SmithsAfricanAdventures

  Elder Kay and Sister Karen Cleverly asked us to accompany them to the Lion and Cheetah Sanctuary that is about two hours north of Johannesburg.  It was their second time there and they really liked it. The first animals we saw upon arriving were horses!  These two just kind of roam around the main lodge - much smaller place than the other two game parks we have visited. This horse reminded Elder Smith of the one he had as a kid, Nicker.  This Sanctuary is a rescue place for injured or abandoned animals.  They try to heal them and release them into the wild, but they are sometimes not able to do that, so they stay here. Our knowledgeable guide was Mosini - he was fun to listen to.   This is what the road looked like when we first started - Mosini is pointing out some Golden Wildebeest in the distance - too far for my camera!   Just down the road we saw two wart hogs - they were jumping about. As we got closer, they ran across the road with about 5 little ones running behind them! The

  The Game Park had rescued triplet male cheetah cubs - three years ago.  One of the brothers died and these two were raised with humans.  They are tame, mostly!  One senior elder did get a hole in his pant leg from a claw, another a scratch but just playful, not breaking the skin.   We enjoyed petting them and they purred!  Our guide said they were the only big cats that purr - but who has gotten close enough to pet a big lion??   The man on the far right and his wife, in black, by our guide, rode with us.  He is a Biology teacher and it was fun to hear him and the guide tell us about the life of the animals.   Sister Cleverly to the left. This is kind of a childhood dream come true for me.  I loved my black cat - Panther, and always wanted to have a big cat for a pet!  Now I can say I've petted one - that's all I need!!

  We had these giraffes walk right along the road we were driving on!  They are so interesting. The one at the far right had a baby - a pretty big baby - but smaller than all the others. This one stood and posed for all of us to take it's picture! Such a magnificent animal - very graceful until needing to get a drink!  

Here we are with Kay and Karen Cleverly - they invited us to go with them to the Lion and Cheetah Game Park.  It was their second time there - and they are planning to go again! It is less than two hours from Johannesburg and the weather was great for our adventure. At the end of the Safari ride they feed some of the animals.  Here are the tame cheetahs eating their dinner.  The meat comes from horses that have to be put down, our guide told us. Here is one of the wild cheetah's eating.  They are a rescue park and the tame animals were raised with humans and can not be let out in the wild.  The wild ones they rehabilitate and release into the wild when they are able to do so.  Wild lioness eating - big cat! Lioness waiting for dinner.  They have a viewing platform set up that we could look down on the animals as they were being fed.  Male lion, waiting for his dinner.  They fed him first, like in the wild - then the lioness.   This impala skull was at the top of the mountain - inte

  We held our Senior Missionaries Christmas Party on Saturday, December 18th.  Everyone signed up to bring food and Elder and Sister Cleverly were in charge of games and decorations.  Several of the couples will have family visiting for Christmas and some will be working so we celebrated early! Elder Swift - in the middle of the picture - his wife with short gray hair sitting opposite him.  He is our Area Medical Director and an OB-Gyn doctor - practicing in the Ogden area.  He knows President Lamb, our Mission President in Russia! Elder Swift has meet a couple of the young elders who he delivered in Ogden!!  He keeps us informed of the status of covid in our area.  Elder Cleverly in the suspenders in the front - he turned 80 years old last month - amazing! Pretty table decorations - Elder and Sister Forsyth at the left - they have peen Pathway missionaries and are coming to dinner tomorrow night to help train us on how to do it!  Further down the table and across it, are the Gordon an

  Our wonderful African Nativity Set - made from banana leaves!   Our Christmas tree and Nativity Set - the two sides come apart and make a carrying case for all the rest of the figures...Pretty simple but precious what it represents! Our front door - security door perfect for a bow - Elder Smith unlocking it. Johannesburg Temple Nativity Scene - I took the picture to also show you the beautiful flowers along the sides of the entry way - Southern Hemisphere is opposite of the Northern!  December 21st our longest day - Summer Solstice and your longest night! Cheetah at the Johannesburg Zoo - we walked by on the sidewalk!  This is Art from Mother Nature!  This cement wall had ivy growing on it at one time.  The ivy has been removed but the trails it made are still on the wall.  Great art! Sugar cookies from Sister Marge Heizelbeth's recipe - Office Secretary in Russia!  Shared with lots of Africans this December!!

  We walk each morning and this sidewalk ending reminded us of the Shel Silverstein book "Where The Sidewalk Ends" - an amazing author. This is the 'Hall Pass' for the Area Office - there are automated doors and you need to pass this over the electronic box to get the door to open - touchless!   Tomatoes have sprouted!  Elder Smith will let them get a little bigger and then thin them - cherry tomatoes in one pail, larger ones in the other.  Fun Summer eating fresh tomatoes! Bowl cozies from fun African fabrics!  Bed in our guest bedroom, as you can see I'm using it for a sewing room! Mission sewing machine - passed from senior sister to senior sister!  Aren't these fabrics fun?  I love the bright colors and patterns! Check out the ingredients of this Game Soup - venison, pheasant!   We haven't eaten it yet - another senior couple told us about it and said it was good!  I'll let you know!!