So this week has been a quick one. The weeks seem to be going by very quick now, which is a good thing, because I just look forward to get done being a "trainee". This week we have been in a threesome companionship, because Elder Jones left on Tuesday and it wasn't the end of the transfer. Our third companion will be with us till September 15 when transfers occur and we all receive new companions.
On Wednesday, we went to the Meeting house to teach English Class, Keyboard Class, and Temple Class, but once again we were misinformed and later found out all classes were cancelled due to the renovations at the church. The church is now entirely finished with renovations, and it actually looks really good now. We had our DDM (District Development Meeting) with the five of us, then the hotel for lunch as usual. After finishing, we went to go teach in Mutua. It's really interesting teaching with a threesome rather than just two of us. It's kinda nice, because there are now three people to give input and help answer questions. Mutua days are always a bit slow, so we taught all those we could find and got home around 6:00pm. Each day when we get home and after our review / accounting of the day, we go to the market to buy food (fruits, veggies, and breads). I always buy bananas. Everyday I need to buy more, because I eat so many each day. I also love loquats which they call "Matunda". Matunda actually means fruits, so its confusing as to why they have no other name for them. They are sour, which is my favorite. Elder Kazomba doesn't like them at all because of the sourness. He says they are a worthless fruit that should be burned.. haha
Thursday was our Kikoko day. I thought it would be a good idea to try and take the short cut from Kalongo (our flat) to Kikoko. We have never been shown the actual short cut, but we have only been told about it.. "How hard could it be"... was my thought. We started out on the shortcut. We walked for a good while through the river bed, up hills, through trees and such. All the trees look the same, so we thought we were for sure getting close. The other route is really long, so the amount of time we were spending didn't seem all that bad. We soon found ourselves near the top a hill we didn't recognize. When we looked back, we could see off in the distance behind us, the hill we were supposed to be at... oops. We asked a family that was living nearby for directions, and they gladly showed us where to go. Elder Kazomba and Nyirenda were a bit flustered, but I just told them "we're fulfilling our call by teaching all ends of our area". We got a few contacts while lost which was really good, because the people had never heard of the church before...maybe we should get lost more often ;)
The rest of the day went well. We taught a very powerful lesson regarding the Word of Wisdom. (Click on the bolded words to read about what it is.) There is a mama, who is very worried about her husband because he has begun to drink again after being sober for many months. She really loves him -- for the first time here in New Kambani, I heard a husband and wife say "I love you" to one another. We expressed that the church is not a church of forcing people to do things, it instead provides the framework for a happy, healthy, and blessed life. We are not forced to do anything, but we instead build the desire to be better and to improve our lives by following the example of Jesus Christ. The Mzee (man/father) we taught has a great potential to be a strong member, but he doesn't see his divine potential. He has let the world take grasp of him and make him believe he is worth less than what God sees of him.
We also taught mama Makwema and Josephine about the Word of Wisdom, Brother Makwema had been called away before we arrived. The lesson went really well. They strongly believe in the Word of Wisdom. They expressed to us their great hope that their Mzee (man/father) would entirely quit drinking. That's something we are trying to work on PolePole (slowly). On our way home, we came across the Mzee. He was with some of his friends, who we know for being drunkards. Brother Makwema was a bit drunk, not as bad as last time, but we could tell there was some alcohol in his body. We have connected his drinking to the influence of his friends. He really wants to stop, but it's hard for people to refuse here when someone offers to buy them a drink. It's amazing to think of how much friends have an impact on people. If you have good friends, your more likely to do good things, but if you have bad friends or friends who like to do bad things and the more you surround yourself with them, the easier it is to also do bad things.
The rest of the day went well. We taught a very powerful lesson regarding the Word of Wisdom. (Click on the bolded words to read about what it is.) There is a mama, who is very worried about her husband because he has begun to drink again after being sober for many months. She really loves him -- for the first time here in New Kambani, I heard a husband and wife say "I love you" to one another. We expressed that the church is not a church of forcing people to do things, it instead provides the framework for a happy, healthy, and blessed life. We are not forced to do anything, but we instead build the desire to be better and to improve our lives by following the example of Jesus Christ. The Mzee (man/father) we taught has a great potential to be a strong member, but he doesn't see his divine potential. He has let the world take grasp of him and make him believe he is worth less than what God sees of him.
