode with the Kyle's to our office. The Africa Southeast Area office building is only about 5-10 minutes from where we live, & right below the JoBurg Temple. How great is that!!! We were given a meet & greet tour around the building. There are couples serving from all over the world, but mostly from the States. We house Public Affairs, Humanitarian, Family History, Legal, Finance, Travel, Perpetual Education Fund, & the Area Presidency also has their offices here. Everyone was so warm & friendly! We feel especially blessed to be working under the direction of such a wonderful Area Public Affairs Director, Sean Donnelly. He has a wealth of experience & is so genuine & friendly. 

This is at our Area Office, with Sean Donnelly
& our Ukhozi guests, Vicky & Lindelani

We were privileged to help welcome these two special guests from Ukhozi FM Radio. Some of their coworkers were with the group hosted in Salt Lake City last July for Pioneer Day. Ukhozi was the first black African radio station & has millions of followers. (Check out their story on MormonNewsroom.org) We had some great discussions about the Church over lunch, as they watched a couple of the Mormon Messages videos about our beliefs & temples. They loved seeing all of the wonderful things the Church is doing i.e. Self Reliance, Family History, etc. Our guests also enjoyed walking up to the temple & touring the grounds. They said they were impressed with how clean & beautiful it was. 

This breathtaking garden is on the Johannesburg Temple grounds.

That evening, President Carl B. Cook, our Area President, invited several of the couples to attend a special temple session, followed by an ice cream social at his home. It was great to meet President & Sister Cook & feel their love for the missionaries & of the gospel. We were each asked to share a "missionary blessing" that we have received since being in the mission field. Although it had only been a few hours since we arrived, we have already felt SO blessed, & know that our families are also realizing blessings in their lives.

Friday morning we were up, packed & ready to head out with the Kyle's to Swaziland, which is one of the countries we are directly assigned to oversee in Public Affairs. JoBurg & the outlying areas are very flat & are extremely dry right now due to very little rain. Bob & I both thought we were driving through the panhandle of Texas, haha! We were treated to our first experience of a border crossing, which means standing in lines & showing your passport both upon leaving South Africa & again as you enter Swaziland. Everything went smoothly though, whew! Swazi (as the locals call it) is a much more mountainous region. Only problem was that there were fires everywhere & so it was very smoky & hazy. Elder Kyle explained that the people burn all of their fields as a way of allowing new seeds to germinate & grow. But, we just happened to hit the time of year when many of the areas were scorched & black. We hope to get back there again during the time it's all lush & green.

Our first border crossing when we came back into South Africa from Swaziland

Our purpose in going to Swaziland was to meet with our National Public Affairs Director, Jerome, & also the MLS couple, Elder & Sister McEwen. We settled in to our incredibly beautiful room at Summerfield's & then met our guests for dinner. Jerome is such an engaging, intelligent man & it was great for Bob & I to visit with him & understand more about his country, their struggles & about the strength of the Church there. 

Delicious dinner with Jerome, The McEwen's & The Kyle's. Check out the beautiful zebra & lion skin chairs! 

Our bungalow at Summerfield Botanical Gardens

This gorgeous peacock greeted us each morning while we ate breakfast!

Beautiful Swazi girl who was out raking & cleaning
up the grounds around our bungalow.

Saturday, Jerome took us to visit the site of a bridge project that Mormon Helping Hands is assisting with. Be sure to watch the video below to understand the vastness of this endeavor. Labor is all being done by people in the communities that will be joined by the bridge...both Church members & members of other faiths. Quite remarkable! Jerome explained that during the rainy season, the old bridge would essentially wash out & people living on the hillside could not get through without going all the way around the mountain. This Helping Hands Project is to be completed on Saturday, with the help of over 200 local residents!

This sweet lady is from one of the villages working on the bridge project.
She is not a member of the Church, but expressed her sincere appreciation
for what Church has done to assist with this important project.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at one of the many local marketplaces. I bought a fun African skirt & necklace, & Sister Kyle found some great souvenirs to take home also. You know women, we can always find something to buy, haha!

One of the local shop owners carving a
giraffe out of jacaranda wood.

Beautiful elephant planter carved out of stone

In front of the McEwen's home. Sister McEwen treated us to a
wonderful home-cooked meal :)

 

Ahhhhh, paradise!!!

