We had a great week. We drove to Nairobi on Tuesday. While my “eek” alarm went off too frequently for Tom’s taste, it really was a good drive. (The “eek” alarm goes off when I think he’s too close to the edge or too close to the center or veering off in a dangerous way. Sometimes swerving around potholes into oncoming traffic qualifies for the alarm sound.) No trip is complete without zebras. I just love them!

It also seems it’s impossible to take too many pictures of zebras for us as well.

It was Great to be in Nariobi. Not the city itself or the traffic, but there’s a great spirit at the Mission Office and we had a fantastic Mission Conference. Elder Turley and Elder Jensen from the Church Historical office spoke to us about the importance of record keeping. I felt guilty as my journal entries have lapsed a bit. But I have been trying to capture conversion stories so I felt a bit redeemed. We had testimonies from the arriving and departing missionaries that touched our hearts. Some quotes that impressed me:

· A Missionary is someone who leaves his family for a little while so that others can be with their families for eternity.

· Be strictly obedient. What we think of Christ determines what kind of missionary we will be.

· When we come to a meeting, we should EXPECT revelation. We should have the desire and prayer to receive revelation from the Lord about what He would have us know and do.

· Listen. Write down what Heavenly Father whispers to you. We are here to hear the messages of heaven.

· History is about remembering. When you keep a record, don’t keep it about unimportant things. Keep it about your experiences with Jesus Christ. Ponder and observe these things.

· If this isn’t a happy time, you can change it in the snap of a finger. Repentance can come instantaneously.

· There is hope for us all in Christ and the Gospel. We hold the hope of the world in our hands.

· Your calling is to be angels to God’s children to bear testimony of what you know. The millions of people around us were all there in the counsel of Heaven, willing to follow Christ. Your job is to help them remember. The Holy Spirit will help them, too.

· In our mission more than 50% of the missionaries are first generation church members—the pioneers of Africa.

We had a couples meeting that was very helpful as we discussed how we can best support and lift the church here; as always, poverty and how best to help is a concern. The consensus is to pay a generous fast offering and then refer the people to the Branch President who is inspired by God on how best to help. One person said to be very careful about loaning money because you may be digging a pit for them. Difficulties arise and they are not able to pay and then you have caused them to sin.

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Thursday we got fingerprinted and got our work permit. So we can leave and re-enter Kenya. We also get to go to the National parks at citizen rates. Hurray! We also spent much of the day at the mission office—correcting records, getting materials- including a “voice projection system” which some might call a sound system. I spoke with public affairs and we decided to create a Kisumu PA plan to help the church become more recognized here. Tom got some things fixed on the truck. All in all it was a very fulfilling time.

Friday on the way back we stopped at a lookout over The Great Rift Valley...

... and sucumbed to the lure of the shopkeepers there. This is a soapstone carving that reminded me of how connected we all are.

We picked up a few veggies and got a 5 gallon can of potatoes for 100 shillings ($1.30). We’ll need to give some away. I love these village scenes. It's so hard to capture the humanity, the color, the activity, the dust and the intertwined lives.

We made good time traveling home… except for the last stop. Something about speeding. But the chief saw Elder Fox’s name tag, and let him go with a warning.

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Saturday seemed filled with papers scattered all over the place and lists half checked off. We had two baptisms and met with the Branch Mission leader for the first time in months to discuss how we can support and strengthen these new members. I made two kinds of potato salad and egg salad as Elder and Sister Littlefield and President Kogo (of the mission presidency) were coming down from Eldoret on Sunday. We always try to feed them or else they don’t eat for the day. I helped a new sister learn how to conduct music and visited with a friend about his struggle to get his business going. I felt very depressed on Saturday. There is so much need. People struggle so and it seems there is always something to knock them down. I felt sad and incapable. Then I realized it was lack of faith. Heavenly Father knows these people. He has promised to bless them. I need more faith that he will do what he says. I need to stand back and watch for the miracles of the Lord. So I am praying for more faith and more trust in the Lord and I feel better.

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Today, Sunday, was a good day. I actually practiced some hymns so I could play them sort of well. Then the conducting member changed them all, but I still played them okay. A youth choir sang. “Sister Fox will you play for us?” What?? I played one handed. They galloped through the hymn and would have done just fine on their own. A number of men were interviewed for advancement in the priesthood. That’s very satisfying as it shows the church is growing. We really are blessed here. There are many good people, many looking for the truth, and many who are living the best they can. We are blessed to be here and see the Lord's work unfold.

