Well one last time it is early morning in Nairobi and I am trying to put to words some very special experiences. This last week has been a whirl wind of bitter/sweet experiences. Each of our visits up-country were a memorable experience this week. Tuesday in Kilili we spent a little time with our LDS English and keyboard and were then to support one last RS Enrichment Activity which in reality became a farewell party. President Makiti took some time off from his school and several of the other priesthood brethren appeared. There were a few short thoughts, some great gifts, a bite (chipatas and soda pop) then we struggled through some final farewells. Thursday at Kyambeke was a joint activity with the new Mitini Branch. Each auxillary presented a few thoughts, testimonies from 3 super converts, gifts and a traditional dance outside, and then some refreshments. President Onesmus had asked us to bring some fruit cordial, paloney, bread with peanut butter and jam (I guess we have corrupted them with the introduction of those last items). We brought Michael back with us so he could work on passport documents and security clearance as he wants to leave for the Mission Field in September which is his first anniversary of church membership. Friday we stopped in Mitini to leave a few needed supplies for the new branch and then bounced on up to Ilima. Sister Bishop worked with her keyboard class while I had a few priesthood brethren come in to assist with a disciplinary council so we could meet the desires of a great mama who had been excommunicated several years ago. We were back to Ilima for Branch Conference yesterday which saw a couple of the new converts there called as a branch councilor, clerk, and councilors in the RS, YW, and Primary. They asked us both to share a few thoughts during the course of the meeting and it was a struggle to contain the emotions. There were a few more gifts and farewells after that then the President Taylor (we rode up and back with them) wanted to see the other side of the Ilima Hill to assess the potential for splitting that branch. It was fairly late when we got home last evening but what a great day.
Since today is our final wakeup in Nairobi we are both up a little early this morning. The President conducted our exit interviews enroute home from Ilima but we still have a full day ahead of us. We did a lot of sorting whenever we were home last week but there is a bunch of packing to accomplish yet. We also need to get to the embassy to close out the mail service there and then clear a bunch of items up at the service center. The Flinders have invited us for supper this evening. We will then have our final FHE and then bum a ride to the airport to begin our journey home. We are scheduled to touch down in Boise at 9:15 pm Tuesday but that still computes to over 30 hours of air travel as we chase the sun west over a date line and through several time zones. We have short lay over's in London and Los Angeles. Our kids tell us they will all meet us at the airport so that could be a bit of a crowd but we are sure looking forward to seeing all our descendents (not the least of which are those 4 grandchildren that have been born since our departure). We have a 10:00 am appointment on Wednesday to meet with President Harrison for our Mission Release. Bishop McDonald has agreed to let us report our mission this Sunday which will take place in the chapel at 1985 N. Blackcat Rd. with the service beginning at 10:20 am. The reality of these impending events have not really hit home yet as we struggled with the numerous goodbyes here.
Even with the hectic pace this week the travel hours have afforded the opportunity to reflect a little over the last 23 months and there is a plethora of life enriching experiences to consider. Initial musings have been attempts to quantify in some way the last 2 years and I will close with a few of those today.
Drove in excess of 100,000 kms with the majority done in very trying conditions.
Several scrapes and minor repairs to our vehicle with only 1 major collision. We got stuck once and only 2 flat tires.
I made over 800 sandwiches to support our travel and consumed half of those. Mine were usually ham & cheese with avocado while my companion opted for ham & avocado.
Our gifts this last week include 1 Muzee Stick (that's a cane for wise old men) and woven carrying bag for me, 6 different woven shopping bags and 5 kangas for Sis. B, and 1 live chicken (we graciously returned the bird and asked them to think of us as they dined on it).
We were involved in 4 funerals and one wedding.
We got to help create 1 new branch and each of the buildings are over flowing. They reported 185 in attendance at the new Mitini Branch yesterday.
Eleven missionaries are now serving or awaiting their report date to the MTC. Four others are actively preparing to submit their missionary papers.
There have been 4 trips to the Johannesburg Temple with 58 people.
We have been blessed to support and participate in 163 convert baptisms and there are 5 more cleared to enter the waters on 4 July.
We have associated with countless fellow missionaries that have strengthened us with support, encouragement, and examples. We hope to maintain our association with each of them in some way.
There are several hundred new African friends who are indelibly imprinted in our memories that we might not see again in this life but look forward to visiting with in the next.
God be with You till we meet again,
Elder & Sister Bishop
Monday, June 22, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pictures 6-16-09
The new converts from Mitini.
The new converts from Kyambeke. Two of these are 8 year olds and President Mbondo is on the back at the far left. He did some of the baptizing for this group.
The new converts from Ilima. The Chuvi brothers (Jerald & Chris) are the tall guys in back and they are preparing to go on missions. They did most of the work with the younger folks in front and did all the baptizing for this group.
Two late additions to the Mitini group. The girl on the left is 15. We baptized their mother Jane in May. A lot of what was done in this group was finishing up some family groups so there are considerably less one member families in all the branches.
This special lady is Virginia and we had her ready for baptism in May but due to some special little challenges weren't able to do it until June.
This is the building that has been rented for the Mitini Branch. The facilities folks need to get busy on the proposed work to expand it as we had over 100 people in it last Sunday.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Weekly Update 6-14-09
It's 4:20am here but after a few hours sleep I kept thinking of all that we needed to do today so finally gave up trying to stay in bed. We only have the usual 4 trips scheduled this week but there are a bunch of things that need to be done here in town also to accommodate our return to Idaho in 7 days. We need to get to the Saret Center for TB tests and haircuts as that is probably our last chance for those until we get back from the reunion in Texas. That might seem like a strange thing to be worried about while in the Mission Field but it is hard to shake the habit of backward planning after 30 years in the military. That has often clashed with the easy going attitude of the Kenyans here so I have done a lot of pacing and cultivated a bunch more grey hair. President Mbondo recently was demonstrating to his congregation how he could tell that I wasn't happy when my plans were falling apart by mimicking my pacing. Have to admit it was rather humorous to see a short African mimicking some long Mazunga strides especially when he nailed it so well. We host FHE this evening so I need to get my companion back to the flat so she can make sure it meets her standards before the event. That means I will solo to the service center to pick and drop then make some deposits at the bank for the branches. Not sure what all our visits up-country will entail this week but we would like to spend most of our time saying goodbyes but will probably spend some time with keyboard and what I refer to as LDS English. Me and the mamas sing along with some of the LDS Hymns on CDs and review simple prayers in English. I have also recently got a branch missionary to help me translate the Sacrament Prayers into Kikamba which I have laminated and given to the students so they can follow along when the priesthood read it in English. I am hoping it will add to their Sunday experience by attacking a little of the language barrier.
As I indicated last update our little truck only missed one day going up-country this week. Tuesday in Kilili was rather uneventful except we did get all the paperwork finished for the baptisms the previous weekend and they had even gotten Erastus finished up as well. He is the young man whose family was involved in a medical emergency so had missed his baptism on Saturday. Wednesday the Assistants and I were in the Kulunga hills to interview the English speaking candidates there. Thursday in Kyambeke Sister Bishop taught keyboard while I worked with the Branch President to finalize the applications for baptism there. The English students there have quit making the long trek to class now that they have been baptized. Friday at Ilima saw Sister Bishop working with her keyboard students while I spent some time working with Anastacia. She had avoided the interviews on Wednesday because she was fearful of not being able to communicate her feelings in English. She does understand okay and I am hopeful of buoying her courage enough to get her to interview with President Taylor while he is visiting Ilima for Branch Conference on the 21st. Jennifer will also visit with him then as she was still struggling with Tea at the Wednesday interviews. President is planning to baptize them on the 27th along with some 8 year olds from the Branch. We did have a few ready for the joint baptism for the 3 Kulunga Branches on Saturday. There were 2 eight year olds and 37 convert baptisms. It really stretched the limit on the availability of white clothes for baptisms. A couple of the young men were in size 16 shirts whose short sleeves reached to their wrists. These guys aren't too used to getting the best anyway and their desire to be baptized certainly overcame any concern to be seen in clothes that were so obviously too large for them and they didn't mind sharing towels as we were a little short on those also. Peter, an older gentleman we were working with at Kyambeke, did not show up even though he had passed the interview requirements on Wednesday so we left some clothes and are hoping he had just misunderstood the time and date and that they were able baptize him yesterday.
We were in Mitini for the inaugural service there yesterday. I had hauled 15 loaner chairs from Nairobi up each of the 4 days we had passed through there last week. We then borrowed a table, another 10 big chairs and 20 youth chairs from Kyambeke after the baptismal service that we dropped on our way home Saturday. Still there were more people than sitting accommodations for the service yesterday. According to President Kaseve there was close to 200% attendance and after our last baptism their numbers were up to 80 members. I taught an investigator class about the Restoration with 22 attendees. The members had resurrected 4 benches from what the previous tenet to the facilities had left and the group was crowded together on those. I will get some materials to the young men serving as branch missionaries there and they will have to continue teaching and make contact with the Mission Office when the investigators are ready for baptism. The lead missionary in that group is Macarius, who we just baptized in mid May. He is excited for the opportunity to share his testimony with his fellow villagers. We can't help but be a little concerned as to the future of the church there with us not being backfilled right away if at all but then we remember that this is not our program and just trust that we have come close to accomplishing what was needed to equip these good people to carry out the Lord's plan on their own.
Well, will sign off and get started on the rest of my "to do list" for today. My companion has a plethora of items that have to be done before our departure in 7 days. My list is not quite as big as hers but I try to help out to alleviate her fears that we just can't get everything to fit the constraints we are working with. To that end I finished off the ice cream on hand making our last mango smoothies last week and I am trying to make sure all the cookies are gone too so that any food left-overs we have to haul to the other couples is at a minimum. A scout is helpful right.
We do have 4 more trips up-country this week which means just 8 more trips through the deviation mess at Athi River. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting much bigger. Looking forward to visiting with everyone on the other side of the world shortly.
Love ya,
Elder & Sister Bishop
As I indicated last update our little truck only missed one day going up-country this week. Tuesday in Kilili was rather uneventful except we did get all the paperwork finished for the baptisms the previous weekend and they had even gotten Erastus finished up as well. He is the young man whose family was involved in a medical emergency so had missed his baptism on Saturday. Wednesday the Assistants and I were in the Kulunga hills to interview the English speaking candidates there. Thursday in Kyambeke Sister Bishop taught keyboard while I worked with the Branch President to finalize the applications for baptism there. The English students there have quit making the long trek to class now that they have been baptized. Friday at Ilima saw Sister Bishop working with her keyboard students while I spent some time working with Anastacia. She had avoided the interviews on Wednesday because she was fearful of not being able to communicate her feelings in English. She does understand okay and I am hopeful of buoying her courage enough to get her to interview with President Taylor while he is visiting Ilima for Branch Conference on the 21st. Jennifer will also visit with him then as she was still struggling with Tea at the Wednesday interviews. President is planning to baptize them on the 27th along with some 8 year olds from the Branch. We did have a few ready for the joint baptism for the 3 Kulunga Branches on Saturday. There were 2 eight year olds and 37 convert baptisms. It really stretched the limit on the availability of white clothes for baptisms. A couple of the young men were in size 16 shirts whose short sleeves reached to their wrists. These guys aren't too used to getting the best anyway and their desire to be baptized certainly overcame any concern to be seen in clothes that were so obviously too large for them and they didn't mind sharing towels as we were a little short on those also. Peter, an older gentleman we were working with at Kyambeke, did not show up even though he had passed the interview requirements on Wednesday so we left some clothes and are hoping he had just misunderstood the time and date and that they were able baptize him yesterday.
