Happenings for the week of 6-12 April

The highlight for the week was our loop through the mission on Friday through Sunday to work with PEF students in two of the three districts in the mission. Our trip involved 15 hours of driving and we must admit we are a bit tired this morning. To provide a little feel for what we do, following is a brief summary of our trip. Friday morning we drove three hours to Ladysmith and after lunch with Elder and Sister Wilson we met two PEF students at the church - one to sign loan papers and the other to give an orientation. We then drove one and a half hours to the Madadeni Branch building near Newcastle and gave a priesthood leader orientation. We ran into President Mann who was touring the mission in the opposite direction with his two assistants doing missionary interviews and training. We had dinner that night with President Mann and the two couples (Klingler and Uffens) serving in that area. It was great to hear about all the growth and great things happening in the mission. Some branches in the districts are experiencing 200+ at Sacrament Meeting and others need to add chairs to their rented buildings in order to accomodate the increasing numbers. Member referrals are in such an abundance that the missionaries are telling the President that they just don't have time to tract! Saturday morning we made the 4-5 hour drive to Swaziland and spent the afternoon at the Mbabane chapel meeting with four PEF students - signed one loan papers and helped others with their applications and loan paperwork. In the late afternoon, Elder and Sister Wilson took us in their four wheel drive bakkie (pickup) up the mountain on a "jeep road" to visit another student. In the evening, we joined the Wilson's and the Pier's for dinner at Summerfield's. The Pier's have been transferred to Richard's Bay and will be leaving Monday. Sunday morning we met with four other PEF students before and after sacrament meeting and then made the six hour drive back to Durban. From now on we will try and visit only one district in a weekend!


A little change in landscape as we move inland away from the coast. This shot was taken on our way to Swaziland from Newcastle and is in the northeast portion of the KwaZulu-Natal province. Fall is coming fast around here, especially at the higher altitudes, as you can see from the grass alongside the road and fields.

Elder and Sister Wilson's boarding in Swaziland. Note the huge veranda in front of the house. It is in a beautiful setting with lots of trees and vegetation.

Many of the couples have extra bedrooms in their boardings which can house the mission president and other couples when they visit the area. We really appreciate the couples in the mission who are willing to accommodate overnight guests and it provides an excellent opportunity to get to know them better. This is the extra bedroom at Elder and Sister Wilson's in Swaziland which we visit on a regular basis. The insect netting is functional but seldom if ever needed but adds to the African decor.

On the left is Elder and Sister Wilson from St. George serving in Ladysmith and on the right is Elder and Sister Wilson from Parowan serving in Swaziland, both in the Durban Mission. Yes, this is a family affair - they are brothers. The Ladysmith Wilson's arrived this past November with the Swaziland Wilson's coming in December. Mission business allows them to see each other every few weeks and they are enjoying the experience of serving in the same mission at the same time. You should see their pictures from the game drive they took together over Christmas.

This is David and Thandeka Moloi who are members of the Ezekhani Branch. While we were in Ladysmith we gave David a PEF orientation and got him started on the application process for a student loan. David is a returned missionary and he and Thandeka were married in the Johannesburg Temple about four months ago. They will be living in the Durban area where Thandeka now works and David is signing a contract with a company to deliver products using a van. He plans to study business leading to an MBA and has the goal of developing a logistics company.