Happy Birthday Lynn

One week after we arrived in country, it was Lynn's birthday.  I wanted to shop for something special for him to bring with us, but with all the busies before we left, shopping for the upcoming birthdays, Baptisms, etc., I ran out of time to shop for Lynn.  I felt badly, but even if I would have had time to shop for him, I wouldn't have had poundage to pack it, as we were just to our limit with 5 bags and two carry ons. As though that wasn't bad enough, we were still staying with  Elder and Sister  Moss, so at times, we were planning our schedules around theirs.  They had been so good to take us to places that we needed to go and show us our way around this new strange town, and familiarize us with missionary life.  We really appreciate all their time and effort in our behalf. 

But the worst part was, that the day of his birthday, I was still thinking that I it was only the 17th and that tomorrow was his birthday.  Somehow, part way through the morning, something was said about the days, and I said, "Lynn's birthday is tomorrow."  Sister Moss said, "Oh, his birthday is the 19th?"  I said, "No it's the 18th".  Just then I got  a funny feeling and walked over to look at their calendar, and low and behold, it WAS the 18th!!  I felt like a real ditz!!!!  O k, so now we would have a change of plans for the day.  I had wanted to make his favorite, lemon meringue pie, but I was unable to find cooked lemon pudding and I didn't have a generic recipe for lemon pie filling.  So I had to go to plan B.  His next favorite is German chocolate cake.  The only coconut they had was very fine shredded cocoanut.  Ok, well, I'll just have to improvise!  The cake didn't turn out like I would have hoped, but it was a cake none the less!

Despite it not looking the best, or being his first favorite, he was still pleased.

Others who shared it with us thought it was wonderful, even if I didn't!

Sister Moss had some placemats that made the dinner seem a little more special.

Without having my regular freezer full of meat and my storage room full of everything I need, I had to plan a menu around the few things I bought from the store to fix meals with while we were waiting to get  into our own flat.  After checking my supplies, it looked like porqupine meatballs would be the main course, with baked potatoes, green beans, and tossed salad.  The Mosses had to go up to visit with some of their Branch members so that left me alone to the kitchen for my preparations.  I was able to get everything fixed and ready for dinner.  We actually had one dinner guest--the Branch President of the KaNyamazane Branch was coming for a planning meeting with Elder Moss, so we invited him to stay for dinner.  That actually was kind of nice, because though it wasn't family like we usually have, it was an extra dinner guest to help celebrate.

While we were still in Johannesburg at the Mission Home, Sister Omer told us about a fellow she knew who goes all over Africa to buy things and bring back to his warehouse.  He happened to be at his warehouse the day before we left to come to Nelspruit, so all the ladies in the office made a shopping trip to the warehouse.  It gave me a chance to purchase something for Lynn's birthday.  It's not everyday that you get a handcarved crocodile with the top part that comes off with little compartments underneath.   They told me the little compartments were for a game  you play with items in the compartments.  They said I could go on line for the instructions.  I think we'll just use it for a decoration.  

By the way, it was quite a fete to camoflage this croc to save it for a surprise.  I had Sister Omer get a large black garbage bag to put it in and then I sneaked it in the car.  We could hardly get the luggage in the car, let alone a black bag with a hidden croc, but I succeeded!  He actually was surprised when he opened it.  I know his first thought was "What am I supposed to do with this, and how are we getting it back to the states?"  I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  :)

Lynn named him "George" after his friend and neighbor back home.  He now sits just off the front entry to scare away any unwanted intruders!

The day before his birthday when we were in the mall seeing about our internet, I found a little gift shop where I purchased this hand carved giraffe.  

This wasn't the typical birthday, but it was birthday, African style. Since we had only been in country one week,  it ended up being one of those, "birthdays to remember".

Current Happenings - February 2013

Current Happenings - February 2013

Wow, the time is passing quickly. It seems like we just barely turned over the calendar, and we're already on the downhill side of February. We continue to be busy. It seems we never get caught up. Just when we feel like we can breath, we are bombarded again.

We had been trying to make connections with a lady who we were told was a member, was new in town, and was a nurse at the Mediclinic. We finally did reach her, but she was so sick she could hardly talk. We told her we would get a hold of her later and for her to get better, and that if she needed anything, to please call. About an hour later she called and said "Can you come tomorrow morning at 10:00? We told her we could. I was a little nervous to visit because she had sounded so sick an hour earlier and I didn't want to catch anything. When we went to visit, we discovered that in fact, she wasn't a member and she has lived in Nelspruit for 21 years. Her brother is a member and is a Branch President in another country, Zambia. She was married to a black African who made her move out of the house that she built and then he sold it. She has a 17 year old son. They live in a house that has a community kitchen and they each have their own room. Kind of a strange set up, but I guess it is all she can afford. I left a message on "Prayer" with her and Lynn administered to her. She made an appointment with us for the next week in the afternoon so her son would be home from school. We went to her at the appointed time. Her son seemed like a fine young man, and listened intently as Lynn gave some basics about the plan of salvation, and the importance of making good choices to help us be truly happy in life. We left some pamphlets with them, invited them out to church, but she didn't want to make another appointment just yet, because she wasn't sure of her work schedule and the time her son would be home from school because he has an hour walk each way. We don't know if she will call us back or not.

