Our original assignment last mission was to the Johannesburg South Africa Temple. We served here 9 months before being reassigned. I like this picture because of the jacaranda tree in the foreground. They are huge trees with a profusion of the most beautiful purple flowers. Jacaranda bloom in November (that's in the spring in the southern hemisphere) and we will see them in bloom soon after we arrive this time. Jacaranda are not native to South Africa, being originally from Australia, but they have been widely planted throughout South Africa. When the blooms fall they create an amazing purple carpet on the ground.
During this assignment we worked with and became friends with many couples from South Africa. Many of these we consider among our dearest friends. These couples introduced us to the history, beauty and culture of their country. And most of all they helped us understand an English language quite different from our own. Their English is spiced with Afrikaans (a dutch based language) and many native dialect words. Through them we learned to love South Africa not as tourists but as accepted members of their community. We are looking forward to renewing theses friendships.
As you look at this photo our new office will be located on the other side of temple but down below it on the edge of a hill. There is a large secure compound down there with many offices but more about that in a future post.
No comments:
Post a Comment