Life never seems to slow down on our mission. We just go from one thing to another. Here a some snippits of our life of late!
As the New Year approaches, our Elders have two new members to add to their list. Melusi, the one on the left, shared the gospel with his two friends, Sibusiso & Sphiwe. Melusi gave up spending time with his family over the holiday to be here for his friends' baptism. One more year and he'll be able to be out teaching the Gospel full time! In the meantime, he is getting in a lot of practice.
Elder & Sister Heyen were here to do Seminary Training for the new year.
After the training, we gathered for dinner at the Cicada Restaurant.
The last part of January, the Relief Society held another Enrichment Day. Sister Doller, our President planned to show us how to make a two sided blanket without any sewing. Sister Purine was getting the
fabric ready for cutting.
She gave each of us a template to lay out the fabric and cut the strips.
Sister Jennifer and Sister Maleka helped also.
With everyone helping, we were finished in no time!
The finished products are ready to take to the Orphanage! It was time well spent!
They turned out so cute!
Over the Christmas holiday, we invited one of our inactive families over for dinner. During the course of the evening Sister Kazadi mentioned that Naomi was wanting to learn how to cook. I told her she would have to come over and make Valentine cookies. She was very excited to do that. The first Saturday in February, she brought a friend who had come for the weekend to work on their state report. They helped mix the cookie dough, make the frosting, roll out and bake the cookies.
They had great fun frosting and decorating the cookies!
When they had frosted all they wanted, they fixed a plate for their moms and a plate for their dads.
We wrapped them in plastic wrap and tied them with a ribbon to make them look more festive.
They were excited to take them home to their parents for a Valentine gift!
The dad came to Sacrament meeting the next day, but the wife and daughter never did come out.
However, Naomi was humming "I Am A Child of God" while she frosted cookies. She would love to come to Primary, but the Mom always refused to let me pick her up for Primary. But the seeds have been planted, and maybe someday....
My new begonia plants I just had to have to beautify my patio.
My last year's poinsettia has been blooming since July, but is looking kind of straggley now.
My petunia plant really took off after I transplanted it in a bigger pot. One of the sisters that we visited, asked if she could have it when we left, so she could have something to remember me by. Since no one was coming to replace us, I let her adopt it when we left.
My hanging begonia plants really continue to do well. I have to keep cutting them back.
I have to keep cutting this one back also.. It keeps coming through the gate to find the sun!
When I saw this beautiful Gerber Daisy in the grocery store, I couldn't resist. It only had two blooms on it when I purchased it, but within a couple of weeks it had 5 blooms.
A new single sister who had just moved into the Branch ended up leaving her boyfriend and moving to her own apartment. Elder Baxter along with the young Elders helped move her fridge down a stairway that was narrow and then turned on a narrow landing before going down the last stairway. It almost got stuck in the small landing.
Now the trick was to get it up into the Elders Bakki - (truck).
Operation almost completed. Now to get it over the new flat without having it fall out of the bakki!
The only family that Thandiwe has is her daughter and son. For her birthday, we decided to take dinner to her so she wouldn't have to cook. We picked her up after work and drove to her home about 35 minutes away. After about 30 minutes of counseling about ways to create a better relationship with her daughter, we finally got her out of the car and went in to do dinner. Her children, Thabiso and, Nolwazi, were blowing up balloons to make it feel more festive!
We had a dinner of Italian Chicken, green beans, and tossed salad.
And of course, birthday cake - carrot cake was her favorite!
After singing to her, it was time to make a wish and blow.
Cake for everyone!
She was thrilled with the outcome of the birthday! She said we had really made her day, and the best part was having dinner with "her Mom & Dad"
We feel so blessed to be able to be a part of these wonderful peoples lives!
This mission is the greatest!
