Going Native

My good friend Noxola Mawindi, she is the one that dressed me up.  If you look real close the lady on my apron is smoking a pipe.  Oh my!

Branch cultural and talent night, They Thembuletu Relief Society sisters decided it was time I became one of them.  Elder Richins would rather I left the hat behind but the costumes are beautiful.  I just followed along with the dance.

June 11-17, 2012
It has been diverse week.  We have enjoyed so much this week.  Golf, 3 family home evenings, institute, and branch talent night, plus several visits with the elders.

Monday we enjoyed our first golf.  It was a beautiful day, you didn't even need a jacket.  Guess who won?  Yes, it was Elder Richins, he hasn't lost his touch, but remember Elder Featherstone has been on a mission for 2 years and only played a few times in his life, It was Elder Sheward's first time, and Sister Richins just loves being out and trying to hit the ball straight.

Elder Sheward, not bad for a beginner!

The Elder's know how to have fun, work hard, and follow the rules too be successful.

We thought you might like to see the way we keep warm when it dips to 10 degrees C or lower.

The radiators in the living room.  We keep all the other doors closed.

Mattress pad heater, notice the nice tiles.  The are super cold so we both bought warm slippers that we wear at all times.

       
     Tuesday is our Mossel Bay day.  We met a man at a coffee shop that was referred to us by a member that was recently baptized.  After which we had a few moments to enjoy the waves and the elders took some pictures.

The elder's resisting the temptation to get to close to the water!   Thank heavens looks can be deceiving, the picture doesn't show the other side of the rock with a large rock shelf they were standing on.

Two people taking home their finds for the day.

Wednesday is garbage day.  This is the recycle truck.  They pile the blue garbage bags onto this truck.,  This is the 2nd group that goes through the garbage.  The individuals take the first pickings.  You can hear the dogs barking late at night and early in the morning announcing the arrival of the savengers.  I don't think anything worth salvaging goes to waste.  The individuals always have something they are taking home.

           
Thursday we went to Knysna to inspect the Elder's apartment, which we do every 6 weeks.  Here are some random pictures of our travels.

You see this scene everywhere.  People thumbing or putting money out hoping for a ride. Notice the baby on the ladies back.  They carry the little ones like this everywhere.

Linda Stitler, can you tell me the name of this bird?  The birds here are so very fascinating. I love the red on the bill. 

One day I saw several workers putting together these retaining walls.  It is chicken wire with rocks piled high  in large square sections and then put together.  They are not cemented at all.  You see these all along the Garden Route.

Our 1st robbery.  Someone popped the back tail light and stole our  back lights. They new what they were doing and cut the wires so they could take the lights out whole and use them again.  They did such a great job we didn't notice it for a couple of days.  The Chevy dealer said they were real pros.  Elder Richins at first thought the GM plant had sent the car out with out any tail lights.  

I've been trying to take this picture for a long time.  I'm sure the picture doesn't do the situation justice, but notice the robot's(traffic light) color?  It is green and the people have decided it is time to cross the street, some are finishing and some are just beginning to cross.

This is also a picture I have been trying to capture.  This is a speed bump or hill would be a better term.  These speed bumps are all over George, but Elder Richins and I are sure that this is the highest one.  

This is the entrance to the N2 the freeway that goes along the southern part of Africa, or what everyone calls the Garden Route.  The entrance is always full of people trying to get a ride.  I guess it fascinates me so much because you would never see people sitting at the freeway entrance, thumbing in such large numbers and walking, crossing the freeway at any point.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Outside the police station this sky was so beautitul.  I was sorry I had  this power line in it but  Iwas inside the compound, enjoy the pictures.

 As I mentioned at the first of this blog we had a branch talent night.  Elder Richins and I were the first act.  We did a swing to the tune of Bloody Mary.  I believe we did OK because we have had several comments and big smiles.  It was fun, but so glad that we were first on the program.

The skit

Homemade and they did a great job, notice the blue plastic bucket and stick for a drum

Sister Richins doing a native dance

The branch presidency singing a hymn in harmony and then...

Rocking out, shades and all

Our very own elders doing the Magical Dance

The choreographer was of course Elder Featherstone

We had a great time and I made 4 Texas sheet cakes for refreshments.  They went like hot cakes. It was such a fun way for the branch to get out and have fun.

Sunday was Father's day and Elder Featherstone's last Sunday on his mission he goes home on Wednesday.  His family is sooo excited.  His mom said in her last 3 letters.  Elder Featherstone don't do anything crazy, come home in one piece.  He is following orders the best he knows how.  The Relief Society gave the father's a Lunch Box candy bar for being such great dad's, of course all men over the age of 18 got one.  Encouraging them to prepare to be great dad's some day.

