March: Molweni, Swaziland, YW Camp

March and the first part of April have been busy times for us.  We have not yet made it to all of the 38 wards and branches that we have responsibility for, but, we are getting close.  We had commitments that kept us near home one Sunday, so we revisited the Molweni Unit where we attended our very first Sunday in South Africa.  They still are meeting in the same, very poor little school.  This little guy was one of the first there, patiently waiting for church to start.  For some reason, likely a strike, the grass had not been mowed as you can see.  Great place for snakes to hide!

Getting water in Molweni.  There are very few clean water sources in this impoverished area, which is actually very close to one of the nicest parts of the Durban Metro Area!  People either bring buckets and get water at the truck or go down the road to get it at a creek in the bottom of the canyon.  Then they carry it home, sometimes quite far.

Molweni Primary, they did get one new prefab building at the school, so Primary has a nicer place to meet.

Drink anyone?  We see these coolers often in offices.  There are no paper cup dispensers so there are just a couple of community glasses on the top.  We do see people come and drink out of them all the time!  If we were to do so, who knows what we might end of catching.  This particular one was in the reception area of a school in Swaziland where we were waiting for a student.

Freshest chickens in all of Swaziland right here,  just outside Ezulwini.  These chicken vendors are found in many parts of the townships and seem to be doing a big business, especially on Sundays.  One of our students, who lives in Pinetown, sells chickens with her brother as a part-time job and does fairly well at it.

This is the dining hall at Gwamile Voctim, a trade school that teaches such things as automotive repair, secretarial and receptionist training, welding and other such trades.  PEF loans are great ways to get this training that then leads to work immediately. Then if they want, they can support themselves and go on to further their education.  We were meeting a student here.

Swaziland children with a very young goat--almost looks dead.  We stop and they rush us asking for Sweets.  We always try to have some for them.  Most of these live in very, very poor circumstances.

Meeting with students at a college in Swaziland.  The schools here are often on strike or some other disruption so what might take 2-3 years for a degree often takes 4-6 years.  Very sad for the students. The girl, in the hot pick shirt, is one of our students.  She's really sweet and her friends wanted in the picture???!!!  Always, soooooo friendly!

With Sister Lydia Silavwe, our Planning for Success Workshop teacher in Ezulwini.  Her husband teaches chemistry at the University of Swaziland and she is very educated.  She is so gracious to us when we visit and goes the extra couple of miles to help students qualify for PEF loans.

Of course, no trip to Swaziland is complete without a few photos of birds and wildlife.  A White-Fronted Bee-Eater.  This one was very trusting as we drove right up, close to it.

A Roan Antelope, a rare species that is being bred in special reserves.  Hard to tell scale, but they are a little larger than an American elk or wapiti. Really a magnificent animal.

April 2-4, we were asked to go with the Durban Stake and chaperone and help with Young Women's Camp.  It was so nice and fun.  These are the girls from Berea Ward.  There were about 96 girls from eight wards and branches.  Hardly camping out.  Note the rooms in the background.  More like motels, complete with showers and flush toilets.  Pretty cushy assignment as we were a couple hundred yards away from the noisy girls and got great rest at night.

Gaye and Ethan Pillay.  His parents were also helping at the camp.  His father is a high councilor and a counselor in the YM Presidency.
This little boy could win a child photo contest. He was very cute and well behaved.






We had responsibility for supervising the obstacle course and getting the girls to participate.  This rope walk was a killer on bare feet and water below!  Amazingly no one fell in. The water was very swampy and brown and the girls acted like they would freak if they fell in, but, of course, at least 8 or 10 decided they would take a swim after they crossed saftely!!! Yuck!!!!!

KwaMashu Branch girls

Berea Ward again

Phoenix Branch.  The Phoenix Branch is mostly all members of Indian descent.  In the apartheid days, people of color were segregated pretty much by race into various townships and those areas still persist.  One afternoon and evening there was a Potjie (pronounced poykee) contest to see which  ward or branch could make the best Potjie which, is like Dutch oven cooking but with vegetables and meats and spices.  This girls made a killer Indian curry dish that was so good-but it only got 2nd place because it was not really a traditional Potjie.

Another obstacle course.  Below this was a slimy algae covered pond and this girl actually started to fall, grabbed the pole, and was hanging upside down over the pond.  Her friend waded out and helped her get upright and she finished walking across. Later, all the other girls sat and scooted across.  No one wanted in THAT water!!!

Beautiful African butterfly.  There were many species flying around but this was the only one that stopped so that I could get a picture. The song, "Illusive Butterfly" really fits in Africa.  We'll have to go to a butterfly reserve to get good pictures of the beautiful butterflies that are here.

This has a really funny story with it.  At night, the girls met in a covered, but open area for activities, skits, and such.  This big moth flew in, attracted to the lights, and the girls freaked.  I don't know if they thought it was a bat or what, but they scattered screaming.  Of course, I teased them about being afraid of a "not-so-little" but harmless moth.  Same reaction when a little frog hopped in another night.  Most of these girls live in the cities and have no experience with any type of animals, so they are afraid of almost anything that is not familiar and moves.

One night the girls were given newspapers, tape, and a Bible or Book of Mormon story and asked to make costumes and put on a play for the story they had.  We were amazed at the creativity.  They made swords, shields, beards, crowns, complete outfits, and armor.  It was incredible how they made do with almost nothing.  We were very impressed, how good girls camp was and how they make do with so much less than in the US but still have a very fun and spiritual experience. Not too much FLUFF!!!

Ever present Vervet monkeys

Another of our assignments was to demonstrate how to build two kinds of fires.  It had rained a lot a couple of days before we got there and the wood was still pretty damp, but after a couple of tries, I got it going.  Also taught the girls how to sharpen a knife, signal for help, and find directions using the stars and sun.  Interesting experience, as the sun is in the northern sky here and the Southern Cross is used instead of the North Star.

Grandma Gaye captivating a group of girls.  Giving her talk on dating, morality, modesty, and all. They loved it!!! One girl was only baptized a week before camp and another had been a member for a month.  They were so strong, though, and sweet.

A hike at Young Women's camp.  It was said that if the girls were quiet, we might see a Caracal, or Serval (small wildcats) or some small antelope--no chance of that.  We did see some droppings to prove that there were some critters around but, with 90+ girls coming on the trail,they were long gone.  The hike was supposed to last 1 1/2 hours and make a big loop.  But as we went down a very steep part on the backside of the loop, there was a waterfall that was impassable and we had to turn backa.  Altogether, it was a 3 hour hike.


Our first sighting of a snake in Africa.  A baby Rock Python.  Unfortunately, one of the Zulu women who works at the camp, saw it hanging in a tree first and whacked it with a broom, killing it.  Rock Pythons grow up to 20 feet long and swallow goats and antelope.  So mama must have been somewhere in the area.  Wish we could have seen her.
The video clip below is Africa sounds at night at the camp.  Frogs and insects I think.  If you watch in the dark, you can see Lightning Bugs They are like Firefies but smaller and light up while on the tips of grass stalks instead of in flight.

We check the Elder's boardings at least once between six week transfers to insure that they are clean and everything is working.  If the flat is clean, they get treats like these chocolate chip cookies.  We have four sets of Elders that we are assigned to.  These are between Pinetown and Pietermaritzburg assigned to the Mpumalanga Ward.  Pictured from left to right are: Elder Rogers, Elder Karabonyana, Elder Denning, and Elder Mbatani.  All four are living in a flat for now, but two will move into another flat next door that has just been remodeled.