A couple of Sundays ago we went out to visit some Gogos (grandmothers) in Madadeni with a member. One was the member's actual grandmother who raised him.  She told us she loves cake. So this Sunday we went to her home and brought her a cake. It was a good excuse to visit her. She was happy. We were happy too.

This lady will turn 90 this year

With her great granddaughter

This is transfer week again. We can’t believe how fast the time goes. In addition to Elder Tibbitts, who already left for home, we are losing Elder Martin, Elder Olouch, and Elder Mogomotsi. Transfers are hard because we get attached to these guys and then they leave us. It also makes us aware of how quickly our time on this mission is going by.

For Family Home Evening this week we had all the departing elders bear their testimonies. We are amazed at the strength of their testimonies, and depth of their gospel knowledge. They will be missed.

Elder Mogomotsi, Elder Olouch, and Elder Martin

On Tuesday we went to the bus stop in Newcastle (which happens to be the Shell gas station) to drop off Elder Martin and Olouch and to pick up Elder Jase and Mvinqi. 

The elders saying goodbye to each other.

We are with Elder Ochaya and Elder Olouch. 

Group picture with new missionaries. They are the ones with hands in the air.

You can't see it but this bus pulls a trailer that holds the luggage.

We spent some time this week working on getting the electricity turned on in the Phoenix Flat. Everything we do is twice as hard as it should be because we don’t know what we are doing and we don’t know how things work here. We are getting better and more patient than we used to be. We will be moving some of the Madadeni elders into that flat in a week or two. We have another flat that the church has leased that is standing empty right now. We need to get that one cleaned and ready to go. 

We also spent some time looking for some fabric and sewing supplies. I have some here in this boarding but I need a little more. I have decided to do crazy quilt samplers for the Young Women Faith value. These girls do not have a lot of resources so I had to rack my brain to come up with something they can do. A simple hand sown quilt sampler should work. I called them crazy quilts because I am pretty sure they are going to be crazy.

We also went and bought a couple of bikes for the Osizweni walking elders. They are pretty nice but we will see how they hold up being thrown in the back of the bakkie every day and be driven on the dirt roads of the township.  

On Friday we drove down to Ladysmith to pick up some mail and some supplies. The Taylors have been to Durban this week so they picked up the missionary's mail and some supplies we needed. We also brought a mission call for a young women in Madadeni 2. This transfer we got a mini missionary. This is a young man waiting for a mission call who came up here to Newcastle to work with the elders for one transfer. (six weeks) The Taylors sent some things that he needed with us. He is from their area so he is not far from home right now.

Elder Hind enjoying the not so beautiful scenery

The dry winter landscape around Ladysmith

Looking down into the town of Ladysmith

Among the things we picked up were some chocolate chips, cocoa, and real brown sugar. Yay!  When traveling through Durban Elder and Sister Taylor stopped at a store called Bake-A-Ton which carries bulk baking supplies. These things are hard to find in Newcastle and expensive so the Taylors were kind enough to bring some to us. Can’t wait to make some real chocolate chip cookies.

On Saturday we drove out to Madadeni for my Young Women activity. We had a good turn out and the girls seem to enjoy working on this project. One of the possible Faith projects suggested was to create something that expresses their faith. They will be able to hang these quilt samplers on their walls at home and have them as a reminder to strengthen their faith. They also are learning fabric, needlework and scissor skills. We are going to meet again next week and continue to work on them.

Yep, I was right, they are going to be crazy.

After the YW activity we delivered a mission call letter to a very excited young woman. She has been called to Zimbabwe.

On Saturday afternoon I baked chocolate chip cookies. They are the best cookies I have made since coming here. I don’t have my Mormon Cookbook here so I had to find a cookie recipe on Pinterest.  I gave some to the missionaries and then took some to a family we visited in the evening.

a street in Madadeni

We attended two Sacrament Meetings, Madadeni 1 and Madadeni 2 this Sunday. Madadeni 2 had some visitors from the Area Office that were participating in a meeting with the Madadeni 2 leadership after church. That meant that I got to sit and wait for Elder Hind while he was in his meeting. I think I had to wait about 3 hours or so. It was made bearable by the fact that one of the wives of the men in the meeting was stuck waiting with me. So we had a good chat. She is a missionary in the Area Office in Johannesburg so we traded mission stories and family stories.

It was also made bearable by the fact that the Madadeni 1 Branch Relief Society was serving treats to the fathers in the ward (a belated offering because we had District Conference on Father’s Day). Anyway they served us some of the treats so we didn’t starve to death waiting. I was glad to get home and take a nice Sunday nap.

