A Job Half Done

Dear All,

That's right, today marks nine months of missionary service for us. We have had a marvelous experience thus far but feel like there is much to be done and not enough time to do it. The good thing is that we have learned much more about what is expected of us and, hopefully, have become better able to accomplish it. We look forward to what the future will bring to us as two of the Lord's weak but willing missionaries.  

This past week we were thrilled to visit with the Orme family, Kelley, Denise, Spencer and Natalie, who were passing through Port Elizabeth on vacation. It was the first time we have seen anyone from home and it was a real treat. They are special friends and we love them. A bonus was that they were couriers of special treats from home (as Kelley often is to missionaries).

They brought us corn tortillas, chocolate chips, and Crisco. None of these items are available here, at least not of the quality of which we are accustomed. Thanks Ormes!!     

Almost every companionship in the mission was affected by transfers this past week and we said a sad goodbye to nearly half of those missionaries with whom we serve in our slice of heaven. The good news is that those who arrived are just as awesome as those who left. As before, it will be a pleasure becoming acquainted with each one and benefiting from their positive influence. We now serve with Elders from South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Taiwan, England, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Mexico, and America. Even with the vast differences in their cultures, education, economic status, and family support, they are fully united in one eternally important cause. They love the work and are fully united in it, they love each other, and they love the Lord. They even have a little love left over for the two of us, and that is one of the great joys of our service. 

Motherwell Branch is still meeting in the tent...and it's getting cold! We'll keep you posted.

We greatly miss friends and family at home, but we're healthy and happy while doing our small part to bring salvation and eternal life to our brothers and sisters of South Africa. 

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

The picture above is from our last time with President and Sister Merrill. We will miss them greatly!!

We love the Ormes and it was such a pleasure spending some time with them.    

 This is the Philander family. Mom, dad and the two oldest were just baptized. Sister Philander said that she was going through a particularly difficult time in her life and she felt that there must be something better.  She said when she saw these two young men walking down the street in their white shirts and dark pants she knew immediately that they held the answer to her questions. She accepted the gospel right away but Brother Philander took a little while longer.  He had a very strong addiction to cigarettes and reported  to us later that he fasted for three days in order to overcome it. They are beautiful and amazing people! Looking at them it is difficult to believe that they live in a small "shack" with no electricity or running water. We wish everyone could meet this family and benefit from their strong faith and love.

This wasn't meant to be a work of art, but it is. Love the Dutch door on it, which provides good light when your reading. 😉

Inspired Leadership

          Dear All, 

Big changes are coming for the South Africa Cape Town Mission. July first marks the change of presidents in many missions throughout the world, including ours. President Steven Jay Merrill and his wife will be returning home after three years of faithful and inspired leadership. We have always had great respect for those who are called to lead missions, but that respect has been heightened greatly as we have had a closer view of all that the calling entails. It is a tremendously demanding, 24/7, job. No question that the Lord knows which of his children are capable of fulfilling this tremendous task, and He then gives them the seemingly super powers to do the job. We so appreciate having the opportunity to observe the Merrills in action and benefit directly from their wise counsel. They will be greatly missed by all in the SACTM!

Our new mission president will be Thabo Kula James Lebethoa. He is 41 years old (same age as our youngest child) and from the largest township in South Africa, Soweto, where he has been serving as a stake president. He joined the church as a young adult and will have the distinction of being the first black mission president in South Africa (there are three missions). He and his wife have four children, so life in the mission home will be a bit different than in the past. We are very excited to meet the Lebethoas, enjoy our association with them, and benefit from their inspired leadership.

