Sunday, November 22, 2009

We ran across these impala having a wild time at Tala Game Reserve (and that's ran across, not ran over...)



2009 11 29 - In the thick of a few thin things

Dear Everyone:

The best part of this week was skyping/talking with family for Thanksgiving. (Missionary moms, don't be too jealous: Christmas phone calls are right around the corner!) It's interesting as all our kids get married to join the "holiday shuffle". Who gets them for Thanksgiving? Who gets them for Christmas? Can we work it out so everyone comes home the same holiday, or is he marrying into a family that already has their schedule established? Either our generation stayed home more, or my Mom just never explained this part of being parents-in-law. So this year, in our absence, Hayley and Parker went to Marilyn's in Parma, Logan and Sara went to her grandma's, and Torry and Chris are already with his mom. Steve wasn't actually even here for Thanksgiving dinner - he flew out that afternoon for Johannesburg and meetings with the Area Presidency and the Coastal Coordinating Council. (I saved him a turkey casserole - he likes the leftovers best, anyway.)

The worst thing of this week was talking to Grandma Mann on the phone. Not because I don't like talking to Grandma, but because she was in the hospital after another fall, and couldn't be home with everyone for Thanksgiving. She was moved on Thanksgiving Day to a rehab care center - and is she grumpy about it! - so I hope things will be picking up soon. It's tough to be 90. At least she had lots of people around to visit her.

We had a lot of minor challenges in the general category of "medical" this week - including some "first time THAT ever happened!" incidents. Example: We've had to repair or replace three pairs of glasses this week; one pair was dropped, and when the elders drove back to find them, they drove over them...

An elder was worried that he had appendicitis, and it turned out to be flu. And if you're thinking "What a ridiculous thought - what's the likelihood of appendicitis?" - we HAD an elder with appendicitis a few years ago.
An elder got a sting or bite, and his hand swelled beautifully. The doctor gave him something to take down the swelling, and I'm assuming it was just a local reaction, and not a general allergy such as we saw when Elder Waterbohr was stung by a bee (gruesome).

Morgan apparently has a hernia, which is brought on mostly when he's doing "core" exercises at the gym. Unfortunately, Dr. John can't really sort it until he actually sees the "bulge", so on Friday I took Morgan in to the doctor's rooms, where he did situps and leglifts in hopes of getting a reaction from the hernia. Sadly, no bulge, but he did get a good workout! We're now supposed to grab him from the gym or home or school or wherever he is if the bulge appears, and haul him in to the Dr. for appraisal. This, of course, means Morgan will be in pain the whole time, because he can't massage it and push it back into place. Can't wait for this one - I'm sure it will happen during transfer week, just like everything else!

Three elders in Madadeni had to be checked out after falling through a roof (it's ok, the table and chairs took the brunt of it, so their fall wasn't too far). They were doing service, helping with emergency roof repairs, and they're fine - and delighted to have such a great story to tell!

Elder and Sister Knudsen sent this description of the the event: "A band of violent hail moved over the Mathukuza and Madadeni townships and dropped hail of the size between a hardball and a golf ball on the area. Many windshields were shattered in cars, and any car in the open was dented by the hail. (In Madadeni) we saw about 100 to 200 tiles broken on the Church which will leak on the next rainstorm...We then went to Mathukuza to see Lucky (who had called us) and we saw about 50 holes in the roof of his home...We are going back out to help others in need and helping to organize a larger work party from Newcastle and Madadeni Branches to help with the effort if we can get enough supplies to fill the holes and make the roofs tight."

So, this is some of the reality of missionary work in less-developed areas. The missionaries are strengthening roofs as well as lives! And in both situations, you never know what will happen. On the positive side, this is one time we can be happy that so few members have cars...

