Email Update - January 4, 2009

We went to a garden shop and bought a bunch of plants for the flat/apartment. I have to admit that it makes the place look a lot more like home. Judy spent some time looking at all the plants. Most of them were the same plants we have at home (like Greek Gardens or Anderson's). If we had a garden plot we probably would have been planting it on Saturday.

On Friday night we had a neat experience. Four couples went out to dinner (great company and fantastic inexpensive food) and then we went to the MTC. We were to play the role of investigators for the elders---just like someone did for us at the MTC in Provo. The first elders (we did it twice) were really fun. The white elder was from Idaho Falls and graduated from Skyline High. The second elder was from Uganda and was going to Cape Town. He had quite a history (we learned later). Most of his family had been killed and he had been drafted into the Army. Somehow he had escaped. He was a Muslim and was introduced the Gospel, was converted and subsequently called on a mission. He had only been a member about 1.5 years. He was so humble and had the sweetest testimony. This is a little MTC. They have capacity for about 25 elders. They apparently bring in a new batch every 3 weeks. As a result, they become quite close. They are about half native and half imports from the US. There are no sister missionaries in Africa---too dangerous (more on that below).

One side note as we drove up the mission home the secretary to the mission president (lady) and the fellow over the mission cars came out to see us. Someone indicated that they were from Cache Valley. He looked very familiar and was from Newton. We visited a minute and he indicated that I also looked familiar---it was Mr Summers who taught at Skyview (I don't remember what). I think some of you had him as a teacher.

This was an interesting week from one perspective---the need to be careful was reinforced. I received a call from the welfare/humanitarian couple serving in Zimbabwe. They had a shipment of supplies (food?) coming in and the police (actually the group was more like the CIA in the US) intercepted it. When the couple went to ask about it and to "recover the goods" the police interrogated them for about a half day then went to their apartment and searched it thoroughly. They took all the couples petrol certificates (about $1400 worth). They also went to the mission home and took about $800 in cash. To say the least it is not very safe in Zimbabwe.

We hope to be able to go to Kenya before the Pocock's leave in March. They are our most experienced couple and have done a number of interesting projects. One was the construction of a fence around a school so the kids did not run into the street and the elephants did not come eat the trees on the playground. We would like to learn from them and see some of the other things they have done.