Well hello once more everyone,
First of all though last Monday after cybering we were all going together to Huruma and as we are entering the Huruma stage (bus station) a matatu (van) is pulling out and shoving everyone far against the side, because it was already driving within the Pedestrian walk way, well I so happened to be nearest to the Matatu, and this particular Matatu had wide reaching mirrors, so to avoid getting myself hit, I put my hand up to block the impact of the mirror, and it just so happened to make a sound as though it broke. Elder Gitonga being from kenya and knowing Kenyan Culture and such just pushed us along saying just keep walking, so that’s what we did, and then some guy chased us down demanding we come back and give them money. Elder Nyirenda decided we should go back because he didn’t want to cause trouble, and people were gathering and some of the intoxicated people around started saying we had hit them too, trying to get money out of us. So we went back to the Matatu and looked at the mirror. First of all it had been super glued back onto the metal previously, so when my hand hit it, it just so happened to sound like it was breaking because it was hitting the metal where it had previously broken off. They demanded 3000ksh ($34) out of us for time and repairs. As we were standing there and Elder Gitonga was speaking Kiswahili to them, a crowd gathered around (this is a normal thing whenever there is any commotion.) As people started gathering closing in on our personal space, people were trying to slyly open our bags and take things... luckily when I first felt a movement of my bag I turned and cleared everyone from around us. We ended up giving the guy 700ksh ($8) and went on our way. To be honest, sometimes its really hard being a muzungu (white man) in black Africa, everyone assumes we have money and totally tries to abuse that and get money out of us just because of our skin. I love the people here, but sometimes they are incredibly frustrating. So yeah that was an event on Monday that is worth recounting.
So being the only one in a zone that knows a certain area is nice sometimes, but it also puts lots of responsibility on me. On Tuesday, the entire day was spent training the new Sosiani/ Huruma Elders in the Huruma area. This meant another day filled with walking the dusty roads of Huruma. A few weeks ago I mentioned that the rain season had come, well scratch that, like totally there has been no rain here since then... meaning that it is hot and dry all over here, especially in Huruma. The nice part about this weather though is it kinda makes it feel like being at the lake or the beach in the summer, so I don’t really mind it. We planned out the day and then went area to area visiting each home of members, investigators, and recent converts, so that the new elders now know where to go and such. Going through the areas, we began to learn of the lack of teaching that has been done there the past 6 weeks.. Like it really hurt the area, but I know that Elder Harding and Elder Gitonga will revive the area and build it back into the area of great potential that it is meant to be. It was extra dusty this time because of no rain, and plus the dirt there is really lose, so every step throws up dirt and dust (voombi) The best part was the wind! When the wind blows, walls of dust are thrown up and blast through us. We joked around saying our shirts where becoming more brown every minute, and that we could feel the dust on our teeth, because you can’t help but smile and laugh when you hit a wall of dust. It was pretty fun and it lifted all our spirits as we walked kilometers upon kilometers in the hot sun. For lunch we stopped and got chips and pizza at Flame Flavors, the place Elder Ndwandwe and I would go regularly. They totally ripped us off on the pizza though, saying 650ksh ($7.50) would get us a large pizza but when the "large pizza" came it was smaller than what we would normally call a small. Oh well can't have too high of expectations when eating American food here. When we were heading back to the apartment, we stopped and got Matura. It’s super nice here in Huruma, and is the only place I will trust it. (Matura is cow intestines stuffed with ground mystery meats, or blood, then salted and spiced a little bit. 10ksh ($.10) for 3 pieces is a deal! It may sound strange, but I totally love it, probably one of my favorite Kenyan foods.) When we finally returned home, we were all exhausted so we played Uno for a little bit and then all of us washed our now brown shirts, ate dinner, and then relaxed talking and joking.
