An Elder's View

"Today is Thursday night. Joy was not feeling well yesterday so we stayed in today. We had a great devotional yesterday with Elder Nelson who spoke. Tomorrow, we will be going to the office to get some keys for the car. The hard part of driving is to be on the wrong side of the road and the roads are not straight. We just have to think backwards even the hot and cold water faucets are backwards. We have a great view out our front window here on the 5th floor. We can see out over the city and we saw fireworks the last two nights. Maybe they are celebrating our arrival! Well we need to get some sleep and get or body clock working right on local time I think the military call it "Zulu" time we call it African time!" - Elder Basso

Acclimating to South Africa

"Our hearts are in Africa but our bodies’ clocks are in LA. After two days of flying, seat belt warnings, movies, nausea and eavesdropping, we landed at OR Tambo International Airport, a large airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa near Johannesburg .

We were lead to a white mini-van with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the road. A black African solicited the job of loading our baggage into the minivan and was paid in Rands – a monetary system unknown to us...

Almost more frightening than the turbulent flight was the ride on the 'wrong' side of the street to our new home, a flat on the top floor of a secured 'mid-rise' residential complex. The first recognizable product sign we saw was 'Fritos.'

With tools and toaster plugged into alien outlets, we prepared for a monumental day at the church service 'compound.' The 'compound' is a beautifully appointed group of buildings that house the area offices adjacent to the temple. Security was tighter than usual. Not because of the new Americans entering the grounds but because an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was on the premises. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve, was in Malawi to dedicate the land for the blessings of the gospel and came to Johannesburg to visit the 'compound' to speak and leave an apostolic blessing upon the church service volunteers and employees...

We saw beautiful black families with some of the most adorable children we’ve ever set eyes on. Most made huge financial sacrifices to enjoy their only visit to that holy place from the far reaches of poverty . . . to acquire the riches of eternity. It was an inspiration to look into their hopeful faces and envision the wonders of heaven that await them. (Temple image by Clive Martin c/o Sean Bruton)

We waved to multiple security workers on our way out of the church area and proceeded down the 'wrong' side of the road on our first shopping adventure to procure some food and needed items. We paused for lunch at 'Mugg and Beans.' A lovely, ebony waitress served us and replaced our napkins upon each use. The food was tasty with some hidden flavors not previously savored by our American palates. We had a price-point shock at the grocery store and wished we could have brought the food storage we had to leave behind in California. We gazed with wide-eyed amazement at the new sights and sounds of an Africa mall then returned to the new place we now call home." - Sister Basso

New words we have learned:

Trunk = boot

Babysitter = child minder

Traffic light or signal = robot

Apartment = flat

The Eagle Has Landed

My parents just touched down in South Africa yesterday after taking off from Salt Lake the previous morning. We are so excited for their adventure to begin and the experiences that they will share with us. Sister Basso said that today they will be in a meeting with Elder Russell M. Nelson who is in the region to dedicate the land of Malawi. I'm so excited for them!

Elder Russell M. Nelson, is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles such as those that were on the earth at the time of Christ. What is an Apostle? Well, here is just part of who they are... "Apostles are special witnesses of Jesus Christ, called to teach and testify of Him throughout the world. They travel frequently, addressing and encouraging large congregations of members and interested nonmembers, as well as meeting with local leaders." (info from lds.org) For more information about who he is read more about him here.

Elder Nelson came to our church meeting a couple years ago and I was able to shake his hand. I know that he is an apostle of our Lord, Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is to be alive when a prophet and apostles are on the earth again! - Melia

The People They Will Serve

"Graduating" from the MTC

"This evening we 'graduated' from the MTC. It has been an empowering, spiritual experience that we will never forget. Tonight we walked over to the temple and enjoyed the spirit of that holy place. The weather is perfect and we are enjoying the brilliant fall colors on the trees around the MTC. There are over 2500 missionaries here. They said that we are the largest group of Senior Missionaries. Our Welfare Group is pioneering the new cross-training approach of preparing us to serve in Humanitarian Aid, Addictions/Recovery, Perpetual Education, Employment and more. We met a Church employee from Johannesburg in our Career Workshop class yesterday. He is a bishop there that we may be working with in Africa. It was fun to meet him and hear his "local boy" accent." - Sister Basso

"My mom is still blessing people with her photography talent. Here's a picture that she took of some friends that they met at the MTC. It was published on the church's newsroom site. I am positive this will just be the first of many opportunities to share one of her many talents." - Melia

From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Newsroom.

Article: Policy Changes Make Mission a Reality for Some Senior Couples

Service through the Perpetual Education Fund

"We have had a non-stop time since we arrived with classes starting from 8am until 4:30pm every day. Today, we went to Salt Lake City to be trained in PEF (Perpetual Education Fund). This program is designed for members of the church from 18 to 30 years old who can apply for a school loan. There has been 50,000 individuals helped since the prophet announced the PEF on March 30, 2001. This is a great program to help return missionaries get a job and take care of their families. The bonus is that now they have time and skills that will allow them to help the church in their wards, as leaders!" - Elder Basso

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “I believe the Lord does not wish to see His people condemned to live in poverty. I believe He would have the faithful enjoy the good things of the earth. … In an effort to remedy this [lack of opportunity], we propose a plan … which we believe is inspired by the Lord. … We shall call it the Perpetual Education Fund... Education is the key to opportunity”.

For more information about PEF, visit the church's website here. (Image and story from pef.lds.org)
Read about Kebin's story from Belize.

Missionary Training Center, Provo Utah Week 1

"In seven days we will be flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route to Johannesburg. Apparently, the locals call it "Jo-burg." We will call it our new home for the next 23 months. The preparation for humanitarian service there has been long and challenging but worth every minute. We have had an amazing experience here at the Provo Missionary Training Center.

The days have been packed to overflowing with classes, devotionals, dining, music, new friendships and inspiration. It is very touching to meet hundreds of unselfish people wanting to make a positive difference in the world. The missionaries preparing here come from all over the planet. They represent every size, shape, color and culture. They move about on two feet, one foot, crutches, walkers, wheel chairs and with canes. They range in ages from 19 to nearly 90 years old.

They bring to this opportunity a wide range of talents and experience. We have been humbled to be part of this community of commitment and are learning all we can about how to be of service to Heavenly Father's children. We laugh, cry, study, share, get lost, led, inspired and taught. We love and feel loved and are moved by testimonies and teachers." - Sister Basso