Reflections. . . .

Africa and her people have certainly left footprints on our hearts. We will never be quite the same again. We will reflect on this wonderful experience for many years to come. We'll remember, with fondness, the almost 800 missionaries we were blessed to know and share time with.

We will think on the many challenges the Africans were faced with when they listened to the missionaries and embraced the gospel. Some were disowned by parents, many were persecuted by family and friends, but they persevered and stood strong in spite of all the opposition. They found a new "family" and new friends and a different lifestyle that brought them a peace they had never experienced before. Their lives were forever changed and they were so anxious and willing to share that new found happiness with others.

We watched missionaries come from all over the world and find "brothers" and "sisters" in the MTC that they will never forget. Relationships they will treasure for a lifetime as they learned to love and respect each other's culture, background, and tradition.

We will never forget the time we spent in the temple with many of the African Elders as they received their own endowments and then to be able to also do the endowments for their parents and grandparents and witness the sealing of them to each other. Several African missionaries were also sealed to their parents and it was a very sweet experience not only for them, but for the rest of us as well.

We loved seeing Brother Mark Mocke, our MTC Manager, interact with the missionaries and help them to have fun when it was time to have fun. He will always be famous for his jokes and riddles and games. He established a rule that if anyone left their chair out at the dining room table they had to sing a Primary song. We heard a lot of Primary songs! He also loved to challenge them to a game of ping pong. In eight years there were only a few that could beat him.

Mark is also a powerful teacher and an inspiration to the missionaries and they learn much from him and are motivated by his leadership.

We came to recognize and appreciate all that goes into helping a young man or woman make choices in their lives that lead to his/her becoming a missionary. The love, example, encouragement, and teaching of not only parents, but family, leaders, friends, Bishops, Branch Presidents, Stake Presidents, and others. Then as they enter the MTC to have wonderful teachers, to have the love and support and wisdom of a tremendous Area Presidency and Seventy, to enjoy the helping hand of so many amazing temple workers and senior couples, as well as those dear family history people who come to the MTC and help the missionaries trace their ancestry so they can do the work for many of them while they are here.

We will always have a soft spot in our hearts for those who cooked and cleaned for us at the MTC. They were friendly and kind and their smiles were infectious. Most would have to get up at 4:00 in the morning, leave their homes by 5:00 walking 15 minutes to the train. They would then ride the train for 45 minutes, switch to a different train and ride another 45 minutes and then walk for 30 more minutes to get to the MTC.

Another plus for us was meeting and interacting with so many wonderful couples that served in South Africa. We enjoyed having family home evenings together, going out to dinner, and shopping at the African markets. These couples became dear friends that we will always be grateful for.

We were fortunate to be able to travel when the MTC was closed down for deep cleaning and repairs. We visited the beautiful seaside, saw the incredible Drakensburg Mountains, toured the wine country, and enjoyed a few fantastic safaris in the bush. Africa is beautiful! A huge percentage of her people will never see any of what we did. That makes our hearts sad.

We were amazed at how talented the African people are with their hands. They can take a piece of tin, a block of wood, some beads, paper, fabric, banana leaves, tree roots, or plastic, and turn it into something beautiful. Everything we bought was handcrafted by the Africans, never did we see "Made in China."

Most of all, we feel a deep gratitude to our Father in Heaven for giving us the opportunity to serve in the South Africa MTC. We look back and recognize how our testimonies were strengthened, our knowledge of the gospel enhanced, and our love for the Savior grew even deeper.

We felt the Lord's helping hand every day as we tried to be an influence for good and a righteous example to the missionaries. He guided and inspired us as we taught them and tried to help them focus on what matters most.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Joseph Smith is the Prophet who restored it back to the earth in these latter days. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and goes hand in hand with the Bible. Thomas S. Monson is a living Prophet who, under the Father's direction, teaches and guides us today. For this we will be forever grateful.