Pan-African Mormon Helping Hands Day 2009

On Saturday, August 22 we had 16 members and 7 investigators complete a service project for Mormon Helping Hands Day. We met with the Ndlambe Municipality and were assigned to pick up trash on a 2.3 kilometer stretch of road leading out of town along side the Nemato (Nelson Mandela Township) Township. The municipality provided trash bags and gloves for us and sent a driver with a truck to take the bags to the dump site. We worked for four hours and filled 200 bags! That's not a typo - we filled 200 bags. That was equal to about 90 hours of service and the municipality was very appreciative. Several motorists stopped to thank us. Many of our members had never participated in a service project before, and they asked when we were going to do it again. The city worker who was picking up the bags all morning commented that if he needs to hire part-time workers he will know where to find good workers.

The coral tree - one of the few trees that drops its leaves during the African winter.

Two flowering bushes (for my friend Marge)! September is the beginning of Spring and there are many beautiful blooms.

Sunrise on our morning walk.

We often see women carrying wood like this. We are told they use it for cooking. Some prefer cooking over an open fire even if they have electricity. The power company raised rates 31% on July 1 so perhaps it is a cost-saving measure. The house in the background is an unusually nice one.

Lunchtime in the township.

We always see goats in the township, but this day we saw donkeys rummaging through trash bins!

When we go out in the township to make visits, children usually gather around and are eager to have their picture taken. Lyman gave these kids a few coins and they raced off to the neighborhood shop to buy candy!
That's all for now. We are well and keeping busy. Our little branch is growing. The two young elders are working hard and we will soon need a larger building for meetings! We miss all of you and appreciate your letters, emails and prayers.

the Godfreys

email: katherinesgodfrey@gmail.com

July 2009 - Game Drive

Okay - I accidentally deleted this photo from it's proper spot. It should be labeled - male white lion - after the napping lion. I don't think I'll ever get proficient at this blogging!

Just so you know it's not all work - we have included some photos from a recent game drive the senior couples took recently. The Stones from Logan are seated with Elder Godfrey, and I am in the back with the Millers from Wales, Utah. Our association with the other senior missionaries is one of the best parts of this experience. Although our assignments differ, we have much in common. It's a great way to spend retirement!

Most of these photos don't need a label - zebra! South Africans pronounce it - zeb (rhymes with second month of the year - Feb) ra.

Giraffe

Notice the warthogs between the two giraffe.

A herd of Bleesbek

Lioness

Napping lion - our instructions from the guide - speak softly and keep your hands inside the vehicle!!

Male - white lion

(see photo at top)

The female white lion joins her mate.

The white lion family. As the female and the cubs joined the male, we watched them "clean" the female who had blood on her fur from a recent kill.

Elder Godfrey is shown with Elder Miller from Midway, Utah. Elder Miller also served as a young missionary in Japan - about 11 years after Elder Godfrey.

A delicious lunch was served half-way through the game drive. One of the senior couples was leaving to go home, so we got together on P-day for the game drive and visiting. The couples in this mission come from Idaho, Utah, and Arizona. Many more are needed!

We are blessed with good health. We miss all of you and enjoy hearing from you!

Go well - the Godfreys

June 2009 - Winter in South Africa

Exciting news in our family - two babies in two days!

Brian and Lucia's baby boy, Dylahn (on the left), arrived early on June 16, and Christa and Ryan's daughter Adrie was born on her Mother's birthday - June 17. Ellie (16 months) is pictured with her new baby sister and new cousin. We feel blessed to have these healthy new additions to our family.






The newest members of our branch - Mike and Mirriam Siambwezele - are shown with their son Lewis and the elders on their baptism day - June 6, 2009.

Previously we had four young elders working with us in Port Alfred, but now we have only two, Elder Coultas (on the left) and Elder Booth, both from England. They are counselors in the Branch Presidency and are great help in assisting Elder Godfrey in many ways. Also shown is the sign recently placed on the rented home that serves as our chapel. It took six months to get it - we are excited! One day after the sign went up, a couple on holiday from the Johannesburg area drove by and saw the sign. They didn't know there was a branch of the church in Port Alfred so they hadn't brought Sunday clothes with them. They quickly purchased a shirt and tie for the husband and a skirt for the wife and came to church Sunday morning. It was a nice suprise to have visitors - the sign worked!

Never having lived near the ocean, we are

continually surprised by what we see each day.

Coming home one evening, the sky was

particularly dark and we snapped this photo

of the beach where we walk mornings.

For two mornings we saw jellyfish on our morning walk. The largest one can be seen next to my flip-flop. After that they disappeared from the beach. We asked a fisherman what had brought them up on the beach and he thought the south winds were the cause. The winds normally are north westerly.

The aloe plants are in bloom everywhere we look.

We took these pictures off the roadside one day coming back from Grahamstown. My friend Priscilla and I stood next to a plant to show the size - quite large. Well, at least 5 feet tall!

Priscilla and her husband are from Zimbabwe. She is one of my keyboarding students and teaches Sunday School in the Branch.

We took this last photo to try to show the vastness of the countryside. It was taken from a hill top looking back toward Port Alfred from Grahamstown - about 50 kilometers away from our home. There are large pineapple farms in this area as well as dairy farms. It is a beautiful country. The days are still pleasant and warm. The lowest temperature we have experienced is 50 degrees. It does seem strange to have it dark by 5:30 pm in the evening in June though.