Hunter, who will take any opportunity he can find to miss school, stayed home on Friday, along with huge numbers of other students, because the Muslim students got it off for Eid al-Adha. This is a major Muslim holiday that commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Traditionally it is a day of prayer, and sheep are killed and the meat given away, especially to the poor. I wasn't in any predominately Muslim areas on Friday, but was told that you can see the activities as you drive around neighborhoods. I would probably deal with the sheep outside, too; kind of messy for the kitchen.

Steve's been kind of tired lately (I'm understanding better why mission presidents serve only 3 years) but the interviews he's doing this week have really perked him up. The elders are almost all working so hard, and being so obedient, and finding such good families to teach; they are amazing. You can all be very, very proud of them! In the office we're working to get everything put together for the all-mission zone conference on December 8th and 9th - the serious stuff will be during the day, and the talent show and goofy zone skits will be after dinner. My mission president used to advise us to work hard and play hard (at the appropriate times) and we'd be better missionaries. I think this zone conference will qualify for both.

Love to everybody!
Mom/Grandma/Sue/Susan/SisterPresidentMann

ps The Johnsons were awakened the other night by a skype call - from their 5-year-old granddaughter Malila, who was "playing on the 'puter" while her parents were busy. This is the same little girl who at age 3 "played" on her father's computer and turned all the desk icons upside down and backwards. With the younger generation getting techno-savvy so young, we're now turning off our computers at night. Calls from family are very welcome - but not at 1 or 3 or 5am!

Langa was baptized this week!


Friday, November 20, 2009

We could all fit into the "Box" to pick up Elder Mbaiwa & Elder Herrity!



Four powerful missionaries moving on: Elders Katende, Sprague, Wright & Potter



Elder Emaneke heads out to build the fledgling branch in Dundee after training our new financial secretary, Elder Farnsworth



1000 Hills Community Helpers (http://www.1000hch.co.za/)



I finally made it to the Durban Botanical Gardens, accompanied by my friend Carol




2009 11 22 - A Small and Delightful Transfer

Dear Friends & Family:

We have had a relatively calm transfer week - due in part to receiving only two new (and wonderful) elders, and losing only old (and powerful) elders. Instead of taking the Box, the bakkie and the Sedona to the airport, we all piled into the Box! We expected 3 suitcases and 2 carry-ons: instead there were only 2 suitcases and 2 carry-0ns - but that was because Elder Mbaiwa's suitcase had been stolen out of the taxi they took to the temple a few days before they left the MTC. Now THAT'S not right! Fortunately we had a donated suitcase, as well as donated shirts, ties, socks & trousers, so he left the mission home well supplied. Now we just have to replace his glasses, and he's ready to go.

Instead of lunch on the mission home patio, we drove to Chatterton and had bunny chows, a chunk of a loaf of bread stuffed with curry. (And when I say "we" had bunny chows I am referring to everyone else - I don't do spicy.) Then everyone else headed back to the office for interviews and training, while my friend Beus and I visited the Durban Botanical Gardens. They were lovely, although I wouldn't have recognized the baobab tree as a baobab tree, without the tag. I guess that's because they don't actually grow at this altitude, in this climate: it must alter their looks.

I took Beus to the transfer meeting so she could see how much the elders enjoy being together - it's always very fun. You can tell right away who came out together, or who have been companions; there's lots of hugging and back-slapping and joking. Afterwards, as the elders were heading back to their areas (with a stop at the Pinetown McDonald's, of course) Beus and I went to Tala Game Reserve to try to find some rhinos and giraffes. We were not successful, but we saw some fun stuff and almost got stuck on a dirt road. Exciting!

