Happy Halloween!
Seriously, where has the year gone!
We were able to go to the Johannesburg Temple on September 25 and 26th with our ward.  There were 17 people that went with our ward.  That is a record number for the members of our ward.  One couple were married and sealed in the Temple on the 26th.  They were both alone -with no family for either of them. . .  just us as the ward family!  We arrived a day before everyone, because they rode in a bus from Mdantsane to Johannesburg, which was a 13 hour ride thru the night.  We only had 2 days so we had to fly!  Shame!  (as they say in SA).

Needless to say we had some time to look around and wander the beautiful grounds of the Johannesburg Temple before we went in!

This is the view from the back of the Temple - it looks over the city.  Of course the Church always finds prime property for the Temples.

It was great to have the opportunity to go to the Temple again..

We had to be home for our Zone Conference on Friday the 27th.  This Zone Conference was for 3 Zones - 46 Elders and 4 couples and 1 member from Grahamstown - 55 in all!  Our responsibility is providing the snack at 11:00 am and lunch/dinner at 4:00.  It's always a lot of work, but the Elders help in the set up of tables and chairs, and the other couples help in the serving and clean-up.  We try to make it as organized and quick as we can.   The mission president is on a tight time schedule so we have to be quick, organized and efficient as we serve the snack and meal.

This transfer we are doing surprise flat inspections.  We always do flat inspections but we warn the Elders when we are coming.  This transfer - no warning!  We will drive up and send them a SMS (text) that says "Surprise" and they open their doors or gates.  They all live in some pretty secure places as all of our boardings have iron gates or doors.

Well - no warning for flat inspections was pretty dismal!  Some of the Elders are excellent - some of them . . . . well . . . need to spent a little more time in cleaning!  Of course . . we are EASY inspectors!  NOT!!

                                                  Here's some unusual things that we see -
                                          

                              This is Standwa, he's our Bishop's son.  We told the Bishop and his wife that
when we go home if Standwa is gone, he's on the plane with us, but we'll send him back in a couple                                       of weeks!  He's 6 years old and so smart!!  He knows Xhosa and English.
                                             There are very few children who know English.

                                 This is a young male lion we saw in a game park on a p-day.

                       Car accident involving some of our Elders on transfer day.  All walked
                                                           away, but car was totaled!

                                         Transporting his treasures, on the 70 mph freeway!
                      This is so common, along with many hitchhikers, bicyclists and pedestrians,
                                                               on the FREEWAY! (even at night)
                                                     We drivers need to be very careful!

 Two very cute girls who have been members for some time and have a brother on a mission in Uganda but parents who are not members of the church.  The missionaries are starting to teach .
                                                    the parents, we join them when we can.

These two Elders, the one on the right is Elder Taylor from Salt Lake, the one on the left is Elder Warentino from the Pacific Islands.  They were "grounded" from their car (so-to-speak) because Elder Taylor misplaced his Utah driver's license.  It took us about a month to secure another copy.  We had to involve personnel from DHL in Salt Lake and in two other locations, his parents,  the Utah DMV,  and many phone calls to the U. S., to get this all worked out, so Elder Taylor could drive again.  We finally were successful and Elder Taylor sent a copy of this picture to all who were involved.

There are certain foods that we cannot get here or even the equivalent South African food is very different.  Stuff like chocolate chips, Frenchs mustard, crisco, red licorice, brown sugar (they have something like it but different), graham cracker and oreo pie crusts, the ice cream is very different,  canned pumpkin (for pumpkin pie) and turkeys, . . .

HOWEVER - they have great vegetables like cucumbers and onions and red peppers and all the spices that I used to make great Mustard pickles!

Also they have magnificent strawberries and other fruit now . . . . (however no raspberries) in Oct., Nov, and Dec, and Jan -  to make beautiful freezer strawberry jam.

                  I also made a variation of Strawberry Short Cake for Zone Conference this past week as
                                           fed 54 hungry Elders on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
                                                        

After our Zone Conferences we took a day to relax to go hike the Hogsback. This is a beautiful area about 2 hours west of us.  It is a mountain area that has an incredible forest with large trees, beautiful flowers and wonderful waterfalls.   We hiked about 4 hours to the waterfalls. It was beautiful.  The English author J.R.R. Tolkien was born in South Africa and it's been said he received his inspiration to write of the talking trees (Ents) in his book "Lord of the Rings" from these trees he saw at the Hogsback  Attached are a couple of pictures showing and even showing one of the trees that may have inspired him. 