Sunday, we attended our first church meeting since arriving in South Africa. We decided to attend the branch Jerome belongs to. We were so amazed & inspired by #1 the reverence, #2 the warm, loving greetings from everyone we met, & #3 the incredible talks that were given. We heard from a young girl, from Jerome's wife & from a counselor in the Branch Presidency. Every one of them had a strong knowledge of the scriptures & had such powerful testimonies. It was one of the most spiritually uplifting meetings we have ever attended!

In front of the chapel in Swaziland

As we left the church building, Elder Kyle turned the car keys over to Elder Berg & we were on our way back to JoBurg. Yep...Bob was driving on the left side of the road! And I have to admit, he did pretty well! In one way it helped to have it happen on a Sunday, when the traffic was a bit lighter. But on the other hand, when we exited the freeway offramp, Bob almost took us driving in the wrong direction! Thanks to our alert back-seat drivers, they quickly let him know to STAY LEFT!!! Whew, thanks Elder Kyle!!!

This week, Elder Berg & I began our formal training on our specific assignments for Area Public Affairs. The Kyle's are both so patient & have been so helpful! Bob has enjoyed learning about all of the things he will be dealing with, including VISA issues. My assignment takes me back to my secretarial days! I told the Kyle's tonight that I keep looking for the time-clock to punch out at 4:30, haha! I have to admit though, I am extremely thankful for all of those years sitting at a computer & being tasked with similar assignments, because although this system is a bit different, it has definitely prepared me for this missionary assignment. So, THANK YOU to Lifetouch, Discover Card, Huntsman Corp & The Dwyer Group!!!

One more day of training tomorrow, & then we fly out Friday morning with our Area Director to Zimbabwe. We are looking forward to seeing another of the fabulous countries we will be directly serving with & meeting our national & local directors. 

Life is good in South Africa...WE LOVE IT HERE!!!

We began our mission on Monday, Sept 8th in Salt Lake City. My Mom & Dad loaded all of our bags up & took us to the airport for an afternoon flight. They were SO excited about us going to South Africa to serve in the same country they grew to love on their mission to Capetown! Definitely some goodbye tears...but tears of joy :)

Goodbye to the States...next stop London!

After a 4-hour layover in Dallas, we began our 2nd leg to London. Wow, that plane was SO small! Bob was practically in fetal position the whole flight, haha! So much for trying to sleep on that plane! It looked like it was from the 70's, with old tube-type TV's down the center of the cabin...I haven't seen those for years!

Our dear friends, Annie Bath & Lorna Croucher, greeted us with lots of Welsh hugs upon our arrival at London Heathrow Airport. It was wonderful to see them again "across the pond"! We had a 9-hour layover in London & had hoped to see a bit of downtown, but by the time you get through customs, etc. we decided to stay close to the airport. Annie was a wonderful tour guide!

Lunch by Dorney Court with Annie & Lorna

Eton College is the oldest college in England, & where
Prince William & Prince Harry attended school.

Olympic Bridge, where the 2012 rowing events took place

Lorna, Annie & Ian (who is a professor at Eton College)

 Next stop was Windsor Castle... It was spectacular! Lots of quaint little shops & pubs along the cobblestone streets, as we walked up the hill to the castle.

Gate to Windsor Castle

 What a whirlwind tour, but we loved it! Bob & I were ready to rest our tired feet & take off for the 11-hour flight to Johannesburg. South Africa, here we come!!!

Missionary Training Center (Week of 1 Sep 2014 to 5 Sep 2014)

On our way to Provo, we were a bit early, so we took advantage of the extra time & stopped by the site of the Provo Temple, which is under construction following the fire that destroyed most of the original Provo Tabernacle.

We arrived at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Monday at 9:45, & received our badges & instructions. It was so exciting to think that this mission has really started for us, & we are anxious to begin learning & feeling the tremendous spirit here that our missionary sons, daughter-in-law & my parents have told us all about!

Had to take the traditional photo op next to my Great-Great Grandfather's picture!
Wilford Woodruff, the 4th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
was one of the most incredible missionaries in the days of the early church.

They directed us to our housing for the week, which was in a building just north of the Wilford Woodruff Administration Building. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the room was like a really nice hotel room! Queen-size bed (which is essential for a companion who is over 6 feet tall!), nice corner workspace, etc. And the best thing? Here is the view out our window...

Pretty sweet view, huh!!!

