2020 July 29 MLC

 

Wednesday, 3-6:30 pm Zoom

 It is wonderful to teach, learn and counsel together to become more unified in our purpose and move the work forward during these unique times.

23 July 2020 District Council, Mbabane Chapel, Eswatini

23 July 2020 District Council, Mbabane Chapel, Eswatini

Sidwashine:                             Elders Mabuza and Phiri

Mbabane:                                Elders Mayisela and Dlamini

Manzini and Nhlangano:       Elders Zulu and Ngozo

Ezulwini:                                 Sisters Dvuba, Gwebu, Dladla                      

President & Sister Pitcher

2020 July 21-22 Transfer

Tuesday, 21 July 2020

Elder Ndlela, Sister Machoba and Sister Nyembe all came to the mission home for their departure interviews with President Leavitt. They also made a memory page for Sister Leavitt and we all visited.

We had a departing dinner and program.

Our assistants, Elder Kunjuzwa and Elder Bopape joined us for the evening.

Sister Machoba

Elder Ndlela

Sister Nyembe

22 July 2020 Departure Day

Elder Ndlela was picked up at 6 am to drive to OR Tambo to fly to Durban.

Sister Nyembe was picked up by two area travel drivers to be driven to Lady Smith.

Sister Machoba was picked up by her family about 9 am and driven the 14 kilometers to her home.

2020 July 14 MLC

14 July 2020

President Leavitt and I continue doing interviews and training. We did this from 9-12 this morning.

Mission Leadership Council 4-6:24 pm

We meet with our zone leaders and sister training leaders to discuss issues at present and do training along with our assistants.

2020 July 12 Sabbath Gathering

 

Sunday, 7 pm Zoom

Rod and Cindy Leavitt were our guest speakers. They introduced the Pathway program to our missionaries. They are missionaries serving from their home in Las Vegas and with the Pathways program in part of Africa. Rod is President Leavitt's first cousin. 

They were helpful in letting our missionaries know what a great program this is, especially for return missionaries. Return missionaries are pre-qualified and get a discount on their classes. They just need to sign up for the semester they want to start and pay the fees. The classes are all online. Internet and a computer are required.

After successfully completing the first three courses, a person can then go on to earn a certificate in an area they choose from the offered courses. Once the certificate is earned, they can stop and get a job using that certificate, or continue to work and go on to earn an associate and then a bachelor's degree in an offered chosen field.

Rod and Cindy are in the top left corner of the screen below:

2020 July 10 Pres. and Sis Nielson Staff Mtg

10 July 2020 

President H. David and Sister Jaci Nielson join us for staff meeting. We are beginning to engage them in our mission as they have internet. As there are no couples physically in our office, President and Sister Nielson will need to understand how things function and know how to do many things upon arrival--which date is still undetermined. 

We appreciate Elder and Sister Erickson and Elder and Sister Walker helping from their homes and our assistants, Elder Kunjuzwa and Elder Bopape, and office elders, Elder Austin and Elder Krakra helping us in the office. We welcome Elder Bopape taking Elder Rakotonindrina's place.

12 July 2020
7 pm Sunday Gathering

Rod and Cindy Leavitt were our special speakers. They work with Pathway Connect in parts of Africa and introduced Pathways program to our missionaries and answered questions. Rod is President Leavitt's first cousin. They live in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have served a mission in Kenya.

2020 July 9 Transfer

6 July 2020 Transfer Board

Note: Sister Malpage decided to defer her mission for six months to hopefully serve in the Ukraine Kiev Mission speaking Russian. Sister Wood returned to us. Sister Banditi is from Zimbabwe and was assigned to a different mission but got stuck visiting here before lockdown. She started her virtual MTC as a companion with Sister Kipela. Elder Phiri and Elder Dlamini also started their virtual MTC training in Mbabane, Eswatini.

Joburg Winter Sunrise outside our window:

9 July 2020 Transfer 

Elder Kani and Elder Van Thiel Berghuys have finished their missions and flew home to Port Elizabeth, South Africa today.

We welcomed Elder Bright Sibanda, driven from Pokwane Limpopo, where he has been serving in the Bostwana Mission under President and Sister Anderson for a short time.

