July 10-16

This was a crazy, busy exhausting week. There were a few times this week I just wanted to go home. We have really been stretched. But we survived. I think that Elder Hind was walking around with pneumonia all week. He would cough all day and swig cough medicine all night in order to get some rest. He looked pale and tired most of time and was not able to do his morning runs.

We had one more branch conference to do. It was in Ezakheni at nine oclock so we had to leave our house at about 6:30am in the morning because we had to drive to Madadeni to pick up President Mashego and President Nkosi and make the hour and half drive to Ezakheni. Elder Hind had to speak again. His voice has come back a little but he is still coughing his head off.

Two members of the Ezakheni Branch and President Mashego

These two little ones fell asleep during the branch conference.
It may have been Elder Hind's long boring talk.

We had to get up at 5:00am in the morning on Monday because we had to drive to Durban for a mission presidency meeting. The meeting lasted about 3 hours and I spent that time visiting with the office couples and reading. After the meeting we were given lunch and then we headed home. We decided not to spend the night in Durban. We didn’t have FHE on Monday night which was a good thing because even though we got home in time we were just DONE!

Mission Office, Sister Sorensen and Sister and Elder Wood

I contacted the Madadeni 1 Relief Society President and asked her to have a simple light lunch for the leadership and wives on Saturday between the Southern and Northern meetings. We don’t have much time between meetings and most of the that time will be spent driving. Then I had to plan for sack lunches between sessions on Sunday and a dinner for President Thompson and his wife and daughter Sunday evening. I also had to type up schedules and programs for all eight meetings.  Meantime Elder Hind has to speak in every session of conference but the women’s meeting so that was 3 talks to study for and write. And just because it is conference this week end does not mean all our other work and responsibilities stop.

We had transfers this week. I have come to accept that transfers are good for the mission. It refreshes the missionaries and the zone.

Leaving:

Elder Chaparadza

Elder Cook

Elder Simonson

Elder Vaughn

Elder Smith

Elder Harper

New elders:

Elder Trapnell, greenie

Elder Adams

Elder Opiyo

Elder Razafindakoko

Elder Jeweks, greenie

Elder Rasmussen

After our Seminary and Institute Classes on Friday Elder Hind had to interview 3 prospective missionaries. He has been given the responsibility to interview and sign mission papers. And then we will send them by courier to the missionary office in Johannesburg.

We got up at 5:00am on Saturday because we had to meet the district presidency in Madadeni in order to drive them down to Ezakheni. We had to be there by 8:30am for a meeting with the Mission President and Elder Jean Claude Mabaya, a member of the 3^rd Quorum of Seventies. He is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We had some good meetings in Ezakheni and everything went well. Elder Mabaya  speaks English but prefers to preach in French so he asked for an interpreter. We have a member from the Congo in Madadeni so we asked him to be the interpreter. However it became apparent before the meeting even began that he wasn’t going to be able to do it. He was struggling. I don’t think his English was quite good enough. President Thompson served a mission in France and has done business in France many times since then so he was the interpreter for Elder Mabaya.

The four young people in the picture are all getting ready to send the mission papers in
This branch has 8 missionaries out now and two under call
That will 14 missionaries from this one tiny branch

The Ezakheni Elders

with Elder Mabaya, Area Authority

After the meeting I wanted to ask Elder Mabaya if he would have his picture taken with us. But I was a little shy to ask. However he came to us and asked if he could have his picture taken with us. He is a very nice man and a good speaker. We are glad he came to visit our district.

We drove to Madadeni Chapel to have lunch before the afternoon meetings. I had told the Relief Society President to just prepare a light lunch for us. But I guess she was worried we would all starve. She had chicken curry, samp, butternut squash, and a spinach and carrot salad. It was good and there was enough to feed an army. She did a great job on lunch.

After the afternoon meetings we headed straight home. We are so tired and Elder Hind is still sick. One day down and one more to go.