2007 11 11 - Welcome to the Thrill Ride!

Hi Everyone!
It's hard to know where to start, so much has happened since I last checked in, so find a soft seat and a snack, and I'll try to fill you in.

First, the zone conference tour. It was the first time I'd gone on "The Loop" to Ladysmith, Newcastle, Swaziland and Richard's Bay, and left Hunter and Morgan. We asked the office elders to stay in the boarding on the back of the office, and they woke the boys up in the morning, took them to school, picked them up, and bought them dinner. They also had Family Home Evening together and played Settlers of Zarahemla, which is the latest craze in the mission. Actually, they had a pretty good time without us.

The zone conferences were really great. It's nice when we only have one zone, because it leaves more time to talk to each missionary. The theme this cycle was the atonement, and the skill training was being a missionary "Like Unto Moroni". We showed Bruce R. McConkie's last talk, and a zone leader in each conference gave a talk on what the atonement means to an investigator, and they were GREAT! I think Steve is going to have the missionaries do more and more of the speaking and teaching at conferences - they do an amazing job.

I am putting in some pictures of a few of the places we went. The white building is the old slaughterhouse where one of the "twigs" meets. The other pictures are Swaziland, which is beautiful - hilly like the Durban area, but larger hills - small mountains? - with larger valleys between, so there's more room for farms. I didn't include any pictures of Mbabane, the capital - it's too civilized to look effective!

It's about 4 hours between the different zones, which gets old fast, even with sugar cane fields, tree farms, and green hills to look at. In fact, some of it looks an awful lot like Idaho and Utah - except where it's especially green, and some of the exotic trees. There's even red soil.

We left Monday afternoon, and got back Thursday night. Friday was a 2-zone conference at our Pinetown chapel, and we got home Friday afternoon looking for a brief break, only to spend the afternoon and evening on the phone with Elder Thomas, our Area doctor, dealing with an emergency appendectomy. Steve and the assistants went to the hospital in Durban, and Elder Charlesworth is just fine. In fact, he had laproscopy (could be the wrong word, but it's far less invasive than the normal operation) and came to the last, 3-zone conference the next day in Durban!
We have tough missionaries!

So, the last zone conference on Saturday, then off to Johannesburg on Sunday for the Area Mission Presidents' Seminar with the Area Presidency (Presidents Parmley, Young and Hoelliker) and Elder Richard G. Scott. There were 10 mission presidents and their wives, including the MTC president. It was one of those "small world" meetings:
1. President Hill of the MTC is a cousin of mine, descended from George Washington Hill's brother (I'll get the exact connection).
2. President Bowden of Johannesburg was on Steve's floor in John Hall in Helaman Halls at BYU.
3. Sister Cowan, whose husband is the new Area Director of Temporal Affairs, pulled out a photo of Melinda, Jordan and Parker (my brother Dave's kids) and her two children, who are all best friends.
4. We knew the Egans of Cape Town because of frequent phone calls over our "stalker" earlier this year.
5. The Livingstones (DRC), Taylors (Kenya), and Christensens (Uganda) were all at the MTC with us.
6. The Packards of Mozambique had connected with Steve previously and he was involved with the project they were running in Mozambique before their call.
7. President Koelliker and his wife (Area Presidency) know and asked me to say hello to Carolyn, Nancy, Margaret, and Richard and various of their family members.
8. Parmleys had been in Durban for our first mission tour, Elder Scott set Steve apart, and we'd met Elder Young in our first training at April Conference.
But Sister Young, the Besters of Zimbabwe and the Gayas of Mozambique were new...

It was, obviously, pretty comfortable and very fun. Sister Taylor was SO happy to see a few familiar faces! And we all liked comparing experiences, and learning from each other. And from the Area Presidency, and especially from Elder Scott. I remember when he was called to be an apostle: we were living in California, and he was one of the first apostles called whom I didn't either know, or know about. He came to a stake conference, and I came out thinking "He is so GOOD!" And I mean good as in righteous and wholesome, in addition to good as a speaker. I could hardly believe it when Steve told me his profession was designing nuclear submarines!

