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.