Mission Presidents, Crocodiles, Lions and One Hungry Giraffe

This pride of lions - a white male, 2 tawny females & 3 cubs (one white) - obviously can't read the clearly marked sign

This past week was one of the spiritual highlights of our mission thus far. We spent the week with 15 mission presidents and their wives, and the Africa Southeast Area Presidency and their wives in the annual Mission Presidents' Seminar at the Johannesburg Hyatt Regency Hotel. We got to pick up and deliver mission presidents and wives from and to the airport and hotel, and we got to drive the "party van" to and from venues, beginning with an outdoor buffet dinner at the White House (Area Presidency residences) on Tuesday evening, a visit to the Johannesburg Temple on Wednesday, and a wild animal excursion and African cultural experience, on Thursday.

The seminar was a spiritual feast. What a blessing to be taught by 3 general authorities who have lived a combined 10 years in Africa and really know the Lord's will for this Area. A lot of the training originated with the Quorum of the Twelve. But the Area Presidency messages were very specific to Africa and the "tsunami" of Church growth that is anticipated. Bob presented on the agenda both Tuesday to the whole group and Wednesday at the mission presidents' breakout, while Martha attended with the wives in their breakout and led the music in the general sessions.

 For the special temple session on Wednesday, Bob was asked to officiate the endowment session and Martha was the follower. For us, it was a very special and touching experience to be in a session filled with just mission presidents and wives, who have consecrated their lives and sacrificed a lot to fulfill their 3-year assignments in places like the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Mozambique and Madagascar.

Area President & Sister Cook share testimonies at the Mission Presidents' Seminar with 15 mission presidents and their wives, while Elders Ellis and Hamilton look on. We were masterfully taught and inspired over 3 days of meetings.

The first stop on our Thursday excursion with the mission presidents and wives was Croc City, a crocodile farm and reptile zoo with literally hundreds of crocodiles on display as well as tortoises, a wide variety of snakes, iguanas and other reptiles.
 

Ominous looking African Nile crocodiles at Croc City



Bob holds a baby croc as Sister Cook looks on

Martha with the baby croc and Bill the corn snake while our
guide tells us all about the reptiles and passes them around!

 

Martha fashionably displays a 12-foot albino Burmese python

Bob with an African leopard tortoise, who live to 150 years!



African Nile crocodiles, which live from 40 to up to 100 years

 We're not sure there is anything in Africa more frightening than the jaws and teeth of crocodiles.

 

 

Down the road from Croc City is the Lion Park, where we had gone with Ali a few months ago, where we got to pet lion cubs and cheetah cubs, feed giraffes and go on a safari.

 

Only in Africa! We were in a gift shop next to a restaurant at the Johannesburg Lion Park, when this momma giraffe, stepped right over a fence, walked into the restaurant and zeroed right in on a little girl's plate of French fries! Angolan
mission president Danny Merrill, left, and Botswana/Namibia mission president Merrill Wilson, right, take photos.

Elder Ellis, left, Elder Hamilton, right, and mission presidents and wives gather

Mission presidents and wives on one of the two "caged" safari vehicles

The other mission presidents and wives photograph this lion and lioness from the other safari vehicle

Close up of a 3-month white lion cub

 

A regal male lion rests in the shade...



...while the pride's two lionesses and their 7 cubs look on

 Maybe the ugliest wild animals in Africa are the wild dogs. When their lunch arrived, the mom and dad let the puppies eat first, then the parents finished what was left over.



We also got to see cheetahs up close in the wild



The dinner Thursday evening was at the Indaba Hotel at the Chief's Boma restaurant, where they served an amazing buffet dinner, including such African delicacies as Kudu, Impala, Wildebeest, etc. as well as beef curry and chicken curry cooked in poetje (pronounced "poiky") pots (dutch ovens) and all kinds of sides, salads and desserts, all to the accompaniment of an African marimba band.

Our week finished on Friday, when we made our last airport run in the morning, worked our temple shift in the afternoon, then drove out to the MTC where we played the role of investigators and were taught by Sister Ngcobo (Busi from our Protea Glen Branch) and her two companions. They did fine until one of them compared the Holy Ghost to an imaginary friend. Busi's dad, grandmother, aunt and great-aunt (all non-members) also surprised her by showing up to be taught as investigators after us.

It was a fun, spectacular week, but long hours and we're feeling exhausted, but we have been inspired, directed and motivated.

Reunion Weekend in Gaborone, Botswana

Bob with his four Botswanan missionaries, left to right, Tiro Keeng, Joyce Tahla (Modie), Ketshibile

Ontlogetse and Kagiso Leshona, holding proudly the Botswana flag signed by them and their families

The new SACTM generation in Botswana - Front row, from left to right, Kofi Ontlogetse, Ryan Modie, Amanda Leshona,
Benjamin Keeng and Emma Keeng. Second row - Ontlogetses with their son, President & Sister Egan with Hope Keeng.
Back row: Tiro and Chance Keeng, Kagiso and Masego Leshona and Joyce Tahla Modie and her husband Modise at the
Monument commemorating the three Botswanans who negotiated the country's independence from Great Britain in 1967.

