Missionary Arrivals September 2017

We said goodbye to five missionaries last night and today we welcome nine new ones.  All new missionaries come with very mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation.  So interesting to see how eager and yet nervous they are.  It's a brand-new experience for them.  We give them instructions and a lot of love.  It's very easy to love young men and young women who are volunteering 1 1/2 to 2 years of their lives to serve the Lord, putting aside all worldly cares.

I've put in a lot of photos of missionaries so you missionary moms and dads can copy pictures.  You are certainly free to do so!  Be sure to watch the videos of the missionaries singing that I'll put at the end.  There's a couple that are particularly interesting -- one of two of our French missionaries singing in French and then another of everyone singing How Great Thou Art in English, French and Zulu!  President and Sister Msane are Zulus from South Africa, as is new Sister Sehlako.  In the videos some of the new missionaries are missing since they were having interviews with the President.

Here are the brand-new missionaries in the Kenya Nairobi Mission:  Sisters Ziribaggwa from Uganda, Sister Sehlako from South Africa; Back L-R: Elder Mathemera from Zimbabwe; Elder Sunu from DR Congo, Elder Masamba from DR Congo, Elder Knight from USA, Elder Montgomery from USA, Elder Ntsomotho from South Africa, and Elder Mboyo from DR Congo.  A great looking bunch!!!

Now the new arrivals are with their trainers.  Back row L-R: Trainer Elder Fraga with Elder Sunu; Elder Mathemera with trainer Elder Call; trainer Elder Shongwe with Elder Masamba; trainer Elder Nyanhamo with Elder Knight; trainer Elder Gimeyi with Elder Montgomery; Elder Ntsomotho with trainer Elder Lotulelei; trainer Elder McIntyre with Elder Mboyo.  Front row:  trainer Sister Dhaima with Sister Ziribaggwa; trainer Sister Mbatha (her new missionary companion will arrive in three weeks); Sister Sehlako with trainer Sister Gondwe.

President and Sister Msane with the new missionaries and their trainers.  They are in the yard of the mission home.

Seems that on transfer days, Sister Msane does a lot of cooking and missionaries do a lot of eating!  L-R:  Elder Gimeyi, Elder Ellis, Elder Nyanhamo, Elder Mwashi (standing), Elder McIntyre, Elder Sunu, Elder Lotulelei.

Sister Ziribaggwa, Sister Dhaima, Sister Mbatha, Sister Sehlako, Sister Gondwe.

Elder McIntyre and Elder Mwashi feeding their faces.

Hello Elder Fraga!

Elder Montgomery, Elder Knight, Elder Ntsomotho

Elder Mathemera, Elder Call, Elder Masamba

Elder Mboyo, Elder Shongwe

Elder Call, Elder Knight, Elder Nyanhamo, Elder Sunu

Elder McIntyre, Elder Gimeyi, Elder Montgomery

Elder Knight, Elder Masamba, Elder Mboyo

Elder Knight, Elder Mboyo, Elder Masamba, Elder Montgomery, Elder Nyanhamo, Elder Sunu

Elder Gimeyi

Elder Mathemera, Elder Call

Elder Mathemera with his bed sheets and Elder Call with no bed sheets!  Sister Msane gives them all bed sheets and a pillow when they come.

Since I'm never in pictures I asked someone to take my picture with all these great missionaries. Elder Mathemera, Elder Call, me, Elder Nyanhamo, Elder Sunu, Elder Montgomery.

Hi Elder Knight!

Elder Sunu, Elder Nyanhamo, Sister Torrie, Elder Knight

And then there is the traditional singing together that we do each evening.  I was tired and thought we ought to go home but Sister Msane said, "Elder Torrie, don't let Sister Torrie talk you into NOT singing tonight!"  It's actually a really good way to pass the evening.  Singing brings an amazing spirit.  L-R: Elder Masamba, Elder Mboyo, Elder McIntyre, Sister Gondwe, Sister Mbatha.  Elder Torrie at the piano.

Front and center are two of our French missionaries from DR Congo -- Elder Masamba and Elder Mboyo -- and Elder McIntyre.  Elder Mwashi on left.

It's always great when President Msane joins in the singing.  Because he joined the church as an adult he is just now learning the Primary songs.

