Fat Cooks

Thursday (1 Dec.), we invited Sister Blum (Sandy, Utah), Sister Mudzimba (Zimbabwe), Elder Huwiler (Switizerland), and Elder Kalonji (Kenya) to dinner. After dinner we had the Elder show us how to make Fat Cook (Magwinya) a traditional South African dessert like scones. The batter is a little thicker than pancake batter. You use your hand to scoop up the batter and your thumb to push it into the hot grease. The Elders were very good at making nice round fat cooks. The Sisters had not made them before and their inexperience resulted in weird shapes and we gave them names like crab, impala, lizard, etc. We had a lot of fun. After we finished we took some to the men building the house next door. They were surprised and very pleased at the treat.

Saturday (3 Dec.), we went for a hike with the Young Single Adult Ward in Gaborone. We gathered at 5:30 am to beat the heat. We met at a mall parking lot and there were half a dozen baboons in a corner of the parking lot ranging in size from the big male and female to the babies. It took about forty minutes to hike to the top of Kgale Hill, the highest hill around Gaborone. We could see our house from there as it was only a couple of km away. Janet made pumpkin bread (actually butternut bread because we could not find pumpkin) and banana bread for everyone at the start of the hike.

Sunday, (4 Dec.) we rode with the Kimballs to Molepolole a village forty minutes away from Gaborone to attend the branch services there. It was very interesting to attend the branch. Though all the members are first generation members of the church they have a good understanding of the gospel and try very hard to fulfill their callings. At the start of Fast and Testimony meeting these two boys came to sit with Elder Rands. One asked to sit next to him and the other asked to sit on his lap. They were very good the whole meeting.



The Garbage Barrels

There were no garbage cans at the house when we arrived so garbage was accumulateing with no way to get rid of it. We went shopping for garbage cans and had difficulty finding any. Those we did find were very expensive and would disappear if they were left unattended outside our gate. The local people told us to get old oil drums and have them made into garbage cans with handles. One of the members found a place to have them made. We followed him there, he negotiated the price, and we had garbage cans made while we watched and waited. The place was just a business that deals in used barrels on the side of the road under a tree . They used a sharpened steel plate and a sledge hammer to cut the top off the barrel just like a can opener. The bought rebar from the next business down the road and made it into handles and then welded them on the cans. We paid for the two barrels and then waited for almost two hours before the missionaries with the mission bakki (pickup) could come and take the cans home for us. We were just pleased to have garbage cans and loved watching what was going on around us while we waited. 

The picture below is taken of the intersection by the business. You can see that the activity is pretty varied, from goats to heavy traffic. The vans are the mass transit of Gaborone. They are privately owned but transit regular routes and have the route name and number on their front. They come by about ten minutes apart and honk their horn to see if anyone wants a ride. They hold fourteen people and are often completely full.

Garbage collection is not regularly scheduled but happens about every two weeks in residential neighborhoods. The collectors ring your bell and then place your cans out by the street for the truck to pick up about ten minutes later. The trouble is we do not have a bell by the gate so they would not be able to contact us. Also, if you are not home you just have to wait until the next time they come to collect but you don't know exactly what day that is. We had so much trash from getting the house set up we just put the cans outside the gate a few days ago because we could not miss a pickup and to our delight our trash was picked up today.

Botswana Time

People are pretty relaxed in Botswana. If they say they are going to do something NOW, it can mean two days later. If they are going to do it soon they say NOW NOW. Saturday we had an institute activity at an amusement park with swimming and rides called Lion Park Resort (no animals included). We were told to meet at the church at nine o'clock. We finally left for the park at eleven o'clock. Lunch was scheduled for one o'clock but we finally ate at five o'clock. Everyone was hungry by the time we ate.

They had a braai (barbecue). It is pronounced "bri" with a long i sound. They grilled steaks and bratwurst sausages. They forgot aluminum foil and tongs so they borrowed them from a fellow barbecueing nearby. The food was very good. They really like to have a braai. We had a wonderful time with the young adults and they seemed to have a great time. The leader of the activity brought many liters of homemade ginger punch which is a traditional drink in Botswana; it was very good. The park had some unexpected restrictions which caused some difficulties but they overcame them.

First week in Botswana

Front of house

We followed the previous CES coordinator from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Gaborone, Botswana. It took six hours including lunch and border crossing. We didn't see any animals on the way but we passed several game reserves. The missionary couple in Botswana had spent a lot of time getting our house ready. We had a bed, couch, chair, love seat, and fan. They also had some breakfast food for us but we did not have any plates or utensils to eat it with so we had a Trio bar, bananas, and juice using measuring cups we had brought with us.

