Pictures 5-31-08

These are the old latrines next to one of the new ones. One of the old ones had collapsed into itself so all you see is the hole in the ground.

Forming up for the official photograph between the two new latrines. (Paul had our camera and his cell phone rang so he hurried and snapped the picture before everyone was in place.

The community group from right to left: President Simon of the Ilima Branch (he is on the school board and got us to look at the project), the Headmaster of the school, some guy representing the community, Onesmus the onsite LDS Charities watchdog (he is a returned missionarry and the 2nd Councelor from Kyambeke), Paul Mweto the finance director from our service center in Nairobi (he grew up in this area and was quite excited to see us doing something that so positively impacted so many member kids), one of the teachers (he is holding the scissors that will be used to cut the blue tape on the facility in the background). The rest are just local parents and citizens (not many of them are in this picture). There were no kids at the school that day as they were having some sports competition (trackmeet of sorts) with several other schools so had walked the mile or so up the hill to Kikoko.

Weekly Update 5-27-08

Here it is another Monday. We decided to try and get our other chores/errands done early today as we often bump into the Kenyan Lunch hour if we don't get out early. They generally take their noon break between 1 & 2 which can be planned around but sometimes they forget to return to work so it is just best to try and finish anything that needs someone else's attention before the break starts. One of the tires has been loosing a little air lately so I was able to convince the car tsar to just let me get new ones. So we started out at the mission office dropping off branch reports and requests prior to going to tyremasters for new treads. We walked over to the Mega Naukamat while they were working on our rig because one of the other couples mentioned they had gotten a new supply of Betty Crocker mixes in. We have found that they are not very consistent in keeping their shelves stocked with the same items so take advantage of any new shipments when they arrive as there is no telling when those items will be in again. We only purchased 8 mixes most of which were brownies of different flavors. Then we stopped at a bank to make deposits for the branches then thought we would run out to the Embassy as we hadn't checked the mail for about 10 days. Upon our arrival at the deserted embassy is when we remembered that it is Memorial Day back in the states. The Embassy employees get the best of both worlds as they don't work on all US and Kenyan holidays which gives them a good variety of down time.

We finished up Temple Prep this week by working on Family Group Sheets which turned into much more of an exercise than what I was expecting. Some have no idea when they were born and even have several different dates floating around on different documents. Explaining just what a maiden name is took much more effort than what I was anticipating as they kind of pick and choose their names as they go along. In reviewing our branch rosters it is not unusual to see families with every member having a different last name. We figure we are doing well if we can remember their christian names as we still have not mastered all the tribal stuff. Elder Lewis (one of the very entertaining senior missionaries) figures that there will come a day during the millennium when the man in charge will say okay now it is time to do the African work and there will be big lines forming up both sides of the veil and nothing else will be done for awhile.

Last Thursday we attended a closing ceremony at the Kysuni Primary School for LDS Charities. Whenever they finish a project they have a formal ceremony wherein the completed work is physically handed over to whomever is the beneficiary. That kind of makes them responsible to maintain whatever has been done for them. In this case it was some slit latrines for the school. I tried to get my companion to let me take a picture of her initiating the project but she wasn't too keen on the idea. This particular project is one we had worked with Pres. Simon at Ilima to recommend as a lot of member youth attend there. We are still trying to get the hospital project at Kikoko put together as so many of their needs are things that the charities do not routinely get involved in. A medical specialist from Salt Lake is visiting the area in late June as there are several projects here in the mission that fall into that grey area. We also have a new request from the Ndolo Secondary School that has just surfaced for more latrines. They are across the valley from Kysuni and I guess they think the ones constructed there are pretty spiffy and would definitely aid their learning environment. It is a real eye opener to see the amount of money spent here for humanitarian projects and it all comes from that donated by church members in the Humanitarian Services category of donation slips in church units throughout the world.

The weather is still not quite as wet as what we were led to believe it would be for this rainy season but I think it might be unusually dry as the paper is starting to talk of water rationing. Kyambeke and Ilima seem to be getting enough to ensure some reasonable crops for them but Kilili is starting to look a little on the dry side. Davis Makiti is into watermelons fairly heavyily and he tells me they are history now. Fortunately he and his brothers are diversified enough that I think it is not life threatening to them. Their oranges and nectarines will be harvested in Aug. and the apple mangos in Nov. They have quite a few of those. I have developed a real fondnes for the apple mangos and hope I can convince my father while he is here to try and grow some of them. I have been saving up some I froze last Jan. to make a shake with sometime during he and mom's visit. The problem might be finding the seed stock as they are a grafted plant because of a real weak root system.