Wednesday was our regular District Development so we all got up and returned back to town to have our DDM at the Sosiani Chapel. It was a nice meeting. We are trying to help build up the culture of exact obedience in the zone, so we discussed that a bit and tried to find some solutions. One of the challenges faced here is the use of Facebook by missionaries, and its a really hard situation, because many of the Elders from Africa have no other way to communicate with family and friends, so that’s the only way they can. So it’s a tricky situation to work around, but we're working at it so that we can overcome it and envelope exact obedience so we may have a powerful spirit within the zone leading us to increased success. After DDM we went and withdrew our Allotments then feeling pretty confident now in the amount of money on us, we went and got food at the nice Chinese restaurant in town. It’s a bit expensive, but hey it’s the beginning of a new month, so we had to treat ourselves to something nice. It was a nice time as a zone. One thing I have learned here is the importance of manners, especially when in a nice restaurant like the one we were at. In most hotels here, there aren’t really any manners shown, so many grow accustomed to that. It’s amazing how much is learned when something you were always taught about but never lived by is lacking. This leads to much of my learning here. After lunch we sent the sisters on their way to Kisumu to do exchanges, then went back to Langas and taught Benson one of our recent converts. It was a nice lesson, but he informed us that he would be moving for 3 months on Saturday, so this was our last week with him.
For service this week on Thursday, we went and assisted a member in the Sosiani branch move into her new home and clean the new place. We got there and the walls were black and covered with black spider webs... it would be the perfect place for a midnight horror film or something haha. We all arrived in white shirts and they laughed at us saying that we would get them dirty. We scrubbed the walls with big brooms, doing our best not to splash the dirty water on one another. It took a lot longer than expected, and they were cooking food for us, so once the room was cleaned she had sodas available for us to purchase, so we each purchased 2 and drank them as we waited for the food to be ready. After eating we hurried back to Langas because we were late for two appoinments, but luckily there was an activity there, so our investigators were able to be spiritually edified as they waited for us to arrive. On the way over to our stage (bus stop), we passed through the Huruma stage where they sell a lot of 2nd hand goods and such. As we were walking through my comp pointed out a nice looking jacket but didn’t end up wanting it, I wasn’t even in the mood for buying a jacket, but I looked at it and saw that it was a really nice ski jacket in brand new condition. I inquired of its price and the salesman said 1800ksh ($20.50) that was too much, but he said it was bargainable, so I started my bargain and said 400ksh ($4.50). he then went to 700ksh ($8) and we settled at 600ksh ($7). Its really a nice jacket, but there is no way I would ruin it by wearing it around in the dust here, so maybe in a less dusty area. Gotta love 2nd hand goods here! When we returned back to Langas chapel we met with the 6 investigators who attended the activity and got their information and set a time to meet. Benson is bringing all his friends to the church, so he is giving us lots of referrals. That evening we taught Daniel and he brought his wife along with him. He is probably one of my favorite people in this area, he is so happy and really desires the good of his people and knows the gospel will do that. His wife was a little bit hesitant at first and explained she was worried to come because of all the rumors she has been hearing in the area about the church. We toured her around the chapel and explained the purpose of each room. As we sat down after to discuss, she expressed that this is the true church, she sees there is no evil here and that It is truly set up to assist those who come learn about Christ. Bingo! She is really awesome, and Daniel and her (her name is Jane) will add great strength to the church and bring many unto the truth. It’s always nice to teach Daniel, he is truly a Golden Investigator and is already bringing others unto the church to learn the truth for themselves.
