Hello everyone,
Happy Mothers Day to all the Mothers out there, and to all the missionary Moms, hope you enjoyed speaking with your missionaries. Hopefully someone bought you the Saratov Approach for Mothers Day, because I hear it's the perfect movie for the mothers of missionaries. haha
So first off this week has been really busy and has gone quite fast, but there is some sad news that I received last Tuesday. Brother Kivikivi from Kilungu Hills passed away last Wednesday. There was more damage to the interior of his body than originally thought due to the accident he had 9 months ago while trying to assist a truck of people get unstuck. It was so sad to hear of his death, he was one of my absolute favorite people here in Kenya and I was hoping to see him again later in my mission or afterwards. He was a great friend of mine and one of the smartest and story filled people I have met here in Kenya. We used to talk and talk all the time about all sorts of topics. His faith in the Gospel was so strong, and he really gave his family hope through raising them in the gospel. He left a wife, a son, and a daughter behind. The doctors had screened him and given him the OKAY after the accident but over time the truth came forward and took his life. So yeah that was really sad this week. (Brother Kivikivi was the one that Rushton helped build the cow pen for back in the hills. Rushton said that after the accident, Bro. kivikivi would still go with them to teach investigators using a walker. So sad, because if he had the medical care that we have, he would probably still be alive.)
On a less sad note, Tuesday we did a lot of contacting because our first few appointments in the morning bounced so we studied for a little bit as the Senior Missionary Couple drove water tanks to houses in Langas. (Attached is an article about all the Senior Missionary couples serving in Kenya and Tanzania and how they are helping the people there.) We were waiting for our appointments to come, but once we realized they weren’t going to come, we went across the street into a closer ghetto/slum and did a bunch of contacting. It’s funny, while we were walking the dusty roads, we were relating it to how Christ walked the dusty roads of Damascus nearly 2000 years ago. It shows the spreading of the gospel is pretty similar to then. When we returned back to the church, we had a lesson with a new investigator named Andrew, who found us and was really interested in learning about the Gospel. We taught him the basic principles of the gospel and toured him through the chapel. (Attached is an article on the new Langas chapel that Rushton is serving in. It includes some pictures.) He is one of those guys that you can tell he has been prepared by the Lord, he is a wise man and really is seeking the interest of his family rather than money and things of that sort. It was quite funny though while teaching him all these goats were walking around eating the grass. We allow them to come in and freely "mow" the grass for us. The other day there were 6 and then on Tuesday there were 14 so obviously they are telling their friends to come and enjoy the green grass. And even better, their poop fertilizes the patches that are lacking grass. It was obvious as of Tuesday that the Weather is changing in the area and soon we will be having rain. It is getting much colder now.
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| The New Langas, Eldoret Chapel that Rushton serves in. |
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| Inside the New Eldoret Chapel |
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| Boy playing piano in the Langas Chapel |
Wednesday was proof that rainy season might finally be here, it likes to trick the people here, it’s 2 months late, and It’s not coming in force like they are used to, so many of the people may suffer this year because of it. And what’s worse is Eldoret/Western Kenya is the bread basket for the rest of Kenya and grows the majority of the maize here. We had a nice DDM, I was chosen to train on the topic of the importance of Scripture Study. I gave my self an outline of what I desired to discuss, but also chose to let the spirit guide. It turned out really well and the spirit could be felt strong. There was much participation which I loved, Elder Harding said something that I especially liked " Repetition is essential to Exaltation". This was brought up after we discussed how life is very much like the switch backs while climbing a mountain. If it weren’t for switchbacks we would never make it to the top, we would have exhausted our energy far before the peak, but because the repetitive turns of switchbacks, we can conserve energy and overall make it to the top. Scripture study is one of those things that must be done over and over. It is a process that brings us closer to the savior as our knowledge in him increases, we get a little closer to becoming perfect like unto Him. After DDM, we returned back to Langas and had a nice lesson with Jones regarding the Book of Mormon. He was assigned to give a talk at church, so we helped him a little bit so he would be prepared. Afterwards we had a lesson with Francis and Jones was present with us. Francis is really beginning to accept the message and really gaining a testimony of the truthfulness of the restoration of Christ’s Church back on the earth. He even said "out of all the denominations I have attended, this is the only one that seems to have it all together, and is really drawing me toward Christ, rather than just seeking my money." We also gave Francis a new Bible to help enhance his study with footnotes and everything. He was super appreciative of it. I’m glad I wore gum boots, because as we were teaching it was raining and because all the paths are dirt, it gets super muddy and slippery. Only bad thing about gum boots is wearing them all day is not very comfortable... but I fixed that after by putting my Ecco insoles into them to give them some support. Now they are comfy. I love wearing them, but my companion says I look like a farmer.. Well when in the land of the farmers, wear as the farmers wear!