Will close for now and try to get a few pictures loaded before FHE. Love you guys.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Pictures 5-21-08

Pictures taken at the Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi. Abandoned/orphaned babies throughout the region are sent here until they are old enough to be returned to the wild. The baby with the blue blanket is 6 months old while the one with the bottle is about 18 months. The second group (2nd picture) were all over 2 years old.

While the elephants were showing off a wart hog came wandering through as the orphanage is located in a wild life park.

This is soon to be Elder Stephen Ndolo with his parents. He leaves for the Durban, South Africa Mission on July 24th. He baptized his mother and little brother 2 months ago and his Dad has gotten pretty active now.

Weekly Update 5-19-08

Have a very narrow window of opportunity to get this off this morning so I am going to send a quick update. The other couples got back from their Safari late Saturday. Their return had got messed up so they phoned ahead and we ordered in pizza for them and they all looked a little worse for wear as they straggled off the bus. It sure made for a quiet week for us with no one to interact with once we got home each evening. Kind of felt good and restful but we would probably soon go stir crazy if they weren't here to bring us back to our world occasionally. The Stutz will be with us until Tuesday morning so we have a few things we will help them chase down today as they pack up to leave. The other two couples in their area went home over the last 60 days with no replacements yet so they are there with 10 young elders and sisters. That is a bit of a challenge I am sure. Kind of glad that we haven't been able to find alternate digs closer to our area yet but we are still looking as the President has asked to. We would be out there without the benefit of young missionaries even.

Finished up the course work in our temple prep classes and gearing up to work family group sheets for the next couple of weeks. One of our class members was showing me his pedigree chart yesterday and was pretty proud of what he had been able to get from some of his family elders. I complimented him on his work but asked if he really thought that his grandparents were really married at the ripe ole age of 13 & 10 respectively and only lived for 156 & 157 years each. I am sure everyone is comforted to know that I have really lost my sarcastic edge over the last few months. Anyway I am sure this will be a fun week as we prepare personal and ancestral group sheets. Things really are coming together and we are looking forward to the trip to Johannesburg in December and it definitely looks like there will be enough successful applicants to require another trip sometime before we leave in June.

We have a closing ceremony scheduled for Thursday of two pit latrines that we were able to get LDS Charities to put in for a school just out of Kyambeke. This is a first for us but they tell us these events are quite the celebration. I think there are several hundred students in this school and their old latrines collapsed on them so this should have a definite impact on the quality of environment for their learning situation. We should have some pictures for next week and maybe a little more info.

Still no appreciable amounts of rain but still not critical yet. The adjustment back to Idaho weather one day will take some effort as hot temperatures here are in the lower 80s and cool ones register in the upper 50s. I run the vehicle's air conditioner just about non-stop as the moisture will build up on the wind screen if I don't. Sister Bishop keeps a lap rug and sweater available at all times and yes she does start just about everyday out with hot chocolate.

Well must run as I have to make a couple of deposits for the branches and do a little shopping before FHE this evening.

Elder & Sister Bishop

Weekly Update 5-12-08

Well now this was a pretty good week. Two of the young men in Kilili got their mission calls. Stephen is going to Durban South Africa July 24th and Julius is going to the same mission but not until Sep. 4th. They were very excited when we delivered their calls to them last Tuesday. Kennedy's papers were still in Salt Lake and we haven't received anything yet so assume it will be at least another week although we do go there for Church this Sunday if they should happen to show up here before then. Because of the couples conference we stayed in Nairobi this weekend which shortened our Sunday activities as there was no 6 hour trip wrapped around church attendance. We did get together at President and Sister Taylor's home for a Mother's Day Dinner before receiving instruction from them yesterday. All the other couples left for the Tanzania Safari today but some of the Sisters were a little down as they hadn't received their Mother's Day calls from the other side of the world yet. That is probably what really made this week special because we received calls from all 7 of our children. We were planning on calling our own mothers last evening but found that our pre-paid phone card had expired so will give them a jingle before we go to bed this evening.

They didn't get our vehicle fixed until Friday. They initially thought it was some bad fuel but as they were doing their road check last Wednesday found that it was still cutting out like we had reported. Turns out that a fuel line had become kinked. They replaced the clutch, pressure plate and through-out bearing and completed the 30,000 service while it was in the shop which should put us in pretty good shape until the end of the month. We will have logged another 5,000kms by then so will need serviced again and probably new tires.

The Stutz took over our spare bedroom last Thursday as they came to town for the conference then left on the Safari this morning. Although it limits our access to the computer when someone is in the spare bedroom it is great to have company and we borrowed their 4 wheel drive to get us up the hill to Ilima on Friday.

