On the Edge

The periphery is not a bad place to be. As missionaries we focus on the Lord's work and let the work of Man pretty much run by itself, trusting the Lord will not let too much go amiss of our business while we are away.

We have a referendum on the constitution coming up here in Kenya in a week. We are encouraged not to get involved in politics here and so I really know little about the constitution. Occasionally a branch member or our guard will talk to us about it. As with every political issue, there are pros and cons and one must decide whether the good or the bad predominates and vote accordingly. We encourage our members to study the issues and vote as they feel best.

We catch the headlines on Yahoo news as we check our mail, and also skim the crises that seem to dominate life in "the real world." It seems the media flagellates people with one "end of the world" problem after another. I didn't delve into the oil spill that was to destroy the gulf for eons to come, but today I read an article called: Where did all the oil go? and it turns out the spill has largely disappeared due to some evaporation and mostly little microbes nature provided to gobble up the oil particles. It didn't wash up on shores much. It didn't sink to the ocean floor and smother it. Nor did it devour New York City or cause a meltdown of Wall Street. But the NEXT disaster.... na-na-na-na ( The Jaws theme song)! Watch out. Get your blood pressure up. Find safe shelter! It's sure to be the BIG disaster.

I'm not saying we don't have disasters. There's record flooding, drought, earthquakes, and mud slides. Banks fail, people lose jobs, they die. There are genocides, wars, starvation. I just wish the media would help, not hype. I've learned that the words could and might-- as in "This could be the storm of the century and might wipe out all of Florida." Also means it could not, and might not and that is much more likely the case. It seems to me we would all be happier if we focused on what we could do and change, and less on things over which we have no control.

What I love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the peace that comes from understanding the plan of salvation. There is peace when you know where you come from and what the purpose of earth life is. In part, it is to be tried and tested, to have adversity and to see how you will handle that adversity. Will you act Christ-like, or not? And when you know that this life is not all there is-- that it is just a brief moment and we will all continue to live into the eternities and be judged by our thoughts, words and actions here-- the decisions we make here and the way we act here take on a different meaning. Death is not a disaster. Problems are not insurmountable with the Savior at our side. The Joy of the gospel is not "pie in the sky by and by," but a very real help in overcoming difficulties in the here and now.

The Gospel brings joy, peace, strength, compassion, love and resilience. It insulates us from the heartburn of media hype. Of course, turning off the TV helps, too. End of rant.

New President and Eldoret

On Tuesday President and Sister B—the new mission president and his wife—came to visit us in Kisumu. We were blessed to have them stay with us and we so enjoyed them! Our mission will grow and continue to be a fantastic place with their leadership. They came in time to sit in on our Institute class. They even brought Tom an early birthday cake.

On Wednesday he had some meetings and we did a little tour of the town. We had bragged about our fast internet, but alas, pride goeth before a fall—and the phone line, and thus the internet went out in the afternoon! Boo hoo! We couldn’t wait for the phone people, we had a cottage meeting in Nyalenda at 4 with some of our favorite people: Marcelus and Willikistar. They had about 14 people there, mostly friends and neighbors and we had a good lesson. They insisted on feeding us a delicious dinner. They are so gracious! It was a little bit of a tight schedule as Pres B. was supposed to do an interview at 6pm. We were on African time and it was closer to 6:30 before they connected. Sister B and I got dropped off at our house to visit.

Thursday morning we celebrated Tom’s BD with omelets and singing and our few gifts. We waited for the phone people and got our internet back up before 10am. Hurray! Then we walked to the Gloria market and Tom got a longer computer line so we can have 1 modem and computer in office and living room. We had fun wandering through the market and I got a few vegetables.We left at 2 to drive to Eldoret for Zone conference.

We planned on staying at the Sr. Missionaries house that now had 2 sets of elders there. We had learned that one was staying in the master bedroom with bath that had been secured and reserved for couples, and asked them to vacate for us. We got there, and they were still firmly ensconced in the room. I had hoped to rest a bit after arriving, but couldn’t. We had set up this bedroom with things we’d need last time—TP, soap, we’d had it cleaned, and now it was less than clean and used. I’m afraid I felt my refuge had been violated and for some reason felt a bit fragile about it. While I’m comfortable around many missionaries in suits, when they are in casual clothing it seems more like a college dorm, so I usually give them their freedom and stay mostly in the bedroom. But I could not. So we braved the traffic going to Nakumatt and out to dinner and in the end we got it straightened out. I felt better after the place was cleaner and Tom fixed the toilet so it worked again.

