We're Back !!!

We're alive and well, and settling into our new assignment in Port Alfred. But it's been a frustrating couple of months having only very limited access to the Internet, and hence, not being able to write in our blog. One thing we are learning here in Africa is patience.

Back in March, we were asked by the Area Presidency if we would be willing to serve in the Church's Cape Town Mission. The Mission had lost several Senior Couple Missionaries, and they desperately needed help in several areas. We first though we would help out in the Mission Office, but it turned out that the greatest need was here in Port Alfred, where they asked if I would serve as the President of the small Branch here. For my non-LDS friends, a Branch is a very small congragation, and a Branch President is is in a sense, the Branch Pastor. Where the members of a Branch are relatively new in the Church, and have had little experience in the workings and procedures of the Church, Missionaries are often asked to serve temporarily in leadership positions. Our little Branch has about 60 members, mostly recent converts from the black township adjacent to Port Alfred. Our chapel is a rented store-front, but has been nicely converted to to serve our nee

Port Alfred is a coastal community of about 25,000 residents, and is located about 500 miles
east of Cape Town on the Indian Ocean. It is mainly a retirement and resort destination for
the European whites here in South Africa. The Royal Alfred Golf Club is one of the reasons many like to retire here. It is a magnificent "links" type golf course overlooking the ocean, and is famous for the large herd of wild game that graze on the course.

We are particularly blessed to have a beautiful apartment right on the beach. On warm nights, we can open our bedroom door to the deck and hear the waves all night. And in
the mooring, we can head for the beck for a good walk.

We feel very blesses to be here.