Our first week in Durban

July 9, 2007

I guess it's time to stop and take a breath and remember what happened this first week in the mission - before it gets buried under what happens the 2nd week in the mission!

Our first step was the flight from Salt Lake to Atlanta. No problem.
2nd step, Atlanta to Johannesburg (17-1/2 hours). The only glitch here was spotting our luggage on the tarmac as the plane was backing out. We grabbed a flight attendant, and they actually stopped the plane, and put on the luggage.
3rd step, a mad dash through Customs in Johannesburg, and the domestic terminal to (barely) make our flight. The good news was the best meal we'd had the whole time.
Finally, we arrived in Durban, to be met by the missionaries and President & Sister Brock. They seem to send very tall missionaries to this mission - most of the American elders are 6'1"-6'9", even!

The house is very comfortable - Kitchen, dining room, living room (known as the Testimony Room), a bedroom for each of the boys, the General Authority bedroom, a bathroom, and the masterbedroom and bath. No one ever uses the front door, so they all come in to the family room. There are bars on all the windows, and gates on all the doors. We leave the family room door open while we're home, and lock up the door and gate at night. There's also a wall with 6 strands of electric wire on top, around the house, and an electric gate. The yard lights stay on 24-7, and there is a guard on the street. Think they might be worried about crime? Morgan asks every elder if he has ever been "jumped". He was morbidly delighted to find one who had been (not seriously) stabbed in an attempted robbery. The elder thought he had only been hit, and whapped the guy with his water bottle and the guy ran off. It wasn't until his companion saw blood that they realized what had happened. Keep your tetanus shots up to date!

Saturday proved to be a day of sightseeing, jet lag and drama. I can't share all the details, but they included a sister sent home early from another mission, trying to convince her friend, a sister in our mission, to go home with her to Johannesburg. Activities over Saturday and Sunday included missing cars, missing sisters, barricaded doors in the mission office, sneaking our sister out of the mission office, through the misison home and out to the street to be whisked away by some other sister missionaries, and putting the stalker on the plane to Johannesburg. The assistants said this isn't the usual drill...\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Sunday we went to the Pinetown Ward, where we were invited to bear our testimonies during the fast and testimony meeting. The boys have yet to say a word officially, although they have a great time with the elders. Hunter and Morgan actually like the ward! The youth all meet together for Sunday School, and the Aaronic Priesthood all meet together. This week's challenge is getting them to pass the sacrament on Sunday. It's very hard to tell how old anyone is - most of the kids are small, and look much younger than they are.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>We are now watching a lot of rugby - everyone immediately tells the boys they will be great players. This is, of course, if we can get them to school next week: they just learned that for the next two terms they'll have to wear shorts, and they are protesting. I suspect as few bribes will be needed. Starting in January they will be in Grade 9 and can wear long pants, or longer shorts - it will be very hot, so I think they'll choose the shorts. We go in on Monday (the first day of school) for interviews and getting uniforms, as the office is closed during the school holiday.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Our African wildlife, at least around the house, consists of hadida birds, very loud, early in the morning and at sundown; geckos (we've only seen one as it's winter); lizards in the garden; and monkeys! They visit once or twice a week. For the really wild stuff we'll have to visit private game preserves.\n",1]
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Saturday proved to be a day of sightseeing, jet lag and drama. I can't share all the details, but they included a sister sent home early from another mission, trying to convince her friend, a sister in our mission, to go home with her to Johannesburg. Activities over Saturday and Sunday included missing cars, missing sisters, barricaded doors in the mission office, sneaking our sister out of the mission office, through the misison home and out to the street to be whisked away by some other sister missionaries, and putting the stalker on the plane to Johannesburg. The assistants said this isn't the usual drill...

Sunday we went to the Pinetown Ward, where we were invited to bear our testimonies during the fast and testimony meeting. The boys have yet to say a word officially, although they have a great time with the elders. Hunter and Morgan actually like the ward! The youth all meet together for Sunday School, and the Aaronic Priesthood all meet together. This week's challenge is getting them to pass the sacrament on Sunday. It's very hard to tell how old anyone is - most of the kids are small, and look much younger than they are.

We are now watching a lot of rugby - everyone immediately tells the boys they will be great players. This is, of course, if we can get them to school next week: they just learned that for the next two terms they'll have to wear shorts, and they are protesting. I suspect as few bribes will be needed. Starting in January they will be in Grade 9 and can wear long pants, or longer shorts - it will be very hot, so I think they'll choose the shorts. We go in on Monday (the first day of school) for interviews and getting uniforms, as the office is closed during the school holiday.

