Update 2.27.2011

“I can see the letters!” - Many of the branch members and investigators can't see well enough to even see the page numbers in the Hymn Book, let alone see the letters of words. Friends and family have helped send or bring glasses and what a blessing these have been. This week Christine a ZEE (Zero English Experience) student was delighted (!) when we helped her with some glasses and she could see the letters she had been trying to learn. Margaret was having a hard time with the keyboard and we didn't know why. She was too shy to say she couldn't see but her husband finally told us and what a big difference it made when she could see the notes. Thank you. Thank you.

Christine Can See!

Margaret "That's What the Notes Look Like!"

      

Life Stays Interesting. - We had a fun lesson in Matua Wednesday afternoon but when we got back down the hill to our truck we had a totally flat tire. It was hot and late afternoon but Elder Blake rallied the group and had a tire changing lesson (with the help of many children!) I was amazed at his patience. With spare tire in place we picked up the Elders and took them to Nunguni for “dinner.” (The stew was made from the cow tongue – very little meat.) While we ate the flat tire was checked out down the street. They didn't find a problem and said that someone let the air out. Also,Wednesday at Mitini President Kaseve was not feeling well. A matatu trip to Nairobi found that he had acute appendicitis. The next day we took his wife in to be with him and our spare tire went flat during rush hour in the middle of Nairobi. Not good! It took us two hours to find the medical center we needed. There are no addresses in Nairobi, few street signs, and no maps of the city accurate enough to locate a certain area. No one knew where it was. People running shops, gas stations, etc. seldom know where a neighboring business (or hospital) is, even if it is just across the roadway or two shops away from their own. All's well that ends well. We arrived late, but safe.

Flat Tire at Matue

Elders Hayes and Trickett

       

Last Dinner at Kikoko w/ Elders

Sewing Machine Shopping Trip – We have been looking for a treadle sewing machin for the newest branch that doesn't have one. (This gift is from you family who contributed at Christmas time.) We were told where to get the best deal but didn't know how to get there without someone who was familiar with the area. While visiting President Kaseve in the hospital we saw President Onesmus who said he could help us. When he heard the address he said no mzungu should ever be in that part of town! [We told him we had accidentally been in a lot of places no mzungu should ever be (!) so he agreed to help us find it.] What an experience. We now know why not to go there! Even where we've traveled in Nairobi we have never seen traffic jams like we experienced all afternoon and into evening. It was only through blessings of heaven we made it home without incident and with a new Singer treadle machine. We now need to buy the table and treadle. We don't think we will try returning to that area even if we pay more! We are excited to present the machine though. The sisters have been saving a little of their own money and not spending all their church relief society funds to pay a little, so that they feel ownership. They are excitedly talking and planning what they will do when it comes.

Bitter-Sweet Time – We have our release date and travel arrangements and will be returning home from our mission March 12^th. We knew this time would come and are excited to see home and family but we will miss these wonderful people and the experiences we have had here. It still doesn't seem real. We are working hard right up to the end and will be in the Hills most of the remaining two weeks. (We'll have to pack fast!) Today was our last Sunday at the Mitini Branch and we told them how much we loved them, and that we look forward to seeing them again at a “grand reunion” in heaven; where we hoped it would be like Alma and the sons of Mosiah when they met after being away from each other for so long: “...therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord:...” (Alma 17). We promised we would try hard to stay true and asked that they do the same so we could meet again and have these same wonderful feelings.

      
Have a good week and know we are thinking of you with love.

Update 2.21.2011

“Payoff” Week – We visited all four branches this week and brought a missionary to Nairobi to be set apart for her mission. We have worked with Sister Elaine for about nine months and have grown to love her as we do all her family. She served a two-month mission in Nairobi when there weren't enough sisters here so she's already had some good missionary experiences. Wednesday when we were to pick her up it was raining and had rained all night. When that happens the road to Kyambeke is terrible (understatement!) but she had to be in Nairobi to be set apart by the mission president before he left town, so we pushed through. As we slid off into a ditch, guardian angels caught us in time and set us back up on the mired roadway. (How often has this happened to us??? No one could persuade us to believe that angels are not involved in missionary work!) Sister Elaine's blessing was beautiful and she'll do a wonderful job in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. This is the seventh missionary we've helped prepare since we've been here. One more leaves in March and two more have their papers in. It's an exciting time for the Church in Africa. 

