4-10Nov2013 Bats,Scenes,Mud,ChineseFood,200Families

This week began with a long walk to the park where the bats live. Even though I thought we would never go there again, Mom wanted to go again and get some pictures to actually prove that bats were there.

On the way to the park, and on other walks we've taken, we walked across busy streets. We are getting better at crossing streets by the way. One really has to learn how to cross streets here or you will be at the corner for hours waiting for an opening that never is quite big enough. It takes courage and quick feet and confidence. As we got closer to the park, we found a monument to the “Voortrekkers” (word in Dutch and Africannas meaning pioneers).  A group of them came in 1835 (Tregardt and Janse) and traveled 2,000 miles in southern Africa with oxen-pulled wagons for 3 years!   Their story is amazing!

The park did have bats and I do mean a lot. They never flew close to us, but they landed in the trees and quickly folded their wings and hung upside down.  The bats are the black splotches high in the trees.

We continue to enjoy the sunsets from our kitchen window.

 

When we got to the office on Tuesday morning, the elders had to park in the driveway instead of parking on the street, because the road was filled with red dirty mud from all the rain we’ve been having.  The guards were able to clean up the mud, but it took them a lot of time.  The elders said that last year they had mud which came up a couple of feet up on the wall surrounding the mission office property and the mud ruined all the gardens and there was damage to the mission office as well. 

Sandy made little banana breads to give to everyone to celebrate recent transfers.  One of the elders said, “Nice! This is better than in Beira!”  We had a brand new AP dupla:  Elder Greenman and Elder Brandão.  Elder Hall has a brand new companion, Elder Douglas. Elder Lake left the next day to be the Branch President of the Inhamízua Branch.

These missionaries are amazing!  When one elder leaves you think that no one else could ever measure up to his caliber of service.  To your surprise another one is ready to step in with unique talents that carry the mission along in just what is needed. 

Sandy gave the spiritual thought at Staff Meeting relating the allegory of the olive trees to missionary work.  Her concluding remarks were:

“Each of us has a role in Nourishing – preaching the gospel; training leaders; teaching classes and being an example of happy gospel living.  After Church on Sunday, Elder Lake, took Elder Tidwell and me aside and introduced us to Angelo and Matilde, who have been members of the Church for a year.  They are attending the Temple Preparation class and need to have their information put into FamilySearch so they can go to the temple for the first time this month.  Although they have not been attending the class, I feel that the Lord has guided Elder Tidwell and I in the organized selection of topics to cover with our class since it began on October 3rd.  The reason I mention this, is that last week we talked about FamilySearch accounts and Elder Tidwell and I have been through the learning curve and know better how the process works.  This week is the precise week that we are going into Familysearch.org and the class is learning how to input data.  It will be perfect, not only for the class members, but also for Angelo and Matilde to join with us.  The Lord is truly working by our side.

May each of us do our part in nourishing, digging, fertilizing, grafting and pruning in our part of the vineyard, so in the end the Lord of the vineyard will say to us, “… blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in the vineyard and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.” (Jacob 5:75)

[If you want the whole spiritual thought, let Sandy know!]

A Chinese restaurant in Maputo is President Kretly’s favorite restaurant for “after staff meeting” lunch.  

Here are a few pictures of the out-going and new-coming office staff.  1st picture (left to right): Elder Lake, Elder Greenman, Elder Brandâo, Brother Tualufo. 2nd picture (left to right): Elder Brandâo, Brother Tualufo, President Kretly, Elder ?, Elder Hall. 3rd picture (left to right): Elder ?, Elder Hall, Elder Douglas, Sister Tidwell.

Here is a little bug. Anyone know what it is?

Mom has collected a lot of things from nature. Here are a few of them.

On Saturday, a young couple were married in the Maputo Chapel.  The wedding was at 10:30 and they were baptized at noon the same day. Elders Abel and Porter were the missionaries who taught this couple. The mission reported that this week the 200^th family since January 2013 had been baptized..

Elder Porter made the wedding cake. He pointed to his companion and said his companion was the “cozinha” (kitchen) and he was the “cook”. His companion’s name is Elder Kitchen, shown on the right in this picture next to Elder Porter.  Elder Abel is in the background.

Mom wrote the following, “I love the flowering trees here in Maputo. They come in very bright colors: red-orange; bright-yellow; deep purple; light pink; white touched with either pink or yellow. Whenever I see a tree that is particularly beautiful I want a picture of it. When we go on walks I like to pick up blossoms on the sidewalk which haven't been squashed and then take them home and press them in a book, so I will be able to enjoy them dried. After these small blossoms are pressed, they are paper thin and almost transparent.”

“Yesterday morning when we were doing our walking (we walk 30 minutes around our apartment since it is so roomy!), I looked outside one of our windows in a room we seldom use. There was the prettiest red-orange acacia tree blooming on our very busy street in the middle of this big city.

Sometime we search everywhere to find beauty, and if we would look around us, we will find it very close! :)”

At dinner after church we invited the Hobsons, the humanitarian senior missionaries, and Solomon Smith to eat with us. Hobsons just got back from being in Tete after hosting a neo-natal training program. It was very successful with over 100 people attending. One of the challenges was that is very hot in Tete and no air conditioning in the facility they rented for the demonstrations. One day it was 46 degrees Centigrade which is 116 degrees F. At one time we were going to be assigned to Tete as missionaries. We are so happy we did not have to be there to experience that kind of heat.  They say it is supposed to get really warm here, but it’s still spring in Maputo!

Solomon Smith was here at dinner because his wife and son went home to USA a month early. He will join them in about 4 weeks for Christmas and then all of them will return in January.  (There may be some room for us to have you send us some needed items back with them. Interesting possibility.) We will let you know if that will happen.

Looking to the next week, Mom speaks about family history in Sacrament Meeting on November 17 in Maputo 1.

We know Africa is large, but Africa is much bigger than we think it is. 

In the map shown below the continent of Africa is being compared to countries. It shows how many large countries and other areas of the world could fit inside of Africa. I think you will find it interesting. (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/131028/africa-its-bigger-it-looks)