Week of March 1-6

Africa South East area mission

2nd Stake Conference after Elder Andersen

Out of water again---Mission Office Thank goodness

Traditional Dance program See facebook video

Natural Museum of Maputo

 

 

Natural Museum

Natural Museum

Inhagoia B new gate

 [Stan] Teril posted a some pics here and I will comment on our week.  The first pic was taken at the area office in Johannesburg in January at our area welfare training.  This are the humanitarian couples in Africa Southeast Area.   The couple in the middle (she is standing just over my left shoulder and her husband behind her) are Walt and Susan Peterson.  They are our supervisors there and they have been assigned to work as the office couple for the mission in Zimbabwe.  They are in dire need there.  That leaves us short-staffed as well.  We will miss them.  PLEASE!!  We need more senior missionaries!  Our mission used to have 6 couples; we are down to 4.  There are also less humanitarian couples and it is making things difficult.  The area office is having to say no to possible projects because we do not have the people to get it done. 
We had our regularly scheduled stake conference today 2 weeks after Elder Andersen's visit.  Stressed temple attendance and the importance of sacrifice.  They are so looking forward to having a temple here.  Teril and I sing in the stake choir.  I am not an enthusiastic participant, but I go.
We have been out of water most of the week; our back up supply lasts us about 2 1/2 days.  We had to take a drive to the mission office where they had water at the time and fill our containers.  It has become a regular exercise to expect water shortages; so we rely on our back up.  When the water returns it is the number 1 thing we do to get every container filled because we never know when we will need it.  For sure we will. 
The next picture is of a street performance of some African cultural dance.  They started performance on the street next to the place we were eating.  The picture is not good, but Teril has posted a video on facebook that turned out pretty well.  I would like to learn more about the culture behind the dance.
As welfare services missionaries, we do not have a regularly scheduled P-day (preparation day).  So we schedule things around our projects when we can.  We decided to visit the museum of natural history here in Maputo.  It was very interesting; along with wildlife displays they had arts and crafts from the culture of the area.  Many of the things we saw reminded me of the American Indian culture; using bark for canoes, pottery, carvings, beadwork, etc.  Fascinating place. 
This last picture doesn't look like much; but it has a great deal of meaning for us.  We just finished a project at Inhagoia school.  When we returned just to see how things were going we found they had continued to do improvements and followed through on what they had promised.  The community paid for and installed 2 gates to the school so they can control who comes and goes and the vandalism has dropped significantly.  When we sat down in the office and discussed it, one of the staff members told me that my analogy of a bucket with holes in it made an impression on them.  They talked about it and decided they really did need to do something to "fill the holes" so they could move forward on the improvement of the school.  It was great to see them using the welfare principles we taught and witness the progress.  Our desire is to see every project reach this level of community involvement and understanding of the principles. 
We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve here.  We plead with all of you to seriously consider your situation and ask the Lord if He can help you serve a mission.  We could sure use you here.  If some other place and assignment comes you way, that is fine.  But find a way.  I cannot tell you how wonderful this experience has been so far and we expect it to just get better.  Love, Elder and Sister Petersen,  Stan and Teril, Grandma and Grandpa