Nairobi National Park with Elder Pavik and Elder Hales

Since Elder Pavik and Elder Hales were leaving for home at midnight on September 26, Elder Torrie and I got to take them to the Nairobi National Park for a few hours that morning.  (Our son, Eric's 32nd birthday).  Fun to be in a park surrounded on three sides by a huge city.  The Nairobi Park is the only park in the world that is within city limits.  And probably the only park that is right next to an international airport with jets taking off and landing right over the animals' heads.  Interesting to watch zebras grazing without seeming to notice the huge jets coming in for a landing.

It was good to be with Elder Hales and Elder Pavik for a last hurrah!  You will both be missed. Thank you for being such good missionaries!

Our mission is shrinking with tall Elder Pavik going home.  I always thought Elder Hales (on right) was tall until he stands next to Elder Pavik!  We had a good morning with these two fine Elders.

The first things we saw in the park were these hippos cooling themselves in the water after a night out filling their bellies with lush green grass.  I'm not sure where they found the lush green grass because it's very dry in the park right now.  We're in the short rains and they have definitely been short.  The long rains in the spring were not long either so the drought conditions are still worrisome.

I prayed that we would see lions and shortly after I told Elder Pavik that I had prayed to see lions . . . we saw 9 lions!!!  

So interesting to see lions in the wild.  They look so harmless just sitting there.

They probably look harmless because their tummies are full since they hunt at night and mostly sleep in the day.

Lots of ostriches and impalas today.

A saddle billed stork.  Look at those red knobby knees and toes.

I like the black markings on these Impalas.  An "M" on their behinds and black on their heels.  

This is prairie land.  Actually called "savannah land".  Interesting to see palm trees in the midst of prairie land.

Cattle egrets feed near the buffalo on insects kicked up by the herds or on insects that are on the buffalo.

A close-up of the buffalo and an egret.

When I first came to Kenya, I wasn't interested in the buffalo because Len and Bev Ross near Taber raise buffalo for meat so we saw them regularly when we drove from Grassy Lake to Taber.  But African Buffalo are definitely different and I find their horns fascinating.  One time, LeRon and I were at a watering hole in the Nairobi Park and there were hundreds of buffalo coming to drink.  We sat and watched them until one of them put his head down and started pawing the ground.  We got out of there very quickly!!!!

We were excited to see a mama rhino and her baby!

From the way this rhino is holding her head, I would guess that it is a black rhino  Black rhinos tend to hold their heads upright as they browse on bushes.  White rhinos hold their heads close to the ground as they prefer short grasses.  But I could be wrong!

Mama and baby were running very fast.  I was lucky to get this shot through the front window -- I was sitting in the back seat.  We haven't seen too many rhinos this close.  Pretty exciting!

I can't have too many pictures of my lovely zebras!

It's interesting how black and white stripes can blend into the environment so well.  

An eland.  Elder Hales and Elder Pavik and I couldn't remember what this lovely antelope was called.  But it is an eland, the largest of all antelopes.  There are so many kinds of antelopes here and they each have their beauty.

Giraffes often stand so still that they look like statues and you often miss noticing them.

Giraffes are such regal creatures!  I love to watch their loping gait.

When our daughter Heather was here, we wondered why so many trees grew in a triangle shape -- until we watched giraffes eating them and then we knew!

God must have a huge imagination to have created giraffes and rhinoceroses and warthogs and wildebeests! 

A flock of vultures!!!  Not sure what they were feeding on but there were vultures on both sides of the road.  And they never flew away when we stopped to watch them.

I'm pretty sure these are white-backed vultures.

I never thought vultures could be so interesting but actually . . . they were!

A guide at the Ngorongoro Crater told us that you pronounce Wildebeest with a long "i" not a short "i" like most people say.  He said that they are definitely wild.  I've always thought wildebeests were ugly creatures but they are actually quite interesting with their black stripes, their floppy light beards and the hair covering their eyes.

I thought this sign was funny: "Be observant and patient for a better cameras result".  Cute! 

