Week 10

 This is my favorite picture of the week.  These children are mesmerized watching the BYU Ballroom Dance Group who performed in Harare on Wednesday night.  The show was wonderful!




Some of our missionaries were thrilled to serve as ushers and be able to stay for the show.  These are the Assistants to the President (APs)





Sister Bonnie Warne and I helped at a Zone Conference on Tuesday.  Supporting and helping these young Elders and Sisters is one of the senior missionary responsibilities I love most.  




These dynamic Elders have started teaching English in their area.  I meet with them on Zoom to offer support and help when they need it (rarely).  



Saturday was adventure day.  All twelve of the senior missionaries went to Lake Chivero to see rock paintings. Getting there required a hike through the bush.  




Somewhere inside these rocks were the paintings.  We waited while two of the Elders climbed inside to find them.  This is a small portion of the rocks.  They extend out on both sides and in the back. 
  
                                          


It took them a while, but they found this. It is a picture painted about 2000 years ago.  You can see warriors/hunters and a crocodile.  There are  many of these paintings in Africa but the ones around the area of Harare seem to be the only ones that feature crocodiles.  

We saw some real animals.  Zebras, monkeys, wart hogs and baboons.  The baboons were too fast to get a picture.



Today at church, when I came around a corner, there was a mother with some of her young children standing there.  The youngest, about 15 months old was standing next to her mother.  When she saw me, she screamed, ran a few feet away and laid down and cried.  Her mother picked her up and walked back towards me and the little girl screamed again and buried her head in her mother's shoulder.  It was so sad for me.  She has seen very few white people (they were visitors to church) and my white skin and long white hair were so scary to her. To her,  I probably looked like the old witch in Snow White.
DT, I expect you to belly laugh when you see this.  

                                                


I have been driving more and venturing out to places other than to the office and home.  I have been very careful before making turns.  Before I turn, I tell myself what lane I need to be in after I make the turn.  Bonnie was riding with me last week and we turned right out of the office.  She was entering our destination into Google Maps and I was focused on that and not on my driving.  I did what you would expect my instincts to tell me.  I turned into the right lane.  And then, coming around the curve, I was wondering why that little car was in my lane. WHOA! I realized the same time Bonnie did that I was in the wrong lane.  He was going slow and I quickly moved into the left lane with no harm done.  For the next 15 months, I will tell myself where to go before making a turn.  That was scary!  DT, you can laugh again.





Comments

  1. ShannonMay 29, 2024 at 11:39 AM

    Love reading your posts Debbie! What awesome work you are doing on this great adventure! =D

    ReplyDelete

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