Wondering how I've been able to capture some of those closeup animal pictures?  Well, the answer is that 300 mm lens I bought. 

It has been a little cold in Johannesburg this winter so many of the grandmothers will wear blankets to Church. Mom was invited to join their warm circle.

While at the airport last month, I thought I was going to be visited by friends, Spencer and Dawn Gonzales.  Notice the sign behind me. But alas, they didn't show.

This is recent Mormon Helping Hands photo. The Church does a great deal of humanitarian service in the Africa Southeast Area. Even the smallest members of the Church pitch in.

Speaking of Humanitarians, last month the Country Directors of Humanitarian Services all came to Johannesburg for training. They asked me to come in to talk about various legal issues which they could face when putting a project together.

These couples are all senior missionaries. Some are living in hard places in Africa, but they will tell you the work has brought them great joy.

Sometimes I don't need the 300 mm lens. Up close and personal with Harry the rhino.

Africans have some of the best names. Here are just some examples of what you'll hear as you meet people.  SundayTimes and Koerant are both names of local Johannesburg newspapers.  How would you like to be named L.A. Times?

Maybe his dad was drinking at the hospital when he was born.

Victor Don't Worry Sambu has no problems.

On the other hand, Jeffrey Killmequick Sanderson has lots to worry about.

Over the past month I've made two trips to Gaborone, Botswana. This is a picture of 3 Dikgosi Monument. These three tribal chiefs, Khama III, Sebele I and Bathoen, in 1885 made the long trip to London, England. They went there to convince the leaders of Great Britain to separate Bechuanaland from Rhodesia.  Thereafter, Bechuanaland became a British Protectorate until it gained its independence on September 30, 1966 and was renamed Botswana.

Botswana has a population of just over 2,000,000 people. This is a picture of Gaborone from the air.  Botswana is very flat. 70% of the country is the Kalahari Desert. As you can see, it is a very dry place. Gaborone became the capital of Botswana at the time of its independence. Prior to that, it was Mafikeng. (You Boy Scouts out there should remember the importance of Mafikeng.)  Gaborone in the local native language means: "It does not fit badly."

As I said, it's rather flat and dry.

Gaborone has a very impressive courthouse. Notice the statue of Justice on top.

This is the first LDS chapel in Botswana.

While in a very long meeting with the Gaborone, Botswana LDS Stake President, Clement Matswagothata, he had to take a break and set apart a new missionary. He invited me to come along. This was the highlight of my first visit to Botswana. This wonderful family already has a son on a mission in Uganda and their 2nd son, in the suit, will be serving in Ghana. The mom is on the left. She had a tear in her eye as the family drove away to the airport. She will be missing two sons. I'm sure her sacrifice will be noted in heaven.

Last Sunday we had a wonderful baptismal service. 7 new members were baptized. Elder Kwabaisi on left is from Uganda  and Elder Bryner on right from Utah. Three of the baptisms were the direct result of Mom and I being at the Helping Hands service project a couple of months ago.

I'm standing next to Amanda and her two sisters. You may remember the Helping Hands service project where the Cosmos City Branch went to this Foster Home/Day Care Center run by Amanda. We worked in the yard and planted a garden etc. While there Mom shared her testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and asked Amanda if she would like to know more and gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon. She responded affirmatively and the rest is history. 

The baptismal service was at the Four Ways chapel which is about 15 minutes from our little branch chapel. After the branch meetings Sunday morning, everyone just loaded up the truck and came to the baptismal service. No seat belts required in South Africa.

I may have mentioned that when I leave South Africa, I'll drink a coke with every meal. I figure the coke will kill anything I'm eating. So far it's working. I haven't gotten any stomach parasites yet.

Sometimes the biggest problem is reading the labels. Coke on the left, Pepsi on the right. Those are glass bottles but if you look close you'll be able to tell that the Pepsi bottle has seen a lot of miles.