October 2017 MLC

The Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders come in to Nairobi from all parts of the mission once a month for Mission Leader Council.  LeRon and I love to be with the missionaries on these occasions.  We help Sister Msane with dinner and the clean-up and visit and sing with the missionaries.  We will certainly miss these events when we are released.

Elder Le Cheminant opening a package from home!  Elder Le Cheminant was the first Canadian we welcomed to the mission when we were newbies ourselves.  Now there are 5 Canadians (plus us) -- Elder Le Cheminant, Elder Coombs, Elder Card, Elder Latta, and Elder Wilson and in January there will be another.  Too bad we won't be here to greet him.

Elder Musonda from Zambia is a bright spirit!!

Elder Estheimer was with the first group of 14 that we welcomed to the mission in June 2016.  Elder Torrie and I hardly knew what we were doing back then.  Elder Estheimer has been in hot, hot Mombasa for many transfers now.

Elder Wambua will be going home next transfer.  He is one of the few remaining Kenyans.  Lots of Kenyans are going on missions but they are being called to other countries.  Even one Kenyan was called to the Leeds, England mission.  Our son Craig received his Master's Degree from the University of Leeds.

To Elder Le Cheminant's mother:  WHAT is this???

Elder Egbert made flowers for Sister Msane and me from the paper napkins.  Fun!!

My flower kept falling out.  Sister Msane says that's because my hair is too soft.  If it were wirey like hers, the flower would stay in.  So I tucked mine underneath the arm of my glasses and it worked!

Games to pass that time in the evening at MLC.  L-R: Elder Ellis, Elder Rasmussen, Elder Egbert, Elder McGrath.

What are you building, Elder McGrath?

Elder Mwanziu (on left) is from Kenya and Elder Ngele is from Zimbabwe if I remember correctly.

Elder Noel and Elder Odhiambo are working hard, wouldn't you say?

Now the singing starts . . . Elder Torrie always likes to tickle the ivories (which are no longer made of ivory since elephant tusks can no longer be turned into piano keys).  I'm pretty sure that my mom and dad's piano had real ivory keys.  Elder Le Cheminant and Elder Mwanziu are waiting to sing.

Elder Musonda and Elder Estheimer.  Notice the funny motions, Elder Musonda is making as they sing "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel."  One of the missionaries said that a man who led the singing would often do that motion on that song.  Turns out that "that man" was Elder Mwanziu's grandfather.  We all had a good laugh.

Elder Egbert, Elder Ngele, Elder Ellis

Elder Wambua, Sister Ngwaru, Sister Ziqubu and Sister Shanya

Elder Ngele, Elder Ellis

I think they're still having a good laugh about how the chorister made that motion with his hands and it turned out to be Elder Mwanziu's grandfather.  L-R:  Elder Mwashi, Elder Egbert, Elder Ngele.

Still laughing about "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel!"  Elder Mahanzu behind Elder Torrie.

Elder McGrath, Elder Noel, Elder Odhiambo hiding in the back of the room.

I caught President Msane beating on Sister Msane's shoulders.  Actually giving her a very much needed shoulder massage.  By the end of the day, Sister Msane's tired!  Every time I went to take a picture, President Msane would hide but this time I got him!

Elder Rasmussen has a beautiful voice!  I put videos of him singing on a previous post.

Elder Mahanzu

Elder Odhiambo and Elder Noel are getting ready to share a favorite Book of Mormon story.  Elder Musonda on right is listening.

We love Elder Noel.  He reminds us so much of Ira Eldredge our cousin's son.  But we love Elder Noel for himself too!

When Elder Ngele (on left) first came on mission, I thought he must be the twin of Elder Mahanzu (on right).  They look like they could be brothers.

Elder Torrie and Elder Mwanziu

Elder Rasmussen and Elder Odhiambo

Our wonderful leaders in the Kenya Nairobi Mission -- President and Sister Msane.  They both have strong testimonies, great love for the missionaries, cute senses of humor and they love to laugh.  Below are a few videos I took at the MLC.  Somehow two videos that are the same loaded and one that I tried to load didn't.  Maybe my daughter Michelle can fix my problem.