Speed Dating and our Last Zone Conference (can't believe it!)

 Hey kids, This was a short week. I had to get back into the swing of things and I really just wanted to sleep. 

Haha! - but not kidding..... Tuesday, I had a lot of people for English class and didn't know 30% of them.

 For awhile, I had my core group but word has spread and now I'm getting new people almost every class,

 which makes it tricky cuz I can't reteach what we've already covered. Oh well, you do the best you can..... 

Wednesday,the Kretlys and APs came in for Zone Conference this Friday.  Thursday was Independence Day

 for Mozambique  so I only had 2 guys show up for class.  I asked if we should cancel class and they said "Ok.",

 but I felt bad because they had spent their time and money to come so I told them I'd do a private class. 

They weren't sure how to react to that but they said "ok" again and we pulled up chairs and started our private 

lessons. I told them that this was their chance to ask me anything that they wanted to and get help with stuff

 they didn't understand. Two more guys came so I had 4 people, compared to the 35 I'd had 2 days ago. 

That's the way it is here - we've learned not to count on anything cuz it can change from minute to minute.

 But they liked it and had me explain things like something that a guy had seen on TV, "4:23 lops". I asked 

what he was watching. Cars racing. Then I told him that he had seen the word "Laps", not "Lops" and 

explained what a 'lap' was. Deciphering skills come in handy for English class.      Friday was our very last 

Zone Conference! It doesn't seem completely real that we'll be home in 3 months. It was the last Conference 

for two elders too, so Pres, Kretly had all of us bear our testimonies at the end.  I told the experience of how

 Heavenly Father told me that we were supposed to go on a mission and worried I was about leaving you guys 

behind. But it's been a great blessing for us and for all of y'all. Pres. Packer once gave a talk where he said that 

having faith is like stepping into a dark tunnel. Once you're willing and demonstrate the faith to do it, then the

 light is illuminated at the end of the tunnel and you can see your way through it. That certainly happened with 

us.      As soon as we made the decision to serve a mission, things fell into place and certain things occurred

 that we never could've foreseen, like the lowering of the missionary ages, which enabled Aub to leave and

 return the same time as we do. I've always had a testimony that God is in charge, and knows what we should 

do better than we ever could (giving me an unshakeable testimony of the power of prayer), but that knowledge

 has been confirmed repeatedly as I've watched things play out here.    Anyway, it was a good farewell 

Conference. We sure love the missionaries! They really are good, solid guys.

The man between Sandy and Pres. Kretly is Gil Hou, the first counselor in the District Presidency

 Horsing around with a couple of elders. Elder Stewart tried to sneak in the picture. ;)

  Silly boys...

  That night, we took the APs to the airport so they could fly back to Maputo. Elder Cummings (on right) told me again on the way to the airport that I'm just like his mom. I wanna meet all these moms that I remind their sons of. Haha! 

  The next day, the doorbell rang, just after I had rolled out of bed, and these guys, Lordelos and Simoes, were there to have me help them with their BYU-HI applications. I had to scramble and throw on some clothes - bless their hearts! We've been working on their applications for a month or so, and it is one long process, namely because anything in Mozambique is one long process. I'm hoping it pays off for them. They REALLY want to study at a church college.

 That afternoon, we went to the hospital with Sandy and Larry to visit Pres. Camalizene, the District President. He had an appendicitis attack and had surgery last Wednesday. Dad had seen him with Pres. Kretly and Larry last Thursday and he wasn't doing very well, so we went to check on him.  Oh gosh! Picture the hospitals during World War I and that's what this hospital looks like. Actually, I don't know what the hospitals were like back then, but World War II seems too modern compared to this one. Pres. C. was in Intensive Care and here's what the intensive Care rooms looked like. The beds are dilapidated and there were rusty, broken things lying about. Some of the IVs were hung on nails on the wall instead of the bent stands that we saw. The paper taped to the wall on my right said, "Wash your hands after you touch anything." on it. Amen to that. I tried not to touch anything there. 

