July 18-24 2011

 This was a week of working fairly close to, and in the office--I think that I have mentioned that our office is in our flat.  We were able to spend some time reorganizing our files and office set-up.  We have literally scores of files on students that were being kept alphabetically in cardboard boxes.  That would have worked okay, but the Mission Office recently moved and Sister Gunderson, being the opportunist she is, asked if they had a filing cabinet that they did not need in the new office.  They did, and now we have those folders out of the boxes and filed neatly away.  Small things are sometimes wonderful.  We also had another meeting, here in Durban this time, with our supervisor over PEF Khumbulani Mdletshe from Johannesburg,  We found that we are going to have some help in covering PEF for the entire mission.  There is a couple in the Bloemfontein Area that will be doing much of the work there, so we will not be spread so thin.  We are going to be teaching the required PEF workshops just as soon as we can get them advertised and going.  We will be training new teachers at them as well.

Above are some of the young women in the KwaDabeka Ward that were waiting for Seminary to start when we went there for Sister Gunderson to teach piano.  Many wards and branches have seminary on Saturdays because of transportation and safety problems on week nights.  At our earlier mentioned meeting, the Seminary and Institute people were asked to get daily seminary going in all the wards and branches--likely in a home near the school either before, or just after, school.  When asked if they would like that, these girls all said Yes, very much.  They are hungry for the gospel.  And for our home-made chocolate chip cookies!

 Sunday we drove to the Imbali Branch that is located in the outskirts of Peitermaritzburg about 50Km from Pinetown.  These types of houses (above) lined some of the streets in the area.  They are basically the African equivalent of adobe.  But notice in spite of the home, clean clothes on the line.  Imbali in Zulu means flower and the Imbali Branch was a beautiful flower.  The branch president there is a managerial executive with General Motors and is studying to be a lawyer.  He is one of the success stories of PEF.  He used the loans to partially fund his studies after his mission (four years ago) and landed the job at GM as a result.  He is now going on to something bigger and better.  The family here, the Mathanjanas, are also PEF successes.  She is still a part-time student and we are working with her to renew her loan for January.  Their little boy is the same age as Anderson, so Sister Gunderson got to hold him and get her Grandma fix for the day.  We had another little boy about 5 and his sister, maybe 3, come sit on our laps during Sacrament Meeting.  The little boy was talking to Grandma lots but totally in Zulu.  They were the 2nd Counselor in the branch presidencies children.  Brother Mathanjana above was the 1st Counselor.
We drove back to KwaDabeka Ward near Pinetown,

after Sacrament in Imbali, where Sister Gunderson is accompanying the ward choir (pictured here) for their upcoming ward conference.  They are amazingly good.  Hardly any read music, but they hear and pick it up quickly.  The sister in the front row, far left is the director and is very sharp and educated.  She wants to do a Christmas cantata.  We are unlikely to be able to commit that much time away from our PEF work.  Buit maybe something will work.

While some of the moms were singing these boys took advantage of the ever-present basketball hoop at LDS buildings - though I still have yet to see one in their cultural halls:-)  I asked them if they were going to be the next Michael Jordan, thinking that they were too young to know who he was, and they immediately replied Yes!  They knew exactly who he was, though basketball is not at all popular here in South Africa.

We got the shock of our life while refueling our car on Saturday.  We are not sure how he got to Africa from the Veterans home in Boise but....Not Grandpa Garrison?  It was all I could do to restrain Sister Gunderson from jumping out of the car and hugging this guy.  From the side, he was a dead ringer for HD.  Not so much so from straight on, though she thought so.  This gives credence to the adage that somewhere in the world, there is at least one person that looks exactly like you or someone you know.  I am not sure how he might have responded to have some Mormon Sister Missionary squeezing the life out of him.









Finally, another stunning picture of African Wildlife.  It is only one photo, but as I get slower and slower in my old age, it was the only thing that didn't get away before I could get the camera out and snap the shutter.  I know that my grandsons will appreciate it.  Winter is the dry season.  Wonder if this is some survival tactic and that come the rainy season  it will be fine?  Probably not, as one of the front legs seems to be missing!

