Cape Town, South Africa Mission

Cape Town Mission Field   28 February 2018 Day 81 Wednesday Today is our daughter and son-in-laws wedding anniversary, well actually it is on the 29th of February, but that only happens every 4 years, so we celebrate today.  Happy Anniversary to Jackie and Jake!!! If I'm not mistaken this is probably their 10 year anniversary. Woo Hoo!!! My how time flies. Today Elder Courtright reviewed the housing situation with President Lebethoa to determine what if any boardings will be needing to close. We are loosing a two of our senior missionary couples soon. President Watson (2nd Councilor) will be leaving in March and the Peterson's will be leaving in April. The Peterson's are right on the bay in Port Alfred next to the golf course. Tough duty there. Today the bore hole water truck arrived (in two trips) to fill up our water tanks out back. We now have water for piping to the toilets and for use in general cleaning. This will greatly save the amount of water ...

Cape Town Mission Field   27 February 2018 Day 80 Tuesday Today we went straight to the post office to pick up mail then on to the Makro store for a weekly supply run. Back at the office Sister Courtright is busy packaging items to be shipped to the East Cape and filling supply bins for the Zone Leaders in the Cape Town area. Elder Courtright had to run out to Mitchell's Plain to pay for a battery that the Elders needed for their car. The Mission Office received a fresh coat of paint today. It looks very nice.

Cape Town Mission Field   26 February 2018 Day 79 Monday It is Monday and we had a typical day at the office. We had our usual chicken burgers from the River Club. I inserted a photo from the archway. Sandy went to the nephrologist and the only thing he could suggest was that since her sugars and blood pressure are so low that she stop taking the medication for lowering her blood sugar and blood pressure. That would be a nice thing if that works. We will be monitoring her blood sugar levels this week and see what happens. After dinner we went back to the office and put in a late night to catch up on a lot of hanging items. Got back to the flat around 10:00 PM.

Cape Town Mission Field   25 February 2018 Day 78 Sunday We were taking it pretty easy this morning and went to Sacrament meeting with the Elsie's River branch at the Mowbray chapel at 11:00 AM. We met the Stake President of the North Zone Bellville Stake, President Kruger. He indicated that it won't be too long before the Elsie River Branch has it's own meeting house in their area instead of coming into the Mowbray chapel. We had lunch at the flat then went to the office to do some minor work. Sister Courtright received a phone call from the Hermanus Elders asking for some help regarding a baptism record that hadn't been recorded yet and this person was wanting to attend the temple this Wednesday to do baptismal work for the dead. It turns out that while we were inspecting the Mandalay Elders flat this past Thursday they gave Sister Courtright an old baptism record they found in the upstair flat that is no longer occupied by elders. Guess what? Yes, the reco...

Cape Town Mission Field   24 February 2018 Day 77 Saturday This morning we took our time around the flat getting up and fixing breakfast then we headed off towards Paarl for a nice drive. And guess what? It was lightly raining with some nice 'dark' clouds all around the area. We drove to the Afrikaans Language memorial, about 45 minute drive to a beautiful valley surrounded by gorgeous mountains. This is where a monument was erected celebrating the birth of a new language; Afrikaans.but before starting the tour we ate lunch at the little cafe on-site. We had bobotie. Made from curried mince with chutney and a quiche like topping with some yellow rice and baked squash on the side. It was amazing.  It turns out that Afrikaans is a mixture of several languages. A. European (Dutch, Portuguese, German and English) B. Khoi and other African languages (Xhosa, isiZulu, and seSotho) C. Indonesian (mainly Malay) Largest column is hollow with an open top M...

Cape Town Mission Field   23 February 2018 Day 76 Friday There was another little miracle that occurred this morning. Wednesday at dinner after learning that three sections of the perimeter metal fencing around the Guguletu chapel were removed by vandals President Lebethoa requested that Thursday's missionary interviews be moved from that chapel to the Meadowridge chapel. And this morning we heard that yesterday there was a shooting at the Langa taxi terminal and some rioting in Guguletu (tires being burned and store burglarized). The President sure is in-tune with the spirit to keep us safe.  We took Sister Courtright back to the doctors this morning and she set up an appointment with a kidney specialist for next Monday. In the meantime, rest and take a new medication to flush the kidneys. Afterwards we went to the Meadowridge chapel for the South and Flats Zone conference. Right after lunch the Hamilton's drove Sister Courtright back to our flat for her to rest be...

