ETERNAL FAMILIES

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to help at the Johannesburg Temple.  There were 9 families that had come from the Congo and Kenya to be sealed together.  There were 16 children, the oldest one was 11 years old. 

The other Sister Peterson (Marva)
 

There is a separate building next to the temple called the "Gatehouse" where the children are tended while their parents are in the temple receiving their endowments.  The children aren't quite sure what to expect and they are scared.  Their parents drop them off to a bunch of strangers and then are gone for 5 to 7 hours all together.

 

Walt came over for the first little while to help and take some of these pictures.  He was able to talk to some of the parents and children (in French) and explain what was going to be happening that afternoon.

 It was our job to hold them, love them, rock them to sleep and try to make it a good experience for them. Some of the youngest ones were happy and content and some of them were scared and cried a lot, no matter what we did.



Sister Ellis even tried African style with this one.

This was one of her few happy moments in 6 hours

When it was time, we dressed them in white clothing and took them to the temple to join their parents to be sealed as families.

This is little Jared.  I held him for two hours.  He just sat on my lap and he slept for about an hour and a half.  He was so cute and cuddly.

This is Sister Cook, the Area President's wife.  She and Sister Ellis stayed there the whole time with the kids.  They were really great with them.

This is Sister Ellis, the wife of the Second Counselor in the Area Presidency.

THE "ELDER-LEES"

Elder Brent and Sister Charlene Lee left for home Tuesday evening.  They have been our mentors since we arrived here in "Jo-burg".  As they tell the story here, the Area Humanitarian missionaries had been praying that there would be a replacement for the Lees when they finished their mission.  There was nobody in the "pipeline," and their position is critical for the functioning of the program here in the Africa Southeast Area.  Then out of the blue, Phillip Moatlhodi received an email from a couple, asking for information about humanitarian service in Africa.  Melinda Kinghorn said that email came the very day of their fast.



Brent and Charlene Lee in front of Johannesburg Temple
 

Elder and Sister Lee were on the phone immediately to us, doing a great sales job and trying to convince us that we wanted to come here.  Even though we found out there wasn't an opening for French-speaking missionaries here right now, Susan and I really began to feel that a humanitarian mission is what we needed to do.  We haven't been sorry a day about our decision.

Our call was moved up 1 month because there was an important training conference coming up on January 12-16.  12 of the 13 "Country Directors" flew in for the conference.  Susan and I arrived in country on the 10th.  It was held at the Courtyard Marriott close to the temple (and Area office). The conference was really well planned and presented and we learned so much.  The Lees together with the Kinghorns put together the whole conference and did a great job.  Monday through Thursday, meetings were from 8:30 to 4:30, Friday from 8:30 to 2, then a temple session and dinner for everyone along with the whole Area Presidency.  It was really a brutal week for us, trying to understand all that was being presented, and at the same time trying just to stay awake and alert.

I've posted this photo previously but this time I'm going to identify all the participants, partly because it will be helpful for us in years to come.

Conference room at the Courtyard Hotel

Seated on the far right are Glen and Leigh Pond (Elder Pond behind the flower).  They live in Mozambique but also have responsibility for Swaziland.  Next, are Howard and Cynthia Bodily.  They live in Zambia, and also oversee projects in Malawi.  Next are Clark and Shelly Davis who live in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo and have responsibility for southern Congo.  At the corner are Tom and Gloria Shakespeare.  They live in Kenya and also have responsibility for Tanzania.

Standing in the corner is Dr. Peggy Toro (light blue shirt) with her husband Terry Liebel seated around the corner (don't call her Sister Liebel).  They live in Rwanda and are part of the Uganda mission.  Next is Jim Kirschbaum with his wife Kinne (Kinney), standing in the dark blue dress.  They live here in Johannesburg, and are responsible for the projects in South Africa.  They are assigned to the S.Africa Mission and not the Area.  (Remember, the call for Susan and I was originally for the Johannesburg mission under President Dunn, but was later changed to be Area missionaries with Elder Cook as our ecclesiastical leader. 

David and Carol Van Wagoner are next (David is facing away).  They live in Burundi and are part of the DR Congo Lubumbashi mission.  Next are Lester and Joan Moody.  They are part of the DR Congo Kinshasa mission but live in Gabon and have responsibility for Gabon, Cameroon, and the Central Africa Republic (all French Speaking countries). 

We've got a group photo of all the couples somewhere.  When I find it I'll post it also and identify the rest of the couples.

Everybody kept telling (threatening) Susan and I that we would be doing this conference next year.  The Kinghorn's (we'll tell you all about them later) go home in September, so it really will be used, along with Kinghorn's replacements, if they are replaced.  The next conference is, in fact, already scheduled for next January.

Elder and Sister Lee are from Idaho (somewhere around Pocatello).  He was an oral surgeon.  Charlene was a clinical psychologist and family counselor.  Several years ago, they decided to go on a mission and were called to Bolivia as humanitarian missionaries, where Brent did a lot of surgical work.

 


Elder Lee at the desk Susan will be using

When they got home from Bolivia, they decided to go on a mission again and were called to Indonesia, again on a humanitarian mission.

When they got home from Indonesia, they decided to go on a mission again and were called to serve in Ukraine, again as humanitarian missionaries.

When they got home from the Ukraine, they decided to go on a mission again, and were promptly called to the Ukraine again, still as humanitarian missionaries.

One of his twice daily naps at his desk

When they got home from Ukraine the second time, they decided to go on a mission again and were called to serve in Jordan.  It was a humanitarian mission again, but quite different from their others because they worked mostly with refugee camps helping with emergency distribution of food and supplies.

