Sunday, March 12th, we were able to attend our new home, Highland, ward. We were greeted and hugged by many members. We find little children come up and hug us just because we are missionaries! They are so excited we are helping to build their temple! The stake president, Pres. Machakahiri presided over the meeting and asked Elder & Sister Anderson to come to bare our testimonies. We almost didn't hear him because there is no microphone. We are trying to get used to being called out of the audience without warning! We bore testimony again of the temple and restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and each time speaking in public becomes a little easier.
We met some mothers walking to church carrying their babies and toddlers on their backs. After church, Jennifer (Mai Kupa Pahuwa) and Naomi gave me a lesson on swaddling the African way. It gives a whole new meaning to kangaroo care in the NICU. They assured me the babies will never fall out if wrapped correctly in the towel.
We love the children; they are so beautiful and the light of Christ shines in their eyes and smiles. We can't help but flirt with them all!
Tuesday, we started doing "toolbox" safety meeting devotionals with the different crews on the temple site. We met at 07:15 a.m. with all the electricians. They open their safety meeting with prayer every day. We told them we pray for their safety every day and are so proud of the wonderful work they are doing on the temple. Bruce bore testimony that they are helping build the house of the Lord. I did a short emergency first aid tip as a nurse and told them "good handwashing" was the number one way to prevent infection. I asked them about an emergency number like "9-11" for an ambulance or fire department. They said they had lots of different numbers but most of the time no one answers the phone. Very reassuring! They do have a small trailer on site that has virtually nothing in it but a cot. Bruce told them to come to get a Book of Mormon in our office trailer if they were interested. So far, we've had 8 people from their group request one.
Our new bathroom facilities! JK, this was a toilet in the park, luckily I didn't use it since a huge spider was hanging above the seat!
Saturday, we had an early morning golf lesson. Our very first and we are beginners! Our coaches said it was good because we hadn't developed bad habits yet. Lolly, Lauette Maritz, is a South African professional golfer. She's won 3 Ladies European Tours and the All-American Award from 1983-1987. She was an awesome 1:1 coach and Reeve Nield coaches the professional and helped Bruce and me with our swings. It was a lot of good information to remember; when we actually followed through, we had a few good hits! They give free lessons every Saturday.
The highlight of our week was attending our first zone conference on Saturday, March 18th at the mission home. It was with the missionaries in the Marimba Zone. Wow, the church is in great hands with these amazing young leaders! They each taught us lessons and principles with the power of conviction. The singing was loud, uplifting, and exuberant, especially the male voices of the elders in unison. When we all stood and sang "Called to Serve" tears came to our eyes! We had a nice luncheon, had group break-out sessions, and felt their spirits. These are remarkable missionaries and leaders. I love being around the sisters!
Rigby & Rocky Anderson on Easter
L Electron electrician group photo 2023.03.16, our first toolbox devotional
Our new friend on the job site, Alistair Grover took us horseback riding on Tuesday afternoon. He tried to teach Bruce a few techniques of polo cross. We're going to watch him play Sunday afternoon. I got to ride "Idylic Dancer" and Bruce was on "Wingman", both beautiful thoroughbreds.
Alistair's horses, he graciously took us for a ride and taught Buce some "polo cross" 2023.03.14
Friday, March 17th, we played pickleball and then went to the temple site for a few hours. We decided to take a preparation day since we had zone conference all day Saturday. We had some grocery shopping to do and pick up fruit for the conference. We decided to go check out another park nearby, Mukuvisi Woodlands. We were still in search to see a giraffe in Africa, Bruce's favorite animal. The park has a nice walking trail, about 10K, where we saw some eland (antelope-like), zebras, ostriches, and finally our giraffes. We viewed giraffes and zebras off a platform while they were at the watering hole. After our long walk, we came upon 5 giraffes grazing in the field. We were excited to take some photos! These are just small little parks right by Harare where the animals are protected.
Our new bathroom facilities! JK, this was a toilet in the park, luckily I didn't use it since a huge spider was hanging above the seat!
Giraffes and Elands at Mukuvisi Woodlands, 2023.03.17
We loved the conference with the Marimba Zone on Saturday. It's especially inspiring to see their leadership and testimonies.
I love the sisters! Here is the whole zone with our mission Pres. and Sister Judd, 2023.03.18
A very happy birthday to our little Rocky buddy, he turned 3 years old on March 13th. We miss reading him stories and waking up to him and Rigby's cute little chatter. Ian & Rachel are wonderful parents and we appreciate them so much. We couldn't be here without them caring for our home and yard.
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