Sunday

In Sacrament meeting this morning I sat on the stand because they needed me to play the piano. It was sweet to look into those black faces and feel their great spirits reaching out. The speaker talked about trials in life and how we can endure anything with the blessings the Gospel brings. He talked about being surrounded with the Holy Ghost and the ability to KNOW the Lord is with us when we are suffering. He knew what he was speaking about as his only son was shot 1 month ago and left a wife and baby. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time....a terrible tragedy.

I looked at the young returned missionary who married the woman of his dreams and then with joy they had their first baby. At 6 months the baby died of dehydration and about 4 months later the mother of the child died. I have often wondered if it was from a broken heart. I saw about 15 outstanding young women in their late 20's who want more than anything to marry, but the young men are hesitant. Most are very, very poor who are struggling to survive. Unemployment in SA is only about 45% which is excellent compared to our other countries, but it is a problem.

I looked at the only white woman in the ward who many years ago financially supported her boyfriend on his mission and when he got home, he dumped her. She has never married. She lives in her parents home all alone and can't afford to move out of the very unsafe area, but is a wonderful support and generous to help the members of that ward. There was a woman sitting there who lost her first husband to aids, joined the church and married in the temple, but has lost 2 babies, a sister, a brother and father to Aids. I know of one young woman who has been disowned and kicked out of her house because she joined the church. She is 16.

Many are soooo poor in that ward because they don't have enough to eat and certainly no heat in their homes on these cold winter days. Several are HIV positive and they will die because many can't get the drugs. Many in that ward are living in fear right now because of the riots going on all around and the killings and beatings against the refugees that have come into SA. Many in that ward are refugees from Congo, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and other places. The ones who have taken them in live in fear also. The streets are not safe in the area that ward is in, but this is a new threat as you have heard from the news.

My Dad always used to say, "I felt sorry for the man who had no shoes until I saw the man who had no feet." Always teaching me that when I feel sorry for myself I should look around and I will be more grateful for my blessings. There are many more stories that I didn't know about this morning as I looked into the eyes of those wonderful people, but what I saw also was love, devotion to the Gospel, scriptorians searching the scriptures during the meetings, an absolute silence and reverence during the meeting Sacrament, robust singing of the hymns and smiles and laughter when the moments were right. I go away more grateful for my family, my blessings, my husband and just my life. I need to be more grateful.

Sabbath Day

It was a cold, rainy, winter day. It was the Sabbath and as we drove to the Johannesburg Ward, we could see many people walking to their various churches. This particular ward is located in a very poor area, and most of our members walk to church. We saw a few under umbrellas, and some with blankets around them, some with plastic covering their bodies and many with nothing to protect them from the elements. All were scurrying as fast as they could.
When we walked into the chapel, I could smell a very unpleasant odor. Bill went to the stand and I sat in the audience in the middle of the black members. (that is where I love to be) My nose told me that the smell was familiar but it was quite a few moments before I realized it was a direct result of wet clothes. Some had on wool and that was a distinct odor, but the combination of fabrics made a very impressionable odor. A man sat down next to me and he was completely drenched. I couldn't’t imagine how far he had walked to get there. He pulled a washcloth out of his pocket as soon as he got there and immediately started wiping his head. He continued to his shoulders chest, arms and neck. As he was doing this he was singing the opening song with great gusto and with a beautiful, beautiful voice. He wiped his legs on the front and back several times, then he put his hands to the side of his legs and wrung the moisture out of the cloth. Water dripped on the floor. Then with this now damp cloth he shined his shoes. He spread the cloth out on the floor (I guess to dry) and then looked at me with a look of accomplishment and readiness to start his worship. He smiled the most beautiful smile you can only find in Africa. He shook my hand and said, “Good morning, Sister Parmley!” When someone has so little and can be so happy, I hope that our hearts can be touched with gratitude with all that we have and with the desire to give a little more to those who have so much less.

Relief Society sisters all over the world love flowers and beautiful things. This is very true in Africa too. In one little branch none of the sisters had a flower garden, so in order to have flowers for Relief Society for all to enjoy, the instructions were given for everyone to pick one wild flower on the way to church, or to bring a plastic one from home. As they arrived in RS each sister added her contribution of one flower to the basket on the table. As the president thanked them, there was a feeling of joy and happiness for what they had collectively contributed. It wasn’t the perfect flower arrangement or even one that would catch your eye with the combination of colors, lengths, plastic and real, but it would be one that would touch your heart as you realized the effort and love those sisters had put into that arrangement to have a spot of beauty in that old, rented unclean school building. I thought it was the most beautiful bouquet I had ever seen.