Sister Elaine (in green) w/Friends and Family

Blakes w/Sister Elaine at Mission Office

We enjoyed our visits to the branches, and while progress in some areas is very slow we were so excited Sunday to see the growth in the primary and YM/YW at Ilima. In primary, there are over 120 children who come and reverence has been a huge problem – indeed, chaos has reigned! Primary is held in a building separate from the church, where there are broken windows that children climb in and out of during the meeting. All the children ages 3-12 are crowded in one room, mostly with two children seated in one small chair. The leaders are all new members not knowing how things should go and what they should expect of the children. And they aren't familiar with the primary songs, since even the longer term members haven't grown up in the church. We have been working very hard with the new Handbook of Instructions and teaching reverence etc. Sunday when Sis. Blake climbed down the hill to the primary room and went in it was so quiet she wondered if the children had come yet. What a great surprise to see they had divided the children into groups and they were reverently going about the beginning of primary. The second wonderful surprise was to hear them sing the new primary song for this year – all three verses – and right on tune! The leaders were so proud of themselves, and we all wanted to shout for joy...our hearts were so full. 

In the joint YM/YW class, the 35 youth were actually persuaded to respond to simple opinion questions, where they talked to each other in small groups. As they loosened-up and gained courage to speak, they really enjoyed becoming actively involved. (In Kenya, public school classes are all rote-learning and group recitation; and scary humiliation if a student were to give a wrong answer. Thus, young people are conditioned not to talk, and seldom to voice their opinions.)

The next experience was in Relief Society. Most lessons in all classes are taught by reading right from the book. Elder Blake has worked hard to teach some different ways of involving people and getting them to think and feel the spirit. The teacher wrote on the chalkboard, asked questions, and even divided the group for discussion! She taught with the Spirit and it was wonderful.

Elder B Teaching English Class

RS Birthday Social Planning Meeting

      

Sister Jackson Dipping Beads for Necklace

Jackson Twins on Siblings Backs for "Ride" Home

We also see excitement as those in the temple classes are feeling the Spirit of Elijah and working hard on their family history. Several are even writing their life histories. We hope we can get them all typed before we leave! What a blessing this will be to their ancestors and to their posterity!

These are days when the long bumpy roads and peanut butter sandwiches all seem worth it! 

Heavy Load. Now that's using your head!

Have a good week and know we are thinking of you with love.

Update 2.14.2011

Drought and Relief Food – We didn't make our Tuesday work day as Elder Blake had a toothache that resulted in the need for a root canal that day. Wednesday we made our regular visit to Mitini Branch for temple and new member classes but the rest of the time was spent in the branch as they distributed relief food from the Church to members who have been hit hard by the lack of rain during the last part of the growing season. The maize crop this season looked beautiful and green at first, but then no rains came and things dried up and didn't produce. Where people depend almost totally on food from their shambas drought creates a problem in just having food to eat. What a blessing it is as members of the Church world-wide contribute monthly to the fast offering fund and make it possible to help people in need. We wish that faithful members could see their donations used and appreciated so much.

Relief Food

Pres. and Sis. Kaseve Preparing for Distribution of Food

   

Willing Service for Food

More Happy Service

Baptism in Kyambeke – Saturday we picked up the Elders and went to Kyambeke for the baptism of Wilson and Duncan. Duncan is in his early twenties and was baptized by his younger brother, Nicolas, who is about 18 and the young men's president in the branch. It was a very special day for them. Wilson was baptized by Elder Hayes and both bore humble testimonies after. I was impressed as Duncan bore his testimony and said now that he knew he was a child of God he didn't worry about getting “lost” as he knew his Father would come looking for him. My thoughts went to how faithful members are the ones the Father sends looking for those who are “lost.” It made me want to try harder and listen to the Spirit as it whispers where to go and look.

Duncan Baptized by His Brother Nicolas

Elder Hayes, Wilson, Duncan, Nicolas and Elder Trickett

Elder Holland and Opening Burundi – Last October we mentioned a visit by Elder Holland to our mission. He made several visits to different African missions and then went with public affairs missionaries to dedicate the land of Burundi for the preaching of the gospel. The February Liahona says: “Elder Holland expressed his feeling that Africa had been held in reserve by the Lord in the spirit of 'the last shall be first' and that Africa would someday be seen as a bright land full of gospel hope and happiness.” We see this in the Hills where we meet so many people who are hungry for the gospel of Jesus Christ and when they are taught it's almost like they've heard it before and accept the teachings. This is wonderful but it also creates a great need for building leaders from new members who have not seen how the Church functions. That has been our quest and challenge during our mission. The new members are mostly willing and anxious to do things right, but long engrained cultural changes come little by little and take time.

