Wisdom from Africa

It's hard to believe that we are down to our last week of this great African experience.  I'm always reluctant to turn the page to a new chapter even though I'm excited to see what the next page will reveal.  My son, Aaron, reminded me that when you are reading a book, it's always exciting to get to the next chapter and when you do, the remaining chapters don't disappear.  They are still there in your "life's" book.  I find that comforting and true.  These people and these experiences will be with me always and I hope I am forever changed by them.  They are a treasure.

I've been collecting words from the hearts of the African people.  They always amaze me at how they can speak from their heart.  Their pure hearts have truly touched mine.

From the mouths & hearts of the African People  

         This is a motto written on the wall of the Joburg airport: 

“If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”

*I am getting better bcz the Lord is making up the difference.  I am the richest poor man in KwaThema.  I work in the Lord’s house teaching and live….but what does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul?  (Matt 16:26)

*Joseph kept saying the Lord was with him yet he ended up in prison.  The Lord can still be with you in times of trouble.  He is removing our rough edges just like fire purifies gold and pressure makes diamonds.  Don’t raise the white flag and give up.  Notice all the ways that God is with you in your trouble.

*From Emily Sehloho’s daughter… they missed their school playday because of heavy rains.  The teacher said to the class:  “We must all go home and pray that God will allow the sun to shine tomorrow so that we can have our activity.”  Emily’s daughter in her prayers that night said “Thank you for the sunshine we will have tomorrow.”  She did not doubt!

*From bulletin board in Gweru:  “If you only pray when you’re in trouble, you’re in trouble!” J

*Dundee:  “Trials bring me closer to God.  I am so scared of my challenges, I run very fast and hide by Him (God).  When I don’t have challenges I’m happy and content and I don’t need God.  What are we learning from challenges?  Don’t keep going through it over and over…we must learn from it.”

My sweet friend, Susan took this photo

*It starts with me.  What can I do to make a situation better?  Be the right of what you think you see is wrong.  Who is the most difficult person to lead?  Yourself!  Lead yourself!  (Mpho)

*Kateela Kateela…what you have chosen you have chosen (ie: spouse) Do the best with your choice. Love

* We have so many excuses.  If it is raining buckets – you are not salt, you will not dissolve.  If it is very hot – you are not an ice-cream, you will not melt.

We go out and do the Lord’s work even though the rain rains on you and the wind winds on you, the cold colds on you or the sun suns on you.  God’s love is still there for you and you go out because your love is still there for God.

* If someone in the church offends you, remember, they don’t own heaven!  They don’t take you to heaven!

*Today I am going to speak the words of Christ, therefore, I am confident that I am going to give a good talk.”

*This gospel has filled up all the gaps in my heart.  

*From a returned missionary:  I thought I was going out to change others but the mission changed me.  It helped me understand the ways of God and I am closer to Him & He is closer to me. We don’t go out thinking to baptize, but to love.  

*A drowning person doesn’t earn a life preserver.  He can only choose to accept or refuse it.  Christ didn’t deserve what He got & we certainly don’t deserve what he gave.

*From a sister who walks an hour to church with her children:  
We go to church, not because God gave us a car, but because we are blessed with feet and we have faith and Love of God.  If God blesses us with a car, it's not because he sees we need it to go to church but because he sees our faith to do his will even without the car.  He may even see a car will cause us financial burden and make it difficult for us to pay our tithing.  Then a car would not be a blessing.

*We come to Earth with nothing and we leave with nothing.  We only take the treasures of our heart.

Still more to come!!...

At the Tembisa Orphanage today

What fun having Andrea here from her mission!
The kids just love her.

Uganda

Kampala Uganda

Bumper cars at the fair... That's what driving here is like!  Chris was amazing getting us places safely! Arrived in Entebbe after dark... Drove in the dark to Kampala with Google map, traffic was crazy as with cars, trucks, buses, combis, motorcycles & pedestrians etc all sharing the same space... It was like a whole cities rush hour & holiday shoppers all on one street. We were wondering how we would find the hotel in the dark! Chris said "is that an S up there? See at about 12oclock up high that circle lit up? Hmmm...I say. I see the lit circle.. Could be but I can't see an S yet. Eventually the S symbol becomes clear! IT IS AN S! Sheraton hotel! A lovely wonderful lit up S guiding us through the chaotic darkness of Kampala!  S for shining star, superman, Savior, and the Sheraton hotel!  Ha ha!

This is our wonderful Assistant Area Auditor,

Rolexx Onzima

Our meetings went well.  We had 3 meetings on Saturday...one with our Assistant, Rolexx, who is from Kampala.  We also met with Elder Makasi in the Coordinating Council Mtg,  then the stake audit committee meeting. A funny moment was when Chris was talking about the food staple called Inshima made of corn. Some brothers laughed when he spoke of sustaining life vs lifestyle... Eating Inshima. Turns out in their language of Luganda it means monkey! Haha!!

