South Africa land of diversity

Elder Richins standing next to the cheetah.  Someone asked if they were tame?  They were born and raised in captivity.  If you want to you can spend the whole day with them, walking them, brushing them, fixing their food, feeding them, ect.  We where only there for 1 hour so all we got to do was go into the cage with them and take pictures.  I was so close I could have touched her.  They were so relaxed sitting in the sun.  This fellow is also a member of the church.

These little muskrats are my favorite, what personalities they have.

On the way home from Port Elizabeth we went through a lot of mist.  Here is one picture.  It reminds me of the scriptures that talk of the mist that covered the earth (Genesis 2:6.  Also, it could remind us of the mist of darkness (2 Nephi 12:17).

Something you don't see in the USA is people having prayer at the beginning of an exercise auction.  I was at a Curves event and before it began they had an opening prayer.  What a wonderfully novel idea!

Sister Richins at a Curves event, where they began with prayer.

Elder Richins is hard at work filling out papers for Namibia.  We have been asked to submit the documents for visas.  We will just wait to see if they go through.  Mean time we are busy enjoying George and the people here.

Elder Richins with Dr. Dower.  He has been the doctor for the missionaries for years.  He didn't charge us anything to fill out our Medical visa papers.  Side note:  His mother 23 years ago housed the missionaries for free.  She just used them as protection.  After the doctor we went and had our chest x-ray at the hospital.  We were in and out of there with a CD disc and signed papers and doctors appointment 1 1/2 hours which is a record time I would say.

Elder Richins busy filling out Visa papers.

Ramdom thoughts:
We have established an institute program in Mossel Bay.  We are excited that the people up there will have the opportunity to study the scriptures on a regular basis.

Table cloth

We were visiting the Franz family and they are ulta- rubgy fans.  ALL-Black are their team.  It happens to be the New Zealand All Blacks.  Elder Sheward is from New Zealand and when we go there the love talking rugby.  They have every kind of fan gear you could think of.  Table cloth, flags, sheets, pillow cases, onesie, booties, place-mats, toilet seat cover.  Here is the happy group.

Notice the NO THUMBING  sign,  yes that is a hand with a thumb sticking up

If you look carefully, you will see a line of people thumbing.  This is so common, but it always amazes me all the people that travel along the side of the freeway and cross 4 lanes of freeway whenever.  If you look real carefully, you will see a baby or the pack of the women in the foreground.

On Saturday we were driving through the township in  Mossel Bay.  As we came down the street this group of people were fixing their dinner and trying to stay warm.  The lady with the blanket has a little one underneath that big blanket.

FYI:  People here are designated by where they live.
If you live "in town"  you are either:
white or colored
If you live "in township" you are
black

I have decided you can't look at a person and know where they live.  Some of our members live in the township, but they dress, act and work in town.   Each person's home is there castle.  You love them for who they are not where they live.

Our district:  Transfers are next week there will be changes.  It is so hard to see them leave.  These Elders are the cream of the crop and such wonderful men.

Time is going by so quickly.  We must take advantage of each moment.  Have a wonderful week.  Look at the good, find something positive to rest your mind on, stop to reflect on those little miracles or tender mercies that come into your life.  The gospel is true, the Lord loves each of his children, that is each one of us.
Love, Elder and Sister Richins