In conclusion let us share a wonderful experience with you.  We received an email from Sister Carrie Henderson in Brisbane, Australia.  Most of you know they are serving as Mission President's in Brisbane.  In her email, she asked if any of our South African, Cape Town missionaries were from the African country of Rawanda?  Two of their Australian sister missionaries were teaching an investigator from Rawanda and she was very interested in the gospel, but only spoke the native language.  They couldn't find anyone who spoke her language to assist in the teaching.  She was asking questions they were unable to be answer, without an interpretor. Sister Henderson asked if any of our missionaries knew the language and could assist with her questions.   We did some searching and none of our missionaries were from Rawanda or even knew or could speak the language.  But, we had a faithful member, a brother in Cape Town (Brother Sotter) who knew the language and could speak it fluently.  We set up a Skype call (9 hours difference in time) with this translator member, the two sister missionaries from Brisbane,  and the sister investigator.   Anyway, after about 4 or 5 Skype calls and lessons, this sister was baptized. (about 2 weeks ago).  Attached is a picture of her. Isn't it wonderful how technology can serve the world and make it smaller to accomplish the Lord's work.  (From South Africa to Australia).  It really makes us realize who is in charge of this great work!!

        Sorry this blog has taken so long to get out . . . we have no excuse . . . we don't know what I've     
                                                                 been doing . . .
                                 
     WE LOVE YOU and appreciate all your support, thoughts and prayers.  They help us so much.
                                                          Elder and Sister Boyce

We're starting off with something exciting .  .  .  . like some wild animals that we actually saw on July 8th at Schotia.

We were on p-day with some of the other couples in the mission.

The days and nights are a blur and we seem to never have the time.  But we absolutely love every minute and wouldn't have it any other way.   Our duties and experiences change every single day, really . . . . really . . . .  like try this on for example.

Last week we received a SMS (text) from a pair of our Elders who were doing service at a farm here in East London.  Their text said, "Elder Boyce will you approve us to get new windshield wiper blades for our car? We just watched an EMU peel them off the windshield of our car and run away with them.  I told the Elders to try and catch the big bird and get a billing address, but the bird was too fast!!!   None of the experiences we see, shock us anymore, we see everything here in South Africa.
 
Elder Boyce is always busy making sure that the fleet of cars and bikes under our care, are in good order.  We seem to always be juggling with car and bicycle breakdowns and repairs.  Businesses  really don't move very fast, over here.  If we have a car accident, it usually takes 2-3 months to get the car repaired and back in service.  This is always fun to try and make things work when 4 Elders share a car, to get to their areas, and the car goes down for repairs.  But you know what, everything always seems to work out. We really don't even wonder how and why things always fall into place because we know the true source of why we are all blessed so much.

So I think on this round of our blog, I am going to just post a bunch of pictures and do some explaining what they are.  I really don't want to burden you with a bunch of dialog (and me either) so just enjoy the photos and some things we have been doing in the last 60 days.
This is May 12th - Mother's Day.
                                              

 We invited any Elder's over to our flat to Skype and call their moms.  We had them coming at different times.  We also had dinner for them and they played some games (in hopes of making a homey atmosphere for them!)while they were waiting for their turn to Skype their Mom's and family.   We had three locations in our flat so they could have privacy to Skype. (you can imagine how noisy it was!)  It still took about 4 hours. The  Missionary Handbook restricts them to 30 minutes each, but the good thing is that it was all free for them to call!  We probably had about 26 Elders calling home and this was just a few of them!

This is a beautiful cactus that is the entrance of our complex where we live, or as they say it in South Africa - where we stay.  It also covers the countryside as we travel to areas within our mission.

If you want to move or change residency, you can do it like this!  Most people do not have a car, let alone a bakkie (truck).  So they just pick up, what few belongings they have, and move them to their new location!  We see this as a convenient way to move, and an even better way to move their belongings is with a wheelbarrow.


Brett and Min - aren't you glad that you and the kids didn't have to move this way!!

 

Ren is holding  the daughter of the Branch President in Grahmstown.

Her name is Lucy Budaza.

She's a cutey!

But not as cute as 5 little girls that we have back home!

Mia, Georgia, Annie, Ivy and little Kate!!

Or as handsome as 4 little boys we have back home!

Luke, Richie, Landon and Brock!

We love you all! 

We were part of a Young Single Adult Committee.

On the 29th of June we had a Young Single Adult Conference.

Saturday evening was a dance and we were chaperones for the dance.

Sorry it is so blurry and I'm so WHITE!

 This is Sister Magibisela.

She had 4 steps to get out of her front door with no handrail!

We installed a handrail for her and she thanked us by baking a delicious pie!

