Recovery -- Week 76

Food!  That was the emphasis this week.  For us, and for others.

On Monday our Westwood Mall finally reopened, but only from 9AM to 2 PM, and the parking lot was not opened.  We stayed away.

President and Sister Lines, the Hubrichs and about ten Elders went to help with a clean-up project that had been organized by the Hubrichs in one of the neighborhoods of Durban.  We didn't get to go because the office was closed all week last week, and we needed to be there to accept various deliveries that had been postponed and to catch up on what we couldn't do from home.  [But after 8 months of working from home in 2020, we are pretty good at keeping up while outside the office.]

We don't see President Lines "dressed down" very often!

Tuesday we received a large truck full of food from Johannesburg for missionary supplies. Originally it was going to come in a bakkie (pick-up), but there was way too much.  Instead we got half of a large almost semi-sized truck.  Originally it was going to be unloaded at the office -- haul everything up to the second floor.  Instead we decided to take it all to one of the local chapels.  Much better choice!  Lots more space, and only a half flight of stairs.  We had seven Elders and four Senior missionaries to do the unloading and sorting.  

Sue likes to do this organization stuff.  She had made signs to put around the walls of the Cultural Hall on where to put each kind of food -- flour/sugar, canned goods, fruits, veggies, pasta, cereal, etc.  

Once it was all unpacked and sorted, pairs of people were given a "grocery list" for each boarding (apartment.)  They took one bag of oranges, 3 cans of beans, 2 bags of rice, etc, etc, etc.  We made piles in the middle of the room for each boarding.  Once those were all done we decided who was going to take it where.  It was a lot of food!

One blessing was that the Hubrichs were going up to Hillcrest that afternoon and already had plans to go up to Richards Bay the next day--about 2.5 hours north.  They could deliver to the six boardings up that direction.  But there was no way they could get all that food into their little Toyota Corolla.  One boarding would fill the trunk, another would fill the back seat.  We put the food for Hillcrest and Molweni (close to each other) into their car.  Then we put all the food for those six boardings up north into the Assistant's bakkie.  Hubrichs could drive that on Wednesday.  We divided up the other piles between all those who were there for delivery.  There were 22 boardings all together.  

Everything left over (not much!) was picked up by President and Sister Lines and taken to the Mission Home bunkhouse.  (That's the extra missionary housing at their home.)  It will be saved for future needs.  That is President Lines in the bakkie loading food.  We usually get the young Elders to do that, but they were all gone delivering.

Wednesday was office work in the morning, and then we went out to do a couple of boarding inspections.  That should have been done the week before, but we were a little distracted.  When we arrive, we always invite the Elders to go "shopping" for cleaning supplies out of the back of our car.  These are the KwaDabeka Elders near the Church in Pinetown.  

First we had gone up to Umbhedula in the township north of Pinetown.  We got totally lost.  They live on Nixon Road, just off Reagan Road. [This neighborhood is called Washington Heights.  Who named this after USA Presidents?] Google Maps thinks that Nixon goes through north through a hillside -- but it doesn't.  It took us to the green circle on the map.  Anyway it is a looooong way around to get back to the other end of Nixon where we wanted to be -- see the green line.  

We called the Elders and told them we were lost.  They told us to put the Marianhill Engen petrol station into our maps.  Once we were there, then we'd get the correct directions to their boarding.  Yes!  It worked.  And Sue has since submitted a correction to Google Maps.  We'll see how long it takes them to fix it.

Thursday morning we had Zone Conference--on Zoom, unfortunately.  Because of the uproar the week before, President Lines did not want anyone to plan on traveling for Zone Conferences.  We did not know how long the unrest would last, and we need to keep everyone safe!  We did not do a screen shot of our Conference, but Sister Hubrich did one of the Durban Zone on Friday.  She is as good about taking photos as Ken! 

After Zone Conference we went with the Lines to get our second COVID vaccines.  We are all done!  Hurray!!  There were about three different places we had to wait in a queue--but they had lots of chairs set up, all spread out, so it wasn't too bad.  The whole process took about two hours.  It was longer than before, because just this week they lowered the eligibility age down from 50 to 35.          

When we got to the second of three check-in places there was a little stir because we were not in the computer system.  

We each had our paper proof of the first vaccine, but evidently no one had entered us into the EVDS -- electronic vaccine data system.  They just entered us there, and we were all set.

