Last Bricks on Temple & Our "Rocks"

        Up on top of temple spire scaffolding to lay the final face bricks of the Harare, Zimbabwe Temple, 2023.07.19. Bruce and I each laid 2 white bricks with tutoring from the experts, Josh and Shadreck, the Strive mason owner. Shadreck calls us "his professional brick layers." They were so sweet to indulge us! Now we can say, "We really did help build the temple." What's more important, all the workers now know the temple's importance as a House of the Lord.

Shadreck Muchenje, Owner of Strive and Shannov Construction on HZT site; July 2023 

    In May, Bruce noticed the front entrance of the temple bricks were off 4 brick lengths making an error in the layout of the spire tower base. The construction company decided to remove the bricks and try to repair it without having it show the problem. 

Bruce laid temple face brick on the front entrance back on May 4th, 2023. We call these the "repentance" bricks, due to being redone after an error in laying the first set. Rodrick and Phinneas were the two masons, who repaired the temple front making it totally unnoticeable. They had to chip away about 4 bricks deep all the way down and then replace the bricks with the proper overlap. "Though their sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). They did a beautiful job removing the bricks and placing new bricks in the proper margins.

2023.05.04

Bruce noticed the wrong overlap of the original bricks and called it to the attention of the foreman.

The front entrance bricks were totally repaired without notice. South rendering view of Harare Zimbabwe Temple. 2023, July

  We also had all the Zimbabwe Harare full-time missionaries but their names were on rocks. We sealed them in the baptismal font. They are plastered in the bottom of the font, representing their temple and baptismal covenants are firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the temple, Helaman 5:12. Jesus Christ is the "rock" of our foundation in which if men build upon they shall not fall. We put each of our children's names on a family rock too. It is symbolic of all the temple and gospel represent to keep our testimonies firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ. We have a few sons, who don't believe as we do. We continue to pray they'll find God's good grace and acknowledge Him. We know the sealing power of the temple will bind our family together forever.

Our families' temple rocks; our testimony is sealed in the foundation of the temple which symbolizes our love for our "Rock", even our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Our names are sealed and solidified with our baptismal and temple covenants, in the baptismal font of the Harare, Zimbabwe Temple.

 Helaman 5:12, "And now...remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storms shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

1 Corinthians 10:3-4, "that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that ROCK was Christ."

 D&C 50:44, "Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall."

  

Shadreck's family with Sister Ayagi and Kendrick, missionary lesson 1, 2023.07.23

After 6 months to a year of waiting, we finally received some containers to make a "Welcome Visitor Center" for the Harare Zimbabwe Temple Site. We will make a visitor center with a viewpoint on the top level. The bottom container will act as our office. 

Sister Judd came to visit us and took a photo with Feke, the Engineering dept. maid. We've become friends since the women are very outnumbered on the construction site. We are excited to decorate and stock our visitor's center. Bruce ordered some furniture last month with the facilities buyer, Prospect. It is so nice to be able to teach investigators one-on-one in our new container without interruptions.

Chivero Lake and Game Park

 

    We spent our prep. day on Saturday exploring Chivero National Park. Here are some park workers we met we got to teach the gospel. We handed out several Books of Mormon to people we met along the way. I taught them about this important ancient record and we always mark 3 Nephi 11 and tell them of Christ's visit to the American continent after his resurrection. It is another testament of Jesus Christ and proves Jesus is the Christ, our Redeemer, who really was resurrected and lives!

Beautiful view of Lake Chivero. We had a picnic lunch on our drive.

Luckily we didn't even see any crocodiles, but you never swim in African open waters!

We spotted a baby and mother giraffe in the thicket of trees. They are quite camouflaged in the wild.

Bruce with his spirit animal, the giraffe. this beauty just stared at us in the thicket.

I spy with my little eye, a baby giraffe and two zebras at Chivero Game Park, 2023.07.29

We were excited to finally see a herd of zebra crossing the road. They are quite beautiful in the wild.

Hello fellow!

There was a race "Run for the Rhinos" in the park that day. We met the winner of the 15k, who ran it in 49 minutes. That's averaging 5-minute miles; really fast. He wanted us to sponsor him; we gave him a Book of Mormon instead.