We are well and happy - keeping busy. We appreciate hearing from home. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers.

Go well,

the Godfreys

End of May 2009 - Port Alfred Branch

Baptism Day - May 2, 2009 Samson Daniel Tlathi baptized by Elder Godfrey in the Kowie River

Four young elders - left to right - Elder Zulu from Zimbabwe , Elder Botes from S. Africa, Elder Morrill from Oregon, and Elder Booth from England (Elder Booth is tallest in the whole mission at 6' 7")

This photo was taken on the Sunday when our Mission President and his wife, the Probsts, visited Port Alfred. They are on the left. Others are our branch members, except for the teenagers on the right front who were visitors.

Bottom photo shows the two of us on the porch of the rented home that serves as our chapel. As you can see we have pulled the white board out on the porch for Sacrament Meeting. We move it back in for Sunday School. The home has three rooms - one used for the chapel, one for the Primary, and one for Relief Society meetings. The kitchen serves as Elder Godfrey's office. A Muslim family rents the other half of the home. We have been in this building for about six months now and have hopes of getting an official sign with the name of the church posted outside the building next week.

We are looking forward to the baptism of a young husband and wife from Zimbabwe on June 6. The branch is growing slowly and the members are anxious to keep it going because otherwise they have to travel 35 miles to Grahamstown to attend church services.

It seems odd to be going into winter season here while those of you at home are finally enjoying warm weather. The day time temperatures are still in the seventies, but it seems strange to have it very dark in the evenings by 5:45 pm in May!

We miss family, home and friends but know we are needed here. Working with the members, investigators and the young elders is very rewarding.

We send our love and appreciation to you.

Remember our email address: katherinesgodfrey@gmail.com

the Godfreys

Port Alfred - April 2009

Hello everyone,

As you at home are welcoming Spring, we are going into the Fall season here. The weather is still delightful with temperatures in the seventies during the day and slightly cooler in the mornings. Beautiful flowers and shurbs are everywhere. When we travel in the countryside, there is always another colorful plant or bush in bloom. The first picture is of bougainvillea, the third of hibiscus, which grow in many colors. The second photo is a tree I don't know the name of, but I liked the bright orange blossoms.

The fourth picture was taken at keyboarding lessons with two of my students. Imagine my surprise when Elder Zulu (from Zimbabwe) came for his lesson on P-day (preparation day) in his casual clothes with a Utah State football T-shirt! A former missionary gave him the USU shirt.

I included the "trespassing" sign to show the Afrikans language in the middle and some other African language on the bottom. Our son Charles and my brother-in-law Dave Kent both learned Afrikans when they were missionaries in South Africa some years ago. Today the missionaries teach in English only.

The next two pictures are of houses in the township. We don't take many photos of the homes out of respect for the people. There is a wide variety of living accommodations - all of them are very modest. Most have electricity, but hardly any have indoor plumbing.

The last two photos are of the young children in a creche, or pre-school. Children can attend when they reach the age of two. When we stopped to take a picture, the crowd of children at the fence grew rapidly. As you can see, they are beautiful and happy children.

We are busy and happy and enjoy good health. We are grateful to hear from you. Our email address if you have time is katherinesgodfrey@gmail.com

the Godfreys

End of March 2009 in Port Alfred

Hello everyone,

I am uploading two pictures first to see if I can get the text between photos. I don't know if it will work or not!

Most of the African mothers carry their babies on their backs this way. Reminds me somewhat of the American Indians and how they carried their babies in a similar fashion. They must have a pretty secure way of wrapping the baby. The babies seem comfortable and are often sleeping. The only problem comes when the child is bigger and the legs must straddle the mother's waist. The mothers seem careful to have the babies's heads covered. Pacifiers here are called "dummies."

Oh, well! Didn't work - the photos are still at the top. I guess I will have to wait until a "computer saavy" young elder arrives in Port Alfred to tutor me!

Top photo is of tiny Rosette Mthembu, born on Valentine's day. One of her adoring brothers is watching.

Next photo is of the woman who sells vegetable on a street corner in town. Another photo shows the vegetable stand. I usually buy vegetables in the grocery store, but I wanted to get a picture of the woman with the white powder/salve on her face. We have heard that it is used as sun screen, or that it is considered good for the skin.

The first few times we saw someone in town with the white powder all over the face, it was quite startling! I suppose the reverse is also true - a few weeks ago I stopped at a member's house and she had a relative's child on her lap. The child was fussy, but I didn't think anything about it until I returned a few hours later and the child took one look at me and began crying again! I finally realized that my rather pale face was foreign to her.

One photo is of a Relief Society homemaking meeting where we were learning to make a knitted beanie cap. The two black sisters did well, but I was all thumbs. I think I had better stick to playing the piano at church. I can crochet, but I will need much longer to be proficient in knitting. I should have taken lessons from my Dad, or my brother!

We are well and keeping busy. As I write this at 10 am the temperature outside is 75 degrees. One morning was cool when we went out to walk - about 59 degrees. We enjoy walking on the beach - there are always interesting things that have washed up on the shore.

Don't forget, we are never too busy to hear from you - katherinesgodfrey@gmail.com

Go well,

the Godfreys