Beus and I also had the chance to go out to 1000 Hills Community Helpers and deliver the 101 t-shirt dresses the Beaverton Oregon Young Women made as a service project. Dawn Leppan, who started the project out of her car, giving away food and diapers, kept saying she was "blown over" by the generous gift. She tried a few dresses on little girls, for pictures, but will give most of them out as Christmas presents "So the girls will have something that is new, and all theirs". We walked through the buildings, which include a kitchen where free meals are fixed, a clinic where a "baby" day was going on, a workshop where women can make learn to make things to sell, the nursery and the classroom. The children in the picture are all there because of special needs: HIV/AIDS victims or orphans, rape or abuse victims, and so on. The children with AIDS will live for perhaps 9 years. None of the children stay at the school - they go home to gogos or other homes at night. All that Dawn does is through donations; it was wonderful to be able to deliver the dresses. I wish all the Young Women could have come with us. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

Friday after introducing Beus to Indian schwarmas at the lunch for the zone leader council, I had to take her to the airport. First my sisters, then Beus - I'm a lone woman again. Thank goodness Sister Johnson is working in the office!

This brings me to the weekend and an absolutely fabulous Hillcrest Stake Conference. I wish you could all have been there. In fact, I wish all the members of the Hillcrest Stake had been there! As usual, transport was a problem for a lot of the people in the furthest wards. Pietermaritzburg always brings a busload, which is nice - it's 45 minutes away.

Saturday was a women's session, followed by the priesthood session and the adult session. I was surprised that the women's and priesthood sessions weren't at the same time; it was so that President Wilford could speak at both, and I'm really glad he did! His talk was a real tribute and encouragement to sisters and their talents and abilities and important role in the plan.
He always does wonderful research for his talks, and in this case he had found stories about "unnamed" women in the scriptures. My favorite was the wise woman in 2 Samuel 20 - now there's a powerful woman! I hadn't remembered the story - do you? President Wilford concluded with "He hears your voice even though you think you don't have a name."
For those Young Women leaders out there, Sister Cunningham from Hillcrest Ward gave an interesting suggestion for teaching modest dress. When their daughters wanted to wear revealing clothes, their dad used to tell them "What they can see, they can touch." Scary.

Sister Wilson, stake Relief Society president from Pinetown Ward talked about the theme of the conference, "More Holiness Give Me". She handed out a list of the virtues in the hymn, as divided into groups by Bishop David H. Burton (Ensign, November 2004).
Personal goals: more holiness give me; more strivings within, more faith, gratitude and purity; more fit for the kingdom; more purpose in prayer; more trust in the Lord.
Centered on adversity: patience in suffering; meekness in trial; praise in relief; strength to overcome; freedom from earth stains; longing for home.
Anchor us to the Saviour: more sense of His care; more pride in His glory; more hope in His word; more joy in His service; more tears for His sorrows; more pain at His grief; more blessed and holy; more Saviour like Thee.

She challenged us to pick a virtue in each area to work on - and reminded us to be careful what we want/do more of, and what we want/do less off - because sometimes less is more, and more is less. Something for you to think about...

Sister Wilford gave us a little insight into her husband's past: when he was young, he wanted to be a hurdler. In his first competition he jumped over the hurdles with two feet, and came in "stone last". The other boys laughed at him and teased him (of course) but he went ahead and set up the hurdles after school and practised and practised and practised. As a result, he became so good that if there hadn't been sanctions against South Africa, he would have gone to the Olympics.

She also referred to an article by Larry Hiller, in the June 2009 Ensign. You've probably still got that one laying around somewhere: check out "Hope: The Misunderstood Sister". It's very thoughtful.

OK, back to President Wilford again. He was on a conference recently that was held at a game reserve. They went out one night for a game drive, and came across a pride of 6 or 7 lions, with their kill. The ranger stopped the Landrover, and they watched for several minutes by way of a spotlight. When they were ready to go, the Landrover wouldn't start - the spotlight had run down the battery.

At this point the people in the Landrover got very nervous - and President Wilford is convinced that the lions could sense the fear: that's when the alpha lioness turned and looked at them and started moving closer. (He, by the way, felt pretty safe: he was sitting in the middle, next to a very large man who could be "starters, entree and dessert".) The ranger instructed the group to shine their flashlights into the eyes of the lioness, while he slipped out the other side of the Landrover and pushed it down the (fortunate) incline they were parked on. He managed to start the Landrover, and off they went. Whew!