Ken learned there is an advantage to his Parkinson's induced shuffling walk.   After the last check-in as we were going to wait in the last queue for the actual jab, someone pulled Ken aside and sent him straight to the nurse, and me with him.  They said it was because he is old.  It turned out the man who pulled us out is also a member of our Church in Richards Bay and recognized our missionary name tags.  We were in no hurry and had to wait for the Lines anyway, but we appreciated the thoughtfulness.

We worry about all those in the western USA suffering from the heat and fires.  There are regularly fires around here, too, but they are generally planned.  It is now winter, so fields are being burned regularly.  Friday morning as we looked out the office window we saw the hillside between us and the University of KwaZula-Natal was on fire.  But it just burned down that hill and up to the top of the ridge, and then stopped.  We think they spray fire-retardant along the edges of the planned fire.  It burned all the grasses but left the large bushes and trees. It is a large nature preserve between us and UKZN.

Friday evening we went to dinner with the Hubrichs at Lupas -- the favorite Italian restaurant in Westville.  We forgot to take a photo of the good food, but did a picture looking in the mirror on one wall, with the restaurant name behind us.  Then flipped the photo backward, so the name looks right in the mirror.  The miracles of modern phone/cameras!

Saturday we did an airport run for President Lines, as he had other obligations.  

First, we saw off Elder Ntusi.  He is from Ezakheni--about 2.5 hours west of Durban.  He is starting his mission in Johannesburg.  He was brought to the Mission Home on Saturday morning by a driver so that President Lines could set him apart.  That is a special blessing that makes him a Missionary for Jesus Christ for the next two years.  He has an older brother who is serving right now as a Missionary in Botswana.  We then took him to the airport.  He had never been to an airport before, let alone on a plane.  He thought the airport was huge.  It is actually pretty small compared to some we have been in.  We told him to wait and see how much bigger Johannesburg airport is!

Then just after we saw Elder Ntusi off through security, we walked from Departures to Arrivals in time to welcome Elder Masenya, arriving from Johannesburg to start his mission with us in Durban.  We brought him to our West Victoria building and put his belongings into the MTC boarding in our building where he will live for the next two weeks.  Then we took him out to lunch and grocery shopping.  It is a new thing for many of these Elders to shop and cook for themselves!  Sue showed him how to make a menu list for the week, and then use that to make a grocery list.  The Elders only get about $75 every two weeks for groceries, so they have to live frugally.  It's a good learning experience.  His companion, Elder Tom, is coming from the Eastern Cape, south of Durban.  He will arrive on Monday evening.

The Elders are burning through electricity, as we have a real cold snap here.  Highs in mid-60's in Durban, and mid-40's out west are very unusual.  I guess we're sending all our warm weather to western USA.  [Sorry about that.]  Sue had to go to the office this afternoon because she was missing a pre-paid electricity PIN for one boarding.  She locked herself in!  She could not figure out how to get the security gate open from the inside.  Ken had to walk over, and she dropped the keys out of the second story window to him in the basement parking lot so he could come in and open the gate from the outside.  She is home and the Elders out in Bloemfontein have more electricity, and all is well.

Since we didn't get our P-day on Saturday, as usual, we are going to take it tomorrow.  More about that next week!

NOT quiet! -- Week 75

Last week we said it was quiet.  This week definitely was not.  Lots of news this week.  Any of you who watch the international news know that South Africa, especially the area around Durban, has had a week of civil unrest.  We are glad to report that the difficulties have mostly died down and we are fine.  We don't know who made this video, but it celebrates today as Nelson Mandela Day and what he stood for.

But at the beginning of the week we weren't so sure the week would end this way.  Thank you for all your prayers!  The South African Council of Churches includes Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, and other faiths.  They all together declared today a day of Prayer for Peace on Nelson Mandela Day in South Africa.  On the announcement, they quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14

South Africa needs some healing right now.

-----

We live in a neighborhood with one entrance that splits into three cul-de-sac roads.  Each goes down the ridge of a hill into a very wooded/jungly valley.  We call it MGM -- Mottramdale, Grace and Monarch, after the names of the roads.  It is very much a mixed-ethnicity area, all loyal to the democracy of South Africa.  Lots of Arab and African Moslems, but also many Hindu and Christian Indians, as well as Christian Whites and Blacks. 

At the bottom of the map you can see the large Westwood Mall.  Behind that down the hill is Westwood Estates--a very large modern apartment complex.  