Our African wildlife, at least around the house, consists of hadida birds, very loud, early in the morning and at sundown; geckos (we've only seen one as it's winter); lizards in the garden; and monkeys! They visit once or twice a week. For the really wild stuff we'll have to visit private game preserves.
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>I apparently amazed everyone by driving on Tuesday - the boys and I have gone to the grocery store, and the mall, with only a few turnarounds. Hunter makes a great navigator: Morgan likes to get me lost, or onto the freeway (which feels more like a state highway). Traffic is not bad, but I always have to remind myself to keep to the left, and watch for traffic on my right. I drive the Peugeot, which is automatic. The other mission cars are all standards.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Wednesday was a whirlwind of Meet the President and his Family zone conferences. We met 5 zones here in Durban - we shook hands with everyone, had a meeting where we introduced our family, present and absent, and then took a group picture. Morgan and I had made sugar cookies, which were a hit. Then we drove northwest around 3 hours to Ladysmith, where we met one zone, including Joyce Jones' sister Marilyn and her husband Dave. It was COLD up there - frost on the ground in the mornings, and the homes very chilly. Marilyn was wearing her boots.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Then another hour to Newcastle, where we met the misisonaries from Newcastle and Swaziland. We had a pizza dinner brought in there, and birthday cake for Elder Dibbs (his wife is from Owyhee, by Nyssa). Then we stayed in a cottage at a bed and breakfast. The main house there is on the historic registry, as it belonged to the British author Rider Haggard (King Solomon's Mines? Alan Quartermain?). It was very nice - fit all the African images - but too short. Breakfast included the traditional fried tomato (not green).\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Friday night was an open house at the mission home, where we met some of the local church leaders. Several of the couple missionaries were there, as well. Our not-yet-member neighbors came, from across the street, and I was disappointed that no one seemed to chat with them except Steve and me and the office couple, the wonderful Dalebouts. After all, this is the mission home! And these were the leaders! Everyone had "Church business" to go over, I guess, just like home. Good awakening!\n",1]
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I apparently amazed everyone by driving on Tuesday - the boys and I have gone to the grocery store, and the mall, with only a few turnarounds. Hunter makes a great navigator: Morgan likes to get me lost, or onto the freeway (which feels more like a state highway). Traffic is not bad, but I always have to remind myself to keep to the left, and watch for traffic on my right. I drive the Peugeot, which is automatic. The other mission cars are all standards.

Wednesday was a whirlwind of Meet the President and his Family zone conferences. We met 5 zones here in Durban - we shook hands with everyone, had a meeting where we introduced our family, present and absent, and then took a group picture. Morgan and I had made sugar cookies, which were a hit. Then we drove northwest around 3 hours to Ladysmith, where we met one zone, including Joyce Jones' sister Marilyn and her husband Dave. It was COLD up there - frost on the ground in the mornings, and the homes very chilly. Marilyn was wearing her boots.

Then another hour to Newcastle, where we met the misisonaries from Newcastle and Swaziland. We had a pizza dinner brought in there, and birthday cake for Elder Dibbs (his wife is from Owyhee, by Nyssa). Then we stayed in a cottage at a bed and breakfast. The main house there is on the historic registry, as it belonged to the British author Rider Haggard (King Solomon's Mines? Alan Quartermain?). It was very nice - fit all the African images - but too short. Breakfast included the traditional fried tomato (not green).

Friday night was an open house at the mission home, where we met some of the local church leaders. Several of the couple missionaries were there, as well. Our not-yet-member neighbors came, from across the street, and I was disappointed that no one seemed to chat with them except Steve and me and the office couple, the wonderful Dalebouts. After all, this is the mission home! And these were the leaders! Everyone had "Church business" to go over, I guess, just like home. Good awakening!
\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Saturday we did a little Preparation Day activity and checked out yet another mall. It's huge, with a few specialty stores we liked (Fox, for instance), but I don't think we'll go there much. It does have an Imax and what they call wave pools - they're small, and have a hill in them for learning to surf. If the boys get into surfing, it would be a good place to practice. \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>The house has been getting a little testy: one tv, and the XBox broken again. We do have internet, finally, but the router isn't here yet, so the boys have to take turns (imagine that!) and they're friends are only up during the night our time. It will be nice when school starts! (I hope...) We're trying something new: Hunter is making a model Mustang, and Morgan is making a ship. They are actually very cool!\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Sunday we drove to the branch in Mpulanga township and spoke. The counselor who was conducting was 79 years old and seemed much younger. The meetings are SO quiet here. The kids sit still, and no one whispers. Instead of a piano, a girl used a CD player and CDs. It worked out great. The meeting was conducted in English, but the opening prayer was in Zulu. Lots of clicks.\n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>The boys actually wanted to get back to our ward, so we drove right back for the last of Sunday School, and Priesthood. This whole place is hills, so the driveways to the chapels and the houses can be STEEP! (Another reason to be happy for an automatic.) There's even one place called A Thousand Hills. There is an AIDS orphanage there that our ward is trying to help. \n\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>The Church is still true, the missionaries are excited, the members are welcoming, and Morgan and Hunter haven't destroyed each other yet, so all is well.\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Cheers!\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\>Sister President Mann/Susan/Mom\u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n\u003cdiv\> \u003c/div\>\n",0]
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Saturday we did a little Preparation Day activity and checked out yet another mall. It's huge, with a few specialty stores we liked (Fox, for instance), but I don't think we'll go there much. It does have an Imax and what they call wave pools - they're small, and have a hill in them for learning to surf. If the boys get into surfing, it would be a good place to practice.

The house has been getting a little testy: one tv, and the XBox broken again. We do have internet, finally, but the router isn't here yet, so the boys have to take turns (imagine that!) and they're friends are only up during the night our time. It will be nice when school starts! (I hope...) We're trying something new: Hunter is making a model Mustang, and Morgan is making a ship. They are actually very cool!

Sunday we drove to the branch in Mpulanga township and spoke. The counselor who was conducting was 79 years old and seemed much younger. The meetings are SO quiet here. The kids sit still, and no one whispers. Instead of a piano, a girl used a CD player and CDs. It worked out great. The meeting was conducted in English, but the opening prayer was in Zulu. Lots of clicks.

The boys actually wanted to get back to our ward, so we drove right back for the last of Sunday School, and Priesthood. This whole place is hills, so the driveways to the chapels and the houses can be STEEP! (Another reason to be happy for an automatic.) There's even one place called A Thousand Hills. There is an AIDS orphanage there that our ward is trying to help.

The Church is still true, the missionaries are excited, the members are welcoming, and Morgan and Hunter haven't destroyed each other yet, so all is well.

Cheers!

Sister President Mann/Susan/Mom