What a Way to Start a Mission!

Oh, my Brothers and Sisters, Lumela (hello), from the country of Lesotho!  We are enjoying another amazing mission here in this beautiful country of Lesotho!

We had an amazing experience in the MTC in preparation for our mission.  We are truly grateful for such an uplifting beginning.  We arrived in South Africa at the Durban South African Airport on September 17^th and have not looked back.  President and Sister Zackrison welcomed us with open arms.  We met that evening in a meeting with Elder Packer, who is Boyd K. Packer’s son!  It was a marvelous meeting on using the “MY FAMILY” booklet in missionary work.  Then we were wisked off to dinner with other Senior Couples.  We were treated like royalty for 4 days being loved and nurtured by the Senior Couples, with 2 meetings with President and Sister Zackrison mixed in.  It felt like a warm winter blanket in Heber City when it is 10 degrees out and snow is gently falling to the ground. 

We stayed in the cutest little B & B for the four days.  We were awakened each morning around 4:30 a.m. by the South Africa rooster known as the hadeda ibis bird.  It has an extremely loud and distinctive "haa-haa-haa-de-dah" call -- hence the name. The call is often heard when the birds are flying or are startled, early in the morning in residential suburbs. While roosting they produce a single loud "haaaa".  It just felt like home sweet home! Elder Chandler says it sounds like a Magpie on Steroids! Not Pretty.

Our first experience with church was in a little branch in Durban.  Church was held in a school, which reminded Elder Chandler and I of the schools on the Island of Pohnpei.  One of the Elders serving in the Branch was a good friend of Elder Nelson serving on the Island of Pohnpei when we were there.  It is a small world.  So many little details in our lives!!

Now driving on the wrong (well right for them) left side of the road has been an experience like we have never had before.  When Elder Chandler sees the whites of the black person’s eyes widen to huge circles, he realizes, yes, we are definitely on the wrong side of the road! 

We were given a Bakki (pickup truck) with a standard transmission to drive on our mission.  Imagine if you can, steering wheel on the right side of the car and shifting with your left hand.  Elder Chandler has it down, but me not so much with a little grinding of the gears.

I will share with you one funny experience we have already had on driving the Bakki.  Our number one responsibility is to our Elders here in Lesotho.  We have 10 Elders serving here.  Half are natives from various countries in Africa and half are serving from the United States & England.  We get to go to each of their boardings (apartments) every transfer and see what needs they may have.  (Mainly to make sure they are keeping their boardings in good condition and clean).  One area we are over is Leribe.  It is 1 1/2 hours from Maseru.  We needed to go one Wednesday to deliver some things the Leribe Branch needed and to take the Elders things they needed for their boarding. I drove down and thought Elder Chandler was going to drive back, since I missed 5th gear 9 times and drove off the road once, but he is a glutton for punishment.  Well on the way home we got stopped at a road block (they do road blocks all the time here, so nothing unusual) and they wanted to see my drivers license.  No problem, right!  It is just right here in my purse!  Well, where in the heck is my purse anyway!  No where in the vehicle!  For 30 minutes we discuss this with this jolly chap about where my purse might be and what they do in America when you do not have your license on you.  I finally say to the officer, “Take me to jail!  Write me a ticket!  Or, I will just get out and let my husband drive,” who has shown the officer his license and visa! But no!  He just wanted “the bribe!”  Finally Elder Chandler broke down and offered him a 200 rand bill to pay my ticket to him, which he graciously accepted and we drove away with Elder Chandler behind the wheel.  I knew they just wanted the money, because we had been warned, but I was guilty.  My purse was sitting on the counter at home, which was a miracle, because I thought I sat it down to lock up the door outside!  We prayed so hard that it was safe and it was!  All was okay.  I just figure my ticket was about $17 in American money, so not too bad, huh? 

We live in Maseru Lesotho.  Our little Maseru Branch is wonderful.  We love the people so much.  They are a humble, loving, and a welcoming people. The beauty of the message our first Sunday was incredible.  Keeping families strong and united!  Each person left an incredible spirit filled message about setting priorities of prayer, family prayer, scripture study and FHE to strengthen families.  You could just feel the love they have for the Gospel! We then attended the Gospel Principles class and again we were so grateful to be in such a spirit filled meeting. We had new converts and investigators discussing how the "Holy Ghost" can work in their lives.  It helped them to identify the language of the Spirit in their own life. 

We have the blessing of either going out with the missionaries several times a week or teaching new converts!  We have already had amazing experiences with a couple of new converts.  A young couple with one child was just baptized.  They have been attending many churches for several years looking for the true gospel of Jesus Christ as was found on the earth when Christ was on the earth.  The spirit was so strong when the Elders first taught the mother, that she could not wait for her husband to come home. She wanted to tell him she finally found the church they had been looking for.  The Holy Ghost taught them every lesson and their hearts burned within them. They rejoiced together!!  We enjoy so much being with the Elders as they teach them. 