Where the red square is on the map, we now have a neighborhood watch 24-hour guard, and at least one of the men is legally armed.  The street has small barricades that make you slow down to get through.  No one comes into the neighborhood without their permission.  We have had strangers try to sneak in.  Yesterday a man said he was there to read water meters.  He was escorted down the street by a guard's car.  He drove in and right back out again.

We walked up to the entrance to see the setup, and as you see we collected trash in a black plastic bag.  While other areas were truly trashed this week, here it was mostly the neighborhood monkeys that constantly scatter trash whenever they get a chance.

The nearby mall has been closed since last Sunday.  Because of our neighborhood protection it is one of the notable ones that was not looted at all.  

The problems started last Monday.  That night some of the men in the neighborhood did a patrol, but not too organized.  Tuesday there was a meeting at the K-12 Islamic school at the corner of Grace and Mottramdale led by our next-door neighbor Muhammed the neighborhood president. 

About 40 people showed up, mostly men.  They organized into three-hour shifts at the top of the neighborhood, and at the bottom of each road.  Monday night there had been strangers in the woods down the valley trying to get to the mall. They were flushed out by our watchmen.

That meeting ended at about the time for afternoon prayers at the school mosque, so the Moslem men were invited in for that.  Elder Hubrich, the Church Humanitarian Service Missionary who lives downstairs from us, announced that he would like to lead a prayer with everyone else who was there, and he gave a wonderful prayer for peace and safety.

We have an online WhatsApp chat group for the neighborhood, and it has been VERY busy this week.  On Friday morning, Elder Bascom, one of the Mission President's Assistants who lives in our building posted this to the group:

Good morning :)

My name is Elder Bascom. I live on Mottramdale. I am a representative of Jesus Christ here. I left my home in America to come and serve in South Africa and teach people and uplift those around me. We see now that there is much turmoil in our country, and I have tried to cope and deal with watching good people get their homes and businesses destroyed and their livelihood ruined. It didn't make sense, it seemed unfair. In my study of the scriptures today I found something that I found extremely touching. (Disclaimer: my intent is to spread love and hope. Not my religion. I feel as though we can find commonality in these verses as we strive to understand God)

We read:

 "34 And they were lifted up in pride, even to the persecution of many of their brethren. Now this was a great evil, which did cause the more humble part of the people to suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction.

35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

So why do bad things happen to good people? To make good people better!! Through the sanctification of their souls. Through fasting and prayer. Though faith in God and yielding our hearts to him. May we grow in humility, in faith in whatever form that takes, and trust in the sanctification process. These trying times will only make us better. If you need a prayer, a message of hope, or a listening ear give us a call please, we would be happy to help. God bless 🤍

A few days later one of the neighbors contacted Elder Bascom asking to learn more...

We love that so many people in South Africa are people of faith.  Sister Hubrich took a photo of this car recently, and we all love it.

We have seen so many miracles this week.  We can't even write them all.  The most personal to the mission is the Hubrichs.  They came just three weeks ago, and their mandate is to find places where they can partner with local organizations and offer help as needed.  The Church does this all over the world.  In Africa a huge emphasis has been on digging wells and piping water in rural areas.  There is also a world-wide effort to donate wheelchairs.  We saw that in Russia, and it is happening here also.  But, there have been no new projects since the Lunds were evacuated out with us in March 2020.  They worked from home in the USA to finish up where they could.  The Hubrichs came hoping to make some connections and start new projects.  This unrest has brought out all those organizations that serve the needy to work together.  The Hubrichs have managed to connect with several in surprising ways over the last few days.  

We were standing in line on Friday morning for groceries.  One of the women managing the line stopped to talk.  She is on the board of a large non-profit that houses 400+ physically and mentally handicapped adults, and provides day-school for 700+ disabled children.  That was a connection that the Hubrichs probably would not have found in another place!  They exchanged phone numbers and email and will more formally connect next week.  There were other fortuitous connections made  at other places.

The grocery lines were amazingly long on Thursday and Friday.  This one went on for about three blocks. And once you got in you were limited to 15 items. We drove by on Thursday, but there was no place to park within a half mile of the mall, so we gave up.  

We came back at 6:30 am on Friday because they said there was a pensioners line -- for us senior citizens -- starting at 7:30 before the Checkers and Woolworths stores opened at 8:30.  But the store opened late, and they let the people who had numbers from the day before in first.  That was those who were still in line when the store closed.  

