Weekly Update 12-29-08

This was our first normal Christmas in Kenya so weren't sure what to really expect. You will remember that last years election was on the 27th and it erupted into post election violence that saw over 1,100 people killed and 300,000+ displaced from their homes. We were subsequently confined to our compound for a couple of weeks and now a year later there are still camps of internally displaced people that are trying to find a home where they feel safe and vindicated for what they lost. The people talked last year of how most people return to their roots up-country during Christmas but that wasn't evident last year as a lot of folks stayed put so they could vote. Well we witnessed the migration of people this year. We spent 6 of the 7 days traveling ourselves. We did our normal things to Kyambeke and Ilima on Thursday and Friday and then were back to Kyambeke for their party that I reported on in the last update. Sunday we were at Kilili for church but then spent Monday here in Nairobi and it was rather hectic as we were trying to get a few things we needed for the branches plus make a run across town to check our APO box at the embassy. The crowds brought memories of the pre-christmas throngs back home. We did get some welcome remembrances at the post office though along with our replacement battery charger for our camera. Tuesday we were back to Kilili but spent most of our time supporting their Relief Society Christmas Celebration which they wanted a movie of. Not sure we will be able to load that on our blog site but we will bring a disc home with us. It was very entertaining. They love seeing themselves on camera and some are real hams when given the opportunity. Wednesday we took the Assistants with us to Kyambeke and worked them rather hard doing baptismal interviews. We did get 8 people approved and now have our investigator pool there whittled down to where it is a little more manageable. Still have some great people there with a strong desire to become members but their understanding of the english language is a bit of a challenge. Although they can read it rather haltingly their comprehension is not the best so we are going to begin spending some time there with just them and try to teach a single principle each visit. That might use up a bunch of our Saturdays as several of them are primary school students and we certainly can ill afford to interfere with their parochial education. It will also give us a chance to integrate a couple of these older sisters who have been studying English with us for some time now. Not sure it will be our most successful attempt while here but it will fulfill a promise we made to them and ourselves early on. If it works it might be another seed that we can leave with these good people for others to nourish and harvest.

Christmas itself was very uneventful for us. We got together with the other couples for a pot-luck dinner and watched a few specials on the television. Friday was spent here in Nairobi also and we took advantage of that day to go to the Masai Market to procure a few African mementos we want to bring home with us. The natives take over the upper parking lot at the Village Market out by the embassy each Friday to sell their home made wares to any who are interested. Since we are normally in Ilima on Fridays it was an opportunity for us to go and barter with the locals. Saturday we didn't even leave the compound except when I ventured out to fill the truck with diesel which required stopping at 5 different stations before I was able to fill up as the human migration had impacted the supply and demand to the point that there just wasn't much fuel to be had. We also went with several other couples for our traditional weekly Saturday evening out to dinner but I was solo as Sister Bishop had what she thought was a bit of a reaction to our required semi-annual dose of worm medicine. She was back on her feet Sunday and I purchased a take home portion of cashew nut chicken for her Sunday dinner.

Yesterday we were at Ilima for church and we got to see the receiving end of the Christmas migration up-country as there were people everywhere. The little towns were pretty well packed with families home for the holidays and the roads in the hills had significant numbers of walkers and would be riders. Mission rules pretty well limit our ability to support riders so we just generally waved back and kept on trucking. The traffic on Mombasa highway had a few more vehicles on it and they were rather impatient in their habits but the traffic in Nairobi has been significantly reduced which sure has reduced the stress here locally. Well must get going here as our week looks to be a little different again this week and we need to get prepared for the changes but will report back next Monday. Hope you all get a good start on your new year. One last note here is that with a release date of 22 June we are experiencing our slump day some time this week. Not sure when exactly and it makes my head hurt to try and figure it out so we are content to know that the completion of our time here is drawing nigh. This is definitely a mixed bag of blessings so we will just not dwell on it much untill we are back in Meridian and near our family and friends again. We miss you each so much but already know that we are going to miss these folks here also.

Love ya all,
Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 12-21-08

Well the week before Christmas was just as busy as I have always remembered them to be but the activities were a little different from the ones I have enjoyed all these years. Besides our normal travels up-country we had training for the Branch Presidents with President Taylor on Wednesday. That meant no time at St. Mary's this week and we brought President Makiti back with us from Kilili on Tuesday. He stayed with us overnight as it is almost impossible for him to get transportation that will get him here by the 10:00 start time. Presidents Simon and Mbondo were here right on schedule which is not a common occurrence so the training was over by a little after 2:00. That allowed my companion just a little shopping time etc. to finish our prep for the week. Thursday and Friday's trips up country were rather normal but then we went back to Kyambeke for their Christmas Party. They had 280 plus people there (their membership is 180). We showed some Videos (Mr. Kreuger's Christmas, Nora's Gift, The Other Wiseman, and the Nativity) then they had the Institute and Seminary Students give some memorized scriptures from the Bible and Book of Mormon on the birth and life of the Savior along with several choir numbers. The highlight for me was their portrayal of the nativity. I have seen none better. Their home made costumes were great and they covered everything from Gabriel's first visits to Mary and Joseph through King Herod's activities that necessitated the flight into Egypt. Of special note was Herod's self styled crown that was about 2 feet high and some sheep that sounded just like the real animals. Our camera's charger went out while we were in Johannesburg and although we have purchased another on-line it has not arrived yet so we were only able to document these activities in our minds and hearts. Then it was time for the goat stew and chipatas and they demanded that we eat first. It makes one feel a little awkward to see the fattest ones there chowing down first. We did eat our token amounts but had to leave shortly thereafter so as to be back home by dark. We weren't going to travel at all this Christmas week but Kilili pushed their Relief Society Party to this Tuesday and wanted us there to document it with a loaner camera. I have also scheduled a trip to Kyambeke on Wednesday as we had promised several school students to help them get prepared for baptism during the school break and the time is getting short. Because the investigators we have been working with there range from adults down to 9 year olds it is very tough to give the individual personalized attention that each might require. I have scheduled to take the Assistants with us on Wednesday to kind of sort out those who are ready to pass the interview and had hoped to have them be able to concentrate on a few that needed a little more help with some of the concepts they need to know for baptism. That might have been in vain though as Pres. Mbondo announced to the big crowd on Saturday that we would be there then and that generally encourages those who are hoping that the English requirements have been relaxed to come and try again. Pretty tough to tell someone they need to wait until another time when they want membership so badly, but I can appreciate what a struggle it is for some of the older folks to master another language as I have given up trying to learn any more than just a real light smattering of Kikamba myself. I do figure if we can both make it to heaven though that we will be able to sit down and have some great discussions on what we were trying to tell each other during our mission to Kenya.

It is going to be a little quiet around here for the next few days as the other couples left on a short Safari to Samburu. They will be back Wednesday. Because of our commitments up-country and our desire to save for a couple more trips to the Temple we opted out of this adventure. We need to pick up a few items here in Nairobi today and hope to be able to pick up some mail at the Embassy but that little joint is just as over run as any post office back home this time of year so not sure how that will work out. Our plan is to stay here in town for Thursday and Friday this week and then venture back up-country to Ilima for church on Sunday.

The 12 Jan Temple Trip is pretty much organized with the exception of securing the South Africa Visas but we wont be able to work on those until after the 1st. We will have the 10 folks from our branches, a family of 4 from Kitale (not one of our branches) and then 3 singles from here in Nairobi. Looking forward to that special opportunity again and hope that now we have a little experience we can make it more special for these first time attendees.