Thursday was another Service day at the hospital. We were actually the first ones there this time. While we were on a Matatu to the Hospital, I sat next to this lady who's a Kenyan, but has been staying in London for the past 18 years, so she has embraced most of the lifestyle there, but along with it she has grown very stubborn to the church. She said she doesn’t like the rapid growth of the church because she believes in Jesus of Nazareth and not "Latter-day Jesus". I told her that we also believe in Jesus of Nazareth, and the Latter-day is Latter-day saints not Latter-day Jesus. We discussed on the way to town and she agreed there is a need for a restoration of Christ’s Gospel, but as she was agreeing other doubts were arising and she targeted the Book of Mormon, this is the usual target the adversary has. She said she had read it and it was filled of funny things and didn’t speak of Christ. Obviously she didn’t read it. If you read it you will not be able to deny that it speaks entirely of Jesus Christ and bears witness that he is our Savior.. I’m glad most Kenyans aren’t as stubborn as her and that I’m not in England or America where the missionaries must deal with that on a daily basis. Well, upon arrival at the hospital, we sat down and played Ken'x with the children. They are alot like Legos where you have to connect them together to make creations. I made the kids a tractor and a motorcycle which they loved. It brought back memories of playing Legos for hours as a kid. While playing with the kids outside, Harding and I were throwing the Football around, he taught me how to spiral it correctly...20 years and I’m just learning to spiral a football. After the hospital we had lunch together as a zone, and then went our separate ways. We had a teaching appointment deep in the ghettos. The appointment went really well. We are teaching a girl named Lucy and her sister Paris. We committed them to baptism for the 18th, because they have been attending church already the last few weeks. Afterwards, we returned to the church and met with Dennis, and lo and behold he returned my Camera!! in exchange for 4500ksh ($51)... still worth it to get the camera back, but sadly no SD card.. We then had an appointment with Simon and then as we were walking home, Francis met up with us and gave us a loaf of bread and milk as a token of gratitude for the new Bible we gave him. We were super shocked to receive it, but it’s offensive to deny gifts here, so we gratefully accepted it and thanked him for his great kindness, because it really is a sacrifice for him.
Friday was a powerful teaching day, after weekly planning, we headed to the church and studied for a bit waiting for our appointments to arrive. Our first appointment was with Andrew. We had a nice lesson with him, he asked really good questions, and was really interested in knowing more about the gift of tongues, because most of the Pentacostal churches here speak in tongues and get super wild. We discussed that and established that there must be an interpreter otherwise it is not truly the spirit speaking. Daniel showed up near the end of our lesson and also chipped in, kinda blasting him about speaking in tongues and how it is falsified and that it cannot be learned in a University as many of the colleges here teach. It’s amazing to see when our investigators speak and teach like they are members. After Andrew departed, we had a great lesson with Daniel and Francis together. They are both two old men concerned about the welfare of their families and their communities. We taught the Plan of Salvation, and as usual, the Plan of Salvation added more questions. It almost always leads to deeper doctrine questions about the creation. Crazy questions that will take much study to be able to answer. We explained that there are many questions that we have concerning the creation, but we can rely on the fact that some day all things shall be made known to us, but right now is the time to focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It really was a great lesson and I think Daniel and Francis will be good friends.
Saturday was a rainy day, the first big one of the Rain season. We set out to our appointment in the Ghettos wearing our snow jackets. Iit really made me wish I had water proof pants, everthing else stays dry besides your pants. The Gum Boots are essential to have now otherwise you get drenched around the feet. We went and taught Lucy and Paris. They are understanding really well, so that will help them to be prepared for baptism. As we had finished and were about to leave, they wouldn’t let us leave because they wanted us to take lunch. Once again it’s offensive to say no, so we remained and ate, then set out to return to the church. We came across Joshua and Jones on our way to the church. We were also being pestered by a drunk guy wanting me, the muzungu, to give him money. "saidia Kumi!" (help me with 10ksh) This time we just kept walking, gave him a word of wisdom pamphlet and talked with Jones. At the church we taught Steven, he is the cousin of the Branch president. He has come to church a few times and understands well, so we committed him to baptism on the 25th of this month. We currently have 7 committed to baptism this month, so that will bring our teaching pool down a little bit, but it’s so amazing to see the impact the gospel has in the life of the people here. They see that it will bring great blessings to their families and to the Nation. We had a lesson with Joshua and we covered the Word of Wisdom, in case there were any struggles. It is normal for Kenyans to take Tea and Coffee, so he discussed that with us, but committed to leave it all behind and drink hot chocolate instead. As we were walking back to Kisumu Ndogo where our flat is together, we were getting totally soaked with rain. I was eating a mango, so everytime I would lift my arm the rain would get in my sleeve, but the Mango tasted nice, so it was worth it! We stopped at the Duka (store) to buy phone credit, and I purchased Joshua a packet of drinking chocolate to begin day one of going without coffee and Tea. Recently this week my head has been feeling really tired even when my body is not, so hopefully that will go away soon. I’ve been trying to get to bed early for that to help, but nothing’s working so far, so hopefully it will take care of itself.
Sunday, Mothers Day! or the day you get to call home for missionaries! Today at church, we had a fewer number of people present because of the impending rain season. Joshua brought a guy he met on the way to church. Already doing missionary work and he is not even a member yet. After Church, we met with our investigators who will be baptized on the 18th and the Branch President to discuss a little bit. Then after that, of course Calling Home! Calling home is always the best because talking to family is great to actually hear everyone’s voices. To some people it makes the missionary really home sick, but for me it really pumps me up and makes me want to work harder because 2 years is so short and goes by so quickly. I love my family so it is so nice to hear that all is well, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have all their support. I am so thankful for mothers and especially my mom who taught me and nourished me into who I am today. Thanks mom. I love you. Also thank you to all Mothers out there, because Mothers make the world go round.
Thank you to everyone for all your love, prayers and support.
Till next week, Elder Rushton Jay Hiltbrand
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