Christmas in July

Poinsettia's in July

Everyone in George was so excited to see the "snow" on George peak.  To me it looked like a dusting.  I felt lucky to get the picture since it was gone the next day and the clouds where covering the mountain most of the time.

Welcome to winter in South Africa,
  It as been a most unusual 2 weeks in George.  As you can see by the picture in snowed on a Friday and was about 8 degrees C, about 46 degrees F in town.  It was very cold to me, we enjoyed our 2 small electric heaters and especially our electric blanket.  It rains very hard here and the wind is something else.  Marshall who lives in a small shack (bungalow) said he was afraid that his house was going to blow down.  Last Saturday we had a huge boom and we didn't have internet until Thursday.

Marshall Bongo is getting ready to serve an LDS mission and this is his missionary photo.

School was out for 3 weeks for their fall break.  I said that it seems that since we have gotten here that the kids are on holiday quite often.  They assured me that their kids go to school many more days than the kids in the US, about 200 days compared to our 180.

Elder Richins and I are having your palets delighted and challenged

Paw Paw, it looks a little like a cantaloupe in color but isn't has juicy.

Now for the challenging food.  Elder Speed and Elder Dladla wanted to experience a "true" African dish and Sister Mawindi was more than happy to oblige.  We met the Elders on the road and with a huge smile the Elders said to enjoy and a coke was a good friend.  These wonderful Elders decided that the Richins should also enjoy a "true" African dish.  We had just eaten our meal for the day and were full to begin with so, when we arrived Sister Mawindi went into the kitchen to dish up the "true" African meal.  She fetched Elder Richins from his car and this is what was placed before us.

Sister Mawindi and Elder Richins

The dish it goat innards. The white is "pop" a maize base which is very much staple in the African diet.  Sister Mawindi said that she got them from the butcher and she cleaned them very well.  She didn't tell us what it was we were eating and at first Elder Richins thought it was noodles but as he kept chewing and chewing he began to wonder.  Sister Mawindi said we would have to ask the Elders what we ate when we say them. I'm afraid we weren't the best guests, each of us got down about 4 bites, but we did take what we didn't eat to the Elders, lucky them!

Elder Richins giving out lollipops to all the kids in the area, and each week we come there seems to be more, surprise, surpries.  As we drive up the hill they just come flocking to the car. Whenever we are in the township we see kids out in the streets playing and always have big smiles.  Never do we hear any crying.

Last night we had our monthly activity which was a Family Home Evening.  The Pangels demonstrated a  FHE, their son Houston was a crack up and it was so much fun to see a "real" FHE in action.

After the "lesson" part of the FHE we went downstairs and played games.  Everyone who came had a great time.  This game was spoons.

I had to put these into my account of Africa.  ONLY brown eggs are to be found

Until I get tired of seeing these gorgeous sunrises and sunsets they will be part of my blog.  They are truly awe inspiring to Elder Richins and I.

Isn't she a cutie, we had a FHE with Balangila family and their daughter and I were singing.
The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock

After all the Elder's had finished their work for the day everyone came over to  drink  hot chocolate  and play the Tim Tam game, which isn't a game at all.  Tim Tam's are a chocolate cookie.  Two wafers with chocolate in the middle, then coated with chocolate.  You bite off the tip of each end, dip on tip into the hot chocolate, sip until it starts to melt and then pop it in your mouth.  WOW! what a rich chocolate rush.  The Tim Tam's are imported from New Zealand and Australia.  The Elder Pack with the grapefruit and the Elder Acton in the red tie are the Zone leaders and were in town to do splits with our district elders.  NOTE:  Elder Speed in the overcoat is from hot Austraila and he is always cold.  Sometimes he is wearing, long johns and his sweats under his suit to keep warm.  

We were invited to Knysna for their district conference.  As you can see we just followed the Zone leaders.   I am learning to take a picture with the timer and my camera is on the hood of our car.  Elder Jones did it for me so I didn't have to run so fast.
Elder & Sister Richins, Elder Acton, Elder Pack, Elder Andrianamanatia from Madagascar and Elder Jones from Canada

We enjoyed a nice lunch at the wharf. Elder Richins is telling his Elephant story, ha, ha,  He has gotten a lot of mileage out of that one, especially here in SA.

Today is Sunday and it has been quite a day.  We got up early to drive to Knysna, about an hour drive from George.  We were asked to speak in sacrament meeting.  This assignment was given to us about 3 weeks ago when Elder Richins was planning to come and do the quarterly audit.  On Tuesday when we were in Mossel Bay Veraqouis asked Elder Richins, if he would baptize her on Sunday.  How can you say no to such an honor.  So after we spoke in Knysna we headed back to George so he could perform this sacred ordinance which was after George's meetings.  After we were finished with the baptism we headed back to Knysna so Elder Richins could conduct the audits.  That is where we are right now.  I am sitting next to the window with the sun shining in to keep me warm and Elder Richins is doing his thing with the Branch presidency.

