Cape Town Mission Field 

    5 December 2018
   Day 361
Wednesday


This morning we printed more labels for all the missionaries in their areas to put on the "Light the World" pamphlets. We went through 180 sheets of labels, each with 24 labels per page. We then gathered what we needed and headed to the Mowbray chapel to set up for the MLC luncheon. Elder Courtright had to run back to the office to pick up the ice cream we forgot for dessert; banana splits!
While taking stuff back and forth from the truck into the chapel Sister Lebethoa came down stairs and reported that someone was getting into the truck. We went outside to find a "mama" who lives down the street and saw two suspicious men. One was getting into the truck and one was watching the street for anybody. She started to yell at them and they took off and jumped in a taxi. A nearby man in a shop came out to see them take off. The police showed up at that moment and got the story. We reviewed the truck and nothing was missing. We don't know how they even got into the truck and the officer said it appeared they were waiting and watching nearby behind some cars and at one point when I locked the truck as I do every time I go back inside that they were probably running a jammer that blocked my remote from locking the truck. So thinking it was locked I went inside. Then when they felt it was clear the just opened it up. We moved the truck inside the chapel gated courtyard at that point.
We returned to the office to wrap up some items and Sister Courtright gathered all the remaining food from the new caterer and brought it back to the office to feed the zone leaders that are staying over tonight and won't be flying out until tomorrow. While we were in the office Elder Courtright got a phone call from the president indicating that the Grassy Park elders (Dos Santos and Reilly, who just arrived from Australia) were being held for a ransom by a desperate individual. He only asked for R300 and said that he had no intention of hurting the elders but really needed the money. Elder Courtright phoned the Meadowridge elders who were waiting in Grassy Park for the elders there but could not reach them on their phone. He asked them to leave the area and not get drawn into anything should they call them. President Lebethoa quickly drove to the Grassy Park police station and worked with them to sort things out. We started dinner with the zone leaders and informed them of what was going on and we all joined in pray for their safe return. A short while later Elder Courtright texted the president and let him know that if there was anything he needed help with to just let him know. He texted back, "Pray, pray, pray". About an hour later the president texted back that they were safe now. We all gave out a sigh of relief and thanked the Lord.
Elder Lare in the foreground, a very sweet, humble, and tiny elder from Papua New Guinea


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