Sister Hubrich stayed in another, shorter line at Pick N Pay.  She mostly bought items for two other flats in our building where people cannot get out at all.  This is across the street from a girl's high school.  Traffic calming is their word for speed bumps.

Long line into a store, going past a recently burned-out car.

Friday afternoon there was a meeting for the whole neighborhood and 100+ people showed up.  They talked about short and long term plans.  The neighborhood has also arranged for food trucks to bring in bread, milk, flour, etc.  It is distributed from the school.  We don't need anything, but the four young Elders who live in our building went over to help unload a semi full Saturday afternoon.

President Lines has been doing Zoom meetings with the four senior couples.  Two are here in Durban.  One is 2.5 hours west in Ladysmith.  The other is eight hours west in Bloemfontein.  Those last two cities are just fine.  Everything is normal.  

So, the Van Heerdens in Ladysmith made arrangements with a Church member there to order a bunch of food for Durban.  The woman runs a store, so has access to wholesalers.  They dropped a load of staples at the Van Heerden's home in Ladysmith on Friday afternoon.  On Saturday we drove half-way to Ladysmith.  

There's a great restaurant in the middle of nowhere called The Windmills.  They grow their own vegetables and meat.  We did a little shopping and got some great sourdough bread.

The restaurant was closed, but take-out was open.  We took Elder Kholobile and Elder Hill with us because we wanted a Black South African just in case there were any issues.  Van Heerden's are Afrikaans South African.  On Monday the rioters and their leaders had burned 32 trucks with semi trailers on the highway we were traveling.  But by Saturday there was no sign of any of it.  The roads were all clear.  Traffic was light, but there were lots of trucks on the highway going both directions.  It is the main road between Durban and Johannesburg -- like I-5 between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

We met, had lunch, and then each drove the other's bakkie home.  

Theirs was full of food coming to The Windmills.  Our new one was thus full of food leaving to go back to Durban.  It was slick and easy.  The trucks all belong to the Mission, so it doesn't really matter who has which one.  We brought the food back to the Mission Home for storage, except for nine loaves of fresh bread, nine liters of fresh milk, and 17 packages of 60 eggs each.  The milk and bread we shared out to local missionaries in a hurry.  The eggs are in the office and will be distributed on Monday, when we are also getting a shipment of food from Johannesburg.  Should we have future food issues we have direct connections with a wholesaler, the Church's area office in Johannesburg, and with Pick N Pay.  (The bishop of one of the local LDS wards here is the CEO of the company in KZN province!)

Friday Elder Hubrich got home about 6pm and realized he had wanted to collect wood for the fires for those standing watch  all night.  We got together and took two Elders and went into the woods behind our house, gathered wood, and piled it into the back of the bakkie.

The problem was that it was dark.  Sue was carrying a lantern but couldn't hold that and carry wood, too.  Then she realized she was wearing a favorite very long scarf.  She tied the lantern around her neck and then could carry a big pile of sticks up out of the gully, around the building and up two flights of stairs to the bakkie.  When we had a good pile we drove it to the front gate.  The watchers were quite appreciative.

Early in the week we were takng our daily walk all inside our gate.  It's a good workout!  Ken decided to show off and he ran up the hill -- twice!  Elder Hubrich did it five times, and then walked it five times.  But he is also a marathon runner.  Ken measured, and the hill is a 16% grade.

Some Mission things went on normally this week.  We had our usual Thursday Zoom meeting of the social media group.  Elders Odundo and Russell came to join us.  They normally live out in south Pinetown/Umbhedula.  But they had no electricity for three days, so moved into the empty MTC flat in our building.  They have now gone back home.

Oh yes, the MTC!  We were supposed to have two Elders from Johannesburg and Cape Town join us to start their Missionary Training Center work on Tuesday.  But on Monday the freeway between us and the airport was blocked by rioters, so their MTC work has been delayed for a bit.  We are not quite sure when they will come -- probably on the next Transfer date in six weeks.

This shutdown has not stopped the missionary work.  The Elders are all still teaching like crazy on the phone.  But we have really terrible cell service to our building down in the valley.  The Assistants who live upstairs from us often sit out on the back of their bakkie to teach via phone.  Better reception up there.  And today we attended a baptism in Maseru, Lesotho via Zoom.  

We did well at the beginning of the week, eating sparingly in case our food had to last a long time.  Ken lost five pounds.  Since then, not so well keeping to a diet.

