December 11, 2011

We have been very bad and not updated our blog for many months.  Sorry...The time just whizzes by and we keep saying we'll do this tomorrow.  So...here are a few things that we've been doing.

We were both invited to the American ambassador's home for a reception for the measles campaign for all of Mozambique.  We had worked with the program on our first mission in 2008 with great success for the children of Mozambique.  Now UNICEF, our Church Humanitarian Program, the International Red Cross, and several other worldwide agencies were again sponsoring this program, to eradicate the number 1 killer of children under 5 years old in Africa. Former Utah Senator Bob Bennett was appointed by the Senate as co-chairman to UNICEF from the United States.  We really enjoyed meeting with him that night and going out to dinner with him and representatives from several other organizations the next night at our favorite seafood restaurant right on the beach. The statistics released from these organizations state that 95% or children under 5 were immunized.  Our Church donated money for the vaccine and syringes.

On our drive to Johannesburg, South Africa to the temple there, we have to be VERY careful, as you can see from these warning signs along the road.....

Elder Taylor, one of our favorite missionaries from Vidalia, Georgia is preparing to leave Marromeu for Beira on transfer day. This is a typical way to travel the 8-9 hours through the jungle on dirt roads from Marromeu, in the back of a truck.  Of course, when they arrive at their destination, they are covered in red dust!  But he doesn't seem to mind.

On the national highway between Maputo and Beira, this is a typical little village of grass huts.

Also, you'll see many of these "cashew trees", with plastic bags of shelled and cooked cashews hanging for display.

Now, the 18 hour trip by car from Maputo to Beira (which we've had to do several times now because of our transfer in October to Beira and having to return to Maputo to buy more construction materials for the missionary/couple house that Paul is building in Marromeu) is pretty hairy....Terrible roads with gigantic potholes, no fastfood restaurants or bathrooms, and very few gas stations.   This is a typical "gas station" along the road.  We NEVER stop at these places if we can help it, because the gas is watered down and doesn't make for a safe trip.

In June, Paul was asked by Elder Mkhabela (then our area seventy in Johannesburg) to design (with some great help from our son Jason) and build a small house on the grounds of the Marromeu Chapel  that would house 4 missionaries.  Also included would be an efficiency apartment for a couple (or mission president and wife) to stay when visiting. So, we trained the new office couple, Elder and Sister Hall in September and moved to Beira in October to be only 7 hours from Marromeu, instead of 2 days away.  Here is one of the first pictures of the 4 missionaries there and 2 returned Mozambiquan missionaries preparing the foundation. Paul is really having to struggle with this project, as there is very little good materials to buy here and terrible transportation to get those materials to Marromeu, but he is determined to give it his best.