As we resumed our hectic schedule into the New Year, we have been busy phoning and texting to set up appointments with all our families. Besides the ones we visit, we always try to go down the list and visit some of the families we haven't visited or met yet. In our concern for those who we haven't met and consequently don't come out, I feel we sometimes overlook those faithful members who are consistantly there and would love a visit from the missionaries, but seldom get one because they are always so on top of things. Such was the experience yesterday!
Jennifer is a very faithful member. She has been a member since 2008. She is always at Church and is usually one of the first ones there, even though she is one who lives a great distance from the church and has to rely on public transportation to get to Church. She has asked me when we were going to come visit her. I told her we were setting up appointments and would get back with her. There is another fairly new member who lives near the same area where Jennifer lives, so we were trying to set up a visit with both of them the same day. We thought we had arranged a workable day and time, and then Thundiwe called and said she couldn't make it. We told her we'd reschedule for a day next week, and went ahead with our plans to still see Jennifer.
Jennifer lives near a town called Hazyview which is over an hour from us. We didn't really know how to get to her house, but we thought we'd go to the town and have her give us directions to her house when we got close to the area. After having called her and getting directions, she also told us that she would come to the main road and meet us. We didn't see her at the appointed time and place, so, thinking that we had taken the wrong road, we thought we would explore another area. Of course, we were wrong. She called us and redirected us. We did find her this time, waiting at the side of the road for us. She has no car. We stopped and picked her up and she guided us down a very rutted, hilly, dirt road. We finally made it to her place.
She was very glad to see us and grateful that we came to visit her. Her house was a fairly new one on stilts with wood siding and a long stair case that led up to her house. The stilts were to keep the snakes away from the house. However, she did say that they had a green mamba get into their house shortly after they moved in. Her house was very simple but neat and clean. We found out that she was divorced. He is a teacher but has a drinking problem and they hadn't been together for several years. She worked when she could find a job and was looking for a work at the present time. Her older daughter had bought a piece of land and they had a company erect a temporary house, similar to a mountain cabin, until they could actually get another house built. As we visited, we discovered that she had no electricity, or running water, or sewer in her house. But they did have several large tubs outside to collect the rainwater. We never did find out what they used for bathroom facilities. We were so humbled by her circumstances. I don't know how she cooked because there wasn't even a wood burning stove there. Just thinking about how she prepared a meal or got ready to go anywhere was totally amazing! She always looks very clean and tidy when we see her.
We learned later that she does her cooking on a propane stove under her house and when she runs out of propane, she cooks in the brick fireplace at the back of her house. The large green tank by the fireplace is a water holding tank. This is a good lesson that we should never complain about what we don't have!!
We learned that last year before she moved to this house, she lived even farther away from the church. She would take a transport over to Lidenburg to President Sigauke's flat and spend the night there; get ready for church and come with him and his family to church. Afterward, she would go back to his home and Monday morning catch a transport back to her house. Even when we did the "Helping Hands" Project on a Saturday morning, she made the trip down and was there to help. She is one of the first ones to Church on Sunday, and is always there to support anything that is going on. She teaches Seminary to her son, and said she would try to be to the training for Seminary teachers on Saturday. She has such a strong testimony! She saves a few coins here and there so she can make the trip to Johannesburg a couple of times a year to go to the temple. She is a wonderful example of a true deciple of Christ! She would do anything or give whatever she has to be able to serve her Heavenly Father and support the Branch.
She thanked us over and over for coming to see her. She said she doesn't have Home Teachers because they say it is too far to come. We left the First Presidency Message and also the Visiting Teaching message, even though she had done her teaching and had given the message to her sisters. Yes, an hour and a half is a bit far, but she still deserves a visit like everyone else. We felt very grateful for having had the privilege of being in her home and feeling the spirit that was there. It was definitely worth the drive to be able to be near such a spiritual lady.
This is inside her home with her son, and grandbaby. Her son is really quite nice looking, we just caught him in a silly look trying to get the baby to smile. The baby's mom was out under the house reading a book and enjoying a free minute while
grandma Jennifer played with the baby. Jennifer's daughter lives in the Joburg area and had come to visit for a few days.
When I visited with her at Church on Sunday, she hugged me and thanked me again for our visit. She said, "I have been talking to my daughters and I told them what a blessing it was to have you and Elder Baxter come visit me, and thank you for the bread! It helped a lot!" (I had taken some home made bread).
She doesn't seem to realize that it was us who was blessed by having been to her home! How blessed we are to be missionaries and be able to rub shoulders with such humble, devout members!!
Thanks Jennifer for being such great influence and support to our Branch.
After we left Jennifer's, we stopped in town to get some lunch to eat on the way home. While driving around the parking lot looking for a place to park, we saw this mother hen with her little chicks trying to find some food droppings for her little ones. Notice the little yellow one!
During our travels home, we saw these two ladies carrying loads of large sticks on their head. This is not uncommon over here.
As we finished our drive and neared home, were able to capture this beautiful sunset.
We definitey felt the blessings that had been poured down upon us for being able to experience such a beautiful spiritual day. We are so grateful to be missionaries!
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