Cape Town Mission Field   22 February 2018 Day 75 Thursday While preparing for the boarding inspections Elder Courtright was looking up Google maps for an address of a letter we need to drop off to the Mitchell's Plain Branch President we received from Salt Lake. There was a news bulletin regarding the Women's Olympic Hockey team that was playing Canada for the Gold medal at that moment. Every minute or so another flash would go up regarding what was happening. It was very nerve racking and exciting to read the US bounced one off the post in the third period thus sending it into OT. Then to read the teams weren't really making any progress on either side until a US team member was sent out for a hard hit into the boards which gave Canada a 4:3 advantage with 1:35 left to go. Then suddenly the news flash read that we were going into sudden death shoot out. Each shot was followed by a news flash. US scores, Canada scores, Canada scores, US scores, then on the last set ...

Cape Town Mission Field   21 February 2018 Day 74 Wednesday Happy Birthday Elodie! Woo hoo! Sweet 16! Look out world! Today we gathered a few items at the chapel and headed to the Bellville ward to set up for lunch for the North Zone Conference. "El Greeyo" is catering this event and we really enjoyed their flavorful food. Sister Courtright suggested that the portions should grow a little next time for the young elders that can pack it away. The chocolate cake dessert portions were on the huge side though. Back at the office we had some orders to hand out and some laundry to do (table cloths). There was a light plane flying overhead towing a banner and the wind was so strong that he was barely moving. The brick is all laid for the water tanks. The Elders from the Montana Branch showed me a nice little crease along the rear drivers side wheel well from cutting it too close to the parking garage post at their boarding. Another car for the shop. ...

Cape Town Mission Field   20 February 2018 Day 73 Tuesday We are facing water shortage issues here but the States seem to be hit hard with a flu epidemic. I recalled what our son Kirk told us when we Skyped him on Sunday that his wife (Gerri) had a 27 year old niece (Chantelle) pass away from the flu leaving 2 young children. She left with Cody (their 16 year old son) for Indiana to attend the funeral. We are praying for comfort and peace to be with those affected during this tender time. Today was a hectic day preparing for missionary supplies and also making arrangements for zone conferences this week. We've split the conference into two sessions. The north zone meets on Wednesday at the Bellville chapel and the south and flats zone meets on Friday at the Meadowridge chapel. Sister Courtright has found 2 new caterers that she will be trying out this week and make a selection between the best one for future events. We also picked up some 'rump biltong' at the ...

Cape Town Mission Field   19 February 2018 Day 72 Monday It seems that the pain from going too hard arrives on the second day. And it did. Sister Courtight and Elder Courtright were both feeling rather sore and worn down from the hike on Saturday.  Work at the office was typical for a Monday. We're trying to get things done and several of the Elders drop in for items that they need during their P-Day (Personal day off from proselyting).  We enjoyed our usual chicken burger and chips (2 for R70, about $6) from the River Club up the street. The Slug-n-Lettuce restaurant in the back sits up against the driving range tees and the putting green. The exit side of the archway as you leave has a famous quote from Gary Player "The more I practice the luckier I get". Today some workers began leveling the area behind the Mission Office where they will place the two 10,000 liter non-potable water tanks. The yard shed was moved to the end and the small concrete slab it ...

Cape Town Mission Field   18 February 2018 Day 71 Sunday This morning we were both very sore from yesterday's hike but rolled out of bed anyway to get down to Fish Hoek to visit the Elders (Morena from South Africa and Latu from Tonga) there and attend their Ward's Sacrament meeting service. We arrived a few minutes late because we were slowed down due to a foot race running along the coast through Muizenberg, Lovely, Fish Hoek and Simon's town. Then once we were free from the traffic we got lost. But eventually found our way there. It is nice to know that most of the gates use the same 4 digit pass code to allow us entry into the church parking lot. The pass code is based upon a significant date in early church history. The wifi pass code inside the church to download the latest Liahona (Ensign) is also the same throughout the world, apparently. Afterwards we made our way to the Fish Hoek Elders apartment because they called yesterday with an issue with their po...

Cape Town Mission Field   17 February 2018 Day 70 Saturday This morning we left early to take the tram up Table Mountain. When we arrived the queue (line) was so long we decided to just continue driving down the road that runs across the face of Table Mountain to see where it went. The road was chained off for emergency vehicles only near the bend that it takes to go around the front promontory point. We started talking to three young men (Andile, Cebo and Mashil) who were in their early 30's and who were preparing to hike to the front point (Oppelskop, which in Dutch means 'bloody head') and they invited us along. One of the young men (Andile) takes groups of youth on just such hikes for the schools he works with and was showing his two  friends this particular route today. They invited us so we decided to join them and had a wonderful hike. There was some beautiful fauna and views overlooking the city and False Bay with all the docks and an old block house righ...

