Christmas in the Summertime

Dear All,

We are enjoying the adventures which each day brings here in beautiful South Africa.  However, Christmas will be different for us in so many ways.  First of all, it is summer and the temperatures are on the rise.  It is now after 8:00 PM and it is 76 degrees outside...not exactly what we're accustomed to!  Also, there are very few homes with Christmas decorations, and those that do have very meager ones.  We have only seen a few very small Christmas trees on table tops in Motherwell homes, probably because of the cost and limited space.  

Above all, the thought of being away from family and friends for the holidays makes us sad.  Christmas Eve has always been a special time for our family, a time for eating clam chowder, enacting the nativity, and opening gifts given to one another. We are grateful that our family will be getting together even in our absence.  The thought of them being together and enjoying one another's company warms our hearts.  We are also grateful for Skype< as we will have the blessing of sharing the occasion, even though thousands of miles away.  We will call at 6:00 AM Christmas morning and it will be 8:00 PM Christmas Eve in California.      

As stated previously, the best thing about serving in South Africa is the people.  They are so very kind to us and always have a smile and a kind word.  One interesting thing is that they rarely say thank you when receiving a gift. However, whenever you give a gift they receive it with both hands placed together.  This is their simple but wonderful way of showing appreciation.  We are always wishing we could give money or gifts to people because of their great needs and because we love them so much.  The counsel we received was to not give gifts, but to "put a stone in our hearts" when being tempted to do so.  That sounds heartless but the needs of people here are so great that it is impossible to know where to begin helping.  Also, there is the problem of creating expectations in many others which cannot be fulfilled.  We give service, and we might give small gifts occasionally but that is all.   

We had a two zone Christmas party at our home today.  It included a "braai" (barbeque) of hamburgers and hot dogs, along with beans, salads and banana splits.  The Elders loved it and we love seeing them interact and enjoy being together. There is one district that is over three hours away and, since they were just here last week for Zone Conference, they could not join us.  We plan to visit them this Friday and take them for a nice lunch in celebration of Christmas.  

We send a heartfelt Merry Christmas to all our precious family members and to our dear friends.  May each one of you feel great joy as we commemorate the birth of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

With much love,

Elder and Sister Watson

We welcomed Elder Hawkins fresh from England this past week. Our dear Elder Ivins will be a wonderful trainer and we already see that they will be an awesome team and will find great success in Motherwell.     

She'll be a great mother one day.

Who wouldn't love these little ones!

Grandma time

Some of our wonderful Elders at the Christmas party

Christmastime is a Wonderful Time!

Dear All,

We're settling in to our new "boarding" in Port Elizabeth and are very comfortable.  On the other hand, it will take us awhile to be comfortable with all of our new responsibilities.  Serving the needs of 24 missionaries relative to their housing/furnishings, cars/bikes, supplies of all kinds, along with a number of other things which were never expected, is a quite the job.  We have heightened respect for the Pershings and all those who proceeded them.  However, the rewards are great and we are loving the increased association with these awesome missionaries.  Two of our Elders turned 19 today and it reminded us of how young they are, yet so very capable. They are some of the "fruits" of the restored gospel and certainly stand out for being exceptional by any standard.  We made four trips to the airport this week as it was transfer time.  It was difficult to say goodbye to those we love, but very exciting to meet those coming into the area, four of which are new to the mission.

This past Saturday was a special Christmas celebration day for the Motherwell Branch.  The Primary held an activity in the morning which Father Christmas (aka Santa) attended.  Some of the children had never seen him, and the rest not that often, so it was an exciting time for all.  It appeared that the old man himself was especially excited about the occasion.  

Saturday evening the branch members met to view the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional, something that has not been a tradition in the branch.  We had technical problems which delayed the showing nearly an hour.  During that time the branch members sang Christmas carols and many of their favorite hymns.  While others may be impatient with the delay, these sweet members just enjoyed singing.  It was a wonderful time and enjoyed by all.  Of course, the devotional itself was inspiring and certainly helped us all the feel the profound significance of this holiday season.

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

Many children wore their best to meet the old guy!

 This is Sister Sam and her baby boy.  His first photo with Father Christmas!

 All of the parents provided a gift for their children plus Father and Mother Christmas provided a small bag with a toy and treats.  After all the gifts were handed out this boy received nothing from his family.  So, Father Christmas gave him a second treat bag, and he appeared to be happy.  Great lesson here about finding happiness despite our disappointments.  (BTW, cool shirt!)   

 

The Motherwell Primary children (most of them) and their leaders. 

New Horizons

Dear All,

In case you didn't know, we were inspired to serve a mission at this time and in this place by our dear and long time friends, Van and Vicki Pershing.  It has been wonderful to not only serve with them these past 2+ months but to also socialize with them on occasion and receive their guidance as new missionaries.  Well, the honeymoon is over...we took them to the airport yesterday morning as they are headed home.  They will be sorely missed!

With the Pershings leaving, we will be the only senior couple in the Port Elizabeth region, which includes two zones of missionaries (24).  Yesterday, we moved into the Pershing's home, which is closer to the center of town, and are now trying to assume the responsibilities they have had.  It is a bit over whelming but we trust the Lord will continue to bless us and will qualify us to do the job.  The good news is that President Merrill asked us to continue working with the Motherwell Branch!  We love the people there so much and are hoping to be with them at least 2 or 3 days each week.

We are currently teaching a woman named Shelia, who works at a grocery store with Sister Mashiqua, the Young Woman's President and a member for only about 6 months.  After their discussions at work about religion, Shelia asked to have us teach her about the church.  She is one of the sweetest women we have ever met, and she has a sincere desire to live a life which is pleasing to God.  Shelia has been an active member of another church for many years but is now preparing to be baptized into the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and she is very excited about this marvelous event.  From the first time she attended church she felt a special kinship with the members, and she was amazed by the many things which were taught each week, as compared to the church in which she has been a member.  It's true, there is a treasure trove of knowledge to be gained each week as we attend church, and each day as we study the scriptures.

We are grateful to be members of the Lord's church and to be serving as missionaries. 

We send our love!

Elder and Sister Watson

Going to miss being neighbors to these two!  Also, Elder McCarroll (right) is being transferred tomorrow. 

 

Some names can be challenging.  Elder "Randri" is from Madagascar and is headed home tomorrow.

 This is Sister Mene, with her 2 year old grandson and 12 year old daughter. Her kidneys failed about 9 years ago but she has an amazingly positive attitude about life.  One of the many who are filled with gratitude as they become members of the church.  We love the Mene family.  

Home sweet home!  

(The smoke is from a wild fire in the hills behind our place.)