We also taught mama Makwema and Josephine about the Word of Wisdom, Brother Makwema had been called away before we arrived. The lesson went really well. They strongly believe in the Word of Wisdom. They expressed to us their great hope that their Mzee (man/father) would entirely quit drinking. That's something we are trying to work on PolePole (slowly). On our way home, we came across the Mzee. He was with some of his friends, who we know for being drunkards. Brother Makwema was a bit drunk, not as bad as last time, but we could tell there was some alcohol in his body. We have connected his drinking to the influence of his friends. He really wants to stop, but it's hard for people to refuse here when someone offers to buy them a drink. It's amazing to think of how much friends have an impact on people. If you have good friends, your more likely to do good things, but if you have bad friends or friends who like to do bad things and the more you surround yourself with them, the easier it is to also do bad things.
On Friday, there was a Young Single Adult (YSA) activity at the church building, the Branch President wanted us to attend, so we came. There are only 3 YSA eligible people in the branch, but there were 75 people there. Most of them were young kids just coming to give them something to do. When we arrived. We found a "Chapati Factory"busy at work, there was like 15 people slaving away making Chapo, it was crazy! (Chapati is a Kenyan food staple. It is an unleavened flat bread.) Elder Nyirenda had to hurry down to Kyambeke real quick so we could grab his suit coat for Zone Conference. We quickly got on a picky picky and rode down there. Picky picky rides are actually quite peaceful. They cruise with the engine off, so its just the wind and the wilderness that you hear. When we got back to the church, Elder Kazomba taught a lesson about Sunday observance, seminary, and institute. It was a good lesson. After, as we waited for the food to all finish cooking, we played "what if" with all those in attendance.. this didn't turn out so well. It was difficult to get everyone to write their question on a paper, and then when we looked, almost all the questions were the same as the example question we told them. They laughed a lot at the answers, so that was good. The food was delicious, Chapati, rice, Nyama (grilled meat usually goat or sheep), cabbage salad, and soda. It was super filling.
*I weighed myself today in Nairobi... still 90kgs. I don't know how this is possible though, because my shirts are now like tents and the necks are loose. I also had to punch a new hole in my belt so it would keep my pants up. However, my legs have gotten way strong and my calves are massive from hiking the hills.
Saturday, was a good day. We were going to Kikoko, and this time we didn't use the shortcut . We first taught the Mutukus. I guess we caught them by surprise, but we were still able to teach the whole family. Elder Kazomba kept quiet the entire lesson. At first I thought this was really strange, but then I caught on and realized he was trying to test my teaching abilities. The lesson went really well. I taught about charity and service. I was using a ton of scriptures that I didn't even realize I knew. The spirit was strong, and was no doubt guiding my teaching. Elder Kazomba told me after the lesson that he was impressed and thinks I'm ready to train. I think I would actually really enjoy that. I would sure make that fresh missionary work hard! I walk quite quickly, so he would be running to catch up on the hills haha! This week while walking, I came up with a new motto, "We've got people to teach, the gospel to preach, and souls to save!" (That is now my response whenever people tell me I'm walking too fast!) The rest of Saturday went well. We went and visited brother Lenard KiviKivi. He is doing much better. He can stand up now and walk with assistance of a crutch or cane. (His legs had been crushed between a truck and a wall.)
Back at the flat on Saturday, I had to wash laundry. (Laundry is done in a bucket.) I was washing it outside and a bunch of little kids came and surrounded me and kept touching my hair saying "Why is your hair like this?" I guess they're not used to Muzungu hair. Chensie, a little kid with a mental disorder always hangs around our flat. He's funny at times, but other times he gets on our nerves because he'll knock on our door or hang on the window saying "Muzungu!?" I give him food and he will go away for about ten minutes, but then he comes right back. While I was washing my laundry, I tried to get him to go away, so the other little kids were chasing him and as he was running out the gate, he was looking back at me yelling "Muzungu Muzungu". Right before he got out the gate, a big fat goat ran in front of him and totally clothes lined him! It was hysterical funny, a little bit sad, but so funny. I feel even the goat got a laugh out of it. Good thing he got right back up and continued doing his normal pestering.
