The month of June has been full of more goodbyes. Now that we have found pepperoni pizza and real Mexicn food, it must be time to go home. We had three funerals in June, spoke in another stake returned missionary devotional, Martha participated in the first-ever stake women's conference in Soweto, and we had several people invite us over for dinner. And we thoroughly enjoyed National Youth Day on a Thursday in the middle of the month by visiting the Bryanston Market in the morning and the Walter Sisulu National Botanical gardens in the afternoon.
The month began with the deaths and funerals of elderly Sister Bobbi Svanepool, whom Bob knew 10 years ago on the Cape, 31-year old YSA Tumelo Moloi from our branch and the 25-year old son of Eunice ("Chatty") Padoa, secretary to the area president, who had suffered a life of muscular dystrophy. We attended the Padoa and Moloi funerals, but Sister Bobbi's was the same day and time as the Moloi funeral and too far away.
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| Grave dedication at Lenasia Cemetery in Soweto for Tumelo |
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| Shoveling dirt onto Tumelo's grave |
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| A close up look at the graves and markers in the Lenasia Cemetery, Soweto |
Tumelo Moloi was born with hydrocephalus and had many surgeries as a boy. He passed away when his shunt stopped working. The township funeral and cemetery were a new experience for us. The Lenasia Cemetery is by far the largest graveyard we have ever seen and there is no grass, just dirt and rocks with humps where the bodies are laid and very simple markers.
We were invited to 6 different dinner engagements in June with 8 SACTM missionary families - the Pearls, the Nels, Tshetlo Tau, the Andrews, the Marupings and the Martins, who also invited the Mahlangus and the Schultzes. The Pearls took us to the Spur so the kids could play in the huge, amazing playland there, the Nels took us to Tony's where Bob had pepperoni pizza for the first time in 4 1/2 years in South Africa, and the Andrews, Martins and Marupings had us over for home-cooked meals. Here are some photos:
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| With Robert & Andrea Nel at Tony's Spaghetti Grill, the only place in South Africa where we have seen pepperoni pizza on the menu - Yanqi Pepperoni - delicious!! |
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| With Tshetlo Peter Tao (the Lion) at Mike's Kitchen, where we devoured several racks of baby back ribs |
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| After dinner with Liezel and Hennie Andrews and their son Tyrone, daughter Sarah and dog Penny, where Hennie had prepared"Bunny Chow," a lamb curry served in a hollowed-out quarter loaf of white bread |
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| At the Marupings, where Tshepo and his wife Fezi trreated us to a braai and an evening of cozy visiting around their fireplace. Tshepo is holding their 7-year old son, Phoka. Their 4-year old daughter Botle fell asleep before we took the photo |
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| Former SACTM elder Bishop Jaxon Martin (top right) and his wife Emily (taking the photo) invited us to dinner, along with Marvin & Natalia Mahlangu (top left and bottom right) and Donovan and Kelly Schultz (seated left) |
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Adding Emily Martin (holding baby) and the other 6 kids who joined us for dinner
On National Youth Day, we went to the Bryanston Organic Market for breakfast, music and souvenir shopping for the grandkids, and we were treated to a youth marima band, called Mzansi, all high schoolers, who were very good - five on the marimbas, two on steel drums and one young man with a full drum set. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a wonderful atmosphere. Then we spent the afternoon at the nearby Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens, less than an hour from downtown Johannesburg, yet a beautiful oasis at the foot of the mountains with a truly spectacular waterfall. What a treat!
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| Witpoortjie Falls |
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| This is a "happy place" for the Egans |
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| The Chiapas menu |
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| Choosing the meat and the toppings |
And, over the past few months we have made frequent visits to a new restaurant in Rosebank (maybe 5 minutes from home) called Chiapas, that is the first "real" Mexican food Bob has found in South Africa after searching and trying out one "Mexican" restaurant after another for 4 1/2 years. It follows the Chipotle or Café Rio formula, and has really tasty, authentic American Mexican food. We went there again on Youth day and again for Bob's birthday. We have become frequent diners at Chiapas.
The month ended with Bob's birthday, which included a half-day of work, a gourmet outdoor lunch at the Four Seasons Westcliff Hotel and a visit to Soweto with Xolani Lubisi, who took us the his childhood home, his wife's childhood home, their current home in Pimville, the home they recently moved out of and are renting, and his mother's home, where we had a delightful visit with his mother and 12-year old niece Swazi. It was a very fun day!
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| Surprise on our office door on Bob's birthday, from the Area travel department |
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| We went to lunch at the outdoor Flames restaurant at the Four Seasons Westcliff Hotel for Bob's birthday, but he had to keep working as one mission president called after the other while we were waiting for our food order... |
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| ...still talking... work must go on! |
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| Special birthday dessert, on the house! |
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| It was a beautiful, sunny day in Johannesburg, as most of them are, especially in the winter time |
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| The views of Johannesburg, the zoo and zoo lake from the Four Seasons are spectacular. You can even see the temple spires, area presidency "white house," the Area offices and the Telcom tower across the way from Jacaranda Hill, where the restaurant is |
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| With Xolani Lubisi and his mother and niece Swazi in Xolani's mom's home in Kagiso, a suburb just west of the Soweto township |
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| Bob's birthday cake - Martha's first-ever chocolate peanut butter cake, that was a huge hit! |
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