Sounds of Kenya

I love Kenya! It’s so fun to listen to the sounds that make up our lives here. We have the swish of tires on gravel as the neighbor’s cars and trucks pull in. The impatient honking, and the clink of chain on the gate as the guard opens the gate. This goes on dozens of times a day… not the honking, the guard is usually pretty quick.

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The other neighbors have an elegant rooster with a broken time piece. He crows all day long. He seems to take delight in wandering on to our property to crow during sacrament meeting. Then we hear the scrush of raking leaves… but it’s the hen with her chicks scratching in our yard. I don’t mind. It cuts down on the weeds and the bugs. The chickens cackle and cluck and wander but are good about returning to their home at dusk.

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At night we hear the squeek, not of mice, but of bats as they find their meals. And we hear the scrunch of feet on gravel as our guard makes his rounds. Occasionally we hear the melody of his cell phone going off and his conversation in Swahili or “mother tongue” and we figure if we can hear him that easily, we’d better whisper.

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We learned at the beginning of our mission to listen for water: the sound of water running up stairs when someone left the tap open and city water started on again. Or of a toilet flushing continuously. Or the tap outside suddenly starting up again. Since we moved here, the water bill has dropped a great deal. We listen for the trickle of water echoing in the water tank that lets us know city water is on again. And I sometimes start in alarm when I hear the gush of water from our sink to the sewer… thinking water is running someplace where it should not. We also have the joy of the tap-tap or rattle-rattle of the rain on our tin roof. It’s only not quite so much a joy when laundry is still on the line.

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We’ve spoken of the AKK-AKK of the hamerkop or the heron. But we have the caw of pied crows, and the chirp of mouse birds that have long tails and hang from branches and lines instead of perching. We have whistles, songs, clicks, and trills of black and red birds and gray ones, and little yellow ones—most of whom refuse to come and perch close by so we can photo and identify them.

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We continue to be serenaded by the dogs in the yard behind us. They bark at dusk and a variety of other times. They howl at full moons and part moons and no moons at all. And I am sure the Lord has given me charity and I seldom think of poison. Very seldom. Almost never.

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From the street we sometimes hear the rumble of a truck and the took-took sound of the 2 cycled “tuk-tuks.” As I was trying to describe their sound, I realized where their name came from. These are 3 wheeled diesel powered golf-cart kinds of taxies that the missionaries use all the time. Close up, they are quiet loud. We hear the rumble of piki-pikis (motorcycle taxis), an occasional airplane, and the usual afternoon sounds of impending storms.

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Most days we hear the rustle of breeze through the draperies. We love the breeze! It cools things and makes the heat bearable. Sometimes the wind picks up and blows papers everywhere. Then we hear the SLAM! of doors blowing shut upstairs. Most have a block that fits in the door jam to keep the doors open even in the wind. When the wind picks up, we look for stormy weather. Some of our storms are spectacular. The mid afternoon begins with discrete, occasional rumblings. The sun is shining, but looking north you see a black line of clouds. After a time, the clouds become slate gray and the rumbling picks up. At times I may hear nearly constant booms, crashes, rumblings, and the shouts of an angry sky. Sometimes it turns into rain. Sometimes it recedes to grumbles and moves on. Sometimes you see a great flash and an amazing KA_BOOM and feel the house shake!

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I think our senses have become more attuned to sounds since we’ve arrived. We love the connection to the world that comes through our open windows. Kenya is a great place to be!

Breadfruit and beds

Friday we recuperated from Thursday's efforts. I nursed my sunburn with Young Living essential oils of Rose, Lavender, and Frankincense and by Saturday it was much improved and gone by Sunday. Here is a photo of Elder Fox working the hand pump for water at one of the wells we visited on Thursday. The lady on the right is holding a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off as a funnel to put the water into the gerry cans.

Saturday we had leadership training. It began at 10am (in theory) and we ended about 1. And then we had a baptism after that. Tom and I both spoke at the leadership training meeting. When we had a break out session, the Employment Specialist spoke with us about helping one another as we share skills and looking out for employment opportunities. There is also a cooperative association that can make micro loans and we discussed forming groups to help people become self-employed.

