We just returned from a wonderful couple of days in Johannesburg, South Africa at a new mission president seminar with the Africa Southeast Area Presidency and wives: Elder and Sister Soares (from Brazil), Elder and Sister Renlund, and Elder and Sister Cook. The other new mission presidents are (back row, left to right) the McMullins (Congo Lumbumbashi Mission), us,  the Kretlys (Mozambique Mission), and the Cooks (Zimbabwe Misson). We have all become good friends. Each one has, in six weeks, gathered a lifetime worth of experiences, and it is only the beginning.  The Area covers 32 countries from Sudan, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Cameroon on the north, all the way to South Africa on the south and Mauritius on the east. There are 11 missions. It is a fascinating array of countries and cultures unlike anything else in the world. We will be back in Johannesburg in November for a seminar with the mission presidents and wives from all 11 missions.