September Travels

We attended a two-zone conference on Thursday September 8th.  The senior couples help with lunch and bring brownies, cookies or other treats for the young elders.  We also get to hear the latest direction and innovations from the Church.  A new reporting system on the internet will be used now by all the companion-ships.  It is pretty cutting edge and will reduce some of the work of the office couples and the mission president.  We too are inspired to do just a little better by the talks and presentations.  It is good for us.
On Friday we traveled to Swaziland.  Our third trip in as many months--good thing that we love it there.  We stopped in Richard's Bay on the way to provide orientation for a new PEF Workshop teacher, Shelia Wilson, who is an amazing 76 year-old pioneer of the Church in South Africa.  She is so vibrant and active.  She will do a great job.  She had treats for us and treated us as though we were doing her a favor by coming.  We saw a Cape Buffalo between Richard's Bay and Swaziland laying in a river bottom.
We also stopped in Big Bend, Swaziland where we met with Rachael Hlophe (pronounced Scholpe) and Sibusiso Zulu, two of our students for loan interviews.  It was great seeing them again and they are equally happy to see us.  It is not surprising how easily we become attached to them.

We stayed in Ezulwini, as it is pretty centrally located for the business that we had in Swaziland.  Saturday morning we met these two young men who were part of an Australian Rules Football team that had played in Mozambique earlier in the week and were now going to Kruger National Park for bit of a holiday.  They were very friendly and very enthusiastic about Australian Rules Football--full contact with no pads or helmets.  CRAZY unless you are young and heal quickly.

Our first appointment of the day was in Manzini about 18 miles from Ezulwini.  Because of some confusion we had to reschedule it to later in the afternoon, so we went to the market and did some shopping.  We went to a "Boxer" grocery store to buy some water and were drawn to some of the dinner fare there.  On the left are ox kidneys, and on the right, ox lungs.  Below are some really bony looking fish--we could tell that they were fish from several aisles away.  We were kind of hungry but just had no way to cook these delicacies.  Too bad, instead we went to Nando's for lunch.

Part of the market is crafts and all kinds of materials and hand made items.  Here a lady is showing how to wear a wrap-around dress.

This young man, dressed in traditional Swazi clothing was actually the manager of a Spar store which is the kind of grocery store that we mostly shop in in South Africa.  He spoke excellent English and was so cordial.  Good advertising for all of you to shop at Spar store when you come to see us in South Africa.

Material shopping in the market.  The material in the background has the picture of the King of Swaziland on it.   King Mswati III has ruled since 1968.  Swaziland is a very culturally rich country but very poor.  Most people live on land owned by royalty and do subsistence farming.  We do see wonderful gardens.  The climate is great for it and the soil rich.

The open market.  It is loaded with fruits and vegetables that are mostly sold wholesale to others who take it to small stalls along the roadsides and resell it.  Sister Gunderson is holding a treasure that she bought-a shopping bag hand woven from strips of plastic.  One could really barter in this market but we find that it is impossible for us to do so.  They have so little and we have so very much.  They probably think we are crazy when we pay the full asking price.

Some nice members that we met while waiting for our appointment.  These older ladies had just attended an Church Institute class, which are generally held for young people ages 18-30.  They just are so hungry for the Gospel that if they can, they go to any class, fireside, or workshop being held.  The style of the blue dress and head-wear was very common in the market.

Saturday evening we went to Summerfield, a very nice resort, restaurant, and hotel near Ezulwini.  They have all kinds of cast full-sized animals and gorgeous landscaping.  We went there our first trip but just have not been able to get there when the sun is fully up for better pictures.  Being in Swaziland, the restaurant is elegant, but the prices are  really quite low--good for Americans.

Also at Summerfield

These Hippos might be a little larger than life sized.

After dinner we were admiring the thatched roofs of the buildings and covered walkways when we noticed some strange dark-colored blobs on the ceiling.  There are weaver birds that build round nest in trees but we have never seen them in a walkway.  We noticed that these blobs kind of squirmed every so often and sure enough, they were fruit bats that fly mostly early in the morning and at twilight.  Their eyes reflected the flash of the camera.  Great for all you Twilight fans.

We went to Sacrament Meeting in Mbabane and afterwards I spoke to the branch president,  President Ntshalintshali (try saying that name) and a new teacher Sabelo Mthethwa and gave them teaching materials and an orientation for the PEF Workshop.  We had about 11 potentially new PEF students who visited with Sister Gunderson while I was doing the orientation.
We then rushed back to Ezulwini to get there after church.  They had a baptismal service.  We found the elders filling the font.  The good news is that the branch has been building an addition and there will be a nice font in it.  Due to be completed in several weeks.  

We see so many women carrying big loads on their heads.  This lady had two heavy boxes and what appears to be a small table on her head.  Sister Gunderson thinks that it is just stuff leaning against the wall in the background, but you be the judge.  Just before I took the photo, while waiting at a stop light, a man came by and we thought that he was going to help her carry it.  He did help, but only to square it up so it was better balanced for her, then he went on his unladen way.

This is a classic photo of women selling vegetables and fruit at a "taxi" or "combi" stop.  People seem to buy food enough only for a day at a time, likely because that is all they can afford and because most do not have refrigerators.  We see more umbrellas in the sunshine than during rainy days (that warms the heart of western Oregonians).  But, we have not yet seen the rainy season.  Coming soon, from what we understand.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of people in the cities and towns.  The camera fails to capture the massive size of the crowds of people walking on and across the streets.  There are basically no rules against jaywalking.  It is pretty much up to the individual where they want to cross and most people do not stop for pedestrians unless there is a red light and I mean really red.  If we stop for jaywalkers as we are prone to do, cars behind us honk at us:-)

John Deere not only in South Africa (earlier posting) but also in Swaziland.

Monday as we left for home we had to stop in Big Bend again for a loan interview with Lungelo Matse who was not there the previous Friday.  He is still serving as the branch clerk and going to school about 3 hours away.  He went home by combi to be there for the audit of the financial records.  So, we caught him Monday.  Rachael (a PEF student) is in the bright orange, the other two girls are her friends who waited so they could see Sister Gunderson again--somehow she seems to be really liked by these young people, imagine that!

This was taken at Lavumisa, the border town on the Swaziland side.  We just love seeing the mamas carrying their babies this way.  The babies adapt very well and seem very contented.  Swazis are generally taller and more slightly built than the Zulu people  of the area of South Africa where we serve.
There are certainly many people of Zulu heritage in Swaziland too.

A clinic in Lavumisa.  It is estimated that 40% of the people over 50 have aids and that as high as 60% of the people ages 20-50 have it as well.  It is just a tragedy.  We see very few really older people because they have just died.  Many households are headed by children 12 and younger because the parents have died from aids.  They are trying to better educate the people but having limited success.  The Church, with its clarity about living the law of chastity and fidelity in marriage, is the best avenue to turn the tide.  The work is progressing there and those who live the law will be blessed.
Our hearts ache for this country, they never suffered the oppression of apartheid like South Africans and it shows.  They are the warmest, nicest people.  We cannot feel any more blessed at having the privilege of associating with them.  We ask ourselves often how any other mission could ever be as good as ours.  We know they are just as rewarding, but............?