Christmas in Lesotho

Matsiu and Lucky (Our family from Leshotho)

On the hike to Thabo Bosiu

Just starting the ascent!

Elder and Sister Todd!  Aren't they so cute?

Eating a picnic lunch at Thabo Bosiu

Hey, wait a minute.  I want a ride!

Do they look like they belong in a saddle?

Notice the Heavenly glow!  How did that happen!

Elder Snell and Sister Rowberry.  "Onward Captain"

Sister Snell and her helper!

Yup!  That is all of us!  Coming back from the long trail ride!

Say "Chesse"  Fun at the Mohale Dam. (Naughty Elder Chandler)

A young native boy fully loaded walking up a steep incline!

Lesotho "Uhaul"

"Special Delivery Service" Lesotho style.

She was so happy with her picture!  Her spinning wheel! 

Smile for the camera!

A young weaver displaying her latest weaving.

This is the weaving they made for us of the Nativity.  It is beautiful!

She is my favorite weaver!  She is so happy!  Her gift bag proudly displayed!

Christmas in Leribe.  The reindeer's antlers!  So colorful!

He was awesome with picking up candy with the spoon and taking it back to the dish!

Elder Pentreath in "Hit the cup across the goal!"  He lost!!

Our favorite baptism!  She is so "HAPPY!"

YSA Planning Activity

Elder Ikube in his usual fashion!

Elder Odama, Elder Mphuma, Elder Reed and Elder Chandler Christmas Day

Elder Pentreath, Lucky, Matsiu, Elder Odama, Elder Patterson Christmas Day.

Twas the week before Christmas and all through this town was four Senior Couples (from Durban) Lesotho bound!  We are so grateful and sometimes cannot believe how Heavenly Father is in the tiny little details of every day life of our mission!  We are in tears so frequently giving thanks over and over again, because of His love for us.  Our week with the couples was filled with little blessings all through the week.

These couples are such amazing people from England and the U.S.  Everyone came early Monday evening, December 14^th.  We had decided to eat at our boarding instead of eating out every night, so we had a meal ready when they all came.  It was so fun to sit around in a home environment and visit each evening.  After a day's events of traveling around Lesotho we would come home late in the evenings, completely spent, and there in the crock pot was a warm meal.  It was wonderful.  Tuesday we hiked Thaba Bosiu and then went to the Weavers in Teye where we received our Nativity weavings. The weavers have been weaving these Nativities for the past month for us.  On previous visits to the weavers Elder Chandler had taken pictures of them, so we copied off their pictures and put them in a plastic folders.  I had made up a little gift bag with an apple, an orange, some candy, and a Book of Mormon with Matsiu and Lucky's testimonies written on the inside cover.  The weavers were beyond thrilled!!  We sang and danced (on our knees even) one of their "thank you, Jesus" songs.  I tried to download the video, but it didn't come up right.  One couple said it was the highlight of the trip for them.  Unfortunately, there are no missionaries in their village and most do not read English.  However, their children do and they said on Saturday when we stopped by that their children are reading the Book of Mormon to them.  I think you will love the pictures.  Tuesday we also hiked the Mountain of Thaba Bosiu and got the same tour guide we had when we hiked the Thaba Bosiu with the YSA.  I had given him a "For Strength of Youth" pamphlet and he said he has read it three times.  His friends, say, "Are you reading that book, again?"  He said he looked up all of the Bible references too.  He couldn't wait to tell me he was reading it.  When we got back from our hike I gave him an extra Book of Mormon from the Bakki.  He threw his arms around me immediately and gave me a big hug and a thank you.  I was stunned frankly at his reaction and so touched!  He too does not have missionaries teaching near his village.  Some day maybe the missionaries will find them all and teach them. 

Wednesday we rode the horses to the Maletsunyane Falls, (We are in a drought, so only a little water was falling over.) and the land around was beautiful.  What was most fun was watching others seniors riding the horses to the Falls.  Seeing these couples on horses was a hoot!  They loved it so much.  Oh my, it was quite the day.  The drive was so long, going up steep winding roads, but the scenery was spectacular.  The trip took us all day, but was such a kick in the pants.  I got to gallop my horse a few times, but then the guide got in trouble for running with me, so I tried to control myself.  These people are such kind loving people all over Lesotho.  The drive was hard in a standard transmission as Elder Chandler had to be shifting all time into different gears to make the steep climb.  He was a tired Elder when we came home at nights.

Thursday we drove to Mohale Dam.  It too was hard to find and at the top of the mountains. (Again with first gear and a tired leg.  Poor Elder Chandler!)  The other car had automatic tranny, thank heavens.  We got into the boats and took a lazy trip, about an hour and a half, out on the dam and around the island.  It was not much, but was relaxing and we sang crazy songs.  We had another native couple, who just happened to be there with us, and they sang and had fun with us also.  The guides, just young kids, said they wish all their tours were like us.  Tee Hee!  It really was fun.

Wednesday night we did a Christmas PowerPoint presentation with 7 or 8 little videos tucked in as a little Christmas celebration of the Birth of our Savior.  It was an awesome presentation and we all enjoyed it so much.  (I learned to do PowerPoint when we were on our last mission.)

The couples are all so kind and we loved spending time with them.  Friday we all drove to Bloem for the Christmas party for the Elders, then back home to give the Christmas PowerPoint to MaPlesa’s and all the little children.  We had 5 teens and 15 children.  It was so sweet and the little ones always give us hugs when we leave.  That is the best of it right there!!

