Update 10.25.2010

Evening with Elder Holland – Elder Holland made a brief connecting-flight stop in Kenya on Monday. Only missionaries in the Nairobi area were invited to attend the evening training and what a wonderful privilege it was. He shook hands with each missionary said with sincerity and conviction that he had a “personal interview” with each individual as he looked into our face and eyes. (We guess that everyone passed, because none of us were sent home.) He was accompanied by Elder Snow of the Seventy who spoke with warmth and love and gave good counsel. Elder Holland then spoke for about an hour and asked us to “get a vision” of what was happening in Africa right now. He noted the believing hearts of the people and great success of missionary work in Africa, and reminded us what a blessing it is for us to be involved here at this time and season. He mentioned Africa finally being opened for teaching the gospel and that many more leaders would be African as Africa blossoms.

Leadership – We are working hard to help train branch auxiliary leadership. Tuesday after classes in Kilili we took the branch relief society president with us to Kyambeke where the RS presidents of all four branches met and were able to share ideas and question each other about “how to” matters, for the first time ever. It was a wonderful meeting as those who had been in their calling for several years were able to share with newer presidents in their callings. They all expressed the desire to have a meeting with sisters in the whole Kilungu Hills area to celebrate the birthday of Relief Society in March. That will be a big undertaking because of distance, but it would be a good opportunity for the sisters to meet and celebrate together. 

Mitini New Members Studying Scriptures

Long Awaited Day! - Wednesday we picked up all four Kilungu Hills young men who were leaving on their missions. We picked up the two brothers, Elder Gerald and Elder Christopher, from the high-on-the-hill branch, Ilima first. The whole family, branch president, and some friends met us at the church. The family members were all wearing signs telling them good-by or giving advice, even the baby! They've waited so long and had so many problems getting ready to go and it was a great farewell celebration for them. We next picked up Elder Kennedy and Elder Dominic with their travel cases, where family and neighbors were there to wish them well. Our next stop was Mitini Branch where we taught one class and then packed all four members of our “precious cargo” into the truck for the trip to Nairobi for them to be set apart for their missions - two going to Uganda Kampala Mission and two to South Africa Cape Town Mission. They had their last “Blake's peanut butter sandwich” on the way as we visited and enjoyed the time together. All of them expressed appreciation for helping them prepare. We've seen so much growth and feel almost like we are sending our “sons” on missions! There was a special spirit as each was set apart by President Broadbent. Sister Broadbent mentioned that they represent “vision” for Africa's future that Elder Holland had elaborated. As return missionaries they will be future church leaders – possible even general authorities – in years to come.

               

Good-by Elder Gerald and Elder Christopher

Children Saying Good-by to Elders in Mitini

      

Elder and Sis. Blake With 4 New African Elders

Elders Christopher, Gerald, Kennedy and Dominique

More English Training – Friday we traveled four hours south of Nairobi to Chyulu District and Saturday worked with the District English specialists to prepare for another training of the teachers in all ten branches. Progress is being made but it is always slower then we would wish. The leaders are trying hard but the branches are so spread out that it is impossible for them to visit each branch; or for that matter, to even make telephone contacts with the branch English teachers, because of the travel and telephone expense. There are some lessons we are trying to learn about everything we do: “Be patient and appreciate any successes. This is Africa, and few (if any things here) can be rushed.” 

Chyulu District English Training - Our Truck and Other "Vehicles" in Parking Lot

Miracle in Immigration Office – We have learned that the Wambua family passports have arrived in the Immigration Office! What a miracle as they generally take two or three months and they were here in 3 weeks (unheard of), we feel due to the prayers of so many. There is still much to do but now it is possible. The scheduled departure date for the 19 of us (each family has 3-5 children who will be sealed to parents) is November 22^nd. Things are coming together for this long awaited blessing.

Thanks again for your love and prayers. Have a good and safe week.

Update 10.18.2010

Five Days in the Hills! - This was our longest stay. It worked well but by Sunday Elder Blake pronounced it time to go home as he couldn't find anything to eat! Staying allows us to make visits after classes rather than have to hurry home to Nairobi before dark. Classes went well in all three branches, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Keyboard classes in two branches are busily preparing for a Christmas program. Our high-on-the-hill branch, Ilima, is losing two of the star keyboard students who are leaving for their missions this Wednesday. After keyboard the English class joined us as we celebrated with cupcakes and punch and sang “God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again.”

Special Visits – Wednesday after class we drove to visit Margaret, a special sister in Kyambeke Branch who has 4 children and recently married a non-member. They live near his family as is the custom, and the family members are giving her a hard time about going to church. She is a strong member and helper in the branch as she plays the keyboard for sacrament meeting and also holds the primary together! We made arrangements to show Finding Faith in Christ at her home. When we arrived the mother-in-law was not there but her husband and seven of his friends (about 12 of us altogether) all joined us in their little kiosk (about 6' x 9') as we watched together. There was total attention and a special spirit as we viewed experiences from the life of Jesus Christ. Margaret's sister, Elaine our good friend, also went with us and helped interpret. We could see a softening and were grateful for the opportunity. We only wish we could have taken a picture but our picture will be a wonderful memory in our minds.

