Today, like everyday in our mission, has passed in a blur. We are now residing in Richards Bay, a city along the Indian Ocean about 100 miles north of Durban. We attended Sunday services today in Port Durnford, the branch we’ve been assigned to work in, and had an unforgettable day. The acting branch president, whom we picked up and drove to the meeting house, asked us to spend a few minutes during sacrament meeting introducing ourselves and bearing our testimonies. That was great. Immediately after the meeting, the president looked at us and said, “Will you please teach Sunday school to our young men and young women? I know you haven’t had time to prepare, but let the spirit guide you, and everything will work out alright.” So we taught, and everything did work out alright. We then went to our respective Priesthood and Relief Society meetings, and guess what I was asked to do when I entered the Priesthood room? Yes, teach the Priesthood lesson. All of this was taking place in a drafty wood building with everyone huddled close together and shivering due to the unusually cold weather we’re experiencing. Along with the cold temperatures, have come high winds and heavy rains so everyone was cold and wet and semi-miserable. 

Slowly, we’re making progress in learning how to get around and be of more help than hinderance to the people we meet. I’m becoming more confident with driving, but I’m still white knuckled following any time behind the wheel. Driving on the left side of the road is the least of my problems right now. It’s the pot holes the size of trucks we randomly encounter while going 70 mph that are the current challenge. And far more concerning than that, are the taxi drivers we have to continually watch out for. They spontaneously make up new “rules of the road” whenever they feel like it. I count it a miracle every time we make it home alive following one of our driving events.

We absolutely love everything we’re doing on our mission and wouldn’t trade places with anyone. We’re engaged in the work, we’re meeting wonderful people, and we’re part of an incredible team doing our best to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a land as big and mysterious and wonderful as can be imagined.