Back at the flat on Saturday, I had to wash laundry. (Laundry is done in a bucket.) I was washing it outside and a bunch of little kids came and surrounded me and kept touching my hair saying "Why is your hair like this?" I guess they're not used to Muzungu hair. Chensie, a little kid with a mental disorder always hangs around our flat. He's funny at times, but other times he gets on our nerves because he'll knock on our door or hang on the window saying "Muzungu!?" I give him food and he will go away for about ten minutes, but then he comes right back. While I was washing my laundry, I tried to get him to go away, so the other little kids were chasing him and as he was running out the gate, he was looking back at me yelling "Muzungu Muzungu". Right before he got out the gate, a big fat goat ran in front of him and totally clothes lined him! It was hysterical funny, a little bit sad, but so funny. I feel even the goat got a laugh out of it. Good thing he got right back up and continued doing his normal pestering.
Sunday, was Fast Sunday, (Fast Sunday is when members go without food and drink for 2 meals and give the money that they would have spent on those meals as an offering to help those in need.) It makes it quite a challenge walking to church, you sure sweat a lot! In PEC (Priesthood Executive Committee meeting -- a branch leadership meeting), we brought up the topic of tithing. It is something that needs a bit of fixing in the branch as the Branch Presidency usually walk around each class handing out tithing slips. It makes people feel obliged to pay their tithing or to pay something when it should be a personal decision. The Branch President handled it well. In Sacrament meeting, he mentioned that no one would be walking around handing out tithing slips and that they would have to go to the box to get one. This was accepted fine by everyone. After church, I made a delicious veggie supu (soup) with carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and smokies (hot dog like things). I really enjoy this soup and make it probably three times a week, usually I mix it with rice, but I ran out of rice, so I don't have any more to mix with my soup. I have learned to make very simple, yet nutritious meals here. I figure its a nice skill to have. We all went to bed around 9:00pm, because we were planning to take the night bus at 4:00am to Nairobi.
Today we are in Nairobi. We arrived around 6:30am. The Matatu ride was crammed--they pack these small buses so "being comfortable" is nonexistent. I tried to sleep the whole time, but the driver was blasting loud music, which then turned into a radio preacher...it was sooo loud! Then the fumes of Nairobi started to make me sick--the exhaust of all the cars just lingers in the air and would seep into the window I was next to. That's one thing I don't like about the city, the amount of pollution in the air at all times. We went to the AP's (Assistants to the President) flat, and met up with 2 other missionaries. We all went into town together and pulled out our allotments (Money for the month). Then Elder Ita (American) and I got separated from all the Africans, so we tried to find our way through the city to the big market. We have learned how to navigate in Nairobi, at first it was hard, but now we're naturals at it! At the market, I was able to use my bargaining skills. I bargained for a Kenya Futbol jersey from 1600ksh, all the way down to 850ksh ($10). The seller was tough. It's the Kukuyo tribe here and they are way more educated than the Kamba tribe. They are known for their love of money and good business skills. At another duka (shop), I helped Elder Ita bargain for a jersey all the way down to 600ksh ($7). The market was nasty though. The streets were caked with mud which smelled like poop, and there were puddles all over from the rain. We ate at a place called Nairobi Java House. It was great -- burgers, fries and milk shakes! Haven't had that for a while. Well, tomorrow is Mission Tour/ Zone Conference, a General Authority is coming to speak to us, so that will be a really cool experience.
This week, while studying the scriptures, I came across two great chapters in the Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 27 which prophesies the exchange between Joseph Smith and Charles Anton about the authenticity of the ancient egyptian characters found on the golden plates. Also, 2 Nephi 29. I love this one a lot, because it explains exactly why there is need for the Book of Mormon and the Bible, rather than just the Bible alone. I encourage all of you reading this to take a look at those chapters. (Just click on the bolded scripture reference to read it.)
Well, until next Tuesday!
Love you all,
Elder Hiltbrand
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