Breakfast today -- above mentioned sourdough bread French toast with blueberry syrup.  Yummy!

Our neighbor, Elizabeth, made us donuts again.  She brought the Hubrichs about two dozen, and us six.  They all got shared with the men guarding the street, and some others in our building who cannot get out much.  And then Sister Lines came by with some of her amazingly decorated cupcakes.  She is an artist, as we've mentioned before.

And in other wonderful news:  Ken has been working for several years with the Iowa Mormon Trails Association to put a plaque up near the spot where Mary Ann Morris Allen, first wife of Daniel Allen, his great great grandfather, died and was buried in an unmarked grave along a trace of the Iowa Mormon Trail.  The monument is in place and will be dedicated in a ceremony on August 7 as part of the 175th anniversary commemoration of the Iowa Mormon Trail.  The event is generating a lot of publicity and will be video recorded by a professional team for posterity.  More at iowa-latter-day-saints.org and on Facebook at "Iowa Mormon Trails Association" where the backstory is found.

Quiet -- Week 74

Another week speeds by...

The week began with not much of anything exciting.  Because South Africa is mostly on lock-down we just stayed home and went to the office.  Wednesday we were the only ones in the office the entire day.  Usually people are in and out, or we get deliveries, or something.

We did go out on Thursday for Boarding (apartment) Inspections.  Hard to believe it has been six weeks since we last did this.  We are starting in again, and this time we are teaching the Hubrich's the system.  They are going to take over inspecting Durban Zone, and we will do Hillcrest.  This means that President and Sister Lines do not have to do these anymore.  They have enough other things on their plate!

First stop was Bluff to visit Elder Naisbitt and Elder Hokanson, with the Hubrichs on the left.

The Bluff flat is really tiny -- bed on the left, desk on the right in the living/bedroom, and the same setup at the other end of the room for the other Elder.  But the bathroom is almost as big!  Double sinks, big shower.  Interesting place.  And in a very pretty area.  

We drove home the scenic route -- going northeast along the harbor side of the bluff, then out to the ocean side to go southwest and head home.

We saw the lighthouse on the bluff, too.

Second stop was Queensburgh with Elder Otina and Elder Birkeland.  We love their big sunny windows.

Third stop was Chatsworth with Elder Odhiambo and Elder Hanson Evans.  (We have two Elders Evans in the mission right now.)

Elders Otina and Odhiambo are both from Kenya and just got their visas and came to us at the beginning of June.

Our big trip this week was out to Mpumalanga (the township, not the province).  Elder Mbonyana has had a cold, and the weather has been cold.  He was requesting another blanket.  We were going to drive out to give it to him -- about 40 minutes west -- on Friday, but there were a lot of demonstrations and mini-riots going on, with highways blocked, etc.  The ex-President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, was put in jail on Thursday for contempt of court because he is refusing to testify in the corruption trial of some of the people he worked with as President.  The USA is not the only country with ex-President problems...

We enjoyed the uneventful trip, and Elder Mbonyana is feeling better.  His companion, Elder Bly, just arrived in the Mission two weeks ago, but he says he adjusting well to beautiful Africa.  They live in the apartment building on the right that overlooks a wide area.

Sue's big accomplishment this week is that the South Africa Durban Mission Annual History for 2020 was submitted!  Hurray!!  She tried to do each month as it passes.  Things got a little behind, but now May 2021 is almost finished, and June will get done next week.  It is nice to have some quiet days in the office.

We had one minor sad trip this week.  We had to go pick up this car from a companionship that has lost their driving privileges.  They accidentally ran into the basketball standard pole in the church parking lot.  They were going straight ahead!  The bonnet (front hood) has a major dent. This is considered a preventable accident.  So it was minor, but they are not driving for three months.  The co-driver (companion passenger) is always considered equally responsible.  "Backseat driving" is not only allowed, but preferred!

We went out for our daily walk and the monkeys were everywhere, of course.  We had to take a few photos for the grandkids.

Mom is grooming baby.

This tree has about six monkeys in it.  They are mostly too hard to see.  Right after Ken took the photo, one of them went way up high on the bare branches.

The South African President Ramaphosa spoke this evening on national TV.  We have another two weeks, at least, of lockdown, which is what we expected.  So Zone Conferences beginning this week will all be over Zoom.  Boo Hoo.  But we will carry through, as will the country.