HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I am so grateful to all my family and friends, who have prayed for and supported us thus far on our mission. We love being on the temple construction site daily and are eternally grateful for this marvelous experience we are having.
All the senior missionaries (minus Nancy Turley) got together to celebrate Thanksgiving at Victoria 22, a very nice restaurant in Highlands, 2023.11.23
Being in Africa has made me aware and so grateful for all my many blessings. I will no longer take for granted clean drinking water (out of the tap!), electricity just a switch away, traffic and street lights that stay on, police that pull over crazy drivers and keep law and order, sidewalks, trash cans, clean streets, smooth roads, consistent internet, my iPhone, a yard, a garden, a home, a consistently hot shower. Of course, I'm even more grateful for all the missionaries serving far away from their loved ones, amazing mission leaders, the family we miss, grandchildren we miss even more, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and my best companion ever! 
I was laughing at Bruce's name tag, "Sister Anderson" on this special night. Occasionally we mix them up without noticing. I didn't tell him until during the photos. At least we can still laugh at ourselves! All the seniors enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving together with our mission leaders. We had a wonderful dinner at Victoria 22, a very nice local restaurant. We went around the table and each person shared a trial and a blessing in their lives. It ended up being like a testimony meeting and we all gained respect and strength from each other's experiences. Amazingly, every missionary had gone through life-changing difficult trials that turned into blessings and refined each one of them. Sister Judd always says it best, “We laughed through tears, acknowledging God’s hand in each of our stories, and the refining blessings that come in turning to face Jesus Christ in both the joys and the sorrows of mortality.”
All of these faithful missionaries chose to come on a full-time mission even before Elder Rasband’s plea in General Conference for more senior missionaries to serve. We feel very honored to be able to serve among these special valiant spirits.
On Thanksgiving Day, we showed Pres. Russell M. Nelson’s video on the “Healing power of gratitude” to Persuade. It ended with Persuade bearing his testimony, “My life is happy now; I’m so grateful you came on your mission to share the gospel message with me. My previous life was like a dream; I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t lived it. I am so happy to know God loves me and I see the light.” We love our new African son and our lives have been enriched to know him.
My boys are such great cooks! William learned how to make a delicious apple pie and bakes every year since Grandma Doris taught him the secrets of perfect pie crust. William celebrated with his family in Lynchburg, VA. Ian smokes this delicious turkey for the Shelton Family's (Rachel's) Thanksgiving feast. Rocky had a big day! Miss that little guy!Calton Mahere texted, “I thank every moment I’m with you because it’s a lesson in my life. Thank you Elder for everything you have done in my life. You are a real life changer.” We celebrate Calton’s newfound faith and desire to become a better person through Christ. Calton and Talent have become great friends on-site and support each other in their learning. We are also teaching three new men, Alan, Tapewa, and Collin gospel lessons. Our Welcome Center and private office have allowed us to teach many HZT site workers privately. They have difficulty getting together with the young proselyting missionaries due to their work schedules.
Seniors pickleball and braii at 34 North. Sister Nancy Turley's kids, Reed and Maren, came for a visit from Utah to visit Zimbabwe and Africa. 2023.11.15Saturday, we enjoyed another golf lesson from Reeve and Lolly. I'm hitting about 50+%. At least I'm improving. Bruce and I then enjoyed breakfast and shopping at the Stable's Market. We came home and rested. I was getting over the stomach flu and I lost about 5 lbs. this week. I guess that's better than gaining weight over Thanksgiving! Now Bruce has it; I always share everything with him! Sorry!
We enjoyed a nice senior party with a pot luck braii and lots of pickleball. It's nice and hot here as it's summer and hitting the high 80's to 90's most days. It's still weird to have a change in the seasons here. The Zimbabweans say it's "Too hot!" and usually there is rainfall by now to cool things down a bit. It's been a hot and dry November.
Saturday Golf at the Price's Driving Range; Lolly puts on quite a show with her drives! 2023.11.25
Our dear little maid, Idah Zulu, was brutally attacked and left for dead in Kuwadzana. She had just moved there with her 2-year-old daughter, Putsy. She was dropped off near the highway from a combi and a robber was hiding in the rocks. She was carrying 2 sacks of potatoes on her head. It was dusk around 6:00 p.m. and the burglar came up behind her and whacked her on the head with a brick. He then started beating her with the brick on her face. He left a large head wound that was bleeding profusely. Luckily, a kind passerby in a car witnessed the attack and stopped to help her. They drove her to the police station and then the hospital. Agness, her sister, called me that night at 9:00 p.m. and was headed over to the hospital. I had been sick to my stomach and I couldn't sleep wondering how we could help. The next morning, I called Agness. They were discharged to their home around 3:00 a.m. (probably to avoid overnight hospital charges) and then headed back to the hospital for a CT scan of her head injury. I prayed she didn't have a subdural hematoma. They stopped by the temple site with Lisa, their mother, and David Solani. Bruce and David were able to give Idah a priesthood blessing. David had just been made a new elder the week before. He asked Bruce to give the blessings. He blessed her to be whole again and to heal. I offered to help pay for the hospital expenses because I knew David just had surgery and Idah had nothing. They had robbed her of her purse and phone too. They were able to use the funds to pay the medical expenses, a new phone and purse for Idah, and a little cash for living expenses. Remarkably, Idah has recovered well without scaring on her face. We have seen her priesthood blessing come true remarkably within a week of her injury she was back to work.Idah's sweet landlord helped us pack up the truck for the move in Kuwadzana, 2023.11.17
Yesterday, Nov. 27th, Idah showed up at our apartment unannounced at 08:00 a.m. We asked her how we could help her. She had purchased a "chip" (french fry) fryer to start a small business selling them in a tuck shop. We had given her a loan to help her purchase the fryer in South Africa for $250.00. She's going to clean our apartment for us to work it off. Idah had found a new place in Corraly instead of Kuwadzana. There had been a lot of violence in Kuwadzana and she didn't feel safe. People tell us there is an increase in robberies and violence with the Christmas holidays coming up. So sad, that people are desperate to provide Christmas by using violence, the exact opposite of what Christ taught. I drove Idah to Kuwadzana and then to her new place to help her move her meager possessions. She moved from a very small cement room with no bed, no kitchen, no electricity, no bathroom, etc. to another very small cement room in the new town. We fit all her belongings in the back of the truck including the large metal fryer. On the way, we passed by a large group of people surrounding a police tapped-off area in Kuwadzana. Idah pointed out to me, that something bad had happened over there. We saw a dead body laying on the ground with the police looking over it. What a shame, as Idah would say. We made it to the new rental after 4-wheeling around dirt roads and asking directions a few times. I met the landlord and passed our "Tim's tiny toy wooden cars" to all the neighborhood children. I was able to give Idah's new landlord and neighbor a Book of Mormon and tell them about the history and testament of Jesus Christ. We are so grateful that Idah is healing so well; we pray she'll heal emotionally as well as physically. We know God hears our prayers and knows Idah individually. Idah came to clean today and seemed happy and healing well. Idah's new place and landlord, 2023.11.27
I was laughing at Bruce's name tag, "Sister Anderson" on this special night. Occasionally we mix them up without noticing. I didn't tell him until during the photos. At least we can still laugh at ourselves!
My boys are such great cooks! William learned how to make a delicious apple pie and bakes every year since Grandma Doris taught him the secrets of perfect pie crust. William celebrated with his family in Lynchburg, VA. Ian smokes this delicious turkey for the Shelton Family's (Rachel's) Thanksgiving feast. Rocky had a big day! Miss that little guy!
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