Many places such as Harare, Zimbabwe, have had The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there for some time with beautiful meetinghouses to accomodate their members. The leaders are self-supporting and are well seasoned in administration, many whose children who have been raised in the Church. The sister on the right in the yellow dress is a stake president's wife. Three North American senior missionary couples currently serve in Harare: the mission office, with education and humanitarian projects.
The width of the South Africa Cape Town Mission is similar to the distance from San Francisco, CA, to Omaha, NE; requiring the mission president and his wife to travel a considerable amount of time. In conversation I discovered she was raised just a few miles from me in southeastern Idaho at Menan. North American senior missionaries serve in this picturesque setting in the mission office, member support and humanitarian capacities.
In Portuguese-speaking Maputo, Mozambique, bordering the Indian Ocean the mission president learned the language while serving a mission as a youth; his wife learned it on their mission. Two North American couples serve with them in the office and with member support.
Retired in May 2009 and on their first mission in September, Elder and Sister Jameson from Tempe, AZ, are experiencing daily miracles in their unique and notable mission in the French-speaking Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a counselor in the Kinshasa Mission, their assignment is 1000 miles to the east in Lubumbashi, overseeing and mentoring missionary work in an autonomous setting. The only North American senior missionaries in a city of 2 million people, they are warm and gracious living with daily interruptions to electricity and water supplies and limited access to food supplies. Elder Jameson's career was a university French instructor; Sister Jameson began her study of the language with her immersion into the native culture 9 months ago. As Elder Jameson interpreted Sister Beck's remarks at the microphone, Sister Jameson sat with Ron and me and did a beautiful job translating the many meetings we attended while there. It is our observation that the Jamesons epitomize many of the senior couples we have met who are quietly serving in Africa: sincere people who live by the promptings of the Spirit. Totally unselfish, the Jamesons are "angels walking." With their permission for you to view their observatons of Sister Beck's visit with members in Lubumbashi and Likasi, please access their blog at www.grammyandpapas.blogspot.com
The Jamesons will welcome a new mission president July 1 as a new Lubumbashi Mission is established in the eastern half of the DRC.
On our drive to the airport we stopped in downtown Lubumbashi to view street markets.
The women wearing dresses in beautiful Congolese fabrics presented to us by Relief Society sisters, we are Elders and Sisters Jameson, Beck, Erickson and Renlund.
Serving two hours into the bush of the Congo are the first ever called Congolese senior missonary couple, Elder and Sister Motsikana. Though we do not speak a common tongue, we made an instant connection with them through our missionary nametags and feeling as though they are kindred spirits. They are a joyous couple who mentor and serve 8 elders serving in isolated areas where groups of members are forming their own congregations awaiting the Church to come to them.
Pictured with the full-time elders in Likasi are Elder and Sister Renlund, Sister Beck, Elder and Sister Motsikana and Brother Beck.
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