We were in Mitini for the inaugural service there yesterday. I had hauled 15 loaner chairs from Nairobi up each of the 4 days we had passed through there last week. We then borrowed a table, another 10 big chairs and 20 youth chairs from Kyambeke after the baptismal service that we dropped on our way home Saturday. Still there were more people than sitting accommodations for the service yesterday. According to President Kaseve there was close to 200% attendance and after our last baptism their numbers were up to 80 members. I taught an investigator class about the Restoration with 22 attendees. The members had resurrected 4 benches from what the previous tenet to the facilities had left and the group was crowded together on those. I will get some materials to the young men serving as branch missionaries there and they will have to continue teaching and make contact with the Mission Office when the investigators are ready for baptism. The lead missionary in that group is Macarius, who we just baptized in mid May. He is excited for the opportunity to share his testimony with his fellow villagers. We can't help but be a little concerned as to the future of the church there with us not being backfilled right away if at all but then we remember that this is not our program and just trust that we have come close to accomplishing what was needed to equip these good people to carry out the Lord's plan on their own.
Well, will sign off and get started on the rest of my "to do list" for today. My companion has a plethora of items that have to be done before our departure in 7 days. My list is not quite as big as hers but I try to help out to alleviate her fears that we just can't get everything to fit the constraints we are working with. To that end I finished off the ice cream on hand making our last mango smoothies last week and I am trying to make sure all the cookies are gone too so that any food left-overs we have to haul to the other couples is at a minimum. A scout is helpful right.
We do have 4 more trips up-country this week which means just 8 more trips through the deviation mess at Athi River. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting much bigger. Looking forward to visiting with everyone on the other side of the world shortly.
Love ya,
Elder & Sister Bishop
Monday, June 8, 2009
Pictures 6-8-09
Sister Bishop with her "namesake" Barbara Wykalia Muthiani and Barbara's mother Jacinta Muthiani.
Our latest group of Temple Patrons. President Fredrick Kaseve of the new Mitini Branch is on the right with his family. His wife is the RS President. The Bonface Maukau family is on the left. He is the 1st Councilor and she is the YW President.
Elder Dominic Mambo Makau is having his Missionary Badge pinned on by his younger brother Peter before his departure to the MTC. Does he look excited?
The Baptismal group at the Kilili Branch on 6 June 2009.
Weekly Update 6-8-09
We are back from the Temple but what a great trip. We were able to attend 6 sessions (Sis. Bishop made it to 3 and spent the rest of the time riding herd on the little ones). Besides their own sealing's we were able to do some baptisms and then seal a few of their ancestors also. That kept us pretty busy as the temple doesn't open until 3:00 each day with the exception of Friday and Saturday. We were able to visit with Elders Mutuku and Musembi (we sent them to the MTC 3 weeks ago) who were making one last visit to the Temple before moving to their respective mission assignments. On Thursday Elder Mambo Makau left us to go to the MTC. The trip home was uneventful except a couple of the little ones wanted to hide rather than leave Patron Housing. The beds and environment there are definitely a step or two above what they are used to.
We got linked up with our newly serviced vehicle enroute from the airport and we were back in it Saturday for a baptism at Kilili. We had 21 who were baptized with 3 of them being 8 year olds. There was one other candidate but his family had a medical emergency so we left some clothes and President Makiti was going to take care of it sometime during their church services yesterday. I don't imagine they had much time for testimonies in their meeting yesterday with 22 confirmations to conduct. We were back to Kyambeke for services yesterday. Today will be our only non-travel day this week as I am taking the Assistants up Wednesday to interview the English speaking candidates for the baptism we have scheduled this Saturday. With the 6 trips this week we should be able to just do 4 the next week before getting on the plane home 2 weeks from tonight.
We got word while in Johannesburg that approval had been granted for the Mitini lease so hope to get enough things up to them this week so we can hold services their Sunday. Other than that there are only about 100 other little ankle biters that we need to deal with today. With that thought I must sign off and be about our missionary business. I didn't arise as early this morning so am already a little behind schedule. Not sure if my tardiness was the result of trying to catch up on some missing sleep or if I just need a little more now that I am 61. Thank you for the birthday remembrances. I will try and get a few pictures out before FHE tonight.
Elder & Sister Bishop
We got linked up with our newly serviced vehicle enroute from the airport and we were back in it Saturday for a baptism at Kilili. We had 21 who were baptized with 3 of them being 8 year olds. There was one other candidate but his family had a medical emergency so we left some clothes and President Makiti was going to take care of it sometime during their church services yesterday. I don't imagine they had much time for testimonies in their meeting yesterday with 22 confirmations to conduct. We were back to Kyambeke for services yesterday. Today will be our only non-travel day this week as I am taking the Assistants up Wednesday to interview the English speaking candidates for the baptism we have scheduled this Saturday. With the 6 trips this week we should be able to just do 4 the next week before getting on the plane home 2 weeks from tonight.
We got word while in Johannesburg that approval had been granted for the Mitini lease so hope to get enough things up to them this week so we can hold services their Sunday. Other than that there are only about 100 other little ankle biters that we need to deal with today. With that thought I must sign off and be about our missionary business. I didn't arise as early this morning so am already a little behind schedule. Not sure if my tardiness was the result of trying to catch up on some missing sleep or if I just need a little more now that I am 61. Thank you for the birthday remembrances. I will try and get a few pictures out before FHE tonight.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Friday, June 5, 2009
Weekly Update 5-31-09
It is Sunday evening but we head to the Temple in Johannesburg at 0-dark-30 in the morning and it would be mid-week before we get at a computer so it is update time. It seems like this trip has been a bit more of a challenge than the other three but it is finally a go. We ended up making a rush trip to the hills last Monday to collect signatures to satisfy a seemingly new requirement with the South Africa Embassy. Wednesday ended up being the only day we didn't travel up country this week. Even though the stress of helping the patrons make all their appointments and dealing with housekeeping chores when it is an alien environment to them it is going to be restful not having to do any driving next week. We will pick it right back up again on our return to Nairobi as we have a baptism in Kilili on the 6th.
Our time on station at each of our regular visits this week were rather uneventful but we had some satisfying experiences. Sister Bishop was able to give another of her students their own instrument as they had met all the requirements of the people at the Harmon Grant who provide these keyboards to qualified people around the world. We have several more adults ready for their baptismal interviews in English when we get back. On our way home Friday Jacinta meant us along the road to show us her new daughter. Jacinta was one of our earlier baptisms and her husband is now the 1st Councilor in Kyambeke. They had a new baby a little over a month ago but it is not unusual for mother and baby to just stay at home for 6 weeks or so after birth. Anyway their little daughter is just adorable and her name is Barbara. These folks just keep making it harder and harder to bid farewell in just 3 weeks time now.
Thursday evening we ferried the Lukes to the airport for their triumphant return to Green River, Utah. They were the Public Affairs couple and had arrived here in Nairobi about 5 months after us. They are the last ones that are scheduled to leave before our departure.
Had quite a bit of rain in Nairobi this week with a minimal amount in the Hills and none down at Kilili. Just muddied up the commute a lot with the biggest impact being on the deviation through Athi River. Got to do a little mud bogging on unauthorized deviations. Our 4 wheel drive has sure been much appreciated on numerous occasions and we have certainly tested its' mettle numerous times. The odometer was at 88,600+ when I filled out the monthly report tonight so I am sure it will be glad for the week of rest this week also. It is needing a new clutch, inspection sticker, and service while we are in Johannesburg. Normally they recycle the vehicles at around 90,000 but because this vehicle is only 2 years old they are going to keep it around until 100,000 but it wont have far to go to reach that milestone when we depart but it will probably be used as an extra for a while as it is still looking like we will not be replaced.
Well, must bid goodnight as we need to meet the patrons at the office at Upper Hill by 5 in the morning. Here's hoping for a safe journey to all till we check in next week.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Our time on station at each of our regular visits this week were rather uneventful but we had some satisfying experiences. Sister Bishop was able to give another of her students their own instrument as they had met all the requirements of the people at the Harmon Grant who provide these keyboards to qualified people around the world. We have several more adults ready for their baptismal interviews in English when we get back. On our way home Friday Jacinta meant us along the road to show us her new daughter. Jacinta was one of our earlier baptisms and her husband is now the 1st Councilor in Kyambeke. They had a new baby a little over a month ago but it is not unusual for mother and baby to just stay at home for 6 weeks or so after birth. Anyway their little daughter is just adorable and her name is Barbara. These folks just keep making it harder and harder to bid farewell in just 3 weeks time now.
Thursday evening we ferried the Lukes to the airport for their triumphant return to Green River, Utah. They were the Public Affairs couple and had arrived here in Nairobi about 5 months after us. They are the last ones that are scheduled to leave before our departure.
Had quite a bit of rain in Nairobi this week with a minimal amount in the Hills and none down at Kilili. Just muddied up the commute a lot with the biggest impact being on the deviation through Athi River. Got to do a little mud bogging on unauthorized deviations. Our 4 wheel drive has sure been much appreciated on numerous occasions and we have certainly tested its' mettle numerous times. The odometer was at 88,600+ when I filled out the monthly report tonight so I am sure it will be glad for the week of rest this week also. It is needing a new clutch, inspection sticker, and service while we are in Johannesburg. Normally they recycle the vehicles at around 90,000 but because this vehicle is only 2 years old they are going to keep it around until 100,000 but it wont have far to go to reach that milestone when we depart but it will probably be used as an extra for a while as it is still looking like we will not be replaced.
Well, must bid goodnight as we need to meet the patrons at the office at Upper Hill by 5 in the morning. Here's hoping for a safe journey to all till we check in next week.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Weekly Update 5-26-09
Well the sprint to the finish line is picking up speed as we try to finish off a few last items before our departure in 4 weeks time. We are ready to finish up all the paperwork for our Temple Group today and just hope that Victor is able to gather all the visas at the South Africa Embassy this week. In an effort to stem the flow of immigrants from each country here, the more established South Africa imposes some rather stringent restrictions on other Africans visiting there. The Church is required to ensure via a monetary deposit that the people will only be there for the specified time but the money is credited back once the terms of the visa is satisfied. This is even the case with the young people who fulfill missions there or attend the MTC enroute to another country. We are still waiting on approval from the Physical Facilities folks to begin occupation of the proposed building in Mitini. Also this week we received word from the Dr. who reviews mission applications for the Area that he wants to wait a month on Stellamaris' application. In and of themselves these little ankle biters aren't much but as this race nears its' finish they do raise my anxiety just a little. I realize that a portion of this anxiety is the result of rather low tolerance for any who would disagree or fail to have the same view of the situation that I do (I'll try to work on being a little more tolerant but please don't hold me to that commitment). Just to add to the stress level it appears that the last baptisms we are trying to accomplish is swelling to a number of around 60 people and the few available dates combined with a deficiency of the number of white clothes is more than just a little worrying. In our visits up-country more of the members are trying to get us to visit their home before our departure and as much as we would love to do that just to show our feelings and respect time just doesn't allow us to accommodate all the requests and we are struggling to keep from offending anyone.
