A trip to "The White House"

Ever heard of jet lag? After our day of travel yesterday (...or was it, the day before???) across ten timezones, Linda and I both has a bad case of it. Arriving in Johannesburg the night before we immediately jumped on the local time zone, ate dinner and then went to bed. We slept well, but then woke up wide awake at four in the morning. We tried to get back to sleep, but to no avail. So we went out to exercise and were treated to an epic African sunrise. 

Our day was spent at the "White House," the compound which houses both the Johannesburg Temple and the Africa-Southeast Area Offices. We were there with the three other newly called Africa mission presidents and their wives for a day of training from Elder Cook and Elder Hamilton. It was really well done and went very well until the early afternoon when, following a great meal, the jet lag hit everyone. That became painfully obvious to Elder Cook who wisely (and mercifully) condensed the training segments as we each took turns standing to avoid falling asleep. That said, it was a lot of great information on topics such as finances, member districts, mental health, missionary recommendations (...BTW, more than 450 South African missionaries from our area this year alone have gone out to other places in the world) security and how to make a successful transition with the existing president (which happens Monday morning). We ended the evening with a great dinner at Mike's kitchen, and no I didn't cook.

Following all this great training we are so ready to go to work and just can't wait to meet our missionaries. We really have a strong sense of what remarkable men they are, and can't wait to join them next week and begin in earnest to help bring this vital message of truth and salvation to this amazing land. Oh and, thank you so much for your prayers. We need them and can feel them.

Photo op just before lunch at "The White House." Seated front row (L to R) are Elder and Sister Cook, Elder and Sister Hamilton. On the back row are (L to R) President and Sister Thomas (from Canada) who are going to the Congo, The Dunn's, President  and Sister Monga (from the Congo) who are going to a newly created mission called the Congo Brazzaville Mission, and President and Sister Merrell (from Tucson) who are going to Cape Town.

The "White House" is a historic home that sits on a bluff overlooking Johannesburg. It houses the Area Presidency, and is as stunning on the inside as it is on the outside.

Okay, we know we look jet lagged, but we are also pretty jazzed about our assignment. Here we are on the grounds of the "White House" enjoying the brisk air of a mid-winter day in South Africa.

Lest you think I slipped in a picture from my mission in Hawaii, no, this is Africa.
This beautiful Koi pond is on the grounds of the Area Office which is right next to
the Johannesburg Temple.

Sorry, couldn't resist. It's not my kitchen, but it sure was incredible food. As is everything we have tasted so far. Fav foods? The fresh fish, fruits and vegetables.