This story led into the scripture in 1 Peter 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, which now has a lot more meaning to all of us.

Then President Wilford gave a fabulous simile for the way evil can get inside us and change us. He described a spider wasp (Hymenoepimecis) that stings a spider, and while it's paralyzed, lays her egg inside it. The spider continues about it's usual business for 7-14 days, while the newly hatched wasp larva sucks it's "blood". Now get this: the evening of the night when the wasp parasite will kill it (and how does the spider know?) the spider weaves a different kind of web - a cocoon that will protect the wasp pupa until it hatches. The pupa then kills and eats the spider. This is a true, and truly gross story - you can read about it in "A Manipulative Parasitic Wasp" at www.biodiversityexplorer.org/arachnids/siders/manip_wasp.htm (So, is this an educational blogspot, or what?)

This graphic example makes me REALLY not want to let any evil in - for fear of what will eventually come out!

To top off a truly wonderful weekend, Langa Mahaye was batized after the conference. He'll continue attending Pinetown Ward with us, then when we leave he'll switch over to his proper ward, Berea. So, one more person to worry about! Neli, our other recent baptism, wasn't able to come because her birth father died this week, and she went to his funeral in Pietermaritzburg. This has been a month of loss - we had some major rain, and at least seven people died in flood-related incidents, besides the teacher at WBHS who died. Thank goodness for the Plan of Salvation ...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone! There's really a lot to be thankful for!

Love, Mom/Grandma/Sue/Susan/SisterPresidentMann

ps I was sorry to be driving and not taking pictures on Saturday: I passed a bakkie full of goats, pulling an open trailer with wire mesh walls, with a crowd of goats in the bottom, then a wooden platform and another crowd of goats on that.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

2009 11 15 - The Chick Trip (not required reading)

Dear Family and any Friends Who Feel Like Reading a Travelogue:

This week is all about the first trip I've taken with my sisters Margaret and Nancy since - Disneyland and Yellowstone as kids? We also had the pleasure of Carol's (Beus) company, but she and Paul and Steve and I have travelled together much more recently!

The trip started off a little rocky, as I had the wrong arrival info and Margaret and Nancy arrived at Durban Airport and were met - by no one!. They sat in the gradually emptying airport for two hours, reading (they are Hills, after all) until we showed up at 10:00. They were very nice about it.

Sunday was Church at Umlazi BB, followed by another trip to the airport to pick up Beus, and a scenic drive through Durban. Sunday is a far less crowded day to do that! In our second glitch I came down sick, so Monday the three "girls" spent all day on their own with thousands of fish and dolphins and turtles and penguins at uShaka. Rousing success.

Tuesday we set off early and drove all the way north to Tembe Elephant Park (http://www.tembe.co.za/). After a quick lunch we took off for our first game drive, and saw nyala, impala, elephant, duiker, suni, crested guinea fowl, and various birds. It rained part of the drive, and it was almost as much fun to see who would get a shower as we went around corners, as it was to see the animals! The trucks hold 9 passengers, and we shared it with a very knowledgeable couple from Florida who have been on safaris all over the place (very fancy camera) and a couple from England (very quiet).

We returned at dusk, and as Beus and I were walking down the sand pathway to our cabin (#7) we noticed hoofprints. As we arrived at the cabin, we found the source of the hoofprints - two nyala, eating the shrubbery around our porch! We sidled by, took pictures, then left them to it while we went to dinner. The "wild" dish that night was kudu steak.

As we arrived back at the cabin in the pitch dark, with a dim flashlight, we heard noises in the underbrush. The "crack!" of a branch breaking gave it away: now we had an elephant browsing not many yards off the porch. We got the flashlight and could pick out his tusks, and see the trees moving as he pulled down branches. The next morning we could see the trail he had left, including broken branches, dung outside our bathrom window, footprints in the sandy path, stones that lined the path kicked around, branches pulled down over the path... Apparently he wandered around most of the tents through the night. Very cool!

