This past week we had a visit from the Garrick Shupe family. Chelsea, Harrison and Cannon joined us in Africa for 8 days. They left 3 year old Stevie with Grandma Cindy in San Clemente, California.

They arrived on Monday and early Tuesday we were on the road to Kruger Park to see some African animals. This picture was taken near a watering hole near Baobab Ridge our safari headquarters.

The African Cape Buffalo is one mean guy. Very unpredictable, which makes him very dangerous.  This fellow kept his eye on us the entire time we slowly passed.

Cannon found what was left of an impala. I think the lions licked the bones clean. Cannon wanted to bring the antler home but we told him he might be stopped and arrested at the airport. 

Late on the 2nd day in the bush we came across two sleeping male lions. Remember what I told you about waking a sleeping lion? Well, we wanted to get a better view of these two, so Jason our driver, moved the Land Rover around to the other side of the bushes. 

The Land Rover's engine noise, awakened them. As we came around the bush one male was looking right at me and Chelsea. Both of us felt our hearts leap. 

Now is that a yawn or is he just showing me those little incisors? 

Harry and I heading down a bush road on safari.

The Garrick Shupe family on safari in Africa. We really love these guys. 

These Cape Buffalo were also pretty restless.

A baby elephant waived hello to Harry and Cannon.

Heading down the road we came across two spotted Hyena's. Many consider these guys scavengers but they actually kill 95% of what they eat. And they've been known to run off leopards and lions from their kills. You don't want to mess with a pack of Hyenas. 

Speaking of messing with African animals. Chelsea Shupe also had a close encounter with this female elephant. Our driver didn't see the elephant until we were right next to her. The elephant's ears are back and she's ready to charge. We all held our breathe.

Harry and Cannon with David and Jason our friends at Baobab Ridge.

Cape Water Buffalo getting a drink. They're always looking at you.

To get to Kruger Park from Johannesburg it is necessary to drive over the Drakenberg Mountains. The scenery is spectacular.  With my next post I'll show you the pictures of our trip to Cape Town to dive with the Great White Sharks. In the future, if Great Whites are in the water, I'm not going to be surfing.

Mom and I attended the Johannesburg Youth Conference over the weekend. Friday night Mom was busy blowing up balloons for the evening's dance.

Saturday morning activities included throwing chalk bombs at each other. If you were hit, you were out. 

Only a few were left when I took this picture.

Other activities included making animal pulls for a local animal shelter.

Here are some of the scratch poles made for lion cubs.

It's always good when you've got a professional involved in the manufacturing process.

A physical training workout didn't go over too well. Trying to stay in a push-up position for over a minute was a little difficult after Friday night's dance.

Mom gave one of the workshops on, "How to Give Effective Talks." The site of the conference was a Youth Camp about 45 minutes north of Jo'burg.

Mom never misses an opportunity to teach. This is a picture of Mom with the 4 Cosmo City Branch missionaries. Elders Tekaria, Fiji, Whitesides, Utah, Henderson, England and Holloway from Washington. We had an open invitation to these missionaries that should they ever get to the Area Office, we would take them to lunch. Well, 2 weeks ago they came into the office. While they waited for me to wrap up some legal work, Mom sat them down and gave them last week's Institute lesson which they had missed. We then took them to Nando's for some chicken.

This is the Church's Service Center in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is an old colonial home which the Church has converted into office space.

This is the entrance to the Service Center. Bryan Jackson, Area Legal Counsel, was my traveling companion for this 8 day trip. We would visit both the DRC and Kenya.

Meeting with three of the attorneys the Church uses in the DRC. Annette, Jerome, and Armand.

Bryan Jackson and I with the Congo River in the background.

A picture of downtown Kinshasa. Originally established as a trading post by Henry Stanley (the newspaper reporter who found Dr. David Livingston) in 1881.

Soon Kinshasa will have a temple. I'm standing on the temple site with 2 of the 7 Stake Presidents in Kinshasa. Presidents Hoboko and Thierry.

This picture was taken on the southern bank of the Congo River looking north towards the city of Brazzaville, Congo. This is the only place in the world where two national capitals, Brazzaville and Kinshasa, face each other.

The urban area of Kinshasa is huge. Approximately 11 million people.

This is a picture of the entrance to the DRC, Kinshasa airport. It was the most chaotic place I've ever had to pass through. 

An LDS chapel on the main road between the airport and downtown Kinshasa.

Unemployment is extremely high in the DRC. These fellows are lucky to have a job renovating a downtown structure.

Lots of walkers in Kinshasa. But as you can see the woman are capable of carrying the heavier load, but both men and women will carry items on their heads.

Kinshasa school children waiting for the bus. There are 4 colleges in Kinshasa.

View from my hotel window. It was not a 5 star location.

View of Kinshasa with Congo River and Brazzaville in the distance.

Wide angle view of the temple site and Church buildings on the right.

5 young men I met on the Congo River.

If you're not walking in Kinshasa, you're probably waiting in line for a Kombi. 

Kombis come in all shapes and sizes. This fellow has installed wooden benches in to his van so he can pack more people in.

With unemployment so high, that does not mean everyone isn't trying to make a living.  Like most of the African cities I've visited, Kinshasa has many street vendors.

Heading out of town there are still lots of people on the streets.

Lord Robert Baden Powell was the founder of the Boy Scouts. I doubt there is any organization in the world which has impacted more young men.  Above is Baden Powell's last letter to the organization which he founded. 

While in Nairobi, Kenya I learned that Lord Baden Powell is buried in Njeri, Kenya about 120 km northwest of Nairobi. So having a free morning Bryan Jackson and I set off at 5:30 am to see if we could find it. We did and here is proof in a picture. He and his wife are both buried here.

Driving in Kenya, like many other African countries, requires the constant look-out for domestic animals

The Great Rift Valley a geographic trench which extends 3,700 miles from Jordan to Mozambique. Technically it is a combining of separate geographical fault lines and plates.

With my friend Alex. He is a returned missionary who was married about  5 months ago to Linda. After being married 1 month, he was called to be a bishop.

Leaving Nairobi we headed back to Johannesburg, South Africa, we passed very close to Mt. Kilimanjaro. This picture is taken of the side which I and the McMahan brothers climbed some 8 years ago.