UPDATE FROM APRIL TO MID-MAY 2016

Spoiler Alert!

The following material may give the impression that all we are doing is having fun. So be it!  But please know that the work of the Lord is going forward here in South Africa and we are trying to do our part, and it is fun!



Opah's Reward

Last blog we introduced Opah Shei, an incredible young man who was kicked out of his family because he chose to go on a mission rather than accept a full scholarship to medical school.  He moved in with the District President and applied for his mission. He has been called to serve in Madagascar. He will need to learn two new languages (in addition to English which he speaks). After two months living away, his parents have softened their hearts and have welcomed him back into their home. He will be leaving on his mission in mid-June. He and his brother joined the church when he was 13 years old. They were members of the Assembly of God church, and their objective when the missionaries approached them was to prove to the missionaries that they were wrong: "We were trying to convert them!"  But in the end they were converted and his brother recently returned from serving his mission and is now attending college in Pretoria. Elder Shei plans to pursue medical school when he returns from his mission.

Temple Preparation Class

We have been teaching the Temple Preparation lessons to members in Lenyenye. We started out thinking there would be 3 attendees, but at the first class we had 16 people attend!  Many of them have already been endowed but wanted to attend to see what they could learn. And several youth attended to see what it was all about. Because transport to the Johannesburg temple costs about 430 Rand (about $30) none of the youth in the branch have ever done baptisms for the dead.
In the next couple lessons the class size has been reduced - we are preparing 4 members to go to the temple for the first time in June. Another 2 or 3 may be ready to go in September or October. And we'd like to find a way to get some of the youth there for baptisms within the next year.

Julia's Room Completed

 In a previous blog we told of a faithful member in Motupa (Julia) who is raising a son who is severely disabled. Stephen cannot walk or talk - he just lays in bed all the time except when he goes to the clinic for checkups. The Campbells, our fellow missionary couple here, take him every 4 to 6 weeks, and I guess we will assume that task after they leave in a week from now. The Elders began building a new addition for Stephen so he could have a room of his own. Unfortunately, the Elder who had the skill to lay the brick was transferred just as they had the foundation in place. We thought the project was doomed. Julia said that she knew the Lord would provide a solution.

The solution was the Branch President provided funding so professionals could complete the project and now Julia and Stephen have a new addition so Stephen can have his own space. On our last visit there we sang "I am a Child of God" to Stephen, who hears but cannot speak.  As we sang he moved his legs around and tears came to his eyes.  Stephen is 20+ years old. We plan to sing to him from now on when we visit.

Julia has been a member for a couple years. She has been instrumental in bringing  her sister Maite into the church. We teach Maite, who does not read English, New Testament  stories from the Stories of the New Testament picture book intended for children. Julia and her several sisters never attended school or church as they grew up.  They have learned to speak English pretty well on their own, but they cannot read. The Campbells began teaching Julia to read by using the Stories of the Book of Mormon picture book to her.  We have taken up that task as the Campbells are returning home. Last week when we went to teach Maite, another sister and niece were visiting, and they seemed very interested in our message. As we read about the birth of the Savior to them, we were stunned to learn that they did not know the meaning of "Savior" - we explained how Jesus "saved" us from both physical and spiritual death, thus being our "Savior." 

The Second Mile

Julia has another sister living next door - Anna - who doesn't like the church.  Anna was in the hospital in Tzaneen last month for several weeks. When they finally released her, they just put her on the curb! She and her daughter Winnie had no way to get home to Motupa, a distance of about 30 kilometers. The Campbells were busy preparing for seminary so they asked if we could pick them up and drive them to Motupa. We tried to make conversation as we drove but they didn't want to talk to us. We helped Anna walk down the slope to her house, as she was very weak.  Then we left and attended seminary in Motupa. After seminary we discovered that Anna's bag containing her medicine was still in our car. So we drove about 5 minutes back and delivered it -we didn't think anything about this. But on our next visit to Julia she told us that Anna, thinking we had driven home to Tzaneen and then driven all the way back to Motupa just to deliver the bag, was in tears after we left. She said she has changed her mind about our church, that it is a good church, and that she and Winnie would like to know more. We shall see where this goes but a small act can sometimes mean so much.

Maria's Baptism


In Motupa they employ a portable baptismal font. Beneath the plastic lining is a circular structure made of thick wire. They fill the font from the water tank in the background.

Simply climb the latter up and down - it works!  The water can be a little chilly.

Sister Maria was baptized by Elder Smith-Holley who is from New Zealand.  He was transferred after this and made a Zone Leader.

Those are classrooms in the background.

Primary and Aaronic Priesthood

Sometimes we are called upon to teach lessons; actually we are called upon often to teach lessons, many times without prior notice. We have found the following scripture to be true.

"Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts ... For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say. But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.  And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say." (D&C 100:5-8)

District Youth Conference

A youth conference was held in April for the three branches and Motupa group in the Tzaneen area. The other branches in the District are around Polokwane, an hour and a half drive- so they had their youth conference a week later. We were honored to have our Mission President and his wife (President and Sister Wilson) attend the conference.  They will be completing their three year service at the end of June, and the new Mission President is a native African from Zimbabwe. We don't know much about him yet, other than he served in a Mission Presidency and was a District President.
We will miss the Wilsons - they have been especially appreciative and supportive of the senior couples.

