24 July 2012 - Alicia, Alistair and Table Mountain

Elder Tekulve sitting on a ledge on top of Table Mountain.
Cape Town and the bay in the background

Hello Everybody,

Sorry I couldn't e-mail yesterday, there were problems with the internet shop. Luckily, now I can tell you about my trip to Table Mountain yesterday afternoon.

Before that the week was a bit slow, as usual. Currently we are teaching a small variety of about 3 investigators and 2 recent converts several times a week. One of those recent converts is Alicia who was just confirmed last Sunday. Our best progressing investigator is Alistair. His story is very interesting and I will outline it only briefly here: He and his wife housed the missionaries in flats behind their homes twenty years ago, and they grew to know them very well. He was acquainted with Elders and Sister missionaries and several Mission Presidents. At the invitation of one of them he visited Canada and Utah and liked his experience there. He is very knowledgeable of the Church in many different ways and often has many questions. He says that he is now searching harder than ever to know God and Jesus Christ. He is progressing well but is not quite at the stage of baptism yet. He wants to make sure he is completely ready.

Standing looking over the more rocky and mountainous southern
edge of the Mountain. Fish Hoek is not far from there.

Yesterday our Zone, the Cape South Zone, hiked up Table Mountain. The cable cars were closed but we were all going to hike anyway. The way up is about a 500m (1,640ft) vertical climb in a switchback pattern. There are flat stones forming stairs most of the way up. It took me an hour and a half which was about average for missionaries. The fastest was 45 or 50 minutes and the slowest was 2 hours and 10 or so minutes. At the top it is indeed very flat with the occasional boulder. We took a zone picture and then headed down. All in all it was a tough climb and I'm a bit achy today, but it was not as difficult as George Peak. Still, next time I think I'll take the cable car.

This coming week is also looking to be a busy week. Stay tuned.

Love,
-Elder Tekulve