Brother  and Sister Van Orman took us to the airport.  He is a master at tying trunks and luggage so tight it doesn't budge even though the trunk is wide open!  

 Here we are waiting in the Airport at Johannesburg. Someone forgot we were coming - it was an oversight, but after three hours of thinking they would show up any minute, we got some South African money,  bought a phone and called them.  They felt so bad, but all was well.

 They put us up in the beautiful Sunnyside Hotel and we got some great sleep.  The 30 hour plane ride wasn't bad and we did fine as far as jet lag was concerned.  The ride from the airport was 400.  Thankfully not $, but in Rand.

 Our training was in the LDS complex in Johannesburg.  The Temple is on the same property.  We get to go there again in May and go through the temple!

 Our next destination was Lubumbashi to meet our mission President and his wife the McMullins.  We had a nice visit and met some great missionaries - including one sister who had served in Richmond with Deanna and Gerald.

 Finally HOME!  This is our Apartment in Bujumbura, Burundi.  It is a two story house, but we have only the ground level.  There are four wonderful young missionaries who live upstairs.  They have their own entrance.

 We went to Uvira in the Congo with the Cahoons and the Neeleys and met with the Branch President there.  He is an amazing man.  He held the church in that part of the Congo together through difficult times when Missionaries could not be sent there.

 These are a few street scenes.  It is a very bustling busy place.

 Here is our apartment which is located about a block from the US Embassy.

 Meet Remy.  He is our guard, gardener, helper.   He is so cute and nice.  He speaks Kurundi, little French, and no English.  I am teaching him a word at a time.  He runs to open and close the gate for us when we drive in and out.  He washes the truck every day and mops the floor.  He makes 90,000 a month.  No, not $ but Francs.  That means about $60.  We try to give him more for extra things he does. There are many big homes like this and they all have a guard.  Most of them make less than Remy.  He has a wife and I think 2 kids who live in a village.  He stays here 24/7.  Except he has been coming to church. He may go home for three days occasionally. When he is gone, the gate is locked and we just have to open it ourselves.  That hasn't happened yet.  I call him Magic.  He seems to sense when we are coming. 

 These two elders with the Neeleys are so talented!  When they sing, it makes you cry!

 We went to see a latrine project at a school.  The kids came and crowded around us two old white folks, but when I brought out a camera, they all turned and ran. We have six latrine projects underway at schools here in Bujumbura.  Below are the men responsible for building and supervising the projects.

I love this!  These are two members, about the same age.  The one on the right is the branch President of one of our three branches.