It’s cold in Eldoret. Tom would call it pleasant. I consider it “dang cold.” I’m not saying I got chilblains but I will say my sweater was on all day and leggings would have been comfortable.But the spirit was warm! We had a great zone conference! The missionaries are fantastic. They are hard working, insightful, spiritual, and trying to improve. I think we have about 35 missionaries in the two zones that meet here for conference so there is an outpouring of the spirit. One branch president said, “Don’t the grounds of the church look lovely today? They are flowered with missionaries.” Pres and Sis. B did a great job teaching as did the others. It was a rich day.

This is our zone. Fine looking missionaries, no?

In the afternoon we met with the public affairs missionaries to learn more about the purpose and ways of doing publicity for Kisumu and Busia. We dined both Thurs and Fri at Mama Mias. Burp.I’m hoping the cold used up more calories to account for the rich chocolate mousse we had for dessert.

Saturday we left about 8:30 to head back to Kisumu to laundry and the dozens of phone calls. I have been working on quilts and Sunday they announced the class that will be teaching quilt making. They are simple strip quilting but are fun. I bought a bag of scraps for about $2.60 and should be able to make many small quilts from it. This is the first quilt I made.

We got the Duty to God award book for Young Men and the instruction DVD. I’m so excited about it. Our Young Men’s program can benefit from direction. That is perhaps our next area of focus. We have fine young men, but little training.

Power went out about 8am this morning, so I can’t send this until it comes back on. (Came on about 4.) Also, I'm using higher resolutions pictures. Let me know if your computer has a problem loading them. Also, another new post follows.

Birds of Amboseli

We had such fun bird watching. We got lots of fuzzy pictures.... and a few good ones.You'll notice the elephants in the background and the flamingos and other birds in the foreground. It was so interesting to see the animals in community. So often in zoos and such, we just see them singular-- each species tucked in it's own cage.
I love the crowned crane. I think it's one of my favorite birds!
This is a large and unnamed duck. Mystery Question-- can you tell what it is?
This African Jacana has some chicks. Can you see them?
We saw herds of ostrich... or are they clusters... or flocks?
I love the hawks here. This is an Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk. I wonder what he chants. "Here little rodent... Here little rodent... Here...."
This bird has a Looonnnggg skinny neck. A Gray Heron. Very elegant birds.
I'm not quite sure how these guys got the rap about delivering babies. This is the Yellow-Billed Stork.
We enjoyed the wonderful reflections in the still waters. These are Egyptian Geese and a little Sanderling in the background.
These Superb Starlings are all over. They are brilliantly colored and iridescent and seem like happy birds.(photo courtesy of Elder Watt)
This jaunty looking fellow is a Pied Kingfisher.
Ah, the Lord must have spent many hours creating these creatures. It's fun to watch and admire them. If he took such good care creating these small birds... how much must he care for us?

Amboseli

Amboseli is just in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro. However it is mostly just shadowed. Kilimanjaro was clouded most of the time we were there-- or at least hazy.But we had fun! We saw a hyaena colony. However, they are good at hiding. We saw elephants from a distance and right beside the road. One morning, we drove through an area and there were elephants on both sides of the road eating and socializing, crossing the road in front of and behind us. We spent about 1/2 an hour just watching them-- each watching out our sides of the windows.
When this big guy, beside the road started flapping his ears, we got a little worried. But we were okay.
Elder Watt took this great picture of a Maasi woman and her children. There are many maasi in this area and we passed their thorn bush enclosed villages.
We saw many monkeys and baboons. Lots of buffalo and antelope. Since you've seen pictures of gazelles and waterbuck and buffalo, I didn't put those up.This was funny. Sister Watt, put a bag of food in their car and left the door open. Suddenly a monkey jumped in the car and grabbed a bag of chips. He raced up this tree and had a grand time munching on them. I suppose the entertainment value was worth the loss of the chips. On the way out of the park we saw gerenuks! These antelope have long necks and don't need water. They collect enough liquid from the plants they eat. Their trademark is standing on their back feet and eating the higher leaves.
This photo is courtesy of Elder Watt.