We love you all,  Have a great week.
Elder & Sister Richins

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

Gratitude

Welcome everyone to another week here in George, South Africa,
We just want to say Donkey (thank you) for being part of our life.  We have felt your prayers and just knowing you are part of our lives has been a blessing.  We are so very grateful to know each one of you.
This has been an amazing week.  This morning as I was listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing,  "I Know that My Redeemer Lives"  I felt such gratitude for my Savior, who died and was resurrected for each and everyone of us.  It is a wonderful thing to contemplate this wonderful life we have and the people who cross our path.

I took pictures of our name tags to help me remember this time in my life, and I wanted to share them with you. I love putting on my name so that the world can know that for these 2 years we are representing Jesus Christ.

I'm grateful for P-day, it gives us an opportunity to play with the Elder's

Elder Richins challenged the 2 sets of missionaries to a contest.  The contest was to see who could have the cleanest car by the end of the day.  The winner was to be treated to a Hot Fudge sundae at Spurs.  Elder Speed and Elder Dladla shampooed the seats of the car, plus cleaned the boot (trunk) and washed and dried the outside.  Elder Featherstone washed his mats besides everything else and Elder Richins did the normal perfect job.  Everyone did such an amazing job that Elder Richins treated everyone to a Hot fudge Sunday, but alas it is now Sunday and we get to do it all over again.

Elder Sheward at a humble bungalow.  Notice how tall he is.  

I will forever be grateful for central heating, garbage disposal,and being able to run around the house bare foot. The tiles here are very cold in the winter. I am also very grateful to have a roof that doesn't leak here in George.  I was talking to one of the wonderful women here and she remembers a few years ago living in a bungalow that is like the bungalow above.  When it would rain she remembers coming home from work and going into the wet house, getting into a wet bed, then getting up in the morning putting her feet down on the ground and sloshing around on the wet floor. Talk about someone is grateful.  She now has a small home with tile floor on a foundation, with doors, windows and indoor plumbing.  So I say to myself how grateful I am for what I have.  For a good roof over my head and slippers that keep my feet warm, a little heater that  keeps our flat warm. an electric blanket and a nice warm bed, and to realize how easy it is to put the garbage in a sack.

Wednesday, garbage day.  I am grateful to have food on the table, toothpaste ect!

This man has spent the morning going through every ones garbage to salvage anything he can.  He is one of many.  Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning we hear dogs barking all over the neighborhood, as men, women and children scavenge the garbage for something they can use.

Elder Richins is helping Marshal get his mission papers ready.  All he has to do is the medical exam and dental work.  Look how he is dressed?  Now you don't see that everyday, when you are not a missionary.  He just became a counselor in the Elder's quorum.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with wonderful young people.  They really are a cut above the world's standard.

I am grateful for animals.  My grandchildren would know that whenever we are in town if we have the opportunity we go to the zoo.  Well, going to Thembuletu is like going to the zoo everyday.  I love the donkey's they are in a different place  everyday.  They wander across the road when the grass is greener on the other side.  They don't worry if a car is coming.  These ducks where just going in front of the library, while these students watch.

Defying gratify, I am grateful for missionaries who work hard, keep the mission rules and know how to have fun. 

Missionary work is all about service.  Friday we had the opportunity to move this family.  It was a challenge but I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and I am grateful to be healthly enough so I can.  We moved to families on Friday.  May I suggest if you have to move please have everything in boxes.  It sure helps.

The 1st family had very few boxes and the 2nd family had everything in boxes to move.

1st family

Dinner at the Rose with President and Sister Wood.  The Capetown mission president and his wife.  

Lunch at Nando's with our waitress.  Such a happy bunch.

I am grateful for grandchildren.  Many of them have emailed their grandparents and told us what is going on in their lives.  I love them for their time and for sharing their thoughts and love with us.

I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that answers prayers, and shows tender mercy to us.  I was feeding the missionaries and the President and Sister Woods after church today.  I had a few last minute preparations to do so I set the timer for 50 minutes so I would have time to get ready for church.  Just as I completed the last thing I needed to do, the alarm went off.  I know you might not think that is much but I consider it a tender little mercy, which I needed this morning.
Last night I was so very tired and my leg was throbbing.  In my prayer I asked Heavenly Father if he could subdue the throbbing tonight because I need a good nights sleep. I believe that was a very tender mercy and I was able to sleep like a baby.

We have been involved with some new friends that have been going through some challenging times.  On Friday when we saw them I could tell that their and our prayers where answered.  The peace you could see on their faces was so evident.

I am again very grateful to each of you for who you are.  Thanks so much for being part of our lives.
Elder and Sister Richins