When they got home from Jordan, they decided to go on a mission again and were called to the Africa Southeast Area office as Area Welfare Specialists.  This was still a humanitarian mission, but for the first time they served in the Area Office instead of out in the field. 

They have really loved this mission also.  They, along with the Kinghorns worked with all the Country Directors to help them get humanitarian projects planned and approved as well as taking care of the finances relating to those projects.  There is a very large budget for the humanitarian efforts in our Area.  They have also traveled extensively throughout Africa doing training with the new senior couples as they come.

Sister Lee in Kinghorn's Office

Because of their vast experience, they have been of great value here in the Area office.  Their counsel and advice has been sought out and much valued by everyone.

The Lees have left for home (it is now in Draper, Utah [Suncrest]) and then they will be leaving pretty soon on another adventure.  They have been requested to go to Iraq, again as humanitarian missionaries.

Door of Hope

Lets call her Grace. When she was eight months old she was finally rescued.  There is a Third World belief that if a man had sex with a virgin, he can be cured of aids.  Her mother sold Grace to men for money.  She was so badly damaged, she had to have a colostomy.  She was adopted to a loving family when she was three years old.  Some babies aren't as fortunate as Grace.  Some are abandoned in man holes, garbage cans, left on the sides of freeways, thrown out of hospital windows, tossed in the river, etc.  Some babies come with Aids and many of them don't survive at all.

In 1999 Cheryl Allen was serving as Pastor of her Baptist Church in a very scary part of the inner city. She had faith, that if she was serving her fellow man, she would be protected.  She felt that maybe if the babies could be left anonymously, more mothers would be willing to leave them. At that time there were 200 babies abandoned in the greater Johannesburg area each month and only about 60 of those survived.

Outer Door

 So she had a hole cut in the wall that went around her church. On the street side is a door that lifts up and on the inside is a metal box, or baby bin, large enough to hold a baby. She had a sensor installed so when a baby was left, a bell would ring inside the building. Cheryl prays over each baby as they come, that God will heal their minds and their traumatic pasts would be forgotten.

Cheryl Allen and the Baby Bin

To date, she has taken in over 1800 babies.  In the back of the church there is a special graveyard for the approximately 150 babies that didn't survive.

Sometimes the mothers come back and visit on the weekends but only if they can identify what their baby was wearing when it was left.  Sometimes a baby will go back home if the mother is able to take care of him/her.



One of Two Nurseries

Our LDS humanitarian missionaries here in South Africa have partnered with Cheryl and her church to help with some of their needs..  Among other things, the Church donated hundreds of layette kits that Church members had made.

Newborns

It was an amazing experience visiting the 'Door of Hope'.  Cheryl Allen is certainly on a 'humanitarian' mission of her own, blessing the lives of many, many people.  Here is a link to her website www.doorofhope.co.za

L. U. C. C. A.

I'd like to tell you about a place I went to last week.  This is a story of a real hero named Allison. Seven years ago she  had a baby boy.  They named him Lucas.  He spent many months in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit. His parents were told he probably wouldn't survive and if he did, he would never walk or talk.

Loved. Uplifted.  Carefree.  Cherished.  Angels.

But they believed he would and they took him home.  Lucas did survive and Allison has worked tirelessly with him so he could develop to his fullest potential.

Lucas

  Lucas is now 7 years old, he can walk and talk and is ready to go to school. 

Allison has a degree as an Interior Decorator and worked for several large companies. But because of Lucas she quit her career and started a day care center for special needs children.  That was just ten months ago



There are several teachers who work with their special needs

There are now 24 children that come to her center.  Allison charges the parents for tuition but it is half the price of other special needs centers.

The senior couple for South Africa is Kinne and Jim Kirshbaum.  They are one of the thirteen  Country Directors in the Africa Southeast Area.  When the Church does Humanitarian  work, they work with organizations to help them accomplish their mission. 

Allison is in the center and Kirschbaums on the right

With Kirshbaums' help, the Church was able to provide a fence around the pool area, a lift to lower children into the pool and cameras in the rooms to monitor the children. That may not seem like very much but it was a great blessing for Allison and her day care center.

 

 

Two of the cute signs in the school

 

 

 

THE OFFICE

 

We thought we would tell you a little bit about our office.  As we drive into the office we go through two security gates with friendly guards to greet us.  The employees, temple missionaries and senior couples park in a garage underneath.  We are in one of four wings on the second floor. Everyone has a security pass to get from one area to the other.  You can't even use the rest room without using your pass key.  After going through the first door, there is a little lobby area. Notice the paper shredder in the background on the right.

This view is from that paper shredder still looking down the hall in the same direction.  Our cubicle is there on the left side.  Our boss is Phillip Moathodi and his office is on the right side of the hall and the Kinghorns' office is next to his.

This is looking from our cubicle into Kinghorn's office.  The Lee's, who we replaced, used to have that office and when Kinghorns leave (in September), we'll be able to reclaim it.  Seniority has its benefits. You can see Bruce Kinghorn in the back of his office.  To the right of the shredder you can just barely see the door of Phillip's office.  He is the Area Welfare Manager (a paid position).  To the left, you can see Sheree Clark in her office.  She is the Area Behavioral Health Manager (also a paid position).  Melinda Kinghorn is at the copy machine.

This is the view from the window in Melinda and Bruce Kinghorns' office.  You can see why we'd like to be in there.

Looking down the hall from the other direction.  Our cubicle is on the right. Everyone in the office is very friendly and many of them stop to see how we are doing.

Here are some pictures of the little family from the Congo that we took yesterday.  As of yesterday when we talked to them they were still waiting word on the birth certificate, etc.

Baby Benedict

The big brother

The Family

We didn't see them today so we don't know what the status is.

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