Our Tuesday visit to Kilili was held in conjunction with a RS Enrichment event as they wanted to teach my companion how to weave bags and blankets before she left. Whenever our visits coincide with enrichment we can count on a disproportionate number of attendees at our English Class so we just worked on singing some hymns. It is amazing how well that medium seems to bridge the language barrier somewhat and they seemed to enjoy themselves but I hope in our last few visits there the number of attendees becomes a little more manageable.
Our Thursday and Friday visits to the Kilungu Hills were pretty much the same although our English classes there have pretty well dried up with the baptism of Mamas who were struggling with the language. However there are at least 10 solid investigators that we are trying to prepare for their English based baptismal interviews so we are still staying rather busy there and our time on site is not decreasing as we thought it might. We did visit President Simon's mother in Ilima for a few minutes on Friday as she lives very near the chapel there. We scored some cups of warm milk (no refrigeration in the hills) a bag of grapefruit sized avocados and a stalk of bananas. More than we can possibly eat by ourselves so we share with the other couples here but it is touching to see their willingness to share from their meager resources and the last thing we want to do is offend by refusing their offer even though they certainly have a greater need than this fat mazungu.
Saturday I drove back to Mitini with Victor and a couple of medical folks to administer the required yellow fever shots to the temple attendees. It was their first ever immunizations and not at all appreciated by the younger ones. I was afraid my young friends would never come near me again. However I was able to illicit shy smiles from them at church yesterday so think maybe they have forgiven me already. Sure looking forward to the trip to Johannesburg and the creation of 2 more "forever families" next week. A note on the Saturday trip was when I returned the medical folks to their pick up point they asked if my immunizations were current and upon being assured that they were he offered to secure me a matatu drivers license which I think was a good natured statement on my aggressive driving habits. I will certainly have to work to ensure that those habits stay here as they would get me in a lot of trouble state-side.
Well once again the sun is up on a Monday morning in Kenya and I must cease my ramblings as we want to get the plethora of travel documents to the service center the first thing today so we can be sure all is ready for next Monday. We were then going to check the mail box at the embassy but realized that it is Memorial Day on your side of the world which means the local embassy employees are on holiday also. That does remind me that with the time required for mail to get from there to here I would encourage all to not post any letters to us after June 1st as I doubt that we would receive it. We will visit the APO one last time and leave a forwarding address on the 22nd as we finish up here but it would probably be months before any mail caught up with us as we do have a few plans elsewhere upon our return.
Sowa Sowa. Elder & Sister Bishop
Our Tuesday visit to Kilili was held in conjunction with a RS Enrichment event as they wanted to teach my companion how to weave bags and blankets before she left. Whenever our visits coincide with enrichment we can count on a disproportionate number of attendees at our English Class so we just worked on singing some hymns. It is amazing how well that medium seems to bridge the language barrier somewhat and they seemed to enjoy themselves but I hope in our last few visits there the number of attendees becomes a little more manageable.
Our Thursday and Friday visits to the Kilungu Hills were pretty much the same although our English classes there have pretty well dried up with the baptism of Mamas who were struggling with the language. However there are at least 10 solid investigators that we are trying to prepare for their English based baptismal interviews so we are still staying rather busy there and our time on site is not decreasing as we thought it might. We did visit President Simon's mother in Ilima for a few minutes on Friday as she lives very near the chapel there. We scored some cups of warm milk (no refrigeration in the hills) a bag of grapefruit sized avocados and a stalk of bananas. More than we can possibly eat by ourselves so we share with the other couples here but it is touching to see their willingness to share from their meager resources and the last thing we want to do is offend by refusing their offer even though they certainly have a greater need than this fat mazungu.
Saturday I drove back to Mitini with Victor and a couple of medical folks to administer the required yellow fever shots to the temple attendees. It was their first ever immunizations and not at all appreciated by the younger ones. I was afraid my young friends would never come near me again. However I was able to illicit shy smiles from them at church yesterday so think maybe they have forgiven me already. Sure looking forward to the trip to Johannesburg and the creation of 2 more "forever families" next week. A note on the Saturday trip was when I returned the medical folks to their pick up point they asked if my immunizations were current and upon being assured that they were he offered to secure me a matatu drivers license which I think was a good natured statement on my aggressive driving habits. I will certainly have to work to ensure that those habits stay here as they would get me in a lot of trouble state-side.
Well once again the sun is up on a Monday morning in Kenya and I must cease my ramblings as we want to get the plethora of travel documents to the service center the first thing today so we can be sure all is ready for next Monday. We were then going to check the mail box at the embassy but realized that it is Memorial Day on your side of the world which means the local embassy employees are on holiday also. That does remind me that with the time required for mail to get from there to here I would encourage all to not post any letters to us after June 1st as I doubt that we would receive it. We will visit the APO one last time and leave a forwarding address on the 22nd as we finish up here but it would probably be months before any mail caught up with us as we do have a few plans elsewhere upon our return.
Sowa Sowa. Elder & Sister Bishop
Monday, May 18, 2009
Weekly Update 5-18-09
It's 5:30 Monday morning here and not wanting to get behind again like last week I will get this out before the sun is up. Have a lot of things we need to get done here in Nairobi before the day is over. Somehow South Africa hasn't gotten the information recognizing the new Mitini Branch so they are not being very prompt in issuing the contract for the building rental there. I guess bureaucracy is a human frailty that we manage to inject where ever we human beings set our hand. It is not exclusive to the military or government as I have thought for so many years. We got 7 more passports last Friday evening so need to finalize with patron assistance for our June 1-5 Temple trip. Our group to Johannesburg will be 17 plus ourselves which is 2 families. There was one 19 year old boy that was still missing some ID info so his family is going without him but he finishes up his schooling at years end so can take out his own endowments enroute to the mission field. Being sealed to his family will just be on the back burner for now and maybe by the time he returns from his mission there will be a closer temple. I'm sure a loving Heavenly Father will understand if his time schedule overrides that event. One positive highlight though is that Dominic enters the MTC on the 4th so he will go with us and get sealed to his family and then just report to the MTC on Thursday.
We continue to get small rain showers on a regular basis here in Nairobi and a few drops up-country. If that sustains itself through May it should ensure a good maize harvest and the bean harvest is probably good to go already. We have people assisting with the Kikumba based discussions in all the branches so we did not travel up-country this Saturday which was a welcome break but it appears that the balance of our weekends here will all require both Saturday and Sunday trips. The lone exception could be our last Saturday on 20 June and my companion is indicating that we will be involved in cleaning up the flat one last time. It is a different experience from my last mission when I worked in some fairly unkempt conditions but for the most part my companion for this mission has been a lot more enjoyable.
Charles and Justus left for the MTC on Thursday so we took them to lunch and bid them farewell after their trips into town on Wednesday. I mentioned the Kikamba discussions for the young people and it is fluctuating at around 40 so that should make for some very busy Saturday baptismal services after we return from the Temple. We also have another 10 English speaking adults that will be ready for baptism if we can schedule interviews with the Assistants okay. Could be a bit of a challenge getting the baptismal clothes ready between services. We do have a washer and dryer in the flat here but they are quite a bit smaller than what we have back home and there is no hot water available in the laundry area.
We were able to stop and see Mwendwe at Sister's of Charity after our service at St. Mary's last Wednesday and she sure looked good. The Sister in charge there even thinks she will start to talk one day. I hope all the things we have been involved in have the same positive potential after our departure. With that thought I will close for this week as it is getting lighter outside and we must be about what we think is our Father's business.
Elder & Sister Bishop
We continue to get small rain showers on a regular basis here in Nairobi and a few drops up-country. If that sustains itself through May it should ensure a good maize harvest and the bean harvest is probably good to go already. We have people assisting with the Kikumba based discussions in all the branches so we did not travel up-country this Saturday which was a welcome break but it appears that the balance of our weekends here will all require both Saturday and Sunday trips. The lone exception could be our last Saturday on 20 June and my companion is indicating that we will be involved in cleaning up the flat one last time. It is a different experience from my last mission when I worked in some fairly unkempt conditions but for the most part my companion for this mission has been a lot more enjoyable.
Charles and Justus left for the MTC on Thursday so we took them to lunch and bid them farewell after their trips into town on Wednesday. I mentioned the Kikamba discussions for the young people and it is fluctuating at around 40 so that should make for some very busy Saturday baptismal services after we return from the Temple. We also have another 10 English speaking adults that will be ready for baptism if we can schedule interviews with the Assistants okay. Could be a bit of a challenge getting the baptismal clothes ready between services. We do have a washer and dryer in the flat here but they are quite a bit smaller than what we have back home and there is no hot water available in the laundry area.
We were able to stop and see Mwendwe at Sister's of Charity after our service at St. Mary's last Wednesday and she sure looked good. The Sister in charge there even thinks she will start to talk one day. I hope all the things we have been involved in have the same positive potential after our departure. With that thought I will close for this week as it is getting lighter outside and we must be about what we think is our Father's business.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Pictures 5-16-09
Macarius' baptism. Note that the water was below my knees so that my underclothes did not even get wet but the water was such that you could not see the bottom of the font.
Monica and her grandaughter Faith at her kiosk in Kilili. We generally get some vegetables and bananas from her each Tuesday when we visit there. She is the wife to the 2nd councilor in the Branch Presidency and one of our most regular English students. They are raising their grandaughter as her mom is single and lives in Nairobi.
We stopped to see Mwendwe one last time after working at St. Mary's this week. The Sisters there say she is doing great and would not be surprised if she didn't start talking one day. She sure looks a lot happier and healthier. We dropped her grandfather off at the hospital in Kioko as we came home Friday. His health seems to be failing.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Pictures 5-13-09
The new members from Mitini.
The new members from Kyambeke.
The new members from Ilima.
These 2 were also from Ilima but because of the distance they had to walk did not get
there while we were taking pictures. The 16 year old dressed in green was a delight to
teach. She is not at all timid and could answer all the questions. After this picture
she turned to me and said God bless you.
The new members from Kilili.
The Mission Prep Class from Ilima after our graduation ceremony. I made no bake
chocolate cookies and then they helped us fill out baptismal records. Stella submitted
her papers yesterday and the Chuvi brothers are still waiting on their IDs so we
can initiate passport submission.
They started drilling for water on the Kilili Project on Monday.
Weekly Update 5-13-09
Yeah you're right this late in the mission is not a good time to start a habit of missing updates. We have stayed busy since last Monday and were even terribly busy this Monday but nothing particularly noteworthy. I thought we might be able to cut our visits up-country a little shorter but everyday was just a little longer than normal last week.
On our Tuesday visit to Kilili we changed our activities for English a little and are trying to teach a few hymns, simple prayers and testimonies, and translate the Sacrament Prayers to Kikamba so that our new converts under the amnesty program will have a few more building blocks to assist in their assimilation. The majority of them have logged several years of attendance without understanding the English portion of the service and we just want to help them possibly get a little more for their efforts.