Their were 2 baptisms today.  Elder Richins, Veraqauzi, Stanley, and Elder Dladla

What a good looking group.

It was a fabulous day.  Elder Richins talked about sacrifice and I talked on the Sabbath day and the sacrament. I just took pictures from my window of the setting sun looking at the clouds.  They look like they are on fire.

Quarterly church audit with the Knysna branch

I took these 3 pictures as I was finishing up my blog today.  All I did was look out the window and shot.

We hope all of you have a great week.  Life is good.  Life is challenging.  Life is worth living.  We love you all and appreciate so much your notes.
Love,
Elder & Sister Richins

PS
I wanted to show you some pictures of braided hair, which is just a small sampling of what I see.  Even the little girls get it done.  It takes about 2 hours for these to be done and I have heard it also hurts.

Elephants and so much more at ADDO

 Hi everyone,  We had the opportunity to go to Addo, a South African National Park.  It was such an amazing day especially when you see how it started out.  For all you who know why we are in SA to be missionaries it doesn't mean we can't take advantage and enjoy this beautiful country.  We are having an amazing opportunity to serve the people and enjoy this country rich in natural beauty.  We hope you enjoy our journey this week.

 We started our day with rain.  The clouds just continued to be just ahead of us.

We could see touches of blue sky in front of us at every turn but just out of reach.  We heard that when it rains the elephants stay deep in the bush.

As we entered Addo the wind was blowing really hard and it looked like rain, but we pressed forward. Elder Richins asked how much it would be and the guy at the gate said, 50 Rand if you are resident and 150 for visitors.  When we went into by the tickets knowing that the elders couldn't afford the 150 Rand again Elder Richins went up to the desk and ask for a deal, surprise,surprise!  Well, it worked we all got in for 38 Rand each.  There where 8 of us.

Our first sighting, and we were so excited to see any animal.  We had been driving for about 1 hour.

This guy just decided to cross the road right in front of us.  He really was a big ostrich and he was going somewhere fast.

This is a Hartebeest notice the beautiful markings on the ears and the distinguishable horns.  You get all 3 views, front, side and back.

This is a termite mound.  They are very large if you wanted to take one home it would fill your truck.

A warthog family.  We saw so many and the are not the cuties animal I have every seen.

I love it when they will just sit a pose for you.  There are so many beautiful birds and I need to get a book so I can tell you their names.

It was time for lunch and since we couldn't get out of our car we had to find the picnic area. So down this curved road to the entrance to the "COMPOUND".  We were the ones in the cage.  We even had to go through gates to be safe, and even then the signs all said, "animals can get inside please be aware of your surroundings".

Notice the beautiful sky, no wind and just beautiful clouds to enjoy.  We couldn't get out of our car  though Elder Speed kept climbing out of the window to get a better picture.  This is one time he was glad he was vertically challenged and small enough to navigate the back window.

Lunch at the very nice picnic area.  Sweet Chili Sauce with cream cheese, yum! 

Leaving the compound

After lunch we were determined to find some more animals.  We had seen dropping, large, massive droppings all morning, now was the time to see the animals that left those droppings.

We walked down this trail to a watering hole, but alas not an animal is sight.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of these good looking animals.  They are always ready to show off.  They might be the only animals I see this afternoon.  It has been several hours since we saw any wild life.

Our FIRST ELEPHANT SIGHTING!

He was a long way away, but after our morning I wasn't going to hope that we would see more.  So I enjoyed taking as many pictures as I could. He was in the clearing for about 10 minutes then he just walked to the left and was gone into the brush.  This brush camouflages them so easily.

Things started to pick up though we went another hour before seeing anything.  We saw several cars off to the side of the road.  So we stopped to see what they were looking at.  Two lions in the meadow, of course they were so far away I couldn't get a picture but with Elder Speed's binoculars we could see them just lounging in the sun.  They did pick up their heads so we could see they mains.

Kudu, with and without the antlers.  I love the big guy staring at me as I took this picture.  He was very close.

Look at those ears and eyes and it even looks like he has a smile on his face.

The two Kudu together

Things are picking up it is about 4 pm and the sun will be setting about 5:30.  We see up ahead the other car of elders and they have "an" elephant close by so we hurry along the road to hopefully get to see this guy up close.  As we come around the bend we see more than one.  I tried to be selective with my pictures.  It was so amazing to see so many.  I think we counted about 15 or 20 in the hour we spend here.

This guy was sooooo close.  You can see the hairs on him.

Notice the eye lashes

The baby, he even looks like he has a smile on his face.

Elephants on the right side of the road

Elephants on the left side of the road

 We had elephants crossing in front of us and behind us.  I hope you got a glimpse of what we were able to see.  It was an amazing experience.  Elder Richins had Addo at the bottom of his list by the time we left Addo it was at the TOP!

