Who writes the blogs and update emails??

Hi everyone

We have so appreciated getting emails from many of you telling us you are reading our blog! Just so that everyone is aware, it was CHRIS that had the gallbladder op! When I'm (Chris)writing the emails and the blog, I (Chris) forget to say who is doing what etc.! It's Chris who writes the email updates and blogs but I (Chris) will try to make it a bit clearer in the future. But Stan has enjoyed all your commiserations and sympathy, he will keep them in mind for any future operation!

We are enjoying the lovely summer here, with blue skies and sunshine and frequent electric storms. Can't say we've missed the very cold weather you're all experiencing in the UK, Europe and the US at the moment. I googled 'Johannesburg Skyline' to find a pic showing blue skies over Joburg and the first image that came up was the one I've attached! Hope you all recognise Angel Moroni on the temple spire! The white house to the side is the White House I referred to earlier and the other buildings are the church offices!

Can't believe that we're already over halfway through January! Take care everyone, stay warm!

PS!!

Having just reviewed the postings I put in today, I just wanted to let you all know that to see all of them, you will need to click on older posts at the bottom of first page! There are about 12 posts with today's date on going chronologically from October to a few days ago with lots of photos etc! Hope you enjoy them!

Happy New Year!!

Updates at last!! We are now just over one quarter way through our mission, time is starting to go quickly but it still seems like a long time since we left home on 1st August 2009! We miss you all more than you can ever imagine, you have no idea how much your skype calls, emails and especially the Christmas cards and pressies keep us going! Following are some pics that show what we've been up to the last few months. We spend most of our time in the Regional Family History Centre which is on the Area Office/Temple complex in Parktown, Johannesburg. We are trying hard to liaise with the other centres in the area to help them be more familiar with the new temple and family history programmes. We are also being trained on oral history and hope to get more involved in this exciting work. We love to read your comments, so please feel free to add something here, that way, we know someone is reading all this stuff!!!!

The White House!!

This is what is known as The White House here! It's the offices and homes of the Africa SouthEast Area Presidency and is on the Area Office and Temple site in Johannesburg. As senior missionaries we sometimes use the grounds for farewells and activities. Stunning views from the grounds but all spoilt by the noise from the motorway just below the area office complex!

Voortrekker Monument

In October we visited the Voortrekker Monument near Pretoria which commemorates the northern trek of the Boers from the Cape area of South Africa to escape British rule and try to have more freedom and land. The monument is huge with the displays etc giving such moving accounts of the treks which happened in the 1830s and 1840s. So much comparison with the early pioneers of the Church who trekked west to escape persecution.

Jacarandas and Zoo Lake

October is Jacaranda month when these stunning trees blossom and really brighten up the city! The pics are of some streets and views with the jacaranda trees and also of Zoo Lake, which is a favourite spot to walk, about a 30 min walk from us. On the weekends and holidays the lake area is packed with friends and families getting together for picnics.

Halloween!!

We had a missionary outing on Halloween to a church owned camp/recreation centre near Hartebeestpoort Dam about an hour's drive from us. This is run by a missionary couple who used to live in Birmingham UK, and are great friends with the Balloch family from Weston; we had met him once and had a walk in the Quantocks where the guys got us lost! The site is used for Young Men/Young Women/ YSA/Ward/Family and Stake camps. Very remote and beautiful but a very energetic hike up the mountain! We had a great day though and it was so good to get away from the city and breathe such clean fresh air! At the top of the mountain is an old Boer Fort, stunning views from there, the pics just don't do it justice. We then enjoyed a braii (BBQ) and just enjoyed a relaxing day together. This was a hike in the true Woodhead Walk sense of the word!!!!