Matsieng National Monument

We went with the Gublers and Taylors to visit Matsieng National Monument about a half hour north of Gaborone. The national monument consists of a slab of sandstone with holes in it that capture rain water. Most of these have clear water in them but one is covered with algae. It also has engravings of footprints that are thought to be about a thousand years old. The footprints come in all sizes from those of a child to prints larger than a man's.

According to legend Matsieng was the first ancestor of the Batswana people. Everyone lived with God in the center of the earth. Matsieng was a giant, one-legged man, who climbed out of one of the holes and was followed by his people, their domestic animals, and wildlife. so that they could live on the surface of the earth. Some religious groups come regularly to the holes to get water because they believe it is sacred.

Hole From Which Matsieng Emerged

The local guide had worked at the monument for seven years. He showed us which hole was the one Matsieng was believed to have emerged from. He explained that the holes were a source of water during the dry season and the deepest hole was nine meters deep and widened back out after becoming very narrow. All but the deepest hole used to dry up part of the year but with wells the water is used less and the holes no longer dry up. About a hundred years ago one tribe filled the holes with rocks and sand so that the local tribe would no longer have water during the dry season. Recently, most of the rocks and sand have been removed.

Seminary and Institute Supplies

We sent our seminary and institute curriculum order to the area office in May. When it had not arrived by November, we started asking questions about when it would ship as we needed it before the start of the school year in January. After many questions we found that the shipment had been held by DHL in Botswana since June. Neither DHL or the Church gave us any notification that the materials were waiting to be delivered to us.

The shipment consisted of thirty-four boxes of manuals and supplies. It filled up much of the floor space in our office. The supplies were needed for the nine wards and branches we support from as far away as five hours drive to the north (Francistown) and two hours drive to the south (Mafikeng). It was impractical to deliver the supplies in time ourselves so we enlisted the help of the missionaries and couples. When they came to Gaborone we would send supplies back with them for their areas. We now have all the supplies delivered for this term, and we are glad to get our office space back.

School Uniforms

There are many private and public schools in Gaborone. Up through high school most of the schools require that their students wear uniforms. The students really look sharp in their uniforms. It is fun to see large groups of them walking to or from school. The girls are usually in skirts and blouses or dresses.

Many of the uniforms include sweaters. The students wear the sweaters even when the temperature is in the 95 degree Fahrenheit temperature range. We cringe every time we see this and we are trying to keep cool, but it does not seem to bother them at all.

Sometimes on a hot day the classes will meet outdoors under the shade of a tree.

Yard and Garden

When we moved into our house in Gaborone there was no grass and the trees were struggling because of months without rain or water. Other than the bedraggled trees and bushes there was just dirt and paving blocks.

 

As part of the lease on the house the owner agreed to plant grass which was done in December. For awhile there were many more weeds than grass. We spent a lot of time pulling weeds. Since December we have kept the grass watered and fertilized it with chicken manure. A year later it looks pretty good. Often when we have Young Single Adult activities at our house they enjoy the grass because there is so little grass in Gaborone.

We planted a garden in October. We planted chard, marrow (zucchini), patty pan squash, tomatoes, sweet melon (cantaloupe), watermelon, corn, and carrots. To date we have harvested some of everything but carrots. Today we picked our first watermelon which was special because watermelon originated in Botswana. We are sharing our bounty with the other couples who do not have gardens.

We enjoy working on the yard, garden, and fruit trees. We relish the fruits and vegetables and love the green oasis of the yard.