February 15, 2015 - Shelley

February 15, 2015

I’m going to start this letter off with something beautiful.  We think this is a

variety of canna lily and there are several of these in bloom around our house.  So cheerful!

It has been a busy week in some ways.  We’ve spent quite a bit of office time trying to get all of the “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed on our projects – do I say that every week?  We have some “big wigs” coming to visit in the next few weeks, so we want to have everything ready.  This next week, however, most of the time will be spent in the office while the Area Auditor goes over the office books.  Even though we have nothing to do with this, President Thomas has asked my able companion to sit in on the audit and to help out.  Perhaps the president has heard about my check balancing skills – and he has asked me to do nothing!  ☺  Just another hood ornament!  Haha

We’ve spent two entire days this week driving around looking at potential water sites with water engineers and contractors.  I told Clark I feel like I could write a book entitled, “Twelve Black Men, One White Man, and Me.”

There is such a pressing need for clean water everywhere that it feels like this is where our emphasis should be right now.  Kenneth Mofokeng, the Area Water Specialist, will be visiting at the end of the month, so we are hoping that we’ve done the necessary leg work to get the projects approved.

The pipe above is a sample of one laid by World Bank.  The contractors hope to tie into that line to bring water to neighborhoods that are too far away from the main line.

While we were looking at water lines, I was able to get a few good pictures of people.  This is a bustling market, full of

local produce.  Below is a gal in that

same area.

Also, in that market, and all around town, there are people selling corn on the cob.  It’s not like the corn we eat in the US – more like Indian corn.  It’s cooked and then you just break off the kernels with your hand.  No butter and salt!  You’d break a tooth if you tried to bite into it!  But it’s the season, and people everywhere are eating it like candy.  We tried it – it tastes good – just super chewy – a cob could take all day to eat!  This vendor  is roasting her corn

over a charbon fire.

I saw this darling young woman stirring up a batch of foo foo in another market.  She was gracious enough to let

me take her picture.  That doesn’t always happen – and her friend looks a bit cranky about it!

We continue to teach English once a week to the missionaries.  This is really

a nice bunch!  It’s encouraging to have some of them catch the vision that they will be able to get better jobs when they get home if they can speak English.  Many of them already speak several languages.  Anyway, teaching continues to be one of my favorite things to do.

This is probably totally inappropriate, but I took this picture during Sunday

School.  This cute guy is sitting on his mother’s lap eating a cookie that is passed out to every child each week during the Sunday School block.  It has happened in every ward we’ve been to.  I don’t know why, but the kids like it, of course.  It’s always this same kind of cookie.  As soon as I figure out how to ask about it in French, I’ll report back.  They could be on to something we’ll want to adopt in the US!

Last night, on Valentines Day, the senior missionaries all went out to eat at Latte Licious.    These great people have come to be our family away from

home.  An amazing thing happened before our meal was served, however.  Our daughter Lindsay called on Face Time from our granddaughter Reese’s singing group recital!  We were able to be “in the audience” and see her performance in Texas while standing in the parking lot of a restaurant in Africa -10,000 miles away!  What a thrill!!!

One unexpected joy of being on a mission has been sharing experiences with friends who are also serving senior missions around the world.  Even though the countries, language, assignments, etc., are different – it feels so wonderful to share that common bond.  We are so proud of their dedication and feel it a blessing to be serving along side them.  Our good friends from home, E/S Cannon, have been serving in New Zealand and will be heading home in just a few weeks after serving faithfully for 23 months!  Well done, Cannons!

We wish “Happy Birthday” to our daughter-in-law Laci this week!  And a good week to all!  Love,  Mom/Soeur Davis

P.S.  Friday the 13th was lucky this year!  Late in the day we received an email from Johannesburg that our four area projects were approved!!!!  Wahoo!