July MLC and Nairobi Zone Conference

Just had another successful Nairobi Zone Conference.  Good to be with the missionaries.  They make us feel young again!   We received good counsel from President and Sister Msane as well as from many of the missionaries.  We also heard sweet testimonies.  It's an uplift to be with people who are doing their best.  We also talked of things we all need to do in case of disruptions before and after the upcoming August 8 national elections.  The Church has always recommended that we have a supply of water, food, fuel, etc. and it's especially important for us at this time.  "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."  That is always the case.

Before I post pictures of the Zone Conference, here are some more logos I've seen recently on buses and matatus:

None Can Stop Gospel
365 Days of Blessings
To God be the Glory (along with a copy of LDS artist Simon Dewy's painting of the Savior)
Faith is Like Wifi (but I never caught the rest)
Loving Jesus Loud
Keep Your Faith
Masha Allah (meaning "God has willed" in Arabic)
God With Us
Jesus is the Answer

MLC (Missionary Leader Council) is held about once a month.  All of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders from all zones in Kenya and Tanzania come in to Nairobi for an all-day council meeting.  The sisters haven't arrived yet but Elder Torrie and I had to go so we took a picture without them.  Oh and the Nairobi zone leaders, Elder Lotulelei, Elder Kiio, Elder Agesa, and Elder Cotts hadn't arrived yet either.  L-R: Elder Mahanzu, Elder Egbert, Elder Estheimer, Elder Musonda, Elder Merritt, Elder Mwanziu with Elder Wambua in front, Elder Le Cheminant, Elder Pavik with Elder Chenani in front, Elder Ang'ila, Elder Hales, Elder Mwashi, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Ellis, Elder Soita with Sister Torrie in front, Elder Torrie.  Whew!  I think I got them all!

For lunch at Nairobi Zone Conference, Sister Msane provided some salads and I provided dessert (three kinds of squares) and LeRon and I also picked up 6 buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The missionaries ate it all!

Elder Akpu and Elder Cotts

You missionary moms and dads can pick out your missionaries I'm sure.  There's Sister Msane making sure everyone eats what they take!  (ha ha)

Elder McGrath and Elder Lotulelei

More hungry missionaries, including Elder Brown on the far left.

Elder Carter, Elder Carlson, Elder Manu-tuinei, Elder Harrott (standing), Elder Card, Elder Wilson.  Elder Lotulelei in back.

Elder Okoth (here as he awaits his visa to Zimbabwe), Elder Nyanhamo, Elder Lotulelei, Elder Manu

Elder Agesa, Elder Otika, Elder Soita

Elder Limu, Elder Hales, Elder Akpu

Elder Kyomya (pronounced Chomya), Elder Somniso, Elder Limu

Elder McGrath, Sister Matata, Elder Gimeyi

Sister Maina, Sister Dhaima with an unknown missionary's pinkie!

Sister Okila and Sister Maina with an unknown sister missionary's hand offering Sister Maina some food!

Sister Acii and Sister Njoroge

Sister Bamutesiza and Sister Mbatha (one of our new missionaries from South Africa)

Sister Auma and Sister Masibo

Elder Barnard and Elder Cotts

Another Sister Njoroge.  We have two Sister Njoroges in our mission!  Double the fun!

Ah . . . here is President Msane enjoying his lunch, along with Elder Card and Elder Wilson (our Canadians -- yeah!!)

Sister Njoroge and Sister Dhaima

Not sure what this is all about.  Oh, there's Elder Jameson (back row, far right).  Somehow I missed him in the eating pictures.  I wonder who else I missed.  I did my best to get everyone.

Now Elder Musonda has joined the group and I still don't know what's happening.

And now Elder Torrie has joined.  Still not sure what it's all about but I'm sure they do.

Now I'm there too since I hardly ever get in pictures.

Elder Otika and Elder Wilson are demonstrating how they had to pull their socks up over their trousers when they ride bikes.  Good idea, Elders!  But it looks a tad funny.

Elder Kyomya and Sister Torrie

Elder Hales and Elder McGrath

Elder Gimeyi, front and center.  It's getting to be evening.  All the sisters have left because they need to be home by 6 p.m.  Safer for Elders to be out later than Sisters.

Sisters . . . Sisters . . . there were never such devoted sisters . . . Sisters Torrie and Msane.

Before everyone left we managed a group picture and you can almost see everyone's full faces.  I really tried anyway.

Now I've popped in the picture.  Can you see me?  I'm on the right.

Friends and Neighbors

We love the people we associate with.  Besides the great missionaries and wonderful President and Sister Msane, we love the people in our branch and in our compound.

Good friends, Stella, on left, and Andrew on right came over for food and a visit.

After church on Sunday, Edwin showed me how to carry things on his head.  He says he's been doing it since he was very young.  And he didn't even have a doughnut-thing on his head like some people do.  It looked so easy.

So I tried it too and the flowers just slipped off my head!  Everyone told me that my hair is too soft and slippery.  They could be right; African hair is very wiry.

But I was determined to do it.

Watch quick.  It's about to fall off.  Too bad we didn't balance things on our heads from the time we were small.  It would improve our posture I'm sure.

Cute Primary children Gloria, Patricia and Precious.

Cute little Whitney.  Cute pose too.

Jimo doesn't speak much English but he has a nice smile.

After-church piano lessons with Hope and Peggy.  They're both doing really well.  Peggy will be teaching piano lessons in the future.  And when Hope goes on a mission she will be able to play the piano to accompany the singing at church.

Then we were off to our neighbor girl, Faye's, play at her International School.  It was called "Dragon Days" and was absolutely delightful.  Faye, front and center, had a big part in it.

We felt like grandparents taking pictures of our granddaughter!  LeRon kept saying, "There's Faye!  Isn't she doing a good job?"

Faye, as Gilda, helped the villagers to see that the dragon (on right) was actually a friendly dragon in need of friends.

Good singing, dancing, and acting.  Very impressive.

LeRon and I loved the Bavarian scene in the backdrop.  The play took place in a village in Bavaria, complete with snow, which most of the children have never seen except in movies.

Faye's mother, Enid (red dress), is a teacher at the school and she played a huge part in the production, working with the sound and of course spending hours at rehearsals.

I've enjoyed getting to know Enid.  She's about our son Michael's age.  So I mother her just like I've mothered others in our compound.  LeRon and I are the oldest ones here so we are grandparents to a lot of children and pseudo-parents to a lot of people.  I love Enid, my Ugandan daughter!  (Later note:  I still keep in touch with her even after our mission).

Click to enlarge this sign advertising "The Big Winter Sale" at the Hub.  8th of June to 9th of July.  Funny to think of this as winter!  It's pretty nice.  Not too hot in the day and it cools down at night.  I do have sweaters and jackets that I wear from time to time.

Here I am with my little grandbaby, Vivan (pronounced vee-vaughn) and my adopted daughter, Pooja, and her in-laws from India.  Really nice people.

Now Vivan's brother, Hash, has popped into the picture.  Pooja's in-laws have been here for two months and it's been fun to visit with them.  They're back in India now.  We love our neighbors!