As mentioned before, one of the great things about serving as a senior couple is enjoying the association with other senior couples. Our mission is very large, taking about 20 hours if you were to drive from one end to the other. The closest couple to us, the Petersons, is about 1 1/2 hours away. Therefore, it is a special treat when we can spend time with one another. Such was the case several days ago when Elder and Sister Andrews came from Cape Town to spend four days with us. He is the financial secretary for the mission and she handles all travel arrangements for transfers and arriving and departing missionaries, along with several other responsibilities. We had a great time together and enjoyed becoming better acquainted. Highlights of their visit included: Hiking to the draw bridge at Storms River Mouth (Google it), walking with the Cheetahs at Tenikwa Wildlife Centre, Visiting Monkeyland, attending an awesome party with members of Motherwell Branch, attending Sacrament meeting and singing hymns with our Motherwell brothers and sisters, and enjoying a great burger and chocolate shake at RocoMomas. So, you can see it's not all work and no play, especially for senior missionaries. 😊   

We testify that missionary work is the Lord's work and we are richly rewarded for being involved in it. When performing missionary work we are fulfilling the Lord's direction to "feed my sheep" and, by so doing, we demonstrate our love for Him in a very real way.

All our love,
Elder and Sister Watson

Picture Above:   At Storms River Mouth (where the river flows into the Indian Ocean) with Elder and Sister Andrews.

We had the pleasure of being with President and Sister Merrill for her birthday recently.
(Nobody complains about the food in South Africa!)

Coming to South Africa Cape Town Mission on 1 July 2017, President and Sister Lebethoa and family. Can't wait to meet them!

Party at the church (tent) with Elder and Sister Andrews, and with Sister Vena, our beloved Relief Society President. 

Dedication brings its rewards

Dear All,

We traveled to beautiful Knysna this past Saturday to fulfill an assignment from President Merrill. Knysna is not in a stake but is in the George District which is presided over by our Mission President. The assignment was to interview and set apart a young woman, Florenec Mthembu, as a full-time missionary. We had met Florence and her family on an earlier occasion and knew what a wonderful young woman she is. Her family is from a small country, Malawi. Her call is to the Luska Zambia Mission, which includes her home country. It was a privilege and pleasure to be with Sister Mthembu at this special time in her life.

Speaking of Knysna, we took missionaries out of there early this year. Unfortunately, it had been approximately one year since there was a convert baptism in the area. Well, the decision was made to reopen the area and President Merrill assigned Elder Lane, the missionary who was attacked and stabbed this past February. He and his companion, Elder Grover, began serving there just six weeks ago. The Knysna Branch has experienced some amazing growth during this short time. There were 56 people in church this past Sunday, which is nearly twice the number of six weeks ago. In Priesthood meeting the branch president looked at me and said, "tell President Merrill we want these elders (specifically Lane and Grover) here for at least six months...before they came we had maybe 10 priesthood holders attending...today we have 26." Beyond the increased activity of the members, many are being taught and being prepared for baptism. The elders expect approximately 12 new church members in June. It is so gratifying to see the excitement of the branch president, and other members, and to see how these elders are being rewarded for their dedicated service.            

We have been blessed to serve with Elder Hawkins, a young missionary from England who began his service in the Motherwell Branch nearly six months ago. He was trained by Elders Ivins and has subsequently trained another Bristish missionary, Elder Warren. Sadly, Elder Hawkins will be leaving us tomorrow morning. He and his companions have averaged one convert baptism per week during the time he has served here. These are all wonderful people whose lives have been greatly blessed, in no small part by the dedicated service of Elder Hawkins and his companions. We will miss you dear Elder. 

There are very special rewards which come to those who lose themselves in the service of others. This losing oneself is most certainly something which can be done as a missionary leaves the comfort of home, and the presence of friends and family, and is set apart to serve the Lord in a full-time capacity. It is NOT easy, but the rewards are indescribable. We highly recommend such service to all who are able.

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

The picture above is Sister Florence Mthembu, a new full-time missionary headed for the MTC in Johannesburg, South Africa and then on to the Zambia Luzaka Mission. (they say the camera adds 20 pounds...looks like it's all around my waist!)

Elder Warren (left) Brother Tungata and Elder Hawkins. Love these British Elders! 

The very sweet Mthembu sisters. Florence is setting a great example for the younger ones.

Elders Grover and Lane standing in the township overlooking the beautiful bay at Knysna. You can see the fog rolling in from the Indian Ocean in the distance.

