Week 48

 Our Branch President invited Diana and me to have lunch at his house after church.  We enjoyed the visit so much and the food was delicious.  His wife's name is Carin.  She is holding their son and their daughter is wearing the red dress.  His sister is next to me and the other little girl is his daughter's friend.  Their home is 3 rooms: a small kitchen, a living room which is where we ate sitting on couches, and 1 small bedroom.  There is no running water or electricity.  They do have a solar panel.  His sister lives with them.  They must walk to a bore hole every day for water.  They are happy and grateful for their home.

Carin cooked our meal on three pots on a gas stove.  Many people have to cook outside over a fire.  Their stove is a bit of a luxury. She had just gotten up from the couch after nursing her baby to put our food on the plate.  Thus the open dress.  She is so sweet and kind and a joy to be around.

She served rice instead of sadza.  Diana and I were relieved about that.  These are the children's plates.  She gave us a huge helping of rice with a vegetable beef stew on top. 

She left right after church to walk home and cook.  President (can't remember his last name) stayed for interviews and Diana and I waited and gave him a ride to his house after he finished.  We had to park a little ways from the house and walk.  We stopped by the Primary President's house on the way.  Her daughter died last year and she is caring for her 3 grandchildren.  Her husband left a few years ago to go find a job and never came back.  We have been helping in Primary in the branch.  We love her!

 

The neighborhood they live in is amazing.  We walked through most of it on the way to their house.  Many of the ward members live here.  Everybody knows everybody and the children roam all over the place.  Everybody has somebody to play with.  Here are some of the people and sights we saw along the way.  This is the neighborhood grocery store.

Here's the Walmart.

                                      Most of the houses in the neighbor hood look like this. 

This is the bore hole where everyone in the neighborhood goes for water. 

                                     This little girl is snacking on an uncooked ear of corn.

                      

                            This one was taken on the street right outside the Mission Office.

These boys are playing cap soccer.  They have drawn a soccer field in the dirt, made a goal and put bottle caps on the field to play.  What ingenuity!

                                              This Sabbath Day has certainly been a delight!