Elder Sunu and Elder Mboyo are both from French-speaking DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo).  In front are Sister Ziribaggwa and Sister Sehlako.

Sister Mbatha, Elder Mwashi and Elder Shongwe.

Elder Fraga, Elder Knight, Elder Mboyo

Elder Shongwe, Elder Torrie (gray-haired in back), Elder Mwashi, Elder Sunu

Elder Call, Elder Mathemera, Elder Ellis

Elder Ntsomotho, Elder Masamba, Elder Montgomery

Dish-doing missionaries.  Yeah!!  Sister Mbatha, Sister Sehlako, Elder Mathemera.

Elder Call, Elder Fraga, Elder Sunu

Elder Masamba, Elder Mboyo and Elder McIntyre singing their hearts out.  

Elder Masamba and Elder Mboyo.  Be sure to check out the videos below, particularly the one where Elder Masamba and Elder Mboyo are singing French.  They are looking at the English hymnbook and singing in French.  I don't know how they do it!!

We love our missionaries!!  Here we are with Elder Call.

And here we are with new Elder Mboyo and Elder Masamba

And we love our sister missionaries.  Here we are with Sister Gondwe from Zambia.

And here we are with Sister Mbatha from South Africa.

September 2017 Missionary Departures

We get really close to the missionaries and are sad when they leave the mission.  Some of them we may never see again in this life.  I'm so grateful for the Plan of Happiness provided by our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.  Because of that Plan, we know that we will mingle together in the next life.  I'm so grateful that there IS a next life.  I know that in the eternities I will see my parents and LeRon's parents and others who have passed on -- and all of the wonderful friends we've associated with in this life.  So even though we say goodbye to these missionaries, we know we will see them some day.

Elder Rasmussen (left) and Elder Warenga (second from left) were at the mission home for transfers.  Just passing through to a new area.  Elder Soita and Sister Njoroge (on right) were here for their exit dinner -- both going home from their missions.  Be sure to see my previous post with videos of Elder Rasmussen singing "Consider the Lilies of the Field."

Elder Mwaja (left) and Elder Hales (right) are going home this transfer.  They will be missed.  We worked with Elder Hales in the office for nearly a year when he served as an Assistant to the President.  He will be missed!!  Elder Mwashi (center) is now serving as an Assistant so we get to work with him on a regular basis.  Elder Mwaja is going home to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.  He will be missed too!

Elder Pavik (left) is going home and Elder Christensen (Charles -- there are two Elder Christensens) is passing through on transfers.  Elder Christensen stayed with us at our flat on his first night in the mission when he was a brand new missionary.

Elder Chenani (left) is passing through on transfers.  Elder Mwaja (right) is going home.

Elder Christensen and Elder Jack are grabbing some food on their way to their new areas.

Elder Hales has done a LOT of dishes in the year that he served as an Assistant.  So . . . one more time to do dishes.

Sister Njoroge helping with dishes.  So nice when the missionaries help.

Singing time again.  Returning missionaries: Elder Soita, Elder Pavik, Elder Hales.

Elder Rasmussen, Elder Mwashi, Elder Warenga

Sister Njoroge, Elder Ellis, Elder Mwaja

Elder Pavik, Elder Hales, Elder Rasmussen doing the actions for "Book of Mormon Stories".

Departing missionaries:  Elder Mwaja, Elder Hales, Elder Pavik, Elder Soita, Sister Njoroge.  You will be missed!

Departing missionaries now joined by President and Sister Msane.

Departing missionaries in their mission T-shirts.  A good looking bunch, I would say!

Go forward, Elders and Sisters!  No looking back!  On with life!

Elder & Sister Torrie with tall Elder Hales.  Elder Hales is the right height to cover up the light with his head!

Consider the Lilies as sung by Elder Rasmussen

Consider the Lilies is one of Sister Msane's favorite songs.  I love it too.  And so does Elder Rasmussen (one of our wonderful KNM missionaries) and so does his mother.  He mentions his mother every time he sings it for us.

I've heard the Tabernacle Choir sing it and it is a beautiful song taken from the scripture in Matthew 6:28.  The story of how it came to be written is inspiring.  Read it at https://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/articles/consider-the-lilies-history.html .  The song will mean even more once you read about it, especially the last verse.  So many children suffer on this earth but He, our Saviour, will heal them.

