Winter is coming to Botswana

It feels like winter is here.   Today is really chilly!  I'm glad we stuck in a pair of sweats to wear around the house in the evenings.  There is no inside heat!  Brrr!

Our yard has finally been cleaned up.  A nice yard here is no weeds just bare dirt with an occasional tree.   We had done nothing since we moved in so you couldn't even see the dirt (bad mistake).  Weeds had grown to about 3 feet and we have a large back yard, in fact once the weeds were cleared we discovered an orange tree in the very back corner!  Two men in the Branch spent the week pulling up weeds...Now you can see lots of bare dirt....The women here sweep the dirt in their yards with short brooms about 2 1/2 feet tall.  They bend over and sweep a pattern into the dirt!  This woman won't be doing that and neither will the man who lives here.  lol

We appreciate the emails and letters we have received from you.  Thank you!  Mail to a missionary is like Manna from Heaven.

On Easter Sunday we were in Kanye for church.  During Gospel Principles class they were talking about the ressurection.  One man raised his hand and said, "If you lose your hand you can get an artificial hand, if you lose a leg you can get an artificial leg, but if you cut off your head you will have to wait til the ressurection." 

Since the weather has turned cold  we see many donkey carts with a load of wood for their fires.  You can smell wood smoke in the air all around just now!  Africa English!  If someone tells you that they will be right back just now.  You know it may be tommorrow before you see them again.  But if they say "I'll be right back just now now"  that means they really will come right back!

We continue to love these people and the gospel what a blessing to be able to serve a mission in Africa.   Next blog will be longer with more infomation also I am going to try to insert pictures again if I'm sucessful "Ohh Happy Day"   I've change a setting on our camera so the next pictures I take should be able to load faster.

We are going to a game park this week so will have some animal pictures to prove we really are in Africa!! 
Elder and Sister Moss

FALL IS HERE!

So far Fall looks about like summer.   The weather has cooled down considerably.   A sweater would feel good at night.   Apparently in the middle of the winter most of the trees will lose their leaves but there is no gold and red flush they just fall...............................................................................................

We are still spending alot of time with the classes we are teaching..Seminary in Labotse and Kanye.   I enjoy teaching these classes and preparing for them.  They are studying the Old Testament this year.

We had a young Adult party at our house a couple of weeks ago.  There were about 10 here.  They were suppose to plan the activity this time.   We had done it for the first party.   They read the 11th chapter of 3rd Nephi....and discussed it and that was the party except for the meal that I fixed................

We continue to see and hear from people who need food.   One day we went into "Chicken Licken"  Botswana version of fast food.  It only takes 30 minutes to get it

instead of an hour!  Anyway while waiting a man asked Larry for money.   Larry gave him 10 pula which is quite a bit to give to someone  usually you give them 5 pula.  Any way he came back again and asked Larry for more.  He said no I gave you all I can.   Our food came and we started eating ..this guy sat at the table by ours and stared at Larry, he watched every bite he took!    Larry couldn't stand it any longer and gave him his last piece of chicken..  The guy then asked him for the bones which he gave him also.  He ate it all including the bones. Another day we were in the house and three girls knocked on our gate  they needed something to eat.  We brought them in and fed them and then gave them a sack full of food to take home to the rest of their family who hadn't eaten...............................................................................................................................................................                                                                                                                                          

I am having a hard time inserting pictures into this blog so I will again send via email.   And I think I will be writing an email after this instead of the blog  it is faster.   If you want me to send it to you please give me your email.   Our email address is elainermoss@gmail.com

We continue to love hearing from home...In fact we love love it!!!!

Elder and Sister Moss

SUMMER IN BOSWANA

We are excited the internet has finally found its way to our house!  It only took  4 months!   A month ago we recieved notice that we had been approved for the internet...we thought they would surly be there in a couple of days....It was not to be...We had to get a landline installed before we could get the internet so I started going down to the BTC office every morning to let them know no one had came yet...About a week of that they finally showed up and put in the landline....Called BBI to let them know the landline was in so they could now put in the internet 2 weeks more still no internet.  I  started calling them everyday always very nice.   Finally they showed up late Friday to connect the internet...Alas!  BTC had not made a connection that needed to be made before BBI could put in the internet.   BAck to the drawing board!   I went down to BTC office Saturday morning and told the girl what had happened.  She said I can't do anything until Monday and took my number.   Said thank you and left.  An hour later a man called asking how to get to our house.  It was a miracle!!!  He came and did the necessary things and we had the internet!!!  Monday morning I made some cookies and took them to the girl at the desk of BTC and said THANK YOU!   

We  both are doing okay.  Just very busy.   We continue to teach  the Temple Preparation class in Kanye.  The Lobatse group went to the temple after  their class was finished.   During one of our last classes one of the Sisters in the class was asked to read D&C 109:22-23, she cried and said "those are such beautful promises."  I have read that many times and it never registered exactly what these verses were saying, but I will never read them again without thinking of this amazing woman in the temple prep class and that these promises are to all of  who go to the temple with a humble heart.

