Off to "The Hills"

The Kilungu Hills District Clerk asked Elder Torrie to come and give training to all the branch clerks.  We've never been to Kilungu Hills so we asked Elder Ellis and Elder Hales to go with us.  So glad Elder Hales was driving.  Up narrow little dirt roads and down narrower, washboardy, rocky roads, with drop-offs on both sides at times.  The "hills" were definitely hilly.  It reminded us of Peru in the area around Macchu Picchu.  Gorgeous countryside.

The Kilungu Hills District (of the church) is in the Kilungu district of Kenya.  It includes 5 branches:  Kalongo, Kyambeke, Mitini, Ilima, and Kilili.  All of the branch presidents and clerks met us at the Kyambeke meetinghouse.  A 125-km drive took 3 1/2 hours going and 2 1/2 hours coming back since we went on a less scenic route.  So glad we took the scenic route going.  It was something else!

We met up with some more missionaries in Kilungu Hills so you missionary moms and dads need to watch for pictures of your sons.  Be sure to click through the pictures to enlarge.

It had rained a bit in the night (thankfully, as it's been so very dry) so the road was muddy.

Oh-oh.  A bus is coming.  Where do we go?  The road is narrow with soft mud on the sides.  The bus is bigger; I think we'd better pull over.

It's a cloudy, misty morning.  If you click on the picture, you can see the terraces up the side of the steep hill.

Here's a close-up of the terracing -- through a dirty window, I grant you, and clipping along at 30 km/hour over bumpy roads.

You can see how dry it is here.  Love these terraces!

And I love the red soil.  Here's a view of the terraces right from the road.  It doesn't look like anything is growing here.

I wish a camera could do the scenery justice.

I took so many pictures, trying to get a picture to show what it really looks like.  So gorgeous!

People here walk a LOT -- up hill and down.  No wonder they aren't over-weight.

The road switch-backed up and down hills for more than an hour.  If I were one to get car-sick, I would have.  Thankfully, I've only felt car-sick one time in my life and that was in California near Placerville.  We were driving with a friend, Bruce Wadsworth, and he was driving crazy fast on switch backs and I was in the back seat and I nearly lost it.

Green and red.  So lovely.

People live out their lives here and probably don't appreciate the beauty they're surrounded with.  They're too busy putting food on the table.

We've arrived at the Kyambeke (pronounced Cham-beck-y) meetinghouse.  It's very well maintained and was clean and cool.  Cement floors.  Big chapel.  Lots of classrooms.  Here's Elder Hales and Elder Ellis with someone from Kilungu Hills District.  He was happy to greet us.

 

While I eat and sleep and read and while Elder Torrie does the training, Elder Ellis and Elder Hales are off to see what the Kyambeke Elders are up to.

Gate and bridge leading from the meetinghouse.  Elder Ellis and Elder Hales will be hot and tired when they get back from several hours of hiking up and down hills in the heat.

LeRon had a great training time with the District president and clerk and with the branch presidents and clerks.  A great turn-out and they all learned a lot.  Training is an on-going process.  These men are trying their best to follow church procedures especially as it pertains to church finances.

The chapel was large and bright and clean.

I loved the posters on the walls.

It would be nice if everyone had a strong family but families are struggling here just as they are struggling in the west.  They all need the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they need to keep their covenants and follow Jesus Christ.  Whole nations will then be stronger.

After the training at Kyambeke, some of the branch presidents walked over the steep hill to the Mitini Branch.  We drove, thankfully.  The missionaries and others were waiting for us in front of the Mitini Branch building.

Elder Wood from the US and Elder Akpu from Nigeria stay in this area and do missionary work here.

Smiling Elder Wood and smiling Elder Akpu.  They both looked great!

Elder Ellis, Elder Hales, Elder Akpu, and Elder Wood are off to find something cold to drink.  People here don't drink a lot of water but they definitely drink a lot of pop.  You Americans call it soda but we Canadians call it pop.  It's never been my favorite drink.  Pop is cheaper than water here but give me water any day.

This is the village where the Elders are going for pop.  It's called Mitini.  Looks like just a wide spot in the road.

We found the Mitini church compound very interesting.  Clean.  And they didn't even know we were coming.  Very impressive.  Behind LeRon, over his right shoulder, is the blue baptismal font.  We baptize the way Jesus was baptized -- by immersion.  Jesus went down into the water and came back up and that is the way baptisms are performed in our church too.

