BE OUR GUESTS

We were invited to be guests at the South Africa Chamber of Commerce and Industry National Convention.  It was held at a beautiful venue that provided an opportunity to interface with business owners, industry leaders and government agencies.  I took my second walk on a red carpet and turned no heads, had no journalists rushing up for interviews and made no fashion statement in spite of my missionary nametag, trendy support stockings and frumpy flat shoes.  It reminded me of the time in my youth when I accompanied an incredibly handsome date to attend Judy Garland’s opening night performance at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park near Hollywood.  The press rushed up to us and pushed a microphone into our faces.  Then the reporter took a double take and stepped back peering quizzically into our faces.   Then she asked the burning question all of Judy’s fans and inquiring minds wanted the answer to, “Are you somebody?”  We looked at one another to verify that we were still clothed in mortality and gave an affirmative nod as we walked on toward the theater.  No one even bothered to ask on this red carpet!  At least we didn’t make the “worst dressed” list on the evening news!

The main guest of honor was the president of the country, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma.  Coincidentally, he attended an event we attended at the venue that hosted our Welfare Couple’s Conference the week before.  All we saw of him then was his entourage of security trying to whisk him from the public.  They cleared the entire hotel during his visit.  Our missionary couples from Kenya and other areas were booted from their rooms to help guarantee the safety of the president.  Here’s some information about him: 

President Zuma was born in Nkandla, Zululand .  His father was a policeman who died when Zuma was still a young boy.  His mother was a domestic worker.  He received no formal schooling.  Convicted of conspiring to overthrow the Apartheid, he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, which he served on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela.  Zuma is an economic leftist, who describes himself as a socialist and believes in the redistribution of wealth, other than his own.   Zuma is a polygamist who has been married six times and has about 20 children. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Zuma) Zuma paid 10 cattle as lobola (bride price or dowry) for Swazi Princess Sebentile Dlamini in 2002.  His third wife had five children including twins Duduzile and Duduzane.  The twins were 16 years-old when their mother committed suicide.  It is reported that Zuma has eight out-of-wedlock children.  At least one wife has active HIV.  He was quoted as asking people "to do as I say and not as I do".  His solution to pregnancy in South African teenagers is to confiscate their babies and have the mothers taken to colleges and forced to obtain degrees and also to make sure that condoms are available in diverse institutions.
 

Our reserved table at the SACCI gala dinner was close to President Zuma.  Because of the size and appearance of my camera, I was presumed to be a journalist and press photographer so was given access to the president.  Security was tight and scanners were set up at the end of the red carpet.  A Turkish dignitary, who was a guest speaker, came with a huge entourage of security people, after a nearby diamond shopping spree.  When we entered the area for the gala dinner, there was an army of waiters standing at attention throughout the large ballroom.

Throughout the two-day convention we learned things relative to our assignment in providing career and self-employment training opportunities.  Unemployment, under-employment and failed business endeavors all run exceptionally high in this country and throughout most of the continent.

During the interludes of presentations, we walked through the nicely landscaped grounds and enjoyed some of the abundant beauty the Lord created here.  We enjoyed a nature walk and meandered along trails that lead through trees, flowers and waterfalls.  We encountered several varieties of fair feathered friends.  One was particularly “foul!”  We learned not to assume that a beautiful swan princess was safe to court.  When I moved close to the water to capture a photo, her long neck jetted out of the water and bit me on the shin.  They looked so serene floating along the pond that I was completed aghast at the surprise attack of “foul” play.  No more mister nice guy.  Apparently, they are very territorial.  I have had close encounters with lions, cheetahs and other beasts of prey but never imagined I’d be attacked by a swan!  Better watch your back when you cross the moat into Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

The highlight of the experience was having people come up and ask about the church and having opportunities to respond to their questions.  When we drove through the security gates of the property, one of the guards read our nametags and said, “Elder Basso, do you have something for me to read about your church?”  We said, “Yes!”  Then we pulled into the VIP waiting space to retrieve a Book of Mormon from the boot (trunk).  I told him that the book was another testament of Jesus Christ and that it contained a history of early Americans and God’s dealings with them.  I testified that the amazing thing about the book was that it is true.  In keeping with traditional African respect, he nodded his head with an arm placed across his chest and said, “Thank you, Baba.  Leave your car here and I will watch it.”   Thankfully, he did - as I forgot to close my window!  That’s an oversight you can’t afford to make in this crime-ridden country. 

All in all, it was an interesting opportunity to break from the norm, meet new people, visit the Gallagher Estate and be their guests.

Beyond “till death do us part”

Some blessings are so magnificent that words cannot express the joy they bring into our hearts and souls.  Such a blessed experience came quite unexpectedly to me in the holy temple.

