Friday, September 7, 2012

Stake Conference - September 2nd


    We just returned from Stake Conference where Elder Dubei of the Seventy announced our new stake presidency.  President Palmer, now released, is the son of a white Afrikanner who was converted to the gospel thirty years ago.  He has led the stake for the past thirteen years. The new stake president is President Neku, a Black who served as his second counselor.

    President Neku has a young family.  His daughter is about two.  He pointed out that we have a multicultural stake and that we should focus on loving each other as well as loving our nonmember neighbors.  We should be doing temple work as we preach the gospel and strengthen our families.
His first counselor is Elder Parker, a White Afrikanner from P.E. Ward who has served as bishop. 
His second counselor is a Brown of Indian descent, from Cleary Branch.  Elder Dubei is a Black from Zimbabwe who was called to the Area Presidency when he was made a Seventy at April Conference, 2012.  He is a former bishop and stake president.

The Fowers are the missionary couple from East London .  They drove down for conference and we will be staying in their guest flat during the month of September.  We spent the evening packing.  The lady next door has agreed to water my flowers while we are gone.  She was rather horrified when I told her another missionary couple will be staying in our flat from September 22nd and 23rd. Guess this is not normally done here.

    The Zone Conference was most inspiring.  President Wood explained the origin of the term “mantle of  authority”. It’s from 2nd Kings, Chapter 2.  President Cook asked all the bishops and wives in the stake to come up and stand before the congregation.  He pointed out that like the new stake president, some are young. The oldest was President Bray who is the Bishop of Utenhage Ward and is in his eighties. White Afrikanner bishops lead the Lorraine and Port Elizabeth Ward--Bishop Spear and Bishop Van Rooyen.   We were touched by a comment which was made by the new stake president.  He said, “If the gospel can turn a poor black boy from a township in Port Elizabeth into the president of a stake, then it has to be true.”

  

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