Well the sun is up so I need to get busy doing other things.
Merry CHRISTmas to all. We love and miss you everyone.
Sister & Elder Bishop

Weekly Update 12-15-08

Got up early this morning and did the weekly update but when I hit send the screen went blank and that was just kind of how the whole week went. Just a bunch of little ankle biters thrown in with the normal activities. We were home late last Sunday as we had to stop in Kyambeke to resolve some issues with a vendor who was providing some relief food purchased with Church Welfare money. The beans were acceptable but the maize smelled moldy and there was a concern for toxin. The vendor agreed to replace the maize which happened Monday okay. We spent Monday pulling together the documents and patron assistance application for the 12 Jan. temple trip. We stopped in Machakos on our way to Kilili on Tuesday to help spring Christine and her new son Enoch from the hospital. She is the gal that we hauled out of the hills for the c-section 2 weeks ago. We brought Catherine and Judith back with us from Kilili as they are working for their aunt in a couple of shops on the outskirts of Nairobi. We kept Judith with us thru Wednesday so she could finish up her dental and security clearance in preparation for her mission application. Also picked up new front tires and an alignment job for the front end of our vehicle. I wasn't being very observant as to what these roads were doing to the truck and the cords were starting to show on the inside of the front tires we had. We were scheduled to teach a couple of young people in Kyambeke on Thursday so we tried to get there early enough that I could get some pictures out of the library to assist in the presentation. We arrived 30 minutes early and I went to leave my materials in the classroom before hitting the library and there were 12 people sitting there waiting. Pretty tough to teach a group that size and ensure that they are all understanding but I'm sure any returned missionaries who spent lots of time knocking on doors will have very little sympathy for us. We weren't able to dawdle much as we had a discussion scheduled with a man and his daughter in Mitini on our way home. We were about an hour into our schedule at Ilima on Friday when President Simon asked if I could teach a discussion to a young mother who lives near the branch there. She was waiting on the lawn. Then we came home a new way going through Sultan Hamad as one of the bags of maize delivered on Monday was still unacceptable. We took it back to the vendor and traded for a good one. Then we left early Sunday so we could run it up to Ilima before going to church at Kyambeke. It had come untied bouncing on the roads enroute so there were portions of the 90kg of maize scattered in the back of the truck. My suit was more than a little dusty by the time we got it bagged again. We did arrive back in Nairobi in good time Sunday to compensate somewhat for all the late arrivals through the week. When the computer erased my efforts this morning I just shut it down as I had an early appointment to get the truck serviced and new shocks installed. So here it is 10:00pm and I'm just finally getting back where I was at 7:00 this morning. We did have a gift exchange for FHE after watching Mr. Krueger's Christmas. Sis. Bishop ended up with a box of chocolates and I got a Christmas CD. Well we are back on the road to Kilili tomorrow so I am going to call it a night. Hard to believe that Christmas is just 10 days away as the weather certainly doesn't put us in mind of the kind of holidays we are used to. Hope this finds everyone safe and enjoying this special joyous time of year. God Bless You Everyone.
Elder & Sister Bishop

Temple Trip Pictures 12-13-08

Members leaving the chapel in Kilili after 2nd hour of the Sunday Block so they could catch a Matatu for Narobi and complete the first leg of their journey before dark.

Our group next to the manger scene outside the Johannesburg on Tuesday evening after completeing all their personal ordinances and being sealed together as families.

We went back to the temple for some photo opportunities while we were waiting for the temple to open on Wednesday.

Our group at the side of the temple. As you can see it was built from the same plans as the Boise Temple but on a little smaller scale. The rooms will only seat 22 people.

A picture showing some of the African foilage surrounding the temple grounds.

We had some great cooks. This is a picture of them at work in the common cooking area that is part of the patron housing.

We had really planned to do a little better job of documenting everything that happened while in Johannesburg but the charger to our camera went bad on us. We have ordered a new one to come to our APO box and are hoping it will arrive before we travel with the next group on January 12th.

Weekly Update 12-08-08

Well the Temple experience was as just as great as we had hoped for. The two families left Kilili after the 2nd hour of the block last Sunday so they would make it to Nairobi before dark. This stirred several of the other families to ask when we would be starting another Temple Prep class now that it was obvious that they really could go to the temple. We met the young people at the Mission Office after we arrived back to Nairobi. They still needed President Taylor's signature on their limited use recommends. It was a short night as we met the folks on the bus back at the Office at 5 the next morning and were to the airport by 5:30. The check in went well although it was their first ever experience with all the security requirements that have to be met for today's travel. There was a bit of a hiccup with the transportation at the Joburg Airport but me moved through that and got settled at the patron housing. Kennedy and his companion arrived early Tuesday and they helped get some names temple ready at the Family History Center. We were at the Temple when it opened at 3:30 that afternoon and finished up with the family sealings by about 9:00 that evening. We started Wednesday afternoon off with some baptisms. I acted as recorder with the two fathers doing all the baptizing. Sis. Bishop stayed with the 2 boys that were under 12 and then met us for the 6:00 session. We were able to get 2 sessions in Thursday and then did sealings for all 4 grandparents that we were working on for each individual. The temple had a special 6am session on Friday that we were able to attend before we had to check out and get to the airport. When we arrived home that evening our vehicle wouldn't start so we got a ride home then I went back and put a new battery in it Saturday. We were back in the saddle with Church at Ilima yesterday.

The time in South Africa was a good break from our schedule here although it was not restful as we spent a lot of energy making sure everyone was productive in what we had went there to do. The Patron Housing folks had procured groceries and our group then prepared our own meals in the dining area there but also had to work around the other groups that were in attendance. It was interesting to eat with them as we let them drive the menu as it was easier for us two to adjust rather than have them trying to eat our preferences. We ate rice and beef stew with sechumawiki (not sure if that is spelled right) which is kind of a mixture of chopped spinach type greens with a little tomato, peppers, and onions mixed in. Sister Bishop fried chicken one evening and baked it another and I convinced them to all have an ice cream bar. Apples and carrots seemed to be a real novelty to them but they would eat them when we sliced them up. I think we might have gotten a couple of them hooked on peanut butter sandwiches as I wasn't really too excited about their baloney type meat. They still can't believe that we drink our milk cold. Life is sure different when you don't have electricity. It wasn't until the last day that I was able to get them to let us wash their clothes in the washers and dryers provided as their preference was to just wash them in the sink and hang them on the balcony to dry.

For those who were wondering why we flew rather than used ground transportation it is a 4+ hour flight. There are more than just a few different countries and I am sure that the roads aren't a whole lot better than what we see here. Since it takes us around 3 hours to travel the 150 kms we do each trip I cannot imagine how many days would be spent on a bus or whatever we could get to travel to the temple and back.

We have decided that we will probably need to accompany each group that goes which could mean 3 more trips before we finish up. I'm sure they would eventually get where they need to go if unaccompanied but the time there is so short that it would be much better if we can save them the frustration of trying to figure out how everything works.

I failed to report in the last update that we had the opportunity of picking up the newest couple at the airport. It was Boyd and Loa Anderson who live out on Cloverdale Road there in Kuna. They had been in Johannesburg for a month but because they were pulling some couples out of D R Congo there was some shuffling happened and they ended up assigned to this mission. Because of our schedule we weren't able to spend much time with them last week and they have been up country since our return.

Well we have a bunch of things that need our attention since we missed a week so we will sign off for now and try to get some pictures loaded before bed time this evening. We are starting to see more evidences of Christmas here which makes us really miss home when we stop to think about it but the weather is warm enough that our thoughts don't drift that way often.

God Bless,
Elder & Sister Bishop

Pictures 11-16-08

Martin's baptism. It's the rainy season so the water is brown again.

President Simon and his wife Lucy keep us abundantly supplied with avocados when they are in season. These are the ones they gave us last week. The egg is a point of reference to indicate the size of the ones they give us. Some of them approach the size of a small cantalope.

Weekly Update 11-29-08

Yes I am just a little late this week but it is really not because we are lazy or in trouble just a lot going that prohibited us from spending the few minutes it takes to report. To start with it is now official we are the senior couple in the Kenya/Nairobi Mission as the Dickmans returned to San Diego on the 17th. However because the majority of the couples are only here for 18 months we are not the next to go home but our release date did make it on the last calendar that we received from the Mission Home. It is June 30th give or take a week or two. The President can work within that window without needing approval from the Area Presidency. Is there anything that we need to be home for? We know our kids are planning a family reunion. Do you have any dates set yet? We are also aware of the Bushman Couples Activity and I think that Nancy and Gary are hosting a Bishop Reunion in July? Any input would be helpful.

