Near Sentinel Peak May 30th

  On Saturday May 30 we went to Phuthadittjhaba to meet with the new branch president, President Moloi.  He has served for the last year as a counselor to President Bird, a Senior Missionary.  

The Birds  were given the responsibility of teaching and training the members in the Phuthaditjhaba Branch how to successfully run a branch with as many of the organizations as they could possibly support.  They started a young men's and young women's program which was a huge success.  The seminary and institute programs grew to include members and non member alike.  They had older investigators that attended institute as well.  The growth was remarkable.

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 These beautiful blankets were on display for anyone to purchase.  They were beautiful.  We purchased the one I am holding.  The beautiful Lady with me is the Lady that made this rug.  The young man in the picture with here is her son.  He had some sand art and crystals that he was selling.  

We had a wonderful day enjoying the beauty of nature and God's creations.  We are so grateful for the opportunities to enjoy South Africa pup close and personally.

Phezulu Cultural Center

"PHEZULU SAFARI PARK is an exciting tourism venue, situated in Botha’s Hill, only 35 km’s from central Durban. This picturesque park has magnificent views of the world-famous Valley of a 1000 Hills. 

At Phezulu village, the world famous Gasa clan has over the last 30 years, allowed visitors to Phezulu the opportunity to savour the taste and feel the rhythm of Africa. Visitors are taken into traditional beehive shaped thatched huts, where the various artifacts, beliefs and rituals are explained, giving foreigners an insight into the fascinating Zulu culture. The Zulu dancing show is impressive with the dancers in their traditional garb, showing off their skills with grace, agility and humour- a truly unforgettable experience! Take park in Zulu spear and shield making."

Lesotho Seminary and Institute Activities

 

Very Early on a cold Lesotho morning, seminary and institute students joined Elder and Sister Huls, Elder and Sister Edington, their teachers sister Lineo Mosletsane and Sister Keiso Tuliraba, President Monesa the branch president, and the young missionaries for a kick off breakfast to start the second term of the year.  It was very early and very cold but the student came in large numbers.

Tamaran Van Der Leek

This beautiful young lady is Tamaran Van Der Leek.  Soon to be Mrs. Francois Koch.  We feel in love with Tamaran and all of the Van Der Leek Family right from the beginning of our
mission.  The Van Der Leek family was the first Afrikaans family we met.  Up until they moved to Bethlehem, they fed the senior couples and local jr. missionaries every Thursday night.  We quickly grew to love them for their kindness and loving spirit.

Angry Birds in South Africa

Last year it was the minions.  This year it is angry birds.  It is so much fun to look for these on the side of the road as we travel to Welkom.  These angry bird characters are made out of round bales of hay covered in colored plastic, just like the minions from last year.   Someone here is very creative.  It makes for fun on a long trip.  We are no longer going to Welkom most weeks like we use to.  We now go to Kimberly for DDMs.  (District Develop Meetings).

When we were coming home from one of our last trips to Welkom we decided to go down the road that is right by the angry birds.  We were surprised to find this minion in a helicopter.  He is so cute and so much fun to look at.  (At least we now know how the minions got here to South Africa.) Fun!  Fun!

Bloemfontein Zone Activities Rugby

One advantage of going all over the free state and Bethlehem and Phuthaditjhaba is that we get to be involved with missionaries from lots of different districts and three zones.  The young missionaries seem to like the Senior Missionary couple.  I am not sure if it is the fact we feed them so often or if we are mom and dad substitutes but they invite us to participate in their activities quite often.

On Saturday March 14, 2015 we got a phone call that proved to be an opportunity to check off one of the things on our South African bucket list.   Shortly after arriving in South Africa it became quite apparent that South Africans love their sports as much, if not more than we American do.  The two sports that appear to be top on the list are rugby and soccer.   Attending a professional rugby game became one of our bucket list items.  

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My! (March 2, 2015)

Lions and tigers and bears oh my!  Well maybe not bears but plenty of lions and tigers. We had the privilege of going with the Welkom district for an activity to the Boskoppie Lion and Tiger Reserve near Kroonstad,We have been working with the Welkom and Kroonstad Elders for most of the last year so when they decided to go to the lion park for a district activity it was only natural for us to go along. 

We stayed at the Arcadia Bed and Breakfast on Sunday and met the Elders at the Shell station in town.  We caravanned in a group with Elder Belnap in the lead.  It was a good thing we had someone to follow.  We had tried two times before to get to the park but we had never even got close, as we discovered when we headed out.