Feeling Loved is the Best

Dear All,

We have felt an amazing amount of love from so many people here in South Africa, far beyond what we could have ever imagined. On the other hand, we are feeling great love from our dear family and friends at home as we prepare to be reunited with them. Feeling such love is a marvelous thing. Our capacity to love and be loved is infinite, just as that of our Eternal Father in Heaven. We are very thankful for this amazing gift, a gift which He has given to us all.   

We are off to Cape Town this Wednesday morning to say our goodbyes to President and Sister Lebethoa, as well as the office senior couples and some missionaries with whom we previously served. We will also be seeing the Pakade family, who were previously in the Motherwell Branch with us. 

While in Cape Town we plan to visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of the 27 years he spent behind bars. The island has been a place of isolation and imprisonment dating back to the 17th century. We have spent the past 18 months in what's called the Nelson Mandela Municipality. There is a major university here which is also named after him, along with a large park in Motherwell. Given his place in the hearts of so many South Africans, we thought it was important to learn more about him and the things he experienced during his life. 

Our flight home leaves Cape Town just after midnight this Friday night. We will have an 11 hour and 45 minute flight to Amsterdam, followed by an 8 hour and 20 minute flight to NYC, and concluding with a 6 hour and 22 minute flight to San Diego, arriving there at 11:21 Saturday night. We'll be speaking in our Redhawk Ward the day after our arrival at 11:00 AM.  

The reunion with our family and friends will be so very wonderful. We can't wait!

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson  

Picture Above:  We love these Sisters! 

 Sister Mzini (center) has become a dear friend, along with her daughter, her husband (Brother and Sister Willie) and their children. Wow, we will miss them!   

 This is Caroline with two of her children. I was privileged to bestow the Aaronic Priesthood upon herboy, Owen (love the name). 

Sister Shelia joined the church last year and has never looked back. She is so faithful and a great example to us all.

The Time is Far Spent

Dear All,

It's hard to believe but we will be leaving South Africa one month from today. We are scheduled to arrive in San Diego very late Saturday night, March 17th. We have already been asked to speak in the Redhawk Ward the next morning, Sunday, March 18th,at 11:00 AM.  

The words of the hymn, The Time is Far Spent (no. 266), have been on our minds lately. All four verses of the song have great messages relating to missionary service, and the purpose of our Earthly lives in general. However, the last verse is one with particular meaning at this time for us.

  

"Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you;

The weight of your calling he perfectly knows;

Your path may be thorny, but Jesus is nigh you;

His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose.

His arm is sufficient, tho demons oppose."

We will certainly do our best to be fixed in our purpose during these last few weeks of service in South Africa. It has been an amazing experience on so many levels. We love the country and the work we have been called to do. Most of all, we love the people we have met while here. Even though we all come from very diverse backgrounds and circumstances, we have come to know, more assuredly than ever, that we are brothers and sisters, all children of a loving God. We have seen how a deep bond of love can be established with others when we simply make an effort to know and serve them. A relatively little effort brings forth marvelous results.  

On March 18th we will be celebrating our 52nd wedding anniversary. Given that longevity, we were asked to conduct a fireside on marriage, which we did this past Sunday. We decided to give instruction relative to the principles taught in the book "The Five Love Languages", by Dr. Gary Chambers. The meeting was well attended and the participation was great. However, it is quite apparent that at least some of the things which are given as ways of nurturing a loving relationship go against the Xhosa culture. None the less, most who attended seemed very open to the suggestions given. One brother stated that, while these things may not come easy "we need to learn the gospel culture", suggesting that the principles which were taught should be lived.      

We have been waiting anxiously to hear who will be replacing us. In speaking with President Lebethoa this morning, we learned that there have been no couples called to our mission. There continues to be a shortage of senior couples who are willing to serve. The only option is to transfer a couple from another area in our mission to replace us. That places an extra burden on a couple already serving there. The message here is...Missionary Couples are Urgently Needed! The sacrifices which may be required pale in comparison to the blessings and happiness which come in return. Please plan to serve if and when your circumstances allow, and encourage others to do likewise. You will be eternally grateful for making that decision, as we certainly are.   

With all our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

Picture Above:  We enjoyed spending a night in Plettenburg Bay, one of the many beautiful towns on the Indian Ocean and the Southern most part of Africa.    

This is Elder Canfield and Mushipi. They are holding a famous photo by Liz Lemon Swindle. Elder Mushipi is in the photo as they are indicating. His mother worked at the orphanage in Zambia where it was taken, so that is why he is in it. He is a wonderful missionary! He told us that the two boys standing to his left are twin brothers and are now serving missions.    

        

Here is the license plate to which we have become accustomed. Our mission includes two very large provinces, called the Eastern and Western Capes. We live in the Eastern Cape but our area goes into the Western Cape. Our area is about 400 miles across, while it is approximately 900 miles from one side of our mission to the other.  

The elephant on the license plate is representative of Addo National Elephant Park, where there are several elephants. It is only about about 45 minutes from our home. The plant is an Aloe which you see everywhere. They grow to be very large, and are especially beautiful when blooming as shown on the plate. Here above is a large Aloe without bloom.  

