The Month of January

Dear Family and Friends,

We are always trying to repent of not writing more.  Time is at an essence as we are trying to do as much as we can.  This month we started out with New Years!  We enjoyed New Year's Eve just together.  We found a roast and cooked it in our crock pot with pots and carrots.  It was like a Sunday dinner!  YUM!  We were just together for a quiet evening.  New Years night we spent with the Elders.  We had dinner and it was fun.  Here is a picture of the Lemon Pavlova we made for Elder Smith-Holly from New Zealand.  IT was so delicious.  Then, it started to rain and the Elders went outside and did a rain dance.  We are in a drought right now and we hope they got the right dance moves down.

Our friends from Zimbawee.  Ben is here selling things for money so he can provide for his family of 5 girls.  We have bought a few things from him.  There is no church close to him and his wife only gets to come every few months.

This is a young man, Oupa Shai.  He is a very courageous young man.  He has always wanted to go on a mission.  He and his brother are the only members. His brother just returned from a mission.  (Thabo).  He just received his Matrix scores and he did really good.  His teaches and family have been mad that he wants to go on a mission.  Actually, his aunt sent him out of the house.  They think he is wasting his time on a mission.  His older brother beat him up.  We call him Nephi now.  He just turned in his mission papers to President Wilson.  I have a picture I will download later.  A great man.  His family want him to go to Medical school.  He says he will still go but the Lord has prepared him for a mission and he should go.

 This was Mission Tour with the Area President, Elder and Sister Cook, and President and Sister Wilson.  The other senior couple is Elder and Sister Gubler from St. George.  They are serving in Polokwane.

It was a great day.  We made Cafe Rio food.  (Our African version anyway.) 

Here is Elder Campbell with the Giant Hulk made of machine parts.  Elder Campbell is still more hulky than him.

Some of the beautiful flowers in our area.  These are from our walk in the morning.

Our Matrix girls at lunch.  What great girls!!!

February and March have been wonderfully busy!

Dear Family and Friends,

The months of February and March have been extremely busy with many thing to accomplish.  I will try to share with you.

We had the baptism of Maite Agnes Selematsela and Sebetane Sekgobela.  It was a happy day.  The next week was the baptism of Maite's grandson Phetole, and yesterday we had the baptism of Maria.  What a great few weeks in Motupa.

The is Elder Reynolds and Elder Smith-Holley.  They are great missionaries.

The BEST thing of February was Elise and Adam's visit.  What a joy it was.  We were so excited.  We picked them up at the Johannesburg airport around 6:00.  We then went to a Bed and Breakfast, Elondas.  It is run by 2 dear,dear Afrikanz people.  They are so sweet.  They made dinner for us and we soon retired because we needed to get on the road the next morning at 4:00 to make it up to Tzaneen for church.

We wanted them to recognize us.  Elise and Adam surprised Dad with some See's Chocolates.  What a kind treat.  He was thrilled.

This is the picture of our Tzaneen Branch with Elise and Adam.  It was testimony meeting and it was really nice.  We then went to see a member Davina.  She surprised Elise and Adam with an African outfit that she made for them.  It was so kind.  Here is Elise making her famous chocolate chip cookies for the Elders.  They loved them.

These are some of our friends in Tzaneen.  The wonderful Chemist (Pharmicist) that takes care of us.

Her name is Liza.  She has become a great friend.  Then we have AnneMarie.  She is a member and does my nails for fun!  I am have been spoiled.  We then have a cute picture of Julia Selematsela with her son Stephen.  He is  severely handicapped but can communicate some.  When he was young his father wanted to kill him because he thought he was a burden.  Julia had to take him in the night to save his life.

This is Creselda she is a pen pal of Aubrey now and was so excited to meet her parents.

These are pictures of Family Home Evening in Motupa.  We had a short lesson by Elder Campbell and then we played Charades.  IT was so fun!!!

This is Gail Alton, Elder Campbell's optomitrist.  She is so great!  We love talking to her.  Her husband owns an avocado farm.  This year it was hit by hail and they had to cut down the trees and paint the stumps white so would not get sunburned.

Our friend, Johanna, Tinny;s sister in Motupa.

We even did Geo Caching in Tzaneen.  Guess who found it?  Sister Campbell!!!  How fun!

Now we are at the Giant Baobob Tree.  It is said that it is the oldest and largest tree.  It has a bar built into the bottom.  It is pretty amazing!!!

Here we are termite harvesting.  There are giant hills or mounds.  In the fall, you can stick a reed down and bring up termites.  You pull them off with your fingers.  The people love to eat them.  Sometimes they cook them.  We did not tr them.

Here we are dancing with Winnie's family.  It was really fun.  The above picture is the Minnie Family.

We are going to have to continue this later as the computer is so slow we need to go to bed.

Sala Habootsie!!!

Hurrah for Israel!

We will continue this in the morn.