 

Richard's Bay and Swaziland Redux

 We had several students that we needed to meet with to do a loan interview in Richard's Bay and in Swaziland.  So we left Tuesday July 12 and drove up the coast to the beautiful port city of Richard's Bay.  It is a port for mostly exports of pulp and aluminum.  It is also a major tourist sport during Europe's winters.  We had about an hour before we met the first student and  that allowed Sister Gunderson to be the first to get her feet wet in the Indian Ocean.  That is because she is allowed to wear sandals and I had on shoes and socks...one day though.

 During that hour, besides the beach, we drove through jungle-like back road area and saw monkeys.  This was all the closer that I was able to get before they scrambled into the brush.  We thought that this might be the best picture that we would get.  So we went to the Church to wait for the student who was about an hour late.  We have a great deal of empathy and patience for the students and their timeliness as they have to take taxi buses or combis and they cannot control the number of stops or even the route all of the time.  While waiting, we saw a monkey in the parking lot.  Soon there were about 10 monkeys.  We tossed some brownies and pieces of orange but they were on the other side and seemed not to notice.  Then one headed our way, then another and soon they were all over the security fence.  But, everytime I would try to photograph them they would scamper into the trees.  Finally they came closer and got some orange pieces and I was able to get this video clip.  I thought at first it was Grant and Drew or Harlen and Evan.

 This was the bravest of the monkeys.  The lure of Grandma Gaye's brownies finally got to him.  He liked the orange too, though he was sure to wipe off the grass, leaves and dirt before he ate it.

 Our Dear friend Linda Huff from Lafayette, Louisiana sent a care package of ribbons, stickers, and other what-nots for us to give the children of South Africa and Swaziland as we travel about.  We stopped in the community of Big Bend, Swaziland and gave some of Linda's goodies to these three little darlings as they were walking home from school.  They are all required to wear uniforms to school.  We see them of all colors from the different schools. How their parents keep them so neat and clean is beyond understanding.  As the boys get older they have either blazers or sweaters with white shirts and ties.  They really look sharp as they are walking back to their little homes.

 This is a common scene.  Women and children do most of the hauling and often on their heads whether it is buckets of water or loads of firewood sticks.  Notice the babies tied on the back.  They use blankets or even towels and tie one end around their upper torso and the other around their waists.  Babies seem quite content as I am sure it is a type of swaddling that they are very used to.  This was in a rural area in the south of Swaziland.

 Mhlosheni, Swaziland, a small rural village typical of much of Swaziland.  There are numerous people shopping at the little stalls and vendors.  Seems that pictures really do not capture the scene adequately.

 We once again saw giraffes in the area that we first saw them on our first trip to Swaziland.  These are located just inside the border of South Africa.  The first time that we saw them they were much closer than these but they are always a treat to see.

This was our monkey trip as we saw probably over a hundred along side the road.  Our first trip there we saw only a couple.  Apparently they are getting fruit from trees along the highways.  They are much smarter than the jackrabbits of Harney County.  We have never seen one dead on the highway.

Just as the sun was setting Friday evening on our way home, we were looking for a place to eat and chanced upon the this setting.  This is the mouth of the Uthukela River.  You cannot see them very well but there were a number of fishermen out on the sand spit.

Visiting Wards and Branches

 The last two Sundays we visited two wards and one branch.  We have students all over the place so we have needs to contact them occasionally and therefore go to many units.  In the six Sundays since we have been here we have been to seven units.
This is the Mpumalanga Ward young adults (plus a few extras).  Many of these are PEF students.  They are a great bunch of young people.  Many of the young men are  returned missionaries and serving as young men's leaders, ward clerks, elder's quorum president and such.  They are truly the leaders of tomorrow.

 Today we visited the Umbedula Branch.  Like the first Sunday unit that we visited this, branch meets in a little school under very humble circumstances.  This is the Primary.  It was somewhat chilly (for them, delightful for people from Burns, Oregon) so they were meeting outdoors in the sunshine.  Gaye gave the teachers cookies to give them for a treat after the picture.

 This gives you an idea of the locale around the little school.  This is the townships--though far from some of the worst.  Most of these homes have electricity and running water.  Many do not.  In the dark days of apartheid, the people of color worked for the whites in the cities but had to be out and back into the townships by dark--otherwise face arrest.  It is these situations where getting an education can make all the difference for these young people.

