Christmas in Africa: What will you take to the manger? - Part 2

"Although the mall is noticeably absent of big spenders, there are some lovely decorations adding to the spirit of the season – at least until you take out a camera or phone to capture a photo. We were with some friends there and I was holding a darling little black girl and pointing out her reflection in a bright red ornament on a Christmas tree. She was pointing and laughing with delight so I tried to get a photo of her happy reflection in the bulb. In a moment, a security guard was at our side saying that no pictures were allowed to be taken of the Christmas tree. “No Christmas spirit here,” I said under my breath. We walked away without argument. We never resist directions from security guards because some have machine guns, rifles and handguns. As the baby and I sadly walked away from the tree, she quickly refocused on choking me with my necklace. Little ones are so quick to move on and forget past disappointments. How much more like them we should be!

One of our most touching moments of the season came on a Sunday when a young boy at church read a well-known poem. Although I have heard and read the favorite verse many times, I have never heard it quite the heartfelt way it was expressed from the handcrafted pulpit in a small church built with trailer modules. A boy with a short, thick carpet of black hair, huge searching eyes and glimmering white teeth filling up a broad smile looked eager to share his message. He had a clean white shirt that had a crease across the cuff as if some attempt had been made at pressing it. The rest of his wardrobe looked like it had been retrieved from a donation bag. We couldn’t see if he had shoes on or not. He approached the pulpit tentatively and then spoke in a reverent tone with a pronounced Zulu/South African accent these heartfelt words from “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Christina Rosetti 1872.

“What can I give Him, Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him: Give my heart.

Our hearts were full of gratitude. Our eyes were full of tears. We pondered the humble gifts that the shepherds may have brought to the manger as perhaps the first invited guests to welcome and worship the Christ-child. Though poor, they, too, brought something. They had been surprised and overcome with the heavenly host (which may have included some or all of us) singing God's praises. They rushed to see "this thing that has happened that the Lord has made known to us". They left the stable "glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard." May we be as generous as the little drummer boy in the poem and give Him our hearts." - Sister Basso

Christmas in Africa - Part 1

"Christmas in Africa is not nearly as commercial as it is in America. The emphasis is more on the religious aspect of celebrating the birth of Jesus and singing in church, than it is on gift giving.

The most common thing bought at Christmas is a new set of clothes to be worn to the church service. Many Africans are too poor to be able to afford presents for their kids. If gifts are exchanged, in poorer communities they usually come in the form of school books, soap, cloth, candles and food.

We have been amazed to see how few people are in the mall. The only shoppers we see with lots of bags are the ones pushing shopping carts from the two grocery stores in the mall. There are large buckets in the grocery stores that contain an assortment of non-perishable foods for gift giving. We also buy food storage at the LDS Church Distribution Center for Christmas gifts to needy families. We bought a large can of split peas for us and Chuck made a nice soup – gallons of it! He didn’t realize how much expansion dried food can make. At least we don’t have to wonder what we will eat tomorrow! It reminds me of the home I grew up in. Every Sunday we had split pea soup. I used to miss it. No more!

As you see in the photo, street vendors sell Chinese-made Santa hats and “Homeless” newspapers. We were surprised to see that the homeless population is so great here that it merits its own newspaper. We saw an elaborate Santa’s chair at the mall but it had been pushed against a wall and was empty. The only one we’ve seen wearing a “Santa hat” was the homeless man sitting on the freeway guardrail. By the way, the freeway off-ramps, on-ramps and transition roads are all called “slip roads.” The name has nothing to do with road hazards. They just provide access to “slip” onto the next driving area." - Sister Basso

Merry Christmas from Elder and Sister Basso

Day of Reconcilation

December 16th is a day of great significant in South Africa due to two historical events that took place. The first of these was in 1838, when the Battle of Blood River took place between the Voortrekkers and the Zulus. The Voortrekkers, having moved into the interior of South Africa during the Great Trek, were eager to settle on land. The region that they intended to settle on was already inhabited by the Zulu people. Thus the Voortrekker leader, Piet Retief was eager to negotiate with the Zulu chief Dingane. Having misunderstood Retief's intentions, Dingane planned an ambush and murdered Retief and his party of 100 people. This act culminated in the Battle of Blood River, in which 470 Voortrekkers, having the advantage of gunpowder, defeated the 10 000 strong Zulu army. This Voortrekker victory was commemorated since then as the Day of the Vow. (to read more about the history behind this event go here.)