I've tried recording Elder Rasmussen singing it a couple of times.  Hopefully this time I have succeeded.  My only regret is that I should have asked those in the room to be a little quiet while I recorded.  I don't think they realized I was recording.  I've broken it into three videos because one was too big to load into this post.  So below are three videos, one video for each verse.

Consider the Lilies

by Roger Hoffman

Consider the lilies of the field,
How they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sheep of His fold,
How they follow where He leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.
He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.

Consider the sweet, tender children

Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth.
He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,

And He will heal those who trust Him,

And make their hearts as gold.

How Much to Help: Rules for Senior Missionaries

We frequently get asked by Westerners how they can help the needy people in Africa.  Perhaps learning some principles that senior missionaries need to abide by can help.  Here are some "rules" that I recently discovered that came from a senior couples conference here in the Kenya Nairobi Mission a few years ago.  I have underlined and bolded things I feel are extremely important and have made a few comments.  It's so important to help in the Lord's way.  We are taught to help others so they can help themselves.  "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time" is so true.  We want these good people here in Africa to be self-reliant and thus self-confident in their abilities to care for themselves.

"Couples must understand that cultural differences in Africa are huge.  Couples should not judge nor evaluate Africans, their happiness, or their circumstances based upon a comparison with standards of living or expectations in the U.S. or other Western societies nor should they compare the two living standards.  Happiness and well-being are not determined by physical possessions or financial capability."

"Couples should not give personal financial assistance to members. . . . Such assistance creates greater dependence.  Couples must be aware of and honor Church welfare procedures and principles, which are administered only by unit leaders.  Couples should not solicit financial or other assistance from wards or stakes or members at home, nor should they foster or promote 'charitable' projects for African members or others in Africa. "

Note from me:  Charitable projects that take place over a week or two can be good as long as they don't foster dependency but often this is exactly what happens.  Some units of the Church here in Africa see a huge increase in attendance when Church members from the West are attending because they know these people will bring them "gifts" aka "handouts."  In those cases, African members are attending for the wrong reason.  We want them to come to Church because they have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not because they want a handout.

"Couples should not feel nor teach that Church units in Africa should have all of the same programs, facilities or supplies that are available in their home wards."  Note from me:  Things will improve for African units of the Church as they mature in the gospel.  It will just take time.

"Couples should not do the work of nor assume the responsibilities of the local leaders.  Couples must be patient and helpful in teaching local leaders how to fulfill their callings.  Their role is to develop leaders capable of carrying on with confidence and ability when the couples are released or reassigned.

Note from me:  Today in church, we heard the gospel preached masterfully by our African branch president.  Many here are really grounded in gospel principles and are leading as well as Western leaders lead in the West.  These leaders are definitely leading with confidence and testimony.

"Couples must not offer to or sponsor African young men or young women on missions, in schooling, or to go to the United States, nor should they encourage emigration or schooling outside their countries of birth."  

Note from me:  Africa is a huge continent with wonderful possibilities.  Not everyone wants to or needs to live in the West.  We in the West don't have a corner on happiness.  There are millions of people here who love living in Africa.

"Couples should not send financial assistance or supplies to members after leaving the mission.  Offerings should be given through your home ward." 

Note from me:  The best way we can help is to donate to the Church's Humanitarian Fund, or to the Perpetual Education Fund, or to the General Missionary Fund which helps needy Africans to be able to serve missions.  These funds all operate with volunteers and so ALL of the money goes where it is needed the most.

Ngorongoro Crater Videos -- Lions and Others of God's Creations

I've spent the last two hours doing the previous three posts and now it's 10:30 p.m. and I need to get to bed.  But first I'm going to post videos from our game drive at the Ngorongoro Crater.  Later I'll post the pictures and commentary.  But for my grandchildren's enjoyment I'll post these videos of lions and wildebeests and zebras now.  One of the videos is too fast and will make your head spin but oh well.  Enjoy more of God's wonderful creations . . .

The Beauties of Nature

The previous two posts were about members, missionaries, and great neighbors.  Take good people and add the beauty of nature to it and you get . . . a joyful life!!!  We recently went to Arusha in Tanzania to do a branch audit and while we were there, we went to the Ngorongoro Crater, an amazing place that I will tell you about in a later post.  In the meantime, here are some photos of scenes around Nairobi, particularly in the Karen area where we live.