It actually was very good, as good as home - it was apple!

This is a church in Alexandria, is about 30 minute south of Port Alfred.

Doesn't it remind you of what we see back in home?

This is the start line of the Knysna Half Marathon on July 6th.

We had a Branch Conference at the Knysna Branch on the 6th and 7th.

So President Wood (our mission President) and I decided to run it!

There was 6500 runners from all over the world!

It was great fun!

The start line sign is waaaaayyyyy in the back of the picture.

It started in the Knysna Forest and it was COLD!  Can you tell!

The finish line .  .  .  well 100 yards away .  .  .  I did finish!

Just this past Saturday - August 17th was Helping Hands Day in South Africa.

A day that 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reaches out to

all communities in South Africa in service.

Our ward - the Mdantsane 3rd Ward

decided to go to an orphanage just down the street from the church.

This orphanage gets no government funding, is housed in a corrugated shack, it has no power, no washing machine, no running water, no indoor toilet, no shower facility,

Leaving from the church . . . .

                                                                     Arriving .  .  .  .

                                              Home to 23 children - 9 months to 18 years.

            Washing clothes - this is a bath tub.  We washed 9 loads like this, plus other containers. 
                                                         Notice the color of the water.
                                       We did change the water, but the color didn't change.

Wonderful, willing, working hands.

Clothes line is the fence around the facility.

Planting a garden .  .  .  .

Building a fence around the garden to protect it from the neighbor's goats.

Fence complete with a homemade gate!

 

23 happy children and 4 grateful orphanage workers.

That's the end of this story!

So . . . . 

Be grateful and show it,

Hug your kids,

Be happy

Write a note to some one who lives alone,

Kiss you wife

Be grateful and show it

Share the gospel

Call someone who's going thru a trial,

Bake a loaf of bread for someone . . just because

Be happy

Kiss your husband

Smile at someone

Hug your kids

Do your home teaching and visiting teaching and report it

Share your testimony

Be grateful and show it

Hug your grandkids

Compliment someone

Be grateful and show it

Invite some one to dinner

Share your testimony!

Love your family!

WE ALL HAVE SO MUCH!!

Love,

Elder and Sister Boyce

                                                                                                                                                                                        

We wish all you Fathers a Happy Father's Day!!

Well,  Sister Boyce has asked me to enter the blog this time around.  Naturally, I do everything that she asks of me. 

Things have been very busy since we last posted.  Time has been flying by and its hard to imagine that we have served for 1/3 of our mission.  It seems like we just arrived and started our labors.  We continue to love what we are doing and everyday becomes a different adventure.  Let me see if I can recollect some of the wonderful things that have happened in the last 30 days since we last posted.

Probably the highlight of our mission, so far, has been meeting Jackie and Ayanda Gqola. When we first arrived in East London we were asked to attend the Mdantsane 3rd Ward, our Bishop Mangwane, asked us to visit some families who were not taking advantage of the benefits of the gospel.  One Sister we visited, hadn't been to church for 5 years, was staying with her daughter and helping her with a new baby.  She agreed to let us come and visit her, and we created an instant bond and love for this good sister.  We visited and taught her several times and she started attending church.  On one of the visits, she decided to invite some friends, family members and neighbors over to read the Book of Mormon with us.  One sister, Jackie, a close neighbor,  was invited and Sister Boyce and I wanted to read in 3rd Nephi 11, where the Savior appeared to the people after his resurrection.

We asked each person in the room to read a few verses.  When we got to Jackie, she read a verse and then began to cry.  She was overcome by the Spirit and by the things she was reading. (She told us later, that she had prayed the night before and asked God to show her a new path and direction for her family.) One of the others took over and finished her part.  After teaching we invited those in attendance to come to church with us on Sunday.  Jackie accepted our invitation and attended.  She absolutely loved what she heard.  She said, "I want my husband to feel like I do, I want him to hear this too."

Jackie and her husband, Ayanda, attended the next Sunday.  Things just began to blossom.  They have 2 children Jade, age 10, and Kelly, age 7. Jade and Kelly were at their Grandma's for a time and didn't get in on all the lessons that the full time missionaries began teaching them.   To make a long story, short, I had the privilege to baptize both Jackie and Ayanda last Sunday afternoon, I also confirmed both of them today in Church.  Ayanda is so excited to receive the Priesthood. He will then be able to baptize his son Jade, who is already old enough, and Kelly when she turns 8.  They are both anxiously preparing to attend the Temple next year and become an eternal family.  Teaching and testifying, to this family, has been so rewarding. It's incredible to see the way the gospel completely changes lives.