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Sunday was a good day for investigators. We had a good meeting. It's always a joy to feel the spirit of the Lord confirming truths. I thought we would not have much to do, but there are always things that come up. "Sister Fox will give the spiritual thought." "Will you go to this meeting for me?" "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Perhaps its the listening ear that takes the most effort.

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Today we are preparing for our trip to Nairobi. We will drive down tomorrow. Wednesday is the all Kenya Mission Conference with Elder Koelliker, Elder Turley (the historian) and Elder and Sister Jensen. We think we have our work papers and will need to be fingerprinted for those. The good part of that is we can get into the national parks at a much reduced rate. Hurray!!

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Our good friend Marcellus, the chief, came by with some breadfruit. This is the HUMONGOUS nubby big watermelon sized fruit that grows on trees here. We had an unripened one last time, but this one was ripe. He showed us how to cut it open and remove the tasty parts. There are big seeds inside and pale strings around each fruit nub. And the plant puts out a sticky residue. It doesn't give up it's fruit easily, but it's tasty. The pip in his hand is the edible part. Sorry the pictures are blurry.

I can't believe myself. Typically when we move someplace, we put the furniture into a spot and it stays there until we move. I'm not at all the kind of person who rearranges the furniture. Yet here we are this week, moving our bed around and hanging up a new mosquito net. We moved a box springs and mattress to the office, and tried just putting a mattress on the slats of the bed. The old mosquito netting was round at the top and as it reached the edges of the bed tended to cramp the sleeping accommodations there. This one hangs straight down and so should give us more room.

The problem came in hanging it. You see, the walls are cement. The ceiling is cement. The crown moulding is cement.... but the door frames and curtain top frame are wood. So we ran strings and it turned out well.

Water Works

Wednesday evening we picked up Elder Esplin and Elder Udall from LDS charities along with the construction man, Charles. They came up to see some "bore holes" (we call them wells.) So today we got up before 5am to be on the road before 6am to go see these bore holes. The problem is the lack of sanitary water for drinking. Many women walk 6km or more to Lake Victoria to fetch water. One woman makes 6 trips a day to get enough water for her 8 children and the 6 orphans she cares for. The water from the lake is also used for washing laundry, people and cars as well as a drain for sewage. So LDS Charities is drilling wells to bring sanitary water closer to the people. We had to leave early enough to catch the ferry across part of Lake Victoria.

It took us nearly 2 hours to get there. Then we waited for the ferry to off load. It's a good fishing area and here are some of the fishing boats. On the lake we passed sail boats, too.

This well was just completed and they are testing the flow of the water. The women were so delighted. They Ky-yi-yi-ed and clapped and danced their appreciation. The completed project will pipe the water up the the community and have a storage tank to draw from.

It was amazing to see all the people come Tom counted one woman who came at least 3 times for water. 15 minutes for her round trip home, 6 minutes waiting in line for water. People carried water on their heads. They came with donkeys that carried about 200 lbs of water back. They came with bicycles to carry water and wheelbarrows. It's the staff of life. They figure 10 liters per person per day for drinking water. Plus water for washing and cooking.

Elder Fox volunteered to carry some water.

We saw 4 wells-- one just starting, one ready to pull water in the next day or so, one long established, and one dry hole. They drilled 250 feet and came up with no water.

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Again we had a time line. We had to make the 2:00 ferry in order to get people back to the airport to catch their flight to Nairobi. Elder Fox did a masterful job of driving. We got home before 5pm. But we were tired puppies. And sunburned once again. I did wear a hat. I need one with a wider brim!

Pulling Sticks

Wednesday we had district meeting. We will be driving to Nairobi next week for Mission Tour. This is when all the missionaries from Kenya get together in one place. We said we'd have room to take two missionaries with us. This saves them a trip on the bus which is guess is even more exciting than a car drive. The missionaries decided to pull sticks to see who would go with us. This was a Joseph Smith favorite game. You sit facing each other, feet together, and both gripping a stick. At the "Go" each pulls as hard as they can. The one who pulls the other off the ground wins. Here is Elder Fox giving the "GO!"

Elder Bywater is stronger than he looks. Elder Ngapasare didn't have a chance! This will be the last one we have before transfers. Elder Clark has been in Kisumu for 7 months. We love him, but chances are he will not be here much longer. Add to that, we have a great chief in our branch. We asked him if he could fix us a meal for 250/- a person (a little over $3) He came and catered a fantastic meal! It was SO savory.