We love going to FHE (Family Home Evening) with the Elders to member’s homes.  This Friday we went to MaPlesa’s home.  She is an older woman who has been a member since the 1980’s.  We were in this tiny little room with MaPlesa, 14 children, 6 teens, and 6 adults.  (The neighborhood comes to join in) It was crowded, arm to arm, shoulder to shoulder, and the Spirit was powerful!!  Oh how wonderful our mission is here in Lesotho!!

We also get to teach new converts.  We make quite a team, Elder Chandler and I.  We love the people, we testify of Christ and teach them principles of the gospel.  One family we are teaching has been members since May.  We have taught them about forgiveness, serving and loving their Savior, going to the temple ,and this week we will teach about tithing.  It is just the best experience to love them and help them to understand the gospel a little more every day.

Since our mission is in Lesotho, I thought I would give you a few facts about the country.  Lesotho is a  landlocked country in southern Africa completely surrounded by South Africa. It is just over 30,000 km² (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population slightly over two million. Its capital and largest city is Maseru and this is where we live.  Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name Lesotho translates roughly into the land of the people who speak Sesotho.  About 40% of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1.25 a day. In the past, it was a strong public opponent of apartheid in South Africa and granted a number of South African refugees political asylum during the apartheid era.  It is the only independent state in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) in elevation. Its lowest point of 1,400 metres (4,593 ft) is thus the highest in the world. Over 80% of the country lies above 1,800 metres (5,906 ft).  Because of its altitude, Lesotho remains cooler throughout the year than other regions at the same latitude. Most of the rain falls as summer thunderstorms. Maseru and surrounding lowlands often reach 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. Winters can be cold with the lowlands getting down to −7 °C (19 °F) and the highlands to −18 °C (0 °F) at times. Snow is common in the highlands between May and September; the higher peaks can experience snowfalls year-round. Elder Chandler loves the weather here.  We will look forward to winter.  We are in springtime now and are in a severe draught with higher temperatures than normal.  Today in church the members were warned to keep their children in or protected if they are outside.  Because Lesotho is geographically surrounded by South Africa it is economically integrated with it as well. The economy of Lesotho is based on agriculture, livestock, manufacturing and mining. The majority of households subsist on farming (a few pictures will give you a general idea of housing and agriculture). We love how in the middle of town there are little herds of 5 or 6 cows or sheep grazing along a busy road, with herdsman watching over them.  The herdsman always have their blankets wrapped around them and a staff in hand.  It has got to be sooo hot in those blankets.  It just feels like home no matter where we are in Lesotho.  The formal sector employment consists of mainly the female workers in the apparel sector, the male migrant labour, primarily miners in South Africa for 3 to 9 months and employment in the Government of Lesotho (GOL). The western lowlands form the main agricultural zone. Almost 50% of the population earn income through informal crop cultivation or animal husbandry with nearly two-thirds of the country's income coming from the agricultural sector. The country is among the "Low Human Development" countries (rank 160 of 187 on the Human Development Index), with 48.2 years of life expectancy at birth. Adult literacy is as high as 82%. Among the children below the age of 5 years, 20% are under weight.

Water and diamonds are Lesotho's significant natural resources.. The official currency is the loti (plural: maloti), but can be used interchangeably with the South African rand.  The loti is at par with the rand. The American dollar is strong here, so about a 13.3 to 1 right now.

 

Pretty much exhausted after 35 hours of flying and airports!

The African Hadeda Bird (African rooster) soo annoying!

Elder Chandler in front of our beautiful B&B in Durban!

Wonderful Senior Couples in Durban treating us to dinner!

The happy sisters that greeted us in Durban!

Our first Sunday meeting Chapel, a schoolroom.

Sister Sorensen with a few of her branch members.

Elder Dean and his companion.

Missionaries in Leribe:  Elder Ncube and Elder Pentreath

Typical Lesotho landscape

Beautiful Lesotho

Lesotho agriculture management

One of the nicer homes in the countryside of Lesotho.

Countryside mode of transportation.

Young herdsman with his cattle grazing along the road.

Typical countryside village.

Elder Chandler's first baptism, Moses.

Young husband and wife getting baptized the same day!  

A few of our Maseru Branch Presidency.

Elder Nyirenda, Elder Mupumha, Elder Paige, Elder Wright

Our mighty Zone Leaders: Elder Ikube, Elder Mulumba

Elder Mears and Elder Grange

A young adult trip to find a good convention spot for November!

Isn't he cute!

 Maybe send a few extra prayers up our way.  The government is in civil unrest and we have just been asked by the local members and by our mission president to be in by 7:00 p.m. (before dark).  The plan is to stone and/or burn the government Bakki vehicles, which unfortunately look exactly like ours with the similar license code!  The locals fear for us, so we will be in by 7:00 for the next few weeks.  It hampers the work, so I hope it goes away fast.  A couple of years ago they had to evacuate all missionaries out for several months.  I pray that does not happen again.

We hope you will enjoy the pictures of our early beginning of our mission. We love you all.