The next night, we made a trip to Koomatipoort to take the sacrament to the family who has been waiting for their car to be fixed and haven't been to church for over two months. They live nearly a two hour drive away. We left a little early so we could stop along the way in case we saw anything interesting, since they live near Kruger Park. We took the Elders with us so they could help prepare the sacrament and also be a role model for their two sons ages 16 & 18. Just outside one of the gates to the park, we decided to drive up to, but not go into the park. As we were driving along the bridge, we saw some very large hippos grazing near the river bank. We watched them for a few minutes, and later saw them in the water. I was surprised how long they could stay under water without coming up for air. I didn't realize how huge they actually were!

We were amazed at how huge these hippos really were!

The continued to graze along the river bank.

We watched them swim around.  They would go under for a long period of time.  

I was amazed that they could stay under water for so long.   When they surfaced, you could see their faces and nostrils.  They were huge!

This elephant started down to the river for a cool drink.  I was amazed to see brown elephants.  

The other ones we saw in the Park were dark gray. 

As we looked across to the other side of the bridge hoping to see some crocs, we didn't see any crocs, but we did see two brown elephants nibbling the trees and bushes.

Elder Center and Elder Medebe.  It must have been blue tie day.  :)

Enjoying the view from the bridge.

We arrived a little early, and since they were just getting off work and still needed to finish preparations for dinner, we went to the Golf Course and enjoyed a cold drink on the patio while we watched some more hippos in the river. The family was ready for us when we returned. We had a very nice devotional with a lesson by Lynn on the blessing of making good choices, and the heartache that comes with poor choices.

The Kruger family enjoyed being able to take the sacrament. She had a very nice dinner of beef and vegetable pie, green salad, and potato salad. I had brought brownies for dessert, which were a big hit. Everyone had seconds! They enjoyed our visit and the effort we made to take time to drive so far in their behalf.

We were just finishing dessert when I remembered that I hadn't taken a picture of everyone.  It was a great evening and well worth the time it took to drive out there.

 We drove home in light showers and lightening. When we arrived home, we discovered that the storm had been much worse in our area. There were piles of leaves and greenery everywhere near our porch. It had tripped our breaker and we had to fumble around in the dark to find the right switch to flip in order to have lights. The next morning, we discovered that the tall cement / cinderblock fence that surrounds the complex in front had been taken out by the massive running water from the rain. There was bricks and dirt runoff everywhere. Fortunately we are at the top of the complex, so the rain just runs downhill and I guess the force was too much for the fence. It still hasn't been fixed yet, but there is a guard that watches that area for the people who live on that first row.

This was the part of the fence that was taken out.  

There must have been a heavy force of water to move all those cinderblocks!

This was part of the clean-up crew that was surveying the mess.

We had three birthdays this week. Ashlin turned 12 on Friday the 8th, and Blake and Austin turned 15 on Sunday the 10th. Wow, where has the time gone? These kids are just growing up too fast! Suzette celebrated her birthday on Friday the 15th. We're sorry we couldn't be a part of the celebrations, but we hope you all had a special day anyway!

With this being the Valentine week, I have been doing cookies to drop off to many of the families in our branch. I made the dough earlier and put it in the fridge and then later rolled out the cookies and put them in containers to frost as time permitted and as we had time to take around our deliveries. Thanks to Jeanette's Valentine package that arrived on Valentine's day, I had sprinkles, conversation hearts and red hots to decorate the cookies with. They looked cute and were eagerly accepted by the recipients.

All kind of Valentine treats and Primary materials arrived in the package!

Yummy cookies waiting to be delivered!

  

Beautiful Valentine garland to decorate our flat!!   

Thanks for the love notes!   :)

On Monday, one of the Young Women's Counselors called me to see if her girls could come to our flat for a baking experience where they could make something to take to their Branch on Sunday. As we met and talked, she thought making heart cookies would be fun. So on Saturday, 7 girls and Sara, their leader, came to our flat. They had a great time making, rolling, frosting and decorating 9 dozen cookies to take to their Branch. They put each one in a baggie with a pink or majenta bow tied around the bag. They had a ball with this experience. They have never done anything of this nature, and they were like small children as they decorated the cookies. Each cookie was filled with several candies, each decorated in their own creative way. Thanks Jeanette for these fun Valentine candies. They were a big hit! I had some of the pink and red M & M's in a candy dish. They asked, "What are these?" I told them and told them they were welcome to some. Needless to say, the dish was empty when they left. While we were waiting for the dough to chill before rolling it out, I had made some brownies and juice for a snack. I had some Doritos and Pringles for a salty snack. They were devoured instantly. These kids don't have these kinds of things in their homes. Their food items are just the necessities. They were here about 5 hours and were very good to help clean up their things as they finished. As Lynn drove them down town to catch the transport back to KaNyamazane, they were all smiles as they carried the huge box, covered with a black garbage bag to protect the cookies. They were grateful for the opportunity to come here for their activity. Without a senior couple for their branch, they look to us for help in different things. We are glad to be of service to them as well.