Cape Town Mission Field   16 February 2018 Day 69 Friday We found out today that  Cyril Ramaphosa  was elected as  South Africa's president  in a parliamentary vote on Thursday and pledged to tackle endemic corruption after scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma resigned on orders from the ruling African National Congress. Seems like everyone we've talked to has their hope lifted with the new president. We had to give our car to Elders Lane and Makwakwa because there's is taking too long to repair in the shop. So we are back to driving the 'bakkie' (Ford Ranger pickup truck). Even though it is a full sized 4-door pickup it is much smaller than the one we won in Idaho Falls.  Outside the office as they were getting ready to leave a helicopter was flying by with a banner that read #DEFEAT DAY ZERO. Later in the day we left a little early to attend the Mandalay Ward Valentines Dance. It is a fund raiser for the Temple Trip in September that they are going ...

Cape Town Mission Field   15 February 2018 Day 68 Thursday Today was a full day in the office. We both seem to be catching up on things. We discovered a mailing list had some wrong phone numbers (about 20% wrong). So Elder Courtright found where they are listed in IMOS and went in and corrected them all so that Sister Courtright had a proper mailing list when sending packages to the East Cape. We stopped at Mr. Fish in the Pinelands Village square and got some grilled Hake and chips and took that home for dinner. They sure do fish well around here. I guess it helps being surrounded by ocean. The whole dinner (of which we have enough for Friday's lunch) was about $7 for the both of us.

Cape Town Mission Field   14 February 2018 Day 67 Wednesday Happy Valentine's Day! We made a stop at the bank this morning to complete a monthly transfer of funds for our car petrol bill. We then made a quick stop at the Pick-n-Pay grocery store and bought a bouquet of native plants for Valentine's Day which included some Protea. The King Protea, or sugar bush is the National Flower of South Africa. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up several items and went home and made spaghetti. It was a nice comfort food.

Cape Town Mission Field   13 February 2018 Day 66 Tuesday Today started a bit frustrating when Elder Courtright went to pick up the Post and buy some power for the Mission Office his Bank of America credit card that he uses from the church was declined. He contacted Salt Lake and they are looking into why its limit is reduced. Today was water delivery day. The truck showed up with the water and tanks from Johannesburg. The first thing that we realized right away was that nothing that big has been through the front gates in quite some time.  The only thing I could find in the office was a hand axe that Elder Hansen purchased to remove some roots. One of the workers volunteered to go up and cut down 2 large limbs preventing us from getting through the gate. Then it was amazing to watch the truck driver angle the truck through the gate with only an inch or so clearance on either side. He even had to air-lift the bed to clear the keypad box. The truck was ...

Cape Town Mission Field   12 February 2018 Day 65 Monday Today was a rather deliberate paced Monday, not too bad. We caught up on Leases, Vehicles, Baptisms, etc.  Elder Courtright went with Elder Hamilton to meet the owner of one of our boardings. He and his wife were in town (John and Becky Hastings from Carolina) to bury his father. They were interested in the trouble we've had trying to get the power meter replaced in their unit because the bills are way out of line with the other 3 boardings in the same complex. It finally was replaced last week and we are all anxious to see how the new billings come out. We met the new Assistant to the President today. His name is Elder Sibiya from Cork, Ireland. It's amazing speaking to all the Elders. You never know what kind of dialect is going to come out of their mouth. We learned yesterday that Shirley Ewing passed away. She was a single sister home teaching family that Elder Courtright had in Redlands, California. S...

Cape Town Mission Field   11 February 2018 Day 64 Sunday Today we attended the Cape South and Cape Flats Stake Conference at the Meadowridge Chapel. It is a beautiful building with a large courtyard that has a wonderful canopy of large pine trees in the center. We heard several wonderful speakers. One of my favorites was from Brother Oleg (can't pronounce his last name) from the Mandalay ward. I just recall that he told me he was named after a Russian Boxer by his father. He spoke about the invitation we can offer for others to "come unto Christ". We heard about D&C 84:76 and how by partaking of the "living waters" we will thirst no more. It was said that we should alter our prayers from just asking for rain to "what can I do to be more worthy of all thy blessings"; which includes the coming of the rain. Elder Palmer, an area seventy from Johannesburg, spoke on 4 main themes: 1) Remember you are a child of God 2) Follow the Prophet...