Unlike past years when the senior couples planned and carried out the youth conference, this year the entire event was planned and executed by the local leaders. This is a big and marvelous step for them.  It was excellent.

None of the youth had ever participated in a "Ropes" course before; some of them were persuaded by the missionaries to let go of the iron rod, but most listened to the whispering of the small voice to hold fast.

If there was a flaw in the planning it was assigning a single sister to cook the entire lunch - and it was the wife of the District President.  Luckily she got some help from Sister Hall - otherwise the lunch would have been at the dinner hour instead.

Sister Hall stirring the "Pap" [Pop]

Instructed by Sister Manzene

The lunch was typical African: Pap [finely ground corn maze cooked like mashed potatoes], Fried Chicken, Cabbage, Chocolata [like baked beans, but much better], rolls and punch.
Can you find four white people in this photo?(President and Sister Wilson, Elder and Sister Campbell)
We forget that we are white, and skin color makes no difference to us or to them.

Youth, Youth Leaders, and Missionaries

Senior Couples Training Retreat

The Mission President arranged for all of the senior couples to get together for a special three day training seminar (There are only 4 couples left, plus the president and his wife). 

On the way home from the training we were attacked by wild beasts!

To save our lives we had to change vehicles for more protection.

Elder Hall happened to have his camera so he tried to get some shots of these wild critters, but every time he pointed the camera at them they would show us their back sides:

 Zebra Hinders

 Impala Hinders                                                         

Elephant Hinder

Wart Hog Hinders

Water Buffalo Hinders

                                                    

Missionary Couples Hinders!

Thinking the animals were avoiding us because of our missionary attire, we decided to try a different approach.

Our new attire must have worked because we started to get a good look at the animals:

Blue Wilde Beast

Male Water Buffalo - Giant Forehead

Cuckoo Bird

You know this one

Leopard Tortoise

Lyin' Lion

Cape Vultures

Water Buck

Stripped Horse

Baby Crocodile - No Alligators here

Impala

Kudu

We escaped with our lives and resumed the great work to which we are called.  We attended the temple again with another couple from the Tzaneen branch who were getting endowed.  More pictures of the temple flowers and other news to come in a few weeks......

Thanks for your support and love and prayers!

Welcome to another edition of Elder and Sister Hall's

Out of Africa Adventure

When someone says "Just use your head" it may have a different meaning here in South Africa. As for carrying firewood on your head, I was told by a 70 year old member that this method has been common ever since he can remember.
We aren't sure what was in the bucket, but she had to steady it for the photo.  She didn't need to steady it while walking though.

Opah's Sacrifice
Opah Shai is a wonderful member of the Church and very intelligent. He is so intelligent that he graduated at the top of  his class and won an all-expenses scholarship to attend medical school here. He and his brother are the only members in their family, and even though his brother went on a mission, Opah's parents didn't want him to go because of the scholarship. They expected him to become a doctor and then he could help the family out financially. But Opah wanted to serve a mission, and insisted on doing it even if it meant giving up his scholarship.  So his parents kicked him out of the house and he has been living with the District President for the past three months, awaiting his mission call. We believe this young man is truly converted to the gospel!

"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: ... And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
[Matthew 10:37-39]

General Conference

Through the miracle of internet we were able watch all of general conference live in our flat, the first session from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and the second session from 10:00 pm to midnight on our time. (I didn't watch the Priesthood session, which would have been 2:00 am to 4:00 am)!
Then one week later the entire branch was able to watch rebroadcasts at the chapel via satellite. They met on Saturday from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, then from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, then the Priesthood session from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. On Sunday they watched from 9:00 am to 11:00 am and from noon to 2:00 pm.  The attendance wasn't great, but those who came were spiritually blessed. It was not probably obvious to those in America, but to us Africans several things stood out: Elder Hallstrom spoke of visiting Liberia with Elder Bednar, and 4100 people came by foot or "inconvenient transportation." He said the atmosphere was "electric." He spoke of the choir singing verse 7 of How Firm a Foundation, with a 14 year old young man at the keyboard, and felt "a level of conviction I have never felt before in a congregational hymn." "One of the most remarkable, profound spiritual events of my life." The people have "little materially, but everything spiritually... Sons and Daughters of God who know it."  Elder and Sister Hall just nod our heads in agreement - until you have experienced it, it is difficult to describe.
After President Monson finished his closing remarks at the end of the Priesthood session, everyone stayed in their seats. They didn't get up and leave until after the closing hymn and prayer: Weird!

