Happening of the week 5-11 October

Our week has been a little bit different than usual for us. PEF work has been interspersed with showing Durban off to Elder and Sister Harms (Public Affairs missionaries). Monday afternoon, they shared our regular Family Home Evening and dinner. Turns are taken bringing light meals and/or other treats and we brought the fixings for taco salad. The Harms asked if they could bring dessert and came bearing CINNABON rolls, which none of us have ever had-pretty tasty! Stories were being shared about home teaching less actives and the conversion stories of Elders Griesemer and Markum, which came as a result of their wives influence. Sandy was checking our email on Griesemer's computer, since ours was still inoperable, when we received the following message from a couple we shared many visits with in Florida on our first mission: “I hope you are doing well in Africa. We have gotten 6 people in this year who were baptized. We now take up a whole big row on Sunday instead of just me and Marshall. What an awesome feeling to look and see all these people who are friends now in the church and it is all because you all cared enough to keep talking with us and got us interested again in church. Thank you. We will never forget you. Wish you were still here.” It seemed so amazing that these words would show up, just as we were speaking about never giving up on anyone! Tears came to our eyes as we shared this with our missionary friends here. Tuesday afternoon, brought us into the Mission Office so that Arlo could attend the Mission Presidency meeting. President Mann asked us to consider helping with an area in the mission as our time will allow. Hurried up to an appointment with a new student at Pinetown Chapel. He is wanting to study refrigeration and air conditioning, two ten week courses. These short-term type of studies, are the types of studies that we wish we could convince more of our kids to look into - everyone needs plumbers, welders, auto mechanics, etc. During our free afternoons, we showed the Harms, Victoria Market, where she found many things to send home for Christmas, our famous Gateway Mall where we introduced them to babooti at one of our favorite restaurants, Mugg and Bean, and then on Saturday we visited the uShaka aquarium and the Moyo restaurant. Sunday, was one of our two ward visits - beginning with Sacrament Meeting at Umlazi W, orienting their new bishop about PEF, then going over to Umlazi BB to give out renewal information to our past students. It is hard to believe that we have been in Durban long enough now, to be starting over with our very first students! The weather has been mostly gray and drizzly off and on all week, but the rain is so appreciated and already we can see the results in beautiful greenery coming up everywhere, along with more varieties of blooming flowers. Having our Internet back on Thursday was indeed a blessing, especially as we were able to read the General Conference talks from the Sunday afternoon session that we couldn't watch because it was broadcast from 10-midnight! Oh how grateful we are for Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon and all the inspiring words from our prophet, President Monson and the other leaders, to help guide us through these tumultuous times.

Elder & Sister Harms from Mesa Arizona. They are public affairs missionaries based in Cape Town. They cover all the coastal areas of South Africa plus Mozambique and Namibia. They were in Durban for the week working with local priesthood leaders.

We ran into these street entertainers near uShaka Sea World. They were kind enough to pose for a photo - after an appropriate tip, of course.

The jacarandas are in full bloom. This tree is on our street close to where we live. Sometimes you see several in a row on a street - quite a beautiful sight. Pretoria, near Johannesburg, is reported to have 50,000 of these trees.

Another interesting highway sign. Sometimes you are not sure what they want you to do. (photo courtesy of Elder & Sister Wilson in Swaziland)