The next day was Saturday and I baked 3 batches of cake mixes for cupcakes and planned out the activities for the Leribe Branch party.  We left at 1:30 to drive the 1 1/2 hours to the Branch Building and there entertained about 25 with some wonderful funny games.  They had so much fun.  Then we went into the Chapel for the Christmas PowerPoint.  We got a lot of mileage out of that PowerPoint  showing it to all our families we were teaching this month.  Coming home in the dark from Leribe was CRAZY!  Drivers here have three problems at night.  No lights, all bright lights, or popeye lights and you have such a hard time seeing clearly at any time, also crazy pedestrians crossing in front of you in dark clothing.  That means black people in dark clothing.  They are so hard to see and they just run in front of you.  We decided best not to drive at nights anymore!  Just way crazy!!

Then I have to tell you about the next day’s Sabbath.  This sister that was suppose to be baptized the week before, couldn't because there had not been water in the building for several days to fill the font.  Elder Mears was going to baptize her and he got transferred and was leaving on Monday, so they were both in tears!  This Sister has an amazing story.  She is probably in her early 40's I would guess.  Her husband died a few years back leaving her a gas station he owned.  His family wanted the gas station and hired a killer to do her in.  Just before he stabbed her 13 times, she heard a voice say, "You are going to be stabbed many times, but you will LIVE!"  Then she recognized the voice again when the Elders taught her the Gospel.  She new right away what the Elders were teaching her about the Restoration of the Gospel was true and she could not wait to be baptized.  Yesterday was the sweetest convert baptism we have ever witnessed.  When she came up out of the water, both her hands flew to the air, saying, "Yes".  She told me she felt this something all over her body and she knew she was completely CLEAN!!!  Then after she got her clothes changed, she was asked to give her Testimony.  She said, "I feel like I could fly! (as she put both her hands out like flying).  I am so happy!!"  It was such a great experience to share with her, especially at the Christmas time of the year. 

Then right after the YSA was having a little meeting to discuss plans for the future.  So we ran home, cooked hot dogs, made a fruit salad and the cupcakes and everything else we had into the Bakki and had a meeting until 4:00.   What a crazy and wonderful week.  Also on Saturday, while I cooked, Santa Claus took MaPlasa out a garden hose, 2 buckets and a fan.  She is crippled up and does not have a descent bucket to even feed her two pigs.  Then she tries to water her garden with an old hose that leaks and does not reach her garden.  When Santa knocked she was kneeling in prayer!  He said it was so touching.  She cried and said no one has ever been this kind to her!  Now that is a Christmas gift to REMEMBER.  It is so much better to give, than to receive!

Then Christmas day was filled with “Happy Elders” calling their families.  We fed them all day, so whenever they came there was food, but so were families in their branches feeding them.  I think they had plenty of wonderful food on Christmas.  We also had a couple of YSA spend the day.  Their parents and grandparents have all passed away and they are all alone.  They called about 7:30 in the morning, so Elder Chandler went and picked them up.  They got to shower here, eat all day and watch “Ephraim’s Rescue” and “Aspire Higher” (a handcart video from home).  What a great Christmas day. 

Then the next day, the Masionokeng’s Branch President’s wife, Sister Moorsi came over so we could cook the Elders Christmas dinner together!  This wonderful family feeds our Elders every week.  Anyway she wanted to learn to bake pies, rolls, and snicker salad!  We had a wonderful morning together baking, talking, laughing, and eating left over crust cooked with sugar and cinnamon!  Tee Hee!

We love and miss you all.  Even though, we missed our family so much, it was a wonderful Christmas here in Lesotho. You all are having so much fun with all of the snow!  We must say we are sweltering here in 100+ degree weather some days.  The natives say it has never been this hot in December that they can remember. The drought is so bad here.

We took Matsiu and Lucky to the Johannesburg Temple this Friday. We left early Friday morning for the temple.  Alex and Joanne Sutherland, who are old friends from our family ward many years ago, had the baptism area ready when we got there.  Elder Chandler baptized Matsiu and Lucky, for 20 people each.  Among those names were their parents, grandparents and great grandparents!  It was beautiful.  They were such happy kids!  Then we went to Alex and Joanne's for a wonderful lunch of roast beef, potatoes and veggies, rolls and a yummy frozen dessert!  Then we rushed back, did Matsiu's and Lucky's Dad and Mom's initiatory and endowment work!  The plan is that they both take out their endowments after Lucky's mission call comes and we seal them together as a family that same day!  It will be so wonderful and the kids are so excited for that day to come.  Matsiu took her English test on Saturday.  She is trying to get into a college in America.  She has a sponsor, so we are just helping her get all the paper work completed.  Lucky’s mission call went in about 6 weeks ago, but he has not heard back yet.  We just left Johannesburg right after Matsiu’s test and rushed back home to FIND.....

ANTS MARCHING in our boarding. Hundreds and hundreds of ants, single file marching from their bathroom entry, around the room into the living room into the kitchen around the kitchen into the FOOD!! Kick up the “Ants Are Marching” video of the Piano Guys.  It will tell you what it was like.  It was awful.  We felt so violated!!  Tee Hee.  Really I did!  It took us an hour to spray, vacuum, wash up the ants, and clean everything up. The ants were even in the toilet by the hundreds.  We flushed and flushed and they just kept coming!  What a pleasant way to end the blog!  Hmm!!

Have a wonderful New Year everyone!  May all your dreams come true in 2016! Enjoy living the Gospel with all of your heart, might, mind and strength.  The Savior loves you all!