The Wildebeest

Thursday we saw wildebeests for the first time. They are often not valued as attractive specimens of God’s creations. One person said, “They are the ugliest animal I’ve seen.” A native said, “They aren’t too keen (smart).” And they are among the slowest running of the antelopes.

But I like the wildebeest. He has interesting stripes and a mane and a beard. He nods agreeably as he walks. He seems content with his lot and he has a lot of undervalued qualities as he works to “fulfill the measure of his creation.” They migrate hundreds of miles each year, so he must be hard working. And they move in large herds so he must be a team player, or at least good at getting along with others. Zebras and other game often mingle with the herd so they are accepting of diversity. Perhaps most important from the predator’s point of view is that wildebeests are an easy meal for cats, crocodiles, and even hyenas. So they perform a great service.

I think there are many wildebeest kinds of people who go along quietly living out their lives the best they know how—working hard, being obedient, sacrificing for others—with very little worldly praise or reward. Sometimes those wildebeest people are even being mocked or looked down on by others. But they move forward. I think God likes the wildebeests.

I suppose the moral of the story is you can be homely, not so smart, and a bit slow and still live a happy life and be of value.

A Week Away

Monday we left very early to go to Nairobi. We stopped at Westlands Mall for a little bit of the "American" experience-- indoor mall with waterfall and some western kinds of stores. Although I LOVE the clothing store that cater to Indians; it looks like something out of Nights of Arabia with turbans, flowing robes and the like. We always explore Nakumatt in the hopes of finding treasures-- Nutella, Skippy Peanut butter, pickle relish, etc. We scored with some Kraft grated Parmesan cheese.

I got my hair cut professionally for the first time. The woman did a good job and was very nice. Here, they even include a head and neck massage with the wash and cut.

We raced to the Mission Office to meet President and Sister Broadbent. They are wonderful people as I knew they would be. We also visited together with President Kogo (counselor to Mission President) about one of our errant members who has only loose loyalty to truth and a strong obligation to self-interest. We hope and pray he will make good choices.

As always at the mission office we visit with the membership person, the distribution center, the building and the finance people, and this time, with the truck man. He took our truck on Tuesday and had it serviced. Tuesday we went back to the mission office and spend most of the day there. We got our Kenyan drivers licenses. So now we have our alien residence card and driver's license and we are set to go.

We stayed with the PEF missionaries who are so kind and hospitable and fun to be with. On Monday the couples gathered for Family Home Evening and we got better acquainted with Elder and Sister B. who are serving an Employment Mission and learned of their temple mission. They plan to come to Kisumu to teach a class. We also visited with Public Affairs about them coming and training and about the All-Africa Helping Hands project that will take place August 21. We spoke with the LDS Charities about the orphan project in our area. And we had fun talking with the couples from Mombasa, Kitale, and other places about how the work is going with them.

Wednesday we left early to go to Amboseli National Park. We had good roads until the washboard the last 40 km. Ugh. Amboseli is at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the waters from the snow seep down and create some swamps that always have water and greenery. Where it wasn't green, it was pretty dusty! We saw literally TONS of elephants. One of the most fun experiences was sitting in the car with elephants all around us-- mamas, babies, males, eating, playing, chasing one another, stripping a dead tree of bark, and munching on the thorny acacia trees. Oh it was fun to be so up close and personal! We also saw wildebeests for the first time as well as buffalo, antelope, zebras, giraffes, one lonely distant lioness, hippos, and a gazillion birds. The Serena Lodge was lovely with personable staff and good food. One always feels so pampered.

One of the cooks asked if we would have a religious service for the staff. So we did. Originally they wanted it from 10-11pm. We said, ah... we sleep then. So we held the revival... changed the name to devotional... from 3-4 on Thursday. We taught about God's Plan of Happiness and explained where we came from, why we are here, and where we go after we leave this life. We had about 25 people there, including 2 pastors. I love the people here. They really love things spiritual.

We returned to Nairobi on Friday, probably more tired than when we left. You see, you need to be on the road by about 6-6:30am in order to see the predators. Breakfast is from 6:30 to 9am so you either go before or after breakfast. Then we'd do an afternoon game drive and get back by about 7pm. Dinner was served from 7:30-9pm and even though we went to dinner at 7:30, we'd stay and chat until after 9. Then to bed, and back up early for the next day.