On Thursday their was a young man from Mitini who we didn't have the final clearance for baptism when we held our service on the 2nd but had since been approved and he wanted to wait no longer. I kind of had a feeling he was going to be pushing for it so had thrown in a few white clothes on our way to Kyambeke. He had celebrated his 23rd birthday on Wednesday and just didn't want to get any older as a non-member. It had rained again there on Wednesday so the water supply was a little clogged with mud and very red but we managed to get a little water in the font and went ahead with the service. I had him sit down and hold his hands tight against his chest and was able to get him totally immersed. The water was several inches below my knees so my underclothes were still dry after getting him under.
We finished teaching Martha at Ilima on Friday but since they haven't gotten a new font since the remodel we have convinced her to wait for the service we have scheduled at Kyambeke the first saturday of June. That is when we are doing the first group of young people that the President has authorized to be interviewed in their mother tongue. We wanted to work with them to ensure that they understand everything so have a group going in each branch on the week-end so as not to conflict with school. Preliminary figures look like it will be somewhere around 30 in that group. It's a little tough to get our arms around the exact number as there are quite a few of the children who were never blessed so they weren't picked up as children of record so don't show on the membership lists. It becomes a matter of pushing the leadership and members and dates really don't mean that much to them. Not sure if I mentioned when we were working with the Kilili Mamas we just baptized but when we were filling out the records she indicated she had 12 children but when we got done there were only 11 names she had given me. When I quizzed her on the shortfall and then mentioned the name of one of her sons I had met who wasn't listed we got reviewing them and it ended up she really had 14 children. I think that is a testament to just how hard these people have to work just to subsist. I can't imagine an American Mother who works so long and hard that she would forget the effort required for 2 additional pregnancies and deliveries.
Saturday we started out in Kilili helping Judith with the young people we are teaching there and then hustled back to Kyambeke for a funeral there. Dorcas Kitumbu was a lady in her mid 40s and had been a big help in getting us started with several programs in the branch there. She had previously lost her husband and one daughter to Aids and was HIV positive herself. We had helped her get going on an anti-viral program at the Kikoko hospital and things seemed to be going great, but she got pregnant and died during the delivery. Besides the healthy new born son, she leaves Janet, a 14 year old daughter, and 2 older sons whom we had never met previous to the funeral. The local chief decreed that Fredrick and Agnes Kaseve were to take the new born orphan into their home. Agnes was a sister to Dorcas and is the new RS President of the Mitini Branch and Fredrick is the Branch President at Mitini. They are one of the families we hope to take to the Temple in June and already have 7 children of their own still living at home ranging in age from 19 to 3 besides 2 married daughters.
Sunday was our day to visit in Ilima and we met 2 more ladies who want to start missionary discussions this next Friday so it is looking more and more like we will be teaching and hopefully baptizing right up until we get on the plane to come home. Want to get as much done as we can as the President is still thinking that he is not going to assign any more missionaries to replace us. Not sure just how to interpret that. Is he trying to lay a guilt trip on us so we will stay or return soon, was this just something he assigned us because he didn't know what else to do with us, or does he think that these folks are ready to care for themselves? There probably will one day be a district and then a stake in the Kilungu Hills as I am convinced that the growth potential there has not really been tapped yet even with all the folks we have seen come into the church. Self sufficiency is probably the biggest hurdle in developing a future in all of Africa and certainly in the branches up-country. One of the real bright spots in these branches future is the missionaries that they are sending out now and will begin returning in 18 months. We picked up the luggage for Charles and Justus on Sunday and then they traveled in today by matatu and will leave for the MTC in Johannesburg tomorrow. Three more have calls and will be leaving by mid July. Stella's missionary papers went to the Area Office on Friday and there are 3 others waiting on Kenya documents so they can submit their applications. Thirteen is certainly a goodly number for these 4 branches and will really add strength to the future of the Church here.
Enough ramblings for now.
Love Elder & Sister Bishop
On our Tuesday visit to Kilili we changed our activities for English a little and are trying to teach a few hymns, simple prayers and testimonies, and translate the Sacrament Prayers to Kikamba so that our new converts under the amnesty program will have a few more building blocks to assist in their assimilation. The majority of them have logged several years of attendance without understanding the English portion of the service and we just want to help them possibly get a little more for their efforts.
On Thursday their was a young man from Mitini who we didn't have the final clearance for baptism when we held our service on the 2nd but had since been approved and he wanted to wait no longer. I kind of had a feeling he was going to be pushing for it so had thrown in a few white clothes on our way to Kyambeke. He had celebrated his 23rd birthday on Wednesday and just didn't want to get any older as a non-member. It had rained again there on Wednesday so the water supply was a little clogged with mud and very red but we managed to get a little water in the font and went ahead with the service. I had him sit down and hold his hands tight against his chest and was able to get him totally immersed. The water was several inches below my knees so my underclothes were still dry after getting him under.
We finished teaching Martha at Ilima on Friday but since they haven't gotten a new font since the remodel we have convinced her to wait for the service we have scheduled at Kyambeke the first saturday of June. That is when we are doing the first group of young people that the President has authorized to be interviewed in their mother tongue. We wanted to work with them to ensure that they understand everything so have a group going in each branch on the week-end so as not to conflict with school. Preliminary figures look like it will be somewhere around 30 in that group. It's a little tough to get our arms around the exact number as there are quite a few of the children who were never blessed so they weren't picked up as children of record so don't show on the membership lists. It becomes a matter of pushing the leadership and members and dates really don't mean that much to them. Not sure if I mentioned when we were working with the Kilili Mamas we just baptized but when we were filling out the records she indicated she had 12 children but when we got done there were only 11 names she had given me. When I quizzed her on the shortfall and then mentioned the name of one of her sons I had met who wasn't listed we got reviewing them and it ended up she really had 14 children. I think that is a testament to just how hard these people have to work just to subsist. I can't imagine an American Mother who works so long and hard that she would forget the effort required for 2 additional pregnancies and deliveries.
Saturday we started out in Kilili helping Judith with the young people we are teaching there and then hustled back to Kyambeke for a funeral there. Dorcas Kitumbu was a lady in her mid 40s and had been a big help in getting us started with several programs in the branch there. She had previously lost her husband and one daughter to Aids and was HIV positive herself. We had helped her get going on an anti-viral program at the Kikoko hospital and things seemed to be going great, but she got pregnant and died during the delivery. Besides the healthy new born son, she leaves Janet, a 14 year old daughter, and 2 older sons whom we had never met previous to the funeral. The local chief decreed that Fredrick and Agnes Kaseve were to take the new born orphan into their home. Agnes was a sister to Dorcas and is the new RS President of the Mitini Branch and Fredrick is the Branch President at Mitini. They are one of the families we hope to take to the Temple in June and already have 7 children of their own still living at home ranging in age from 19 to 3 besides 2 married daughters.
Sunday was our day to visit in Ilima and we met 2 more ladies who want to start missionary discussions this next Friday so it is looking more and more like we will be teaching and hopefully baptizing right up until we get on the plane to come home. Want to get as much done as we can as the President is still thinking that he is not going to assign any more missionaries to replace us. Not sure just how to interpret that. Is he trying to lay a guilt trip on us so we will stay or return soon, was this just something he assigned us because he didn't know what else to do with us, or does he think that these folks are ready to care for themselves? There probably will one day be a district and then a stake in the Kilungu Hills as I am convinced that the growth potential there has not really been tapped yet even with all the folks we have seen come into the church. Self sufficiency is probably the biggest hurdle in developing a future in all of Africa and certainly in the branches up-country. One of the real bright spots in these branches future is the missionaries that they are sending out now and will begin returning in 18 months. We picked up the luggage for Charles and Justus on Sunday and then they traveled in today by matatu and will leave for the MTC in Johannesburg tomorrow. Three more have calls and will be leaving by mid July. Stella's missionary papers went to the Area Office on Friday and there are 3 others waiting on Kenya documents so they can submit their applications. Thirteen is certainly a goodly number for these 4 branches and will really add strength to the future of the Church here.
Enough ramblings for now.
Love Elder & Sister Bishop
Monday, May 4, 2009
Weekly Update 5-4-09
Busy week and it didn't slow down any today. Just got back from FHE at the Elam's. It was a game night with Mormon Pictionary and I was reminded again of what a terrible artist I am.
Tuesday of this week we worked baptismal interviews while at Kilili. President Makiti and I spent 5 hours doing 13 candidates. This was the Kamba speaking group and so I understood very little of the responses that the Pres. was getting. Filling out the record was another challenge as the older Mamas have no idea on the majority of the dates in their lives so we did a lot of estimating. The long hours their put us back to Nairobi a little late with us missing most of the training session for senior couples at Pres. and Sis. Taylor's. We did clean out a few of the dishes left from the pot-luck supper that was held in conjunction with the training.
The rest of the couples left for a Safari in the Mara the next morning and we dropped of one couple and a bunch of luggage at the Wilson Airport on our way to the weekly service at St. Mary's. We left there a little early as I developed a terrible pain in my chest, started sweating and shaking a lot more than normal, and had a BP of 200 over 100. We have been encouraged to use the Agha Kahn Hospital should the need arise and since all the other couples were gone we decided to get across town while I still felt like driving. We spent a big chunk of the rest of the day there doing EKG, ECG, blood test and treadmill but the pain suddenly left and they assured me that whatever it was it was not heart related. My companion muttered something about substantiating my being heartless and we left.
Thursday was spent with preparing baptismal records along with our usual stuff while at Kyambeke. Then the Assistants went with us Friday and conducted interviews at Kyambeke and Ilima. We returned to Kyambeke for the baptisms on Saturday with the final count being 8 from Mitini, 7 from Kyambeke, and 11 from Ilima. Sunday was church at Kilili and then we held the baptism after in place of Priesthood and Relief Society. We had 12 convert baptisms there and one readmission baptism. Got to see some very excited happy people over those two days as many of these new members had figured they would just need to wait for the next life for this event to happen. We still have 5 good people we are working with but they all understand English pretty well. We hope to get the amnesty program for children of record initiated in all branches with culminating baptisms scheduled for the first 2 Saturdays in June.
We drove back to Kyambeke from Ilima using the river bottom route as we needed to get 4 young men from there into Nairobi to work on documents for Visas and a passport. We had several good rain showers through the week so the river bottom route was a real treat as I didn't see tire tracks that would indicate anyone else had been as foolhardy as us. A couple of the mud holes were of sufficient size to probably be hiding a vehicle or two. My companion did not enjoy the "mud bogging" nearly as much as I. Despite the lateness of the season there have been some real good rains this week so the hope is starting to rise of at least a reasonable harvest this season.
Due to the number of baptisms and our limited supply of clothes and towels my companion spent some time Saturday afternoon and evening laundering clothes to get us through the Sunday event. Then she stayed involved in the same activity all day today while I did business at the service center, paid bills at the hospital, and then assisted Stella in completing her mission paper submission. She is staying with us this evening and we will drop her at the Matatu Stand in Salama on our way to Kilili tomorrow.
Our trips up-country will not last as long this week but I will probably being doing the extra Saturday trip for the balance of the month to support the children of record who are in school once again during our weekday visits. Hope to get them up to speed so they can pass their interviews in their mother tongue before the June baptisms.
We had to cancel our 18 May Temple Trip but were able to stand up a 1 June one in its' place so are still hoping to get these two great families to Johannesburg before they send us packing. We still have 3 outstanding passports but the Area folks have agreed to consider our request for patron support with out the passport numbers but will not procure tickets without them which gives us a few weeks breathing room. Sure hard to believe that just 7 weeks from this very moment we will be winging our way to London on the first leg of our return to Idaho.