Awesome Young Elders

Dear All, 

We greatly miss the association we have had with sister missionaries through the years! However, we continue to be extremely impressed with the quality of the young men with who we serve here in South Africa. Their dedication to the Lord and his work is truly amazing. They are also extremely kind to us more seasoned missionaries. We have learned that if you give them a little food they will do almost anything for you! 😉 Seriously, one of the greatest benefits of missionary service is the association enjoyed with these wonderful young men. It is an honor to be numbered with them.

We're still meeting in the tent! The church is able to provide modular prefab buildings for our use but we haven't been able to secure land in Motherwell on which to place them. We are speaking with the leaders a preschool and hope something might be arranged. They have had their power turned off due to lack of money so hopefully they are motivated to enough to make it happen. Sadly, church attendance has lessened since losing our school meetinghouse and having the ability to hold all our church meetings. So, we are hoping for a remedy soon.  

Despite the challenges with a meetinghouse for Motherwell, membership continues to increase. Four wonderful people were baptized in April and a great family moved into the ward. It is the Mike and Febie Rugara family from Zimbabwe. They live with their two young daughters in a home which consists of one room, probably about 12' x 12', with a double size mattress on the floor. They have one wooden chair which Sister Watson sat on and they turned a plastic bucket upside down and put a board and a pillow on it for me to sit. They made us feel like royalty because of the tremendous love and respect which they demonstrated. We asked how they like living in South Africa they said it was wonderful. They said "there is so much poverty in Zimbabwe and it is much safer in South Africa". Their appreciation for their new home, as humble as it is, gave us a renewed and deeper appreciation for the blessings we enjoy. We hope this story might do the same for each of you.

We love the work to which we have been called and we love Him who has called us. Our greatest desire is that all who we know and love will earn the rewards which come from living true to principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These rewards are incomparable and can be obtained no other way.

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

The picture above is Ntombizodma (Zoey) Singata, who is 9 years old and was baptized, along with her big sister Noshipo. We have told you previously about the Singata family being so special to us. Also special to us are Elders Warren and Hawkins, both from England. Elder Hawkins was trained in Motherwell and is now training Elder Warren here. Both are wonderful and dedicated missionaries who we love.

  

This is the Tungata family. Big brother (with tie) was baptized a few weeks ago and now he was able to baptize his younger brother, and his girlfriend. 

This is Zoey with our Branch Mission Leader, Makhosandile Gotyana, who baptized her. Love here smile and sweet spirit!

This is Nana who was baptized a few months ago. She just turned thirteen and is a faithful church member. We love her new hair due which is pretty typical of the beautiful braids which are worn by many younger women. Nana's natural hair is only 3" or 4" long 

The Tent is Up

Dear All,

The only solution we could find after being abruptly kicked out of our school meeting house was to put up a tent, so that's what was done. The Motherwell Branch has met there for the past two Sundays and it is okay. It is actually less crowded, and we have a PA system! However, the big problem is that there are no classrooms. So, no meetings can be held beyond Sacrament Meeting. We did show a session of general conference for the last two hours but not sure what we'll do in the future. A prefab building may be in the works but that will take two to three months to install. Meanwhile, we hope the members will remain faithful, especially given that Fall is upon us and that tent is going to get cold! 

One of the great things about serving a mission as a senior couple, and something we really didn't think about before our mission, is that you are able to associate with and get close to other senior couples. Two such couples are the Stubbs from Parowan, UT, and the Smiths from Layton, UT. Problem is, the Stubbs went home this past week, and Smiths are going home in about two weeks. We love these, and others with whom we serve, and greatly enjoy each opportunity to be with them. We feel blessed to know each one and certainly hope to reconnect with them in the future. No question that missions provide the opportunity to make new and eternal friends.

Our days are full with serving the needs of the young, and not so young, missionaries, and associating with and serving the Motherwell Branch members. We told President Zitshu that we had missed spending as much time in the branch as in the past and that were going to organize our time better so we could do so. With that said, he gave us an assignment to teach temple preparation classes to ten people and strengthening marriage classes to six others. We couldn't be more excited about this assignment. The branch has decided to begin twice a year trips to the temple rather than once per year as in the past. So, we are going this July and we need to help all these people prepare. The strengthening marriage classes include at least two couples who plan to be married. Good times for sure!