Thursday after class we did something similar and walked (almost straight up a hill in Sunday shoes!) to show the same DVD to a home-bound member sister and her young daughter-in-law whose husband is a returned missionary. They also felt the Spirit and the young sister would like to finish the missionary lessons she started over a year ago, but has been lost from missionaries since then. She says she wants to be baptized.

Mitini Family Missionary Activity -Saturday we spent most of the day at the Mitini Branch activity. All four young men from three branches who are leaving for missions this week were there and honored. Members enjoyed watching The Other Side of Heaven and Tabernacle Choir and other church videos while the sisters prepared a wonderful dinner. There were huge kettles of rice and stew cooked over fires in the hot sun. In the primary room there was a mass production of chapatis (like flour tortillas). They know how to celebrate (and how to eat). Even the children are given a huge amount of rice. We never see any leftovers. They just rinse out the dishes with water out of the rain barrel when people finish and someone else uses them. Before dinner they had a meeting like sacrament meeting where several people spoke briefly, including the new missionaries. It was wonderful to see them get up and express their love of the gospel and of the people and ask for the prayers of the members for them while they are serving. After Sis. Blake spoke, Elder Blake sang God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again for the closing hymn, as all joined in the final chorus. In this culture we don't see much emotion shown but we identify with what they were feeling. 

Making Chapatis

Rolling Out Chapatis

      

Cutting Vegetables for Stew

Stirring the Rice

      

Chapatis, Rice and Stew!

Matini Branch Group in Front of Church

Sister Kaseve w/Sister Blake and Child

In and Out the Window! - Lest we get all puffed up and think everything is going well and everyone loves and accepts the church we also have had some other “interesting” experiences. After making one of the nice visits we were headed home when we saw a middle-aged lady walking up the long hill. We stopped and offered her a ride as she said she was also going to Kikoko. She spoke very little English so when we saw one of our members along the road we stopped so he could explain who we were and what we were doing there. He did this in Kikamba (which we didn't understand, of course), and part way through the explanation she became very agitated and stood up and jumped around trying to get out of the truck. Elder Blake was trying to unlock the door for her as we weren't sure what was happening, but it wasn't fast enough. She stood on the seat and dove out the far-side window. Her leg got hooked for a minute and she quickly pulled it out and ran over to the side of the road! We aren't sure what panicked her – maybe she thought that we were going to kidnap her; or that she believes the rumors of Mormon witchcraft - but it certainly startled us. This was the “Out” experience.

Saturday, after the family activity in Mitini we were starting back to Kikoko when we saw some of the members on the side of the road. We could tell something was wrong so we stopped. They hurriedly climbed into the truck (there were 9 of us) as a drunk man was trying to get in the window to accost one of the members. He had been waiting for him when he left the activity. We were finally able to get his arm out of the window and drive away. That was the “In” experience . We are never sure what is going to happen next but we are being blessed with safety and protection beyond measure. All ended well!

African Saw Mill - First You Cut Down the Tree

Next, You Cut Into Building Boards!

Things are going well. We just returned from a fireside with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Elder Snow of the 70. There was just a small group of missionaries invited to be there, and what a special experience. We will tell more about it next week.

We love you all and keep you in our prayers.

Update 10.11.2010

Market Day in Nunguni - Tuesday in Kilili we taught conducting, keyboard, English, and temple classes. The keyboard class members are excited to begin learning new music for a Christmas program. It makes it more fun to practice with a purpose! After, we visited Sister Morris whose husband passed away and then took the shortcut to our Kikoko home. They have completed the bridge now which we hope will enable us to travel that way even in the rains! We'll soon know as the rainy season is almost here! We were tired but Elder Blake has wanted to visit with the man who made his bow and arrows. (Guns are not allowed except for official use so bow and arrows are weapon of choice!) He's only in Nunguni on market day (Tues.) so even though it was late we went to find him. He explained to Elder Blake how he made the bow and what he does to make the arrows so straight. He wasn't sure he wanted his picture taken but finally agreed. We bought tomatoes, peppers, carrots and a stone to sharpen our knives. They sell everything out on the street. Market Day is quite an adventure, but we reminded ourselves after that we need to be aware of safety. We do stick out in the crowd!

Hatari Means Danger in Swahili

Explaining Making the Bow and Arrows

    

Nunguni Market Day - Food, Clothes, Hardware...You Name It!