 The complex of the buildings at the little school used for the Umbedula Branch.  Here again a Sunday School class was meeting outside for the warm sunshine.  If you look closely you can see an extension cord running across the lot. They have to do that for power to the building where they have Sacrament Meeting for the CD player they use for music.

 These are Mpumalanga Ward children getting a snack after church last Sunday.  It was fast Sunday.  Kids are kids the world over.

Saturday night, last night, we went to a Young Single Adult talent show here in the Pinetown Ward building.  There were about 130 young people and they put on quite a show.  Some very talented singers and really talented dancers.  A couple of people read poetry and were stunningly good.  But a young man who has cerebral palsy (moderate) who is waiting for a mission call, stole the show.  You had to listen pretty intently to understand and it got really quiet.  I cannot recall the exact wording but he had memorized most of a talk given at General Conference about What Keeps Me Awake at Night.  The part that just captivated  the audience was something like this, in a small part:  What keeps me awake at night?  The fact that my Heavenly Father knows me individually among all the millions and millions of people that He has created.  What keeps me awake at night?  The fact that Heavenly Father  knows of my imperfections and incompleteness and loves me anyway.  What keeps me awake at night?  Knowing that if I follow my Savior Jesus Christ that He can make me perfect and complete.  That made a few damp eyes in the audience and when he finished the young adults gave him a standing ovation.  All in all, it was quite an evening.
This week (Tuesday) we travel to north to Richard's Bay and Swaziland again.  We were going to make a big loop over into the Free State to Bloemfontein but the students there are not ready with their paperwork so, we will just come back home about Friday.

Senior Missionary Couples Conference

As I mentioned in the last post we were privileged to attend a conference for all Senior Couple Missionaries in the South Africa Durban Mission, which was held at the Nambiti Game Reserve near Ladysmith, South Africa.  It is a 10,000 hectare park that used to be a cattle ranch.  We were able to go on four game drives where we are driven through the park by rangers that are trained naturalists.  This was the main lodge where we had our meals and meetings

                                                                                 Each Couple stayed in a "tent" that was nicely done with a king-size bed and bathroom.  It was a bit cool at night--there was a heater, but outside, it got to -3 C which is about 28 F.  Remember it is winter here and this place is about 4500 ft in elevation.  Mornings were quite chilly and the moment the sun went down it got cold.  Just like Burns.

So what did we see?  We had an incredible experience.  The reserve is all natural in that the animals are left to fend for themselves and carry out their natural activities.  There is absolutely no artificial feeding of the large predators--they make regular kills  and must feed their young.  And, there is lots to feed them in the reserve.  And we saw many many species.  As with wildlife photography it is really hard to get a good picture.  I took many photos but some species were just too far away and some were moving and others poor lighting but here are some that turned out okay.

Ostrich (in the center) and Blue Wildebeest

 Blue Wildebeest.  The Zulu say that it is the left-over animal.  That when God finished making all the animals, He took all the left-over part and made the Wildebeest.  They are very strange critters

 Red Hartebeest.  Name for the heart shape the horns make.

 The Gundersons at the ruins of and old farm house. The tree is a strangler fig.

 The end of a great day and a beautiful African Sunset.

 A great sunset should be followed by a spectacular sunrise.

 The guides keep contact by radio and we were heading down a draw where some elephants had been seen and out of the brush came a pride of lions led by this lioness.  There were three cubs--really "teenagers" about 14 months old.  Two male and 1 female.  The last one out of the brush was the pride male.  They walked right past the vehicle and really paid us little attention.  They are pretty used to the tour vehicles at least most of the year.  During mating season they can be aggressive.

 They headed up the hillside paralleling the road and the male lay down and let us approach him in the vehicle.

 The lioness just flopped beside the road and the teenagers went into the thickets.  After many pictures we went down the road to where the elephants had been seen and we did find them--see pictures below.
But...while we were gone one of the vehicles in our party stayed and a very unlucky warthog ran right into the pride of lions.  They could not actually see the kill but heard the warthog screaming and squealing.  When we got back.  The lions were eating the kill and we could see them through the brush.