They told us not to worry about unpacking our things yet. We were supposed to report to the chapel north of our accommodations, which is where we will be holding all of our Senior Missionary Training. (The young 18 & 19-yr-old missionaries are trained on the main campus, but we get our own "special" place :)  So, Bob & I grabbed our Preach My Gospel manual & made our way over to the chapel. We had a short small-group orientation & then went over to the main building to the Bookstore to get our materials & check with the Travel office. Then, back over to the chapel for our first official training session. It was so amazing to see all of these wonderful seniors all sitting together, ready to give the next 12-24 months to the Lord's service. It was truly inspiring! We were told that our group totaled 160...wow!

Here are the pictures of our entire Senior MTC training group for the week. Bob & I are in the center of the top picture:

Following the meeting, they assigned us to Districts, which is the small group we will be training with throughout the week. Most districts had about 4 couples, but ours had 9! Eight married couples & two single sisters who will be serving as companions. Our trainers were amazing teachers, with incredible missionary spirit & enthusiasm. We really enjoyed being their students in the gospel.

Here is a picture of our district. From left to right:

The Lowe's from Seattle WA, going to Moscow Russia

The Rappleye's from Delta UT, going to Norway

The Nemeth's from Calgary Alberta Canada, going to London England

The Castle's from Las Vegas NV, going to Indianapolis IN 

The Latham's from Spanish Fork, going to Ghana West Africa

The Berg's from Pearland TX, going to Africa Southeast Area

The Wood's from Salem UT, going to Tallahassee FL

Sister Albaladeijo from Frisco TX & Sister Paskett from Ogden UT, going to Mesa AZ

Brother Teuscher, our instructor (back row)

The Fairbank's from Bluffdale, going to Atlanta GA

(I hope I got all of these names correct, whew! We had a BIG district, but we had a blast together!)

Most of these couples will be serving as Member Leadership Support (MLS) or as CES/YSA Specialists,
working with Seminary & Institute Young Adults. Sisters Albaladeijo & Paskett will be serving in Records Preservation.
We will be serving as Public Affairs Specialists. 

So, you want to know about the MTC cafeteria food all the young missionaries have told you about? Well, it was great! And LOTS of it!!! We had to be really careful to not take advantage of the quantities, or they'd have to roll us out on Friday! I have to tell you though...the dozens of Polynesian young Elders definitely made up for what we Seniors didn't eat. They mounded up their trays, & then went back for more...haha!!! 

We woke up each day about 6:00am, went to breakfast, & then over to the chapel. We had a short devotional each morning at 8:00am, followed by group instruction with all the missionaries. Then we'd go to our district training til about noon. Lunch from 12-1:15, followed by more district training, & end with group instruction. Dinner was served between 4:30-6:15, & the evenings were free to do what we wanted. 

Morning district training from Brother Teuscher. He served in Brazil & was an amazing instructor!
Our afternoon sessions were taught by Brother Cohans. He served in Johannesburg on his mission 4 years ago & shared some great pictures & stories with us throughout the week!

Always need to catch a picture in front of the big world map, located down the main hall of the Administration Building.
We're pointing to Johannesburg, South Africa, which is where we will be based. 

Let me share a little bit about the Teaching Appointments all missionaries always stress over. Yes, we were VERY nervous & anxious going into our first one on Wednesday, but our instructors had prepared us very well. Our first "investigator" was a non-member, & we taught her about The Restoration. It was incredible how the Spirit entered into our conversation & touched her heart. It was wonderful!

So, when Thursday's Teaching Appointment came, we were a little more at ease. Bob & I both realized quickly that no matter how diligently we prepared a lesson to teach (this one was on The Plan of Salvation), if you forget about yourself & LISTEN to the person you are teaching, the Spirit will enter in & inspire you what to say. We loved it!!!

Friday, we paired up with another couple & took turns as either the missionary couple or a less active member. It really helped me understand that you need to be sensitive to the person's concerns & needs and then teach them what THEY need to hear...which in many cases is not the lesson you've prepared.

We attended an evening session at the Provo Temple on Thursday.

This entire MTC experience has been one of the best weeks ever! We felt the Spirit so strongly & our testimonies grew more than any other time in our lives. We left with renewed energy & enthusiasm, & with a sincere desire to assist the work of the Lord in any way we can while we are His representatives to the people of South Africa. Bob & I know that this is the right time for us to serve, & we are going to the right place, where the Lord knows that we can do the most good. The main thing I learned, was that as long as we keep the Savior as our companion & guide, we will be happy, & those people we meet will feel of our love for each other, for them & for Jesus Christ.