Now as to what we have been up to. The previous was pretty much like many of the others we have enjoyed while here so nothing terribly memorable. Our extra minutes were occupied with finalizing visa applications and tickets for the temple trip and securing some prices on some equipment we have gotten approval on to install some irrigation equipment on a joint shamba of several members in Kilili. The highlight for last week had to be the Branch Conference at Kyambeke last Sunday. Elder and Sister Watson were there along with the Taylors so they got to experience the driving conditions we endure each trip. They even saw some of the wilder areas we get to enjoy as the road was blocked on our return so it was either sit for hours or drive through the bush. The Branch was there in force and were very impressive with their efforts to conform to church guidelines for staffing etc. President Taylor commented that this is the first conference he has attended where they actually had Aaronic Priesthood Presidencies.

We picked up Judith from her aunt's home on Outer Ring Road enroute home as we had scheduled Dr. and DDS appointments for Monday. She turns 21 in May of 2009 so her mission papers can go in by February. We returned her to her aunt's Monday and picked up Sister Joseph who had been serving a temporary mission here in Nairobi as they had an odd number of Sisters for 6 weeks. She stayed with us Monday evening and presented our FHE for us (it was our week to host). She returned to Kilili with us on Tuesday. Because of a couples conference at the Presidents home on Thursday (Thanksgiving) we had not scheduled anything in Kyambeke for this week but we have 7 investigators we are working with so I went up Wednesday to talk about the "Plan of Salvation" and return Elder Charles Mutuku, who had been serving a mini-mission during the same time period as Sister Joseph. After the discussion there I picked up Elder Dominic Mukau, who is going to serve a mini-mission in Chyulu, so he could come back to Nairobi. We got about half way home when I got a call from the 1st Councilor in Kyambeke that one of the sisters there had been to the Hospital in Kikoko and they had referred her to a hospital in Machakos. Charles and I turned around and loaded Pius, his wife Christine, (who we baptized about a year ago) and a Mid-wife in the back seat of our vehicle and headed off the back of the mountain. She had been in labor since 7:30 that morning and had pains pretty regular during the hour and a half drive to Machakos. Pius was nervous about being alone so we stayed around while the baby was delivered via c-section. It was a boy and I am sure he will be spoiled rotten as his next sibling is a 15 year old sister. In Kenya these are referred to as baby's of luck as they are blessed to have another child.

Charles and I finally got back to Nairobi at 9:00 and we went by Outer Ring to pick up Judith again as her TB test had to be read to finish up her medical. We then took her for a chest x-ray. I dropped Sister Bishop off at the apartment as she still had to prepare the mashed potatoes for our meal at the Presidents and I returned Judith to her aunt's. We barely made it to the President's for the 1:00 meeting. Friday was a regular day back at Ilima but we left just a little early as we still had to pick up visas etc. for our trip on Monday. We were able to get back in time so now we have everyone's tickets, passports, and visas for our 7:30 flight to Johannesburg on Monday (Victor is picking us up at 5:00 so we can get to the airport on time). The 11 folks from Kilili who we are escorting to the temple are traveling here after church tomorrow and the young people need to meet with President Taylor tomorrow evening for his endorsement on their limited use recommends. This might sound a little hectic and chaotic but it is really rather organized when compared to the last few groups that have went from the mission here. These people just don't get too excited and are not very timely in their responses so that means tha sis. Bishop has to do all the worrying for them. I love my companion!

Well Sister Bishop has a perm appointment and my hair needs trimmed before our trip (we don't want to go looking like people from the bush or what others might call Bushman) so I need to sign off. Besides we need to run a check to Machakos for the irrigation project and pick up Judith one more time as she is going to the temple with us on Monday. We will be attending church in Kilili tomorrow and she wants to go home so she can ride in with her folks tomorrow evening. Because we will be in Johannesburg until late Friday it will probably be Saturday before our next update. Thanks for the prayers as we can sure see that the Lord blesses us as we struggle with our assignment here.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 11-16-08

Well I am going to try and get this out before the rest of Kenya wakes up and the internet is overtaken by its' Monday Morning Hiccups. This wasn't too bad of a week as we were able to make it to all our scheduled visits despite the vehicle challenges that last week left us. Our truck came out of the shop by Wednesday evening before we had to climb the Kilungu Hills. The replacement we were using, although only 2 wheel drive, got us into Kilili okay on Tuesday but only because President called and warned us that the road was broken (washed out) in 3 places so we took a different route and still arrived close to schedule. We did have a flat in the traffic jam coming home that day but we were just a little over a mile from the Mission Office so we just rode it to there and then changed it. That turned out to be the best decision as the last assigned driver on our loaner vehicle had put a weird lock on the spare hanging underneath. That was probably a good idea at the time but the lock was so full of African dust that I was unable to open it. It was after hours so that no one but the security guards were available to help resolve the issue. I did finally find a hammer and proceeded to vent my frustration on the offending lock which did finally yield the desired results. However, the lock is now non-functional but I do feel somewhat vindicated. That will teach that hunk of metal not to willingly comply with the desires of a retired Colonel.

The Johannesburg Temple called us Thursday somewhat concerned that we had not sent any paperwork yet to support our scheduled Dec. 1-6 trip. We had finally received some of the passports on Wednesday and Victor was supposedly pursuing some of the deficiencies as we spoke. We coordinated with the Public Affairs couple to scan passports and the patron assistance form while we were in Ilima Friday. So I think we are good to go except there will only be 13 of us on this first trip as one of the families was still short passports for 2 children. We have since tracked down one of the missing documents and hope to have the other this week but they will have to go in February as the window of opportunity for Dec. is now firmly closed. The time lag in securing documents might put some of the projected February participants in jeopardy as well as we are still struggling with the submission of a few of those. We will still hopefully have some seeds of desire planted that will yet yield some good fruit.

Martin Muthenya Kioko became the newest convert in Kyambeke yesterday. He is a 36 year old bachelor who had previously spent some time proselytizing for his old religion in the village. The branch had over 160 attendants yesterday which is pretty good since there are only 181 members. There were several non-members in attendance and we will be starting some new discussions there Thursday. There are several family members and friends of recent converts that want to receive some instruction during the December School Holidays. Sister Bishop obtained a solid referral on a man who lives here in Nairobi and was visiting in his ancestral home and desired to come and worship with the members there. It was Kyambeke's week to have the generator and video equipment so they opted to view church history films in place of Priesthood and auxiliary meetings yesterday. After he saw "The First Vision", "The Three Witnesses", "Wilford Woodruffs Search for Truth", "The Windows of Heaven", and then witnessed Martin's baptism he was wanting to take the plunge himself. Hopefully this will result in a baptism for the Cassarani Elders here shortly.

Well I am starting to hear wake up noises in the other flats in our compound now so will close for another week but I will leave an observation which has been much on my mind lately. We have really grown close to some of these people and find the majority of the Kenyans to be very open people uncluttered with so many vices of the world that plague our own society. However it is my opinion that once they sit behind the steering wheel of a vehicle (especially the public service type) or occupy an office chair in some government ministries (especially immigration) their brain cells are reduced to "0" or lower and their propensity for ignorant acts, otherwise foreign to them, is inversely related to their mental capacity. Having got that off my chest I do feel better and am ready for another week. May God Bless you all!

Elder & Sister Bishop

Pictures 11-15-08

This is the newest member of the Ilima Branch. Jacinta is holding her daughter Hilda. I had the privilege of giving a name and a blessing to Hilda before we started teaching Jacinta. I guess that makes up for missing out on the blessings of our own grandkids during these 23 months.

In our many trips up country there has only been about 6 days that the clouds and haze around Mt. Kilmanjaro has allowed us to see it. This is one of those days. The mountain is an extinct volcano with 2 peaks. We can generally see snow on one of the peaks when we do see it.

