The Christmas season....

In Johannesburg, Christmas starts early and ends late.  School is out for most schools by the end of November so students return to their homes and families go on holiday as soon as the youth are finished with studies.  By the 20th of December, the town is quiet and empty.  It is nice to actually drive around when the traffic is light and there aren't as many Combies (taxis) to break every traffic law imaginable.   Everyone goes home to their villages at Christmastime.  The Area Office closes till about the 6th or even the 13th of January when everyone returns.  It is a time to rest because most offices are closed and people are not around for church or any activity.  We should have gone somewhere this year but it was a good time to catch up and we enjoyed ourselves.

Our ward Christmas party was held on November 19th.  We were just thrilled that our ward had any event at all.  In the two years we have been in the ward, they have not had a party of any kind and the Bishopric went all out to make it a really good time for everyone.  We all had cute Santa hats!!

 Everyone stood and introduced themselves and told their favorite dessert.

The highlight for the little kids was playing on a air filled big toy while youth and adults had a Karaoke competition.

It was a very long party and we left before it ended.  Everyone was hiding the food in the kitchen for a surprise and we missed it.  I suppose it was chicken, pap or rice and a dessert.

There were a lot of very happy people and it was a very Merry Christmas for the Johannesburg 2nd Ward.

Thanksgiving in the garage... again #3

Wish my garage at home were clean enough to serve100 people Thanksgiving dinner.  Maybe I'll have to start a new tradition and have a big work party to get the garage ready.  In the end, it didn't matter that we ate in the garage because we had a yummy turkey dinner with all the fixins'!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides "gratitude," Thanksgiving in South Africa also means "springtime."  We are blessed to enjoy Palm and Magnolia trees in the yard and a city view that turns to a magnificent velvety lavender with the Jacaranda trees.  Springtime also ushers in the "rainy season" which is in full bloom by December.  The rains come almost every afternoon for an hour or two then the sky turns blue again until the next day and the next and the next....  Rainy season last for about a month.

 

 

 

 

This tree has Magnolias the size of dinner plates. 

Sister Renlund hosted a lovely luncheon for Sisters Bednar, Causse and Christensen when they were here for an Area Review.
I helped her with the food and flowers.

Sister Bednar

 

                          Sister Causse and Sister Hamilton

Sister Renlund, Sister Bednar, Sister Hamilton and Sister Cook

           "...General Authority wives and.... Marge

  I made about a dozen florals for AP luncheon the following day.

Pretoria has a nice "Night Market" during the month of December.  Everyone comes out and enjoys the warmer weather and good food.  It is definitely an "Africaner" event.  We went with Shawn and Debbie Boshoff.

I went with the Area Presidency wives to a fund raiser craft market at St. John's private boy's school.  It looked exactly like the British schools in England; old stone building with ivy crawling up the walls and large Cricket fields.  The kids were all in proper uniforms and were extremely well groomed and polite.

They sold everything from olives and cookies to dresses and picnic baskets.

 Each of us came away with a few trinkets and treats.

Fall or Spring????

October lured Jeff back to Utah for the BYU Law and Religion Symposium.  Judge Bertlesman, of the Pretoria High Court was his guest (standing with South Africa Director of Public Affairs Sean Donnelly).

Though unaccustomed to the cold weather, they had a great time and everyone enjoyed themselves at the Sundance Resort and other venues throughout the week.

While Jeff enjoyed Mt. Timpanogas, I enjoyed Siena, Italy and the chance to help Julie and family get settled...and to welcome into the world precious little Thomas Howells Nelson - Tommy!!  I miss this sweet family.

                                  Tuscany was beautiful.

Meanwhile.... back in Africa, the Shupes arrived.  RQ and Susan are the parents of Meiken Alexander who is married to Philip Alexander, who is our daughter-in-law, Christina's brother.  That makes us in-law related!!!  RQ will be Jeff's AALC and Susan will work in Public Afairs.  We are thrilled to have them here and enjoy their companionship.

Elder and Sister Knudsen were instrumental in organizing a new Area Office History Library.  Sadly, it was opened the evening of their departure from the mission but they gave the Sr. missionaries a tour and we enjoyed a farewell dinner in the canteen in their honor.

We always enjoy a surprise visit from our favorite golfer girls - CC, Lolly and Reeve, from Zimbabwe.

 This time we were lucky to meet Rachel, Dean and the boys too.

They Skyped with a friend from Zimbabwe who just got her mission call.   CC Lundgreen... my favorite Norwegian sister. drinking a root beer float!!!

They were delighted when I introduced them to Georges Bonnet, our Area DTA who will be helping them get some new humanitarian water projects approved in Zimbabwe.

They came back the next day because their car was broken into the night before and they had to get some repairs before driving to Zimbabwe.  These are lovely ladies who delight in service and helping others.  They know how to get things done!

The house where we live is adjacent to the Area Office where there is also Temple Patron Housing for those who come to the temple here in Joburg.  Our home is blocked off by electric gates but occasionally people like these three from the Congo get inside our yard when the gate opens. The boys were tending their little sister while their parents were at the temple.  I picked up this little girl, who was crying and held her for a while.  She went right to sleep in my arms.  When I tried to put her down, she went kicking and screaming with her brothers.  It is unusual for the little black children to like white faces.  She was adorable.

I lLove the great signs around town; make you feel safe and good inside!!

 You could tell it was springtime in Swaziland because the male peacocks were strutting for female attention.  We stayed at a lovely hotel called Summerfields, with the Shupes.

Swazi is an interesting place.  It is the only place in Africa that is run by a Monarchy.  They have royalty and a palace.  When the Prince chooses a new wife (almost every year), the girls and young women dance topless for him at a traditional ceremony that all are invited to attend.  It is a very poor country.  

We attended church at the very lovely Mansina Chapel.

We walked through several markets and bought fruit to take to the villages.

These two were selling bananas so we bought a case.

                      Driving through the countryside...

 

                         We found some hungry banana lovers!

                They sang and danced for us.  We loved them!!!

                      Mommies soon joined us and sang along.

Soon the rains came and it was time to leave before we might get stuck in the mud...

OOPS!!!!  Wish I would have had a picture of the two women who stopped by to push.  One was the young mother of a new baby.  They kicked off their shoes and pushed with the two men with all their might.  IMPRESSIVE, STRONG WOMEN!