Out in front of the Africa Southeast Area office is a Koi pond.  It is a great attraction for the children who come to visit the temple which is right next door.  These guys must have watched those fish for nearly an hour.

Jeff and Marge Clayton will be returning home next week. He has served as Area Legal Counsel for nearly 3 years. We had a little luncheon at Olives and Plates a local restaurant. Jeff is at head of table, Marge to the left and on the right is their granddaughter who came out for a visit. Bryan Jackson (red head on right) will be taking Jeff's place. Also working in the office is Bruce Wilson as Associate Area Legal Counsel with his wife on right.  Next to Mom on left is my secretary Dorcus. She has recently been called to be the new Primary President for the Pretoria, South African Stake for the Church.

Mom loves Olives and Plates for the deserts.

So does Marge Clayton. They are both very happy at the moment.  The restaurant is in an old Dutch Farm House. Notice the wooden ceiling beams. Olives and Plates is located on the campus of Witswaaterrand University here in Johannesburg and is used as part of their culinary school.

On June 3, 2014, Mom and I flew from Johannesburg through Lasaka, Zambia to Blandtyre, Malawi. This is photograph of landing at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, Lasaka.  Kenneth Kaunda was the first president of Zambia as it became independent from England in 1964.

From Lasaka, we followed the Zambezi River east towards the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi is the largest river in Africa, which flows into the Indian Ocean. It's about half the length of the Nile.

Coming into Blandtyre, Malawi. The rainy season will not start until September so things were dry.

Lots of interesting places to eat in Blandtyre but I passed on the Ku Station Restaurant.

As in other places, I've traveled to in Africa, people are always selling coal. They use it for cooking and keeping warm.

This is a furniture manufacturing operation. These men are sewing couch covers.

I had come to Blandtyre to settle a lawsuit. This is John Blanda one of the attorneys I was dealing with. Initially he wouldn't smile but....

When we started to talk about golf, John Blanda was all smiles. It seems he's a pretty good golfer.  All advocates in Malawi will, when attending court, wear the hair piece, black suit and black robes. During the summer it's an incredibly hot outfit to keep on and there's no air conditioning in Malawi.

This is the original Town Hall of Blandtyre, Malawi. Blandtyre was started by missionaries of the Church of Scotland in 1876. It was named after the small village of Blandtyre, Scotland, the birthplace of missionary explorer David Livingstone. 

Anyone want to invest in this place?

During the winter months of Africa, everyone is burning their fields.  It creates a lot of pollution; and when you're driving, sometimes it's difficult to see the road.

Women selling beans on the roadside as we drove to Lake Malawi.

We had lunch at Club Makokola, which is located on the western shore of the southern end of Lake Malawi. From Blandtyre it was a 3 1/2 hour drive.

Lake Malawi was originally named Lake Nyasa by David Livingstone. It is the 3rd largest and 2nd deepest lake in Africa. It's the most southern lake in the eastern African rift.  The rift is where two teutonic plates are separating and pulling Africa apart.

Mom found some shells as we walked the shoreline.

To my amazement, along came two fellows on standup surfboards.

The boards were actually old sailboards which no longer had sails.

These are my new friends, Friday and Patrick. You'll notice Patrick's board on the right has been broken in half and only the top lamination is keeping it together.  Friday made his paddle from a long stick and a piece of wood. 

This was a beautiful place to have lunch.

You can just barely make out the fellow on the roof. He's re-thatching the roof.

The seasonally dry countryside of Malawi.  Sometimes they refer to Malawi as "The Warm Heart of Africa."

Lots of bicycle traffic on the roads of Malawi.

This is a bicycle taxi, Malawi style. The backseat cushion is not as comfortable as it looks.

Selling dried fish from Lake Malawi.

To my surprise, we found The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints out in the countryside. 

We also found the Mormon Missionaries teaching. This young Elder is from Temecula, California.

A welcome sign along the road between Blandtyre and Lake Malawi.

The face of Africa. There is faith and hope and so much love in this place.