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