The Gorgeous Kilungu Hills

Here's more great logos I've seen this week on buses:

No Dream is too Far-fetched

God Cares

Christ Changed my Life

Mercyful

Hope 'n Pray

God is Great

God's Answer: Psalms 138:3

The first logo was alongside a painting by Mormon artist Simon Dewey entitled "The Lord is my Shepherd."  We see this painting a lot.  It's very popular here in Kenya.  Simon Dewey lives in Cardston, Alberta, which is a 2-hour drive away from where we live in Canada.  

And another cool name of a matutu company: Trinity Transport.  How can you go wrong with that one?

And a huge typo I saw recently on a bus: Complaint instead of Compliant!!!  (I wonder when someone else will notice that one!  Interesting how one little change in letters can completely change the meaning.  And how you can't trust spell checker!)

I've also been pondering lately how we in "the west" think that our way of doing things is the only correct way and that everyone should live like we do.  There are millions of people who live very differently from us and they live very happy lives.  The most important thing is to be true to what we know is true:  For Christians to live the teachings of Jesus Christ and for Muslims to live the teachings of Mohamed and for Hindus to live according to their beliefs and so on.  

We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that there is truth and much good in every religion and many philosophies.  In fact, in 1978, our First Presidency issued an official statement regarding our position toward other churches:

"Based upon ancient and modern revelation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gladly teaches and declares the Christian doctrine that all men and women are brothers and sisters, not only by blood relationship from mortal progenitors, but also as literal spirit children of an Eternal Father.

"The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.

"Our message therefore is one of special love and concern for the eternal welfare of all men and women, regardless of religious belief, race, or nationality, knowing that we are truly brothers and sisters because we are sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father."

We live next door to a wonderful Hindu family who have become dear friends and on the other side, a Muslim family has recently moved in.  Christian Kenyans live in other flats in our compound.  All good people.  We are so blessed to know them. 

On Saturday, LeRon and I drove the 90 kms to Kyambeke Branch in the Kilungu Hills District for some audit work.  The 90 kms (about 55 miles) took us 3 1/2 hours to get there and 4 hours to get back.  Traffic was very bad!  The Kilungu area is gorgeous with its red soil, green foliage, and steep hills.  It's no wonder people are so physically fit here: they walk up hills and down each day, often carrying heavy jugs of water on their heads or loads of firewood or cornstalks on their backs.  They are strong people!  

On our way home to Nairobi, as we were just barely in the city, we came upon hundreds and hundreds (possibly more than a thousand) people on the sides of the highway, on the overpasses, and even in the lanes.  We were sure it was a political rally.  It looked peaceful enough but we knew we needed to get out of there.  How do you do it on a divided highway with deep ditches?  So we said a prayer and forged ahead.  We were the only white faces!  Smiling, waving Kenyans pounded on our truck.  We know things can turn ugly quickly so we were glad to get out of there!!  As the election gets closer we will need to stick closer to home.  Today in our sacrament meeting, prayers were offered for peace and safety during the election.  Even in Primary (class for ages 3-12), the young people giving prayers begged for safety.  We will be safe if we follow our mission president's counsel and do what is right.

Enjoy the photos of Kilungu.  Unfortunately for you missionary moms and dads, we never met up with any missionaries this time so there's no pictures of the wonderful young men who serve in that district.  Below are a couple of pictures from our day this past week with the Mission Branch Presidents and District Leaders.  That is always an enjoyable experience.  Such good men.

Supper at Carnivore at the Hub.  L-R: Mission President Msane, President Kogo of Eldoret District, President Okila of Kisumu Branch, President Imende of Busia Branch, President Itongwa of Mwanza Branch, President Kibanda of Arusha Branch, President Balilemwa, a counselor in the mission presidency, Elder & Sister Torrie standing.  The other presidents had already left for home.  A fun evening together.  We will miss them when our mission is over.

I love to catch Sister Msane giving President Msane those loving glances!!!  You can tell they are a happy couple who love each other.

But I think they would prefer this photo.  We are blessed to have been called to serve with the Msanes.

It's 8 a.m. and we're on our way to Kilungu.  It's a cold, misty morning.  In fact, if I were home in Canada, I would think it was going to snow.  The sky had that look.  And it was 12 C.  Very cold for on the equator!  This was the beginning of really bad traffic.  There was construction along the way and hundreds of semis trying to get through.  Police at this intersection were directing traffic.  But mainly I took this picture to show all the political posters on the pillars of the new high speed railway line going from Nairobi to Mombasa on the Indian Ocean coast.

I really wonder if all these posters change anyone's political viewpoint.  And who will take them down?  We also noticed posters pasted on the sides of the road and even on the speed bumps.  Who can even see the pictures on posters pasted on speed bumps??