This past weekend, we were honored to be invited to speak at a stake "Returned Missionary Reunion" for all returned missionaries in the Gaborone Botswana Stake, four of whom served under Bob in the Cape Town Mission 7 to 10 years ago. It was a great blessing to spend the entire weekend with those four missionaries and their spouses and children. Over 60 people attended the 2-hour meeting where Martha bore her testimony and Bob was the featured speaker. Afterward, we had a SACTM reunion for the five couples and then went to out to dinner together as adults and had a fabulous time.



We spent Friday evening with our former AP, Tiroyaone Keeng and his beautiful wife Chance
from Windhoek, Namibia at a fabulous Portuguese Restaurant in Gaborone called Caravela.

Saturday morning we dressed casually and drove to the Botswana Defence Post military base where

they have several prides of lions, as well as cheetahs, monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, a leopard and wild dogs, all behind chain link fences, and zebras that wander freely around the barracks.  The seven children joined us for the morning outing and all had a great time! The kids all wanted to be with "Grandma Egan" the whole time, as you'll see from the following photos.

Waiting for our tour guide at the Botswana Defence Post military base and wild animal park.

Benjamin tries on Grandma's sunglasses as Amanda looks on

Baby Hope wants a turn with the sunglasses too



This lion was sizing up the children to decide which one to eat for lunch, when
he suddenly and rapidly pounced full speed ahead into the chain link fence at
all the children, scaring them half to death and sending them scurrying away,
along with their parents! Thank goodness for the fence! It happened again a
few more times, as the small kids just looked too appetizing for hungry lions



A white male lion rests in the shade. We're told that the lions
are on the military base to help the soldiers train for
apprehending lion poachers, a big problem in the country.
There must be at least 20 lions on the base!



5 white lionesses look on as we visit their enclosure

Ryan, Amanda, Emma and Benjamin stayed right with "Grandma" and followed her wherever she went,
sharing all their special thoughts and feelings about the whole experience with her.
The Keeng kids said, "Now we have 3 grandmas and 3 grandpas!"

Menacing wild dogs in the shade of their enclosure



Close up of a crocodile's head and teeth, Two of the crocs 
were at least 15 feet long and very big around!



Grandma Egan and the kids

Where shall we go next, Grandma?

Having fun with Grandma in the car

Botswana is desert, much like Namibia. It was far drier and hotter than the weather we have been having in Johannesburg. Instead of temperatures in the 30's C. (86 - 100 F) they were in the 40's C in Gaborone (104+ F) and  the capital city of Botswana is way, way different that anywhere we have been in South Africa. Cattle, goats and donkeys wander freely in the streets right downtown. There is no big city feel in Gaborone. It feels very much like it is pictured in the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Donkeys wander up and down the streets of Gaborone

Undernourished cattle and goats are everywhere in Gaborone

Grandma watches the kids as their moms and dads gather review
the signed tablecloths and picture book of missionaries at the
SACTM Reunion after the stake RM Reunion was over

Amanda and Emma decided Grandma
needed a new hairdo. They just loved
touching and patting her "soft, soft hair!"

Returned SACTM missionaries and spouses look through the missionary book
and share experiences, reminiscing about the "good old days" on the Cape

Group Reunion Photo - left to right, the Ontlogetses, Modies, Leshonas, Egans and Keengs.
In front, holding the Botswana flag are Amanda Leshona, Emma Keeng and Benjamin Keeng.
Tiro Keeng holds baby Hope. The other three boys chose to pass on the reunion experience.
Everyone present, including the kids, signed the flag and it was given to us as a souvenir!

 On Sunday, we attended the Gaborone West Ward with the Keengs and Leshonas and enjoyed a wonderful Primary program that their sweet children aprticipated in and did so well, speaking parts and singing. It was fun to see a lot of the people we spoke to the day before, and to say a proper goodbye to these two great families. What an incredible weekend!

Even though several years have passed since the times they shared in the mission field, the bonds of affection and spiritual experiences were rekindled and the intervening years just fell away. Although Martha wasn't there in Cape Town, she was able to feel very much a part of it all, and was treated as if she were their mission mom. It was a most amazing and spiritually uplifting weekend for us!

"Hump Day" and a Weekend in Mabula

A relaxing weekend in a bungalow at Mabula Private Game Reserve in Limpopo, celebrating our halfway point as missionaries. 5-year old Tyrone found our camera and snapped this candid shot of  Bob working/dozing in the shade
on our patio in between game drives on Saturday, Halloween Day. It was a really nice getaway.

Monday, November 2nd was our "hump day," our 9-month anniversary as missionaries with 9 more months to go. It's hard to believe that we're already at our halfway point! One of Bob's Cape Town sister missionaries, Liezel Schwulst, was given a timeshare weekend at a game reserve lodge for her birthday weekend, and she insisted that we come along and celebrate it with her and her fiancé, Hendrick ("Hennie") Andrews and his 5-year old son, Tyrone.

