Act and Not Be Acted Upon

Dear All,

As mentioned in our last post, our Motherwell Elders were accosted by three armed men and driven to an area outside Motherwell. Due to the trauma of this experience President Lebethoa decided to transfer them to Queenstown, an area about 4 hours to the northeast of us. They left on October 10th with little time for goodbyes. It was a sad day for these missionaries, the branch members and us, but it was the best thing for their health and welfare. 

As you may have heard in news of the church, there is a plaque spreading throughout the island of Madagascar which is quite serious. Therefore, the decision was made to evacuate 69 of their missionaries, 9 of whom arrived in our mission this past weekend. We now have Elders Van Niekerk and Modisakeng serving in Motherwell. We have spent some time this week introducing them to members and investigators and helping them get settled in. They are both fine missionaries and we know the work will not be hindered regardless of the actions of a few.   

About one week following the incident in Motherwell, two armed men entered a home in the Zwide Township (not far from Motherwell) and demanded the car keys from two Elders who were teaching a man there. They were polite and non-threatening but the car was gone none the less. This incident was the forth one in less that three months when cars have been taken from the missionaries within the two zones where we labor. 

In counseling with President Lebethoa and local leaders, we decided against putting cars back into Motherwell and Zwide. In recent missionary training President taught the principle of acting in a wise and righteous way, and thereby not allowing ourselves to be acted upon by others with less than righteous designs. 

2 Nephi 2:6 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.

It was decided that we would take action which would lessen the likelihood of our missionaries being acted upon. In the case of Motherwell and Zwide, the cars were too great an enticement to potential thieves, so they are not being replaced. Given how large both areas are, and that the missionaries live some distance from their areas, it was not possible to do the work while walking. Consequently, we devised a plan to utilize individuals from the community to transport the missionaries as needed. You might say it is similar to Uber, in that we will have pre-selected drivers who will respond to a phone call from the Elders for transport. We are still in the process of getting it all organized but at this point we are very optimistic about the plan. President Lebethoa believes it may establish a pattern with increased use in the future.  We will keep you updated on how it goes. 

We are staying busy and sometimes overwhelmed with the responsibilities we have, but missionary service is unbelievably rewarding. One must experience it to believe it! 

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

 Our darling Deneo Vena's birthday...one year in the church and now old enough to serve a mission.  

 

Elder Smith and Elder Brown as they are leaving Motherwell...too soon! We love them and will miss them.

We love the Ganjana family and their darling babies (cousins). They are so kind to us.

Feeling at Home

Dear All, 

We just past the one year mark of missionary service and, while we greatly miss our association with family and friends at home, we do feel quite at home in South Africa. People often ask us how we like living here and we say that we love it. Most of all, we love the people. We have become especially attached to the Xhosa  people, the native Africans. They are some of the most loving and genuinely kind people you will ever meet. We love them, their traditions, and the many things which make them unique. There is a growing number of individuals who we feel very close to and with whom we hope to stay in communication forever.

Recently six of the seven senior couples (one will be going home soon so did not join us.) who are serving in our mission enjoyed a couples retreat. We stayed two nights at the beautiful St Frances Resort, in a coastal community about 1 1/2 hours west of our home. We met one couple for the first time and became much better acquainted with the others. It was interesting to share mission experiences and learn how varied they can be, even within the same mission. These are all wonderful people with strong faith in God and the Restored Gospel. Friendships were established and faith was increased during our time together. All this while enjoying many wonderful attractions in the beautiful Eastern Cape of South Africa. We're planning to meet for Thanksgiving next month and are really looking forward to that. 

One of the responsibilities which I particularly enjoy is interviewing people prior to their baptism. It is amazing to see the strong faith which is clearly evident in each one, and which is demonstrated by the dramatic changes which they have made in their lives; all this due to the new-found sense of purpose and direction which only the gospel can provide. I admit that tears have filled my eyes during each one of these special conversations. Sister Watson has challenged me to get through one of the interviews without the waterworks but it hasn't happened yet.😉

We watched two sessions of General Conference yesterday in place of the regular Motherwell Branch meetings. Due to the 8 hour time difference with SLC, and lack of an internet connection at our chapel, the session must be downloaded and replayed. We watch the two sessions with only a 10 minute break. The chapel is extremely crowded and the chairs are not very comfortable; however, the faithful members love hearing the messages and music of conference. We hope you all at home will appreciate the ability you have to watch conference live and in the comfort of your homes...we certainly will in the future.

On a less positive note, our Motherwell missionaries and a branch member, Elders Smith and Brown and Mzolisa Mgqali, were confronted by three armed men this past Friday afternoon. They ordered them into the missionary's car and drove to a neighboring township where they were left by the road. They were not hurt and the car has been recovered but it was certainly a disturbing event for these faithful missionaries. It was especially traumatic for Elder Brown as it was just his tenth day in the mission field. However, he and the others are dealing with the matter very well. They now have an exciting story to tell their grandchildren.      

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

Pictured Above:  This is the newlywed couple, Mthetho and Siphokazi Ngweventsha, who were married in the Johannesburg Temple this past month. Last week they went to the home of Mthetho so Siphokazi could meet his family. She told us of some of the Xhosa traditions associated with a marriage. One is that she is given a new name by the elder women of the family by which they will now use in referring to her. She is given two new skirts (one is pictured), a shawl and a head wrap to wear until this December. In the meantime she must obtain a new wardrobe, as she is not allowed to wear any of the clothes she wore as a single woman. We love these kids!

Just another day in the jungle! 😊😊

 

This was our third trip to Monkeyland but we really enjoyed seeing it again with all these first-timers. 

The Motherwell Branch Primary, with Branch and Stake leaders, on the day of their Sacrament Meeting program. They did an awesome job!