Flora and Culture

Each Sunday we meet interesting new people in the branches and wards we visit. This African sister was our chorister at a Sacrament Meeting we attended in midDecember. She is dressed in traditional style and fabric of the Tswana tribe.

Today we attended the Munsieville Branch in Roodepoort Stake and met the Branch President and his wife. President Miller's sister is Sarah in our home ward of Dalton Gardens. It was a delight visiting with this young couple.

On December 26 many of the Senior Missionaries drove an hour south into rolling hills to the Ledesi Cultural Center. Set among trees and native grasses and wildflowers, this site recreates five villages in which our guide walked us through time and shared history and traditions of the Pedi, Zulu, Basotho, Xhosa and Ndebele people of South Africa. A show of traditional dances and music preceded an abundant buffet lunch which included a variety of steaming African meats. Both of us tried crocodile (very tender, mild tasting and chicken-like) and springbok (which tastes like venison). Note the small African bird building in the center of its hanging nest.

Johannesburg is a city of rolling hills covered with trees. Ron is standing at the top of the Johannesburg Temple property overlooking the city to the north. Directly down the hill behind him is the Area Office complex in a wooded area which contains beautiful hillside flower gardens amidst tree-shaded paths and a koi pond. The rubber tree I'm standing next to is located in these gardens and is almost six feet tall. Notice the Honeywell lanyard I'm wearing for my access control card. I don't know how it made its way to Africa, but it reminds me daily of my eldest son.

Five Days in Nairobi

December 14-18 Ron and I flew four hours north to Kenya on an assignment from our Area Presidency. Our gracious hosts were Nairobi Kenya Mission President and Sister Taylor from Idaho Falls, Idaho. Nairobi is a teeming city of 3-5 million people and a gathering place for people from some 42 tribal groups throughout the country of Kenya.

On our drive from the airport into downtown we saw six giraffe behind tall fences. Large storks which look too heavy to sit on tree limbs were perched in flocks on treetops along our route.

We interviewed 17 people in 3 days, among whom was an officer at a police station that Ron interviewed with two Kenyans accompanying him. We met remarkable people and truly enjoyed our stay there.

Wednesday Ron and I were invited to join missionaries in a Zone Conference with whom we shared our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, gave a Security presentation and shared a traditional lunch. We were delighted to visit with elders we became acquainted with at the Mission Training Center in Johannesburg who had arrived in Nairobi the previous week. Our lunch was prepared by a Kenyan sister who served in enameled tin pans dishes of mince meat (hamburger), pop (corn prepared similar to dry cornmeal mush), squash, fresh fruit and cabbage salad. Sodas were in many-times-recycled glass bottles.

New Perspectives

We taught a Security presentation to our second class of missionaries at the Missionary Training Center.

Children up to age four are carried on their mother's backs with unique wraps and ties. This young mother was in the branch we visited today. The Church members are people of great faith with a mature depth of scriptural and gospel understanding beyond their years.

A new perspective to daily living is the electrical connections in our flat. Notice the trail of extension cords and connectors in place of wall outlets.

Almost each night this week we have had magnificent thunderstorms with amazing lightning displays above our apartment building followed by pounding rain. Mornings dawn clear and beautiful, which we are told is typical summer weather in Johannesburg.