Update 6/24/2010

Baptisms – We've had some thrilling baptism experiences recently. Sister Florence, mother of a special strong family in Kyambeke was rebaptized after church on Sunday, June 13^th,, after being out of the church for some time. It was a joyful, spritual occasion for the whole family and branch. President Onesmus baptized and Elder Blake confirmed her (picture). The next Saturday at a Mitini Branch baptism two strong men were baptized: President Kaseve's brother Leonard (about age 35 ?), and a friend of Leonard's, whose wife is also a member. This also was a joyful occasion as the fathers in these two families completed their family circle in the church. They each bore strong testimony after. They'll be strong leaders (picture).
    
                         Sister Florence with President Onesmus and Sister Florence's Family
    

                           New Mitini Converts and Wives and Sister Blake With Wives

Mitini Branch Anniversary Celebration – Monday, June 14 was the first anniversary of the Mitini Branch in their own building. They started with 70 members and are now having 220 to 270 attend on Sundays. People have to sit outside as there isn't enough room in the building. We joined their celebration as they chose to watch a 2 ½ hour Church Leadership Training DVD and serve soda and peanut butter sandwiches. How many celebrations have we Americans attended where they celebrated by teaching leadership to the members? They enjoy being together and hearing the words of prophets and leaders. 

     

                             Mitini Branch Presidency and Refreshments Being Served at the Celebration

Death of a Great Leader and Friend – While staying in our Precious Blood flat we received a call at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday morning from President Davis of the Kilili Branch where we were going to teach that day. He asked us to come speedily to the Wote hospital and help give his brother, former branch president Morris Makiti, a blessing. They had taken him to the hospital during the night. We were about a two hour drive away plus getting ready and packing the truck. We arrived just before 9:00 and helped with a blessing of peace to Brother Morris and to his wife. He never regained consciousness and passed away later that day. He was a school teacher, who taught his class of 30 children as usual, the day before he succumbed. // He had just been released in April after serving as the first branch president since the Kilili Branch was organized 11 years ago. What a strong, loving, and caring man, with children still at home – age maybe 45 years(?) He was a leader in the community as well as the church. He and his family had been sealed in the temple and they have a son and daughter presently on missions. What a shock and loss. We were able to be with the family and help with transportation and comfort as best we could. We're so grateful for the gospel and knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. // When April was here the Makiti family wanted to have their picture taken with her. We were so thankful for that picture as we were able to make a family picture for them that they would not have had otherwise. Elder Blake is speaking at the funeral this Saturday. 

President and Sis. Makiti

April, G'ma Ruth Makiti, Makitis, Their Son and Daughter

     

Last Leadership Training – President and Sister Taylor will be released July 1^st as President and Sister Broadbent from North Ogden will become our new mission leaders. The last leadership training was June 17^th for all Chyulu and Kilungu Hills priesthood leaders. We were asked to help in the training. It was wonderful to look out over that group of strong African priesthood leaders. You could just feel their strength. They are the African pioneer leaders. (See picture.) We also trained Chyulu English teacher coordinators, and Sister Blake taught keyboard lessons to the CES secretary. It's a busy life! 

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A New Home – Our friend, Anthony, wanted Elder Blake to bless his new home that the branch helped build when his old one washed away in the March-April monsoon. After the baptism Saturday we drove as far as we could, then walked quite a distance down to the home. They are so happy to have it and wanted to make a celebration of our visit. They wanted us to tell stories to the family (most of whom speak little or no English)! Since we were there for their home Elder Blake told the story of the Three Little Pigs (I wish you could have seen him demonstrating “huffing and puffing” etc. ) Anthony would help translate to Kikamba. We then told scripture stories. They wanted more stories but it looked like rain and we didn't know how we'd get out of the valley if it rained so we blessed the home and then they served us the box of cookies we brought brought to them as a house-warming gift; along with sharing three small bottles of soda, they had sent the son running to buy. They only owned three glasses and we all shared. I don't think we know what “humble circumstances” mean, even now. They sent us home with a bag of avocados from their shamba that they carried for us as they all climbed the mountain to accompany us to our truck! 

