People here are THE BEST

We have only three weeks left of the best mission in the world for us.  God knew what He was doing when He sent us here to the Kenya Nairobi Mission.  It has been a perfect fit for us.  In three weeks it will all be just a memory.  Hard to think.  So glad for God's plan for the happiness of His children -- We WILL see each other again in the eternities.  I'm so thankful that there is life after death and that we will associate with those we knew and loved on earth.  And I'm especially thankful for the covenants made in the Temple which bind us together as husband and wife and with our families in the eternities to come.

We have loved helping in the Primary each Sunday.  These little children have become precious to us.  LeRon has played the piano for singing time while I have taught the songs.  We've both been teaching Primary classes too.  It is exhausting but fulfilling.

We have also enjoyed hosting young missionaries in our home as needed and meeting with the many priesthood leaders of the branches and districts.  The Church is being well-led by many good African priesthood-holders.  It has been a privilege to get to know them.

These are some of our Primary children.  Not all here today.  Sitting L-R: Loretta, Wayne, ___.  Middle row: ___, Nestor, Angel, _____, Elcan, Whitney, _____.  Back row: Ezra, Daisy, Jimmo, Patricia, Precious, Edwin, Barak, ______.  We don't know some of their names because they are newcomers,  They're here one time and gone the next.  The ones that we know the names of are regular attenders.

Primary leaders Brenda (on left) and Sharon (on right) have now joined the sweet children.

Now I need in the picture too.  L-R: Primary President Sharon Poche, Primary counselor Brenda, Emma (was in Primary when we first came and is now in Young Women), Stake Primary Presidency Counselor.  She was here to see our Primary sacrament meeting presentation which went very well.  I was proud of the kids and of Sharon and Brenda for planning well.

Now two sweet Primary girls, Precious and Daisy, have joined us.

Barak is in my Primary class and he participates and is eager to learn.

Edwin and his family are tending a little neighbor girl whose mother just had a baby.  She's so cute!

Jimmo is eager to help Elder Torrie fix the piano leg.

Nestor is in Elder Torrie's Nursery/Sunbeam class.  He's a really bright spirit.

Now it's Ezra who is eager to help Elder Torrie fix the piano leg that he (Elder Torrie) broke when he tried to carry the piano through the chapel doors by himself.

Peter and LeRon work very closely in the mission.  Peter takes care of the housing for missionaries -- fixing what is broken and finding new flats and closing ones that need to be closed.  So important to have a Kenyan to work with when it comes to housing.  We will miss Peter and his family.

We got to house Elder Tshilumba from the DR Congo for a night.  He's amazing.  His native language is French and Swahili (along with other tribal languages).  In fact, he speaks 5 languages!!  He learned English in just three weeks and is doing great!  Here we are conversing in French and English.  I could understand a lot of what he was saying in French but now and again we had to look up a word in the dictionary.  He was happy that I could say a few things in French to him, such as, "As-tu bien dormi?"  "Did you sleep well."  My high school French is coming back to me slowly.

And Elder Tshilumba loves to sing.  We sang together for quite a while.  Sometimes he sang in French and we sang in English.  I must say that Africans are good singers, by and large.  It was fun to have him stay with us even though we had to be up at 4:30 a.m. to see him off to Tanzania.

Yesterday was Elder Torrie's last day to be with all the district and mission branch presidents.  We were sad that we may never see these brethren again in this life although we will always care about them.  Here Brother Luvai is training the presidents and clerks in how to write unit histories.  So important to keep a history.

President Mwaipopo is the district president in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.  He is "one of us" in that he graduated from BYU too.  On the advice of an apostle, he returned to his homeland although he was tempted to stay in the US.  But the Church needs good, strong men here in Africa.  Africa was meant for Africans!  It's their promised land and actually, we have heard people call it the promised land (and they weren't members of our church).

After lunch, we gathered for a group photo.  Back row L-R:  President Okila (Kisumu), Brother George Masika (Mombasa), Brother Masai (Chyulu), President Ochieng (Naivasha), Brother Luvai, President Kibanda (Arusha), President Mwaipopo (Dar Es Salaam), President Itongwa (Mwanza), President Kogo (Eldoret), Brother Luvai's nephew, President Imende (Busia), Brother Kaseve (Kilungu), President Muia (Chyulu), President Msane (mission president), President Balilemwa (counselor in mission Presidency).
Front L-R: Brother Gregory Mutiso (Eldoret), Brother Onesmus Maele (Kilungu), Brother Tobias Awalla (Kisumu), Elder LeRon Torrie, President Kamau (counselor in mission presidency), President Msafiri (Mombasa).

Sister Torrie has joined the men!

After lunch, everyone is sleepy so LeRon is doing his best to entertain!

Brother Onesmus Maele (Kilungu Hills district clerk), Brother Gregory Mutiso (Eldoret district clerk), President Imende (Busia), and President Kogo (Eldoret).