Going to School . . . . . . And other Adventures!

We had such a wonderful experience recently.  Last post I talked about one of our favorite people -- Ephraim Gonzo.  He invited us to come to his school for their first "Religions of Africa" day.  He wanted us to talk a little about our Church, particularly the seminary and institute programs.  The children and teachers at his school are primarily Christian.  Our audience was made up of students, ages 5-17, some of their parents, and the teachers.  


Here are a few pictures of the children as they were gathering.  The school is still in the process of being built.  They now have 200 students.  They are hoping to get enough money for cement and a roof before the rainy season comes.  In the rural areas, this is what a school is like:

Elder Theurer and I made quite a stir.  I'm not sure many of these kids had ever seen a white person before.  Also, there is a good chance that many of them had not seen their own reflection.  They absolutely loved seeing the pictures after we took them.   

The teachers had prepared a program for the guest speakers.  

This is the School Choir.  They had prepared several numbers for us, beginning with this one, their national anthem.  You can see that the other children are standing.  Following the anthem, all of the children recited some kind of pledge to Zimbabwe.  Even the little ones could say most of it.

And for a sample of the choir singing another song:

All of the grades had some singing for us.  These are from the youngest group:

This one is a little blurry, but how cute are these kids!

High-stepping singers!  Dressed up in their best clothes.  I felt bad for all the ones behind the post.

Each grade had one child who shared a scripture from the Bible with the other children.  They have no electricity in the school, but there was a generator outside to power the microphones and the music.

The dancing was super fun.  Two boys played the African drums and some of the older kids did some traditional dancing for us.  These kids really have some unique moves!

This one is just the boys, but they really got the students excited as they danced:

This gentleman was the first religious speaker. President Gonzo (who rarely smiles in pictures) is standing next to him.  We had a difficult time understanding his message because of his heavy accent, but he was very nice.

This gentleman is actually Ephraim Gonzo's father.  He's an Elder in his church.  His message was basically that every religion that teaches about Jesus Christ is good.  We happen to know that he reads the Book of Mormon and frequently attends the early morning seminary at his home.  But for now, he is devoted to his church.  

                         

Posing after with the Gonzo's.  Elder Gonzo handed me a small package wrapped in newspaper.  He is a stone carver by trade, and it was a beautiful carving of the Zimbabwe bird, the bird on the flag of their country.  I'm holding it for the picture.  It was a very touching gift.

 When it was our turn, my assignment was to talk about our Church and what we believed.

Elder Theurer talked about seminary and institute, and showed two video clips.  The students were amazingly attentive.  Everyone was so gracious.  

A few of the school children that ran alongside us as our truck started to leave.

Our next adventure was Sadza making lessons at the Banda's home.

The first thing Elder Theurer had to do was draw water from the well.  They have the means to get some water in their home but it was broken.

The Banda children--  Shmily, Takudzwa, and Tafadzwa:

Shmily recently won a gold medal in the Zimbabwe Junior National 
Ping Pong competition.

              And the fun begins:

We have mentioned before that sadza is the staple food in Zimbabwe.  

Most people eat it every day.  It basically has no taste on its own so it is

served with a "stew" [a little bit of meat and some vegetables in

a sauce] which is really quite tasty!  And also with some "greens" which

become what they call a "relish".

Sadza making is not for the faint of heart.  First you add just the right amount of cold water and maize. . . Then hot water, and then more of the maize flour until the bubbles are just right. . . And then more again, so it gets really thick and the bubbles don't splash and burn you anymore, . . . and you can barely stir it.  Mary Banda showed me how you must move the big paddle like an oar.  Making sadza is definitely an art!           

Mary cut up all of the "greens"; they use what is called Kovo or Rape.  I don't know if that

has an American counterpart.  But you cook these in oil with onion, tomato, garlic, and spices.  At the meal, you take a big chunk of sadza and dip it the relish or the stew, until
everything is gone.

Finally dinner!  Did I mention that you eat this whole meal with your fingers?
They don't have napkins, but at the end they bring a pitcher and a basin of water,
which we really needed!  We are not pros yet at the art of sadza eating.
This picture shows the Banda family and two guests, but they generously open their
house to others who need a place to stay.  Two older boys also live with them right now.

 Tafadzwa really liked the ice cream that we had for dessert.

One of the highlights of the last few weeks was having Sister Bonnie Oscarson, Genreal Young Women's President come to speak to our missionaries and the Auxilliaries.  She spoke in Harare and Bulawayo.  In Harare, the chapel of the Harare Stake Center and the cultural hall were filled to overflowing with women and a few of the Priesthood leaders.  Elder Koch of the Seventy came with her.  It is a burden to travel here, but they came from all over the area.  The Spirit in the room was amazing!

I'm not sure how I lucked out and got a picture with Sister Oscarson.  

Sister Koch took the picture and emailed it to me.  I felt very honored.

Front row L to R:  Mission President and Sister Mkhabela, The Oscarsons, Sister and Elder Koch

All of the senior missionaries are in the picture, and all the missionaries serving in the Harare area.  We are posing in front of the Harare Stake Center.  Our office is in this building and the Mission Office is right across the parking lot.

And this is the best part of all, -- serving a mission in Zimbabwe, doing all that we can to help this wonderful rising generation of youth and young adults "understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven."

(The S&I Purpose and Objective)

Here are a few of the "GEMS" we have recently collected:

I love this thought for teachers:

President Boyd K. Packer said, "I believe that to the degree you perform, according to the challenge and charge which you have, the image of Christ does become engraved upon your countenances.  And for all practical purposes, in that classroom at that time and in that expression and with that inspiration, you are He and He is you."

"Satan is the great identity thief, he continually seeks to rob individuals of their divine identity and connection with heaven."     (from CES training)

"Faith without works is dead;  But works without faith is even deader."  

                                                                                        -- Elder Dallin H. Oaks

"Repentance is not a frame of time, it is a frame of mind." 

                                                                   -- Kuda  (one of our Institute students)

"Just as the capacity to defer gratification is a sign of real maturity, likewise the willingness to wait for deferred explanation is a sign of real faith and of trust spread over time."                                                           -- Elder Neal A. Maxwell                

Two thoughts from President Chiwaka of the Zimbabwe Kadoma Branch:

-- "You don't stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop             playing."

--"These testimonies that you bear are not for you.  They are for you to share with others."

From Sister Oscarson and Elder Koch in Auxilliary Training:

"In a Council (ward, presidency mtg., etc.) you're not trying to find out WHO is right, but WHAT is right."

"In a Council, when we leave the room, we support the decision!  We are One."

Thank you for your love and support and prayers!
Elder and Sister Theurer