Finally, we've been able to take a breath long enough to update our blog! I know we've said it before, but missionary work is NOT a vacation...it is a lot of hard work...but SO rewarding! Bob keeps saying he's never worked so hard in his life, & I agree. Miraculous blessings though, so it's very worth it.
We set a goal as an Area to have all of our National Public Affairs Councils trained on our new 2015 Strategic Plan by mid-January and so we were able to visit our newly-called Director in Swaziland for training in December. He is a wonderful man & will be a dynamic leader for that country.
In January, we were able to go back to one of our favorite places, Zimbabwe, to train their council. Ken Sharpe, the National Director there, is a very influential man in Harare & is a tremendous asset to the Church, as he shares his testimony with powerful government leaders. He is a convert of just a few years & his great testimony & love of the Savior is evident in everything he does. We had a very productive training with his council.
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Zimbabwe PA Council in front of the Harare Mission Office: Brother Bongani, President Mutariswa,
Samantha, Ken, Elder & Sister Berg & Caroline (their Newsroom Editor) |
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| This is our gorgeous room at Ballentyne Lodge...ahhhh :) |
Each time we are in Harare, we always make sure to catch up with our dear friends, Alex & Kelly Anne Nichols. We had a wonderful visit with them over dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant. They are such a darling couple & make us feel at home & loved every time we see them .
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| Kelly Ann Nichols, Joanna Sharpe (Ken's sweet wife), Alex Nichols |
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| The 3 boys having a fun night out with some fabulous food! |
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| Such great friends! Joanna, Sister Berg, Kelly Ann & Tatiana (Joanna's twin sister) |
On Friday, January 23rd, we hosted a world-famous judge from the States. Senior Judge J. Clifford Wallace is a very prestigious judge who has travelled to over 50 countries & every continent since taking senior status, as a champion of religious freedom and human rights. He was in Africa by invitation from the Chief Justice of South Africa. We invited some great opinion leaders from throughout the Johannesburg area who are also involved with religious freedom issues. In his remarks, Judge Wallace expressed concern for what life will be like for the next generation. In response to questions regarding the separation of church and state and concerns of having one national church in some countries, he said, "Embrace the idea OF religion, not of A religion." Very powerful!
It was a timely visit, because the very next week was when LDS Church leaders held a historic news conference in Salt Lake City regarding the same issues. It is something we all need to be actively engaged in. We need to embrace diversity, that is what makes countries strong. Judge Wallace closed his remarks saying, "Focus on the issues that can bring people together, instead of driving them apart." Our special guests all expressed great appreciation for being invited to attend.
For those who aren't aware, Judge Wallace is the highest ranking LDS judge in the United States & is very well respected not only in the U.S., but throughout the world. So it was quite a historic opportunity to host him at our Area office.
BTW, Judge Wallace arrived with a police escort assigned by the Chief Justice of South Africa...pretty cool!
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| Elder Ellis, Judge Wallace, & Elder Hamilton during a visit to the Area Presidency Office |
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| Judge Wallace arrives at the Area Presidency residence with Elder Hamilton. |
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Such a gorgeous afternoon in Johannesburg!
This is the Area Presidency's residence where the luncheon was held. |
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Visiting with Rene Fergusion from WITS University, a dear friend of the Church
& Robert O'Friel, our South Africa National Public Affairs Director. |
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| Sean Donnelly (Area PA Director) & Shawn Boshoff (Pretoria Stake President) |
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| We held a fun "Meet & Greet" on the veranda of the beautiful residence |
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| Sean introduced our special guests & showed a great video from the Church on Religious Freedom |
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Judge Wallace focused his remarks on
"Religious Freedom & the Rising Generation" |
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Elder Cook (President of the Africa Southeast Area) shared remarks at the end of the event.
Isn't this a gorgeous foyer? It's such a perfect setting for special events such as this one. |
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| One of the 3 top former students invited from WITS University poses with Judge Wallace. |
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This is one of our guests from the Turquoise Institute for Turkish Studies.
She was so sweet & was very attentive to all of the issues discussed. |
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Darling new friend, Aysegul, from the Turquoise Institute.
