SmithsAfricanAdventures

President Russel M. Nelson is amazing and his wisdom helps us everyday in our BYUPathway work. When Lindsey was serving her mission in Chile, she made this awesome book mark for me with Chilean flowers she dried - dated Mother's Day 2004!! Some of the senior sisters are very crafty and have craft activities for all.  This activity was making bookmarks with a picture of the Johannesburg Temple with Jacaranda trees in bloom. They had many dried flowers from around our area and it was fun to make - then lamanite.  I sent one to Lindsey!  2004 - 2021!! This is a picture of our Friday morning Gathering.  Most of the student can't afford as much date to show their picture the whole hour!  We are sure learning a lot and enjoying their progress. The last two weeks of December we worked very hard to get these 'branded' items ordered and paid for with the 2021 budget!  These masks and the pens came to the office first!  We really like them! The next day we received the tee shirts

  This orange VW Bug was in the grocery store parking lot.  It reminded me of the one Derrell had in high school - remember when he got 16 people in there!!! This wart hog was in an African store - I bought a few wart hog tusks key rings, they gave me a legal document that they were legit if customs asked when I go home!! Roadkill - dead rat - found one of these is each country we've served in!! Pretty cactus flower - there is a bee in the middle gathering pollen! Further away view of the cactus and flower. Dish towels I'm sewing for all the senior couples who will be leaving in the next few months.  I couldn't find the same flat towels, all the dish towels here are terry cloth or bumpy...so I bought 100% cotton fabric and hemmed them.  I found the African flag design on line - blank one to be colored in. Elder Gordon Smith is quite the joker - so we gave him this going away card!  For Sister Smith we found one that had an elephant and giraffe on it.  All the senior couples

  Sunday, January 16, we had another baptism in our small Kwa-Thema 2nd Ward.  There was something wrong with the font and Elder Hughes had to get in and fix it - before the picture - he looks dripping wet because he was! Brother Malinda had outlasted three sets of missionaries, but he finally said he was ready!  Lovely service - our Bishop between the men in white - Elder Chanzu, from Kenya, on the right and a counselor in the Bishopric on the left. Sam showing us all the snow in the back yard, and Lucy deciding where to go in it!! Darling Lilly with some of her fun toys!   More Lilly - can never get enough! The Moroccan Tagine that I fed six people out of on Saturday evening - some of the chicken getting put away in the tupperware! Kurt texted us that Clark was giving a talk in Sacrament Meeting - we were so happy to stay up to see and hear him.  He spoke about serving in the Lord's way and did a great job.  Matthew 25 was a scripture he used and he listed so many small ways that

  On Monday, January 17th, the Senior Sisters had lunch to celebrate Sister June Smith and Sister Susan Humphreys returning home and Sister Sim's January birthday.  This is the Culinary students restaurant at the Witts University campus.  The food was delicious and a work of art! We ate outside, this dessert cake table was inside but worth taking a picture of!!   This is a chicken salad!  All the ingredients piled up in a piece of art! Elder and Sister Humphreys will return to Bountiful, Utah the first week of February.  They were our 'host' couple and have been very helpful to us for three months!   Sister Martin and her salad!   Sister Dube and Sister Schmeil - the wives of the Counselors in the Area Presidency were able to come with us - always a treat.   There was this pretty duck swimming in the fountain in the middle of the outdoor seating at the restaurant - he didn't like me getting too close and hopped up -but I got his picture!

On Saturday, January 15th, many of the senior couples visited the Nizamiye Mosque.  It is known as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.  They have a medical clinic, and a school.  Children came at age 11 and stay for three years - memorizing the 600+ pages of the Quran.  The students get up at 4 in the morning and study until 9 at night! The young man in the red shirt was our guide.  He is from Turkey and last November he and an older man were the guides for us and Elder and Sister Humphreys.  He is the Principal of the school and a very bright young man.  He is studying World Religions and asked us a lot of questions.  Mostly Elder Humphreys answered him and they exchanged email addresses.  Sarett contacted Elder Humphreys first and asked for more information.  They answered all his questions - he asked for a Book of Mormon and now would like to attend a Sunday Service of our Church! Behind that mask is a very handsome and loving Elder Smith!  All the materials for this Mosque were

  This is our door decoration for now!  Several of the missionary apartments we have lived in had a picture of the Savior either on the door or in a window - we will do the same! Walking this morning we saw this Haughty Bird - they are large and 'caw' like a crow with a sore throat! Really a loud, ugly sound! Also on our walk we found this 'Secret Garden' looking door!  Sam and Lilly - she is trying to figure who those funny people are on the screen!  Sam says she is eating real food now and loving it!! She can roll over both tummy to back and back to tummy - go Lilly!!! The young man in the brown suit coat was baptized last Sunday, confirmed this Sunday - Elder Hughes on the far left, Elder Chanzu from Kenya on the right.  Simbona brought a friend to church!   Here are the two wonderful new saints of the Kwa-thema Ward - the sweet sister is Emma Elizabeth!  I got my first hair cut here in Africa - I like it better when I can do it! This is how the beautician did my hai

  The dear sister in blue is a member of our KwaThema Ward.  Her friend noticed how she was happy she was and wanted to know why?  She took the lessons from the missionaries, and last Sunday was baptized.  Afterward she spoke her testimony and was literally dancing around!  It was in Zulu and I asked the sister standing near me what she was saying.  She told me that she the feelings she got from joining the church - made her want to dance!! Here is Elder Hughes from Las Vegas - and the two wonderful new saints!  The young man told us in his testimony that he felt the elders saved his life - he used to smoke and do drugs - most of the members stayed after Church to support these two newest members. This is the inside of the chapel - rows labeled for covid social distancing.  This is one of the nicest chapels we have seen here.   This is the outside of the Church - nice huh?