At 6:30 we went on our second game drive, and saw many of the same animals, plus warthog, simango and vervet monkeys, giraffe, zebra and cape buffalo. We moseyed along behind a big old elephant with big tusks for quite awhile as he browsed, and threw dust up on himself to cool off (or kill bugs - not sure). We also saw a gazillion dungbeetles crowded on piles of dung. And a lady dungbeetle catching a ride on the ball of dung her boyfriend was pushing.

After a late breakfast, we headed back south for St. Lucia, which is a World Heritage Site ( www.stluciasa.co.za). We had booked a hippo & croc boat ride, but the company had so overbooked it didn't work out - which turned out OK! We drove into the Wetlands Park instead, and it was beautiful. We saw our first hippos there, reedbuck, waterbuck, and a beautiful view from the top of Mission Rocks, of the Indian Ocean on one side, and Lake Lucia and the wetlands on the other.

We got to the gate just as they were closing at 7pm, and went on to Alfredo's for (sort of) Italian food. Then back to the St. Lucia Wetlands B&B for a short sleep - because we were picked up Thursday morning at 4am for a game drive in Imfalozi Park!

This time there were only the four of us and a couple from the Netherlands. Beus is very handy to have along, because in addition to her delightful personality, and genuine interest in listening to other people's stories, she has also been everywhere in her work for Hewlett Packard - including the Netherlands.

On this drive, we added lions hanging out in trees to cool off, wildebeest, and rhino, including three that were being hassled by some cape buffalo. A young male elephant seemed to have been left behind by the family: we saw him hurrying through the trees on a hill, and parked on a bridge to watch him cross the river. He grabbed a few drinks on the run, but never stopped, and vanished away before we could find the other elephants. Another hightlight: warthogs cooling off in a puddle. They are so ugly, they're cute!

Dinner that night was at a Portugese restaurant called Brasa's, then we slept in(!) until 5, and headed off whale watching. We all put on heavy raincoats and life jackets, then held on like crazy as our boat was pushed off the beach by a tractor, then battled the surf to get out beyond the breakers. It was wild - and Margaret loved it, but two of the rest of our group (no names) got seasick. We followed three male humpbacks as they arched their backs out of the water, showed their tails (each unique, like a thumbprint) and spouted. I don't know how our shouldhavebeenapirate captain kept finding them as they stayed under water for several minutes at a time, but we saw a lot of them. They are really beautiful - and we got really close.

After surviving that wet and wonderful adventure, we had breakfast at the B&B and headed for Durban. We were too tired to go running around in the evening, so we watched Hatari. Nancy and Beus had never seen it, but it's been a family staple for us for years. Anyone who has seen Lost World may remember the dinosaur hunting scene - straight out of Hatari.

As Margaret and Nancy were scheduled to leave Saturday afternoon, we went down to Victoria Street Market that morning, for last minute curio shopping, and over to Essenwood Market just for fun. Then it was lunch at Primi Piatti at Westwood, and off to the airport. Way hectic, way exhausting, way fun, way worth it.

And in the meantime, while we were all off playing? Steve's birthday. Transfer planning. Lots of calls from missionaries with everything from stepping on a nail to shinsplints to a chipped tooth to being hit in the eye by a paintball. A few companionship "tiffs". Langa's baptismal interview (hurray!). Lots of good contacting, service, finding, and teaching. A training visit to Durban by President Osguthorpe (Sunday School) and President Beck (Young Men). News (finally) of an office couple coming in January (!!!!!!!!!!!!!). And all the various and sundry events that make up a mission week.

This is transfer week coming up, so Beus (who is staying on) will see another side of a mission - the part where I actually do mission work? Around the airport and dinners and transfer meetings she is going to try out Ayurveda (Indian) yoga, as well as bunny chows, schwarmas, and malaguenas. The fun never ends!

