28 October 2007

Hello, Everyone!


We are sad to announce the departure of some very fine missionaries, including Elder Fish, one of our "starter" assistants, and the Bowens: there's definitely a large opening for a couple to fill! Fortunately, we also got 13 new missionaries, all of whom are wonderful. With such a large group, we had to move orientation from the office conference room to the mission home living room (known as the testimony room, because it hosts so many testimony meetings). For the going and coming dinners we had two tables in the dining room, and the two plastic tables from outside in the testimony room. For overnight, we had 3 elders in the mission home, 2 with the assistants, 2 in the boarding at the back of the mission office, 3 in the assistants office upstairs, and the 3 sisters at a bed and breakfast! There are a lot of logistics involved in transfers!


Two of our recent arrivals need to learn English, so their companions have an extra bit of work to do. Sister Wileman is training Sister Angaman, from Ivory Coast, and she is doing a dynamite job! There are a few suggestions in the language chapter of Preach My Gospel, but they are mainly aimed at missionaries learning a language in the MTC. We got together and made some plans, then Sister Wileman used a lot of creativity and expanded them. Elder Neilsen is training Elder Feliciano from Mozambique, so the 4 of them met to discuss ideas. We learned one thing: elders will never do some of the extra things sisters do! But it's still working out - both the missionaries are teaching successfully, with or without English!



A few weeks ago we had a sisters' exchange for the 3 companionships in Durban. We met at the mission home for a session on perspective - and especially, taking our challenges a little less seriously? The new sister's motto is "And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that...our women...were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings."

After pizza (of course) we mixed up the companionships and sent them out to work. All of them had lots of teaching appointments set up, and when one companionship was "bunked" they spent the time tracting, and taught a lesson off the door. It was a great day. We plan to do it every 6 weeks (just like everything else). Now I've got to figure out what to do for the 2 companionships that are too far away to join in. Any ideas?

This week I'm going on the zone conference loop with Steve. That means 3 nights away, so the office elders are inheriting the boys. They'll wake them up, take them to school, and pick them up after school, as well as taking them to mutual and back on Tuesday. They're also going to share a little fast food (they'll deserve it!). They have actually moved out of the boarding at the back of the office, but they're going to stay in it for the nights we're gone. When we go to Johannesburg the next week for the Area Mission Presidents' Seminar, it will be Assistants' turn. I'll bet they never saw that coming when they accepted their mission calls! I'm looking forward to seeing Swaziland - and all the missionaries, of course. Our theme this time is the atonement, and we owe many thanks to the Montierths and Maughans for helping us get a copy of Elder Bruce R. McConkie's last conference talk, which we plan to show. I don't think these missionaries were even born when he gave it...

The basketball season has started, and Hunter is playing on the A team. South African basketball is a little different than American - lots of running and throwing, very few baskets. They won yesterday, but that's the only bame I'll mention... Morgan has appointed himself team manager, so he goes to all the games, and helps keep score, and tries to keep it quiet that he's not in a sport this term. He just couldn't bring himself to try cricket, and the promise athletics (track) never materialized, except as a kind of optional, no practices or coaching event on Saturdays down in Durban.

They also had 3rd term exams this week (they were let off Zulu, and took an Immigrant's test for Afrikaans, which they think they passed). They claim they did well, so I'll let you know when the scores are in. Teachers administered the tests in subjects they don't teach, and the art teacher who supervised one test told the "C" class that they will never pass their grade 10 exams - they're just too dumb. Nice, eh? I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and hoping it was reverse psychology, but I'm probably wrong.

I'll be sure to post something about zone conferences next Sunday, so I don't forget it all while I'm in Johannesburg the next week!

Love to everybody -
Mom/Grandma/Sue/Sister President Mann/Susan...
xoxoxokzn

ps I was surprised to discover that there is a handful of Halloween in Durban! One or two stores have costumes and decorations, and a few of Hunter's friends actually trick-or-treat at the "gates" in their neighborhood.