Friday evening we had dinner with Peter Odingo, the former ambassador from Kenya to the United States. He has the orphan project in Asembo the the Church has agreed to assist with food. We met to discuss what kind of food they wanted and where it might be purchased and how it might be brought to the center that feeds the children. In addition we had a delightful time visiting with the Ambassador, his wife and their children. We learned of his efforts to build a good government in Kenya. He seems like a fine man.

Today we were up by 6:30 and on the road by 8:30. We've learned where the better bathrooms are and where to buy fruits and vegetables, and a good place for samosas (meat tarts.) And we didn't get run off the road or fall into a pothole, so the trip home was great. We got home in time to unpack, start laundry and for me to teach my 4pm music class.

A rose, by any other name… is confusing

One of the charms of living in Kenya is learning new meanings for words.

Flash you – verb. Means to call, let it ring once, and hang up. This is a request to call back. As in: “I’ll flash you when I need more information.”

Tick off-- verb. To check mark. As in “Please tick off those who are in attendance on the roll.”

Pick – verb. To pick up. As in: “I’ll come by and pick you about 3pm.”

Sensitize—verb. To make aware, to publicize. As in: “We need to sensitize people that the Lion’s Club offers eye service.”

Stage -- noun. A matatu stop. A place where people go to get transportation. Also a frame of reference. As in: I live close to the Kondeli stage. Or I will meet you at the Awasi stage. Every now and then, there is actually a sign that says “stage” or “Awasi Stage.” Many times they are wide spots in the road. Most often, it seems to be an invisible spot people know about and they just gather there and the matatus stop and pick them.

Surprisingly clear terminology. Sometimes there is an openness to information that is a bit startling. Apparently circumcision can reduce the chance of getting HIV/AIDS up to 60%. I read that while standing around a hospital clinic. However, I recently passed a man wearing a t-shirt that boldly proclaimed: “Get Circumcised Today!”

Shortly thereafter I had a conversation with a young man we have been fellowshipping. He calls with excitement as he progresses through the missionary lessons. He called, so pleased that he had passed his baptismal interview.

“I’ll be baptized a week from Saturday (in about 8 days),” he told me.

“Oh?” I asked. “Why not tomorrow?” Tomorrow was Saturday and the normal baptismal day. Typically, after the baptismal interview, one is baptized sooner rather than later.

He freely explained: “I’ve just been circumcised and I’m healing.”

Oh. Ah, well, yes. Indeed. Ah, I think maybe I need to be a bit more careful about delving into details. It was a little more information than I expected.

I recalled the Biblical passage: “And on the third day, when they were yet sore…”

And speaking of nether regions... I have learned the importance of design in the most basic of household "appliances"-- the toilet. When I traveled in Europe, I marveled at the variety of flushing mechanisms. Foot pedals, levers in the front, side, back, plungers to push, shove, or pull.

Here things are simpler. A hole in the ground-- maybe surrounded by wood, cement, or the mud and dung floor. You don't have to worry about flushing those. Moving up in the world are the ceramic holes with a tank high on the wall so the whooshing water can flush both waste, and occasionally, feet.

The upper echelon actually has seated toilets. And you'd think a toilet is a toilet. Let me tell you, that is not true. Never mind the handles that have to be cajoled into flushing, or the lack of suitable tank that requires you to dip a bucket into water to assist the exodus. No. My lament is with the design. You see. The problem is back-splash. Deposits into the toilet, give as good as they get... well, maybe better, it's perhaps cleaner... so that when you are through using the facility you need to use the first set of toilet paper to wipe almost all southernly exposed parts to get water splashes off first.

I suppose I should be grateful to have a sit-down toilet. And I know it's just being overly fastidious to be so concerned. I'm sure I will eventually become accustomed... no, on second thought, I doubt I will ever become accustomed to this lament. If I knew the toilet designer, he'd certainly get a piece of my... er... mind.

And now that I've gotten this complaint off my mind and on to yours, I will elevate my thoughts to things of greater purity. I suggest you do the same.