 Jackie and Ayanda with Ren, Elder Boyce.

 All of us on baptism day.  The two young Elders, Elder Mapeka - left end and Elder Ndlovu on the right end, were the teaching Elders, they did a terrific job!

Cute 7 year old Kelly with a little attitude!

The Gqola Family in front of their home prior to being confirmed.

We also have been very busy taking care of Elders and all the things that seem to arise for their care and well being.  Its the middle of the winter here and although the temperatures are mild (40 to 70 degrees), the change in weather, has caused a few illnesses. Because it is so humid, the mornings feel pretty cold.  None of the housing have insulation in the walls, heat or air conditioning. We have to keep the Elders warm with little fan heaters, blankets and hot water bottles. In our Queenstown zone, the elevation is higher and the temperature is much colder.  It gets below freezing and even snows occasionally.  We've spent a few days taking Elders to the doctor and nursing colds, coughs, and the flu. Sometimes they don't eat the correct healthy food, so Sister Boyce and I have given each of the Elders vitamin packs that they can take daily doses of Vitamin C. We have found that this is helping them.    We also give them hand sanitizer that helps them from getting sick.

Weekly P day sports sometimes produce injuries that affect these young men.  They give their "all" playing soccer and rugby.  Unfortunately many of these young elders become very competitive.    The elders are not suppose to play competitive or even keep score.  The purpose of sports is to get some physical exercise, but its hard to prevent the hard fought competition with 19 and 20 year old young men.  I'm sure that dealing with this situation is the same throughout the mission world.

Before we go to P-day with the Elders, however, Sister Boyce get's her hair done here! (ha ha)

Last week, Sister Boyce and I traveled to Port Elizabeth (about a 4 hour drive) to pick up a returning South African Missionary, Elder Ndlela, from the Uganda Mission.  He had completed his 2 year service and was returning to his home in Grahamstown.  Grahmstown is a quaint old city in our mission between Port Elizabeth and East London.  Part of my Mission Presidency responsibility is to see that these returning South African Elder's get adjusted to life at home.  We want to insure they get an opportunity to find a job and enroll in school. (Possibly taking advantage of the Perpetual Education Fund) We also want to get them totally involved in the branch and enrolled in institute.   Elder Ndlela is a great Elder and adjusts to post mission life very well..  He's already been called to be the Elders Quorum President for his little branch.

We went for a walk on this "popeye" boardwalk on the Port Elizabeth coast before we pick up Elder Ndlela.

This Friday we have a 3 zone conference where Sister Boyce and I will feed a mid morning snack and lunch to 56 missionaries.  We're having french dip sandwiches, salad, fruit and chips, with brownies and ice cream for dessert. We found a good butcher here in East London where we can purchase lean roasts and put them in crock pots (we have 3 big crock pots) and cook them all night.  We have had this before and the Elders love it. Its hard to limit them to 2 large sandwiches each, but along with a good salad and with ranch dressing (they love ranch dressing, but hard to find here in South Africa), bananas and applies, and a little bag of chips.  At this zone  conference we are lucky enough to have a visiting general authority, Elder Colin Bricknell, from the area presidency.  He will instruct and teach and we will have the opportunity to spend some time with him.  Zone Conferences are a great experience for the Elders.  They loving getting together to eat and learn.  At zone conferences we always sing our mission song. You might be interested in the words -

Verse 1: "We stand as armored soldiers in the service of our Lord.
We are ready, willing, able to go forth and preach the word.
Marching forward into battle, we are armed with shields of faith
And there's nothing that can stop as we go...

Chorus: Forward marching forward, we will hold our banners high,
As we go. Forward, conquering forward, with the eagles we will fly.
We cannot be discouraged, we will not be turned away,
For the Gospel in South Africa is here, forever to stay.

Verse 2: South Africa is where we have received our call to serve.
In this land of splendid beauty we will march and never swerve.
Sharing further revelations, bringing Gospel truths to light,
Wielding swords of might and power, we fight for God...
Chorus

Verse 3: When our call is at a finish and we leave the battle field,
We can truly say its over? Do we dare lay down our shield?
Once as soldiers we're enlisted in the army of our God.
It's our duty, hold your head up, Carry on...
Chorus."

Great song with incredible words that motivate all of us to be diligent and accomplish our missionary duty.  

This is a sun rise on the beach near our home.  It's a delightful run or bike ride!

Well, I think I will end for now, we don't want to bore you with too much.  We thank you for your love and prayers in our behalf.  Believe me, we can feel your support.  Thanks again,

Ren and Debbie