 There were 10 men in Pres. C's room next door and we wanted to take a picture of the whole room, but we thought they wouldn't be too happy to have us do that. Especially with Pres. C. wearing a sheet tied around his neck like a sarong for his hospital gown. The doctor told him that he couldn't eat or drink for 3 days after surgery. (So much misinformation here...) And his wound is about 2 inches long and was oozing yellow discharge. I'm worried about him. I told your dad that I want to bring him to our house and care for him here. Oh Africa...

 Sandi and I took pics of each other while Dad and Larry helped Pres. C go to the bathroom down the hall. The hospital doesn't provide food or bedding so his bed has capalanas on it and there's a thermos of broth that his wife brought him. We brought water - because the hospital's water isn't safe for drinking (ironic, huh?), fruit, and sanitizer.  

 Later that night, we went to the church to help with a Single Adult activity. A group of guys were planning a dance and wanted me to teach some dance steps at the beginning of the dance. Dad and I had talked about doing an Institute activity awhile ago and dad had the idea of doing speed dating because the kids here are so awkward interacting with each other. So when the guy talked to me, I told him about it. He was excited. When we got there, the cultural hall was decorated so nice! We were impressed with it and also impressed that it was done ahead of time. But the preparations stopped there. People were just sitting around and they didn't know what to do. There were about 8 girls and 25 guys so that's not too great for speed dating. I asked them if there were any games that they liked to play, just to get the ball rolling. They couldn't think of anything so I suggested Guesstures. I'd brought paper and scissors, so I had them write down some words and I cut them out. 

 Then we had everybody sit down on the chairs and divided them into two teams. Trying to explain a game to people here is like herding cats. It takes awhile. I guess they don't really play games here so it's foreign to them. Anyway, they finally got the hang of it and they got into acting it out and guessing. Whenever somebody guessed a word, everybody applauded, no matter what team they were on. It was funny! But it worked!! It got them loosened up and talking and ready for the next activity - Speed Dating!! 

 I'm not sure what she acting out here.... But aren't the decorations nice??

  A few more people had come, but it was still a lopsided ratio of guys to girls so I wasn't sure how to do it. I had to think quick though, cuz they were all waiting for me. (No pressure...!) I decided to put them in groups. I counted all the guys and all the girls and divided them into groups of 3 guys to 1 girl. I gave the girls 2 minutes to talk about themselves and gave 1 minute per guy. I had a whistle that I had borrowed from Sandi, so I timed them and blew the whistle when it was them for the next person to speak. At the end of 5 minutes, I had all the girls move down. It was kind of a bummer that the guys didn't get to be one-on-one with a girl but they loved it anyway. It was the most animated that I've ever seen them be as a mixed group! And for once, the girls were the stars of the show!! It was really fun to watch them.

  Speed Dating African style. They really "put on the Ritz" and wore their best clothes.

   After the speed dating, I had them take a group picture. 

  Then it was (finally!) time for the dance. Amazingly, people danced instead of just sitting on the sides. Well. all the girls did, anyway....

 On Sunday, the Primary had a teacher and seemed under control, so for the first time ever, I went to Young Women. They meet all together and don't divide into classes because there aren't enough classrooms or teachers. The teacher was an 18 year old girl and she did a great job! She was prepared and got the girls involved and even wrote on the board. I had to take a picture because it was top-notch teaching for here.

 Here they are - nine girls and three leaders. The leaders are all young adults, 18, 19, and the 23 year old President. The Primary President in the branch is 18 years old...

 In Sacrament Meeting, the elders asked us to sit with one of their investigators. She was by herself with her baby who is 3 months old and one of the chunkiest babies I've seen here. He squirmed a lot because it was crazy hot in the chapel plus he was tired. She kept nursing him to keep him quiet so I finally took him and rocked him on my shoulder. By the end of the meeting, my arm was cramped and the front of my dress was sopping wet. But I got him to sleep - yay! Here he is:

 

  When we got home, we splurged and made chocolate chip cookies with some of the c.c. chips that I brought back from Virginia. They were heaven! 

 I sure love you little buggers (reading an English novel now) ALOT!!!! ~Mummy