Here is Marcellus at work in the kitchen. And below we are enjoying the amazing results.

It's a shame Elder Clark was interviewing someone for baptism and Elder Fox was outside explaining to someone why we couldn't hire him to work. We all got a head start!

trip to Sondu and Kisii

Tuesday we began a new adventure. Pres Taylor had several people along the way to Kisii-- about a 2 hour drive, that he wanted us to visit. One was a new member who lived far from church. Another was a returned missionary who had spent the last 10 years in a remote place. And lastly, a man had come to Nairobi saying he had a church of 50 people and they would like to be baptized into the Church. We were sent to see how they all were doing and to encourage them as seemed best. We drove past some lovely scenery on good roads to Sondu where we met Kenneth. He lived "not far" from Sondu. About 20 minutes later, we arrived at his shamba-- a prosperous looking place. Then he took us to find his father who was making bricks at another plot of land. Upon returning to the shamba he showed us the church they had built. Kenneth had gone to Nairobi, attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. loved their teachings, and came home and convinced these 50 people to follow those teachings.

The church was clean and neat. Made of mud and plastered with mud it was quite attractive.

Kenneth and his father showed us around. Then we sat in the father's office and taught about the restoration and gave them Book of Mormons. We also gave the conference issue of the Ensign and encouraged them to read a lesson and teach it on Sunday. We will come back and teach them more, but the church will not come to Sondu for a while. They will have to learn and wait patiently.
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We had told the new member he lived too far away for us to go to his home. Then we discovered Kenneth lived 8 km down the same road. So the new member met us at Kenneth's house. He is another 20km down the same dirt road. We will go back early enough to go to his house next time. We drove on to Kisii-- another hour -- after we got back to the main road-- to visit the returned missionary.

We met him at the Post office... where's the post office?? Are we there yet?? Hello? We've passed this landmark and that. "Just keep coming." And what does he look like? The one waving wildly in front of the post office. He was so happy to see us. They all were. Not that we are that great. Just that we represent that the Church cares about them and they are not forgotten.

Kisii is a busy town that has that "under construction" feeling to it. The whole day was a race. We left at 8:30, not knowing how long the drive would be. We raced from Kenneth to Kisii. Then after a brief visit and spiritual thought, we raced home to be there in time for our Institute class. Phew! We did it! It was a great day! This was a fun street scene on the way home.

The week of the workers

This week we had electricians and plumbers working throughout the church and our house. That meant we stayed home most of the week. They fixed many of the problems we had endured. A sink in the foyer now drains. Our faucets no longer leak and joy of joys—our toilet is now plumbed to the tank water!!! What a delight to flush without using a bucket to fill the tank.
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Wednesday we were able to go to Manyatta to do a cottage meeting. We thought we’d go to Fred (the goat man’s) house, but instead we walked across the path to a lovely woman with her 15 year old son. He suffered from meningitis and almost died. Slowly he is recovering and can now speak and almost walk. We had a delightful visit with her! And several other members and investigators were there. She said she first thought the Book of Mormon was of the devil, but as she read it, she realized it said just what the Bible said. The missionaries had asked her to pray about it, back when she was giving them a hard time. She said as she prayed about it she came to feel it was true and now wanted to be baptized. There was a great spirit there. She is a teacher and has a pre-school of about 130 students. Many of them are orphans or have lost one parent.
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Thursday we spent a sizeable amount of time in crisis management. Two church members were at odds. It’s amazing. In a town of over a quarter million, that difficulty—the stories and rumors about it—had spread to other members in town. They had been told by non-members who witnessed some of the tiff. And those non-members were saying, “What kind of church has members like this?” So even though it was a business disagreement, the Branch Presidency and us got involved. They felt it was important for the sake branch unity that it be resolved and not allowed to reflect poorly on the church. Ultimately it was one of those justice and mercy things. One was clearly wrong, but needy and cried for mercy. One was right, and unwilling to pay more. The Branch President in a Solomon like move, said, “God will provide the needed money.” I trust he will, but God uses people to fulfill his needs and in part he used us.
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A contractor came and without level, plumb, square or any tools but a string-- and maybe a bucket? -- installed a “patio” for the baptismal font. They laid down gravel, then sand, then large pavers, then cemented them into place. It looked great. We tried to get them to enlarge the area… but something about a contract and money said they could not. However, they left a large pile of gravel behind when they were done. So Friday morning Tom went out and started moving the gravel around to fill in the sides up to the lip of the cemented pavers. We were able to get three sides up level and neat with the gravel. The 4th side is against a wall. It really looked good. I’m sorry we didn’t take a before picture so you could see the difference.