This man is digging through the pavement with a pick ax.  What a lot of work!

We saw about five bad accidents (after they happened, thankfully) along the Mombasa Highway.  This tanker truck was ruined I would say and I doubt if the driver made it out alive.  I told LeRon that the driver had probably been going too fast.  But then LeRon said that possibly a car did something really stupid and the driver had to hit the ditch.  You have to be so careful around these big trucks that can't stop as quickly as a car can.  Sad to see the accident.

We were off the Mombasa highway the last hour of driving.  Now it is beautiful red dirt roads.  Tried to catch these children out the car window heading to their home.

The roads were steep and narrow with foot paths leading out into the forest.

We passed many people walking, carrying their burdens, and very few cars.

The plants by the side of the road were covered in a fine red dust.

This woman was carrying a huge burden on her back.  I was ticked at the man walking beside who was not even helping.  But maybe they weren't together so I shouldn't get mad at him.  

The red soil was gorgeous!

The day was hazy so it was hard to get a good photo of the beauty of the land. 

The terraced hillsides grow many crops.  No piece of land is wasted.

The load on the back of this motorbike is about as big as the load the woman in a previous picture was carrying.  Lots of motobikes here but few cars.

The haze had lifted a bit by the time we were ready to leave Kilungu but this photo does not do justice to the beauty of the area.

Nor do these pictures show how steep the hills really are.  Hard to imagine farming here.

More dirt covered plants by the side of the road.  I wonder how photosynthesis works here.  Can the leaves even absorb the sunlight?

We passed this woman carrying a load of something on her back.  We have a missionary rule that we are not to give anyone except missionaries a ride in our vehicle.  (I'm sure it's for our safety).  Would have been nice to help this woman.  And again, I was ticked at the man walking beside and just watching!!

Princely People

Here are some more great signs I've seen on matatus and larger buses lately:

Impossible is Nothing with God

What God Controls Never Go Out of Control (sic)

Jesus is the Prince of Peace

Repent and Prepare the way: Messiah is Coming

None can stop Gospel

God's Answer: Psalms 138:3

Gospel Power

I still find it hard to understand the dichotomy here in Kenya: nice words and feelings about Jesus Christ on the one hand and yet on the other, the violence that may take place after the elections.  Jesus said to love those that hate you and do good to those that despitefully use you.  I'm not sure how violence will solve any problems nor is it what Jesus would have us do.  It's the age-old problem of trying to make our actions consistent with our knowledge of right and wrong, which is a good definition of integrity.  And that is what the world needs: integrity.

I guess he that is without sin shall cast the first stone so I won't be casting any stones and I'll stop my judging.  There are so many wonderful people here and it's just a few bad apples that make it bad for all (as it is in most countries).  Generally speaking, the majority of people still tend to choose right.  Our sweet mission office cleaning girl, Cecelia, spent all day last Thursday and Friday in her church praying for peace for this wonderful country of Kenya.  I've been impressed with the number of prayers that have been given in our sacrament meetings, begging for peace and safety.  There are so many good, princely people here who deserve peace.  May it be so.

I've been very impressed with this sign that we see every day.  The political problems we have here are largely due to tribal affiliations.  If all Kenyans could feel that their tribe is Kenya, it would lead to much greater peace and unity.  But it seems that tribal heritage trumps everything else here in Kenya.  In the church, we encourage new members to put their membership in the kingdom of God first before their ancestral tribe.  We are all brothers and sisters and children of the same God.  The church also encourages people to keep the good in their culture but to discard anything that goes against the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Culture is good as long as it is consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

And here's our princely neighbors . . . Joy and Prince (love those names!)  They were dressed up for a wedding and Joy was the flower girl.

She was excited to show me her lovely curls.  These curly extensions will last a couple of weeks.

And the beads in the front were lovely.

Shiny dark skin and dark eyes and brilliant white smile make for one handsome young man, don't you think?

We spent a Sunday recently in Naivasha.  We were surprised to see rubble right next to the church.  The neighboring building (which attaches on to the church building) is being renovated.

This is the dark, not nice smelling walkway that church members have to go through to reach the church building.  President Msane says it needs to be changed, and I agree.

I was surprised to find all the homes empty and no one around.  Everyone had to move out so the owners can renovate.  Building here in Kenya is not like in the west.

I had a great visit with the Naivasha Branch President's wife.  She is a lovely young woman, just a bit older than my children.

Sister Ochieng is expecting her third baby.  Her oldest is about 17 and her second son, about 11, recently passed away.  I hadn't heard so she told me all about it.  So sad.  He died of sickle cell anemia, which is fairly common among Africans.

We had a nice conversation about how comforting it is to know that she will see and be with her son again and that death is not the end.  It's still hard when someone dies but it's not as devastating when we understand the plan of happiness and the Savior's role in overcoming death so that all may live again.