The Primary room was also impressive and again, very clean.  Love those colored chairs.

LeRon's entertaining the Kalongo and Mitini branch leaders.

I wanted in a picture so here are LeRon and me with Elder Wood, Elder Akpu, Elder Ellis, Elder Hales.

Now we're all looking at the camera.

LeRon and Colleen with lovely hills in the back and a pole growing out of our shoulders.

Four handsome hardworking missionaries.  Don't they look nice in their white shirts and ties?

Most work is done by hand -- by hoes and shovels such as the one this boy is carrying.

Another look at the terraces.

Road work done by hand.  Look at the picks these men are using.  

The flag men at both ends of the construction were actually flag women.  They carried flags -- green for go and red for stop.

"We will be the Lord's missionaries to bring the world His truth"

The drought is getting more severe, even here in Nairobi.  When the wind blows, the leaves sound brittle like they do at home in the fall.  Leaves are yellowing and many trees look sick.  This morning on the way to church, we passed a herd of the scrawniest cattle we've seen so far.  We often see their ribs but today they looked sunken and like they could keel over at any minute.  There are more cattle in the city now as their herders bring them in to find a bit of grass and green foliage on the sides of the roads.  We were out of the city yesterday and the grasslands were very brown.  Thankfully Nairobi got a downpour when we were gone but the soil is so dry that it sank right in, not even leaving mud, unlike last year when there were rivers of water running down the sides of the streets.  But every little bit helps.  It's time to petition the Lord for rain.

We had a lovely experience Wednesday night after the MLC (Missionary Leader Council).  Sister Msane cooked a delicious supper for all the missionaries and we helped to clean up afterward.  Then Elder Torrie, as he is wont to do, started playing the piano.  The missionaries gathered round and we had an hour of singing everyone's favorite hymn or Primary song.  President and Sister Msane joined in and there was a good, warm feeling in the room.  There is nothing like music to touch the soul.

Many of the African missionaries, including President and Sister Msane, are converts to the church and so never had the opportunity to attend Primary and to learn all the wonderful Primary songs.  We've purchased more Children's Songbooks for the Mission Home so now these missionaries are learning some of the favorites, such as "We Are As the Army of Helaman."  When the missionaries belt that song out, with Elder Torrie doing his fancy stuff on the piano, it sends chills through me.  The spirit is strong as they sing, "We will be the Lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth."  These missionaries will make strong leaders of the church here in Africa.

Elder Torrie and Elder Rasmussen share a birthday -- March 15.  Sister Msane baked a cake and I brought a cake too.  Happy Birthday Elders!

Who has the most hot air?  I believe it is Elder Rasmussen!  He blew it out before Elder Torrie could even think of doing it! 

My fellow Albertan, Elder Le Cheminant, Elder Hales, Elder Agesa, Elder Ellis, Elder Lotulelei, Elder Merritt.  All great missionaries!

Elder Wafula, Elder Wambua, Elder Mwashi

Elder Agesa is quite a card.  Always making us laugh.  Here he's toasting Elder Ellis with a cup of water.

I told Elder Agesa I would be afraid to meet him in a dark alley!!  He makes the most unusual faces with his big eyes.  He really is a very funny person.

Elder Mahanzu is serving in Mwanza, Tanzania but we get to see him monthly at MLC's.

Elder Hales never knew that being an Assistant to the President involving doing so many dishes.  He's always at the sink helping to clean up.

Elder Wafula, Elder Wambua, Elder Mwashi and Elder Muzwenje.  But if you look closely, Elder Mwashi and Elder Muzwenje have switched name tags just to fool me.

They call themselves the Kalongo Elders.  I think maybe because they all served at one time in Kalongo but not at the same time.  Elder Mahanzu, Elder Soita, Elder Wafula, Elder Wambua, Elder Mwashi, Elder _____, Elder Muzwenje

Elder Le Cheminant enjoying Sister Msane's good cooking.  But next time, Elder Le Cheminant will do the cooking.  Sister Msane is getting tired of cooking so is planning to assign it out.  Elder Le Cheminant is excited to cook next month.

Elder Hales, Elder Ellis, Elder Agesa, Elder Lotulelei

Elder Agesa, Elder Ellis, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Pavik

Elder Soita and Elder Wambua having fun

Had to get a picture of me with my Kazuri beads and my lovely zebras.

If you look closely at this picture you'll see that the car is full of hay!!!

