Keeping us young...

Our callings in Johannesburg 2 Ward are with the youth.  I am Ward YW President and Jeff is Sunday School President.  We love these great young men and women so much and watching them progress is the happiest feeling we could have.  We hope that they will be stalwart adults one day - raising good families of their own.

 Since we started with the new curriculum "Come Follow Me" this year, the girls have really enjoyed reading their scriptures.

Bishop Sehloho asked us to help strengthen the Young Married group in the ward.

We enjoyed a nice afternoon with them at the Joburg Botanical Garden.

Besides having lunch, we had a lesson inspired by "The Proclamation on the Family" which was about the roles

of men and women.

We are lucky and blessed to know all these great people!

Discovering Botswana....

 Jeff and I went to Botswana for a couple of days to visit with Gordon and Stephanie Lowe from Utah, who had been serving in Botswana in the courts there - teaching dispute resolution.  We enjoyed a very good time with them and recalled the years we spent on a planning committee for the "Stay-At-Home EFYs."  It was fun to re-connect.

 They showed us around town. 

This is the courthouse where Gordon taught.

 

 

  


        Lovely local hotel and...
        not so lovely algae pond


 

 











We should have stayed to eat dinner at this lovely hotel but instead we went in search of a restaurant on the other side of town.

On the way at dusk, we were in a car accident.  Stephanie and I were in the back seat.  I am grateful for seat-belts but ended up black and blue where the seat belt hit.

The ambulance came and we sent it on.  The sweet local Botswana Stake President came and took us to the police station which seemed like an endless bad dream, and then to a private hospital for x-rays.  I was injured the worst but nothing too serious.  He stayed with us for hours.  Our good friend Shawn Boshoff drove all the way from Pretoria to meet us with the Stake President at the border since our car was a heap of metal and we had no way back.

At the hospital however, they did notice that I had lots of lymph nodes in my lungs and thought I needed a doctor to follow up - which I did with my Dr. at home in the US.  After seeing my x-rays, my doctor suggested that I return home for more tests.  The outcome at home was discovering that I have Sarcoids - an auto-immune disease.  I stayed home for 2 months in the summer doing many tests, treatment and trying to feel better.

What I discovered in Botswana resulted from a car accident that  led me to find that I have something that needs fixing - (tender mercy). I have always known that I have a lot that needs fixing!!  :)  Besides the car accident, I'm grateful for good medical care and even for very long plane rides to get me home when needed.

Rhinos in Kruger...

Jeff was able to go along on a weekend trip for another Rhino Capture that was sponsored by the ASEA Office (our office) Public Affairs.  

 That's a BIG target!

They cover the rhino's eyes so if he wakes up, he won't be afraid.

 
A Rhino Capture is designed to protect this very endangered animal from poachers in Kruger Natl. Park.  Park Rangers and vets are in charge of making sure that everything is done right to protect the animal.  They spot the rhino from a helicopter, dart it with a sedative, protect the animal from suffocation, drill a hole in the rhinos tusk and place a chip to mark the animal, patch up the hole and sand it carefully, mark the rhino with an ear clip and then revive the animal and... stand back - out of the way while he runs off!

...and there he goes, hopefully protected to live a longer life.

Random sampler of Cape Town...

March began with a quick, fun trip to Cape Town - a beautiful city in the southern most part of Africa.  We enjoyed all the tourist sites including:  

Table Mountain

Cape of Good Hope - where the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean come together and the winds are outrageous for tourists but fabulous for wind surfers!

   

The ever pesty baboons were cute at times and obnoxious at times.

We were quite surprised to see penguins when we are use to seeing elephants!

Botanical garden/park

                             Guinea Foul - the polka-dot bird

We could tell there was some excitement when we saw men dragging nets - so we sat and watched for a while.  This is what happened:

Local fishermen were elated with the catch but policemen came along and told them to throw back the fish because they were a protected species.

The men packed up their nets and left without dinner.....
but we had LOTS to eat!

Victoria Wharf 

Here is a new idea for pulling handcarts!

 Shawn Boshoff and his friend were in Cape Town to ride the "Epic" bike race.  We enjoyed a nice lunch with them on the wharf prior to the race.

 "Wine Country"  vineyards were very beautiful.

                                     Cape Town is a great place to visit