Larry has a 21 year old girl, LaTang in his Insitutue class .   She read the Book of Mormon in 4 days this month!!  She is teaching "the Book of Mormon class in Sunday school.   She looks like she is no older than 16.

I enjoy teaching Seminary.   It is an amazing class full of 14-18 year olds and I have no displine problems.   My star student is a 12 year old girl who comes everytime  is doing all the reading and keeping her notebook up to date.   This Friday night I am starting a Seminary class in Kanye, since they haven't been able to find anyone yet to do it.   Also we are starting a teaher development class in Lobatse.

Last week we went with the missionaries to talk to a couple who are having a hard time surviving.  He is the Elders Quorem President.   It was the worst situation I have ever walked into.   They live in a tiny room about 6 x10 with people living on both sides of them who are also living in one tiny room.
The bed takes up most of the room.  a hot plate with 1 burner is the stove   They have 1 little baby who was asleep on the bed.  I sat on the bed and Larry sat on a chair they got from a neiborer.   It was very very very hot and dark with only a candle to light the way.  There were cockroaches crawling all over the walls and on the baby.   Larry talked to them and gave them some good counsel.   Larry gave him a blessing and then Bro. Otlogetswe gave his wife a blessing.  The blessing he gave his wife was beautiful.  The spirit was there in that little hovel.  That night I didn't sleep very well thinking of the circumstances of this couple and what the solution could possibly be which you'd think would be a good job  but there are very few available.   I don't know the answer to these problems but I do know that the Lord is in charge and as we stay close to him through pray,keeping the commandents, reading our scriptures, and helping others we will blessed in whatever circumstance we find ourself in.

I will try to post a few pictures that tell a story better than words.  I have been trying all day to downloadpictures with no luck,  So I am sending this with only the one picture.  If I get it figured out I will send the pictures.
Love Elder and Sister Moss

I have been trying all afternoon to downloadpictures

Finally another post!

access to the internet has been real spotty!  Today I am in the Branch presidents office on his computer.  He is a kind man to allow me into the intersanctum for a while so I can let everyone know how we are and what we arre doing. 

We have moved into the new house here in Lobotse.  It is an unusal house in that we have 13 closets in our bedroom.  With locks on everyone!  There is a large yard surrounded by dirt with the maid quarters in the very back of the yard.  I told them I didn't need the maid quarters since I am the maid!  There are large trees all around us  which is great for two bird watchers.  So far we have had some unusual guests.  the first was a hornbill that flew into the kitchen checked out Elder Moss and flew out again.  The next visitor was a bat flipping around the room.  We shut the door and didn't open it again until the next day.  He had vanished!
Then there has been 3 fat frogs which we picked up and threw outside!! 

A couple of days before Christmas we went caroling with the Kanye Branch and the missionaries.  It was probably about the nicest thing we did during the holidays.  We walked through neighborhoods and sang to every house that had an open gate.  I really felt as I walked to each humble house and sang the songs telling about Christ's birth that I was really at the ends of the earth publishing the news that Christ was born!  We sang to many different people but our favorites were the older people whose faces told of the hard lives they had lived and to see them wrinkle into a smile with an added light to their eyes.

Christmas day Elder Moss and I spoke in the Kanye Branch then drove home to Lobotse (45 K).  I fixed dinner for six missionaries from Kanye and Lobotse our Zone.  They were all so excited to get their calls from home.  Each had emailed what time to call.  As it got close to their call they would pace around the room checking every minute that went by.  Some parents didn't call right on schedule which was a let down.
I had no idea how important those calls were to our missionaries.

I also got a ticket on the way back to Lobotse...I was going 92 K in a 80 K spot.  The reason I am mentioning this is because I really liked the cop.  I told him I was going to Lobotse to fix dinner for the missionaries..his response, "I wish I could come and have some american food."  I invited him but he was on duty at the time!  Then he told me his dream was to come to america and be a farmer.  And then he sang me his favortie christmas song!!  I hope I see him again when he isn't on duty.

I need to tell you about the Relief Society President in kanye.  She is probably about 30 years old.  Anyway in RS the lesson was on the atonement..She told us that after she joined the church 6 months ago she was trying to understand how Christ had taken on all our sins, she finally decided it was like a dry sponge put into a bowl of dirty water the sponge soaks up all the water and the bowl is clean.  Then she went on to say "Then I was wondering why Christ had to be sinless to take upon him our sins I again thought of the sponge if you put a partically wet sponge into that same bowl of water it will not soak up all of the water."   Christ had to be sinless.

Last Sunday we were in Lobotse for church.  there was a little lady setting there who doesn't speak much english.  She had a baby boy on her lap.  I gave her a that picutre by Lis Swindle Lemon of Christ with the African baby in his arms.  I wish you could have seen the look on her face it was priceless.  the baby took the picture and stared at it and got a small smile on his face.

Elder Moss and I are doing okay.  We are getting many things handed to us to do and we aren't sure we can do everything.  We want to train them how to do it!  We have hopes of an internet connection in the coming weeks at which time this blog will be every week.  We have lost our camera so there are no pictures this time.  It is very very hot here at times..42c  I think that is over a hundred.  But we do get some wonderful thunder storms with buckets of rain coming down.