Nyabondo Saints

It is a joy to see those who love the gospel and want to become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through faith, repentance, baptism by one who has the authority, the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. It is a bitter-sweet joy when those who so desire baptism live so far away that it is not practical.

You see,when people make the covenant of baptism, they promise the Lord to keep all the commandments, including attending Sacrament meeting and partaking of the sacrament on a regular basis. We do not want to baptize people into sin by baptizing them when they cannot come to church on a regular basis.

In early February we got a call from the Mission President about a man in Sondu-- actually Nyabondo-- who had a congregation that wanted to be baptized. We have learned that many people like the doctrines of the Church, but they don't understand the commitment.

The Church is unlike any other organization, it is of God, and people are expected to participate-- accept callings to work as teachers, leaders, secretaries, etc. We don't just give lip service to the commandments, we covenant to keep them. And because there are such specific ways of doing things, it is essential people with experienced leadership are there to guide. Look at the letters of the New Testament for examples of the Apostles struggling to have the people in far flung branches of the church stay faithful and not dilute the teachings of Christ with traditional doctrines. So many people say, "Please bring a church here," Without understanding what that means.

So in February we went to visit Kenneth and his church.

This is the scenery on the way. Just gorgeous! And this is his road-- good in good weather, a bit dicey in rainy weather.

And here is the mud stone church covered with a layer of dung that looks and acts a lot like cement. Like most churches here--it's just one room. They wonder why we have so many rooms. Separate classrooms for youth, children, Relief Society, Priesthood, etc. is a foreign concept.

The older gentleman is Kenneth's father who co-founded a church and helped preach before they learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We taught them this first time in February 2010 and they took notes and listened to every word.

A group of 9 people-- 3 teens and 6 adults-- started coming to Kisumu to be taught the lessons. They were faithful coming every two weeks. In March, we returned to Nyabondo to teach and they gathered all the members of the church together to listen. Then, afterwards, they fed us well.

What I love is that the young children come in and sit and are quiet. Even though they don't sit with their parents, they sit as a group, they are quiet.

On May 22, the Nyabondo group plus two others were baptized. It was a great day. We had to stretch a bit to get baptismal clothing for all of them. Elder Hayes baptized them all, since he was so tall, no one else could fit into his baptismal clothes and we had no extras for someone else to wear to baptize.

It was a great sight to see them all in the baptismal service!

And then a few weeks later in June, we had our Branch's first anniversary. We are one year old! We celebrated with a historical review and some testimonies and some tasty food. The Nyabondo group brought wives and mothers and fathers to come and see where they were going.

July 6th we returned to Nyabondo and met with many of the good people there. The Branch President accompanied us. We had a sacrament-type service--even though it was a Tuesday, and then separated into meetings for men and women. Some of it was translated into Luo. There was a good spirit there. They feel like they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and this is their "branch" as shown by the sign:

Of course, here is where it gets difficult. Yes, we'd all love to see a branch there. But the church grows from centers of strength. Kisumu is not yet strong enough. It may be years before the church spreads that far south. And, indeed, we know people who have waited 10 or 15 years for the church to come to where they lived. Yet the people are impatient. They want the church now. I can't blame them. There is great joy and peace in making and keeping covenants with the Lord. But the Lord will not withhold blessings if the people are doing all they can to be righteous. And the new members need to learn how the church runs. They need to learn more of the doctrines of the church. In this church, you need to believe and act on specific things. "This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." So you need to KNOW the nature of God-- who he is, what he expects of you. Unlike many other churches, Doctrine is important.

So for now, we pray for them. They are planning on sending more people to Kisumu to be taught and baptized. If the ones already baptized keep coming, too, I know that the Lord will work miracles. This is His church. We just need to learn His will and do it.

One Day

Sometimes the end of the day comes and you think, what did I do today? So this is Wednesday, July 7, 2010.

Jackie comes and cleans on Wednesday, so we need to be here at least until she arrives, and between 3-4 when she leaves. I got to the computer early to try and finish some tests for the Nursary School children at the school that Morrice owns. He had dropped them off and asked that I do it. It takes a little time, but would cost him a lot to have someone else do. So it seems a small thing to help him move forward in his business.