Things to Love about South Africa

Dear All,

After hearing our accents, people often ask us where we are from. We say "California", and we do so with some pride as it is seen by many as a highly desirable place to live. However, we have often told people that South Africa is also a wonderful place to live, and that they can find as much happiness here as they can anywhere else in the world. And, we sincerely mean that.  That happiness is primarily centered on the people of South Africa. Life, and the happiness we find, is primarily based upon the relationships we enjoy. We can honestly say that the people of SA are amazing and are among the best people we know. Here are just a few reasons we feel as we do:

• They openly and boldly speak of their faith in Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
• They give the best hugs!
• They warmly welcome you into their homes, even when they may be busy with something else.
• They take care of one another, especially family members in need.
• They love and respect missionaries, and others who are serving the Lord.
• They are happy and laugh a lot.
• They love and respect old people. (This hits close to home for yours truly.)
• They give the best hugs! (worth mentioning twice) 

The Motherwell Branch continues to meet in a school, with a classroom for a chapel which is overcrowded and often very warm. The less than ideal circumstances were further exacerbated yesterday when another church began holding services three classrooms away. We enjoyed seeing them there before church, but it seems like at least half of their service is made up of loud signing, which carries into our chapel. The only choice was to close the door to lessen the disturbance but, since we rely on the ventilation from the open door, it became very warm and uncomfortable. We can only express our frustration and pray that our beloved Motherwell Branch members will have a new place to meet and worship before too long. They certainly deserve it!

We want to repeat what we have said earlier; our most precious gifts are our Faith, Family and Friends. The reason we repeat it is because our appreciation for all three have been substantially increased during our time as full-time missionaries. As we have witnessed the light of the gospel eluminate the countenances and lives of those who have embraced it, our own faith has been immeasurably increased. As we have been away from the family who we already loved with all our hearts, our love and appreciation for each one has grown immensely. While we have gained a heightened appreciation for our dear friends of home, we have obtained additional wonderful and close friends who we will always remember, and whose company we will surely enjoy in the eternities. 

All our love<

Elder and Sister Watson

Pictured Above: After more than one year, we are elated that Elder Ivins returned to our area. We were new missionaries who labored in the Motherwell Branch. He is an outstanding young man, missionary, and dear friend forever.

 Elder Ivins and Elder Chaparadza provided service to those in need. Elder Chap also learned the difference between water-based and oil-based paints. 😉

We visited the beautiful old city of Grahamstown last Saturday. One of the reasons we love the place are the donkeys! They are everywhere, including many pulling carts such as this one. 

 Here's Ahlu Vena, grandson of our dear friend, Mpumie Vena. He has a sweet spirit and is going to be an awesome missionary in a few years!  He gives the best hugs and pats your back while hugging you.  It is the BEST!

Meeting a Legend

Dear All,

Okay, this doesn't have anything to do with missionary work but I must share. I am sitting in the chapel of the Knysna Branch when in walks golf legend, Gary Player, and his wife. The District President was sitting next to me and immediately asked if I would like him to introduce me to Gary. Of course I did and it was such a pleasure meeting someone who I have followed and admired for so many years. I knew that his wife and daughter were members of the church but I did not know he attended with them. I also did not know that they own a ranch near the beautiful resort community of Knysna and he attends church quite often. This is only one of many unexpected benefits which come from serving a mission. 😊 

We earlier wrote about two awesome young women from the Motherwell Branch who have received mission calls. Both are amazing, very bright, beautiful, and faithful young women. One is receiving the love and full support of her family as she prepares to serve. The other is receiving tremendous opposition from her family as she prepares. It is so sad as her desire to serve is as great as in any young man or women we have seen. We are fasting and praying for her and ask that you do the same if you are so inclined. Of course, the Lord knows her name so you only need pray for the Motherwell future missionary. Thank you!   

In case you're interested, here are a few of our activities this past week:

• 5 hours in the ER and 4 other trips to the doctor with Elders suffering from a wide assortment of ailments (none too serious)
• A 3 day trip to George and Knysna (approximately 9 hours of driving) accompanied by new arrivals, Elder and Sisters Beal, to introduce them to Branch Presidents and seminary and institute teachers who they will be guiding. Seven Temple Recommends were given while there.
• Teaching Temple Preparation and Strengthening Marriage Classes, and leading an Addiction Recovery group meeting
• Visiting new members and less active members
• Attending Branch Council meeting, and Sister Watson attended Relief Society Presidency meeting while I made visits with a member of the Branch Presidency.
• Assisting with the preparation of the first Motherwell Relief Society Newsletter
• Had a zone of missionarie to our home to view the special message from the new First Presidency, and met with another zone in the city of Uitenhage so they could view the message
• Attended a baptismal service but had to leave after the one being baptised had car trouble and was more than one hour late
• Interviewed two wonderful people who are preparing for baptism 

We viewed the message from our new First Presidency a several times and each time we gained a deeper appreciation for the Lord's plan wherein the leaders of His church are chosen. We bear witness that President Russell M. Nelson is a Prophet of God and is the Lord's designate to lead His church at this time. We Thank Thee oh God for a Prophet to guide us in these latter-days!       

  

Our love to all,

Elder and Sister Watson

Above:  We are fortunate to serve with some of the best people on Earth, and here are four of them, the Petersons (rear) and the Beals. 

 A beautiful branch member Zenela with her darling niece. We love their smiles and the love they always show for others, very indicative of all the Motherwell Branch members. 



A few of the missionaries with whom we are privileged to serve, from left to right, Elders Duma, Rebelo, Wamunyima, Makwakwa, van Niekerk, and Clark. Elder Clark is holding a photo of our beloved Mission President and his wife, President and Sister Lebethoa.

Our dear friends and faithful church members, the Motherwell Relief Society Presidency. 

(from left to right) Sister Oliphant, 2nd Counselor, Sister Ngweventsha, President, Sister Mzini, 1st Counselor