His training was wonderful, and centered on the atonement, and trusting the missionaries, as he gave suggestions on how he would teach missionaries various doctrine and skills. He very kindly corrected errors in understanding, and seemed to just talk, not lecture. He interviewed each couple for about 15 minutes, and made you feel like you were wonderful and it was an honor for HIM to know YOU. Wow...

Then, like Nephi coming down off the mountain to find Laman and Lemuel quarreling, we started getting calls from the mission Tuesday night. The assistants had the bokkie (pickup) full of furniture for a new boarding, up in Empangeni Township near Richard's Bay. They were rear (and side?) ended, but OK. As the bokkie stopped it's turn and they sat up to take stock of the situation, the cellphone rang. Without even taking off his seatbelt, Elder Hyatt answered. It was Elder Beazer in Richard's Bay, reporting a carjacking. Elder Hyatt and Elder Larsen said they'd call him back...

So, the carjacking: Elder Ricks, and Elder Parry (one of our BRAND new elders) came out of a discussion in Empangeni to be met by two men with guns, who ordered them to open the car. They took the elders to Esluweni, a neighboring township, and left them there. (I should add that during the car ride, Elder Ricks explained to the carjackers that they were breaking the Ten Commandments, but could be forgiven through true repentance...) When the carjackers dropped them off, the elders had to hand over a credit card and the cellphone, but were allowed to keep their scriptures, and the K-report (which is the card they keep track of mileage on, for Elder Dalebout!). They weren't sure where they were, in the dark, but eventually found the building the ward meets in, and from there went to a member's home and called the Beazers. They were totally unharmed.

Amazingly, a day and a half later, the car was found. It is apparently muddy and dented, but we can't believe it was found! We assume it was because Elder Ricks' lesson softened the robbers hearts, so he gets credit for two more contacts for that day.

We got home Wednesday, to receive a call from the stake president in Soweto. The father of Sister Shoba, another BRAND new missionary, had come out while her father was ill, and he had passed away. She is a very spiritual person, and actually knew it had happened before any of us got word. In the first sadness, she was ready to pack up and go home; the area presidency decided to let her go to the funeral (Soweta is not far) and help her mother deal with things, and she'll be back on Monday. To stay, we really hope. She is the very articulate and well-prepared sister I've mentioned before.

So her companion, Sister Essma of Twin Falls (go, Idaho!) was my companion for part of Saturday, at the Durban Stake Conference, and helped me with the auxiliary training I did for Sister Young. We basically put on a Sharing Time, and it was way fun! We also dashed home during the lunch break to laminate some things for Sister Young - I am the only mission president's wife in the Area with my own laminator! Ah, fame...

So today was the main stake conference meeting. None of the chapels are big enough, so we met in the amazing City Hall in downtown Durban. It is apparently an exact replica of the city hall in Dublin, Ireland (according to our Scottish stake president, go figure) and really neat. The meeting was in a very large hall, with a stage, and pipes that looked like the Tabernacle organ! No kidding! It was very well attended, and a very good meeting. The boys are getting very good at meeting people - standing up, shaking hands, responding to the ever asked question: "How do you like South Africa?" Most common response? "It's different."

So, there you have it. It's now Sunday afternoon; Steve is off interviewing someone, and I'm being pressed to help with art homework that is due tomorrow, but "You weren't here to help..." Different continent, same complaints!

We love you lots, and thank you for all your support! Joyce Jones has collected lots of ties for our Christmas Zone conference, and lots of you are doing packages for our African missionaries, as well as goodie packets for everyone. The Parma Young Women are going to help us help fund the Ladysmith youth temple trip, and anyone who feels left out, please send baptismal clothes! Our units are so far apart, it's hard to share them! We can use every size, but especially some large ones (like 2X or 3X) and small and medium ones.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Love,
Mom/Susan/Grandma/Sue/Morgan & Hunter's mom/Sister President Mann...