9-15Sep2013 Spring,MaputoScenes,Tualufo,Couve

Did we mention it’s spring here in Mozambique?  So, you’ll be seeing a few flowering trees and other plants on the blog here and there. 

This Baby’s Breath plant was growing right next to the road.

If anyone knows the name of this flower, please let me know.  Update: With Emily's help, we think this is the Crinum Lily or White Spider Lily; one variety is called the Queen Emma Lily!

These are interesting thorns we saw on branches by the side of the road.  This might be from the Acacia Thorn Tree.

They look like the thorns which could have been used for the crown of thorns Jesus’ tormentors made.

I couldn’t let the season go without trying to grow some seeds.  I scooped up some of the rich red soil at the Mission Office and put it in a put I found in the things the last Humanitarian couple left and within a week the zinnia seeds sprouted!!!

The verbena plant is super happy as you can see!

At lunch time one day this week we took a walk up to Avenida Julius Nyere to take a picture of a building we’ve driven past many times on the way to the Mission Office.  I don’t know if Caleb, our son-in-law, has seen anything like this before – plants growing on the side of the building.  It is a very unique place to have plants growing.  I’m wondering if some of the plants will eventually bloom and it will have colors to add to the variety of greens.  We’ll keep you posted!

The building has two towers – this is the other tower – a beautiful tile picture with designs and birds.

Continuing scenes around Maputo, here is a very full open-bed truck we saw in the morning as we were leaving our apartment.

Here are workmen building a wall and preparing the driveway for cement .

President and Sister Kretly attended this week’s Staff Meeting via “GoToMeeting” software.  They have been up visiting the branches and groups in the north of the country. They will be updating their blog to tell about their trip.  

This week we continued working on the kits for new convert families.  I made a sample bag (all hand-sewn) and we took pictures of it at different stages for the directions.

  

We need to also prepare an email to send to the Branch Presidents explaining the project.  We’re also starting a new project: training for Branch Presidents in their role in the Missionary Application process for Mozambican young people who want to serve missions.  This will take time for us to understand the process and then to explain it for the training.  For each of these project, our emails and letters must be in Portuguese. We write them in English and do our best to translate it.  Then Tualufo, Mission Office employee, makes sure it says what we want it to. 

We usually get home after the sun sets, but on Thursday evening we got home before 5 p.m. and were  able to watch a beautiful sunset from our 5^th floor apartment. 

For Friday's lunch we had a special planned potluck lunch at Mission Office in honor of Elder Cyrier who will be leaving for home 23 September.  Elder Cyrier and Elder Tanner made a “couve and rice” dish.  Couve is like swiss chard.  They sauteed onions, garlic, tomatoes and then they put in chicken broth (flavored with a special spice called Bene) and steam cooked the finely cut up couve.  It was served over rice and it was really quite delicious!  I made a fruit salad to go with the lunch.  For dessert we had orange cake (which I made) and brownies (which Elder Miller made).   

Elder Tanner and Elder Cyrier: 

Elder Tidwell, Elder Tanner, Elder Kitchen, Elder Cyrier:

Elder Miller (in front) and Elder Hall:

For our walk this week, we went to the Cementerio Nacional (National Cemetery).  On the way to the Mission Office, we pass it and, seeing the gates open, we planned to walk there.  It took us about a half hour to get there and find out the gate was locked with a chain.  We hope to go back and get better pictures inside the gate.  It’s pretty run down inside, so we don’t know if we’ll be able to even read any of the inscriptions on the monuments.

This is José Figueiredo, who is waiting anxiously for his mission call.  

In between meetings, I met Laura and her family.  She and her husband, Gimo Fernando, are getting married a week from Friday, and then baptized the following Saturday.  Baby Antonia is 3 months old and Angelina will be 4 in January.  Isn’t she the cutest baby you’ve ever seen!!!  I even got her to smile and laugh!

Solomon & Tammy & Mark Smith Family:

The Dan and Adrienne Garcia Family and their children Josh, Ruth, Sarah, and David.