George was scheduled to come at 9 am and be trained in his duties as a counselor in the elders's quorum. He arrived early and Elder Fox spent a productive hour training him. Joyce was to arrve about 10 so we could go to the municipal building and talk to opinion leaders about the All Africa Helping Hands Day. However, she was tied up in a meeting and we rescheduled for 3pm. But I spent part of the morning writing up letters to take to these opinion leaders telling them about Helping Hands-- how we would volunteer our time to work on a project to benefit the community and help the poor and needy-- and did they have some ideas for projects?

After Tom finished with George, I spent a few minutes with him in a crash course on Interviewing. He will be applying for a new job. We started to work on his 30 Second Me and Power statements, but then he had to leave for work. He will come back tomorrow and we will work some more. As I was doing that the branch clerk arrived to report on the Lion's Eye Clinic and to do some certificates. Tom assisted him with some training on that.

We got a call from the courier service that a package was in, so Tom went to pick that up and pay the water bill. And I called about the rent pmt. and learned it will arrive tomorrow and we'll need to deliver it then. And the Elders Quorum President arranged for us to go and visit a less active sister. So we dropped off a package to the missionaries and drove over to the sister's house and had a very nice visit. She seemed pleased to see us and genuinely interested in the message. I hope she will come back to activity.

We came home, had lunch, and I waited for my 1pm visitor-- a sister with some concerns she wanted to share. I got most of the Liahona Magazine read while Tom sent off child name and blessing and other forms to Nariobi, caught up on his journal and did other computer things--

Said sister arrived closer to 2pm. Had a good visit... at least I thought so. I hope she will be able to resolve her concerns in a Christ-like way. Joyce didn't come at 3, but an investigator called to see if he could take us up on the offer to school him in interviewing skills-- we thought we scheduled it for 4:30-- after we'd be through with Helping Hands. Joyce texted to say she was still in a meeting. I finished a few sewing details on a dress that needed fixing. No investigator showed up. But the missionaries called to say the new missionaries, coming in on transfers were to arrive shortly. Could Elder Fox come and pick up them and their luggage? It was now too late for the missionaries assigned to Busia to travel there, and so there was extra luggage to take to the apartment. He did.

Jackie finished and left about 3:30. It would have been tricky to have gone to the municipal bldg at 3... when she wasn't finished so it's just as well time is fluid here. Joyce arrived some after 5pm-- long after the city offices were closed. But she read the letters and took them and we scheduled for tomorrow morning-ish to go to the city and the PM's office.

Tom returned from missionary ferrying. (It took a little longer as one left his bag at the bus station requiring two trips.) We fixed carbinara for dinner. We called the investigator. He thought we'd call him back when it was okay to come...oops. So it's scheduled for Friday.

In what was left of the evening, we skyped Miranda, I placed a YL order. I also visited with missionary couples in Nairobi and discussed timing for a Public Affairs visit here and made arrangements to get my hair cut while in Nairobi. It will be my first haircut not done by missionaries--Sister Littlefield, or Tom and I. Tom watched The Testaments. And the day was done.

We had hoped to visit and train another brother and a friend at the museum. We have Leadership training to prepare. I guess that's what tomorrow's for. Good night.

Frustration and Pride

Now and again frustration visits us. Sometimes we flirt with it. Sometimes it grips us in sharp talons that shrivels our hearts with sorrow, anger, or crabbiness. We see a brother making wrong choices that could lead others astray. We see a sister allowing hurt feelings to distance her from the church. We see the way things NEED to be done and they are not being done that way. We can see SO CLEARLY that the results of these actions will bring sorrow and misery to them! Why can't they see it???

And we want to fix it. Fix it I say! Make it better! But we can't. We don't know how. We can't make people do things, even if they are good for them.

Recently I reread President Ezra Taft Benson's article "Beware of Pride" Ensign, May 1989 (You can find it at www.lds.org go to search, type Pride and Benson) It is a MOST excellent article! I had to call myself to repentance a number of times as I read it. And I learned the source and solution of my frustration! Who was trying to fix the problems? I was. It was my pride that caused me to want to solve the problem or led me to feel it was my responsibility to solve the problem. I was failing to adequately turn to the Lord. I had a lack of trust in Him. This is His Church. These are His People. He loves them vastly more than I ever could. He knows them and he cares for and about them. Indeed, he suffers all their weaknesses, their pains, their sins, their sorrows. He is God. He could fix all things in a flash and save Himself a lot of grief and pain. Why doesn't he?