Cape Town Mission Field   10 February 2018 Day 63 Saturday Today we went shopping for art supplies at the Deckle Edge in Mowbray. We found a wonderful sales lady that helped Sister Courtright locate several items to start playing with some watercolors. It is our desire to paint a representative picture of the area for each missionary.  We stopped across the street for lunch on the advise from the parking attendant. It turns out that it was a Cuban restaurant too. Sister Courtright had a wonderful Ropa Vieja and Elder Courtright had the best 3-Cheese burger he's every had. The bill came in a Cuban cigar box that the owner has imported from connections he has. They also cater and do take out. So Sister Courtright may have found an answer for zone conferences and zone leader meetings. Pleas note that they don't have Ketchup here...it's Tomato Sauce.

Cape Town Mission Field   9 February 2018 Day 62 Friday Today we stopped at the office and Sister Courtright cut up some watermelon to be taken to the "Day Zero" zone conference for everyone in the West Cape. We drove out the repaired vehicle loaded with some supplies for specific Elders along with some snack foods and watermelon for after the zone conference. President Lebethoa went through the safety issues associated with what could happen on day zero. This includes planning for a 72 hour emergency bucket that we loaded up in the kitchen for every boarding. Everyone should already have 72 hours of food handy all the time in addition to the bucket. Everyone should have a listing of safe haven locations, emergency cash, and 10 L of water. The water will be coming on Monday to be distributed to the Elders. It was a good meeting prepared with the foundation scripture regarding those who are prepared need not fear. This is both spiritual and temporal in nature. The Pre...

Cape Town Mission Field   8 February 2018 Day 61 Thursday Today was flat inspection day. We started with the Elders in Howard Hamlet (Lillback, from Sweden, and Barnabus). We need to replace some carpet there and Elder Courtright has some quotes to get that done. We met a nice security guard at the gate. His name was Moses. We asked if he talked to God often like Moses in the Bible did and he said he prayed every day. We invited him to Church on Sunday. We stopped at Makro to pick up weekly supplies for the Elders. Including a Microwave to replace one that died. We then visited the Plumstead Elders (Lane and Makwakwa) and their flat. It also needs some flooring work done and a couple of other maintenance items that we have quotes on. The exterminators came that we contracted with to manage some cockroach issues. We're trying hard to keep the cars and boarding's in good shape, safe, and comfortable. It seems like a pretty big task managing 30 vehicles and flats in the W...

Cape Town Mission Field   7 February 2018 Day 60 Wednesday Wow...Day 60. Can't hardly believe it. This morning Elder Courtright was up at 5:30 am to get a vehicle to Reeds Chevrolet in downtown Cape Town for service. It was amazing, I drove straight to it without getting lost once.  Back home to pick up Sister Courtright. We stopped for breakfast at Ou Meul in the village square and had eggs Benedict. Today in the office we had our Senior Couples meeting (Skype across the East Cape). Then, right afterwards we had our office meeting with President and his wife. Mostly discussed was how we are going to handle 'day zero' when the water gets turned off. Right now we are at Stage 6 where restrictions are down to 50 L of water per person per day. The mission is trucking in water from Johannesburg for all the elders to have several 10 L bottles of water set up in their flats for 'day zero'. The mission office is also installing two 10,000 L tanks to hold n...

Cape Town Mission Field   6 February 2018 Day 59 Tuesday Today was a marathon day. Elder Courtright received word from the Area Vehicle Manager in Johannesburg that he needed to go to downtown Cape Town to the Greenpoint Traffic office to pay some outstanding fines/warrants on some fleet vehicles before he could proceed with some re-registration. These were speeding tickets (remember the camera's that are randomly set up on the side of the road to catch speeding cars) that had gone unattended. He needed to get this done today or a big mess would ensue trying to re-register the cars. Sister Courtright realized that today is the Zone Leaders conference in the office with the President that requires a luncheon to be served. So we scrambled to order pizza from Roman's at 10:15 and asked to have them ready by 11:30. They were gracious enough to agree. We went shopping at Pic-n-Pay for the salad items. Back to the office for Sister Courtright prepare everything. Brother Co...

Cape Town Mission Field   5 February 2018 Day 58 Monday Today we took a car to Smith and Santos panelbeaters to repair Elder Milne car that was damaged when a driver turned back into the passing lane the he was using to go around a driver. The car is now driven by Elders Greengrass from the southern end of England and Elder Fullmer from the Logan area. Afterwards we took them back to their flat and they offered to make us lunch. The decided to make a typical Xhosa meal of pap (pronounced pop) with a gravy type mixture of mince (ground beef) and onions and gravy. You eat it with your fingers. Smash a bit of pap in your hand and scoop up some mince/gravy topping. It was very good. Oh, pap is basically maize (white corn meal). You cook it up with water and salt and stir it until it becomes very thick like cookie dough.