We just passed seven months on our mission and time certainly is passing by more and more rapidly. While we often have a longing to be with our loving family and dear friends, we are greatly enjoying our mission. We are able to see evidence of the truth of the work to which we, and thousands of others, have been called to serve on a daily basis. This is the Lord's work, and we are all beloved of him. We love you and pray for you each day.

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

 The Motherwell tent/chapel

We took a short trip with Elder and Sister Stubbs (in rear) and spent a night with President ans Sister Dan Jean. He is from Paris but joined the church after moving to South Africa and marrying his wonderful wife. He is now a counselor in the George District Presidency. We were with them at their ranch, which is a very large piece of property in a remote area. It was beautiful and their home was the fulfillment of what he dreamed of many years earlier. The gardens, the orchards, and the setting were all amazing.  Their home, the furnishings and pieces of art therein were also amazing.   

This is President Zitshu with his son, Ahlu. We love this man and his family. Ahlu is just speaking a bit but has learned to call me Elder Watson. Problem is, his parents say that he calls every white person Elder Watson.

The Diversity of the Work

Dear All, 

We decided to reduce our correspondence to once every two weeks in order to have something of interest to write about. Well, since doing that it seems there is too much to write about, making it difficult to even know where to begin. One thing for sure, we don't lack of things to do and it is seldom that we don't go to bed at night exhausted from the activities of the day.

Last Saturday was the conference for our two zones.  As always, it was a pleasure to meet with all the missionaries and spend time with President and Sister Merrill. It was especially nice as Sister Merrill attended Motherwell Branch with us, and they both had dinner with us on Sunday evening.  It was wonderful to spend the evening with them, becoming better acquainted, and leaning from the extensive experience they have gained over the past thirty three months of service. They will certainly be missed after their departure at the end of June. 

As we previously reported, one of our missionaries, Elder Lane, was stabbed in the back on February 21st. He and his companion, Elder Allred, have not been allowed to work in their area, the Zwide Branch, since the attack. Since that time we have done our best to communicate with the police in order to determine the status of the man who attacked Elder Lane. It turns out that he was arrested for at least two felonies but was not kept in custody. The Lt Colonel of Detective told us that they cannot build a case against the guy because those who witnessed his crimes refuse to testify out of fear, a very sad situation for sure. In the case of Elder Lane, he was the only one who was able to testify, and it was not enough. With this being the situation, we decided to close the Zwide Branch area until the situation improves. It is unfortunate because it has been such a productive area. When telling the Branch President about our decision, tears came to his eyes due to his love of the missionaries and the work they do. We hope the situation will improve so they can return soon.

Elder Lane was assigned to Knysna, a resort town about 3 hours East of us which was closed to missionary work a few months ago.  It was our job to set up a new boarding (apartment) for the area, so we took Elder Lane along with us to do the "heavy lifting". This also gave him the opportunity to become familiar with his new area. He will be returning there next week with a new companion. 

It was a great experience for us to spend the better part of two days with Elder Lane. He went through a tremendous trial in being brutally attacked, but he is all the stronger for it. What a wonderful young man and missionary he is. He is representative of the majority of missionaries with whom we have been associated through the years, and with whom we now serve in the South Africa Cape Town Mission. The strength, devotion to the Lord, and goodness, of these tens of thousands of missionaries is powerful evidence of the truth of the work being done by all who have served and who are now serving throughout the world. It is our sincere honor to be numbered with them.

All our love,

Elder and Sister Watson

Photo above:  Elders Lane, Zongoro and Nyika in the town of George where furniture was stored.  

Moving into his new Knysna home.

Three fine young men were baptized this past Saturday and are the newest members of the Motherwell Branch. Bulelani (third from right) was baptized two weeks ago and he was able to baptize his brother (far left) and best friend (third from left). The young man who is third from left was baptized by Elder Warren (second from left), his first baptism as a missionary.  