With all the couples here in Nairobi over the weekend we got together to visit the Elephant Orphanage on Saturday and then did our traditional Saturday Evening Meal on the Town.

We continue to make progress on securing documents for our Temple Bound Members and will complete lesson 6 in the Temple Prep Course this week. The next lesson is to be given after they visit the temple so we will spend the next couple of weeks preparing their own family group sheets and those for any ancestors they plan on doing the work for while there.

They have had a slight hiccup in their rainy season but nothing is dry enough that it appears critical yet. Sure can get tough sometime when they are so critically dependant on Mother Nature to ensure meals for the next few months.

Sure glad our children called as that made what would have otherwise been a rather lack luster Mother's Day for my companion rather special. We did stop at the Langatta Women's Prison Nursery last Wednesday and got a Jade Plant to replace the Poinsetta which had given up the ghost and then bought a few red roses from a street hawker on our way home from dinner on Saturday.

We love you all.
Elder and Sister Bishop

Pictures 5-6-08

This is a current picture of Mwende at the home we helped move her to. Doesn't she look happy. Besides the smiles Sister Bishop was able to get her to humm to her.

I am amazed at some of the things I see piled on bikes. They really take advantage of them as equipment for transport. Often when you see them loaded up like this the rider is walking along pushing it as I am sure the weight limit before it breaks down is being severely tested.

Weekly Update 5-6-08

A little late again this week. The car quit on us coming home last Friday so we needed towed in. Any of the extra fleet vehicles were tied up as there were visitors from other missions here for some area training of some kind (it was above our pay grade so I am not sure what all it entailed). We had already coordinated for the Assistants to go to church with us to conduct a baptismal interview so we used their vehicle Sunday then I spent Monday morning securing alternate transportation for ourselves. I was going to send the update Monday evening after FHE but then "the kidney stone fairy" paid me a visit and I just didn't get it done. Thanks to a loving nurse/companion and a blessing from two other Elders in the compound with us here we were still able to make it to Kilili yesterday. The ole plumbing was back in operation but just a little tender. It was a good learning moment for me as I came to understand that just being here serving does not mean I don't have to follow the program if I want the blessings. I had went to the Lord on my own but the relief from pain didn't come until I shucked the macho attitude and had Sister Bishop call the other couples for a blessing. Relief came rather rapidly after that and we got enough rest so that we were able to still spend the 6 hours on the road to support those great saints in Kilili on Tuesday.

The interview in Ilima went well so we will be seeing another new member there. His name is Benson and he is 14 years old. His father is dead and he lives with his grandmother while his mom works here in Nairobi. He was out of school for their April break so we were able to meet with him on weekdays and Sundays to complete the lessons. His mother had encouraged him to listen to us but I am still not sure if she is a member or not so we are waiting to see if she wants to come home to witness his baptism. His grandmother is not a member but his aunt is a real stalwart in the branch there.

We were able to make it to Mother Teresa's Sisters of Charity and visit Mwende after working at St, Mary's last week and what a difference they have made in her life. She even hummed a song for us and they had put a frilly dress on her and she really looked great. She might have even put on a little weight but it is obvious that being around other people all the time has certainly added a new dimension to her life.

President Taylor has a "couples conference" scheduled for this weekend and then the other couples are heading to Tanzania for a week long safari. We have opted not to go on the safari as we have pretty well seen most of the animals they will be seeing and we don't want to spend the money or take the time away from our temple classes as they all have to walk so far and the change of schedule doesn't always compute even though we announce it. Sure don't want them to show up and wonder where we are and then try and get their trust so they will make the walk again next week. I am sure that any animals they see in Tanzania will not be any different from what we saw in the Masai Mara last August. We do want to make the trip to the Johannesburg Temple with the Kilunga saints when they go so am hoping our show of dedication will be considered when we request permission to travel out of our mission for that purpose. We are planning on taking a couple of days of R&R when my folks come visiting next month. We are planning on spending some time at the Nairobi wildlife park, giraffe farm, and elephant orphanage with them as these are things we have wanted to see but just haven't done yet.

Well the new day is fast approaching and I must run as we need to try and retrieve our vehicle from the shop today after our work at the pharmacy at St. Mary's. The replacement vehicle we are using is not 4 wheel drive and the rainy season has impacted the roads to Ilima and Kyambeke to the point that I am not sure we would make it in the loaner. Also Sister Bishop has a little house cleaning on today's schedule as the Stutz are staying with us while they are in town for the conference.