Exploring with the Elder and Sister Harris

Ann and Morgan Harris called from Kenya and wondered if we were
up for a little fun for the week-end.  They were coming to town and could
use a guide, etc.  So we started with a trip to The Cape of Good Hope.
This time we actually climbed the mountain to see the lighthouse at the top!
What a view.  It was a 360 degree sight and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Can't you just hear Grandpa as he yelled, "Su-u-u-s-an.  I'm up here!"  What a ham.

There were 12 to 15 ostriches along the road as we traveled to the Cape.

Of course we stopped to see the penguins again.  It was very cold and windy so this was a quick
stop this time.

Next on our tour was a stop at Table Mountain.  We had decided to forego this adventure, mainly
because Grandma does not like tram rides, but the peer pressure was fierce so up we went.  It was
really quite a sight from the top.  Even better than the sight from the lighthouse.

Can you get a feel?  Down below is all of Cape Town and beyond.

 

These are the NEW 7 Wonders of the World.  Seven more places for 

dad to put on his famous bucket list.  That list is endless and 

growing everyday.

A beautiful picture of Table Mountain from the ship.  We are now traveling to Robin Island.  That
is the infamous place were Nelson Mandela and many others were imprisoned for years because
of Apartheid.  They were all released in 1993.

The prison.

Nelson Mandela's cell for 27 years.

Our guide was actually a prisoner for many years while Mandela was there.  Sister Harris asked,
"Isn't it rather hard to return to the island and be a guide?"  His answer, "Not when you need a job."

The ride home (about 25 minutes) was awful.  Some were throwing up with sea-sickness.  We think
the crew all had dates and were in a hurry to get home.  We flew across the waves, crashing down
with such force you felt your insides were going to crash out onto the floor of the boat. 

We returned home to a beautiful sunset tonight.

We will miss the ocean when we leave this paradise.

The next morning was Sunday and we enjoyed the view from our balcony as we witnessed a
church leader baptizing some of his flock out in the ocean.

Johannesburg and Khayelitsha--Mission Work

After Namibia we returned to Johannesburg for a National Public Affairs Meeting.  The goal
is to empower the National Director of each country to take a more pro-active approach.  They
should be in charge of the activities and the Senior Missionaries should only be helpers and
advisors.  That is the goal.  We were so amazed with the leadership and potential that we observed
among the Directors.  Many had only been called a few weeks ago and yet they are filled with
enthusiasm and desire.  The church in Africa is definitely on the move forward.

A fun side light to our meeting.  Sister DaBell has been teaching these children piano for the past
six months.  They are learning to play primary songs for the most part. These children are very
special to us as we have gotten to know them so well.  We have worked with their parents for the
past 18 months.  Thoba Karl Halla (Mazzy's granny) has been in our office and Dominic Tshabalala
has been the National Public Affairs Director for South Africa (father of the rest.)  We were invited
to their very first piano recital.

Mazzy with proud Granny Thoba taking the picture.

Tondo--Dominic's oldest daughter.

Dominic practices on his own with his children helping him.
He played a simple hymn for us.  They are all so excited to
learn how to play the piano.

A fun time for everyone.  And our piano has found a home.  We will be leaving it at the Tsabalala residence.  They promise to come to Utah someday so we can hear them play.  They have 5
children with one more on the way.  Dominic's story is quite amazing.  As a child, his father
disappeared and most likely was killed during the Apartheid uprising.  His mother was a maid for
a white family in Johannesburg (about 30K from Soweto, the township where he lived with his
Grandma.)  He saw her once a year.  And despite all this and much more, he is a loving and involved
father.  He and Moiponi (his wife) have 5 delightful children and a wonderful family.

We returned to Capetown and our missionary work here.  In January, 674 homes burned to the
ground in this township.  People have been living at the local recreation center and with family
and friends since then.  It is now March and the city and other non-profit organizations have been
trying to erect temporary housing for many people.  Only 100 homes are legal in this area.  They build structures on top of other structures and to the side.  So much so that when the fire broke out
the fire trucks could not get to the fire because the roads all had homes on them.  People are really
quite destitute in this township.

A local church house.

This is home to 1000's of families.  No electricity, running water, bathroom facilities, and their
floor is often times dirt.

This area is open everyday for business.  They barbecue Chicken and Sausages on large cook stoves.