Liezel had taken us by surprise just two weeks before, after inviting us for the weekend, by telling us that she not only suddenly has a boyfriend, but they are engaged to be married in December! We had her over for a family home evening the next Monday, and she shared with us all the excitement of her love story and told us Hennie and his son would also be with us for her 34th birthday weekend. Her birthday is November 1st. Hennie has been married before, but this is her first marriage, and they met just as she had become content to spend her life alone.

We drove the 2 hours to Mabula after our temple shift on Friday, 30 October, and arrived about 8:30. We hit it off immediately with Hennie and Tyrone, but couldn't stay up late visiting, as we had to wake up early for a 5:30 am game drive (safari) Saturday morning, Halloween Day.

Our safari guide told us we barely missed crossing paths with a male cheetah while walking from our bungalow to the open Range Rover safari vehicle! Then, 5 minutes into the drive, we came upon three cheetahs in the road blocking our path. We watched them for a while, and they seemed calm and docile until we got closer, and one decided to walk right toward us, so our guide, Mauricia, reversed the vehicle and took a different path, but not before we got a few snapshots...

Although we didn't see any of the "Big 5" that morning, we were thrilled to see the three cheetahs, 5 hippos and baby crocodiles in the dam (lake), two kudu, a large eland whose hooves clicked as he walked, and herds of wildebeests, impala and other antelope, as well as the most zebras we have seen on one drive. We also saw a giraffe and lots of warthogs. It was a beautiful morning that turned into a hot, 100 degree day.

Two of about five hippos cooling off in the dam



A herd of eland, the largest of the antelope family,
even larger than kudu

We spent the hot  afternoon relaxing on the patio and lounging around the swimming pool in the shade. When we walked the short way to the playground and pool, we saw that the playground was pretty much occupied, by a family of at least a dozen baboons! When they saw us at the gate, they scampered over the fence quicker than we could get our camera out to take a photo, and so we had the pool and playground all to ourselves for a while. Ultimately other human families came and joined us to keep out of the heat. Tyrone loved the water and the playground, and the adults visited and got to know each other better. Then we did a night game drive after things cooled off a bit and saw African buffalo and some nocturnal animals, including owls and an aardwolf, which we mistook at first for a jackal. We saw herds of antelope lying down for the night and other fun things.

 

We were very impressed with both Hennie and Tyrone, but more than anything, we were impressed with how readily Liezel has become a Momma to Tyrone. He calls her "Momma" and honors and respects her and his dad. He has been raised Afrikaans and starts Grade R (kindergarten) when the new school year begins in January, and Hennie and Liezel didn't know he spoke any English. But he amazed all of us with his ability to communicate in English and with his English vocabulary, which grew in leaps and bounds over the weekend. He and Martha became especially close, and he began calling her Ouma (Grandma in Afrikaans) and asked her after every meal, "May you please wash the dishes with me?"  He was extremely polite for a 5-year old and very bright.

Tyrone in the lounge (living room) of Bungalow #53

A look at the thatched ceiling of the lounge

 

Our bungalow was a very nice 3-bedroom accommodation, right out in the bushveld with the animals. The birthday girl had her own bedroom, Hennie and Tyrone shared a bedroom and we were fortunate to have the master suite. The lounge had a whole wall of windows looking out to the patio and braai (barbecue), and Liezel and Martha made the most out of the small kitchen.
.

At the Soshonguve Ward Sunday morning, November 1st, with Hennie
Andrews, Tyrone and Liezel after attending the 3-hour block of meetings

We were quite surprised at the large, beautiful LDS chapel that houses the Soshonguve Ward, about an hour and
45 minute drive from Johannesburg and about an hour and 45 minute drive from the Mabula Private Game Reserve.
Here Tyrone is running to his dad, while Liezel follows, after the meetings were over.

Soshonguve is a much nicer township than almost any other we have seen in South Africa, as seen here from the church

Martha got up early Sunday morning to shower and get ready, as we had to drive away at 7:15 to get to the 9:00 sacrament meeting on time. The closest LDS meetinghouse was in Soshonguve, about an hour and 45 minute drive from Mabula. As she was putting on her makeup, she heard footsteps and someone trying the door handle over and over again, then she heard more footsteps, including footsteps on the roof! Then there was a lot of scampering across the roof and noises of attempts to pry open doors and windows. She looked out the window and saw a large troupe of baboons who were trying to get into our bungalow to find food. Luckily, all the doors and windows were locked, so they headed to the next bungalow, and we got some photos as they headed down the road.

A family of baboons were our neighbors for the weekend

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the fast and testimony meeting, Sunday School class and Priesthood and Relief Society meetings at the small all-black township ward in Soshonguve. There was a wonderful spirit there and the people were very friendly. It seemed a whole cut above the average South African township. We continue to love our African adventure!