Love,
Mom/Grandma/Sue/Susan/SisterPresidentMann/Whalewatcher/Gamephotographer/Tourguide

ps Choose the correct answer:
1. An invigilator is that thing Bones uses in Star Trek.
2. An invigilator helps loosen your muscles.
3. An invigilator works for a company that gets rid of rodents.
4. An invigilator is a parent who monitors exams at Westville Boys High School.
You're right: it's #4!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

2009 10 08 - This Week's Happenings

Dear Everyone:

Many congratulations to (former elder) Peter Hodson and his wife Evelyn Tandurum . We wish them all the best, and would love a picture!

Sunday was Durban Stake Conference at City Hall; Elder Usi, our Area Authority Seventy from Kenya, was the visitor. The theme was Exodus 19:5-6, and there was a lot of emphasis on keeping covenants, and going to the temple. It's funny, I don't remember repeated admonitions to attend the temple while living on the Wasatch Front, although I may not have been paying enough attention. It would be interesting to see the percentages of people attending the temple who have one right in town, versus those who have to travel long distances. I have friends who go once a week - but a lot of us were doing well to go once a month. We've been advised by our leaders that the continued commitment and activity of new members is in direct relation to how quickly they get to the temple.

Elder Usi talked about letting the Savior into our hearts, and the marks that would leave:
1. The mark of faith
2. The mark of love
3. The mark of understanding
4. The mark of resolution
5. The mark of obedience
6. The mark of sincerity.
7. The mark of prayer
8. The mark of service
9. The mark of virtue

"These are attributes the Savior will bring to our hearts, to uplift our lives."
We had a 16-year-old youth speaker, Sister Khumalo, who gave as good a talk as any adult I've heard, and a young man just returned from his mission to Ghana: powerful. These former missionaries step into all kinds of leadership roles almost immediately. That's why you hear about branch presidents who've only been in the Church for a few years - with the Church growing so quickly, leaders don't have time to hang around being schooled. They learn by doing, even more than watching

Langa Mahaye came with us, so he had a chance to meet the Durban elders, Bishop Scott, and a few of the young men from Berea Ward. Apparently they have Youth on Friday nights, so that may be our next fellowshipping activity. Hunter is usually up for meeting new Young Women...
We had a very unexpected incident this week. Four of the elders took advantage of an opportunity, and stayed up all night playing Dungeons and Dragons "because it would be fun".This may seem "naughty" (as they say at the high school here - go figure), or "boys will be boys" or a chuckle, but we were astounded!

The focus in the mission the last few months has been "perfect weeks", obedience, living worthy of the Spirit... Elders have been reporting miracles happening in the work, and there's been a great feeling throughout the mission. Then this? It's not just staying up past 10:30, it's the ripple effect on getting up at 6:30, having a full hour of individual study and another full hour of companion study and planning, plus the example for the newer missionaries involved. I guess this is the time to quote Elder LeGrand Richards: "If the Lord had wanted 40-year-old heads on 19-year-old bodies, He would have given them to us!"

Every mission president adds his own three years to the Durban Mission History; it's a booklet missionaries take home when the finish their missions. I've been working on it, and found a great story. It's about Alan & Pauline Hogben, members of the Sandton Ward in the 1970s, when Durban Mission was still part of the South Africa Mission.

The Hogbens were baptized in 1970, and soon started planning to be sealed in the London Temple. It was a huge financial challenge, but they were determined, and to firm up their commitment, then went in for temple recommends. The mission president asked when they were planning to go, and they said in about 2-1/2 years. This was in April of 1972. They were sealed five months later, in September 1972.

They had been told that "the only thing the Lord required of us was to make a commitment, and He would open the doors." They established a stringent budget, and kept household expenses to a bare minimum. Interesting things started to happen, for instance, for months they found a food parcel in their car after church. Years later we learned it was from a sister who knew she could never afford to attend the temple, but by helping us she felt she could participate vicariously in our temple experience."