     

                       Anthony's New Home and Baby With CTR Necklace

New Missionaries – Two of our special YSA friends have received their mission calls, Dominic Kaseve from Mitini to Uganda Mission and Kennedy from Kilili to South Africa Capetown Mission. There are now about 40 young missionaries from our mission-area serving full-time missions in other parts of Africa – and six more in our area who are preparing for (or presently expecting) calls in coming weeks/months. We are so blessed by their faith and commitment to follow the Savior.

Animals – We have been missing the animals lately but we saw a journey of eight giraffes on the way to the Hills and bushbucks, ostriches, and Thompson gazelles on our way home. We hope they are returning!

Home made African Soccer Ball

We are healthy, well, and happy and hope this finds you the same. Our love and prayers to you all.

Update 6.12.2010

Home Evening with Sister Missionaries - For our home evening turn we invited the sister missionaries to come and tell us about themselves and about what missionary work is like for them in Nairobi. Most of the couples in our housing complex have special area assignments in Public Relations, CES, PEF, Employment, etc. and aren't involved in regular missionary work. Sister Ngosi is from Johannesburg, South Africa and the other sister is from Chyulu here in Kenya. They are beautiful girls and hard working missionaries. Sister Ngosi's father passed away a few years ago and her mother passed away just before she came on her mission. We love them and appreciated the special spirit they shared with us.

 

New Elders – Tuesday we headed for the Hills to stay for two days. The Elders had Zone Conference in Nairobi and were not available to help with classes. We are trying to learn how to best help them. Everything is so far away from where they live and they are just getting acquainted in the area. Elder Berg is the only white person in Kalongo where they stay, and in the area! They don't complain but we see their challenges. We took them with us to our high-on-the-hill branch, Ilima, on Friday and invited them to dinner with us in Kikoko (Precious Blood) on Sunday. They were so excited. We'll see how we do with one gas burner and a plug in pot! It could be an interesting dinner. We'll plan with them and see how we can work together.

More Hospital Patients – On our way to the Hills Tuesday we were hurrying because we were late when we received a call from the Ilima Branch President who had a member in Kikoko hospital. He asked us to check on his branch member who was very sick. We did make the visit and talk to Sister Mary Agatha at the hospital. We were amazed that even though we were late we were able to do what we needed to do and be on time to our classes. It was almost like the clock stood still. We're still not sure how that happened.

Progress – We enjoyed our classes and can see some progress being made. It isn't as fast as we would hope and we are learning patience, but it is happening. It's fun to see the new members reading their scriptures and marking them. We enjoy seeing the English students starting to speak a little and understand some English, and some of the keyboard students are really taking off . There are some who will never really be able to play much but they are “enjoying the journey” and love being involved.

Ilima Relief Society – High-on-the-hill, Ilima, scheduled their Relief Society meeting while we were there. It was nice to see them instruct the sisters in visiting teaching and then they divided the sisters into two groups. One group was teaching the sisters how to use the treadle sewing machine and the other group was learning to make bags to hang on the wall to organize their clothes. All sisters were involved and enjoying just being together. Most don't speak much English but they all made Sis. Blake feel very welcome and needed. 

Future RS Sisters!

           

    

It's been a good week. Again, thanks for your encouragement, thoughts and prayers. It almost seems trite to mention it each week, but it helps more than you could know. We love you.

Update 6/7/2010

New Week - After being home-bound for awhile it felt good to hit the road for Kilili on Tuesday. We were tired but enjoyed being with the saints working on playing and conducting music, speaking English, and helping with YW and branch presidency leadership. We gave the Branch President's son a ride as we left toward the town where he will be doing some schooling. (Remember the lunch with the loaves and the fishes?) We spent the night at Precious Blood with no water or electricity but made a fun evening of it by sitting in bed and watching a movie with our battery DVD player (Christmas present from family). No popcorn but it was fun!

Our day at Mitini went well and after we took Elder Jackson and Elder Berg (new missionaries opening the area in Kilungu Hills) up to the high-on-the-hill branch, Ilima to meet the Branch President as we also had some business there. The missionaries were impressed by the beautiful view but a little awed by the responsibility of traveling so far (no car or bike) to help in that area. We will pick them up when we visit there but there are a lot of details (especially transport) to work out!