We made new friends by the lake, who helped sponsor the race for "Proton" bread. They'd never looked in binoculars before and found ours quite fascinating. The 28 year old on the left said he'd read the Book of Mormon and have the missionary lessons.

The bathroom stalls included a "trough" for Bruce. Not the best of facilities.

Impalas, were the first animals we saw on our game drive. We drove our truck through and explored for ourselves.

Wildebeests, one of the ugly 5, Bruce drove out to meet them and they ran off.

We enjoyed our prep. day on Saturday exploring the Lake Chivero recreational park and game drive.

Zone Conferences and Fashion Fabrics in CBD of Harare

 It was fun to attend the South and Epworth's Zone Conference on Thursday, July 27th. We learned great council from our mission leaders, the Judds, on how to apply our faith into action. Every time our missionaries sing "How Firm a Foundation" the room moves and so does the Spirit! I attended the zone conference and Bruce ran back to the temple site to participate in our Thursday 1:00 p.m. lunch devotional on site.  Some of the sisters from Chitungwiza who taught Persuade were there. Almost all the sister missionaries had on African dresses they had made for $10.00 by a local seamstress. They all looked quite cute. I couldn't wait to go find some fabric for me and to have ties, skirts, and aprons made up for my family back home.

Here is a summary written by Sister Judd about our zone conferences,

 "July 2023: Our zone conferences this transfer focused on the important doctrine of FAITH, and how faith begins in the thoughts we think and the words we say.

'Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.' - D&C 6:36

Filling your mind with thoughts full of faith is a skill. It takes conscious effort and practice, but once applied, it can change the course of your mission, and your life.

Just as important as the above mentioned scripture, is the verse that comes after it.

'Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.' - D&C 6:37

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the way thru, the way forward, the way back...the only way.

We are reading The Book of Mormon again as a mission, marking references to the Savior in red and the Doctrine of Christ in blue. At each zone conference we read the pages assigned to that day. It was remarkable to observe how each reading experience was unique in it's own way, but similar in the most important process - fresh revelation.

Listening to our beloved missionaries read the scriptures as they recognize and participate in the workings of the spirit is something we will never tire of. It is what energizes and renews us.

The Book of Mormon is indeed Another Testament of Jesus Christ." Sister Julene Judd, photos courtesy of Sister Judd too (below).

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 Some of the sisters from Chitungwiza who taught Persuade were there. Almost all the sister missionaries had on African dresses they had made for $10.00 by a local seamstress. They all looked quite cute. I couldn't wait to go find some fabric for me and to have ties, skirts, and aprons made up for my family back home.Al

                          
 We love our                     We love the sisters, the Highland sisters below pick up litter in front of the temple. every Monday for service. They keep the street looking clean. 

    

Our wonderful sisters, Sisters Lungisani, Nicols, Treese, and Oteinda, pick up litter at the temple site every Monday, July 2023.

We adventured downtown Harare to the CBD (Central Business District) to some wholesale fabric shops. You could say fabric is in my blood since my father founded and owned "Fashion Fabrics" which expanded to about 150 stores across the western USA. My mother was a fabulous seamstress and always made the 3 daughters matching Easter dresses every spring. I remember having to model them for Fashion Fabrics when I was very young, 5-6 years old. We would always go to the fabric store and pick out ribbons for our hair too. I still love looking for fabrics, especially for quilting. I enjoy the patterns and colors. The CBD is pretty crazy with many cars and people in the streets. We went to the busiest part which looks very dirty on the outside of the buildings due to the dust and dirt roads. I bought many bright African colors for $4.00 for 6 yards and one store gave me $3.50/6 yds. since I bought more than two sets. I have a beautiful array of African prints to have cute aprons, skirts, and ties made up for the grandkids. Mary, our Relief Society Pres., Susan, in our ward, will sew them up for about $2.00 per tie. She's also making aprons for our family, skirts, vests, and matching bow ties for the grand kids. There are also many tailors and seamstresses that will make you a dress or shirt by taking your measurements. Sounds like a lot of fun. I'll save some to make a fun African quilt.