We are looking forward to visiting their institution very soon. |
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| Taking a photo op with the Judge. |
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| Our sweet friends, Bryan & Tina Jackson, welcome Judge Wallace to the luncheon. |
Last weekend, we had a fantastic chance to travel to Luanda, Angola to train their National PA Council. I spent the day training their new Newsroom Editor. I was a bit nervous, because they speak Portuguese in Angola, so I had come prepared with a Portuguese version of instructions. Thankfully, Brother Nuno spoke pretty good English, & is VERY tech-savvy, so he picked things up very quickly. Whew! Elder Berg worked with Elder Humpherys to train their council & was very impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment to hasten the work.
We had fun driving around town, being chauffeured by Elder & Sister Nistler, the S&I missionary couple in Luanda. It's a bit like DRC...there are 8 million people living in that city - mostly in poverty. The difference? In DRC most of those 8 million were walking the streets, with cars trying to squeeze through the middle. In Angola, most of those 8 million were driving, with many in big SUV's. So... it was quite the wild experience trying to get around. Glad that Elder Nistler was driving, because it was pretty scary!
Here are some of the pictures of the beauty of Luanda. They are trying to clean up their city, because there are shanty-towns right down to the water's edge, which has caused major pollution on these beaches. It's such a shame, because as you can see, it could be a very beautiful tourist destination. But right now, it's really polluted.
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| The bay in Luanda, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. |
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| View from the fort on a hill overlooking the city |
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| Angola's flag |
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| Angola military working at the fort (which is now a museum) |
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The country carved at the left is Angola...at the right is Mozambique.
They are the only two Portuguese countries in Africa. |
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| Ancient spears and weapons from the war between Angola & Portugal |
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| Exquisite tile work inside the museum |
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| Sister Berg with Sister Paulina Lasselette, Angola's National Public Affairs Director |
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| Beautiful formation of sailboats doing maneuvers in the bay |
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| Luanda's marina |
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On top of the fort, overlooking the bay: Sister Berg, Elder & Sister Humpherys,
Elder & Sister Nistler, Sister Lasselette |
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| This was the entrance to the historic fort. |
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View of the shanty-town where thousands live. It's hard to imagine living this way, but
you find this all over Africa. The beautiful Atlantic Ocean is just to the right of this, so
you can imagine the pollution going into the water. We actually had to plug our
noses while driving through this area...so sad. |
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| Women all over Africa carry their groceries, etc. on their heads |
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Luanda Angola Mission Office. It was in a very nice part of town
& had extraordinary granite & tile everywhere |
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| Elder Humpherys training the National PA Council |
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| Sister Berg working with Brother Nuno, doing Mormon Newsroom training |
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| This is the chapel in Luanda,where we held our training |
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| Family History couple in the Luanda chapel |
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| Paulina with her two Assistant Public Affairs Directors |
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| In front of the Florenca Hotel where we stayed |
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Look at these scrumptious desserts! yummm!
President & Sister Merrill, from the Luanda Mission, treated us to this delicious buffet. |
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Darling little boy with his mother & grandmother, while attending a wedding at the hotel.
Weddings here in Africa are a BIG deal. It's really quite a problem, because
people go into extreme debt to put on these lavish celebrations. |
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Elder & Sister Humpherys, President & Sister Merrill, Elder & Sister Berg
(Taken as we are 'rolling' ourselves out of the hotel, following the amazing buffet, haha!) |
We hope you are all enjoying a wonderful new year, filled with happiness & adventures. We are grateful to be serving in Africa, & as you can see, we continue to meet some incredible people. It is one of the best parts of being a missionary - the people! As was so eloquently addressed over these past couple of weeks, both in the Church news conference in Salt Lake, as well as remarks from Judge Wallace, we are grateful for the diversity of Africa. With each different culture we have seen, regardless of our differing religions or beliefs, we focus on sharing goodness & love. As long as we respect each other & treat them the way the Savior would if he were walking beside us, life is good, & there is hope for the future.
Love to all of you where ever you are!
Elder & Sister Berg