Theses are pictures of 2 goats that Sister Bishop took for JJ's edification. Because they get around so well and can live on about anything and go great in their stews there are a lot of them. We will see some tethered to bushes along the roads in the hills, some just running loose feeding wherever they want, or herds being shepherded in the low country. Some herds we see probably number close to a hundred or more.


This a picture of Mawenda about 1 year after we first took her to Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity. She really seems to be enjoying it there and seems to have gained a little weight.

These are pictures of some of Mwenda's fellow residents in their new roll around beds and wheelchairs. LDS Charities contracted their construction here in Kenya. It might not be evident in the pictures but in person it was very easy to tell that each of them was thrilled with their new transportation. For those that are bed ridden they can now roll them out to enjoy the sunshine and outdoors.

Weekly Update 11-10-08

Well this week was a little different than our last few. There was a lot of rain all over Kenya almost all week. We were unable to get all the way to Ilima on Friday so left the material we were taking to them at President Mbondo's shop in Kyambeke. We left there at a little after 10:00 and did not arrive home until 5:00. We did make it all the way to Ilima for church yesterday and it rained while we were there but were able to 4 wheel through the muddy spots coming home. I must have got some bad diesel on our last fill up though as the vehicle started sputtering but we nursed it along to Athi River and finally called a tow truck and contacted another couple to come and give us a ride home. It was pass time to service the vehicle and there were a couple of other things that needed attention so we will be in a different rig for a few days. We will need our 4 wheel drive back before we head up country on Thursday. The General Motors shop we deal with is not particularly speedy though so here is hoping they get it done. It is probably contingent on whether it was bad fuel or another problem.

All 3 branches are excited for the good rain they have received and the crops in Kyambeke and Ilima have all pretty well germinated but because Kilili is a little lower they are just planting most of theirs now.

We were able to confirm Jacinta on Sunday and Martin was cleared in his interview for baptism last Thursday. However, because he asked that I perform the ordinance it wont happen until this Sunday then we will confirm him the following Sunday as we will be back there for their branch conference.

I made a quick trip back to Kilili on Saturday to secure IDs so we can try and pick up their passports this week. Sister Bishop wasn't too excited about another trip on the bumpy roads so Elder Pocock went along to keep me company. He is a retired Navy Chaplain and they are serving as the charities couple. He shared several humorous stories with me. "A man died and went to Heaven but said he had a couple of questions before he was judged. What are they? How come you made women so pretty? So men would want to marry them. How come you made women so dumb? So they would be willing to marry men." His next touch of humor has something to do with the fact that he graduated from Utah State. Did you ever think what would have happened if Orson Pratt had been the second President of the church. It would be OPU instead of BYU. We wont know until tomorrow whether we can get the passports without bringing all the folks back into Nairobi.

Wednesday afternoon we spent some time at the Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity where we left Mwende a year ago. We had coordinated with the Charities couple to have some special wheel chairs made for some special needs children there and they were delivered then. Only 2 were chairs and the other 4 were roll around beds adapted for some kids whose lower limbs were so deformed that they cannot sit. Until now they just spent their days in a big bed in the covered courtyard but now they will be able to roll them outside when they take the other children. I have some pictures and will get them out soon. We are having a real struggle with the internet again today but I will forward them once this thing gets up and running again.

The Kenyans are very excited about the new president elected in the US. They declared last Monday a National Holiday in honor of Obama's victory and some are even thinking that they need to permanently declare Nov. 4th as Obama Day. They immediately ran power to his Father's Mother's village and have began upgrading the runway at the Kisumu Airport so that Air Force 1 can land there if the need should arise.

Well that is my ramblings for another week.

God Bless,
Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 11-2-08

Well here it is Monday evening again and I am just getting around to the weekly update. Had a lot of errands here in Nairobi today. Sister Bishops medicine arrived at the embassy so we made a trip there after turning in month end reports at the mission office and getting reimbursed for some stuff we had paid for out of our funds. Also, was working on a bit of an issue with the passports as they have a bunch ready to pick up but the new director of immigration or someone down there has decided to require the members to travel back to Nairobi to pick them up. This is a new requirement as Victor has been able to just pick them using a receipt in the past. There is some speculation among the missionaries as to what is driving this as the Minister of Immigration has seemed to give our efforts a fair consideration in the past. Am told that someone at immigration indicated that the Muzungus should just go home and the church can send the money to Kenya and they will hire local divinity graduates to preach the gospel for us. They find it hard to believe that we are here on our own dime and they want to take the money they think the church is paying us and use it to employ local Kenyans. That is just a little frustrating, especially when we think of the good people we work with up country that these people and their wrong deductions just make life harder for. It just seems wrong to make these people each spend a day and 1,000 shillings a piece to satisfy some bureaucrat's weird whim with some new requirement.

The folks in Kilili finally got a good rain last Saturday evening and we drove through a lot of puddles going to church there Sunday. Hope it keeps coming and that the Kyambeke and Ilima areas are getting more moisture also.

We also picked up a couple of mattresses today that we are taking to a family of orphans that the Kilili folks want to help out. Don't know the particulars yet other than that there are six children who sleep in two beds measuring 3 1/2 by 6 feet and are just currently sleeping on some old sacks. Hope these new additions to their sleeping arrangements will help out. We will take a couple of tied quilts from LDS Charities (those ones you Relief Society sisters work on) and some wool blankets that they have contracted to be made here locally. This is one of those fun feel good things to augment what I am sure are very austere conditions.

Halloween is not much of an event here as we didn't see any hype or promos in the stores. There are Christmas decorations starting to appear but I guess that is somewhat understandable as Thanksgiving is an American thing. President and Sister Taylor are hosting a thanksgiving meal at their home on the 27th for the local couples. The meal will be followed by some training. We were also informed at FHE this evening that the Madsen Family who works at the embassy here wants to invite all the couples to a Turkey dinner on the last Sunday of November. They are starting at 3:00 and we generally have a hard time getting back before 4:00 from up country so the jury is still out as to whether Sister B and I will make it. I mentioned to my companion on our drive home yesterday how nice it will be to one day do away with these 6 hour trips we currently wrap around our Sunday Service attendance.

We are watching with interest tomorrows elections wondering where this world is currently taking us and what kind of situations we will return to in another 8 months. It does seem like a lot of hope and assurance was offered in the recent General Conference if we each just try to follow the Savior's example and teachings. Let's all focus on that as we deal with the challenges we are called on to face here in the immediate future. God lives and loves each of us. We miss each of you and look forward to our happy reunion in 8 months. A special note to our children is thanks for your notes and pictures and we are anxiously awaiting those pictures of grandchildren in their costumes that haven't made it yet.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Pictures 10-28-08

These are the Primary Children in Kyambeke getting ready for their program.


Francis is on the left and Joseph on the right. I don't remember the name of the fat Mzunga in the middle.


On one stretch of the Mombassa Highway coming into Nairobi there is a atretch of trees just filled with storks. Not sure if you can make out the nest in the middle of this group but there were several young storks in it and the group seems to be gathered around watching the mother tend her young. Okay I have a question. Who do you think delivers baby storks? They sure are big ugly birds.

Weekly update 10-28-08

I know this update is a little late but we had some major connectivity problems yesterday. We can get on line tonight though so here goes. After 15 months of these I wonder what we can send each week that is not just a lot of the same. This was a pretty good week though. Because of the funeral in Kilili on Tuesday I let my companion spend the day in the flat with her primary lesson material work that she gets ready each month and I took the Assistants to Kyambeke for baptismal interviews. Jacinta from up at Ilima came down and did great as did Francis and Joseph from Kyambeke. Martin also from Kyambeke showed up a little late and I think got a little flustered so will try again in a few weeks. Because some of them live in situations where they speak nothing but Kikamba I think their understanding of the English words is very tough even though they read it very well. I constantly have to remind myself to slow down when talking with people that we aren't around that much. It strikes me as a little unfair to demand that these people must understand the English language in order to be baptized but then it would really create problems to try and provide materials in all the different dialects and provide church services in the same different languages so we just keep doing the best we can and encourage them. I really have a tender spot in my heart for those natives in my age group that really want to join the church but suffer from the same hardening of the brain cells that all us senior citizens have. The young people learn Swahili and English in the schools but even that does not guarantee that they understand all the words they learn to read.

