Church (: (:

I was so excited to get the opportunity to attend church down here. I thought that the bishop, Arthur Van Biljon, who I had originally contacted, was going to pick me up, but another family came instead, which was just fine. I was immediately humbled; the family of four was in a small pick-up truck, the wife and himself in the seats in the front, and the children in the bed of the truck. This is very normal in South Africa, but quite foreign for me. The man came around with a big smile, and opened the trunk and lid door for me to climb in with his children, Amber and Jonathan. They were such a sweet family. We arrived early, and while the husband Steve went and helped set things up in the chapel, the mother, whose name I did not catch, stood at the front door to greet everybody with a huge hug. She introduced everyone to me as they came, and they were all very welcoming and kind. I also got to meet the missionaries, Elder Cable from Australia, and Elder Mashase from Johannesburg. They were also very kind and I enjoyed getting to speak with them. Steven’s wife’s sister and her husband Martin were also members of this same ward, and they were just as nice as this family. They were all so witty and joked around a lot; it was very nice to be welcomed in such a relaxed and comfortable way. We went into the chapel to start sacrament meeting, and I immediately felt the spirit so strongly. I’m not sure if it was because I haven’t been able to come for a while, or because of the incredible faith of the members; maybe it was both! But I most certainly felt it, and I was drawn to tears many times during the meeting. Although the chapel had an organ and a piano, I’m not sure that anybody knew how to play, because we sang along with recordings of the hymns that you can buy from Deseret Book. The ward was quite small compared to all of the wards I have experienced in the States; there were probably about 50 attendant’s total. To my surprise, they were broadcasting Easter conference, which was good because I never got the opportunity to see it. The talks were amazing, and as it always happens, talked about things that I have been pondering and wanted support on. It was such a great experience. They stopped conference to have a small break, and at this time, Martin and his wife were leaving. I needed to get home by this point (it was noon), and couldn’t stay to see the rest of the conference broadcasting. Steven and his wife arranged for me to be driven home by Martin and his wife. Steven’s wife asked me for my number so that they could take me out sometime this week; what a sweet sweet family they were. On my way out of the church, the missionaries stopped me and asked if they could come by the house and share a spiritual message with me before I left on Saturday, which was so kind of them, and I gladly accepted. I very much look forward to attending church more regularly in Cape Town. I am positive I will again be overwhelmed by the strong spirit that their faith allows to be present.

Since it is our last week in Durban, Miles and I are quickly gathering gifts before we go. It is supposed to be a ton cheaper to buy everything here, plus this is where everything is made! We went back to Gateway to get some world cup things, as well as other gifts. We got a lot done and had a good time. We had lunch while out, and I am in love with juice here! It is the most amazing thing ever, and nothing like the United States juice, if you can even call it that (: Juice here is freshly squeezed fruit right off of the trees, with no preservatives or added sugar. It’s simply perfect on its own and is thee best stuff ever. Today I had strawberry juice (yes, strawberry) and it was a-mazing. Shortly after I arrived back to my home stay, the missionaries came by. I wasn’t expecting them until later in the week, but was happy to see them. They told me that they were in the area and wanted to stop by today. As I mentioned before, my host mom Zola is an inactive member of the church. She cannot come any longer because of traditional reasons—her husband is Anglican and it is customary for a woman to follow her husband’s religion. He decided that he wanted her to come to church with him again, so she had to obey. She loved our church very much though. It was great because the missionaries had no idea that she was inactive, and Zola came and sat with us as we talked. They talked to her a lot about why she doesn’t come anymore, and even though she doesn’t, how she can still stay close the Lord, by praying and reading the scriptures. They reminded her that the Lord still loves her very much; I am so glad they got to speak to her. They showed her the picture of the Lord holding the lamb, and reminded her of the story about Jesus going to look for his one lost sheep. It was such an amazing day, and I am so blessed. I am very grateful for all that I have and all that the Lord has given me. And I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to attend church and that Zola was able to speak with the missionaries. They asked if they could come back next week just to share a spiritual thought with her again, and she accepted, which was great. I am so happy and humbled. The Lord is truly the best.