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From Returned Missionaries

Dwayne N. Andersen-Excerpts from Autobiography

JOHANNESBURG TEMPLE MISSION

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Part 35

On a long weekend, some of us decided to visit Swaziland, a 3rd world country within South Africa. It was a beautiful place, with country roads and much foliage, too. My most vivid memory was visiting a small black branch, the only one in Swaziland. The branch president was an American. We were there over Sunday, so we visited their meetings. The Aaronic Priesthood class had about 11 or 12 young boys, various ages. The branch president asked how many of them were planning to go on a church mission. Every hand went up! I was excited to witness the faith and dedication of these young black boys. Also there was a wonderful, exciting spirit in the meetings. We were so excited to see how enthusiastic these black members were about the church. 

About halfway through our mission to the temple in Johannesburg, we welcomed Vern and Rhean Olson from our home ward. They also had been called as temple missionaries. We had several wonderful sightseeing trips together. Their presence heightened our enjoyment of that Johannesburg Temple mission. Since the temple missionaries had quite a bit of free time, I offered to teach a Book of Mormon class based on my personal application program at BYU. About 20 of them joined us. Many of them reported how much more they enjoyed the Book of Mormon and adding the personal applications to their lives. We met once a week in a public room of our housing units. 

We became acquainted with Don Harper, who was in charge of seminaries and institutes in South Africa. He gave Peggy and me opportunities to speak to youth conferences and firesides and later to some ward and stake groups. It pleased us greatly to do this and get better acquainted with more youth and adults in South Africa. It also helped us to keep busier in this mission. 

On one of our two-week breaks at the temple, President Bibb organized a tour for the temple missionaries, which took us to Capetown and back. Going down, we went to Port Elizabeth, stopping at various scenic spots. It was very exciting to see the varieties of landscape and to cover so many of that country’s scenic spots. We were amazed at the diversity found in South Africa. It was a very educational tour. 

One of the scenic spots was the ostrich farm and the famous Congo caves, similar to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. We followed what is called “The Garden Route” down to Capetown, with its renowned Table Mountain. We were privileged to ride a cable car to its top. The view was just spectacular. We could see in both directions, out to the Atlantic Ocean on one side and to the Indian Ocean on the other. An aerial view of the beautiful city of Capetown and surrounding areas was breathtaking. We also had the opportunity to drive out to the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans come together. There is a visible line where the cold Atlantic waters meet the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Our return trip from Capetown to Johannesburg took us through the Great Karoo, which was over 100 miles of flat grassland, with a tree only once in a while on the horizon. Peggy and I rode in a car with Noela and Karl Bestor. The car was very comfortable and provided us the chance to visit with this wonderful South African couple. We returned home a bit tired, but ready to get back to our assignment in the temple. 

On another occasion we were able to visit the world’s renowned Kimberley Diamond Mine and the large Kruger (animal) Park. At Kruger Park, we remained in our vehicles and watched the animals in their natural habitat. We spent a few nights in secure compounds, sleeping in quaint native bungalows. They did have indoor plumbing. At nights we could hear all the jungle sounds of the animals. Quite eerie! We were able to see all the jungle animals except a water buffalo. 

The Johannesburg Temple Mission was inspiring and educational. There were many choice spiritual experiences for us in performing the sacred saving ordinances and in sealing couples. It was wonderful to see the joy it brought to these people. We grew to love and respect  all peoples: white, colored, black, and Indian. The coloreds were Indians from India, as well as any mixed marriages occurring between blacks, Indians, or white. We were released from this mission in January 1990 and returned home to Provo.