 Two lions at the site where they ate the warthog.  At one point two had a hold of a leg and rib cage and pulled it opposite directions tearing it in half.

While we missed the actual warthog kill, we did find this bull elephant that was rather camera shy and seemed content to hide his face in the brush.  He did start to back out and we were hopeful that we might get a better picture.

Well he came out alright and was not happy that we were there.  He threw dirt in the air and really did not charge us as such but was stomping and shaking his head and throwing dirt with his trunk and coming our way.  I snapped this as the driver was backing away.  This bull apparently broke his tusk off just a short time ago.  There were about 5-7 other elephants up the hill out of good camera range.

 Helmeted Guinea fowl.  They get in the road and are not smart enough to go to the side or fly and just run ahead of the truck.   Our driver said that he regularly helps them stay in shape.

 A pair of Plains Zebra or as they say in South Africa "Zebra" - rhymes with Debra

  A little better shot of the same two.  We saw lots of these but most were back in the brush and hard to see with their stripes.

 Kudu.  Friday night we had Kudu for supper.  That animal came from a game farm somewhere.  The game farms have a good market for the meat from the antelopes of Africa.  This is the most plentiful antelope on the reserve.

 An Impala Buck.  Their rumps are marked with stripes in the shape of an M.  They say it stands for McDonald's of Africa because everything eats Impalas.

 Giraffes   There are four in the picture including the young one.  About a month ago there was a female that had a breech birth that could not deliver.  We saw her carcass.  Good for the scavengers.

 There are a number of reservoirs on the reserve and a fair number of Hippos.  Our guide told us that this is the most dangerous animal in Africa accounting for more human deaths than another other animal but the mosquito, that transmits diseases.  They are nasty tempered and attack anything that comes too near especially in the water.  This was early in the morning and they were cold and docile.

 Waterboks They are one of the few antelope that are not good to eat because they have an oily layer of the skin that, when skinned, gets on the meat and makes it unpalatable.  They get their name from their habit of jumping in the water to escape predators--a good strategy where there are no crocodiles but sometimes not so good where there are.

 White Rhinos  Two are pictured here but there were five together.  They were heading up the hill toward us and we thought that they might come out right in front of us.  They went into a draw and we did not see them again.  Our guide was not willing to go down an flush them out.  Imagine that! They have darted and captured all the Rhinos in the reserve and de-horned them because of horn poachers that would otherwise poach them for the Oriental markets.  A terrible threat to Rhinos throughout Africa.

 A Warthog that so far is much luckier than they one that blundered into the lion pride

 A very nice Kudu buck

 On our last day we were trying really hard to see a Cape Buffalo.  we had seen one earlier but he had gone into the brush.  After hearing a male lion roaring in the area we came upon these two sub-adult males following a bull Cape Buffalo down a road.  He is over to the far right of the picture.  They are young and not very experienced hunters.

 They followed him a little too close and he finally had enough of that and just stopped and had a face-off.  Until.....

 The buffalo got mad and then just took after the two lions.  They split, one going one way and the other in the opposite direction.    The bull chased one then the other as I think that instinctively they thought that perhaps they could wear him down.

 This lion just hid out while the bull chased the other. Then the bull chased this one away and the other lion by that time also had enough.  I think they finally  figured they would let Dad take on something this big and ornery.

The bull here is sniffing the air to make sure the lions are going away.  Our driver was quite leery at this point because Cape Buffalo are foul tempered and will charge the vehicles.  The truck that we rode in the first two days had a dent in the side from a buffalo.  Our driver was concerned that this bull might be in a mood to fight, with only our vehicle to take it out on.  

Beside these in the photos we saw Eland, Oryx or Gemsbok, a Duiker (a very tiny antelope), Steinbok, and jackals; plus many many bird species.

It was a great trip and also served its purpose of building friendships among the couples that depend on each other to carry out our various assignments

So, for all Grandma Gaye's primary class here are the pictures you asked for when she told you she was going on a mission to Africa.

We are still really enjoying our mission.  As great as seeing all these animals was, the real thrill in South Africa comes from working with the people here.  Everyday I am so impressed at their faith and wonderful character.  We are very fortunate to be here and feel so blessed.