The sounds of celebration and the anticipation of getting in on a birthday cake brought several searching souls to our workshop classroom.  As we visited with those who had joined the gathering, our attention was drawn to a kind man from Angola.  He had made the long trip to Johannesburg to claim the blessings of eternal marriage.  He shared his heartrending story that struggled to emerge through stuttered dialogue and deliberate English shrouded in a thick accent influenced by Portuguese and mixed with tribal dialects.

His story began when he determined that it was time to find a good woman and get married.  An invitation was extended to him to correspond with a beautiful and pleasant young woman who had sacrificed to serve a mission and was thought to be an outstanding choice for a wife.  The two of them corresponded and enjoyed a growing friendship.  No photographs were exchanged because physical impressions were thought to be of less value than spiritual ones.  Eventually, the man went to Mozambique to meet his new, long-distance friend and see if there was an interest in pursuing a deeper friendship between them.  Upon arriving in the country, the man was presented with an entire line of women to meet.

The beautiful friend remained anonymous and unbeknown to one another they determined that they would be introduced solely by the Spirit.  They had faith enough to believe that God would reveal them to one another if it was meant for them to marry.  The man shook all of the hands as he worked his way down the row of women.  He felt nothing.  The beautiful friend stood quietly at the end of the line awaiting her turn for his handshake.  When their eyes met and their hands touched, a surge of the spirit passed between then and confirmed their destiny.  The gentle touch triggered a connection of hearts and they both knew that they would be connected forever.  It was “love at first sight.”  They were married the next day!

The man soon took his beautiful bride to Angola to begin their happy life together.  They had an immediate love for one another and felt theirs was a union made in heaven.  Every night he would tell his sweetheart, “You are the best thing in the world!”  She would respond with, “You are the best man in the world.”

Shortly after arriving in their Angola home, the beloved bride was exposed to Malaria and fell ill.  It was a different and more deadly variety than she might have experienced in her homeland.  As she grew weaker and began to lose her battle with the dreaded disease, she requested that she be taken back to her homeland for burial.  When the heart that her “Prince Charming” had won with pure love quit beating, she took her last breath and closed her eyes on mortality.  Their few weeks together bonded their love and sealed their desire to be eternal companions.

The heartbroken husband took his lifeless bride back to Mozambique to her grieving family.  His beloved 25 year-old bride was laid to rest.  Hope in the resurrection was the man’s only comfort.  They never imagined that “‘till death do us part” would come so quickly and terminate their fairytale romance. 

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the man knew that holy temples housed eternal possibilities.  He learned that by making and keeping sacred, eternal covenants, loved ones could be reunited beyond the grave.  Jesus broke the bands of death by being the first to be resurrected, thus opening the opportunity for all of Heavenly Father’s children to re-inhabit their early tabernacles and live eternally.  However, marriages that are sealed with the words “‘til death do us part” end at death and are not in force in the life after death.  Post-mortal promises are pronounced by those having the authorization to do so in the holy temples.  Since our temples are not yet in Angola or Mozambique where priesthood powers can perform those ordinances, the man came to Johannesburg seeking such blessings.  On the morrow, he would participate in an eternal marriage ceremony performed with a proxy acting for and in behalf of his beloved wife.  An Angolan mission president’s wife was selected to act as proxy for the man’s wife.  

As a devout temple worker, I was dismayed to have lost my credential to serve in the holy temple.  I had searched everywhere and could not imagine what had happened to that treasured temple recommendation document.  I had searched my bag on several occasions and twice had dumped all the contents onto my bed searching for the recommend to no avail.  It was my desire to witness the inspiring ceremony where this faithful man would participate in a brief ceremony that would extend his marriage from “‘till death do us part” to “for time and for all eternity.”  Without the card identifying me as a member in good standing, I would not be admitted into the holy temple and would not be able to share those sacred moments.  It seemed a bit selfish to want to be there but I had a strong feeling that I should be there.

When we arrived at work the next morning I began to lament the lost blessing of sharing in the man’s joyful and anticipated temple union.  I opened by bag to retrieve a note and there was my temple recommend lying right on top of my bag.  I snatched it and pressed it between the palms of my hands while whispering, “Thank you, Father in Heaven.”

In just moments I had walked through the lush forested area between our office and the temple and emerged into the shadow of that sacred edifice.  Not waiting for the elevator (lift) I rushed up the long flight of stairs to the entrance.  My recommend was electronically scanned and I was admitted into the elegant beauty of the Lord’s House.  I was ushered into the lovely room where eternal marriages are performed.  It is called a sealing room because couples are sealed together forever and families can be united for eternity.  Resplendent chandeliers radiated ambient light.  Tastefully appointed furnishings invited comfortable contemplation.  I sat quietly and waited.  It felt good to leave the hustle and bustle of mortal mania and ponder peacefully in such tranquil settings. 

