Since I last reported, we have traveled a great deal and seen just some of the middle plains of, South Africa. We visited the Free State, City of Bloemfontein then went on to the Mountain Country of Lesotho a small African Country completely surrounded by South Africa. There are two such Kingdoms within South Africa. I will tell you about the other Kingdom when we visit it. We then went to the City of Bethlehem and from Bethlehem to the town of Ladysmith in KwaZulu Natal the province where we live. From there we went to the small town of Dundee then on to the City of Newcastle, and then back to Ladysmith and home to Durban.
Each town and city has a story of Public Affairs training and activities. We set the trip up from Durban and it took almost a full week to complete. In each city we met wonder Senior Couple Missionaries who helped us meet Church leaders and key opinion leaders that were most helpful to the cause of Public Affairs. Elder and Sister Allred introduced us to the new District Presidency in Bleomfontein with whom we sat in council. The next day they took us to Leosotho where we met the Dahles, a senior couple working out of Ladybrand and the Zone Leader, Elder Swartzberg and his companion. Elder Swartzberg is an MD and gives service in local hospitals when they will let him. We are trying to write up Elder Swartzberg in the Liahona.
At the Allred's, in the modern, clean City of Bloemfontein we saw Giraffe and huge Roan Antelope at close quarters and a host of other wild animals right outside their door. Their suburb is a game reserve. Whole herds of antelope, a number of different kinds, including Springbok, that can leap high into the air and travel at incredible speeds. It seems like they love to fly! From Bloemfontein, the Allreds took us to the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho where the King is very friendly to the Church and welcomes the Missionaries. It is a very poor Kingdom though and the people are humble and very friendly. The Church in Lesotho is growing fast.
In Maseru, a large city in Lesotho, we tried to get more information from Elder Swartzberg. His family are Jewish and they are members of the Church. He is very intelligent and way to modest to give us much to add to our report. He has promised to send us more of his experiences and more about himself but unsurprisingly we haven't heard from him. We left the beautiful Mountain Kingdom and traveled back to spend the second night with the Allreds
From Bloemfontein we traveled to Bethlehem and met with the District of Elders there. We then travelled on to Ladysmith to meet with the Hudsons and the Area Humanitarian Directors, the Nielsens. With the names of the people we met to that point we thought we could have just as easy been at the Shuswap.
We stayed at the Hudson's and met up with the Neilsens the next morning and traveled to the town of Dundee. We met there, with the Mayor of Dundee, one of her Town Council members, a municpal officer who works directly with the Madadeni Township. Madadeni Township is on the outskirts of Dundee, we also had with us a news reporter and a local Pastor. A Public Affairs dream team!
We traveled around the Madadeni Township, inspecting water sites. These sites are where the people of the Township get their drinking and washing water. The circumstances at these sites are deplorable, they are usually large muddy pools with a plastic pipe sticking out of the mud, with a tap on it. The Church is proposing to build water stations at each site that would consist of a concrete platform with three or four water taps. Built into the platform there would be a place to sit and wash clothes or just to come and get drinking water without lining up to do it. The town of Dundee is very excited to have the Church there helping to improve the life of the very poor people of the township.
From Dundee we traveled to Newcastle where we met with the Wards. They hurried us off to a Community Care Center in the center of the Osizweni Township where the Kwahilda Ongcwele Center cares for orphans and vulnerable children who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS, or who are chronically or terminally ill. One hundred to two hundred happy, active kids swarmed us- just excited to see white friendly faces. The wards had presents for all the kids, but the Center was losing their sponsor and did not know what they were going to do.
Many children have lost one or both parents to Aids. Many of the chidren have HIV/AIDS. Some children only have other children or relatives who will take them in or stay with them in what ever shelter they can find.
The next day we met at the Red Cross facility in Newcastle which was very poorly supplied and had little to give to the those who, had earlier in the month, been driven out of their homes because of flooding. The Church which works closely with the Red Cross, sent much needed hygene and new born kits. Luckily the floods were not too severe this year and they were able to manage. The Red Cross was not well supplied or funded. The South Africa Red Cross is in dire need, and I believe, it will have trouble just staying operational.
From the Red Cross we went to a baby Orphanage called Home Meah, uMephi . A lady by the name of Jacky Horn started the home. It takes care of six infants at a time. She is an incredible person, she teaches at a underprivileged school, directs the running of the home and has a family with four children of her own. Her last child was an orphan she was taking care of. She could not part with this little baby, so she adopted her. Realizing she couldn't adopt all the babies she was taking care of at the time, she set out to get Home Meah set-up. She has helped sixty four babies start normal lives.
That night late, we headed back to Ladysmith and stayed the night with the wonderful Hudson's. In the morning we attended church at Ezakeheni Township( all Townships are all black -all Towns and Cites have Townships attached), we met in an old meat processing warehouse with no air conditioning. The fans had to be turned off because you couldn't hear the people bearing their testimonies because the PA system didn't work. Priesthood meeting was outside on the side of the building where there was two feet of shade. It was at lease five degrees cooler than where the Relief Society sisters and the Primary Children, roasted in the metal building. All members and non members alike, were smiling and happy to be there! After Church and lunch at the Hudson's we left for the trip home.
It was a welcome site to see Durban again, our little apartment and a working air conditioner. But that night the cool ocean breezes of Durban welcomed us and it was good to be home, so we did not turn on the air conditioner and slept well, having been "anxiously engaged in a good cause"... and trying to get it published.
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