Rolling out the dough.  They each took a turn to roll and cut.

Getting each cookie cut just so!

Getting the knack of frosting cookies.

The girls had a fun time with their creations.  

Their leader, Sara, is the tall one standing in the middle with the white shirt.

A box ful of tasty pretties ready to share with the branch tomorrow at church.

The new "Cookie Queens" and their finished products!

Last Sunday, we had two baptisms after church. One was Robbie, a white Afrikaans that the Elders found out tracting, and the other was a black African girl, Larraine, who The Blakes, one of our senior couples who handles the Perpetual Education Fund, met at a restaurant when they were in town. They gave her a Book of Mormon. When we have been at the restaurant, Lynn has followed up with her giving her pamphlets etc. Finally she was ready for the missionaries to come and teach her. It was a very special day. They are both great converts. It made for a very busy weekend as I finished with cleaning and washing, and preparations for Primary. Later in the afternoon, the Elders asked if I would speak on Baptism since the original speaker had backed out. So I added one more thing to my list. I had the converts and the missionaries over for a roast beef dinner afterward to make the day feel more special for them. We also invited the KaNyamazane Elders over to join us. They had a baptism after ours. They used our building since their branch meets in a rented school room and the school Principal has been giving them static about using their water. (The Church installed a Jojo to use for their baptisms, but the school thinks it's theirs.) Despite being a very busy day, it was a very enjoyable and memorable day!

Elder Center, Larraine, Robbie, Elder Medebe, and the Baxters.

 

The Elders and their new converts.

Enjoying dinner.

All ready for the baptism.  

Brother James-Branch clerk, Larraine, Robbie, & Barney-2nd Counselor in Branch Presidency

One of the challenges of missionary work is missing out on special things happening at home. We really appreciate all the time, effort and expense that went into throwing a farewell / shower for Broc and Crystal. Thank you to those of you who wrote filling us in on the details and for posting pictures so we could share in the happy times, though we were not there. We really do appreciate that.

We are also grateful for your faith and prayers as we fasted for Crystal and Broc and their unborn baby who appeared to be having some difficulties according to the ultrasound. We felt a miracle in their behalf as word of a new ultrasound indicated that everything looked normal. We continue to pray that all goes well in the weeks ahead.

Congratulations to Crystal and Broc for successfully making the long drive to Michigan to begin his Rotations. Thanks to Ernie, Broc's dad, for going along to drive the truck and help with the unloading. We consider all of you "angels" that the Lord is sending to take care of the work at home that we are unable to do as we help in another area of His vineyard.

One more bit of news was the Valentine that Shantel and Dallin sent announcing that they are expecting a baby in August. We are excited for them and for our 5th great grandchild.

We are being bombarded with finalizing all the preparations for the Youth Camp / Conference, coming up on April 4,5, & 6. Trying to coordinate the leaders from the two branches to plan and coordinate all the preparations is becoming quite a chore, but it is at the top of our list right now. Also, the Branch President called us in today to ask if we would teach a Temple Preparation Class to four people who are wanting to go to the temple. We are happy and excited to do that. I'm not sure how excited the Primary President will be when I tell her that some of my Primary time will be taken away for a while.

We are planning to go to Joburg this week for three days. We will meet the Blakes, for a day of shoppping around Joburg at some of the African Markets as well as a trip to the Temple on Friday. This will also give us an opportunity to pick up some of the things we need from the Distribution Center. It is only about a tenth as large as the ones in the states, but hopefully they will have a few the things we need. We are excited for the little break.

We continue to pray for you and your families and the challenges that come with raising children. We are excited and proud of the job that you are all doing as parents in bringing up your children in the Gospel. That is one of the greatest tools you have as parents in helping protect our precious children from the evils of the world. Thanks for all you do! We know it isn't an easy task trying to juggle jobs, home, church, finances, health issues, and the many other things that come with parenthood. We are proud of the way you are acccomplishing these tasks. Please know that you are all in our prayers daily. We are aware of your challenges that life gives to each of us, but just remember that the Lord doesn't give us anything that He thinks we can't handle. Isn't it nice to know He has so much faith in us? We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve Him in South Africa. Though we miss all of you and the things that your children are doing, we know this is where we are supposed to be at this time. The gospel is true! We are so grateful for our Savior's help in the things we do each day. Continue to include Him in your daily lives as well.

We love you!!!!

Love,

Elder and Sister Baxter