FHE with the Makasi's and the Mdlestshe's

Look who I found at my front door on Monday night, September 22nd! We are so fortunate to have the Makasi family and the Mdletche Family as new friends in South Africa. We were so happy they accepted our invitation to come over and share a Family Home Evening with us and let us meet all the children and the families.

As the kids took to ping pong and exploring the mission home, President Dunn visited with our two area seventies for the church here in South Africa. Both Elder Makasi and Elder Mdlesche are making a great impact with their professional work as Seminary and Institute Directors, and in addition they balance their callings as they serve in such an important ecclesiastical leadership. The Makasi's moved their family this year from Zimbabwe to South Africa to be able to fulfill the daily work.  We feel so lucky to work in the same complex beside them and to rub shoulders in many capacities. So, tonight it was time to bring their beautiful families together and get better acquainted.  We hope we can gather often with them during our three years here.

After dinner we enjoyed a Family Home Evening Lesson on Missionary Work and being "Fishers of Men."  We read scriptures from the bible in Luke and got a lot of great participation from the kids.  Then we played a "Go Fish" game that was a big hit. Everyone wanted to play and I think this game will come out again.  (It is funny to me that I am using games and lessons I made years ago when our kids were little.  Many of my friends at home gathered together each month and collectively made and shared FHE family lessons. They bring back great memories and are fun to be able to use again.  I also use these visual aids to tell stories to my little grandkiddos through Face Timing!)

 

It was fun to celebrate a birthday and get to cut cake for everyone.  We called home and sang to our daughter in law Whitney, since her birthday is the same day. Our little 3 year old grand-daughter, Madison, was intrigued as we wished her mom a happy birthday, that we were having a birthday party and had little children her age at our South Africa house. Go figure!

As the night ended, we all commented on what a great blessing it has been to gather our families together and have nights where we spend time together, have a lesson and message and then a treat.  Family Home Evening was instituted in 1915 by President Joseph Fielding Smith.  What a blessing to have this inspired directive part of the guidance and direction families receive in a time when it is sorely needed.