An ordinance worker dressed in white entered the room and asked me to step out into the hallway.  “The President’s wife that was going to be the proxy in the sealing session is not here,” she said.  “Would you like to be the proxy for the bride during the wedding ceremony?”  I quickly became arrayed in spotless white clothing and was taken to a beautiful room to wait for the appropriate time.  Having sensed the presence of the spirit of the deceased bride, I whispered ever so softly calling her by name, “I am here for you.”  She let her presence be known to me.  I wept.  Perhaps she had the very assignment of putting my recommend on the top of my bag as I was later told, “It was meant to be.”  The tears continued as I joined with the man to participate in the sacred words that would unite that bright and beautiful black couple for all time and eternity.  We sealed the moment with a heartfelt “ebony and ivory” handshake.  After a tearful hug, we parted company.

The spiritual surge of that singular event continued to penetrate my heart throughout the day.  The amazing blessing of the Lord’s goodness in providing eternal blessings for His children could not escape my mind.  My thoughts returned time and again to the sacred magnificence of that experience that provided a glimpse into eternal joy.  I returned in thought to our own beautiful moment in the Hawaiian Temple when we became eternal companions.  I recalled the wedding celebration with family and friends in the beautiful Basso backyard overlooking the spectacular views from Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor.  Later, we flew off into the sunset for a honeymoon trip to Kauai.  We have enjoyed 43 years of marriage.  This deserving young couple got few more than 43 days.

My heart went out to this young widower left to ponder the wonders of eternity . . . alone.  I went to the Temple Patron Housing Manager and left enough Rands (African money) for him to enjoy dinner and ice cream to celebrate the day of his eternal marriage or “sealing” to his wife.  Later I gave him a small gift in a special temple bag, took a photo and said, “Goodbye.”  He returned to Angola with the reassurance that their hearts will be knit together forever.  I don’t expect to see him again in mortality but I hope to see their two smiling faces in heaven.  It was such an honor and blessing to help facilitate this sweet union and to do something for someone who was not present to do it for herself.  It represents one of the choicest opportunities for service imaginable.  It is truly a “win win” situation and does nothing to deny free agency!  The choice to solidify and extend a marriage beyond death is solely left to the discretion of those involved.  Eternal possibilities are just that – sealing ordinances that allow a choice that would otherwise not be made available.

There is order in the Lord’s work and the payments required to receive his grace and blessings are clean hands and a pure heart.   Psalms 24 declares, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord or who shall stand in his holy place?  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive the blessings from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

I testify that sealing powers have been restored to the earth and that by obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel all mankind may be saved from isolation and loneliness.  I join with The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and “solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”

Off-Roading at Mokolodi

After several days of non-stop work, we took a detour through a small, almost uninhabited game reserve.  We should have realized it wasn’t a big draw by the absence of fellow passengers on the 4WD safari truck.  The roads were nearly impassable at times, the animals were few and far between and the heavens were weeping on and off.  Otherwise, it was a bit of an adventure for two exhausted missionaries.

Here are some lowlights.  There weren’t many highlights.  I did, however, pet a snake for the first time, and hopefully last time, and lived to tell about it.  I opted out of having it crawl around my neck.  That said, I never cease to be amazed at the Lord’s amazing creations.

Once There Was a Snowman

For some it was a chance in a lifetime!  For all, it was an extremely rare occurrence to witness snowfall in Johannesburg, South Africa.  According to a news report there have only been five other days of snowfall since the 1950’s.  The people working in the Area Offices rushed outside to experience the winter wonderland.  The missionaries from Utah were not impressed but those of us from warm climates enjoyed the lacey white covering on the trees and flowers.  We even gathered up enough snow to create a tiny snowman, complete with a carrot nose.  The enchantment didn’t last long but it provided some magical moments.  Many of the local people had never seen snow.  Many of our fellow Americans were experiencing 100 degree heat waves in many parts of the US at the same time so that made the snow all the more sensational.  Not long after capturing the attention of an excited audience, only enchanting memories survived . . . and a carrot on the ground.  For, eventually, “IN THE SUN HE MELTED . . . SMALL, SMALL, SMALL.”

FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER

With passports in tow we headed north to cross the border into Botswana.  When we arrived, we met with impressively amazing Bishop Matswagothata to plan our meeting with a member of the Labour and Home Affairs Ministry and to determine how we could be of service to the young adult groups in Gaborone.  The next day Bishop Matswagothata drove us to meet with the government official he had set an appointment with.  We were honored to meet the Director of the Department of the National Internship Programme. 
We gave our presentation on employment resources and showed her the Career Workshop book and Career Fair slide show I produced.  She was favorably impressed with the church program to help empower prospective employees and business owners and invited us to teach 4000 college graduates throughout the country.  WOW!

 
On the following day, Elder Basso trained Ward/Branch Councils in the Gaborone District.  He taught the concepts from Elder Ballard’s Book on “Counseling with Our Councils” and reviewed Julie Beck’s talk “Why We Are Organized into Quorums and Relief Societies.”  There were about 60+ leaders in attendance and favorable feedback was received.  We also taught an abbreviated Career/Self-Employment Workshop.  We used the Botswana shield to introduce the personal shield exercise in the lesson book.  Here is a drawing one of the students made on the blackboard from memory as she explained what it meant.  We thought it was pretty impressive even if one of the zebras only had one leg to stand on!

Here is the actual Coat of Arms/Shield.

The coat of arms of Botswana was adopted on January 25, 1966. The center shield is supported by two zebras. The shape of the shield is that of traditional shields found in East Africa. On the top portion of the shield are three cogwheels that represent industry.  The three waves symbolize water, and remind the viewer of the motto of the nation: pula, which means simply "rain", but also good luck, and is the name of the nation's currency. This motto also highlights the importance of water to Botswana. The motto is found at the bottom of the coat of arms on a blue banner.  At the bottom of the shield is the head of a bull, which symbolizes the importance of cattle herding to Botswana. The two zebras are present since zebras are an important part of Botswana's wildlife. The zebra on the right holds an ear of sorghum, an important crop in the nation. The zebra on the left holds a tusk of ivory, symbolic of the former ivory trade in Botswana.

Some of the Self-Employment Workshop participants

We attended the YSA Ward meetings and spoke at a YSA fireside gathering in the afternoon and concluded with the Career Fair Slide Show and a question and answer session.  There were about a hundred or more young adults in attendance.  What a spiritual feast we had with those energetic young people!

Several of the students from the workshop wanted to counsel with Elder Basso about their business plans.  To accommodate them, we booked appointments all morning at our hotel and spent time with those who wanted individual attention.  They appreciated the new insights and ideas learned as we advised them to “think outside the box” and be creative in showcasing their business ideas in ways to attract both business clients and investors.  We concluded all of our teaching moments with testimonies and words of encouragement.  We reminded them to draw upon the powers of heaven because God wants them to be successful and will help them reach their goals and dreams. 

Coming to our hotel for “last minute” individual coaching.

We said our goodbyes to our new-found friends and headed south of the border over the potholes and through the woods to our “home away from home” in South Africa.

CLASS ACT

It was an honor to photograph a tour of the Church Offices here in Johannesburg by South African government leaders.  The main African leader is considered to have a similar role in government to the US “Speaker of the House.”  He was a Fulbright Scholar and has a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.  It was a pleasure to see how interested he was in learning about our church programs and seeing how they can bless the lives of his fellow countrymen.  The entourage of government dignitaries was especially impressed with the Family History Center and noted an African proverb on the wall there that says, “Every time an old man dies, it is as if a library burns down.”   He asked if I could help him record his oral history.  Other impressive areas of interest involved the church’s teachings regarding personal preparation in the areas of education, financial needs, social skills, spiritual matters, family priorities and emergency food, safety and medical needs.  They were shown the leadership pattern used by the church that directs us to follow the pattern set by the Savior.  It brought personal satisfaction to note that the wall of one of the church offices was filled with portraits I had taken, a magazine the guests were given had a photo I had taken inside the front and back covers and their tote bags were a personal project of mine that displayed a temple image that Melia and Heather designed from a photograph I captured. 

When the tour came to the Employment Resource Center where we work, we were happy to explain the resources and workshops available to help people better prepare for employment, self-employment and self-reliance. Our traditional family values seemed to be appreciated by all of our VIP guests.

At the conclusion of the tour, I was given “10 seconds” to do a group portrait.  Then I thanked the guests, invited them to return again and headed back to my office.  The main leader called me back and said, “You have spent all of this time and effort taking photographs of us.  Now please let us take a photo with you.”  What a “class act,” I thought, especially considering their time constraints.  Kindness impresses me much more than high-powered positions, wealth or degrees of education.  Sensitivity, thoughtfulness and living the “Golden Rule” can prosper a people and bless humanity.  Pride can destroy.  Being a “class act” seems like a good way to act.