We attended our final Primary Program in Sacrament Meeting at Kyambeke and it was just as great as the other two. They even had the primary children act as choristers for each song to include the ones that the rest of the congregation joined with them on. What brave little troopers and they did their parts so well. After the block meetings we held the baptisms for Francis and Joseph. Michael, the young man we baptized 3 weeks ago, provided the talk for the service and did a very impressive job. He has also accepted a call as second councilor in the YM Presidency and really has the young men fired up. They restructured all the auxiliary organizations and the branch is really responding well. Two weeks ago they had 156 people in attendance for Sacrament Meeting and this week it was 167. The church records show them with 181 members which is a pretty impressive percentage of attendance. There are quite a few non-members in that count. There are several of those who just don't understand English well enough but continue to faithfully show up each week. There are also several other investigators of which we are teaching several and others who just want to check out the church and we soon hope to be able to teach. Michael had two of his brothers with him and a neighbor. Not sure where the request to split the branch is at in the system but the little stone cut out with no hands does seem to be gaining a little momentum there in the Kulungu Hills.

We have some 20 or so people from Ilima and Kyambeke in Nairobi this week working on their passports for travel to the temple scheduled for February. I am starting to be a little concerned about the Kilili folks as their passports aren't back yet and their trip is only 4 weeks away now but Victor tells me they should be coming right away. The folks in Kyambeke have gotten enough moisture to sprout their maize so they are putting the beans in the ground. Ilima is a little short yet and there has been no rain in Kilili. We have had a bunch of moisture here in Nairobi so things are very green here now. The people up country are just now saying it is time to start raining there so I hope it does.

May God bless everyone for another week.
Elder & Sister Bishop

Pictures 10-24-08

A picture of us planting trees at the Kyambeke Chapel. The Elders' started these seedlings and now that the rainy season is coming they are transplanting them around the perimeter of the church grounds at 1 meter intervals. They wanted us to plant these two so they can show them to our grandsons when they come here on their missions.

This is Sister Bishop's most advanced keyboard student. Her name is Greta and she has played in the Ilima Branch services several times now.

This is a picture of some of the Ilima Primary Members before their Sacrament Meeting Program last week. In the right side you can see Greta playing some prelude music with the keyboard on her lap (she is the one with the stocking cap). The young lady on the bottom right is Jacinta who passed her baptismal interview this last Tuesday and will be baptized soon. She is 18 years old and has a cute little 3 month old daughter. Her husband is a member but not very active right now as he works in Nairobi and doesn't get home some weekends.

Weekly Update 10-20-08

Yesterday was the Primary Program at Ilima. What a treat! I spent Sacrament Meeting with a little feller on my lap who finally drifted off to sleep just as the meeting was about to end. He is not two yet and my companion thought maybe he was looking for a piece of candy. I have quit giving them out though as there was actually one boy that would stay home from school on the days he knew we were coming just so he could get a sweet. Don't want something like that to deprive a young Kenyan of an education as many need all the help they can get to improve their lot in life. I have since slipped some to the Branch President or Primary President at times so they can give it out after we leave. There has been some rain in the lower areas and those members tell me their maize is starting to germinate. Hope those further up and over the big hill get the same blessing soon. It started raining in Nairobi as we arrived home and the guards told me this morning that it rained most of the night. Had some more and even thunder this afternoon. Today was pretty low key as Kenya was celebrating Kenyatta Day so wasn't much going on except in the Uhuru Park in our neck of the woods. President Makiti buried his brother today so told us they would still be involved elsewhere tomorrow and wanted us to not visit Kilili. We have a few investigators ready for their baptismal interviews in Kyambeke so I am going to take the Assistants up there to conduct those interviews tomorrow. Since it is just up and back Sis. Bishop is going to stay and work on some projects here tomorrow. Victor tells me we should start to see some of the passports for the temple patrons this week. Justus is still waiting on his birth certificate. We thought we had everything ready to go on it but the folks that issue them have decided they want another 2,000 shillings which appears to me to just be outright graft. I am having to spend a little time on my attitude lately as the system here lacks a lot of order which to my way of thinking is a result of the prevalent me attitude. It is very refreshing to deal with so many of the church members who really buy into the brotherhood of all God's children. There really are a lot of good native people here doing really good things. I just need to remember that when I run into the negative things that come along.

All the rain has brought out some slugs that we hadn't seen in the previous 14 months. Sister Bishop was cleaning the flat for our hosting of FHE this evening when I heard one of those funny noises she makes when unpleasantly startled. I went into the other room to find her staring at a 2 inch long black slug oozing up the dining room wall. Then as the couples were coming tonight they complimented us on our early Halloween decorations on the door. There was a 5 inch long white slug adorning our doorframe. Not sure if either of them could swim or hold their breath very long but I gave them both the opportunity to do both of those activities as I flushed them down the facilities. I did not do it in her bathroom though on the off chance that they can do both and decide to come back and haunt us. I guess there are a few advantages to the hole in the floor latrines up country.

After the post election violence of the first of the year the new coalition government appointed a chief Justice by the name of Waiki to look into the causes and that commission finished their report this week. Be interesting to see where this goes as some are even claiming they will file with the folks in the Hague if nothing is done with the named culprits which are still not being revealed to the public.

Well that is a brief review of our life in Kenya for another week. Congratulations on the winning pinewood derby car Max. Your mother has probably told you how much I personally dreaded that particular Pack Meeting each year so not many of my sons creations made it into the record books for speed.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 10-13-08

Monday evening and I need to get an update out before hitting the rack. Had Elder & Sister Taylor, who are the auditors for the area, come and give some special training today for auditors. Strangely enough most of what I had taught myself for the last 3 times I've done them wasn't too far off the mark. Only one more audit cycle to accomplish and then it is someone else's concern. The branches have done a good job with what they have to work with and are honest in their dealings but all 3 of them are needing new clerks now as we have sent 2 of them on missions and the 3rd is just waiting for his passport and he will send in his mission papers. The one new clerk that has been called is a 16 year old who has only been a member for 4 months. Doesn't quite meet the requirement to be a Melchizdec Priesthood holder but he is very willing and has a good grasp of english.

Wasn't much new in our travels this week except I did have to fill out a traffic accident report today. Last Friday as we were negotiating the traffic on Mombasa Highway a little sedan decided it wanted to take over our lane. I wasn't too keen on the idea but did finally stop when I could see he was rather determined. It knocked a little trim off the left front wheel well on our vehicle but left a rather healthy scratch from the drivers door back before loosening his rear bumper. He was wanting to wait for the police to come and investigate but the construction crew that was working in the area told us both that it wasn't my fault so he agreed we should probably just both see to our own vehicles and left. We scheduled in a trip to the embassy today in the hopes of getting some mail and needing to mail off driver's license extensions to the state of Idaho. When we arrived the other side of town we were reminded that today is Columbus Day. These embassy employees really make out here. They get both US and Kenyan Holidays off. Last Friday was Moi Day. Today was Columbus Day and next Monday is Kenyatta Day. The interesting item this week from the local news was the deportation of Dr. Corsi. He is the author of Obama Nation which I guess is not very flattering of the Democratic Presidential Candidate. He was purportedly in town for a safari and was attempting to launch his book locally while here. He was arrested, taken to immigration for some time and then put on the late night flight out of town. Not much question there who the Kenyans would vote for if given the opportunity.