Here are the HE-MEN moving the font back. It's really heavy!And here is the font on the pad and you can see all the gravel neatly spread around. Now maybe a little paint?
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Saturday we had a baptism in the new patio area and font. Tom did the baptizing. The elders teased him that he could say he did 3 baptisms… actually it was one person, 3 times, as he was not completely submersed the first two times. It’s neat because his wife was baptized a month or so ago. Now the whole family is united in the Gospel.
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Sunday we got up before 6 to be on the road by 7:15 to go to Busia. We did not train there yesterday and I really didn’t know much of what, if anything we’d be doing there. Except I was to play the piano. I really played pretty poorly, but they were delighted. I’m assuming angels translated the sound so it ended up much better than it began. At the end of Sacrament meeting, they said, “We have no youth teachers. So Sister Fox will teach the youth today.” Oh. Okay. So I ended up teaching Sunday School and Young Women. I pulled open the manual. Hmm. Let’s do the lesson on priesthood. I think it went well. Then the young men left and I had two young women who didn’t speak a whole lot of English. So we hope the spirit was able to teach as we discussed the Gift of the Holy Ghost and how the spirit speaks to us.
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Tom spent several hours after meetings training the Branch Presidency and I visited with the Relief Society Presidency. We were home by 6pm. We actually talked to Sue and Steve on Skype, so that was nice. And we visited with Miranda and Rebecca on Saturday. It’s fun to see and speak to those we love!

Things I'm Thankful for...

Following are some of the things for which I am thankful, at least today; tomorrow will have a different lineup. You may wonder about my choice of images; a valid question. It is probably just a guy thing.
So, here is my first selection of things I am thankful for: moderate temperatures with low humidity. Ok, so this themometer is in the dining room and we are warm, but it could be worse. However, this climate is great for growing beautiful plants, trees and flowers (is this the time to mention we can get a dozen fresh roses for about $1.40?) as well as an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables which we are enjoying on a daily basis
My second selection, is yes, rather bizzare. I have included this for a special reason, aside from the normal convenience of having a real toilet to use. This one is in our bathroom and is now connected to a continuous water supply! Heretofore, it was connected to the municiple water supply, which is available about 12 hours a day, except for those times when it doesn't flow at all, like about 50% of those 12 hours. Most of the time when we needed to flush, we had to fill the bucket and pour the water into the tank. And how did this miraculous event transpire? The plumber came to resolve several issues this week, and this was one of them.

Third selection is connected to the second; the plumber also fixed our water leak at the kitchen faucet. About 1/3 of the water didn't make it into the container because of various leaks here and there. Here, you can see a water pitcher being filled with filtered water (the filters are to the right). And if you are good at multi tasking, you can get a lot done while you wait for this two quart container to fill.

Those living in Kenya will understand why mayo is included in my list; the brands normally available in the stores here do not compare as favorably as, say, Hellmann's brand. In our three months here this is the first time we have seen Hellmann's; today we were shopping at Nakumatt (like your local Walmart) and we saw these three jars on the shelf. We practically fell over each other whisking them off the shelf and into our cart! And the only reason we didn't buy more is because there were only three! One lesson we have learned here: buy it when you see it (and plenty of them if you really like it), it may not be there next time.

My fifth selection for thankful things is rather obvious. And it is for that very reason that I have included my wife in my gratitude list; she is often unappreciated by me. Without her, there would be no mission in Kenya, and I (we) would not be having such wonderful spiritual experiences, enjoying the great friendships we have established, and helping the super people in Kenya strengthen their testimonies of Jesus Christ. She is a great example to me, a continuous source of inspiration, and unlike the water supply or the mayo, she is my companion 24/7!

Hope you all find things today to be grateful for today, and tomorrow, and the next day...

