Week 67 - Sep 6th - 12th, 2015

Sunday, September 6th - Saturday, September 12th, 2015

It felt really good to us to return to our home flat from our Senior Retreat in Botswana and Zimbabwe.  It was a wonderful and fun time being with the other Senior Couples!

Monday was truly a catch-up day for us both personal preparations as well as mission office support (since I was without communications with the Elders while we were gone all last week).

Tuesday thru Thursday we headed back down to Joburg so Melanie could get her root-canal procedure completed.   She was blessed with meds and her Dentist's advice so we could have our senior retreat first though.  Her dentist trip went as well as could be expected too for which we feel blessed and are grateful.

After her first appointment we stopped by the McDonald's on the corner and got her a chocolate milkshake and some fries.   I found that they also had Filet-of-Fish so I partook!  In addition to their company taxi for shuttling staff to and from work, they had an interesting car display on their wall at the McD's too.

The hotel we stayed in was right close to the Dentist and very convenient and nice as we've stayed in since we've been here, also with a great breakfast (free, they say, but no additional charge I say).  They also had some nice flowers at their entrance which Melanie liked and I enjoyed as she did so.

While there we did some mission errands at the Area offices and then had a really good visit with our friends at the Joburg mission office, the Allred's and the Thompson's.  We were able to have lunch at the Porterhouse Restaurant which was a place we went to more than any other I suppose.   The food was good as usual and the visits were terrific!

Since Melanie's dentist, Dr. Raheema Suliman saved us one day between treatments, we were able to return to Polokwane a day early which was good because of the mission office work awaiting us along with preparations for the Branch farewell party for the Winward's.

Friday was the commemoration of 9/11 which is always a stark reminder of the perilous times we now live in.  This picture of the flag at the school where we hold church is tattered and torn and reminded me of the stars and stripes from the twin towers attack.

When we got home we had to shop for some groceries and some baking supplies.   Guess what we are beginning to see on the store shelves already?

We went to have BB with our kids after having missed a time while we were out of town.  It was fun to be with them once again.  We do enjoy them and hope we are planting seeds that will be harvested someday by other missionaries.



Melanie baked some really good brownie cakes and some banana items for the Branch party (I don't know what she calls them, but they were good).

On Saturday we first went to see Brother Jimmy and had a nice visit with him again as usual.   Then we headed out to the party at the Branch meeting place, the Peakanyo Primary School.   We were told noon, but things didn't really get moving until after 1:00 which is sort of typical for this type of thing.  We had a great time with them all and didn't get back home until after 5:00.

The missionaries including Elders Togiatomai, green, Van Heerden, blue, Tumarae, red, and Diogo, white long-sleeves.

Such very colorful traditional dress and the Branch even dressed up the Winward's too!

Some of the members that showed up for the party.

Singing

Dancing.

Food, including mostly African prepared dishes (no Mopane worms though).  No tables, nor covering, no napkins, primary was seated on the colored chairs and once they ate with their fingers they all went outside to chase each other.

Elder Van Heerden leaves on Tuesday to go home as well, just not as far since he will return to his family in Zambia now.