We attended our first Primary Program for 2008 this last Sunday in Kilili. The kids did great. I love to hear them sing and listen to their recitations. Some of them even threw in some rather demonstrative visual hand signals to emphasize their parts. The Branch President thanked Sister Bishop for her special support of their efforts. She will spend hours each month to ensure that each Branch Primary has all the lesson support materials as there is no electricity or copiers for them to accomplish it on their own.

It is hard to believe that it is snowing already in parts of Utah and Idaho. The weather here is just really great each day with some of them boardering on rather warm. A few more signs of rain this week as we drove through a lot of wet spots on Sunday but it is still very dry in the critical areas. Sure hope they get a bunch soon but they aren't too concerned yet as it is still a little early.

Well the bed is beckoning. I can't believe how much time I sleep now but I force myself to hit the hay early so that I will be alert as possible as we travel each day.

Weekly Update 10-6-08

It's Monday evening and we just finished watching the last session of conference for FHE. Because of the time difference the morning sessions start at 7:00 pm here. We tried watching the Saturday Morning session on Saturday evening and because it was a live feed it kept cutting in and out so that there was a lot that was hard to follow. We then watched the Saturday afternoon session after we got home from church at Kyambeke yesterday and because someone (stateside) had recorded it then the Lukes just accessed it using a program called slingbox so that worked well. We then watched the Sunday morning session right after that using the live feed and was able to have a reasonable connection so got to see and hear most of it. Rather than try to stay up from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am we just used the slingbox and watched the last session this evening accessing someone else's recording. Church at Kyambeke was great. All the pre-missionaries bore their testimonies as well as Michael, the 2 week convert. We had taught a 1st discussion to another investigator there (Martin Kioko) and he showed up for the block meetings and promised he would be back for a discussion on the Plan of Salvation this Thursday. One of our other investigators said he was ready to be baptized now and another asked for a priesthood blessing to help him overcome his craving for cigarettes.

Charles did get all his passport work done and we think we have resolution on all the medical examinations. He had an impacted wisdom tooth so the dentist took it out Tuesday as well as filling 4 cavities. Parliament declared Wednesday a holiday (last day of Ramadan) so I had to get Victor to help us shuffle him to appointments on Thursday and Friday then put him on a bus for home that afternoon. He stayed in Sultan Haumad that night and caught a matatu home Saturday morning. We will know Wednesday if he passed with the Dr. or not. With the surprise holiday and other requirements he did not get back to the lab to have his TB test read until 48 hrs. late and the tech there did not like the reading he got so they took some more blood. I guess 4 cavities is not too bad as that was his first dentist visit in his 20 years of life.

When we had the vehicle serviced a week ago the gas gauge was not working when we got it back so I had to take it to the office early this morning to have them check it out. They need it until tomorrow so we are driving a loaner for now and will trade back on Wednesday. It does get a little un-nerving driving up country and not knowing the true status of the fuel level. Our cell phone also went out on us last week. It started resetting every time we tried to call with it last Tuesday so we came back to Nairobi and traded for one that had worked well when last used but it also had developed a problem. I reported that to James and he graciously made a trip from Athi River on the holiday to buy a new phone and bring it to us. Because it is new it has a lot of "bells and whistles" that will never be used as long as we have it but it is very reassuring to know we can make contact with someone if problems develop while we are traveling.

We received our absentee ballots last week so took them to the embassy today to be mailed back to the Ada County Registrar. Sure seems to be a lot of turmoil back home right now with bank problems and the presidential campaign. Also had to make several deposits for the branches at a Nairobi Bank. No services like that available in their communities. Also got the final paperwork on the new branch request to President Taylor. Had a fair amount of rain here in Nairobi on Saturday and saw patches of it all the way to Nunguni on Sunday so it look like it is coming. I have been hauling some seed and fertilizer to several of the branches so they can start planting when they are sure the rainy season is here. They tell me that should happen maybe by the 15th. Hope it is a good season as the last was light enough that the Welfare Program has been helping out a little to tide them over to the next harvest. Well I need to quit rambling and get to bed so I will be alert for the drive again tomorrow.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 9-28-08

Sunday evening and we made it through another rather busy week. Finally got all of Joshua's tests and visa so he left for the MTC in Johannesburg on Thursday. We picked up President Makiti's daughters, Judith and Catherine, last Tuesday and brought them into Nairobi to finish up their passport applications so they can be sealed with the rest of their family in December. Judith turns 21 in May so we can have her Mission Application in by February and it should go very fast as she will have her travel documents already. We picked up Charles Mutuku at Kyambeke as we came back from Ilima and will be visiting the Doc and Dentist tomorrow with him and should have all his paperwork put to bed when we return him on Thursday. That means we will have 3 prospective missionaries just waiting on their passports. Justus has finished all his medical as well but is still trying to get a birth certificate then all 4 will just be marking time before they can submit their applications. We taught a first discussion to Jacinta in Ilima on Friday. She is only 18 but has a cute little 2 month old daughter that I gave a name and blessing to at Fast Meeting on the 7th. Her husband is an inactive member but she has been coming to church for a year and it was just a great experience to teach her. Several of the members today were very excited that she had finally decided to take the discussions and are anxious to fellowship her. Michael at Kyambeke has been a real pleasure to work with on the new member discussions with some very insightful questions. We will continue to work with the other 3 investigators there but it will probably be at least a month before we make any more progress with them. We will give our last Teacher Development Lesson at Kyambeke this week but they are doing some restructuring so will probably fill that void with some auxillary training so we just keep on keeping on. A major milestone occurred at Ilima as Greta, one of Sister Bishop's keyboard students, played the opening and closing songs with both hands and did very well.

Another missionary couple is due in this evening. Their name is Littlefield and they are scheduled to go up to Eldoret as that assignment has been vacant since the Scott's went home last April. The Dickmans are the next ones to leave and that is mid November which will then elevate us to the status of the most senior couple but since we are only one of two 23 monthers we will still see several more couples depart before we do. It is amazing how fast each week goes by and we are still worrying that we will not get all done that we desire before our departure time arrives. The Temple trips in December and February should tie up a couple of loose ends and hopefully build a bit of a fire for the next couple to work with. Another goal is to get the new branch approved for Mitini and President Simon sketched an excellent map this week so we should be able to submit the final papers for that request within another week. Just a matter on getting approval up and down the line then and I guess it could go either way but it would sure make me happy to not have to pass our sisters and their young families on these rather steep mountain trails as we drive to church on Sundays.

Well that kind of tells you what this week was like for us. Still no rain so there is lots of dust. Saw a whole lot more of migrating animals mixed in with the more permanent locals again this week. Even saw a zebra road kill on the Mombassa Highway today.

Almost forgot to mention that Amram Musungu put on a fireside at the Upper Hill Chapel this last Wednesday that we were able to attend with Judith and Catherine. He is the Kenyan who is a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and was in town for his father's funeral. He is a real missionary force among Africans in the Salt Lake area with some 200 baptisms to his credit there. There was an article in the Church News on him about 6 months ago.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 9-21-08

It is Monday evening and we just returned from FHE. I was on the computer this morning but was struggling to come up with an update as there wasn't much new that came along this last week. Fortunately there was nothing in our traveling this week that was a whole lot different with the exception that the Mlolongo stretch was back on the old deviation this week as they lay one final coat of pavement on the new road. Kind of disappointing after driving on the new stretch for a month but it appears that they should finish it this week but then they will probably throw several speed bumps in just to make it interesting.

We did come home from Kyambeke a little early this week as it was determined that we needed to get another blood test for Joshua so he can secure his South Africa visa. We brought he and Dominic into the lab before it closed and then returned them on our way to Ilima on Friday. Joshua is scheduled to leave for the Johannesburg MTC this Thursday so I hope we have everything ready now. A few more of the Temple Prep folks secured birth certificates this week so we will keep scheduling small groups to come into Nairobi and work with Victor when ever they clear that hurdle.

There was no rain at all this week but they really don't expect it up country until mid October. They do expect it a little earlier here in Nairobi each season though so the first question we are asked on our arrival up country each trip is "How's Nairobi". We did haul some seeds to one of the branches so they can plant it as soon as the moisture comes.