The week of visits

This week we spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday visiting members. Wednesday we spent in the northern part of Kisumu. We visited Bro. Steven, Michael, and Titus and their wives. At Bro. Steven's house, his wife Nancy made a lovely dinner of tilapia fish, ugali, and greens. Then we walked to Michael's house who is his "next door neighbor." It was a 10 minute walk past many houses. I think if you live in the same "estate" you are neighbors. There we met with the 6 of them again and taught a lesson. Titus lives in the neighboring estate so we walked back to the truck and drove there. Steven and Michael directed us.
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The truck is only supposed to transport missionaries or be used for church or mission business. So we try to be very careful about giving rides to people. But we didn't know the way. I think people believe if they can walk there, the truck can go there. We wound our way deep into the slums. These roads were narrow, rain washed and full of dips and holes. Houses and small shops lined the way. The sisters actually walked there ahead of us. As we caught up to them, the men got out and let the sisters ride the last bit in the truck. I think that is one of the blessings of the gospel. The men at church have more respect for the women than is traditional. At Titus's house we learned about how they joined the church. It is great to hear how testimonies grow and how as they learn and apply the teachings of the gospel their lives improve.
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We got home close to dark, tired, dusty, and feeling great! Wednesday we left early to go to Maseno-- about 30 km northwest of Kisumu. We visited Sis. Maureen, the Relief Society President at her shop. It's about 10'x10' with a window opening to the street. People stop to purchase. She is a returned missionary and a great lady. We always enjoy her.
Then we braved red clay roads to go visit Bro. Ponge. I love it that we just head off into the brush with vague directions and manage to find the place. (with a little help from cell phones! ) He is a retired teacher and the oldest member of the branch at about age 60. Since retiring, he has focused on the needs of the orphans. AIDs has nearly eliminated a generation of people in this rural area. So many grandmamas are left to raise grandchildren after having lost husbands and all their children and their children's spouses. This is Bro Ponge's early childhood development (ECD) school. On the left are the younger; on the right the class of the older students. Many of them cannot afford to pay for school and often they come to school hungry. One of his projects is to rent land, then till, plant, weed and when the harvest comes, distribute the grains to the families who care for the orphans. Total cost is about $40 and it provides food for 50 orphans and their guardian families for maybe 10 days... but this year he doesn't have enough money to do this.

I love it! Mud floor and walls, but still they are filled with cheerful posters and information and the children are happy.

Then we drove to Bro. Richard's house. He has a nice shamba or farm. We saw his banana trees his mother planted. We saw his brick works and his wife's kiosk by the street where she sells "some small things"-- vegetables, some clothing, eggs. I bought some eggs. Below, they are standing in front of his father's garage. This is where the church met for the first few weeks when it was organized in Kisumu-- so it's a part of history. Now here's the rub. People may live hours from Kisumu and still have a Kisumu address. So when they decided to start a branch here, they gathered all the people from "Kisumu" and learned, after the organization, that almost NONE of them actually lived in Kisumu. They all lived in outlying areas. So these great people in Maseno and other areas now need to travel to Kisumu for church at great personal sacrifice. The church needs to grow in the city, then we pray that branches will spread back out to Maseno and other outlying areas.

Again, we got back home tired and happy. Friday morning we visited Morrice's school. Morrice and Olga discovered they could not work together. So they separated and now two schools are serving that area. They are both struggling, but I hope and pray they will succeed. They are both motivated to do well. Morrice's school now meets in a church. This was it's first day there.

Then we drove to Sabatia to visit Erica. She is below with her grandees and a girl from the school who did the best on he graduation exams. Erica will try to sponsor her first year at form 1. We heard Erica's latest efforts with the fish ponds. These are to support the widow's group. The bees are to support the AID's group. I'm not sure which thing supports the orphan group. We stopped at the school she works with and spoke with the headmaster. They also have an ECD program. They feed the children as they saw them not paying attention due to hunger.

Being obedient to our truck usage, we declared we were delighted to walk to her widow's support group meeting. A mile and a half later we arrived. My shoes are not meant for walking that distance.... and then I see women here walking miles in heels! Again, many of these "mamas" are raising orphan grandchildren. (pronounced MA'ma-- anyone above childbearing age may be called a mama. It's a term of respect. Actually most of these mamas are WELL above childbearing age.) After we spoke to them, they gave us a round of applause as well as a little shaking, dancing, and some Ki-yi-yi-yis. The little one to the right if me with the stick, which she needs to walk with, did a mighty fine job of the shakin and dancin.

