Thursday, February 02, 2006

The Baboon Experience!!!

Yesterday I had a jounal entry experience. I promise that everything I say is TRUE and not exaggerated. We had a retreat for the Area Presidency and their wives for one day at a hotel about one hour away. It was to plan and work on our objectives for the next year. The wives were in one area for the morning working on auxiliary training and then we combined our efforts for the afternoon. This hotel is reached from a main highway where we turned onto a dirt road for about five miles to reach the place. Itis beautiful country. It is a hotel that has game drives and just a beautiful peaceful place. We saw zebras as we entered the grounds of the hotel. It is in a remore area.
The conference room that the women were in was lovely. It was a large room (twice the size of our living room at home) and it had windows all the way around. We could see the mountains and green bush and the zebras that kept going by. It was a dream. The 2 baby zebras were to die for. I couldn't believe that we were sitting there working and talking and zebras would just appear. All of a sudden we saw a large male baboon coming out of the bush loping towards our conference room. Diane Golden jumped up to close the sliding door, but didn't make it before that large baboon came quickly into the room. Maurine Young stood up and started yelling at him and shooing him away. He kept coming. He came right up and put his front feet on the table where I was the closest. Maurine kept yelling and motioning at him. He put his feet on my scriptures and I want you to know he was 10 inches from me. It happened so fast I was frozen and Diane was frozen and Maurine was carrying on. He didn't like her at all and the more she yelled and screamed and waved her arms, then the angrier he got. Right next to me he looked at her and reared up tall on his hind feet and opened his mouth and bared his teeth and growled a very mean growl. His teeth were long and pointed and sharp and I thought I was a goner.....I mean he was literally 10 inches away from me. She stopped moving and yelling. He got up on the table with all fours for a few seconds and then just got off and walked out the door. We called into the hotel and a security guard came running with a long metal pole and he went looking for that baboon. We don't know if he ever encountered him. We just sat down in shock and unbelief. We found out later that he comes around every once in a while and is very mean and agressive. I think it was my scriptures that perhaps saved us. Maybe when he put his foot on them he felt the admonition to "go in peace". Who knows!! Only in Africa!!!!

Laundry day and a painted House.

Rondevals in the valley

Firewood and Water on two different heads.

Laundry Day

Can you find the golf course?

Baboon in hiding

An"eland" at the San Cave Drawings Museum

Cathedral Peak Hotel in the Drakensberg Mountains

Grandpa in the Drakensberg Mountains

A stream in the Drakensberg Mountains

Weaverbirds and their nests. How many birds do you see?

An African mural in Thokozisa near the Drakensberg Mountains

A meerkat family


Grandpa just got a wet gooey kiss from the elephant.

Shanna leading the elephant.

We trained Kumba to lift her foot and trunk

With the Jensens and a new friend at the elephant sanctuary

he Haw-Dee-Daw Sisters playing their piano duet

Christmas party put on by the Area Presidency for all the senior mission couples

Stirring the meali-meal for dinner at the twilight house for homeless boys

Goncalves bride and groom with President and sister Wallace. I sealed them in the temple.

Thanksgiving day entertainment at the front of our house for all the couples.

Waiting 5 hours for the plane in the Lubumbashi Airport with brother Monga.

Training the 3 auxiliary presidents with Sister Maycock (Brother Monga is the interpreter)

I thought we were supposed to drive on the left side of the road