A Mitini and Matua Day - We taught in Mitini in the morning and traveled to Matua to teach in the afternoon as we do about every other week. This is a family village and we are teaching mostly the sisters as the husbands are working in the shambas and other places. What a special experience as we sing and talk about the gospel. They are so receptive and eager to learn. This time we took pictures and crayons for the children to color and some of the sisters who tended the children called it their “primary” as they used the Book of Mormon Story Book and told them about Christ's visit to the Nephites and then helped them color a picture. The children loved it; we wish we had a picture. After class, Sister Blake began a keyboard class while Elder Blake fitted four sisters with glasses so they can read. We have given almost all the $1. reading glasses from All-a-Dollar away to very grateful brothers and sisters. April brought these, and we need to find a way to get some more here from home.

Another Wonderful Baptism Day – Saturday we picked up the Elders and went to Kyambeke for the baptism of 7 members of the ZEE (Zero English Experience) class. They were so excited as they didn't know if they would ever learn enough English to pass the baptism interview, and now they have been given permission to be interviewed in Kikamba. What a blessing to them. Also the husband of another new member was baptized and a sweet little 8-year-old primary girl. We love these people and our hearts are full as we see their progress in the gospel.

Kyambeke Baptism Day

Elaine (Branch Missionary and Keyboard Student Playing Prelude

      

Helpful Translators?? – Understanding the words spoken by a majority of Kenyans continues to be a challenge for us. Likewise, "up country" people have major difficulty in understanding our Mzungu English – we tease each other a lot about our "strange accents."

Sometimes a member will translate lessons, sermons, etc. that we speak into the Kamba language, and we have often wondered what ideas they actually convey in their translations. (Obviously we have no clue. Well, not many clues we should say. For example: When we teach a very serious doctrine, then the interpreter translates our words and the people laugh, we do have to wonder what was really said!)

(As  told by Elder Blake) Yesterday we did get a glimpse of what was said by an interpreter. We picked up a member brother whom we passed along the way as he was walking home from church. When he got in the back seat, two other unknown teenagers who were passing by, climbed in also (a rather usual occurrence). As we drove, Elder Blake said to the boys three different times, "Tell me where you want me to stop so you can get out." but the boys just couldn't understand. Finally the member spoke to them in his English-Kenya dialect, to help clarify the message and said: "He wants to know if you want to join the church." Sister Blake and I were so startled to hear his "translation" that we about choked on our laughter. The member was very earnest is his interpretation, and couldn't understand why we were laughing.

What we learned from this was that some of our "translators" don't understand very much of what we say either! ;-)

Update 10/4/2010

Temple Excursion in Nov. – We have been on our mission for one year. Is it possible? Time passes so quickly. This past week was filled with classes and even though it rained people came – with or without shoes! We taught the regular classes plus a new temple class and a marriage and family class. Those who are planning to go to the temple in November are working hard to finish their papers that will make it possible. One family just applied for passports last Tuesday – a month past deadline – so we're keeping them in our prayers. When passports arrive we start on visas and letters of invitation from South Africa plus letters of consent by the parents for the children to leave the country. We have to work hard that the “business” doesn't become more important than worthiness and spiritual preparation. We're excited to share the temple experience with these wonderful families in the Johannesburg, South Africa Temple. We will miss Thanksgiving Dinner with all the couples and Mission President, but will be back for the mini-conference on Friday if all goes well. With something this special there is always opposition and we know who the antagonist is!

Sickness – We made four trips this week getting people to doctors and hospitals. Even our new Elder, Elder Atkins from Johannesburg, was sick. We had to pick him up up-country and help him home. He seems to be feeling better now but President Kaseve's wife, Agnes, is still in the hospital. We appreciate the opportunity to help with rides. People in the Hills have to go so far to get medical help – and that usually means walking long distances when they are sick. // Sunday, after attending church in our high-on-the-hill branch, Ilima, we went to visit Sister Agnes at the hospital. When we arrived we found about 40 of the branch members there visiting and waiting for us to arrive to have a prayer together. What love and support. I told them if I ever get sick I'd like to feel that same love and support and faith from friends. The members had already been in church for the full block, then walked 45 minutes to the hospital. It would take some of them 2 hours to walk to their homes. Would we do that? Sometimes visiting or home teaching someone around the block seems hard to do. What wonderful lessons we are learning from the African saints.

Special Interest Pictures

Elders Thornton and Atkins - African Toy

Kikoko Flat Neighbor - Breakfast on Porch

          

Making Bricks - "Do It Yourself"

Ilima Branch Missionaries and Members

     

Conference, Memories, and Blessings - We will have to wait until the Oct. 30^th and 31^st to watch conference on DVD, but we were able to listen to Saturday and Sunday morning sessions on our computer on KSL.com. I think we appreciate it even more when it isn't so readily available. Both sessions seemed to be just what we needed to hear. We also had many memories of Matt as it was six years ago Saturday that we came home from conference on our mission in Tacoma and learned of his death. We thought of him and the love we have for him. How grateful we are to know we can be together again and that this life isn't the end. // The great blessing that shared the conference day was news of the birth of Lane's and Jamie's new little daughter, Abbey. We've been racing home after each trip to check the email and see if she was here yet. She's a beautiful answer to many prayers and is home bringing great love and joy to her family!