One evening after sacrament meeting a member gave them R200 - a substantial sum of money in those days. When they asked him why, he said that a man had given his family a gallon of petrol once when they had run out of gas. They had tried to pay him, but he said, "o, just give someone else a gallon when they need it." The brother was just giving his "gallon of petrol" to someone who needed it. At last count, that R200 had contributed to at least four more couple going to the temple. "When we returned from the temple, we gave that R00 to another couple, and they gave it to still another. To this day, we don't know how far that R200 went."

On Tuesday Steve had a meeting with Elder Hill, one of our Area Seventies, and we went to dinner afterwards with Elder and Sister Hill - at Butcher Boys, dear couples: we missed you! It was fun listening to Steve and Elder Hill reminiscing about, of all things, their respective military "careers". Steve was in Army Reserves during graduate school, and spent a lot of it in a hotel on a beach near Carmel, working on race relations. Elder Hill was in the Air Force for a year. Most of the men never got to leave the base during the 12-week basic training.

Early on, they organized Sundays by dividing the men into religions. "Catholics, over here. Dutch Reformed, over here. Baptists, over here..." At the end of the division, there were about a dozen men still standing, unassigned. Elder Hill and two other "Saints" were adamant that they were not even close to Catholic, Baptist, or any other denomination, but they wanted to attend Church on Sundays. As a result, the three were given passes to leave the base on Sunday mornings for Church. Elder Hill explained that there were meetings both in the morning and the afternoon (this was pre-block days) so the morning pass was extended to an all-day pass. By the time they organized dinner appointments with the members, Sundays were rather nice! Then Elder Hill explained to the sergeant that their church also met on Tuesdays - and they got ANOTHER pass to attend M-Men and Gleaners (this was also pre-YSA days).

The Air Force also divided the men to play sports. At that time, the Church youth were playing a lot of volleyball, and one of the LDS men was very good. He coached the others, and they were all picked for a team that went to tournaments on Saturdays, so that was another day out. Just goes to show being active in the Church brings unexpected blessings!

(And speaking of blessings, are you mailing your Christmas packages? One word of advise: PLEASE, UNDERESTIMATE the value of your parcel. Write as little description as possible. It's very tough on an elder if Customs decides to pay close attention and charge a lot of Customs fees. And if you want the office elders to hide it until close to Christmas, let us know.)

Friday we took the boys and 4 of their friends to a braii with the Berea Ward Young Men, at Bishop Scott's house in Umbilo (one of the many suburbs in Durban). It was actually pretty simple to get there - we basically traveled 2 roads. However, you had to pay attention; St. James Avenue turned into Spine Road which turned into Booth, which turned into Francois. Then we turned onto Nicholson, which turned into Selborne, and dead ended into our destination street.

Then Saturday it was finally hot, and crowds of high schoolers (including ours) descended on the beach at Suncoast Casino. Ironically, it's the nicest beach in Durban; you pay R5 to get in, and there's a nice expanse of grass to sit on, as well. The casino has a lot of eateries inside the beach end of the building, too.

I'm going to post this today, as tomorrow I will be a little busy. At this exact moment, my sisters Margaret and Nancy, as well as my good friend Beus are flying to Durban! We're going to play tourist for a few days, while Steve becomes President Mom. I'm quite looking forward to it - although I'm sorry to say that early morning seminary ended last week. Rats.

Love,
Mom/Grandma/Sue/Susan/SisterPresidentMann

ps I saw a truck today, and part of the logo said "Abrasive Specialists." I think Morgan and Hunter have been doing an internship with them...

pps Another truck was "Aryan Transport". Think that would fly in the States?
ppps Vocabulary 202: We don't "rent" things here, we "hire" them. It's not a "one-time" deal, it's a "once-off". And cowboys aren't "bowlegged", they're "bandy legged".