Elder Van Thiel Berghuys

Elder Kani

Elder Manjate and Elder Sibanda

2020 July 1-5 Transfers

2 July 2020 Transfer

30 June

President Leavitt and I took different photos of those who were arriving and leaving at different times.

Elder Sihle Ngema was driven to the mission home on 30 June, arriving at 6:30 pm. He had sitting at home since returning right before the lockdown in March. He started his MTC 31 July 2019, and served in the Mozambique Mission.

1 July

Elder Waylin Presence arrived at the mission home on 1 July from a flight from Cape Town at 12:30 pm. He is a new missionary who served one transfer in the Cape Town Mission. Planes between Johannesburg and Cape Town began service today.

2 July

Elder Wailagala, Sister Osikol and Sister Akello left on a repatriation flight on 2 July at 5 am to return to Uganda. Elder Wailagala is finished with his mission and Sister Osikol and Sister Akello had just arrived at the Joburg MTC a week before lockdown in March. They are from Uganda and will continue to serve there as they do no have visas to stay in South Africa or go to their mission assignments in Zimbabwe.

Elder Wailagala

Elder Presence

Elder Presence

Elder Mnyakana and Elder Ngema

Elder Mokhoanatsi is leaving us to serve in the Durban Mission now that he can cross provincial borders.

Sister Osikol

Sister Akello

Elder Fierro, Elder Klintworth, President Leavitt and Elder Presence.

2 July

MTC Training in Eswatini

Elder Phiri and Elder Dlamini arrived at their flats yesterday in Mbabane to begin their MTC training today at the Mbabane Chapel.

Elder Phiri and Elder Dlamini

Elder Mayisela and Elder Mabuza give a training to Sisters Dvuba, Gwebu and Dladla on the digital area book planner as they just finished their MTC training and now are assigned to the Ezulwini area. They also receive orientation from President and Sister Pitcher.

Arriving at the Joburg MTC the morning of 2 July were Sisters Wood, Jantjie, Banditi, Cele, Malpage and Mohube. I did orientation with them and Elder Presence, and President Leavitt did individual interviews. We ate lunch with them. We met with President and Sister Mkhabela on companionships, room assignments and allotment considerations.

Sister Wood and Sister Mabaso

Sister Madlanzi, trainer, and Sister Mohube

Sister Vetten, trainer and Sister Jantjie

Sister Nkabinde, trainer, and Sister Malpage

Sisters Machoba, Kipela, trainers, and Sister Banditi

Sister Cele and Sister Mokoena, trainer

Orientation and trainers meeting.

4 July 2020 Departure of Elders Rakotonindrina and Randrianary

We learned Saturday morning a plane was going to fly to Ethiopia to meet a repatriation flight to Madagascar. Glad I had taken them to get the required COVID-19 test with negative results. Elder Randrianary and Elder Rakotonindrina came to the mission home an hour later, weighed their luggage, rearranged things, and were driven to a meeting place by OR Tambo airport by Elders Austin and Krakra. The plane was being offloaded and instead of boarding at 3:10 pm, they boarded the plane at 10 pm. They stayed in Ethiopia until Monday and then flew to Madagascar where they arrived without their luggage and were quarantined in a hotel for 14 days. Their luggage arrived a couple of days later. They got out of quarantine and went home on Tuesday, 21 July 2020. They had their exit interviews in Madagascar on video with President Leavitt on Thursday 23 July.

July 4, 2020
8-9 pm Zoom Mission Transfer Meeting

5 July 2020

We moved all 22 Sisters out of the MTC into flats. Many of the elders needed to move to other flats further away such as Springs, Vanderbuijlpark and Vereeniging. We had to do it today so the MTC could be empty and thoroughly cleaned according to the COVID-19 requirements.

Sister T. Sithole and Sister Nyembe

Sister Cele and Sister Mokoena

Sister Vetten and Sister Jantjie

Sister Mohube and Sister Madlanzi

Sister Wood and Sister Mabaso

Sister Nzimande and Sister Mpahlele

Sister Nkabinde and Sister Rambau

Sister Machoba and Sister Z. Sithole

Sister Banditi and Sister Kipela

Sister Bell and Sister Mogale

7 pm Sunday Gathering

We are so thankful the emergency transfer to exit the MTC today went so well. Everyone took 30 seconds to say what they were grateful for. Then we went over the COVID numbers. New cases just went over 10,000 yesterday.