Welcome Home!

It's so great to be home, but it was so hard to leave Africa! We flew home on Friday the 22nd and arrived at the Salt Lake International Airport at about 10:15 am on Saturday the 23rd. Over 30 family members met us at the airport with posters and cheers and lots of happy smiles.

Four of our children were there when we came down the escalator into

baggage claim - left to right, Kelly, Betsy, Christian and Ali. Whitney

and her kids arrived moments later, and Erik's and Ben's families 

arrived within an hour or two from Texas

Lots of tears and hugs!

Kelly's, Erik's and Ben's families were staying at our home (that's  24 of us) and Betsy's family stayed at Christian's (another 13).

We were so happy to be greeted by so many family members

Bob greets granddaughter Ashley, down from

BYU-Idaho

Many others joined us during the week, including Martha's daughter Whitney and her family, Martha's mom and sisters, plus Bob's granddaughter Amanda and her husband Nick,  Ritter, Martha's daughter Ali's boyfriend Steve Ashby, Bob's brother Rick and his wife Carla, the Dashners, the Howards, the Spilsburys and others. So fun! Party time all the time! But it's been a whirlwind! And we had to find time to buy new cell phones, a new computer, new clothes and a new car.

Although all our kids but Betsy and Christian had to head home before Sunday's homecoming sacrament meeting, we had a great turnout. Lots of our former Cape Town missionaries, senior couples we served with in Johannesburg, and many of both Bob's Martha's cousins.

Then we had another get-together in our home afterward.

So fun to be hosting family in our own kitchen, although we

felt more like guests in our own home the first few days!

Granddaughters Ashley, Kate and Megan

 Jack, Evan and Kip

We really went through a lot of food every day!

Bob with 12 grandsons, ages 5 to 12, in their South African rugby, cricket and soccer jerseys

Then, 11 days after we arrived, we were off to Bentonville, Arkansas to help Martha's son Cole and his wife Alyson with their new baby Liam (grandchild number 35, born on July 29th) and 3-year old Lily, for 12 days, which has been a very fun and rewarding experience. 

Martha with grandchild #35, baby Liam (5 days old)

3-year old Lily

Liam Martin Siggard

Grandpa and Liam

Lily helps Grandma in the kitchen while eating Cheetos

So that's it! The amazing African adventure has not only come to an end, but now that we are back home again, it is almost as if it had never happened but was all a dream. But for us, it will always remain a life-changing experience and one of the great blessings of our lives. So here we go, on with the rest of our lives... Thanks for following our blog!

Farewell to Protea Glen, Soweto

On our final Sunday at the Protea Glen Branch in Soweto, after the 3-hour block when we delivered our farewell addresses

in sacrament meeting, the entire branch surprised us by staying 2 hours after the meetings for a feast in our honor, and they

gave us traditional African attire to wear - a shirt for Bob and a skirt and matching apron, and white t-shirt, for Martha.

The Phanyaphanya children wait reverently for sacrament meeting to begin

Martha interrupts her piano student Mlu for a hug during the prelude music

and then she greeted and posed with Sister Alicia Radebe, her first piano

student, who is now the branch chorister and choir director

Watching from the stand as the congregation filters in for our final sacrament meeting

 Primary children are told it is Sister Egan's final Sunday and
Sister Phanyaphanya leads them in a special goodbye song,
then the children knelt in prayer and Martha passed out sweets

After Martha posed for a photo with the Primary presidency
and  teachers, they asked us to remain in the Primary room
and not leave until they came back to fetch us.

Then they brought in our African outfits and asked us to put them on and join the branch in the (cultural) hall.

 

After we dressed in our African attire, Martha posed for a photo while everyone cheered, and joined Sister Radebe and her daughter , Sister Masego, and grandson for a 3-generation photo, with the baby on his gogo's back in traditional African style and posed with Brother and Sister Mnguni and Sister Thimane, the Relief Society President. Then the entire branch all waited for us to get our food first, before joining us for the feast. They made us feel so honored and special. We will really miss these dear friends!

They really put out a spread of food - when we were through

the line, everyone joined in

 The primary kids did not want Sister Egan to leave, and these girls sang her a special song.

Below, Khwezi Moshani, the Elders Quorum President with his fiancée, who readily agreed

this week to be his wife - a cute couple!

Martha and Mlu had one last embrace, Stake RS President Sister Grace Mbobo presents a framed collage of Egan memories,

With Bob's former missionary Thulani Buthelezi and their baby.

Thulani is 2nd counselor in the Protea Glen Branch Presidency.

Below, Sister V. (right) with her daughter and granddaughter and

her daughter's husband, Brother Schubert, a deaf recent convert

Martha with Sister Lumke, a single mother and great example

of self-sufficiency and how to survive  pay tithing even when

you have no income whatsoever, and, above, with YSA women

Martha with Sister Lumke's boys, who sat by us at church one last time the previous week

After the party, we were invited to the Nzimande home, with Musa, Bob's former Cape Town missionary, and his family,  who are in the Glen Ridge Ward that split off from Protea Glen. They had originally planned to have us for dinner, but when they heard what the branch had planned, they changed the plan and we just visited and said our goodbyes.

Muswenkosi, Reneilwe and Mbali Amahle Nzimande in their beautiful new township home in Protea Glen

One of the bold promises from the EFF party for the August elections

The Mnguni family, except for their oldest son, came on

Monday night and brought dinner and fun Family Home

Evening activities at our apartment

And on our last Wednesday we interrupted our packing

for home long enough to make one last trip to our favorite

women's empowerment organization, Sinikiwe, to double

our donation before leaving for home on Friday.

No more goodbyes - it's time to fly home to our children and grandchildren, leaving Africa as a fond and wonderful memory!