On that note I had best close for another week as I think Stella is wanting her bedroom back and I hear my bed calling me.
May the Good Lord bless and keep you. Elder & Sister Bishop
Tuesday of this week we worked baptismal interviews while at Kilili. President Makiti and I spent 5 hours doing 13 candidates. This was the Kamba speaking group and so I understood very little of the responses that the Pres. was getting. Filling out the record was another challenge as the older Mamas have no idea on the majority of the dates in their lives so we did a lot of estimating. The long hours their put us back to Nairobi a little late with us missing most of the training session for senior couples at Pres. and Sis. Taylor's. We did clean out a few of the dishes left from the pot-luck supper that was held in conjunction with the training.
The rest of the couples left for a Safari in the Mara the next morning and we dropped of one couple and a bunch of luggage at the Wilson Airport on our way to the weekly service at St. Mary's. We left there a little early as I developed a terrible pain in my chest, started sweating and shaking a lot more than normal, and had a BP of 200 over 100. We have been encouraged to use the Agha Kahn Hospital should the need arise and since all the other couples were gone we decided to get across town while I still felt like driving. We spent a big chunk of the rest of the day there doing EKG, ECG, blood test and treadmill but the pain suddenly left and they assured me that whatever it was it was not heart related. My companion muttered something about substantiating my being heartless and we left.
Thursday was spent with preparing baptismal records along with our usual stuff while at Kyambeke. Then the Assistants went with us Friday and conducted interviews at Kyambeke and Ilima. We returned to Kyambeke for the baptisms on Saturday with the final count being 8 from Mitini, 7 from Kyambeke, and 11 from Ilima. Sunday was church at Kilili and then we held the baptism after in place of Priesthood and Relief Society. We had 12 convert baptisms there and one readmission baptism. Got to see some very excited happy people over those two days as many of these new members had figured they would just need to wait for the next life for this event to happen. We still have 5 good people we are working with but they all understand English pretty well. We hope to get the amnesty program for children of record initiated in all branches with culminating baptisms scheduled for the first 2 Saturdays in June.
We drove back to Kyambeke from Ilima using the river bottom route as we needed to get 4 young men from there into Nairobi to work on documents for Visas and a passport. We had several good rain showers through the week so the river bottom route was a real treat as I didn't see tire tracks that would indicate anyone else had been as foolhardy as us. A couple of the mud holes were of sufficient size to probably be hiding a vehicle or two. My companion did not enjoy the "mud bogging" nearly as much as I. Despite the lateness of the season there have been some real good rains this week so the hope is starting to rise of at least a reasonable harvest this season.
Due to the number of baptisms and our limited supply of clothes and towels my companion spent some time Saturday afternoon and evening laundering clothes to get us through the Sunday event. Then she stayed involved in the same activity all day today while I did business at the service center, paid bills at the hospital, and then assisted Stella in completing her mission paper submission. She is staying with us this evening and we will drop her at the Matatu Stand in Salama on our way to Kilili tomorrow.
Our trips up-country will not last as long this week but I will probably being doing the extra Saturday trip for the balance of the month to support the children of record who are in school once again during our weekday visits. Hope to get them up to speed so they can pass their interviews in their mother tongue before the June baptisms.
We had to cancel our 18 May Temple Trip but were able to stand up a 1 June one in its' place so are still hoping to get these two great families to Johannesburg before they send us packing. We still have 3 outstanding passports but the Area folks have agreed to consider our request for patron support with out the passport numbers but will not procure tickets without them which gives us a few weeks breathing room. Sure hard to believe that just 7 weeks from this very moment we will be winging our way to London on the first leg of our return to Idaho.
On that note I had best close for another week as I think Stella is wanting her bedroom back and I hear my bed calling me.
May the Good Lord bless and keep you. Elder & Sister Bishop
Monday, April 27, 2009
Weekly Update 4-27-09
It is Monday evening and we just finished hosting FHE. We had Neil Maxwell talk to us (it was a recording from a BYU Devotional) on the doctrine of foreordination which is something I have frequently pondered as I see the disparity between my life and that of the good people here. When I consider my own inadequacies it is a bit of a struggle to know why I have been so blessed. It is enough to know that at some time our creator found me worthy of whatever it is we are suppose to accomplish while here. It is encouraging to know that this calling was probably not a last minute add on.
We have had a little more rain this week with a whole bunch falling last night and through the day. We wont know until we get to Kilili tomorrow how the moisture is up there. They aren't expecting the season to be long enough but I keep asking them where is their faith.
Still uncertain as to the status of our Temple Trip on the 18th but tomorrow is the drop dead date so will check with Victor to see if he has a handle on the outstanding passports. If it is a problem we are hoping to trade into some slots for the 1st of June. When I see the anticipation in the eyes of the potential attendees it would just crush me not to be able to help these last two families before we go.
Onesmus Maele got his mission call this week and is going to the Uganda/Kampala Mission on 16 July which means he will be traveling with Judith Makiti as that is identical to her call. No more waiting on calls now but Stellamaris Munee did get her passport this week so is scheduled to visit with President Taylor to finalize her paperwork this coming Sunday. His schedule is a little tight so he has agreed to travel to Ilima to facilitate the interview. He will have Elder Watson from the Area Presidency with him so it will be an opportunity for them to see what we have experienced for the last 21 months. The truth is that with all the rain that has fallen lately the roads are about as bad as they have ever been as the run-off from the hills really puts some major gulleys in the steep mountain roads that we traverse for the last few kms getting to that branch.
Kyambeke and Mitini are still re-staffing after their split but it is great to see people stepping up and accepting new callings. There is a good bunch of the new leadership that are people we have had the opportunity to participate in their conversion. We have baptisms scheduled for Saturday and Sunday but not sure what the count will be just yet. Will have a better feel for that as the weekend approaches but it will be another 20+ group and we will have a few more to work with once the dust of this event settles. The President has given us the green light for working with the overage children of record who weren't baptized at age 8 to teach and interview in their mother tongue which will help complete a few more families. So we will probably have at least one more day of baptisms before we depart. Eight weeks is sure not very long when we compare it with our "to do list". It is kind of a fun reality check though to realize that some of the events we accomplish can be counted on one finger. We will only host 1 more FHE and there will be no more Priesthood training with the President and the branches. We will have our last couples training with President & Sister Taylor tomorrow. The rest of the couples are leaving Wednesday for a Safari Retreat in the Mara but with our young people out of school and us still funding one more temple trip we requested to be excused from this event. We will miss the opportunity for that special association for a few days but really feel obligated to follow through on some commitments we have made with the Branch Members and regardless of how inspired we would get our plate is about as full as we can deal with right now. With that thought I am going to head to bed so as to be somewhat alert for tomorrows activities.
God Bless,
Elder & Sister Bishop
We have had a little more rain this week with a whole bunch falling last night and through the day. We wont know until we get to Kilili tomorrow how the moisture is up there. They aren't expecting the season to be long enough but I keep asking them where is their faith.
Still uncertain as to the status of our Temple Trip on the 18th but tomorrow is the drop dead date so will check with Victor to see if he has a handle on the outstanding passports. If it is a problem we are hoping to trade into some slots for the 1st of June. When I see the anticipation in the eyes of the potential attendees it would just crush me not to be able to help these last two families before we go.
Onesmus Maele got his mission call this week and is going to the Uganda/Kampala Mission on 16 July which means he will be traveling with Judith Makiti as that is identical to her call. No more waiting on calls now but Stellamaris Munee did get her passport this week so is scheduled to visit with President Taylor to finalize her paperwork this coming Sunday. His schedule is a little tight so he has agreed to travel to Ilima to facilitate the interview. He will have Elder Watson from the Area Presidency with him so it will be an opportunity for them to see what we have experienced for the last 21 months. The truth is that with all the rain that has fallen lately the roads are about as bad as they have ever been as the run-off from the hills really puts some major gulleys in the steep mountain roads that we traverse for the last few kms getting to that branch.
Kyambeke and Mitini are still re-staffing after their split but it is great to see people stepping up and accepting new callings. There is a good bunch of the new leadership that are people we have had the opportunity to participate in their conversion. We have baptisms scheduled for Saturday and Sunday but not sure what the count will be just yet. Will have a better feel for that as the weekend approaches but it will be another 20+ group and we will have a few more to work with once the dust of this event settles. The President has given us the green light for working with the overage children of record who weren't baptized at age 8 to teach and interview in their mother tongue which will help complete a few more families. So we will probably have at least one more day of baptisms before we depart. Eight weeks is sure not very long when we compare it with our "to do list". It is kind of a fun reality check though to realize that some of the events we accomplish can be counted on one finger. We will only host 1 more FHE and there will be no more Priesthood training with the President and the branches. We will have our last couples training with President & Sister Taylor tomorrow. The rest of the couples are leaving Wednesday for a Safari Retreat in the Mara but with our young people out of school and us still funding one more temple trip we requested to be excused from this event. We will miss the opportunity for that special association for a few days but really feel obligated to follow through on some commitments we have made with the Branch Members and regardless of how inspired we would get our plate is about as full as we can deal with right now. With that thought I am going to head to bed so as to be somewhat alert for tomorrows activities.
God Bless,
Elder & Sister Bishop
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Weekly Update 4-19-09
It's Monday morning again and time for a little update before the day gets started. We had a couple of short days this week as some rain arrived so many stayed home to work their shambas. Unfortunately it is late enough in the season that some are of the opinion that this will be another unproductive one. We try to encourage them that the weather man is not the one that makes it rain so to have faith and pay their tithing but not sure they have the vision of what we are trying to help them understand. The odometer on the Isuzu rolled over 80,000 this week so we do continue to rack up the kilometers. One of the new couples opted to attend church with us in Ilima yesterday which does provide a little variety to our schedule. They are the Flinders and serving as the new PEF couple. They both grew up in Layton, Utah and spent the majority of their working life with the city of North Las Vegas and Wendover but have settled in Ohio to be near some children there. Each couple we get to know sure brings different talents with them but it is evident the Lord has a hand in placing them where they are at as each assignment seems to prosper as they serve. With 7 couples living in the compound here it is often reminiscent of living in married housing back in the days of our university years but sure provides us with the diversion we so often need to recover from the stress of travel we experience each trip up country.
This week promises to be a little different as we have our last training session for the Branch Presidents with the Mission President on Tuesday which means no travel to Kilili that day. Trying real hard to get the branches connected with those who will help them succeed in their efforts without a senior couple to shepherd them. President Taylor is fairly certain that the next proselyting/leadership couple will be placed in Kisumu to facilitate establishing the church there. It is the 3rd largest City in Kenya after Nairobi and Mombasa so is well deserving of the interest but I often think of Alma and Amuleck's work among the Zoramites when I ponder how the people in the Kilunga Hills will fare on their own. They are capable of doing it on their own if they can just get the right support when needed.
Got a few of our investigators ready for their baptismal interviews which we are currently planning for the end of the month. Because of the number involved it again will be a flock shot at the group and we will try to pump up those who need a little more help once we get the number thinned out a little. I was working with a group of 11 while in Ilima yesterday and it sure is tough to give individual help in that kind of setting. Because the conversion process is a personal thing that we only assist with it is pretty tough to assess preparedness in a group that size. It was some what gratifying to witness their Sacrament Meeting and see that we might have been of some help during our assignment here. Two of the talks were from recent converts and one of Sister Bishop's keyboard students accompanied all four hymns that were sung.