YSA FHE Group

The Lenyenye Branch has been struggling to get the youth to attend Seminary and Institute. School demands on the students, especially the last couple years of High School, are extremely rigorous. Many of the youth stopped coming to seminary, which is held after school, because of the demanding homework. We don't know why institute attendance has dwindled - it is only once a week on Saturday afternoon. But we revived a practice that was successful in the branch a few years ago - a Family Home Evening group of young people, held on Monday evenings. The Seminary teacher, Bro. Humphrey (age 20), personally contacted 24 youth to attend; only 5 showed up. The next week only 4. We were becoming discouraged. By the third week the attendance increased to over 10, and last week 16 (including some adults who have become interested in it). We taught the first lesson and provided the activity and refreshments, but from then on different youth have taught the lessons and conducted the activities (we still provide the refreshments)! At the last FHE some of the attendees were there for the first time, while others who came the week before didn't come. But if they all come on the same night we could have 25.  So we hope this can be sustained - we shall see. On the third night they chose to sing one of their favorite hymns, "Come, Come Ye Saints." They don't really understand the whole meaning of this hymn - they think THEY are the pioneers - and they are! (President Wilson compared the church in these villages to the Nauvoo period in Church history, or even the Kirtland period). But this is our observation from participating with ten other voices, WE HAVE NEVER HEARD A GROUP OF THIS SMALL SIZE SING THIS (or any) HYMN WITH SUCH GUSTO - it literally brought tears to our eyes. In some ways these people are so unlearned and inexperienced in the gospel, but in other ways they are so advanced. You've never heard anyone pray the way they pray, or bear testimony the way they do. It is just so amazing to be around them. ALL IS WELL!

Youth and YSA Activity

We held an activity for all youth and young single adults in an attempt to get them to bond, and come to seminary and institute.

They enjoyed playing our childhood game of Pick-up Sticks.
They had never heard of that game.

Also, cut the flour, but don't drop the coin or else you have to retrieve it with your mouth, no hands!

 Also the Elephant game and, of course if Sister Hall is involved, water balloon toss.

Standing: Humphrey, Chris, Judas

Middle row sitting: Nico (blind investigator), 
Desmond, John, Esther, Sophie, Hazel

Front row floor: Fortunate, Elder Going, Elder Bagoole

First Authentic African Meal

Sister Tumelo and Family

Sister Tumelo (center holding her 2 year old) has been a member for 4 years. She is only 20 years old. Her daughter is turning 2 in May, so there's a story there.
We don't recall ever hearing a more sincere, humble, yet direct prayer than the one she offered with us recently.
She, her mother and friend fixed us our first authentic African dinner consisting of Pap (pronounced "Pop" - a very finely ground corn -maze- cooked in a large pot and stirred almost constantly), fried chicken with sauce, and vegetables. It was very good tasting. We used spoons but they eat with their fingers. The ladies spend a lot of time fixing their hair in a variety of ways.

To The Rescue

During our first week in the field the branch mission leader took us to two members who were less active. From that first visit and invitation to come back, these two brothers have been attending regularly. Last week the branch mission leader moved, and Bro. Kabelo (left - center) was called to replace him. And Bro. Tobago (right - center) spoke in church a couple weeks ago and talked about his inactivity and rescue, and bore a great testimony. The worth of a soul is great in the sight of God, the lost sheep and lost coin are found, and the prodigal has returned. "It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." [Luke 15:32]

Orphanage

Years  ago a sister in the Lenyenye branch noticed that many young children were just roaming the streets after school. She investigated and learned that these children are orphans, and they stay with grandparents or aunts or others at night, but have nowhere to go after school because their guardians are working. Also during the day when school is not is session they have nowhere to go. She also noticed that many of them were malnourished. So she took it upon herself to start an orphanage, which is really just an extended day-care center, since the children do not stay overnight. She was able to "set up shop" in an abandoned government building free of charge. (This is very different from the Noah's Ark Orphanage that we reported on in a prior post).
Over time the place has become too small for the 100 children that she is providing this service for, and when she applied for funding from the government she was told that she can't have funding unless she gets a place of her own. They were able to secure some acreage in a beautiful little valley just outside Lenyenye. Having no funding, they spent what they could of their own money to construct this wooden structure shown above.

 Last week they had a church service project to add a kitchen shed onto the property so they can provide lunch and after school food to the children.  We participated in the project but were dismayed to see the crudeness of the construction and lack of proper tools - they are doing the best they can with what they have. The termites are already attacking the wood - that's why they can't build with wood here. I suspect the planks were donated - scrap from some saw mill.

All Volunteer Labor Force

I challenged their method of construction, predicting that it isn't going to last very long. In reply they told me the structures are only temporary, a place to house the children until they can get funding to build a proper structure made of brick. That funding is at least a couple years away, if it ever comes at all. The building they need will cost a half million South African Rand, an overwhelming amount for them. This translates into roughly $35,000 American Dollars at the current exchange rate. We wonder if there are any Americans who would like to sponsor a project to raise $35,000 for a worthy, charitable cause?

Site of the future Lenyenye Orphanage - $35,000 needed

Some of the kids in the orphanage receiving coloring books donated from a ward in the States (left) and then singing to us as we visited (right).

Three of these children are LDS who have no parents. They sang along with us as we sang "I am a Child of God" to the rest of them.

Check back with us....

Sister Hall says I have to publish this blog TODAY. But I have so much more to report: Opah's happy ending, the work progressing in the Motupa branch, the District Youth Conference, temple work, and us being attacked by wild animals... Please check back in a couple weeks for more updates. We love you all!