A Great Week

Here are some random thoughts to end the week. We were talking to Morris and he said, "There are too many stray animals in this city.... There are cows all over the place!" I had to laugh as that was not the first animal that came to mind when one discussed strays. However cow do wander around and keep the grass trimmed. And chickens seem to roam a lot. The neighbor's chickens come to visit when the gate is open. Then in the evening we need to shoo them home. The first night our guard got the neighbor to come over. Tonight we tried the bread crumb routine and that worked much better than herding.

We have also been grateful for camping experiences earlier in life that prepared us and that the water break is now fixed and we have running water again. Bathing in a basin is not my idea of fun. I'm so picky!

Friday we went to an open air market with Susan, a lovely young African mother. She introduced us to some good people to buy from. As we bought, we also invited people to come to church. We went to the fish woman and bought some fresh talipia fish. We had them fillet it-- something Africans rarely do as they think the head and the eyes are the best part. I cooked it that evening and it was quite tasty. I put a few drops of Young Living's Lemon Essential oil in the water I poached it in, and the room did not smell at all fishy.

Saturday we had some baptisms. The missionaries have been teaching a lot and several members of families got baptized. We met at the church for prayer and talks. Then we walked to a nearby resort with a swimming pool to do the baptisms. I had asked about Lake Victoria, but with the crocodiles and hippos, it isn't very safe.

Here is Elder Lipengah (center) with the people getting baptized. Benta, Lorraine, and Elizabeth are on the left. The boys and men happen to be on the right. There were a few other swimmers in the pool, so we had some on-lookers who had not come from the church.Still, it was a very special time. After the baptisms we walked back to church for the closing remarks. Then people stayed to clean the building before Sunday. It's amazing how just walking into the building creates dirt on the terrazzo floors. Later in the afternoon we went to visit a member who owns an Internet cafe. We visited with her outside her place, and she took this picture of us. (I think we were both telling her she needed to keep pressing on the shutter longer. And Elder Fox's chair is on the dirt, not the sidewalk.)

I have been teaching conducting classes to the choir and others at church. One of the people, Doreen, is supposed to be the choir director, but she was hesitant to lead. It was so awesome today. I played the keyboard. (That part was not awesome, only mediocre.) But Doreen conducted! And she did a great job. How fun to see my students progress and blossom! I am also teaching some people keyboarding. Many want to learn! The church has a wonderful program to teach them. We have covered timing, rhythm, tempo, and signatures. They teach first by finger numbers. If you place your fingers on the keys correctly and play according to the fingering-- you can play "In Humility Our Savior" and "Abide with Me" just using 2 hands with one finger on each key. It helps the students feel like they are accomplishing a lot very quickly. And they can play songs in church right away.

Long day at church today, but a good day. Budgeting, people still learning callings and how to run programs and care for people. Sometimes we shake our heads. Then go back and teach once again.