Final Day-Soweto Tour

Soweto Tour-Final Day with Departing Dozen

Tuesday February 17, 2015

Following the transfer meeting, we loaded the departed elders into a taxi (actually the mission van) but we put all 12 into the back to resemble the taxi’s in South Africa. They took a 15 minute drive into the heart of Soweto, the largest township in South Africa for a final tour on their final day.

Loaded, and I mean loaded in the van. Three Elders had to ride in the very back. 

We invited Elder Mtetelele Sidzatane to join with us as our tour guide. 
 
Sidz is a returned missionary from the SAJM and actually married another fellow missionary (the SAJM had sister missionaries in days past) Sidz provided a great background and history of the area and events that paved the way for missionaries to be serving here today.

We stopped first at the Hector Pieterson museum to honor the past and the history that is part of this area. Elders had a chance to see for the final time the place they served in light of the history. Sidz did a great job tying this to the mission experience.

We came out of the museum and had a final “kota” which is a local sandwich made of a quarter of a loaf of bread, filled with all kinds of healthy and not so healthy foods, like salami, chips, egg, cheese, veggies, etc. Kota’s are filling and definitely apart of the mission experience here.

Next we visited the Nelson Mandela house and were reminded of his amazing struggles and successes here in South Africa. Madiba, as Mandela is known, is so beloved here. His Christlike attributes have really revered him to the people of South Africa and to the world. Desmond Tutu had a house right around the corner and offered advice and friendship to Mandela during their lifetimes.

Some of our missionaries continued to use these opportunities ot teach and find.

Nice to have President Dunn on the tour. He seemed to enjoy all the aspects, even the Kota!

We returned to the mission home and had a last Braai with burgers and pap and some chocolate chip cookies and then prepared for our airport run for 8 of the Elders heading to North America tonight.

It was nice to relax, eat a little something and then weigh bags and get ready for our first of three airport runs. Everyone goes along initially, because saying good-bye is a big deal!!

  We even had visitors show up at the house to say good-bye to our beloved Elders.

It was fun to try a new final day activity. We had previously gone to the Apartheid Museum on our way to the airport. So, this was fresh and relaxing to do something different. Elder Stephens appreciated I think, because he had been to Apartheid Museum too many times to count!:)  Thanks Sidz for making this tour and final day so meaningful.