With just 9 weeks left before our departure the anticipation of being reunited with friends and loved ones and the dread of leaving these dear folks is starting to roil the emotions. The thought of be still and know that I am God has come to mind several times as of late so we are determined to just do what we can with the time left. It certainly is comforting to know that God is there and he loves all of us. I am glad he is in charge but know that we have to do all that we can to keep up our end of this commitment we call earth life.
We pray for his choicest blessings on all we know.
Elder & Sister Bishop
This week promises to be a little different as we have our last training session for the Branch Presidents with the Mission President on Tuesday which means no travel to Kilili that day. Trying real hard to get the branches connected with those who will help them succeed in their efforts without a senior couple to shepherd them. President Taylor is fairly certain that the next proselyting/leadership couple will be placed in Kisumu to facilitate establishing the church there. It is the 3rd largest City in Kenya after Nairobi and Mombasa so is well deserving of the interest but I often think of Alma and Amuleck's work among the Zoramites when I ponder how the people in the Kilunga Hills will fare on their own. They are capable of doing it on their own if they can just get the right support when needed.
Got a few of our investigators ready for their baptismal interviews which we are currently planning for the end of the month. Because of the number involved it again will be a flock shot at the group and we will try to pump up those who need a little more help once we get the number thinned out a little. I was working with a group of 11 while in Ilima yesterday and it sure is tough to give individual help in that kind of setting. Because the conversion process is a personal thing that we only assist with it is pretty tough to assess preparedness in a group that size. It was some what gratifying to witness their Sacrament Meeting and see that we might have been of some help during our assignment here. Two of the talks were from recent converts and one of Sister Bishop's keyboard students accompanied all four hymns that were sung.
With just 9 weeks left before our departure the anticipation of being reunited with friends and loved ones and the dread of leaving these dear folks is starting to roil the emotions. The thought of be still and know that I am God has come to mind several times as of late so we are determined to just do what we can with the time left. It certainly is comforting to know that God is there and he loves all of us. I am glad he is in charge but know that we have to do all that we can to keep up our end of this commitment we call earth life.
We pray for his choicest blessings on all we know.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Picture 4-19-09
Sister Mary Agatha at the Kikoko Hospital showing us the new oxygenator and suction machine that LDS Charities had delivered.
The new baby scales.
The new baby scales.
Demonstrating one of the new blood pressure cuffs. They assured me that Sister Bishop was normal and who am I to disagree with medical science.
The balance of the pictures are some of the flora that grow in our compound here.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Weekly Update 4-13-09
It is getting on to Monday evening here. Today is a state holiday (Easter) as was Friday (Good Friday) so the road traffic is light but the internet is terribly slow. We spent a little time at the Mission Office this morning then a quick run to try and find some kitchen devices (measuring cups, graters, etc.) as Sister Bishop's cooking class was a big hit so a couple of the RS organizations want to get some items they can loan out to members when they try their baking. The stores we wanted to visit were observing the holiday so the balance of the day was just here in the flat getting a few items ready for our up-country travel.
We have quite a few investigators again. There are 11 in Kilili, 7 in Kyambeke, 13 in Ilima, and even 1 in the new branch at Mitini. There are several real strong candidates in the group and maybe a few who are somewhat more interested in the consistent welfare support but I am not sure how to separate the sheep from the goats if that is the case. The young man from Mitini is super and was referred to us by his father who we had taught several lessons to previously. They were raised rather strong Catholic but he feels that they are not able to answer some major questions he had so has been looking for a few years. He is around 20 and his father said he wants him to join but I warned him that the danger would be that his son would probably keep pestering him until the rest of the family was baptized. The father did give us a referral on a daughter who is here in Nairobi so we alerted the Sisters in that area to go see her. Not sure how active they have been in the Catholic Church as of late but I became concerned that maybe the locals were out to save them from the "Devil Worshipers" (that's us) when we approached Mitini Friday and they had the road blocked. We finally decided that it was just their Good Friday observances which includes a parade with a cross etc. and were able to pass by after waiting for a few minutes. We had to negotiate through 3 more such observances as we came down the hills that day.
The Kikoko Hospital finally got their first shipment of supplies that we have been working with LDS Charities to provide for some months now. Sister Mary Agatha who is in charge there was rather pleased when we stopped to confirm its' arrival. We still have about .8 million shillings to spend there and they are wanting a bigger generator and to replace 46 mattresses. However their version of a generator has taken on a little bigger proportions so the bedding might go away. She was visiting a sister hospital in Nairobi when the power went out and their generator automatically kicked on. Now she wants the same capability rather than having to run and hand start them as the power anywhere in Kenya is rather consistently unreliable and I imagine that those hamlets up-country that do have power are probably decidedly more unreliable. Her desires are probably very valid and do fall within the parameters that the folks in Salt Lake approved. It will just take a little more leg work on our part to find what she wants at the cost consistent with our resources.
As our time in Kenya is winding down these extra little wrinkles just chew away at our established schedule but then what are we here for anyway if not to try and get a few good things done. We have pretty well settled in our own minds that we will count ourselves lucky if we can get just 2 more families to the Temple. We have their applications sitting at immigration and praying they will all get accomplished in a timely manner. There are others still working on earlier stages of the program but we will just have to turn those to someone else to shepherd them through. We are not giving up on any of our current programs but time will be the judge of just what we do get accomplished.
We have had more rain here in Nairobi with little smatterings up-country and we just keep hoping there is more on the way. Well it is time for FHE so I will send this off with our love and fond hopes for a joyful reunion soon.
Elder & Sister Bishop
We have quite a few investigators again. There are 11 in Kilili, 7 in Kyambeke, 13 in Ilima, and even 1 in the new branch at Mitini. There are several real strong candidates in the group and maybe a few who are somewhat more interested in the consistent welfare support but I am not sure how to separate the sheep from the goats if that is the case. The young man from Mitini is super and was referred to us by his father who we had taught several lessons to previously. They were raised rather strong Catholic but he feels that they are not able to answer some major questions he had so has been looking for a few years. He is around 20 and his father said he wants him to join but I warned him that the danger would be that his son would probably keep pestering him until the rest of the family was baptized. The father did give us a referral on a daughter who is here in Nairobi so we alerted the Sisters in that area to go see her. Not sure how active they have been in the Catholic Church as of late but I became concerned that maybe the locals were out to save them from the "Devil Worshipers" (that's us) when we approached Mitini Friday and they had the road blocked. We finally decided that it was just their Good Friday observances which includes a parade with a cross etc. and were able to pass by after waiting for a few minutes. We had to negotiate through 3 more such observances as we came down the hills that day.
The Kikoko Hospital finally got their first shipment of supplies that we have been working with LDS Charities to provide for some months now. Sister Mary Agatha who is in charge there was rather pleased when we stopped to confirm its' arrival. We still have about .8 million shillings to spend there and they are wanting a bigger generator and to replace 46 mattresses. However their version of a generator has taken on a little bigger proportions so the bedding might go away. She was visiting a sister hospital in Nairobi when the power went out and their generator automatically kicked on. Now she wants the same capability rather than having to run and hand start them as the power anywhere in Kenya is rather consistently unreliable and I imagine that those hamlets up-country that do have power are probably decidedly more unreliable. Her desires are probably very valid and do fall within the parameters that the folks in Salt Lake approved. It will just take a little more leg work on our part to find what she wants at the cost consistent with our resources.
As our time in Kenya is winding down these extra little wrinkles just chew away at our established schedule but then what are we here for anyway if not to try and get a few good things done. We have pretty well settled in our own minds that we will count ourselves lucky if we can get just 2 more families to the Temple. We have their applications sitting at immigration and praying they will all get accomplished in a timely manner. There are others still working on earlier stages of the program but we will just have to turn those to someone else to shepherd them through. We are not giving up on any of our current programs but time will be the judge of just what we do get accomplished.
We have had more rain here in Nairobi with little smatterings up-country and we just keep hoping there is more on the way. Well it is time for FHE so I will send this off with our love and fond hopes for a joyful reunion soon.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Monday, April 6, 2009
Weekly Update 4-6-09
This will be a short one this week. The Stutz are in our spare bedroom again as they came down Saturday in preparation for their departure for the USA this evening. That is another couple that we have seen come and go. They went out with the Public Affairs folks this morning so that allows me to get at the computer long enough to get this update out. We continued to muddle along this week with not much different until the weekend. I went with President Taylor on Saturday to Kyambeke to interview Priesthood brothers and extend calls to 2 new Branch Presidencies in preparation to splitting the branch their yesterday. It made for two rather long trips up country but the Mitini Branch is now something more than just a number on paper now. We still don't have a facility there and it could be May before the facilities folks get a contract etc. but Pres. decided that he wanted to maximize the time we could spend in helping the 2 impacted branches get organized. They will continue to meet together until the meeting place is secured but just take turns officiating which hopefully will reduce the hectic confusion that comes with a major reorganization.
We did get the opportunity to listen to the 2 live morning sessions of conference which start at 7pm here. One of the new couples did stay up and catch the Saturday afternoon session so we are aware of the calls of Elder Anderson to the 12, Elder Saitoti to the 70s, and Elder Ussi to the Area 70s (those last 2 are both Kenyans). We will just have to read the other talks when we receive the April Liahona which will probably be late in the month.
The weather was dry again all last week but it did rain through the night and early morning today. That does not always equate to rain up-country but we are sure praying for them as the Savannah and hills are currently very dry as we negotiate them. My concern is for the welfare of the people and their shambas more than the choking/blinding dust we travel in on the unpaved stretches.
The April school break began last week so our schedule could be a little different as we work with the young people and the older investigators are busy with families and shambas. Sister Bishop is scheduled to teach the Kyambeke folks how to make brownies and zucchini bread this week which she hopes turns out okay as we are not very well versed on temperature control of that kind of cooking device. Even the folks up-country do very little baking as most of their culinary preparations are done over an open flame or a Jiko which is a cross between a wok and a griddle. Most can probably count on one hand the number of times they have eaten a baked good other than bread and the bread is generally trucked in and sold at the local shops or kiosks. Not sure I have mentioned before that it is not at all unusual to partake of broken biscuits (unflavored cookies) rather than bread for sacrament on a Sunday. Well need to get going on this week so will sign off for now. Wish we could be there for all the fun Easter activities this week and to help welcome little Dax. We enjoyed the many blog updates this week. We love you all.
Elder & Sister Bishop
We did get the opportunity to listen to the 2 live morning sessions of conference which start at 7pm here. One of the new couples did stay up and catch the Saturday afternoon session so we are aware of the calls of Elder Anderson to the 12, Elder Saitoti to the 70s, and Elder Ussi to the Area 70s (those last 2 are both Kenyans). We will just have to read the other talks when we receive the April Liahona which will probably be late in the month.
The weather was dry again all last week but it did rain through the night and early morning today. That does not always equate to rain up-country but we are sure praying for them as the Savannah and hills are currently very dry as we negotiate them. My concern is for the welfare of the people and their shambas more than the choking/blinding dust we travel in on the unpaved stretches.