We had FHE on Monday and used the opportunity to let Elder Tibbitts bear his testimony to the FHE group and to the other missionaries. He will be leaving to go home on Friday. He has been a great missionary and just an all around nice kid. The other missionaries love him and we do too.

Trying to get a picture with Elder Tibbitts. Try number one.

 Try number two.

Don't you get the feeling someone is not getting enough attention?

Finally!

Elder Hind had meetings one day so I stayed home and baked and cleaned and worked on my Young Women’s lessons. I like baking the quick breads because they are easy and they can be frozen. Then I always have an offering when I go visit. I tried a lemon bread this time. It is so good. I will try it with cranberries or blueberries some time. Any way you can find the recipe on my Breads board on Pinterest if you want to make it.

We had boarding and cars check this week. I only found one refrigerator with bugs in it. I didn't pass out treats this time. After all they should be able to do some things without being bribed.

Checking Elder Martin's refrigerator

We had one of the most amazing days of our mission on Thursday. We went out with the Osizweni missionaries for the entire day. We visited with returning less active members, new members and some stalwart members. We packed our lunch and ate it in the elder’s bakkie which was parked under a big tree in a member’s yard. It was fun and interesting and inspiring. We came home dusty and tired but happy. We wish we could do it every day however we are not 19 years olds so we would give out pretty quickly. But we want to do it more often.

Many women use blankets to tie their babies to their backs

Taking a break for lunch

The Madadeni and Newcastle districts were going to an all you can eat pizza place for dinner and asked us if we would like to come along. We had a good time watching the elders stuff themselves with pizza. I think Elder Welling was the winner of the eating contest.

Happiness is all you can eat pizza

We checked Facebook when we got home and noticed that there was a private message waiting for us. We have been worrying about my sister all week and her family has been trying to keep us informed. The message said that Yvonne was going to have exploratory surgery. I did not like the sound of that. A few minutes later we got a call from another sister telling us that they were calling the family together because they didn’t think Yvonne was going to live much longer. A short time later we got a call from our daughter telling us that Yvonne had died. After that we just sat there for a long time and cried. Finally we went to bed but neither of us could sleep that night.

In the morning we spent some time with the elders as they prepared to send Elder Tibbitts home. I didn’t tell them I had just lost my sister. I didn’t want to put a damper on their activities. And frankly I don’t think they would know how to act if I told them. They are 19 years old boys, their life experiences and their social graces are still somewhat limited. I did not want to submit myself to their awkward condolences.  Elder Hind has been my angel. He has held me in his arms and cried with me and prayed with me. He has cleaned house and made me lunch and dinner. I so grateful for him. The next few day are going to be tough.

Yvonne

This week I lost my beloved younger sister. I am devastated. I still can’t believe she is gone. I think that because I am so far away it has made acceptance difficult. Losing a sister is no small thing. You share your DNA, your parents, your childhood, your memories, your clothes, your bedroom, your friends, all the ups and downs of your life. When you get married, she gets married. When you have babies, she has babies. When you cry, she cries. When you laugh, she laughs. When you grow older, she grows older. When you have grandbabies, she has grandbabies. When you lose your parents, she loses her parents. Then suddenly she is gone and so a part of what you are is gone.

Yvonne and most of her siblings

I feel frustrated that I am so far away at this time. I knew there was a possibility I could lose a loved one while I was on my mission but I thought it was only a very slight possibility. I can go home and then come back if I want to, but the plane ride is expensive and exhausting, I don’t feel I can do it. Besides Yvonne is not at home anymore.

Yvonne loved her family. She adored her husband and her children and her grandchildren. They were the center of her world. She loved her extended family too. She loved to get together with her sisters and brothers and she loved her nieces and nephews. Her home was a second home to some of them. In the last few months she spent some of her time visiting and supporting a disabled sister.

Yvonne loved reading, and crafts, needle work and music. She loved the out of doors. She loved to wear jewelry. Whenever I picture her in my mind, she is wearing earrings. She loved animals. Oh my, how she loved animals. She loved cats, she thought they were wonderful creatures. She loved dogs, to her they were just furry people.

Yvonne and Richard were almost as excited about our mission as we were. I know they were our faithful followers on this blog. When I talked to Yvonne’s daughter on the phone yesterday she told me that Yvonne always wanted to see Africa. I don’t know exactly how heaven works but I just know that if Yvonne still wants to see Africa she can see Africa. She isn’t that far away.