This flower is so pretty it almost looks fake.

We can't get enough of the beautiful flowering trees.  We've seen them flower over and over again in the almost year and a half that we've been here.  The seasons are certainly different here.  I think this is an Orchid Tree.

Another flowering tree.  I think this may be an African Tulip Tree.  What do you think?

We were astounded at the size of the leaves on this tree.

Beautiful sculpted bushes

An African Tulip Tree

Marist College has beautiful grounds.  We walk past it on our walks.

Wish we could grow these kinds of plants in Alberta!

The weaver birds build such interesting nests.  Apparently snakes can climb trees.  The weaver birds build their nests with the opening in the bottom of the nest so that snakes can't get inside. Crazy!!

A gorgeous trumpet flower

So interesting that at Marist University College, there is a dress code and no hooting (honking) and no smoking.  It's been so nice here in Kenya because so few people smoke so I don't have to deal with the cigarette smoke that I'm allergic to.

We pass the Marist College every time we walk in the early evening.  We speak to many of the university students.  So interesting how they look so solemn until you say hello and then they brighten up with a big smile and say hello back.  LeRon thought this motto was interesting.  We know that Jesus Christ is the light of the world but we also know that we need to shine our lights too.  Hopefully people will see the light of Christ in our faces.  And as people get more education, their lights shine brighter.

Neighborly Neighbors

I just did a post about members and missionaries and now I want to talk about great neighbors.  Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and all those we come in contact with.  It's not hard to do here.  We live in a great compound with great neighbors who have become good friends.  They are from India, Japan, Tanzania, Uganda, Slovenia, and Kenya of course.  (Our neighbors from South Africa and Sweden have, sadly, moved back to their countries).  We discovered last year when there was a fire in our compound how much we have learned to pull together as a community.  Our landlord also lives here and is a member of parliament whom we enjoy visiting.  These people are very good people.  They are Christians and Muslims and Hindus and atheists.  All good people.  We couldn't ask for any better place to live.  God knew we would thrive living here.

Chitra and Prem have recently moved into our compound.  He is a cardio surgeon from India who works at the nearby Karen Hospital.  He works with our long-time neighbor, Shrikant (and Pooja) whom we love dearly.  It has been so nice to get to know them.  

Prince and Joy stopped by to tell us the sad news that they are moving.  We will miss them.  Prince, Joy, and Faye were the first people to welcome us to the neighborhood.  I remember how they rang our bell on the second day that we were here and they said, "Welcome to the neighborhood!"  How sweet of them.  They have been good friends, actually good grandchildren.  They even call us Grandpa and Grandma.  We love them and their parents, Sammy and Nancy.

Then some of the other neighborhood kids dropped by.  Faye and Dan have joined Joy and Prince.  We love them all, and their parents too.

At last . . . I am in the picture.

Funny Dan!  His mother is a ranger who works at the Masai Mara keeping the poaching to a minimum.  She has stories to tell!!

Dan is quite the card!  

And now Prince is getting into the act.

Prince and Joy's parents, Sammy and Nancy stopped by to tell us good-bye.  So sad.  They were our first next-door neighbors.  We knew that if we had trouble, we could call on them, and they knew the same.

Joy is in the above picture and Prince in this one.  Below are videos of Prince and Joy playing the piano for their parents.  Elder Torrie has taught them a little ditty that they love to play.

Yes, I'm here.  You might never know it as I'm always the one taking pictures.  I am aging, sadly.

Prince has a gorgeous smile!

Now just tonight, a month after they moved away, Prince and Joy and their parents have popped over for a visit.  So nice to see them.  Hugs all around.  Should have taken pictures of Nancy and Sammy too.

Here's Faye (center) with Joy and the two young girls who have moved in next door (into the big house that Mariska and Jaco moved out of).  They are Muslim and we have enjoyed meeting their parents.  I need to take them some brownies.

Another night out with Prem and Chitra.  They are so fun and Prem is closer to our age although Chitra is a lot younger.  We are the oldest ones in our compound so it was nice when Prem moved in!!  

We had a great evening with Chitra and Prem.  I just wish I could visit her more often but I'm working at the mission office in the day and then when I come home, I'm so very tired.  But it's important to be friends.  So many nice people here.  Not all want to hear the gospel message but that's okay.