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| With Josemar and Cecilia Domingos, their daughter Amanda, and Josemar's younger sister, from Luanda, Angola |
We had another eventful week in our
missionary callings this past week, and we are pretty well back in our routine.
Martha had a very busy week, working both for Elder Jones, who returns home
from his mission tomorrow, and his replacement as Area Executive Secretary
Elder Walton, who arrived the week before. And Bob was kept very busy all week
with all kinds of missionary issues in both African areas, working late
into the evenings and even past midnight one night.
Fortunately,
a lot of what Bob spent his time on this week were reinstatements of
missionaries, who had been released early and are ready to return, and mission
reassignments, rather than all problems. Although there are always problems to
be addressed - illnesses, injuries, belated confessions, infield transgressions
and emotional/ psychological issues. And of course, visa issues.
Tuesday
was a national holiday in South Africa, Youth Day, and our offices were closed.
Martha went on a Ladies' Day Out with Sister Linda Dunn (Johannesburg Mission
President's wife), Sister Barton (Area Medical Advisor's wife) and the Joburg
mission's two office sisters, Sister Thompson and Sister Allred. Martha loved
spending the day with these sister missionaries, talking much-needed girl talk
and shopping.
They
went to the Bryanton Organic Market and Cinda Hunter's shop that carries unique
jewelry, fabric, art objects and antiques from Africa, India and Thailand.
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| Cinda Hunter in her shop with Sister Linda Dunn, wife of Michael Dunn, the Johannesburg Mission President |
That evening we had a delightful holiday braai (barbecue) with one of Bob's returned Cape Town missionaries, Robert Nel and his wife Andrea, at their flat in Alberton, south of Joburg. They are such a cute and committed couple. Andrea's parents, the Atkins, are in the temple presidency, and Andrea is a physiotherapist (physical therapist). Rob is finishing his studies in Finance and Statistics. It was a very fun and enlightening evening and we got to know them well and talked about their plans and goals.
On
Wednesday, another one of Bob's Cape Town missionaries, and the only
Angolan elder, Josemar Domingos, showed up with his wife Cecilia, their baby
daughter Amanda and his sister. They are here from Angola to do temple work. It
was fun meeting with them and with Elder & Sister Walton, who knew them in
Angola. Cecilia is beautiful and is seven months pregnant, expecting their
first son.
Elder
Walton was mission president in Portugal from 2009 to 2011, then finished his
3rd year as the first mission president in Angola in 2011-12. The Domingos'
were the first two returned missionaries from Angola to marry and Elder Walton
interviewed them for their temple sealing in 2011. Cecilia served her mission
in Portugal.
Josemar
taught and baptized Cecilia before his mission, and she was in the MTC when he
arrived home, so they didn't see each other for 3 1/2 years, and they are now a
pillar of strength in the budding church of Angola. When Josemar left on his
mission there was one branch in the country. There are now eight branches, and
they hope to soon be wards in the first Angolan stake!
On
Friday, Bob officiated at the 3:00 endowment session in the Johannesburg Temple
where the Domingos' were the witness couple, after which they joined Bob to
perform proxy sealings, and the Nels were also in the temple, in an endowment
session where Martha was the follower.
Last
night, Elder and Sister Lombardi invited us and the Bartons for dinner and
games at their flat at 6:30. Luckily, Sister Lombardi had finished cooking the
meal before the power went off at 6:00 for load-shedding. We
were just sitting down for a candlelight dinner when the power surprisingly
came back on at 6:45. We expected it to be off at least four hours. We turned
the lights off and ate by candlelight anyway, then enjoyed some fun games in
the light.
Today,
the Waltons asked to join us for church and rode with us to Soweto, where we
had another great, spiritual day of meetings in our Protea Glen Branch. Elder Johnson, a senior temple missionary, was sitting outside the chapel doors in jeans and a sweatshirt (over his white shirt and tie) shining the shoes of all the fathers from both wards. He did that for at least four hours, and the fathers really appreciated it. What a great example of showing love by serving others, exactly what our Sunday School lesson was about today (Christ washing the apostles' feet at the Last Supper).
All
four of the sacrament meeting talks were excellent, especially the high
councilor, Mark Malinga, who leads a crew that does renovations and moves
furniture for our senior missionary flats, Martha's tenants.
The
branch president phoned again last night at 10:00 and asked Bob to teach
the gospel doctrine class in Sunday School today, which he did and enjoyed. The
lesson was from Luke 22 and John 13-15 on "As I have loved you, love one
another" about the Last Supper and institution of the Sacrament. The branch really seems to enjoy it whenever Bob teaches. We also enjoyed our Priesthood and Relief Society lessons.
It
was fun to get to know the Waltons, whom we will be working very closely with
for the rest of our mission.
The
weather here has been spectacular, sunny and warmer, in the high 60's to 70.
We've enjoyed a restful and relaxing Saturday and Sunday and are looking
forward to another very busy week!
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| A poinsettia tree near our home - Poinsettias are a Christmas flower at home, but they bloom in June here, the equivalent to December in the Southern Hemisphere. The Christmas flower here is the hydrangea, which blooms in Dec. (summer). |
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