The April school break began last week so our schedule could be a little different as we work with the young people and the older investigators are busy with families and shambas. Sister Bishop is scheduled to teach the Kyambeke folks how to make brownies and zucchini bread this week which she hopes turns out okay as we are not very well versed on temperature control of that kind of cooking device. Even the folks up-country do very little baking as most of their culinary preparations are done over an open flame or a Jiko which is a cross between a wok and a griddle. Most can probably count on one hand the number of times they have eaten a baked good other than bread and the bread is generally trucked in and sold at the local shops or kiosks. Not sure I have mentioned before that it is not at all unusual to partake of broken biscuits (unflavored cookies) rather than bread for sacrament on a Sunday. Well need to get going on this week so will sign off for now. Wish we could be there for all the fun Easter activities this week and to help welcome little Dax. We enjoyed the many blog updates this week. We love you all.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Pictures 3-31-09
Sister Bishop in responding to a request from the music teacher at Ndolo Secondary School was able to secure a keyboard from the Harmon Grant Organization based in Provo, Utah. They provide keyboards to members of the church in 3rd world countries for them to first learn to play then support church services. They had agreed that supporting the music program of this school in Kenya, Africa was a worthy consideration. When we delivered it last Thursday the class entertained us with some tribal songs.
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Then they opened their new keyboard.
Judith Makiti received her mission call to serve in the Uganda/Kampala Mission yesterday. She is from Kilili but has been helping her Aunt out by working in her shop here in Nairobi while waiting for her mission call. She enters the MTC on 16 July.
This is the taylor shop in Kilili where Sister Bishop had her pretty new red suit made. They really did a great job. There is no power in the market place yet so it was sewn using a foot treddle machine.
Finally this is for anyone who has ever been threatened by their mother with a wooden spoon for misbehaving. It really could have been worse.
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Then they opened their new keyboard.
Judith Makiti received her mission call to serve in the Uganda/Kampala Mission yesterday. She is from Kilili but has been helping her Aunt out by working in her shop here in Nairobi while waiting for her mission call. She enters the MTC on 16 July.
This is the taylor shop in Kilili where Sister Bishop had her pretty new red suit made. They really did a great job. There is no power in the market place yet so it was sewn using a foot treddle machine.
Finally this is for anyone who has ever been threatened by their mother with a wooden spoon for misbehaving. It really could have been worse.
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Sunday, March 29, 2009
Weekly Update 3-29-09
It's 3am on a Monday in Kenya. The rain and thunder woke me and since I went to bed at 9 last evening it is a little tough going back to sleep. We are hoping the rainy season and its' life sustaining moisture is here for a while. There have been indications through this last week that it is coming. The hills had a little storm Friday evening and I drove home through some storms on Saturday and we were pelted with a few drops again yesterday. Unless this storm is hitting Kilili they have still not had rain in the low lands yet. Things are very dry and dusty in our travels but it has amazed us in the past at how fast things go back to being green when the rains do come. It has seemed a little hot here as of late which means upper 80s. Acclimating back to our seasonal weather in Idaho is going to take a while when you get so used to constant temperatures so that the upper 80s seems hot and one gets cold even though it never even gets close to freezing.
Our little missionary force in the hills is certainly staying busy. The branch missionaries awaiting their departure dates for the MTC in Johannesburg are teaching up a storm and we are just trying to keep up with them. In Kyambeke we have 8 sisters that we are trying to prepare for what I call Pres. Taylor's amnesty program. These sweet sisters have been attending for years but are probably not going to ever get sufficient english this side of the veil. President has consented to consider them for baptism as long as a Kamba interpreter can confirm that they understand the intent of the baptismal questions. The danger here is that the branches will revert to their tribal language for services and that would certainly be a step backward President is requiring the branches to commit to providing interpreters for each member that struggles with english that is authorized for baptism under the relaxed standards. We should also have some potential candidates in the other 2 branches but we don't have them started yet as it takes good support from branch missionaries to get them taught. Because those 2 branches have their young people on missions already it is just taking a little longer to get suitable teachers working with us. It is more than just a little evident that this old man will never have enough grasp of the native language to be of any help to them which I am sure seems very unfair that they have to learn our tongue but we don't have to learn theirs. The reality is though that just to go that direction in Kenya alone would require some 10 or so different languages which would really slow things down in providing support material. When you look at the 80 million+ people on the whole continent and factor in the number of different dialects scattered throughout the many tribes it is readily apparent that the best course is being pursued despite how unfair it seems when considered on an individual basis. In addition to those being taught in the amnesty program we are working with 20 others that are at various stages but all solid candidates for conversion. Just up to them and the Holy Ghost. President Mbondo did give us the names of 8 more young people in his branch that are 9 and 10 year olds that they didn't get around to baptizing at age 8. We will try and support them consistent with their personal desires during the upcoming school holidays in April. I keep hoping that we have got everyone over 8 covered but they just keep showing up and I think that has something to do with the fact that they don't feel comfortable telling one something they don't want to hear so just don't bather to mention it if they think it might upset someone. This has certainly been a lot different experience than what I was anticipating when we submitted our mission papers some 2 years ago. I had always envisioned working more in reactivation and strengthening the branch leadership and not so focused on conversion discussions.
I did make a solo trip to Kilili on Saturday as we had to conduct a disciplinary council there. There wouldn't have been much my companion could do so she opted to stay in Nairobi and bring our abode back to her cleaning standards. This was one of those good councils where we were considering the restoration of baptism to an excommunicated member. She and her husband were baptized towards the end of the last century and it wasn't until about 3 years after that it was determined that he had 2 other wives. That required their excommunication as he was not willing to abandon any of his families. He died a year ago which means she was no longer living in a polygamous relationship so eligible to be considered for readmission. She is closer to our age so was married in different circumstances than the majority of today's members. Her father decided who her husband would be and even though she didn't want to be a 3rd wife she could not go against his decision. We didn't have the opportunity of knowing her deceased husband very well as he died shortly after our arrival but he did pay his tithing right up to his demise despite being excommunicated.
It is looking like we will only be able to get 2 more families to the temple before our mission ends and even that is going to take some aggressive effort as Bonface is just now finally getting the final 2 birth certificates for his children to the authorities for their passport applications. Because he and his wife had already applied for theirs we are hoping to be able to accelerate their missing children's applications. Their is one of the families in Kilili that has finally secured all their birth certificates but at this date I don't see them getting travel approval before June.
Well the weather outside has calmed considerably and this old man should probably try to catch a little more sleep before the day begins. We have several errands demanding attention around town today and driving here always requires that one be more than just a little alert. The screams and panicked directions of ones co-driver can be very unsettling to a drowsy driver.
Our love and best wishes to all,
Elder & Sister Bishop
Our little missionary force in the hills is certainly staying busy. The branch missionaries awaiting their departure dates for the MTC in Johannesburg are teaching up a storm and we are just trying to keep up with them. In Kyambeke we have 8 sisters that we are trying to prepare for what I call Pres. Taylor's amnesty program. These sweet sisters have been attending for years but are probably not going to ever get sufficient english this side of the veil. President has consented to consider them for baptism as long as a Kamba interpreter can confirm that they understand the intent of the baptismal questions. The danger here is that the branches will revert to their tribal language for services and that would certainly be a step backward President is requiring the branches to commit to providing interpreters for each member that struggles with english that is authorized for baptism under the relaxed standards. We should also have some potential candidates in the other 2 branches but we don't have them started yet as it takes good support from branch missionaries to get them taught. Because those 2 branches have their young people on missions already it is just taking a little longer to get suitable teachers working with us. It is more than just a little evident that this old man will never have enough grasp of the native language to be of any help to them which I am sure seems very unfair that they have to learn our tongue but we don't have to learn theirs. The reality is though that just to go that direction in Kenya alone would require some 10 or so different languages which would really slow things down in providing support material. When you look at the 80 million+ people on the whole continent and factor in the number of different dialects scattered throughout the many tribes it is readily apparent that the best course is being pursued despite how unfair it seems when considered on an individual basis. In addition to those being taught in the amnesty program we are working with 20 others that are at various stages but all solid candidates for conversion. Just up to them and the Holy Ghost. President Mbondo did give us the names of 8 more young people in his branch that are 9 and 10 year olds that they didn't get around to baptizing at age 8. We will try and support them consistent with their personal desires during the upcoming school holidays in April. I keep hoping that we have got everyone over 8 covered but they just keep showing up and I think that has something to do with the fact that they don't feel comfortable telling one something they don't want to hear so just don't bather to mention it if they think it might upset someone. This has certainly been a lot different experience than what I was anticipating when we submitted our mission papers some 2 years ago. I had always envisioned working more in reactivation and strengthening the branch leadership and not so focused on conversion discussions.
I did make a solo trip to Kilili on Saturday as we had to conduct a disciplinary council there. There wouldn't have been much my companion could do so she opted to stay in Nairobi and bring our abode back to her cleaning standards. This was one of those good councils where we were considering the restoration of baptism to an excommunicated member. She and her husband were baptized towards the end of the last century and it wasn't until about 3 years after that it was determined that he had 2 other wives. That required their excommunication as he was not willing to abandon any of his families. He died a year ago which means she was no longer living in a polygamous relationship so eligible to be considered for readmission. She is closer to our age so was married in different circumstances than the majority of today's members. Her father decided who her husband would be and even though she didn't want to be a 3rd wife she could not go against his decision. We didn't have the opportunity of knowing her deceased husband very well as he died shortly after our arrival but he did pay his tithing right up to his demise despite being excommunicated.
It is looking like we will only be able to get 2 more families to the temple before our mission ends and even that is going to take some aggressive effort as Bonface is just now finally getting the final 2 birth certificates for his children to the authorities for their passport applications. Because he and his wife had already applied for theirs we are hoping to be able to accelerate their missing children's applications. Their is one of the families in Kilili that has finally secured all their birth certificates but at this date I don't see them getting travel approval before June.
Well the weather outside has calmed considerably and this old man should probably try to catch a little more sleep before the day begins. We have several errands demanding attention around town today and driving here always requires that one be more than just a little alert. The screams and panicked directions of ones co-driver can be very unsettling to a drowsy driver.
Our love and best wishes to all,
Elder & Sister Bishop
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Pictures 3-22-09
Elder Dominic Mambo Makau opening his mission call with his mother Agnes looking on.
The reaction to the mission call.
Weekly Update 3-22-09
The Mission Conference with Elder Kolliker this week was a good experience. He instructed how this is the season for Africa and indicated that there are now more baptisms per missionary each month in Africa than any other country. Sister Bishop was asked to play the organ and agreed as long as she could approve the songs to ensure she was familiar with them. Then as they were waiting for the meeting to begin they sang favorite hymns as nominated from the audience. She did a great job but just played those she was unsure of a little quieter so the singing would negate any strange notes. All the couples that were here for the conference went out to dinner at the China Plate on Friday evening. There were 13 couples which included the Kollikers, Taylors (Mission President) and the Wells (health specialists from the Area Office). The Wells had presented a program on mental health during the conference which I assumed was more for the young guys as most of us couples are either okay or beyond help depending on whose point of view you take. Elder Kolliker then presided at the Nairobi Stake Conference and installed a new presidency but because we interact very little with the saints here in town that meant very little to us.
