Swaziland

Our friends, the Lomardis, served a previous mission in Swaziland.  So they took a 

group of us for a visit.  Beautiful country, and very hilly like San Diego.

The cultural village was a great place to start. We loved their expertise in 

using the natural products around them.

They could make water tight, warm huts just out of grasses and vines.

Our guide talked about village life and how they laid out their village for protection.  The young beautiful girls were the first hut to be encountered by their enemies.  The hope was that the girls beauty would distract them from advancing further into thevillage.

A beautiful choir sang to us in their native tongue.  They were so talented

Many people have developed skills to make a living.  This man is good at carving things.

You can imagine our surprise to find a huge, modern American consulate in Swaziland.

This is a typical house seen in the rural areas.

Wherever the Lombardis go they take along a huge bag of suckers.  When they see kids at the side of the road they always stop to hand them out.  They make these little ones so happy.

The Area Office has big vans that we can use for trips away from the ofice.  That is how we traveled to Swaziland with the Grafs (he is in legal and she works on the local Liahona magazine) and the Broadbents (he is the infield representative and she works in public affairs).

Things get pretty stressful and busy in the office, especially for Chuck.  So it is nice to take a few days to unwind and catch our breath.