Motherwell Branch members showed up for church yesterday only to find that we were locked out of our meetinghouse/school rooms. It turns out that the school principal decided to terminate our lease while not giving the three month notice that was stated in the lease. We ended up taking taxis (vans) to the nearest meetinghouse which is about 20 minutes away. We started Sacrament Meeting (no gen. conf. because of the time difference) about one and a half hours late, and then every one went home. Everyone was thankful to be together and to partake of the Sacrament. So, we are now without a place to meet!! We had three people from the church building department come from Johannesburg this morning to help find a solution to the problem. Last we heard, we may be meeting in a tent in a member's yard this week and for the next few weeks until portable buildings can be installed somewhere. Seriously, a tent in a yard! We'll let you know what happens. 

Doing Our Thing

Dear All,

Prior to coming to South Africa we heard of Elder and Sister Smith who were serving in the Motherwell Branch at that time.  We even had the opportunity to speak with them on the phone and hear about some of their experiences.  Among other things, we heard that they were helping people establish home gardens.  We also learned that they were conducting addiction recovery classes, something that was greatly needed in the area. While we were excited about the opportunity to serve, we felt inadequate in our abilities to carry on with the wonderful work which was being done by the Smiths.  These feelings prompted us to have a conversation with President Merrill, our mission president.  After telling him of our anxiety, he simply said, "don't worry, you will find your thing to do".        

We have just completed six months of missionary service and we can report that we are finding our thing to do.  In fact we have found many things which we have the experience and ability to do.  And, we expect we will find additional things we can do in the future. We have truly seen that the Lord does qualify each of us to do the work we are called to do.  We have witnessed this in our own experiences, and we have witnessed it with other senior couples with whom we serve.  All of us have the ability to make a significant contribution to the vital work of bringing people to Christ, and in helping them find the joy and happiness in life which we have received.  All we need to do is have a sincere desire to do this and be willing to make the sacrifices which may be necessary to serve.  In the end, they really aren't sacrifices, as the blessings from heaven far exceed whatever we might give.

So, life is good.  We awoke very early Sunday morning (our 51st wedding  anniversary) and drove about 4 hours to the town of George to attend church.  After spending the night, we took care of some business in the area and headed home, arriving Monday evening.  The drive along what is called "The Garden Route" was spectacular, and was especially nice with the sunrise behind us going and the sunset behind on our return.  However, the thing that was amazing was how wonderful it felt to be home, even after only one night away!  Home is a wonderful place to be.  Home is where we are nourished, both physically, intellectually, and spiritually.  Home is where we learn to love and are loved.  No matter how humble, home is our safe haven and it is where we want to be.  With this being said, please consider the purpose of this life.  Simply put, it is the time to prepare to return to our Eternal Home.  That is what missionary service is all about.  It is to help prepare the Lord's children to be worthy of that great reward.  We encourage all to contribute to this cause whenever and wherever you can.  The rewards for so doing are amazing.

All our love,
Elder and Sister Watson  

  The photo above is the Singata family who have become very special to us.  Viwe, in the black, is the girl who has had two surgeries, one on each leg, due to infections.  We have made many visits to the hospital to see that sweet girl.   

Sister Willie and Sister Sam with their boys at the Relief Society Birthday Dinner.

Brother and Sister Van Nie Kerk, along with Elders Diepeveen and Keech.  We visited this couple at their beautiful home in Jeffries Bay to discuss the possible beginning of "cluster group" meetings in their home.  They currently drive one hour to church and bring three non members with them.  The hope is that, as a result of their missionary work, church meetings and a unit of the church might begin in their home.  These two wonderful Elders certainly will help make it happen.   

Our last conference with the Port Elizabeth and Kwa Nobhule Zones.  Our visiting authority, Elder Ellis, and his wife are seated between us and the Merrills.  The other couple are the Stubbs.  They have become dera friends but will be heading home to Parowan, Utah in about three weeks.