While I was visiting with Sister Ochieng, Elder Torrie was in the clerk's office doing training and a financial audit.  He loves these good men who are so humble and willing to be taught.  L-R: Branch President Ochieng, his clerk, his counselor.

Had to get a picture of us with the clerk, the branch president, and his counselor.  Fine men.

President Ochieng and his lovely wife are definitely "princely people".

And LeRon had to get a picture with this young man, Mike, who is teaching himself to play the piano.  LeRon has helped him to get his keyboard working and has been encouraging him in his endeavors. Since this is undoubtedly our last trip to Naivasha before the end of our mission, it was a sad/happy occasion.  We wish the missionaries, Elder Odhiambo and Elder Tucker, would have been here but they were in Nakuru.  They travel to Nakuru once a month or more to help out with the group that meets there.

More princely people . . . after all, seniors are nearly royalty aren't they?  LeRon and I picked Elder and Sister Lillywhite at the airport.  (In Kenya, you don't pick up someone or something, you pick it).  Lillywhites are here as Public Affairs specialists.

I took this picture to remind myself that there were 15 huge billboards advertising hairdos.  Hair is pretty important here.  Lots of different ways to add texture and color to African hair.  And yet a lot of girls and women keep their hair extremely short.  Much easier to take care of, I would imagine.

The 15 billboards were all along this busy road in downtown Nairobi.  In the more than a year that we've been here, we've only seen one questionable billboard.

Chyulu Part V: Videos

Following are a few short videos of giraffes bending to get a drink of water, zebras, elephants, and scenery.  Enjoy!  If the videos don't work, you may need to change your browser.  Chrome works for me but not Mozilla Firefox.

Chyulu Part IV: Sunday Services and Home to Nairobi

Sunday morning we arose early to watch the animals gathered at the water hole.  Then it was off to Makutano for Church and then home to Nairobi.  We love the new flat we live in.  Now that we're on the second floor, we don't have people doing their laundry 6 inches in front of our window!!  Nice to have more privacy and beautiful views and good neighbors (not that we've ever had bad neighbors).

Lovely view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from our balcony at Kilaguni on this Sabbath morning.

Close-up of Mt. Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is known as the "rooftop of Africa"

  

Are these elands or oryx?  I need to research it but not tonight.

The elephants here at Tsavo are red due to the red soil that they live in.

Impala in the early morning light

Elephants have been for a drink at the water hole.  Such interesting, social animals.

I get nervous when I see a lone elephant because we know that lone elephants leave the herd when they are old and about to die.  They die when their last teeth are worn out and they can't eat anymore.

Interesting that the elephants at Masai Mara are grey and the elephants here are red.

This zebra must have been killed by lions in the early morning because it wasn't here beside the road yesterday.  Hyenas are known to chase away lions from lion kill.  Hyenas can clean up a carcass in about an hour.

Poor little zebra.  But that is the circle of life.  These two hyenas will be full for a while.

I guess one hyena has eaten his full and is off.

 

Cute black-backed jackal.

Two cute black-backed jackals

Grant's gazelles running across the road in front of us.

And now we are seeing my beloved baobab trees.

It's a nice, sunny morning and we are on our way to Makutano.

Note that other trees still have their leaves, but not the baobab.

Three baobab sentinels.

They look kind of monster-ish, don't you think?

Now we've arrived at the church and children are playing outside, awaiting the start of Sacrament meeting.

Eating suckers and posing for a picture.  The boy on the left was particularly wanting his photo taken.  The chapel is huge with high ceilings.  But there were only four rows of chairs so the congregation was quite small.

Cute little member girls

After church, we're on our way again and taking more pictures of baobabs out the truck window.

Can't get enough of the trees

Carts loaded with fire wood

And pulled by cattle (oxen?)

Mud brick homes and buildings

The people are well dressed and look very clean in spite of walking on dusty roads.

This picture is to remind me that in this area, they make bricks.  I missed taking a picture of bricks drying in the sun.

The baobab tree across from this one (which unfortunately I don't have a picture of) was 40 feet in circumference according to LeRon's footsteps.  Huge!

More baobabs dot the landscape.

Baobabs are everywhere starting about 2 hours drive west of Tsavo.

Bikes are a popular form of transportation although many people have motor bikes.

Can't get enough pictures of the baobabs.  Kind of like my thousands of pictures of zebras!

As we got closer to Nairobi, there were five huge dust devils kicking up red dust.

So interesting to see a red dust devil.

The high speed train between Mombasa and Nairobi is now open for business.  You can travel between the two cities in about 4 1/2 hours.  The normal train takes 12 hours and to drive, it takes 10-12 or more hours.