Walking Straight

At mid January Ron experienced vertigo effects for a week due to an inner ear virus. During this time two missionaries were kidnapped south of us. After a couple of hours as hostages they were able to escape and later their two kidnappers were arrested. The SLC negotiators were involved from the very beginning of the incident and all was resolved well for the elders.
We welcomed from SLC International Security our Africa manager who is joining us for the rest of 2010 to facilitate long-term projects. We are excited to work with him on specific security issues.
With our medical advisor on a mission tour, Ron and I presented our Security training to new missionaries at the MTC and then the Health and safety presentation in the following hour. Meeting with these elders and sisters is truly a joy. They are remarkable men and women from many countries in Africa, North America and Australia who will be serving throughout the continent.
One of our assignments is to attend a monthly meeting of representatives of embassy and international corporations regarding security interests. We receive wonderful training and insights from professionals in Johannesburg, particularly in regards to the upcoming World Cup.

The past two Saturdays we have taken advantage of seeing game preserves within an hour's drive of us. At the Rhino Lion Park we were awed by a mother rhino and her baby who walked across the red dirt road directly in front of our car, warthogs prancing in the middle of the road, (scarey) wild dogs who ran around our car yapping and cheetahs lounging in the grass along the roadside. We toured the Wonder Cave which is an actively growing cavern of stalagtites and stalagmites. At Krugersdorp our favorite animals were a mother and baby rhino near the road and two giraffes eating among the trees. In Sterkfontein Caves we were fascinated with hominid fossils dating millions of years ago. Both game reserves had numerous herbivores with all kinds of straight and curvy horns eating along the hillsides and near watering holes.