The unpaved roads though are really getting dusty. Some of the deviations they attempt to water down and reduce the dust hazard but it is pretty tough to stay on top of all of it.

The annual migration of animals from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara is in full swing which even impacts those we see along the road as we travel. Besides the usual giraffes and gazelles this week we also saw some wildebeests, hartebeests and zebra.

We did get to the embassy for mail today and were happily blessed with several letters. Also took my companion into the lab at Dr. Dogras today so they could check her cholesterol level to send back to the states and she can get her prescription renewed. In our travels we stopped at several stores looking for Doritos type chips as the avocados are on up country and the members give us a few to bring home each week. They taste real good and make excellent guacamole dip. Didn't find any Doritos but I did find some double stuffed Oreos and bought 4 packages as we have become converted to if you find it buy a bunch as it is hard to anticipate when you might see them again. My companion did make a lemon meringue pie this week as an anniversary gift. Tasted great but just looked a little dingy as the sugar here is a light brown which definitely gives the lemon filling a color considerably darker than the bright yellow we are used to.

Well I think that covers our life for another week.

Elder & Sister Bishop

PIctures 9-16-08

This is a picture of Michael who was baptized at Kyambeke last weekend.

Weekly Update 9-14-08

Last week was even a little more hectic than what we thought it might be. Besides helping Onesmus and Dominic with their mission prep we had a little weather to contend with. Each day we traveled up country we had rain at different locations along the Mombasa Highway but nothing up in the hills yet. Our trip home on Tuesday took 7 1/2 hours as compared to the usual 3. There were several trucks slid off in locations where we were unable to 4 wheel around them and when we did finally make it to Nairobi it was just one big jam. Little things like water puddles become a big problem when buses and matatus just try to blow around everyone and you end up with vehicles 4 abreast on two lane roads.

We did get the boys through all their hurdles for passport application which is the final step before submitting their papers. Dominic had some enlarged glands that required a cat scan and just when we thought we had him all through they called us up country just as we were dropping him at his home and said they needed a couple more tests. After finishing at Ilima we picked him up again and brought him back with us and I spent Saturday morning back at the lab with him. After finishing up there I put him on a bus headed home as we had already made arrangements to take the Assistants to Kyambeke with us on Sunday so would have a truck full. He made it back home by 3 pm and was at church yesterday. I will need to check with the Doc today but I think he is good to go now. Charles obtained his birth certificate last week and Justus got his court affidavit to District HQs so should have his by the 23rd when we have scheduled to bring them in to finish up their passport applications. Once we get them done Judith will be the only other potential missionary before our time expires in June. We do still have a lot of work that needs to be done to prepare the potential temple patrons and that is becoming a major priority now as the December and February dates are fast approaching. They can only get visas to enter South Africa once the temple issues an invitation and that only happens upon our verification that they have both a passport and a recommend and each of those come with their own little stumbling blocks depending on the individuals.

We did have one baptism at Kyambeke yesterday. Michael made it through the interviews but I need to spend a little more time with Joseph and Bonface Makau has volunteered to help him with his confidence of English. Justus and Francis both want to work on a couple of their personal challenges but are anxious to do that within the next month. Michael bore his testimony at the baptism and what a super asset he is going to be. He is 20 years old and is expressing a desire to serve a mission in a years time. He is the young man that heard me say a few words at Jane's funeral and decided we weren't devil worshipers as so many of the natives have been let to believe. He showed up when we came the next Thursday and was just totally blown away that we truly focus on God and his son.

I did get out to the embassy for mail last Monday in between doctor and dentist appointments and was well rewarded with notes from grandchildren and some spice packets that allowed us to enjoy some Taco Soup that evening. We also paused for just a moment on Saturday to note our 39 years of marriage. I brought a bouquet of roses home and we went out with the other couples for dinner that evening. My companion said my lemon meringue pie would have to wait. The kitchen facilities and pantry provisions here are a little more austere than what she is used to but she does a great job of keeping us fed with a rather varied menu.

While in Ilima Friday I did go with John, the Elders Quorum President, to visit his home. He is an hour's walk away on the other side of the hill. There is probably good reason to consider splitting that branch also if we could identify sufficient Melchezdic Priesthood. The Relief Society President lives just near him and there are several other members in the area that just don't make the hike each week. The more I see of the Kulungu Hills the more amazed I become at the population that is packed in on those hillsides. There are numerous small markets located within walking distance of the residents located throughout the hills. They seemingly go on forever and would fall in between the Boise Foothills and their surrounding mountains as far as comparable terrain for height and grade. I am impressed with the effort that must be spent on their part to walk from location to location over the span of their lives. The soil has a lot of clay in it so one can imagine just how slippery the hilly trails become during the rainy seasons. It seems it would be especially troublesome for the many who go barefoot.

Well the day dawn is breaking so I need to get about today's tasks. We do have few of our regular activities that were a little neglected last week that need to be caught up on today.

God bless you all, Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 9-6-08

Yes I know it is just Saturday but because we are bringing Onesmus and Dominic back to finish up physicals and their passport we will be a little pressed early next week. We are at church in Ilima tomorrow so will pick those two at Kyambeke as we come off the hill. Onesmus just needs to finish some dental work but Dominic is starting at ground zero so Monday could be a long one. I had told them we weren't going any further on their mission papers until they got their birth certificates. Hope this will inspire Charles and Justus to get their certificates now also. We put Kennedy and Julius on the plane for the MTC in Johannesburg early Thursday (we had to get up at 4 a.m. to make their flight). They e-mailed us that they had arrived safely but I sure wondered as I was banging on the window to let them know they had dropped their passports under the x-ray machine while going through security. They are brave little troopers though as they have never flown before, in fact I had to load Julius up with motion sickness pills the first few times we hauled him to Nairobi in the truck. Still haven't made it out to the embassy since the Labor Day closure as little things just kept popping up while we were in Nairobi this last week. We ended up bringing a 3rd passenger with the two missionaries from Kilili last week as there was a young man who was at University in Eldoret last week when the other potential temple patrons were in town. He was able to get his shots and passport while we were shuttling the missionaries so he can be sealed to his parents in Dec. I also ran the boys out the other side of Nairobi to visit a non-member uncle who will probably expire from stomach cancer before they return in 2010. No matter how much I do it the driving here just doesn't get any fun. It is doable but most days I just dread having to get back out in the traffic and once back home I have to really push myself to get back on the road. It is not a bit more fun for my co-driver either as she has already informed me that she will not ride with me for at least 3 months after we get home until she is certain I have overcome the many little habits required to function in the traffic here. I am hoping the lure of grandkids will temper that attitude a little but I must admit that I would probably be banned from the US highways if I don't leave a few of the things I do to survive here in Africa.

Not much change in our other activities. All 4 of the investigators at Kyambeke want to be interviewed for baptism on the 14th so I hope they are all keeping their Word of Wisdom commitments. There are 3 of our sisters in the English classes that I sure hope we will be able to baptize before next June. I really empathize with their struggle to master this new language as I firmly resist their efforts to teach me Kikamba or Kiswahilli. We did finally get another date from the Temple in Johannesburg for the potential patrons from the other two branches. We will be going with that group on 23 Feb. so will need to get them into town for the passport routine here shortly.

The weather continues to warm up a little more each day. We can really feel the heat coming through the windscreen as we drive home each day. I did notice on our MSN homepage that last weeks highs here were almost identical to those in Meridian but the lows were about 10 degrees warmer than there. This climate is pretty ideal if the rain was just a little more dependable. Two of our branch presidents have submitted requests for Fast Offering help for food as the drought in the low lands is starting to have an impact. They still don't ask for much though as the requests are just for a little maize, beans, and fat. We are working with a group of people in Kilili (it is a combination of members and non-members) to dig a well next to a river bed and use a petrol driven pump to move water to some tanks and then gravity feed water to their shambas. With that arrangement they could grow three crops a year and it would do much for their self sufficiency.

