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
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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
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
Saturday, September 6, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
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
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.
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.
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