Why does he allow people, and by extension, Himself to suffer? He tells us in Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-- because it's for our good. We grow and strengthen and progress in ways that are impossible to do without suffering and trials.

The opposite of pride is humility. I need to trust the Lord. I need to trust His way. Yes, I need to do everything I can-- call, visit, counsel, pray, encourage-- and then I need to trust that the Lord's will will be done.

So now, when I feel the fangs of frustration, I hope I will recognize that it is simply pride in a new disguise. I hope I will erase it from my heart and embrace trust in the Lord instead. Ahh. It is so good to feel peace instead.

Farewell and Welcome

I love the organization of the Church. As in life, change is a given. As with the Lord's way, there is no higher than, or better than, or more important people. We are called to a position... and in due time, we are released from it. And then we are called to something else. It might be considered by outsiders more or less important than the previous calling. No matter. We serve.

President and Sister Taylor have done a fantastic job as Mission President and "Sister Mission President". They have loved the missionaries, served the missionaries, prayed for the missionaries.... and for all of the members and converts and investigators in the mission. They have done a great service and we will miss them as they are released and return home to new calling.President and Sister Broadbent are our new Mission President. We have heard great things about them.

We look forward to serving with them. It will be exciting to see the changes that come. Their methods, style, or focus may be different, but it will be exactly what the Lord needs here in the Kenya Nairobi Mission right now. I look forward to meeting them and getting to know them. I hope they feel welcomed here in this great land. And I pray the Lord will strengthen them for the task ahead.

Lazy Friday

Sigh. Today was such a slow day! Let me begin with yesterday. We had some things planned, but we ended up with two unplanned visitors that took up most of the morning. That's okay. We are flexible and they were important.

In the afternoon we took boda bodas to Nyalanda. There we walked into the slums to visit a family the missionaries are teaching. They are a great family. We spoke about repentance and read Alma 36 where Alma recounts his conversion story.

Before we left, they insisted on feeding us cocoa, bread and butter and ground nuts (peanuts) and it was all tasty. I had made a pot of gathere-- beans and maize-- that was simmering, but we ended up being less hungry for that. For some reason, my wrist started hurting while we were visiting. By the time we got home, I could hardly move my fingers and the sharp pain was constant. Remembering to give thanks for all things, I was grateful it was only one hand, it was my right hand, and perhaps I needed to be more sympathetic to those with malaria whose joints all ache. And I realized I was a wuss. Just a little pain seemed like such a big deal. I am so blessed to have had a life mostly free of pain for so long. If I had been given the lot to endure pain through my life, this would have seemed like a small thing. So I slathered it with oils and it improved incrementally. We wrapped it in a makeshift "ace bandage"-- a dish towel folded in thirds and pinned.

And, surprisingly, I slept that night and awoke being able to move fingers and thumb without pain. And the swelling was reduced to just one area that was a bit red and swollen. I think it must be a sprain, although I didn't do anything to it that I can recall. I am a bit disinclined to seek out medical attention here. So I will continue to doctor it and hope it improves. I washed my hair one-handed and through the day the pain level has lessened, but I have little strength in the thumb. I can even type (as is proved by this blog) for short periods of time.

But I can't practice the piano. I can't sew. And holding things is sometimes difficult. Thus the slow day. We had plans to go out. After all, I can visit one-handed. I had several people lined up to visit. But we have not had water for 3 days and the tank was getting low. So we called the water people. "Someone will come out before 1 to check it out." Okay. I guess we don't visit the morning people. We worked on lessons to be given on Sunday and read scriptures. Elder Fox often turns on "Mormon Radio" while he sits at the computer. That's a good way to learn a lot... and slow down our work... as we get captivated by the great talks and music.

1pm came and went.... no water person. About 2:30 we called again. "You'll have water by 5pm." So Elder Fox went out and ran some errands (and got me an ace bandage) and it was okay, we had someone coming to be trained at 4 pm. But we got "bounced" as the missionaries say. He called and canceled due to sickness. So we went to town and made some copies of the church directories and roles for the leaders-- our big excitement for the day.

We hope that tomorrow will bring a new spring into our steps. See the video below.

How Big is Africa?

I was so impressed with this map. It really put things into perspective.