Meeting with Bishopric and New Calling

Protea Glen Ward Chapel in Soweto

 

We had a great morning at the Protea Glen Ward again today in Soweto. Two sisters and a high councilor delivered great messages in sacrament meeting and we complimented all three of them afterward. The one sister, Sister Redebe, who also led the music, asked if Martha played the piano. She told her she had played as a young girl, and Sister Redebe's face lit up and she asked, "Can you teach me?" Martha had been warned that this could happen and had been told about the Church's highly effective piano teaching program. So she was prepared to answer, "Sure, I would be happy to," and she has her first piano student with a lesson scheduled for after church next Sunday!

We had great lessons in Sunday School, Priesthood and Relief Society. After the 3-hour block of meetings, the bishopric asked to meet with us. The bishop is a returned missionary who grew up in Queenstown and is probably between 28 and 30 years old, and his counselors are probably in their early 30's with young families. The bishop said he didn't know quite how to use us because they have never had a senior missionary couple before, and we said that's okay because we have never been a senior missionary couple before. 

We explained that we are here to help the ward in any way we can, that we're not to serve in leadership callings but would love to be counselors, secretaries, or shadow leaders to help train leaders, or we could teach where they might need experienced teachers. I asked what their biggest concerns are. 

The bishop said for sure the biggest concern in the ward right now would be the young single adults. He said he has had a hard time finding a couple to serve as YSA coordinators because all the strong couples have multiple callings, often one has a responsible position in the ward and the other in the stake. He asked if we could serve in that role and and also teach the YSA Gospel Doctrine SS class. He said there are well over 25 YSA's who are active, some attend weekly and many just occasionally, but he said there are 25 or more in class every Sunday. 

The problem is that YSAs are just hanging out and not pairing up, dating and getting married (the subject of today's high council speaker's message). They are postponing marriage for reasons that aren't really valid. We assured him that we had the same problem in the states. He wants us to help fix that!

So we will be YSA coordinators and SS teachers, and the bishop will introduce us to them next Sunday. 

Then he asked Martha where her experience and passions lie. She told him about her great love for and experience with Relief Society. He suggested that she could be of great help with the RS presidency. The president is in her 20's and pregnant and has asked to be released after serving barely a year. He would like Martha to get to know her and see if she really needs to be released. They need a new secretary, and Martha could really learn to know and help and train the presidency in that capacity. He said he would ask the president about that possibility.  

So she could be in the RS presidency, in addition to YSA coordinator, ward pianist and piano teacher!

We thought it might be fun to share some of our early impressions of South Africa...

Following are Martha's grocery store impressions after being here about 7 weeks and shopping in several stores, large and small:

Grocery stores are all in malls, so you wheel your trolley (shopping cart) through the mall past or even through the department stores. When we shop at the Killarney Mall across the street, at either Pick 'n Pay or Woolworth's, we just wheel the trolley across the street, into the lobby elevator and up to the 3rd floor and wheel it right into our apartment, unload the groceries, and wheel it back to the lobby, where they return it to the mall.

 

The stores all charge you for the plastic bags, the checkers sit down while checking you out, and there is always one giant queue (waiting line) for whole store, regardless of how many check stands are manned or available.. 

Cuts of meat are very different from home, and it's hard to find familiar cuts. But the quality of the meat is fantastic, even better than at home, and cheaper. 

They stock at least ten times the herbs and spices, seasonings, marinades and rubs and have miles of prepared condiments that you wouldn't see at home (chutneys, sauces, spice flavors, vegetable jams, and pickled everything). 

They have aisles of long-life dairy products on shelves that are not refrigerated - milk, buttermilk, cream, etc.  - that really do last for weeks without refrigeration. Eggs are all brown in color and never refrigerated, and they are not sold in dozens. You buy either packages of 6 or 18 or 48, and the eggshells are not clean but need to be rinsed of feathers and dirt before you crack them. Also, you can't check for breakage before you buy because the cartons are covered and sealed in plastic. 

Their breakfast cereal aisle is tiny with almost no variety of American breakfast cereals beyond Corn Flakes and All-Bran.  Honey Cheerios, made by Nestle, are coated with an interesting colored enamel or shellac. Sugar cereals are not to be found. 

We're surprised at how little variety there is in general, yet at how large the variety is of kosher and halal (Muslim kosher) items, which seem to be stocked by the hundreds. 

We have been unable to find things like English muffins, black olives that are not brined,

common prepared or processed foods that we're used to, wonton wrappers, ranch dressing, breakfast sausage (we tried Chakalaka Boerewors as an okay substitute), Skippy peanut butter (but we're getting used to the Yum Yum brand). On the other hand, we have been shocked at the over abundance of chicken feet, pickled beef tongue, head meat and organs from lamb, pork and beef, and

sliced ox tails.

 

 

One of literally hundreds of packages of chicken feet at our local Pick 'n Pay at Killarney Mall.
The price of 10.02 is rand, which at 13 rand/dollar now is only about 75 cents for the package.

 

We've both had a busy week at work, and time is flying by. We're loving being here in Africa where every day proves to be a new and exciting adventure.