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.