16 September 2007

Dear Family and Friends:

We just returned from the Margate Branch, the southernmost branch of our mission. Margate is right on the beach, and surrounded by hills covered with sugar cane fields. We have finally started getting a little rain, and things are greening up at an almost alarming rate! It was beautiful.

The branch boundaries include a school for the deaf, and there are several young deaf members. We drove down with Hunter and Morgan on Saturday, to participate in a Young Men activity: go karting at "Kart Freaks"(!). The branch president awarded me the "Most Docile Driver" award, as I allowed everyone to pass me - and good thing, too, because even with that, one of the Young Men ran right into me - and the go karts here are not luxury cars, so I am just a bit sore! We were also 'specially invited to learn "I am a Child of God" in sign language, to perform with the deaf members in sacrament meeting. It was fun, although probably unintelligible.

One of the deaf priests led the opening song. He laid one hand on the electric keyboard, which helped him keep with the accompanist. He would glance at the sister who led the rest of the hymns, to be sure he was still on the right beat. It was pretty impressive. The elders who work in Margate Branch learn sign language, to interpret for the members. We have one there just now who learned VERY quickly: he says he has the "gift of hands". By the end of a three hour block, he's exhausted. Some words can use a sign, but others need to be spelled out, like Redeemer, and Mosiah, and other less used words.

One sister cited King Benjamin's comments on the connection between doing service and retaining a remission of our sins (Mosiah 4:24...) and spoke about the miracles she saw when she volunteered at a special needs school. She had been a ballet and tap teacher for many years, and when she heard that a man whose daughter she had taught had built a school and donated it for the use of handicapped children, she offered to teach there one day a week. The students ranged up through teenagers, and included children with cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome, etc. The principal called it a dance class: she called it movement, as the children were so limited in their abilities. The breakthroughs children made who hadn't been able to count, or cross their midline, or even walk, were amazing. And the closest she could come to describing the feelings she had as she watched these blessings happen, was the way she felt after she was baptized. Continued service(and of course missionary work!) = continued remission of sins. So there's the challenge for the week!

This last week we finished our second transfer cycle, which means we gained 9 wonderful new missionaries, and lost 2 seasoned elders. Among our new missionaries was a sister from the Ivory Coast, Sister Angaman, who spoke only French when she entered the MTC 4 weeks ago. She'll be learning both missionary work AND English while she's here. Sister (get ready for it) Ravolazafindrafaitra is from Madagascar and although her native languages are Malagasy, followed by French, she also speaks English. Most of our Malagasy missionaries also have to learn English here.

We also received our first German, Elder Waterbohr from Hamburg (Scott Minert's ward!) and our first Polynesian: Elder Ta'aga from Long Beach. He is Tahitian/Samoan, an excellent football player and a high school chess champion, so we were happy to see Hunter and Morgan immediately take him as their new role model. He was also assigned in our area, so they'll get to see him a little. This
group also included Elders Schwarting, Hart, Fowler, Maxongo (the x is pronounced like the noise you make to get a horse to hurry up) and Elder Parker, who is (ta da!) a cousin of some sort: he is descended from the Hooper, Utah Parkers, probably my great-great-uncle George. I plan a visit to the Family History Center to pinpoint it. It was amazing to see the difference between this group and the first group: not how amazing the missionaries were, since all of them are amazing, but how nice it is to have missionaries who are awake and excited, instead of jet-lagged! They actually stayed awake for all the training, and were absolutely burning to get out and proselyte!

The third school term is ending next week, so we should have our first report card. Hunter keeps telling us how easy the work is, so the moment of truth is upon him. In art they were supposed to do a carving out of soap, and gave up pretty easily, so the teacher said they could do something else. They chose mosaics, so Hunter made an American flag (with artistic licence: one star) and Morgan is finishing up a BSU logo. I've made several trips for more ceramic tiles in the process, and learned a whole new set of neighborhoods and places you can turn around if you miss the correct road. I saw a sign for a Japanese garden on one of those u-turns: I'll have to go visit it one day. We used to take the older kids to a park in San Jose that had rides, and a Japanese garden, so it brings back fond memories.

We'll be losing 3 couples and gaining only 2 over the next few months, so everyone start working on your missionary papers! The branch president in Margate would love to have a couple - and it would be a great place to spend 18 months (or preferably, 23). And you could learn a new language! (signing)

We are a little lonesome for the family today, as our niece Jessie Mitchell will be reporting on the mission she served in Kirtland, and our new grandson Brody Wilson Moncivais is being blessed. It would be nice to "beam" to Heber for just a few minutes - but then we'd be worrying about our missionaries, so I guess we'll just be contented with our lot - and send lots of love to everyone.

We also send huge congratulations and best wishes to our 2 newest family missionaries: Doug Bauman going to Ireland, and Jordan Parker to South Korea. You will have a wonderful time! (And still be home before we are. Hmmm...) On the other hand, I will have to pry Steve out of here with a crowbar: he is really in his element.

This week starts a round of zone conferences, followed by a 2-day couples conference at a nearby private game preserve (hippos, and wildebeasts, and wart hogs, oh my!). The boys will be out of school that week, so they'll be coming to the preserve with us, and each bringing a friend, board games, the Playstation 3, the football, the rugby ball, and cell phones: true children of nature. I do plan to drag them on a game drive or 2, however!

For those trying to reach us, my email is durbanmanns@gmail.com, though I don't promise to respond very quickly! Our mailing address is P.O. Box 1741, Wandsbeck 3631, South Africa. The physical address is 8 Windsor Avenue, Westville 3630, South Africa.

Love to everybody,
Susan/Mom/Sue
ps Got referrals?