On the walk there and back, we met many of Erica's friends and neighbors. One was carrying a banana trunk on her head to take home, chop up, and feed to the cows. Elder Fox had to try the head carrying for himself.

Then she resumed carrying it.

Ah, the complexities of life. Their needs are so great, and yet often problems can be solved with not a lot of money. But everyone has a problem and could use money to resolve. The fish pond needs fish to stock it, then it could be profitable. There is another fishpond that is partly dug, but stopped due to funds. What do do.

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Rain was threatening, and we didn't want to be on the narrow clay roads when it began. And it WAS time to leave. Again, we returned home when it was nearly dark. But I glowed--in more ways than one. It felt great to visit and uplift friends... and I had a brilliant sunburn! About 4 hours in the sun (even if you seek shade of trees whenever possible) at the equator and taking malaria pills that make you more photosensitive all create a bad situation. And she offered me an umbrella. Sigh. Pride goes before a sunburn.

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Saturday we had six people baptized-- 3 daughters from one family, 2 from another, and a boda boda (bicycle taxi) driver. It was awesome to see fathers using their priesthood to baptize their children. This is what the church is about-- growing families in the gospel. This contrasts with an African tradition of sending your children to boarding school. In the afternoon we went to visit Samuel who is not quite 14 and has been in boarding school for the past 2 years. He arises at 4:45 and school starts at 5am. They have scheduled classes, activities, and study time until 9:30 at night. We talked of taking time during study time to read the scriptures. He is the only member there, but he likes it there and dreams of being a surgeon one day. On the way back we took a side trip to see the Kisumu airport. As we entered town we hit a traffic snarl that tied us up for about 45 minutes as a 2 lane road became a 4 lane road with impatient drivers trying to crowd to the front.

I Love Teaching the Gospel!

One of the most fun things is teaching the gospel and having people “get it.” In Institute last night we were teaching that the Book of Mormon prophets saw our time and wrote the things that would be of most worth to us. And the end of class, a student asked, “How does this verse apply to our day?” And one of the other students explained a modern day application.

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We taught about the attitudes of Lamon and Lemuel (I’ll try to get the brass plates… along with murmuring and complaining and just sitting around when the bows broke) as opposed to Nephi: “I will go and do the things God commands.” I’ll go make another bow. And finally in 1 Nephi 17:50 : “I can do ALL things the Lord commands me.” There was some discussion about if trying to keep the commandments was good enough and the realization if God commands, we need to have faith enough to DO… not just try. We may have to stretch, change, try new ways, but ultimately have the faith that we will accomplish it. After class, one member said, “I’m going to stop trying. I’m going to do!”

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In applying the scriptures to us, we talked about how we all have our own “wilderness” that we must cross—our own trials and difficulties—in order to reach our own “promised land”—where the Lord wants us to be either spiritually, emotionally, or temporally. Thus 1 Nephi 17:13 takes on new meaning:

And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led toward the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.

Thus, the Lord promises to prepare the way before us, to lead us in such a way that we will know God is leading us, as long as we will obey Him and keep his commandments. Is that not awesome? Now students get to look for the way the Lord has prepared for them and for evidences that they are being led.

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One member was struggling to get his school going. The landlord was supposed to fix the building then start charging rent. Then the landlord called—you have to move out while I fix. AKK. Where to move? They had previously arranged to move next door, but now that was in question. So in the concern, the member looked for other options. He checked with the city. It seems he can get a plot of land at very reasonable rates so he can build on it. For what he would be paying in rent to the landlord, he could soon construct his own metal building. So what originally seemed like a crisis has turned into a blessing and he can see the guidance of the Lord’s hand.

A fit of insanity

My hair was getting longer and longer. What to do? I fell to asking strange women in Nakumatt where they got their hair cut. Nairobi. We weren't going back there for weeks. And the sister who usually cuts my hair is finishing her mission in March. I thought about letting it grow long. Maybe even a pony tail. But it's hot here.
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So this morning I got out the scissors and a comb and set to work cutting my own hair. Note the scissors and comb are not your typical haircutting kind. Tom was a big help. I held the hair in back and he cut. I believe this was another miracle. It actually turned out okay. If you compare it with the last post's photo, you can see it is shorter. So now I know if I have to do it... Tom and I can cut my hair. The rug in the bathroom, on the other hand, may have accquired a new texture.