I loved this picture of a grandma walking down the street.  She looks like she might be looking for
her grandchildren.  MANY grandmothers raise the children in this community.

This would be the community bathroom.  Not a lot of privacy or convenience.

These are waiting to be installed for the temporary housing area.

Here Elder is trying to find a way to help the people.  We have met a lot of road blocks but will keep
trying.  

This is the size of the home.  18 square meters.  That would be smaller than most kitchens in America.  They refer to them as shacks but it is still home to them.  Notice they sit on the sand.
We're trying to find a way to buy linoleum to put on the floor but so far that hasn't worked.

Here we see a lot of the people who have been displaced out working to build the new homes.  
Approximately 1/3 of the families in need are single mothers.  That is such a problem here.
Young girls (15-18) with a baby trying to survive on their own. If you catch the tone of this post,
it is quite sobering for an American to see the challenges these people face each day.  And in spite
of all the hardship, they an unequivocally the kindest and friendliest people I have ever met.  I will
certainly miss their smiles.  I can honestly say, "I found my smile in Africa."  And I also found by 
far the greatest example of daily humility and love for the Savior in Africa.

Victoria Falls Adventure

We started with a week in Namibia working with the local National Public Affairs Council.
This is our meeting with Womba (National Director for Namibia) and Frank Fredricks.
He is a two-time Silver Medal winner at the Olympics as a 100m and 200m sprinter.  He attended
BYU on a Track Scholarship and Willard Hirshi was his coach at the Olympics.  He is not a
member but is willing to be an advocate for us in Namibia.

We decided to take the week-end and explore some of Africa.  We landed in Zimbabwe, 
traveled by van across the border, and then landed in Zambia.  So we
had to get a visa for each country.

  This is Victoria Falls which is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.  It was much 
longer than Iquazu Falls in Argentina and very beautiful.

This is the mist of the Falls we could see in the distance.  At first it looked like a fire ahead.
As we walked along the pathway to observe the Falls from different angles, we were
completely soaked because of the mist.  It was a downpour not a mist of water.

We saw fantastic rainbows, sometimes two at a time.  One time we saw a rainbow that was
in a complete circle--seriously!  I tried to get a picture but I needed a wide-angle lens.  You'll
just have to take my word for it.

The next day we spent some time riding elephants.  Grandpa wanted
to ride by himself, of course, but the guide said no.

This is one of the coolest things I have ever done.  Imagine--riding
an elephant.  Who would have ever thought. 

We rode for about 45 minutes and the guide taught me all about snakes as we rode.  That was really
fun.  They have many, many huge and dangerous snakes in Africa.

            River Cruise on the Zambesi River

Speaking of snakes, this is a "Snake Bird."  Sitting here it doesn't look like its name.  But the
next picture. . .

Especially from a distance, it really looks like a snake standing up in the water.

There were huge lizards all over the trees.  

There were crocodiles swimming all around us.  Then we discovered the reason why. . . .

We saw the baby Hippo that had been killed by the crocodiles.

They finally began to take it down below the surface of the water.

Going, Going, Gone.  I'm glad we didn't see it being killed.  That would have been sad.  But that's
the way it is in Africa.  Survival of the fittest.  The sad thing was, however, Mama Hippo was not
far away loudly expressing her displeasure.

We saw SO MANY elephants.  Just a couple of the better shots.  After playing and playing in the
water, they get out and spray themselves with dirt and/or mud.

Just like kids--having a great time playing with each other.

Now what do you think?  Can an elephant really have TWO trunks?  A picture says it all
don't you think?

For you young artists, I thought this would be a very fun picture to paint.  Anyone game to try?

At the hotel, there were zebras that walked around the grounds all of the time.  This young man was
their keeper and he showed us how he could talk to them by making different sounds.  And the
most fun thing was his name is Webster.

He also took us for a walk and showed us a mother giraffe and her two offspring.  The
little one is about 2 weeks old.

Yes, they were everywhere.  In fact, we had to circle the airport when we arrived because
they had to get the baboons off of the runway.  It reminded me of Tonga when they had to
chase the pigs off of the runway.

This would be Daddy Baboon.  We heard this LOUD honking-type sound.  He was calling to
his family that were on the ground below him.

He got their attention--mom and two of the babies.

Then we saw the whole family heading for the brush.