South Africa's first non-racial and democratic government was tasked with promoting reconciliation and national unity. One way in which it aimed to do this symbolically was to acknowledge the significance of the 16 December in both the Afrikaner and liberation struggle traditions and to rename this day as the Day of Reconciliation. On 16 December 1995, the Day of Reconciliation was celebrated as a public holiday in South Africa for the first time.

Sister Basso's comments:
"We celebrated the holiday by shopping for Christmas gifts for our beloved little ones at one of the orphanages we visit and help with. We bought eight colorful chairs so that

they don't have to sit on the ground. We also purchased some soccer balls since that is one of the most popular sports here. There is a soccer Ferris wheel."

Family History in Africa

Here is a part of the last two blog posts that my mom wrote. I decided to add it to my family history website. You can read about her mission experience and see a sweet picture of Sister Basso by going to this site.

www.meliasfamily.blogspot.com

Leaning to Help Develop Self-Reliance - Part 2

"Our conference instructors were our mentors and those we work and train with, in addition to a mix of foreign visitors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Vivien (front middle seat) is a vivacious, red-haired bundle of enthusiasm. Her South African accent adds to her charm. She is passionate about her work and inspires all who are blessed to be in her presence. Dominic (front right seat) is a black South African that represents the epitome of what can be accomplished when you look forward and not back into past injustices. His sense of humor and descriptive story-telling makes him a people magnet. Lerato (front left seat) is deeply spiritual and also represents a rise from black history that embodies the best in humanity with the ability to forgive and forge on. It’s hard to comprehend how these black men could suffer such oppression, violence and abuse and come away with the pure love of Christ in their hearts, but such is the case.

Chuck gave a visual demonstration of the three hats a self-employed person should wear: Technician, Manager and Entrepreneur. He has such a passion for helping the people understand how to maximize their business potential." - Sister Basso

Leaning to Help Develop Self-Reliance - Part 1

"The lovely, historical monument and four-star Sunnyvale Park Hotel was the sight of the Welfare Specialists Senior Couples Conference. The setting could not have been more beautiful with views of lush grounds with waterfalls and walkways winding through trees and exotic plants. The Hotel was built in 1895 and was the former residence of a mining engineer and other prominent citizens. The British influence of “tea-time” was modified for us to be between-meal juice and hot chocolate time with crumpet-type treats for dipping and munching. The beauty and taste of the bountiful, sumptuous buffets were dampened only by the thoughts of those who nightly retire with empty tummies onto cardboard beds.

The final meal on the last day was punctuated with ethnic delights at Moyo where native drummers played and costumed servers washed our hands with rose water and painted our faces. Some of the native dishes looked a bit frightening but worth the cultural experimentation.

Couples from Port Elizabeth and Durban participated in the conference. It was fun to hear about their situations and activities in their areas that were totally foreign to us. The purpose of the conference was to enhance our understanding of our roles in supporting church leadership in their daunting responsibilities of caring for the poor and needy. Our particular emphasis was as it relates to unemployment and underemployment in countries where those categories constitute the majority of their populations. We train the local Welfare Specialists to teach the Career and Self-Employment Workshops with the hope that their improved marketability will lead to self-reliance. We also strive to support the efforts of the Priesthood Leaders and Ward and Stake Councils who in turn strive to care for the many needs of those they have stewardships for. Each couple shared their ideas and techniques of accomplishing those responsibilities." - Sister Basso