As we were getting ready to leave the park, it closed at 5:30.  We wound our way up to the top of the world in Addo and had to take a couple of pictures.

No worry's! The lions where all lounging in the meadows today

Elder Richins said he needs to look into the camera, but this shot is one of my favorites.

This guy was lumbering down the road as we where heading towards the exit.  He walked right by our car towards the
watering hole. 

He never took his eyes off the waterhole.  You could almost feel the car vibrate has he walked by.

If you look carefully you will see the rhinoserous.  As we were trying to get to the exit on time Elder Dladla said STOP! I just saw a rhino on the side of the hill.  Heck with getting out on time.  Elder Richins backed up and we enjoyed our sighting of the Rhino. 

We had seen Zebra in the distance but this gal was right next to the road.

What a day! From rain to wind to no animals, to many animals, to this!  All in one day.  We were so blessed to enjoy so much.  And to really thank our Heavenly Father for this breathe taking world we live in.

As we entered Port Elizabeth it was raining and had been raining all day, which is only about 30 minutes from Addo.
We hope you all have a blessed week.  Enjoy your summer and the beautiful part of the world you are in this week.

Love, Elder and Sister Richins
Lynn and Miriam

Pumba / Missionary work / June 24 - July 1

Pumba game reserve and the aloe plant that we see everywhere in full bloom

This is their favorite food the leaves which grow among the thorns. Oh, yum!

Hi to all,   Every 6 weeks the senior couples in the West Cap and East Cape of the Cape Town mission  get together and we enjoy a new South Africa attraction in our area.  This last week we got to enjoy the Pumba game park.  It is a huge game park. Come to find out that in South Africa there have been enclosed game parks since 1800's.  So no free roaming wild life since way back then. We saw so many giraffe They are becoming my favorite.  I love to watch them eat, walk, run and interact with their little ones.  Here are a couple of pictures.

Such a magnificent animal, and did you know that the spot patterns are different on
every single giraffe?

Baboons are everywhere and do they move fast when the white lion is close. If you look real close you will see the baby hanging on to his mother.

The White Lion and her 1 year old cub stocking their prey, the Impala and Zebra

The one year old coming up from the left as they try to surprise their prey.

Just walking from bush to bush, they make sure the wind is at their blowing into their faces so their prey can't get the lions scent.  The white lion is easy to see as they move through the brush.

This is my favorite picture, just waiting and creeping up to their prey.  They are very patient animals, but today they were not successful.  They only
got a warthog. They really wanted the Impala or Zebra.


I'm being blog challenged to day so I will hope can read the small print.

Missionary work!  Though we have the opportunity to see this beautiful country our main purpose in being here in South Africa is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and be of service to the people here.  We do that in may ways. Mainly through the George branch, which is a unit of the church.  It is a small unit but they are growing.  Some days we have so many at church that we think we are going to need a bigger building, but for now it is adequate.

George is a very clean town and here are a few reasons why.  These are the street sweepers and you see them all over town.  They each have their own small area that they keep clean.  Saturday I was at Curves and a lady was coming into the parking lot and she ran over a glass bottle and it just popped.  When we came out 1/2 hour later it was gone!  The "street sweeper" had it all swept up.

Elder Richins does a lot of training.  When you have new members they need to learn the "ropes", and that is what he is very good at.  For example, Auditing, ward clerk, executive secretary, ward news letter, sharing Family Home Evening with the families of the branch, home teaching, visiting teaching, ward activities, playing the piano for primary, doing prelude in sacrament meeting , giving talks when asked, visiting members that the branch president assigns us, teaching institute.  So along with these activities comes the preparation.  We also support the full times Elders by going to appointments with them when asked, making sure they get a good meal each week, since they don't get asked to homes very often.  There budget each week is not that great and they really do a great job of making it last.  I would say that a mission teaches the young men how to budget and make their resources go a long way.

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Our dinner guests today.  Elder Pearson, Elder Richins, Elder Sheward, Elder Speed, Branch President Matsaluka, Marshall, and Elder Dladla.  We had spaghetti, green salad, french bread and apple crisp.  Great company and good conversation.

We needed to to buy a flash drive so we could put pictures on it.  As we were getting ready to buy one a street vendor came up to our car and said he had a 32 G flash drive and it was only 120 Rand.  Lynn said he would give him 80 Rand.  The guy didn't bat an eye.  The deal was made and Elder Richins was really pleased with himself.  We came home and told the Elders all about the "deal" and they said well I hope their is something in it.  Elder Richins said he checked it over really good and the package hadn't been tampered with.  But when we put it into the computer also it had no memory.  We were scammed, so back to a legitimate store to get the real thing this week.  NEVER BUY ELECTRONICS FROM A STREET VENDOR!