Well that is enough rambling for another week. We are going with several other couples to a chinese restraunt for dinner tonight and will be leaving shortly. These things always turn into a long event as things just don't move very fast here. Not like the rush we get back home. Some times just the wait for the bill seems to go on forever.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 9-1-08

It is Monday evening so I will try and get this update off before calling it a day. The internet has not been too friendly today but we seem to finally have a good connection this evening. I guess it is Labor Day back home today. Didn't have any impact on us until we tried to stop at the embassy for mail and the gates were locked up tight so will make that run again Wednesday after we finish at St. Mary's. We have several letters we need to post plus a few from the other couples. A new couple arrived last evening. They are the Esplins from Bountiful, Utah and they have been assigned to work in Chuylu. They attended FHE and introduced themselves this evening. I am sure they will do okay but everyone was careful not to mention road conditions as their situation requires they travel conditions similar to ours. They do have a flat up country with 4 young Elders so only make the trip once a week.

We got 17 people from Kilili in to complete their passport applications and receive yellow fever shots. Just need to wait on immigration now to give them their passports. That has not gone real smooth for many of the others going to the temple in the past but we hope we are early enough that they will all have them in the next 6 weeks. The 3 branch presidents came to Nairobi for training with President Taylor on last Friday so we did not travel to Ilima that day. My companion stayed here in the flat working on some projects while I participated in the training. I made some sandwiches and brownies and we had kind of a working lunch to maximize the training time. Because of the uncertainty of travel conditions we were about 90 minutes late getting started but there were some good things accomplished. Put our Sep. calendar together over the weekend and we have scheduled a baptism at Kyambeke for the 14th and hopefully 4 of our investigators will be ready by then.

I finally got the facilities folks to purchase a TV and DVD player for supporting the branches. Each branch should have their own but because some are concerned that they can't be secured it hasn't happened in the past. Each branch does receive DVDs of conference and world wide training as they happen so they have quite a stack of un-opened discs. Of course there is also the issue of no electricity but I had got the mission to buy me a generator some time ago so now I am just leaving the video equipment and generator at each branch for a week each month and they can do with it what they will. Be interesting to see how they use it. We had purchased our own Church History DVD at the Service Center and will leave that with it. Ilima is the only folks so far who have wanted me to hunt up some other movies so I borrowed a couple of Disney type from one of the other couples. We did have BeckyAnn send over our VCR version of The Other Side of Heaven and I found an old VCR player at the Mission Office that I include with the equipment I leave. DVDs are one of the things that the street vendors hawk and they seem to be of the opinion that all us Mazungus just can't wait to get our hands on their latest offerings. I am sure most of them are pirated and they are probably quite reasonable but it has been no great effort to resist their persistent salesmanship as that is not what we are here for.

This is the week that Julius and Kennedy go to the MTC in Johannesburg so we will bring them back from Kilili with us tomorrow. They will get set apart on Wednesday and we will put them on the plane early Thursday. We are still on track with the 4 young men from Kyambeke and we should have their passport applications in by early October so hope to have their mission papers in before years end.

Well my eye lids are getting heavy so I am going to sign off.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Pictures 8-31-08

This is the young lady we took the wheel chair up to. The chair is not much use in the hills but she is just home on break from school and hopefully the chair will be of use when school starts again. She can only stand in this picture because her father and Sis. Bishop are supporting her. Her parents carried her the 2kms. from the matatu stop to their home on their back. She is one of nine children.



This is the Joseph family with their newly returned missionary. The parents (Joseph and Lois) are seated then the back row from left to right is Kennedy Morris (one of the young men leaving on his mission next week who is just a friend of the family), Purity (a little sister), Edwin (little brother), Faith (Sis. Joseph who just returned from the Salt Lake Temple Square Mission), and Winston (younger brother). Missing from the picture is an older brother Victor who is away at University.

The rooster that is in the process of becoming the main attraction on the homecoming feast.

These are some of the white shirts and ties that the folks brought over. Thanks to all who contributed.

Weekly Update 8-25-08

Well last week was just as hectic as we thought it might be and it sure went by fast. There were a couple of bumps in what we had planned but we still feel like we accomplished a fair amount. I should be able to complete the documents from the medical folks today for Kennedy's visa application which is none to soon as he and Julius leave for the MTC on the 4th. I have been to the Dr. several times for information and we had to have him come in last Friday for another blood test but they assured me it would be complete by noon today.

We watched Presidents and Prophets for FHE and then had pineapple upside down cake by special request for a treat. We helped the other couples get registered for absentee ballots via our APO box a couple of weeks ago so this little Kenya contingent is set to support the candidate of our choice for the November election.

President Makiti called late Monday to tell us that we should not come there Tuesday so we took another day in town here to get those million little things wrapped up that just keep falling off our schedule because of time constraints. Wednesday was fairly normal except we did run out to the embassy to pick up mail (that generally takes a little over an hour but is well worth it when we can pick up notes from home as we did then). Thursday at Kyambeke was another full day as we had another new investigator show up. He is another neighbor of Julius (an active prospective elder who has brought several of his neighbors to church lately). I asked what had sparked his interest and he indicated that he had heard my few thoughts at Jane's funeral several weeks ago and just felt a different spirit. He asked at church yesterday when he could be baptized. We should have two of the 5 ready for interviews within two weeks and just need to spend a little more time on the laws and commandments with the others. I know it sounds just too easy for some of you other returned missionaries but because of the commute wrapped around our visits there it is the only way that the Lord can accomplish what he and the members have prepared these people for.

We picked up Sister Faith Joseph at the airport Thursday evening at about 2200 hours as she returned from her mission to SLC Temple Square. She attended the Mission Conference with us Friday and received her release from President Taylor during the noon break. Kennedy showed up after conference was over and we spent a little time at the Lab at the Saret Center getting his blood test accomplished. The couples were all invited to dinner with the Taylors and the Watsons that evening. Kennedy spent the night on our floor atop the sofa cushions as Faith was in our spare bedroom. We loaded our two guests and took them back to Kilili on Saturday. It was a real delight to see Faith welcomed home and it turns out that we were expected to attend the small family gathering at her parents home so our day was much longer than we anticipated.

I was able to finish the mid-year audit with President Makiti before leaving and we finalized their plans for coming to Nairobi on Wednesday for their passports, yellow fever shots, interviews with the President on their recommends, and even to get one of the couples married (the church requires that those who have been married by tribal conditions have a Kenyan marriage certificate to ensure that they are not doing anything that the country doesn't endorse). Several of the brothers working at the Service Center are also Bishops and are certified to perform civil ceremonies so we can accomplish that while the people are here. It was after 1900 hours when we got home Saturday so it was a rather long day and we did not get any of our normal preparation day activities accomplished. Thankfully we are in Nairobi on Mondays so can pick up the slack on these occasions as my companion does not like it much when I start looking through the laundry bag to find a clean shirt for the day.

Yesterday we were at Kyambeke for church. One of Sister Bishop's keyboard students accompanied the music on her keyboard and did a reasonable job. She lost her confidence so just did it with one hand but it was a great start and is indicative of the impact for good my companion is having. President Mbondo wants to bring the young people from that branch into Nairobi for an outing before there school break is over next week so they will probably be here Thursday. We should probably be here when they come but really feel obligated to be there for our investigators and the multitude of classes we are conducting there so we are thinking that is what will happen. We will try to coordinate for the Bomas Village Show and any other acitivities they are planning today or Wednesday after our shift at St. Marys.

Well the daydawn is breaking and the world awaking so I need to get about a few of the activities on todays schedule. I had David come early to wash our car as it did rain a little yesterday the other side of Kyumbi while we were on one of the deviations so our vehicle looks like a rolling mud ball. Since Sister Bishop requires that I wear clean shirts I figured I had better make the truck some what presentable also. I will try and catch up with a few pictures of recent activities before the week is out. Thanks again for your notes and prayers.

Sister & Elder Bishop