Side yard for entertaining young adults

It was quite warm the day we arrived and the house was hot so we turned on the fan. We were getting ready to shower about 11:00 pm when the power went off and the fan stopped. Luckily, Jant had just put out the small flashlight we were instructed to bring so we could at least see. It was a hot night without any air circulation. The power was off for five hours and we were very glad to have the fan back on.

Livingroom

As you can see from the photo of the livingroom since the first night we have been getting the house outfitted. We now have pretty much everything we need to be pretty comfortable including air conditioning. The house came with a whole fist full of keys; every door, closet, and padlock has a key. Many of the keys we cannot find a use for.

Kitchen

The kitchen is very small but will do what we need it to. When we entertain a larger group it will be a challenge but that is part of the adventure to figure out how to get done what we need. Besides what the church provides Sister Rands has purchased kitchen gadets and pans. Elder Rands has spent a lot of time scraping paint off windows, door knobs, the floor, and switch plates and socket plates. While scraping Elder Rands came across a two-inch spider in the house which freaked out Sister Rands.



Bathroom

We spent most of one day turning in our application for residency at the emigation department. We stood in line for five and a half hours to turn in our paper work, pay our 1500 pula ($250), and now have to wait until the next step. If that does not happen within ninety days we will have to leave Botswana.

We attended a zone conference where Elder Cook, the area president, came as part of a mission tour. As part of the conference the senior couple already in Gaborone put on a Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. We helped by getting up at 5:00 am to cook and make mashed potatoes. The couples from Francistown brought the desserts. The evening before the conference he also conducted a fireside for the young single adults. He had a question and answer session which was very good. After the fireside Elder Cook, President Omer (the mission president) and four senior couples went out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Groceries are not inexpensive here but that dinner only cost 500 pula ($85) for twelve people. We'll have to go to that restaurant again.

We are having a wonderful adventure!

CES training in Johannesburg

We traveled to Africa with Elder and Sister Alder who will be serving in Northeast South Africa. We arrived in Johannesburg on Friday evening, 11 November. On Saturday we went to seminary and institute graduation is Soweto. On Sunday we went to church at the Soweto Ward. We were impressed with how knowledgable about the gospel the saints in Soweto are. They did a great job of giving talks and teaching lessons. We stayed at a nice hote,l the Town Lodge, in Roodeport. We had Church Education System training on Monday through Wednesday. On Monday night we went out to dinner with a group of senior missionaries from the Johannesburg area for family home evening. There were about twenty of us.They get together about once a month. There are people at the restaurant parking lot who guard the cars and you are expected to tip them a few Rand for their service.

Missionary Training Center

We entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on 31 October 2011 for ten days of training. We have had a wonderful time with other senior missionaries receiving training on our duties. We have been in classes week days from about eight o'clock until five o'clock. We have spent our evenings studying or attending firesides and devotionals. We are staying in a new facility that has been open for only three weeks. Our room is very comfortable.

One of the great experiences of the MTC is getting to know the other senior couples and sisters that are in training with us. The first week our group consisted of sixty-six people from all over the United States who are going to serve all over the world in a variety of assignments. We have a very good time learning together and have great instructors. They range in age from young returned missionaries to senior returned missionaries. They all keep us well entertained. We have been fed spiritually and given great information on teaching and sharing the Gospel. The second week there are twenty-eight of us getting additional training on teaching young adults in the Church Education System.

The food has been very delicious with lots of choices. One of the popular items was ice cream night with a half dozen flavors from the BYU Creamery and many toppings to choose from. The food was even good during the two meals when the power was out at the MTC. The staff was amazing at getting backup generators on line and keeping things going.

We leave Thursday morning for the mission field. We fly to Atlanta, then to Johannesburg, South Africa, where we will stay a few days before driving to Botswana.

Tender Mercies of the Lord

Because we were delayed one month due to visa issues we have been able to help Heather with her new baby.This has truly been a tender mercy of the Lord to let us have this experience.

Luke Andrew Johnson was born on October 24. We have had a wonderful week helping with the new baby; playing with Rachel and Seth; and visiting with Lisa, Heather, Kevin, Janet's family, and our transplanted Spokane friends. It is hard to believe that tomorrow we enter the Mission Training Center and our mission finally begins.