On Sunday we went to church and afterward met with the Stake Audit Committee Chair from Jinja.

I loved going to church in Kampala.  We were supposed to meet in Jinja but the plans changed because the brothers we were meeting with were coming to Kampala from another meeting.

A brother spoke about the time in Gethsemane when the Savior found His disciples sleeping and asked "Couldest not thou watch one hour?" 
The brother reminded us that THIS IS OUR HOUR to watch with the Savior.  I love that thought and that I got to hear that beautiful message. 

This little girl was such a cutie.  I asked her what her name was
a few times but just couldn't understand it.  She seemed to take
to us and wanted to be our little friend, which of course, we loved!!

Later on Sunday afternoon we did something really cool.  We straddled the hemispheres!

Here are some scenes along the way:

Having fun at the Equator!! :)
The equator runs right across the road so you can stand in both hemispheres at the same time.

Chris is in the Northern hemisphere, I'm in the Southern and
Andrea stands on both hemispheres as we straddle the equator!

Giving a lift in Uganda

1.  When we first arrived in Uganda (Entebbe - after dark) and asked the car rental agent for directions to Kampala she said she was ready to go home & needed to go that way anyway so she asked “Could I hop into the car with you and I’ll get you onto the road to Kampala. We agreed and enjoyed a wonderful gospel discussion with her.  As we dropped her off, we gave her a Book of Mormon and Plan of Salvation pamphlet which she seemed pleased to receive.

2. We took a Pday to the River Nile!  (see photos below) We saw elephants along the river and many hippos and HUGE HUGE crockadiles!  On our way back from  there, driving to Kampala a young man was standing by the dirt road waving his hand.  We stopped and he humbly said “I was hoping that maybe I could get a ride with you into Masindi town”  (About an hour down the road)  We happened to be going that way and so we said sure, hop in.  He was a forest ranger in the area where there are chimpanzees!   As we dropped him off we gave him a water bottle and a pass along page and Plan of Salvation booklet.

3. Once we got to Kampala we got very confused in the chaotic traffic trying to find the road back to Entebbe.  Chris took the ramp to turn left and a traffic police lady wiggled her fingers & shook her head “no” at him.  She came to the window and asked where he was going.  Chris explained that we were kind of lost and trying to find our way to Entebbe.  She said she was now off duty and ready to go home so if we could give her a lift she would take us to the road to Entebbe.  We said “sure, hop in”.  Ha ha!

4. We noticed a new testament & other religious material on a ladies desk in the hotel and asked her about it.  We then told her we had another testament of Jesus we would like to give her and we gave her a Book of Mormon and a brochure…She squealed and hugged it to herself and kindly thanked us with a big smile.

5.  At our hotel we saw a poor tortoise stuck in a hole.  He had been struggling for so long trying to get out.  Andrea gave him a lift ha ha...she lifted his back end out of the hole and off he went!

Here are some photos from our drive back to Kampala:

Ladies always in dresses and ride side saddle on the bike

Selling loofah sponges

Here are some photos from our Pday on the River Nile:

The River Nile

Before leaving Uganda we spent a P-day at the River Nile Murchison Falls.  We were so happy that another of those divinely orchestrated occurrences took place. We bumped into President Chatfield, Mission President over here!!   Chris had been trying to get ahold of him for several days!  They were able to have a great meeting and "take care of business" and answer questions & we felt blessed!

The long dirt road to Murchison Falls:

I loved this wart hog along the road!
I hadn't seen one with a mane like this.

A nest of storks

Andrea captured this cool photo 

I've got the whole world in my hands

Driving onto a ferry to go across the river

Lunch time!

This tree on the right is a Sausage Tree.  Those fruits are
as heavy as wood!  Don't sit under a sausage tree!

Pretty pool at the Paraa Safari Lodge and view beyond of the Nile

All Aboard!!
We wanted to float the river in the African Queen
but we didn't have enough people so we took the Hipo Pod.

 THE RIVER NILE

Andrea took most of these photos!  Great shots. :)

Andrea has a big smile because elephants are in the picture with her.

That gray color you see behind him are hipos

Colobus Monkey

Crocodiles rest with their mouth open frequently as a means of temperature regulation

Good one Andrea!!!  Wow!

Sorry to scare you off your rock big fella

Chris is his family reunion shirt designed by Tom and Murchison Falls in the distance.

Murchison Falls, where ALL the water in the Nile comes from via Victoria Lake in Jinja.

Here's another big boy!!

We were welcomed by by a bunch of baboons and
some young men playing music on home-made instruments.

Time to head back to Entebbe

Walking to school

School

Hamba Kahle Uganda