The Johannesburg Zoo

The Johannesburg Zoo is only a 15 minute walk from our flat.  Sorry about the closed eyes, but there was a perfect vantage point to see the spires of the Temple on the hill above.  We work on the same grounds as the Temple so you can see how close we live to where we go everyday.

The zoo is large and has many animals.  We got a good walk this day.  Chuck was impressed with the large, green open areas and the homes of many of the animals.  They did a good job creating an African setting.

Surprisingly the only caution sign about the animals was for the swans.  Many of the animal enclosures were open enough to touch some of the wild life.  But it was only the swans who got the sign for patrons to beware of their aggressiveness.

Flats and Friends

Not all senior missionary flats are created equal.  The Lombardis live in a different complex than the rest of the couples.  Their flat came with a deck almost the size of our whole apartment and a pool.  It's nice that they will share their nice deck with our dinner group.

There is not longer a drought in Johannesburg.  We have seen some of the heaviest rain that we've ever seen in our lives  The thunder was very loud and very close.  It even set off the car alarms below.  This is the view from our office window.  I'm in the background working while Chuck documents the deluge.  We are so glad to finally see some good rain.

Our good Portuguese friends, the Mirandas moved from Luanda, Angola, to Johannesburg.  We were so glad to have a baccalhau com natas lunch with them in their beautiful home out in the Fourways area.  Since he is a Coke executive, we had all the Coke we could drink.  Then they took us for a walk around their gorgeous complex complete with streams, willow trees and monitor lizards.  The homes were big and nice, and we felt a little like we were back home in Los Gatos and Campbell.

Service With a Smile

Sister Lombardi had a really nice idea for Valentines Day.  On the top of our building are small, one room flats where the maids and service people, and their families, live.  We fixed lunch one bright sunny day and invited them to join us on their floor as our way of saying thank you for all they do around our complex at Dukes Court.  We had more than enough food and those that came went away very full with plates of leftovers to share with their friends and families.

Chuck gladly accepted the service of these young girls when we found out that they had opened up a Krispy Kreme just a few miles from our home.  Add this to the list of amazing foods here that can really add the pounds if you're not careful.

This is the Irene Market. Halfway to Pretoria, you can wander down the outdoor, tree lined aisles of homemade crafts and antiques.  It is one the best markets we have seen in such a beautiful location.  They also have amazing food booths (food again).  Most of the merchants are speaking Afrikaans.

Chruch Meetings and Friends

Stake President Haboko is from Kinshasa, DRC.  He is watching a video that Elder Hamilton had on his phone about a slightly famous young man in his stake.  Cedric wanted to go on a mission but he hadn't earned enough money.  So he delayed the start of his mission for 3 years while he sold bananas at great distances on a bicycle to earn the money.  Cedric is still on his mission serving as a faithful, strong Elder because he made the sacrifice to go.

The saints in Soweto are strong and faithful and bear powerful testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They feel so blessed to have found the truth.

President Reid from the Edenvale Ward took the 2016 Area Plan and had his whole ward membership meet to make a plan for themselves and their families about how they could implement it into their lives.  It was a very impressive meeting!

You can imagine our surprise when we ran into Raynerson in the patron housing cafeteria.  He was one of the YSA's in Porto, Portugal.  He has moved to Mozambique and is working there. On this weekend he brought his sweet Mozambican girlfriend to the Temple.  Also visiting at the same time was Beatrice, one of the faithful members from Angola.  She was in town for Public Affairs training.  We had a wonderful visit and dinner with our dear friends from abroad and all in Portuguese!

MIssionary Life

A new ward created from another with a new Bishopric.  This keeps Chuck very busy because the growth here is phenomenal!  He deals with boundary changes, new units, church record changes, patriarchal blessings.  You name it, he is probably involved in some way.

Just in case you think I don't work, this is Elder Johnson reviewing the medical portion of some of the missionary applications I process.  It keeps me very busy.

Elder and Sister Rowberry have been the best MLS missionaries.  They are serving in the South Africa Durban mission and we see them frequently when they bring couples to the Temple to be sealed.  They go home in a few weeks and we will miss their enthusiasm and dedicated work,

A Preparation Day included a 15 minute walk from our flat down tree lined streets filled with mansions to the Ditsong National Museum of Military History.  Great planes, tanks, and military transport vehicles to see.  We loved it.

We saw huge and not so big vehicles.  This tank was a very small Italian version.  We are loving our time here in South Africa.  Everyone should go on a couple mission.  Where else can you be so busy yet have so much fun and joy?

Missionary Perks

At lunch time most of the senior couples converge on the Canteen in the patron housing area to catch our breath and enjoy each others company.  It is a bright spot in each day because we are all so busy with very hectic schedules and we need to sit and relax for a few minutes.

On one of our Preparation Days, we went on a tour of the South Africa Mission Office, the MTC, and the Mission Home.  This is the infamous transfer board in President Dunn's office.  He certainly has many great missionaries serving all over his mission area.

This is a spare room at the MTC.  Sister Dunn collects everything a missionary could need or want to serve a mission.  Some of their arrivees, or missionaries in the MTC, are able to go shopping and get the things that they couldn't afford or buy in their own country before going on mission.  Many of our couples and the missionaries themselves, will leave clothes and other things in good condition for someone else to use when the need arises.

More Pictures of Life in South Africa

These men are recyclers.  They spend all day collecting plastic, paper, and metal from garbage cans and then pull their find to turn it in.  We often wonder how they are able to pull their "wagons" up hill, but they manage to get where they are going.

A lot of the people don't have access to cars, so they have to manage without transportation.  

On our way to Tembisa we came across some road construction.  We loved their way of keeping cars off the road that they are fixing. Just find some big rocks to place in the road 

and no one tries to drive there.

This is a typical way of making ends meet.  They sell fruit and vegetables and other needful things from their homemade stores.