Sunday in the Hills – Saturday after the baptism we spent the night in Kikoko and had a nice visit with the head nun, Sister Mary Joyce. We thanked her for making it possible for us to stay there which has made our work so much easier not having to travel back and forth to Nairobi each day. She didn't know we were leaving in April and asked if it would be possible for us to extend! They've been so good to us there. Sunday A.M we traveled through the shortcut (about 2 hours on bumpy road!) to Kilili Branch. As we were leaving Brother and Sister Maneno (couple we took to the temple) gave us a box they said contained a gift for us. It was all tied nicely and we didn't open it until we got home. (We were concerned that it might contain a live chicken as the last time we took a box that size in our truck from Kilili that's what it contained!) When we arrived home we found beautiful mangoes from their trees. Especially during this drought we appreciate this loving gift of sacrifice. How we will miss friends such as these!

Dear Friend, Sister Mary Joyce

On the way home we visited one of the members in the Machakos prison for one last visit. He hopes to be released when he finally has his hearing the end of March; but this is the fifth time the hearing has been delayed. We visit through bars in the outside prison wall, and then heavy chain link fence lined inside the bars. Thus, the closest conversation we have with him is one meter distant, and it is always monitored by guards who stand on each side of the handcuffed prisoner and monitor all conversation (about like in the US we suppose).

Have a good and safe week and know we are thinking of you.

Update 2.7.2010

Good Work Week – It seems there is a rejuvenation in classes at the beginning of the year and also finishing up before we leave. Elder Blake's Mitini new member class is going strong. Also, instead of winding down slowly with keyboard classes, we are preparing one last keyboard party in each branch. At that time we will collect keyboards in branches that don't have anyone within the branch advanced enough to teach and be responsible for the keyboards. It's sad as members have enjoyed the opportunity so much. We will leave detailed information for the next missionaries as to what has been done and who has been taking lessons and hope they will be able to continue. The problem is that there are six areas that will not have senior couples by April (Mombasa, Chyulu, Kilungu Hills, Kisumu, Eldoret, and new Tanzanian area), and only one couple coming that we know of! If anyone is able and interested it would be the experience of a lifetime! You are so needed.

Written History – There is very little recorded history of individuals in Kenya. Most history is oral and passed from generation to generation. In temple classes we have worked on pedigree charts, family group sheets, and now life stories with a promise that we will type and return anything they write! We are trying to add pictures as well. We've asked members to include how they learned about the Church and to share their testimonies. We are also doing oral history interviews with three of the grandparent generation who are definitely the “pioneers” in the church (although the longest baptized is just over one year now). Some of their younger children who have had schooling serve as interpreters. At first they were uncomfortable – lots of one-word responses to our searching questions – but they are gradually warming to the ideas of sharing their life experiences. When they see their words typed, along with a picture that should get them excited!

Welcome Gifts – A few weeks ago one of the branch presidents asked us if we liked chicken. We assured him that we did and he said the next time we came he'd have one for us. We weren't sure if it would be alive and crowing – a “do-it-yourself” project for us – or just what. When we left after classes he presented it to us very fresh, killed, cleaned (still warm – no refrigerators), and ready to go. They also included a huge avocado to go with it. People are so good to us. We're going to miss them all!

Gift Chicken

Chicken on a Leash!

Initiation of New Elder - With the transfer of Elder Atkins, Elder Trickett from Roy (just a mile or so from our home) was assigned to our area . We hadn't known him before, as we haven't lived there long ourselves; plus he lives in another stake. The senior companion, Elder Hayes, assured him that he wouldn't need a rain coat as this was the dry season. Promptly upon arrival it began to rain like the bottom had fallen out! We had planned to pick up the Elders and take them to Nunguni for “dinner.” It was pouring rain as they left their apartment, so Elder Hayes gave his new companion his raincoat, since he'd told him not to bring one. Then, on the way down the hill, he slipped and fell “splat” in the red mud – all 6' 7” of him! Now they were soaking wet and covered with mud. We helped him dry off a little before dinner as we also needed to make a hospital visit on our way. These two Elders really stand out as one is 6' 7” and the other about 6' 2” and both blond and blue-eyed. It is a privilege to serve with them.

They have been working on the roads (hand-shovel crews) using the soft red dirt which becomes like pudding when wet. We got stuck right behind a stuck matatu so everyone had to get out and assist the crowd who had gathered to help get the vehicles back on the road. In the confusion, a woman helped herself to our tow rope and started down the road (away from the scene). Sister Blake had gotten out of the truck (in the mud) just in time to retrieve the tow rope before it got “lost.” The day was a fitting welcome to the adventures of Kilungu Hills!

Maiz Stalks Harvested for Animal Food

Sister B by Bank of Flowers at Kikoko Hospital

Blog Days are Numbered – We have been working on our calendar and trying to fit in everything that needs to be done in these two remaining months of our mission. We will be excited to see family and friends but we certainly will miss our wonderful friends here, and the experiences we are having We know that our lives will never be the same... (but we just don't know how yet??)

Sister B and Pres. Onesmus' Daughter Gloria

Trust and Love

      

Our love to you all. Stay safe and happy.