Here, there, and everywhere. In AFRICA

I haven't posted a blog in three weeks for two reasons.  One, we have been consumed with office work and missionary support work and countless errands and putting out of fires, etc, ect, none of which is exciting to my reading audience nor even to myself sometimes.  Much as I love this work, there has been little of adventure to post.  And second, we have had time to breathe and pee and sleep (most of the time), but little else.  Our office is a beehive of activity, and with 90+ junior missionaries in need of constant support or help or supplies or funds or medical advice, we are at it most days from 8:30 am until 9:00 pm and sometimes much later.  

I took on the role of mission nurse a couple of weeks back, and some days have received only a handful of urgent requests for perceived dire situations (or not!) but other days have been quite consumed with trips to the doc, the lab, the pharmacy, the hospital.  There will be much celebration when our new mission nurse arrives to relieve me. One more month. Can hardly wait.

I have, however, collected a menagerie of miscellaneous photos which portray my day-to-day life in Botswana.  So in no particular order, I present a pictorial snapshot of our mission activities.

These stellar and highly entertaining young men who grace our office at times represent Wales, the US, Namibia, Kenya, Germany, and Tonga. 

                                           

The senior missionaries gather for an evening of food, gospel discussion, and the sharing of hearts.

Our 12 Namibian elders are the only ones missing from this Zone Conference gathering which we hold once every 12 weeks. 

We hiked Kgale Hill one fine P-Day morning.  These young men were so adorable; they refused to leave Aaron's side so as to ensure he wanted for nothing. 

                                                 

The capital city of Gaborone where we live is supplied by the Gaborone Dam as they call the reservoir behind the dam.  One particularly dry year completely drained the dam.  While it was a rather sorry wet season this year, we still have adequate water for this thirsty country until the rains come again in December.  We hope for a very wet season this time around.  

The young people of our mission have energy like we used to years ago.  This group of Americans spontaneously broke into the US national anthem...

...while the Tongans videoed themselves doing the Hakka.

We have enjoyed eating exotic meats such as kudu, impala, warthog, and now zebra.  We assume it is harvested from game safaris.

A missionary in Africa walking the dusty roads wears out his clothing and his shoes.

We purchased local material, hired a ward member seamstress, and made ties to send home as a gift with departing elders.  

                                             

They come and they go with regularity but not until after having wrapped themselves around my heart.  Some few lucky parents are fortunate enough to come gather their boys at the completion of their mission. 

                                        

This new arrival was overweight on his bags, so he transferred one of a pair of shoes to a friend's luggage which ended up in Johannesburg, South Africa. Seems it's my job to find the lost shoe and reunite the pair.  

One fine evening, these beautiful young ladies stopped by for the most entertaining hour of my week:  they are energy in motion. The girl next to me, Sis Holmes, hails from South Africa and served 3 months in Lithuania before that country expelled her due to lack of adequate immigration forms.  She was sent here for three weeks while these issues were ironed out before flying back to to Lithuania.  We currently sponsor 10 missionaries who are not being allowed into their missions of assignment in Mozambique and Nigeria.  

In a shopping trip to a mall, the baboons of Kgale Hill visited. The come to raid the dumpsters and rob unsuspecting women of their grocery purchases, then they retreat to the safety of the roof to enjoy the spoils.  We walked past a drain spout as dozens of these gnarly beasts descended.  Was quite a  frightening experience.  

A baptism in a font of icy water in the village of Kanye. 

We have asked for help from our ward and stake back home in St George to rebuild the home of a recent convert which was destroyed by accidental fire.  Government aid amounted to only a tent for this family of 10 consisting of grandma, her only surviving son of 7 children, 6 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.  The Kanye Branch members will provide the labor to rebuild the home, but no one in this poor community can generate the funds for supplies. 

We look forward to a mission business trip to Namibia in a couple of weeks where we will cross the Namib Desert on way to visit missionaries on the coast. Can't wait!

AFRICA
AFRICA AFRICA
AFRICA AFRICA AFRICA
AFRICA AFRICA
AFRICA