What an interesting day it was today... It started off with getting videos on What's App from Jamie, of Amy's Christmas orchestra concert.  Hearing the beautiful music and knowing ALL we are missing at home, made me cry...  The Christmas season is just SO different here... So I put my Christmas music on in iTunes and decided to send our Christmas card online today.  We heard back from SO many friends and family members!  It was GREAT!  I also got this fun photo from Mayumi, who I have written to for 55 Christmases, with her daughters, Mika and Kumi and Mika's children! 

I made a big poster for the Primary kids to learn AWAY IN A MANGER tomorrow and took it over to the church.  I also made a small poster with photos of our branch service project to put on the bulletin board.  When we got there, 5 of the YW & YM were cleaning the building.

      
          Ivy, Busiswa and Mshoza
    Thato and Menzi

This morning the weather was very hot and sunny....

The plan this afternoon was to go to Swazi Mall with our elders and set up a booth and share our Light the World pamphlets.... but just before we were to leave here, a huge thunderstorm hit with CRAZY lightning, thunder, LOTS of wind, 

and hail almost ice cube size!!!  

 

The power has been off and on (mostly off) all day long.... 

When the rain stopped and we drove to The Gables tonight, we saw trees split in half 

and others uprooted from the storm! Homes were damaged too! 

Charles Dlamini's wife, Samukelisiwe, is here this week from Durban. We will be attending church in Nhlangano tomorrow and won't get to see her Sunday.  Her birthday is December 24th, so we decided we should go out for a birthday treat tonight, for both of our birthdays! We took pictures by the tree at the mall at The Gables afterwards.  

 

We were leaving the mall and walking to our truck and two little kids were following us 

(which isn't that unusual) but the older girl stopped us and said, "I want to tell you how much we appreciate you painting our school!"  Such a CUTIE!! I gave them a hug and showed them the photos and videos I took, the day we finished painting at the Lobamba Care Point Pre-school, and they sang to us! They were SO excited! We carry a bag of lollipops in our truck and gave them a sweet!   


SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9th

Today, we found that we are losing two of our elders back to Joburg.  They both came here as brand new missionaries straight from the MTC. We are sad to see them go! We got a picture with Elder Souza, from Brazil, in Manzini this morning.  How I will miss his SMILE!! We will get a picture with Elder East tomorrow before he heads out.



After the big storm yesterday, everything was SO green and fresh!
I couldn't help but take MORE photos of the pretty drive....
(It's raining again now we are home.)

After stopping in Manzini to pickup the COME FOLLOW ME curriculum for Nhangano, we drove another hour through the mountains to Nhlangano for church. (I ended up at the very last minute, announced from the podium, being one of the speakers in sacrament meeting! I also taught Relief Society! Welcome to the life of a senior couple missionary! Haha! ) 

The color of the blossoms on the tree below was AMAZING!!! 

These trees are all over the place this time of year!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 10th

This morning ALL of our elders met at Mugg N Bean for a farewell breakfast for Elder East and Elder Souza, before they left for Johannesburg today, and Elder Sinclair who leaves a 
week from tomorrow!  We will miss all three of these cute elders! 

Elder East (from Wales) where Elder Wold served his first mission!

Our WHOLE Swaziland zone having breakfast together this morning (P-day).

We will get FOUR new elders here in Swaziland tomorrow!! 

Farewell to Elder East (third from the right) and Elder Souza (far right) and

Elder Sinclair (in the center with glasses), who leaves in 6 more days!