We delivered Dominic's mission call to him on Thursday and he is going to the Cape Town South Africa Mission on June 4th. Also taught a few investigators. Two of them were from Ilima but because we weren't going there Friday they chose to come down the hill and meet with us a day earlier. A young man name Francis also showed up rather unexpectedly. He runs a little kiosk in Kilome which is some 30+ kms before we get to Kyambeke and we have interacted with him a little as we pass through there each trip to Kyambeke or Ilima. Generally we just wave on our way by but we did purchase a belt from him as he had flagged us down requesting us to promote him which is interpreted to buy something from him. He stocks a lot of items such as pans, lanterns, flip flops and other essentials for their remote existence. Anyway we noted as we passed through Kilome on Thursday that his stand was not open yet and then he showed up at Kyambeke shortly after we did and ended up in the discussion. He participated and seemed interested in what was discussed (we were talking the plan of salvation) and said we would see him again. Not sure if he made it to church yesterday but it will be interesting to see where this goes as that is quite a trek to be made by him to participate in our services. I have been nudging the Kyambeke leadership to identify some potential buildings that could be used to accommodate the new Matini Branch as President Taylor is wanting to move on that the first weekend in April. Not sure we can get it done that fast but I checked on our way through there yesterday and they indicated they would have some potential buildings identified that we could possibly check out on Thursday. If they are there it would just be a matter of getting the church physical facilities guy up there to negotiate. Since he was released as Stake President yesterday his schedule should be a little more accommodating than it has been in the past.
We had another 14 investigators at Ilima yesterday. Six of them we had not worked with before. I keep thinking we will taper off here to a good breaking point before our mission ends in June but it just doesn't seem to be happening. President Taylor is still thinking he will not backfill us as he is trying to open up Kisumu which is the 3rd largest city in Kenya and would certainly qualify as a center of strength. That means our focus still needs to be on making this people as self sufficient as possible. It will be some time before the area makes the leap to being a district so will continue on as independent branches as they just need to be able to function on their own. The returned missionaries should be a big help in that area but that is still some 18 months before they start returning.
The weather has been very warm and dry as of late but we keep hoping that the rainy season will soon arrive. It has been several seasons since they have had a good crop so are rather dependant on church or government welfare. The water projects and other programs help a little but is able to impact only a small portion of the millions of people here.
The final note today is now that we are under 3 months to our departure SLC has processed our return trip. We leave here on 22 June. We fly to London, Los Angeles, then Boise to arrive there after 9pm on the 23rd. We opted for that route as that reduces our actual flying time to around 22 hours and layovers of some 6 hours. Just need to stay focused as we sprint (read that as hobble) to the end which shouldn't be too hard to do as there is plenty that can be accomplished still.
Have a super week.
Elder & Sister Bishop
We delivered Dominic's mission call to him on Thursday and he is going to the Cape Town South Africa Mission on June 4th. Also taught a few investigators. Two of them were from Ilima but because we weren't going there Friday they chose to come down the hill and meet with us a day earlier. A young man name Francis also showed up rather unexpectedly. He runs a little kiosk in Kilome which is some 30+ kms before we get to Kyambeke and we have interacted with him a little as we pass through there each trip to Kyambeke or Ilima. Generally we just wave on our way by but we did purchase a belt from him as he had flagged us down requesting us to promote him which is interpreted to buy something from him. He stocks a lot of items such as pans, lanterns, flip flops and other essentials for their remote existence. Anyway we noted as we passed through Kilome on Thursday that his stand was not open yet and then he showed up at Kyambeke shortly after we did and ended up in the discussion. He participated and seemed interested in what was discussed (we were talking the plan of salvation) and said we would see him again. Not sure if he made it to church yesterday but it will be interesting to see where this goes as that is quite a trek to be made by him to participate in our services. I have been nudging the Kyambeke leadership to identify some potential buildings that could be used to accommodate the new Matini Branch as President Taylor is wanting to move on that the first weekend in April. Not sure we can get it done that fast but I checked on our way through there yesterday and they indicated they would have some potential buildings identified that we could possibly check out on Thursday. If they are there it would just be a matter of getting the church physical facilities guy up there to negotiate. Since he was released as Stake President yesterday his schedule should be a little more accommodating than it has been in the past.
We had another 14 investigators at Ilima yesterday. Six of them we had not worked with before. I keep thinking we will taper off here to a good breaking point before our mission ends in June but it just doesn't seem to be happening. President Taylor is still thinking he will not backfill us as he is trying to open up Kisumu which is the 3rd largest city in Kenya and would certainly qualify as a center of strength. That means our focus still needs to be on making this people as self sufficient as possible. It will be some time before the area makes the leap to being a district so will continue on as independent branches as they just need to be able to function on their own. The returned missionaries should be a big help in that area but that is still some 18 months before they start returning.
The weather has been very warm and dry as of late but we keep hoping that the rainy season will soon arrive. It has been several seasons since they have had a good crop so are rather dependant on church or government welfare. The water projects and other programs help a little but is able to impact only a small portion of the millions of people here.
The final note today is now that we are under 3 months to our departure SLC has processed our return trip. We leave here on 22 June. We fly to London, Los Angeles, then Boise to arrive there after 9pm on the 23rd. We opted for that route as that reduces our actual flying time to around 22 hours and layovers of some 6 hours. Just need to stay focused as we sprint (read that as hobble) to the end which shouldn't be too hard to do as there is plenty that can be accomplished still.
Have a super week.
Elder & Sister Bishop
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Pictures 3-18-09
The Kilili Relief Society Choir with their accompanist. My companion had a suit made at one of the little taylor shops in Kilili and the RS Sisters liked it so much that they all had one made out of the same material.
Sister Bishop enjoying the ugali and goat stew that was served at Kilili's RS Birthday Activity. I am sure Andrew will note with some satisfaction that his grandma is eating her food with her hands.
Justus Musembi just opened his mission call.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Weekly Update 3-15-09
It's Monday and time for another update. They sure seem to come a lot more frequently than once a week. Two of the young men in Kyambeke received their mission calls. Justis is going to Johannesburg and Charles to Durbin. They enter the MTC on 14 May. That leaves 3 still waiting for their calls, 1 waiting for passport so she can submit her papers, and 3 just getting started on securing birth certificates so we can initiate the passport submission. We have determined that it is best to wait until they get their birth certificates before we spend much time and effort on the medical as that seems to encourage them a little. For the 3 who are just getting started we are just working with them on the Mission Preparation Class offered by CES.
I did make a solo run to Kilili on Saturday to get the audit finished and help focus President Makiti on a few items that I thought might help he and the branch. We are also working on getting some property purchased there for a chapel and a title deed to allow a borehole to go in to support the water project there. We were back there for Church yesterday and they wanted to watch a few items on the video equipment for a part of their services. We have recently made some changes in the generator system that supports that as we had burned up a cord with a power surge so I integrated a regulator to ensure we didn't fry a TV or DVD player. The new equipment seemed to do everything it was suppose to. There is still an outside chance that we could have electricity at 2 of the branches before June. The market at Kilili has been wired for it since Dec. of 2007 just no juice yet and they are starting to wire buildings in the Kyambeke Market as they are having a district officer assigned there by the government and that event comes with electricity.
Our work at the branches was pretty much the usual. We did take the Randalls to Kyambeke on our way to Ilima as they were doing a follow up on the workshop they presented there in February. They received rather substantial rainfall in Ilima and Kyambeke on Tuesday and Wednesday evening so a lot of the members were getting their Shambas planted. We were able to teach a couple of discussions along with our usual fare. It is still dry and warm down in Kilili though.
This week will have a little variation as Elder Koelliker of the Area Presidency will be here on a mission tour. That means we will have a mission conference on Friday. That negates our trip to Ilima on Friday but we will be there for church on Sunday so they should not feel neglected.
We are still trying to get documents for members desiring to attend the temple in May and it looks like at least 1 family will make it. We are a little concerned with what to do with the others as the President is not sure he will have someone to backfill us by June. So we are just working at building the branches confidence in their own abilities to carry on independently. Sure hope it works as they really do have a lot of potential if we can just ratchet up their self confidence a little and certainly there are other areas in the mission that has need for the missionaries that are coming.
Well that kind of covers our doings for another week so will close with another African Phrase. Not sure if this one is Swahili or Zulu as I picked it from a letter received from Elder Muthoka who is serving in Durbin. It means you are loved.
Nawapenda Nyote,
Elder & Sister Bishop
I did make a solo run to Kilili on Saturday to get the audit finished and help focus President Makiti on a few items that I thought might help he and the branch. We are also working on getting some property purchased there for a chapel and a title deed to allow a borehole to go in to support the water project there. We were back there for Church yesterday and they wanted to watch a few items on the video equipment for a part of their services. We have recently made some changes in the generator system that supports that as we had burned up a cord with a power surge so I integrated a regulator to ensure we didn't fry a TV or DVD player. The new equipment seemed to do everything it was suppose to. There is still an outside chance that we could have electricity at 2 of the branches before June. The market at Kilili has been wired for it since Dec. of 2007 just no juice yet and they are starting to wire buildings in the Kyambeke Market as they are having a district officer assigned there by the government and that event comes with electricity.
Our work at the branches was pretty much the usual. We did take the Randalls to Kyambeke on our way to Ilima as they were doing a follow up on the workshop they presented there in February. They received rather substantial rainfall in Ilima and Kyambeke on Tuesday and Wednesday evening so a lot of the members were getting their Shambas planted. We were able to teach a couple of discussions along with our usual fare. It is still dry and warm down in Kilili though.
This week will have a little variation as Elder Koelliker of the Area Presidency will be here on a mission tour. That means we will have a mission conference on Friday. That negates our trip to Ilima on Friday but we will be there for church on Sunday so they should not feel neglected.
We are still trying to get documents for members desiring to attend the temple in May and it looks like at least 1 family will make it. We are a little concerned with what to do with the others as the President is not sure he will have someone to backfill us by June. So we are just working at building the branches confidence in their own abilities to carry on independently. Sure hope it works as they really do have a lot of potential if we can just ratchet up their self confidence a little and certainly there are other areas in the mission that has need for the missionaries that are coming.
Well that kind of covers our doings for another week so will close with another African Phrase. Not sure if this one is Swahili or Zulu as I picked it from a letter received from Elder Muthoka who is serving in Durbin. It means you are loved.
Nawapenda Nyote,
Elder & Sister Bishop
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Pictures 3-7-09
Eleven of the Temple attendees touring the Area Presidency Office. President Parmley is on the back row next to Elder Watson and his wife. Annah is in the red dress, Elizabeth is in the gold dress and the rest is President Mbondo with his wife Bernice and children.
President Musokolo with his wife Lucy and children. She wasn't feeling well so they did not go to the Area Offices with us.
Sister Bishop with her adopted grandkids for the trip. She stayed at the patron housing with this mob and a South African lady we hired so that their mothers could attend 4 more temple sessions.
This is the group from Kyambeke that was baptized on the 28th. Six of the young people were children of record while the other 18 were considered convert baptisms but 2 of those were really children of members that had not been baptized at age 8 so had to be interviewed in English. It took a little work to get them comfortable with that but what a great experience to work with folks that wanted to be baptized so badly.
Four of the 5 converts from Ilima.
Jackline, the last Ilima convert who showed up just a little late.
This is Barbara Wambua. She is really growing. Not sure if her parents will get their birth certificates so that they can go to the temple with us in May.
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