Life Goes On

I'm running out of catchy titles.  Mission life goes on . . .   Our lives are marching on too.  We celebrated both our birthdays and our wedding anniversary in the past two weeks.  We celebrated 42 years of "laughter and tears" and LeRon turned 64 today and I turned 65 last week.  Yes, I'm a year older than him!  Sometimes I really feel it!  To celebrate our special days we . . . ta da! . . . worked in the mission office!  Had Japanese food one day (delicious) and Chinese food one day (not so good) and we probably will have dinner tonight at the mission home with the missionaries who are here for the monthly MLC (Mission Leader Council).

 

Always interesting to see the road construction here.  So much is done by hand.  They place these large rocks where they don't want you to drive and they're all placed by hand.  This is fresh tar and if you can believe it, I've seen people walking on it and it's wet and yucky.  They put the rocks here because if they only had "do not drive" signs, the matatu (small bus) drivers would certainly drive there.

Sister Msane and I love our cleaning girl, Cecilia.  She is the best cleaner ever.  She washes everything in sight . . . even the chair that I sit on (and then when I sit, I'm wet for a while!)  She washes pictures, walls, floorboards, windows . . . everything.  We have the cleanest office in town.  And we never have to tell her anything; she just automatically does it.  She's great.  She wants me to take her back to Canada with me. Her life here is not so easy.

Last Sunday we drove to Naivasha so LeRon could audit the branch books and do some financial training with the branch president and branch clerk.  I love the drive to Naivasha.  So rural.  I love these flat acacia trees.  They say "Africa" to me.

We picked up the Naivasha elders at their flat -- Elder Call and Elder Odhiambo.

This is another African tree that I love -- a cactus tree.  It's growing right next to the Naivasha chapel.  So I had to get a picture of Elder Call and Elder Odhiambo beside the cactus tree.

I'm finally in the picture too with a young branch member and Elder Odhiambo and Elder Call.

And this is the front of the chapel.  The matatu has a flat tire so is stopped right in front of our chapel.

Then home again and over to our neighbor's for a visit.  They have a brand-new baby.  L-R: Dr. Shrikant, Pooja (the mom), Pooja's mother (holding the new baby boy, Vivan) and Pooja's father.  In front is their son Hash.

This is the cutest little baby.  Pooja's parents are here from India for three months.  I would drive my kids crazy if I moved in with them for three months!

Pooja's mom was married at 17 (an arranged marriage) and she had Pooja at age 18.  She looks so young because she IS young!  And look at that darling little boy.  My babies had lots of hair but not this much.

Now LeRon and I are both in the picture with Pooja and her parents and her children.  Both Pooja and Shrikant and also Pooja's parents had arranged marriages.  But they don't have to marry unless they want to.  They said arranged marriages are still the thing in India.  It looks like it was two very happy arranged marriages.  And there are not as many divorces there as there are in the west.

Got a phone call from the Assistants that a bus had backed into their truck -- which was actually our truck because we had switched trucks for the day with the Assistants.

Two unhappy missionaries.  Elder Hales says that is the third time a matatu or bus has hit him.  He and Elder Ellis were not happy campers.

I bought some Kazuri beads for my birthday.  They're such pretty things.  And I'm not much of a jewelry person.

I can't get over the floppy necks of the cows here.

Interesting street scene.

What would happen if there were a herd of cattle at a round-about in the middle of Calgary?  There are many herds of cattle here eating whatever grass or other vegetation they can find.  More herds than normal.  It's getting very dry outside of Nairobi and people are starting to get alarmed.  The short rains last fall came late and too little.  The long rains haven't started yet and are forecast to be later and shorter than usual.  I hope there won't be too much suffering upcountry.

Elder Dancan, Elder Pavik, Elder Ngabonziza, Elder Musonda just chilling at the mission office.

Today at the Mission Home, Elder Torrie played "Happy Birthday" as we sang to him and to Elder Rasmussen (who is just to LeRon's left).  Elder Pavik in front.

Then Sister Msane sang "Happy Birthday" in Zulu to Elder Rasmussen and Elder Torrie.

Father Abraham

When LeRon was the bishop of the Grassy Lake Ward, he was often asked to do "Father Abraham" at ward activities.  He was young back then.  He did it once for Elder Wafula and now Elder Wafula loves it.  So here, for your viewing pleasure are two videos of Elder Torrie doing Father Abraham.  Elder Hales and Elder Wafula and I have also joined in the fun!