When Jesus told his disciples “blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted” that is simply the truth. Because I believe that Jesus is the “is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.” Mosiah 16:9
I am comforted just as Jesus promised.  I miss her and I grieve for her. I wanted to continue to grow old with her; I wanted her to continue to be there for her family. But I know I will see her again someday. I know that the vital part of who she is lives on.

I don’t know what they wear in Heaven but whatever it is, Yvonne’s will be lavender. 

Sunday we had the adult and general sessions of District Conference. The conference was held in a large auditorium at the Khaselihle Primary school in Madadeni. The night before a member in the Newcastle branch asked us to drive her and her sister to the conference. We told her to be here early. In the morning we got up  and got ready and then waited for the members to come by. And we waited and we waited. We did not have their phone number so finally we had to leave or we would be late. We had to pick up the Madadeni walking elders and people were calling and asking for directions to the school and we were just trying to get there ourselves. It was a scramble. But we made it on time (just barely).

This is the hall that was rented for the Newcastle District Conference

The adult meeting was good, the choir sang beautifully, we received important instruction from our leaders and were spiritually fed and refreshed. There was an hour break between meetings. Because people travel so far and with so much difficulty no one goes home between meetings. We knew we wouldn’t have time to run home so we packed a picnic lunch for ourselves. We should have known that some of the missionaries wouldn’t remember to pack themselves a lunch. Fortunately we had just packed a loaf of bread and jars of peanut butter and jam. I told the missionaries that I would share my lunch with them but probably didn’t bring enough to fill them up. One of the missionaries said. “This is why we love you Sister Hind.” I would like to be loved for my wit, my intelligence, my spirituality, or my beauty. But I will settle for being loved for my food.

Sister Taylor and friends having a picnic between sessions.

Some of the missionaries and men enjoying the beautiful day.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. It was nice to be outside enjoying the sun and visiting with our brothers and sisters.

The afternoon session was packed. It was a good meeting. President Z gave a great talk on the temple. Then the sound system went crazy for a few minutes. It was making noise and then it wouldn’t work at all. Finally they got it going again. President Ellis asked the congregation, “Do you want me to talk to you straight or do you want me to sugar coat my talk”. The congregation asked for straight talk. He was blunt but kindly as he taught them things they need to know. There are customs here that are not in keeping with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some people don’t seem to have a problem leaving these things behind, but others struggle to give them up. These are things that hold people back both spiritually and temporally.

At the close of the meeting the District President gave the beautiful flower arrangements that were on the stand to Sister Ellis, Sister Zackrison, Sister Taylor and Sister Hind. The arrangements were huge. Sister Taylor took hers apart and handed out flowers to all the sisters. I just gave the whole thing to one sister. It made her really happy.

After the meeting the District Relief Society President had all the fathers stand up and the missionaries passed out gift bags to them. The bags contained a pair of socks and some candy. Later I told President Z that if the RS was making such cute things then this was obviously a fully functioning district and it was time to become a stake.

Elder Hind with the Father's Day gift the Relief Society gave him.

After church we came home to get ready for our dinner. We knew we wouldn’t have a lot of time after church so we kept the menu simple. We served chicken alfredo, orange and strawberry salad, roasted green beans, and toasted rolls left over from yesterday’s lunch. Sister Ellis had told us to just serve leftovers so we did. We were going to make rolls. On request from Elder Hind, Sister Taylor brought her now famous carrot cake for dessert. We had a lovely visit and then said, “Good bye and good night.” It has been a hectic few days for those of us in the Newcastle District. However Elder and Sister Ellis and President and Sister Zackrison have been on the road and traveling from one meeting to another for several days. They must be very tired and ready to go home.

The District Presidency and two of their wives

We got the go ahead to start looking for new boardings for the Madadeni Elders. We have an empty flat here in Newcastle one companionship can use. It will need some cleaning and organizing and we will need to find a boarding for the other companionship. Here we go again. Moving the elders.

We got to do a little sight seeing this week.  We went to the Art Museum and we took pictures of the town hall. There is not a lot of historic buildings and such here in Newcastle so we don’t get to do much of this kind of thing. I did buy a lovely beaded necklace at the museum shop. It is really nice. Beautiful bead work is part of the culture here.

Town Hall

Art Museum

Everything I have done this week has been overshadowed by my concern for my younger sister who is in the hospital and is critically ill. I think about her all day, every day. I hate being so far away when she is so sick.  I hate being out of the loop. Her family and my other sisters have been valiant in keeping me informed but it is not the same as being at the hospital and holding her hand. She is in all my prayers. Please get well, Vonnie.

Yvonne with a grandchild