Elder Berg, Dominic, Gerald, Elder Jackson, and President Simon of Ilima

Change of Plans in Chyulu - At President Taylor's request, we were to travel to Chyulu District (about 220 kilometers south of Nairobi) and train the leadership in English the next day (Thursday), but they called and changed to Saturday which was better as Elder Blake's cold was worse and he needed the rest. Instead we left on Friday to spend the night in the other half of a duplex where Elders stay in Kambu Chyulu area. They met us on the main road on their bikes and guided us in or we never would have found it! It's walled in by a 10 foot high cement wall with pieces of sharp glass on top and a locked gate for security. There's a huge baobab tree right next to the compound. (See Picture. Baobabs look like upside down trees with roots on top!) It was fun getting to know the two sets of Elders living there who enjoyed our red licorice (Scott's family sent with April.)

The next day the Elders helped us find our way to Makatano where the beautiful, new, LDS-style Church is right out in the middle of the open African country – 7 kilometers from paved road – by a small village. It was amazing to turn the corner and see a church like at home! This is the area where the Church first came to Kenya. The District President, two counselors and two clerks, Relief Society President and counselor, the newly called English specialist, and one branch English teacher were all there ready for the training. Elder Blake had a fun schedule planned where they worked as if they were English students. It was a good training with a lot of laughing and some good questions and suggestions as to how to help members and investigators in the 10 Chyulu Hills Branches make progress in learning English. We'll be back in July for a Workshop for all branch English facilitators. We love our Kilungu Hills friends so much we wondered how we'd feel in Chyulu, but we found the same warm, friendly church members there. How blessed we are to work with them!

Sister Blake w/Chyulu RS Sisters

Baobab Tree

       

Sharp Glass on Top of Fense

Church Sponsored Water Pump

     

Boy Pumping Much Needed Water

Makatano Church and District Office - Chyulu Area

 “Monkeying Around” - On our way back we stopped to eat lunch at the Hunter's Lodge. We ordered and then looked over at our truck where the back window had been left down about 1”. The monkeys were climbing all over it, reaching their arms in, trying to get our travel food! Across the river there also was a baboon family with a mother and baby. We missed the picture as the waiter was taking our picture on the bridge. It was a fun stop!

       

Interesting Testimonies – We slept at our Precious Blood flat again and went to Mitini for church Sunday. It was fast Sunday with a good testimony meeting. It was interesting, however, as some of the children stood on a chair to see over the podium and bore testimony. These individual testimonies consisted of a scripture or Article of Faith, then the singing of a song. The interesting part was the choice of their “testimony” songs: “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” “Roll You Arms,” and “Do As I'm Doing.” (The prayer song in Primary was also “Roll Your Arms.”) The people have wonderful testimonies and a great desire to follow the programs of the Church; there are just so many things to teach and learn about how the Church runs and what is appropriate. It's a great work!

Baby Dresses – At Mitini we were able to give some cute, soft, hand-knitted dresses for babies to some of the mothers in the branch. (Aunt Norma sent them with April and they were made by some non-member sisters in the mid-west who make them for places like Africa, but have never seen them on the babies.) The mothers were so proud and happy to have the dresses – even though the babies were a little larger, and they were more like blouses! (Picture) We also finished distributing the CTR bracelets to this last branch. They will probably never see a CTR ring but the bracelets serve the same purpose and they loved them! We gave them to all primary children and Young Women. (Picture) It was a special day.

Babies in new knitted dressed w/ Moms

More loved CTR bracelet recipients

 After church we drove to Kyambeke and picked up the new Elders to take them back to Nairobi with us for their Zone Conference. We love these young men – Elder Jackson from Zimbabwe, and Elder Berg from Soda Springs, ID. They feel like our sons and could almost be our grandsons! We appreciate their strength of faith and their cheerful, positive attitudes as they face many challenges in this new area.

We are still coughing but feeling much better. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.