We are just like those missionaries waiting for their phone calls at christmas ..only we are waiting for emails...
Love Elder and Sister Moss

Flash! News from Botswana

It sure feels good to be setting at a computer again able to communicate with everyone.  Its amazing to me that 11 years ago I was sure if I touched a button on the computer I'd break it for sure.  I am still new at the Blogs but am learning.  I will try to get some pictures inserted this time.   The picture above is in Kagiso South Africa  I'm amazed the picture showed up where Ii wanted it to.

This is some of our friends in Kagiso

This is Tulane  He is one of the young men

in Kagiso that helped us learn where everyone stayed in Kagiso 10 years ago.  He went on a mission

and is serving in the Stake Presidency of the Soweto Stake. 

Now back to Botwana!  We have been driving out to our area's everyday which is about 50 miles one way over a 2 lane road full of erractic drivers, donkeys, goats and Baboon's.  We have decided if we want to make it home alive in 18 months we'd better move closer to our area.  We have found a house in Lobatse  that we can live in, we are just waiting for the lease approval from  Johannesburg to finalize everything.  We are planning on moving next Tuesday if everything goes right.  Which it never does.

We have been to two Christmas parties in the two branches one picture will be of Larry posing as Santa. 

We have met some very interesting people, one is Elder Colonji he is our Zone leader he is from the DAR (Congo)  He is an outstanding leader  He told us that when he came on Mission he couldn't speak any English.  In the MTC in Johannesburg they just handed him a dictionary and he set in the corner with the dictionary.  I asked "How long did it take you to speak English/"  The answer "About 3 weeks"   He speaks excellent English.

Another Zone leader from Zambia bore his testimony and told of the accident he had as a 12 year old  He was digging a hole by the river with 3 of his friends when the sides collasped on him and his friends.  They weren't found for three days.  Two of his friends had already died before they were found .  He was taken from the hole and spent the next 7 months in the hospital.   His feet are very misshapen.  He walks carefully on the side of his ankles.  At the conclusion of his testimony he said "I am thankful for my accident if it wouldn't have happened I'd have never found the gospel."

We are so thankful for the gospel and our family and friends, because we know you are there it makes us possible to serve so far from you all.  We appreciate every email that we get.  It is like Manna from heaven .  thank you.

Love Elder and Sister Moss

We are Here!

Wow!  After much work etc.  we are here.  I will tell you where here is a little later.
I still don't have internet service so I am on somone elses computer and can't post pictures,  hopefully next week there will be some pictures .  We spent two week ends in Salt Lake ,with Larry's sister and her husband Jack they were bookends to our week in the MTC.  I mean the bookends were the week ends not Golda and Jack.  On those 2 weekends we were able to watch the live broadcast of the "Mormon Tabernacle Choir"  It was wonderful.

Jack and Golda dropped us off at the MTC on Monday morning,Oct.31st.  We met alot of couples going to many different places in the world from Mongolia to Chuk an island in the South Pacific.   They put us through our paces for 5 days.  What a sight to eat three meals a day with 3000 missionaries. 

November 7 we boarded a plane in Salt Lake bound for Johannesburg, South Africa!
It is a long long plane ride!  It was so exciting to be Johannesburg again.  Everything was beautiful.   The Jacaranda trees are all blooming  so the city is colored purple.  
We even remembered our way around the city, on the left hand side of the road.   We were in Johannesburg a week and we were able to visit church in Kagiso on Sunday.
This is the ward we served in ten years ago.  We arrived early so we could greet everyone as they came in.  There were many hugs, kisses and tears. I just sat through Sacrament meeting and cried it was so wonderful to be with those people again.   many of the people we taught were there.   It was so good to see that they had made it through the early stages after baptism to  activity, temple endowments, and callings.
I felt like I was having a wonderful dream only it wasn't a dream!  One family we worked with before is not active, that is the Cummin family.   But there son who was 13 when we were there before has a job that takes him away on Sunday.  The Bishop told us he puts on his white shirt and tie once a month and walks to the church to give the Bishop his tithing.

We have been assigned to Gaborone, Botswana, they flew us here and we are still living with another couple until this coming week when we can move into our own flat..  Our assigment is to work with two branchs.   The Labotse Branch and the kanya Branch.  Today we were able to be be in the Labotse Branch.  It is a small Branch, there were probably about 50 people.   We were able to attend the baptism of two men after church.   Their  baptismal fount is about a 6 foot circle 4 ftt deep tub placed under the trees in the church yard..

Our blog was haply named "Moss Tales From the Bush"  who knew that we would truly be in the bush in Botswana.  so far our only animals have been Baboons which are along the roads and byway's.   In Botswana we will be working with Elder and Sister Kimball and Elder and Sister Rand.  Some of you who read this will know who they are.

We are very grateful to be here.  what a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord as missionaries.  What a blessing to have the time to focus completely on the work of the Lord for a season.  
Elder and Sister Moss
Plot 22700 phase 4
Postnet Kgale AD172ADD
Gaborone, Botswana

we're going on a mission