Tom feels we have been neglecting our Port Elizabeth elders so we will attend Zone Meeting with them on Friday. They continue to do community service by taking care of the garden at the Lorraine Frail Care Center. We have stopped by there a couple of times. The first time I chided the kitchen staff for not harvesting the produce--the lettuce and greens were going to waste and this is supposed to be a joint project. I told the caretakers they needed to check on the garden regularly. The last time we stopped by all the melons were dead. They had not been watered, despite the fact that I had spent 300 rand on a a spray nozzle and the connectors needed for the hose the Bannisters donated. We discovered that someone had cheerfully "harvested" our new nozzle so we will have to purchase another one. Still our faithful elders continue to weed and keep up the garden there.
We contacted them to find out if there was anything they needed. We purchased the items and handed them out before Zone meeting began. Luckily all eight were there. We enjoyed getting acquainted to the new elders. Elder Critchfield and Elder Vernon conducted. They brought greetings from President Wood. If we truly desire to serve what are we willing to give up? Are we serving with our whole might, mind, and strength? We left at 12:00 noon in order to pack up, have lunch and get to Grahamstown to teach Institute at 4:00 p.m.
We had asked Alan Bamford, a branch member, to take care of the four Grahamstown elders in our absence. He is doing a good job. When Tom delivered someone to the township he discovered that a wallet had been left in the car. So he took it back to the township and gave it to the parents of the man he had just delivered there. Turns out it was not his wallent but Elder Von Brughan's. The missionary had left it in our car while doing service at the Thomas farm. The missionaries kept calling but the man never answered. Alan contacted the man's employer and he brought the wallet back. Everything was there including Van Brughan's driver's license, his money and his credit cards.
We will return to Grahamstown on Friday as I am teaching Institute at 4:00 p.m. and there is a missionary correlation meeting at 7:30. The big problem is that the Elder's Quorum president who normally conducts that meeting has gone inactive. He has not been attending any meetings. He told the missionaries that he is moving to Port Alfred but they keep seeing him around town. Saturday the presidency is going to visit Brother Bazada, a member who is in jail.
Tom reports that he works in the prison kitchen. He will be up for parole in18 months. His wife and daughters, ages 5 and 12, live an hour and a half walk from the church building and so are unable to attend.
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