My little friend in Ladysmith :)

Kings Walden Garden

This weekend we did audits in Tzaneen and Modjadji and on the drive there we came upon this road sign:

You better take down that number... just may need it some time!  Now you know who to call if you can't get that elephant out of your room!

We love to go to Tzaneen!  It is that part of So. Africa that is like Hawaii except that you trade the ocean  for monkeys and Baboons, ostriches etc.  Last time we were there we wandered through the beautiful King Walden's Garden and it was so lovely we decided to stay there this trip.  (We stayed on our dime since it is a bit more expensive than the place the church contracts with).

Kings Waldens garden greeted us once again, enveloping us in her magic; transporting us to a Victorian era of ball gowned fair ladies having tea and cakes in the garden and strolling pleasant paths.  Ah...the lovely places this garden gifts to your mind.  How I love Kings Walden Garden.

Our meetings went well in Tzaneen with President Campbell and Elder Heyen.  Sister Heyen invited us to their flat for dinner.  It was a Mexican casserole!  Mmmm...Mexican food is not found in So. Africa so that was a real treat!

Look what I had for breakfast the next morning!

This was a bruschetta topped with avocado, poached egg, seared tomatoes, bacon, pretty flower and drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar!  Was sooo good.

There are avocado groves everywhere!!  As we drove down the road from King's Walden we stopped and picked up 4 gorgeous, perfectly ripened avocados off the ground!  We also bought a bag full from the boys at the produce stand.

Our meetings in Modjadji were delightful.  President Sekhula and Br. Senyolo, the clerk are incredibly organized.  Following our meetings there we drove to Lenyenye to look for Elder Malatji's mother to give her a photo that he sent to us.  It was an adventure trying to find her but we did!  We took a picture to send back to Elder Malatji.

Some little boys were having fun with cars they made out of wire and empty soda can wheels.

Banana Groves

Selling oranges, avocados and onions

I love all the monkeys in this area.  They are a nuisance but they make me laugh!

I asked Chris to stop the car so I could take a picture of the Baboon crossing sign.  He stopped and jumped out of the car to pose.  Do you think he looks like a baboon?  ha ha - Naaaa

We saw a couple HUGE baboons!  I didn't get the photo of the

One that was so big and sitting in such a way that it actually looked like an ape!

We enjoyed a meal with 4 senior couples serving in this area.  They were all delightful and fun to be with.

The sun draws the shade and darkness descends on Kings Walden Pond, revealing her nocturnal secrets! What is that we hear in the woods!!?  Surely the sound rumbles ripples across the moonlit pond as a family of colossal giants snore innnnnnnn.....breath out.....snore innnnnn.....breath out......  Yes, that is what those African bull frogs sound like as night has awakened them to harmonious rhapsody!

If ever you find yourself in this neck of the world, you simply must spend some time near a frog pond at night!  You'll hear no croak, ribbit or kneedeep here, no sir!  It's a deep Goliath snore of a giant, reminding me of why I love Kings Walden garden and pond.

Well, we started our journey with an elephant lifting sign and we end our journey at the end:

Ha ha ha...this fuel truck made me laugh!

The Kingdom of Swaziland

We are back from The Kingdom of Swaziland!  Swaziland is a small country (about the size of Wales) that borders South Africa and Mozambique.  It is about a 4.5 hour drive from Joburg.  The King of Swaziland has 15 wives!  As is the case in most African countries, including South Africa, it is legal to have as many wives as you can afford.  Of course most men can only afford one and many cannot afford to marry at all.  In Swaziland a virgin costs 17 cows!  A non-virgin's price is negotiable.  Women marry around age 18 but the men can't usually afford to marry until sometime in their 30's.

As you can imagine, it makes traditional missionary work interesting.   You can't be a member of the church if you have more than one wife so the missionaries are not allowed to teach anyone the gospel if that is the situation.  But...truth be told, they don't really run into that problem...mostly just a problem of couples living together and unable to afford marriage.

Elder & Sister Clayton road to Swazi with us and we really enjoyed their company.  We also ran into four couples who serve in the Johannesburg Temple.  They were in Swazi for the weekend because the temple was closed on Saturday for the South African holiday "Woman's Day" (which is kind of like Mothers Day). We work with these wonderful temple couples each Tuesday when we serve in the Temple together.  We all had a great time.

Clayton, Moyer, King, Christensen, Cox

Solomon Mahlalela waiting for us by the church sign

On Saturday we met with members of the District Audit Committee.  Wonderful brethren committed to the Lord and to their callings!

Our meeting went until about 1:30 and then we enjoyed the rest of the day with the Claytons.

Lunch at Summerfield with the Claytons

On Sunday we attended church in the Manzini Branch and then met with the District Clerk, Branch Clerk and Assistant Clerk.  We are grateful for their sincerity, their eagerness to learn and to be taught and their big smiles and cheery dispositions.


 


We stayed in the beautiful Summerfield Inn.  The church has an account there so we get a good rate.  It's in a botanical garden and is very peaceful and so beautiful!!

Huge rubbery blooms with buds the size of your fist,
open up like a cartoon flower every morning.

This plant was trying to talk to us! ha ha
I wanted to glue wiggly eyes on it.

Beautiful peacocks wandered the grounds.  

The Mantanga Cultural Village was another fun thing we all did together.

On the way home we stopped at the Ngwenya Glass Factory and watched them blow the glass and shape it into a bowl.

    Back in South Africa we stopped at a rest stop and were surprised to find this watering hole right next it!

I didn't get the best picture but there were a bunch of rhino,
zebra, Cape Buffalo, and ostriches.  Two of the ostriches were
chasing each other around the pond! 

We have been blessed throughout our mission to meet people from many lands.  Everyone is striving and ...marching ever marching.  Life is not easy for anyone but it doesn't have to be easy or filled with material goods to feel joy and peace in our hearts.  It has been said "Joy is the fruit of the Spirit".

I like this quote from Elder Uchtdorf, an apostle of God: "You don't have to wait to cross the finish line to receive God's blessings. In fact, the blessings of heaven begin to distill upon us with the very first steps we take toward the light."