Friday we did our usual weekly planning, discussing solutions to fix the problems we are facing. We couldn’t come up with any immediate solutions, but both agreed to seek solutions and keep thinking about ways to do that. We then headed to the church and met with Benson for the last time. It was a nice time and we reviewed the reading assignment we had given him in 2 Nephi 31. He really went in depth with his reading, and we could see that giving him a specific assignment really helped with his growth and knowledge of the Book of Mormon. When you commit someone to doing something specific. It helps them really consentrate their efforts and become more focused on what they are learning. It was a sad time saying goodbye to Benson, because in 3 months time, my companion and I will probably already have been transferred to new areas. We are expecting for one of us to be transferred this transfer, but we shall see. We then got our usual lunch of mchele mix and fruit (rice, chapatti (tortillas), meat, veggies, and beans). I usually get mangos because they assist with digestion, and my companion gets bananas. After lunch we taught Simon about the Priesthood and who Melchizedek was. It was a great lesson. Simon loves to learn and reads so much church literature. We had him go to Family Home Evening with us at Sister Janes, a member who lives really far away. We stood on the road trying to get a matatu for 45 minutes, but no success and the place is too far to walk, but luckily after our patient waiting we got a matatu and took it where we needed. While at the home for FHE, a tree fell on the power lines outside cutting off the city's power. People gathered around and started trying to pull the tree off, then used a huge branch to untangle the wires. My companion totally thought we were going to watch them all get electrocuted, but luckily they didn’t. My companion being the son of an electrical engineer knows all sorts of interesting stuff about electricity so I learn lots of stuff from him. For FHE we played a game elder Nyirenda knows where you roll dice and have to choose items, then after share with everyone. It was a nice time, but we had to go because it was gettting dark and we were pretty deep out in the Ghettos. At dark it’s very dangerous here, so we try our best to be in before dark, or being in a lighted area such as the church. Friday also marked the 1 year mark for Elder Nyirenda, that’s crazy, because I’m next... I don’t feel at all that I have been out for 11 months, but time flies when your in the service of the lord. Sure some days are slow, but many are over in the blink of an eye.
Saturday was filled with long lessons. Our first appointment was with one of powerful investigators, Francis. He is an old man and really smart, deeply pondering everything that we teach him. He truly desires to know, so our lessons are long because he wants lots of information each time. Preach My Gospel (PMG) recommends no lesson go over 45 minutes, but it can go over if necessary, thus is the case here in Kenya with many of the investigators, we taught him for 3.5hrs.. Luckily we scheduled that time for him, and usually Saturdays are pretty slow because it’s pay day and everyone is in town waiting to receive their money. It was a really powerful lesson though. We invited Jones, our recent convert to join us, but we learned Francis doesn’t like to be taught with anyone, so when Jones asked a question about something, Francis gave him the stare and looked as if he was going to destroy him. I think he thought Jones was a seasoned member, so when Jones asked a question, Francis may of thought it was a test or something. It was kinda funny, but that’s just how Francis is.. After finishing with Francis, we taught Jones and then taught Benson’s referrals. We taught them a nice first discussion and then commited them to be baptized once they come to a knowledge of the truth for themselves. That evening we again taught Daniel, but this time we invited the Senior Missionary couple to be present to teach with us. It seemed as though they enjoyed it. I don’t think they have been able to join in many lessons, so it was a good experience for them and they were able to add many great insights. Daniel is super solid, so it was nice for them to be able to see such a powerful investigator. After closing, we gave Daniel a set of the huge type scriptures so he can read without glasses. He was super thankful for them. It was dark when we finished, but regardless, Daniel chose to take the short route to his home not fearing the dangers involved. He told us " How can I sit and have an uplifting meeting with the missionaries and then some wicked man comes and tries to take me down.... it just can’t happen."
That which Daniel said kinda freaked us out though when on Sunday he wasn't showing up at the church... we were like "oh shoot... did he get attacked or something?" but he did show up at 10:40 and even brought his granddaughter with him. He wasn’t able to stay for all of church due to some prior commitments, but he did have the opportunity to speak with the District President and exchange numbers so that they can stay in touch. It was Fast Sunday, so it was Fast and Testimony meeting. It was a great meeting, and some powerful testimonies were shared. I got up and shared my testimony about the infinite atonement of Christ and how it is such a blessing to us that we can do our best and progressively become like unto Christ. We all make mistakes, so it’s kind of a bumpy road, but each bump along the road gives us the opportunity to rise higher than before, because trials open the doors for triumphs. It was a great time at church, afterwards we taught Joshua and his family, he had been away for 3 weeks, but is now back and on track for baptism on the 18th of this month. His family really enjoyed church and it will also add increased strength to the branch.
Overall it was a nice week, it went by incredibly fast and next week being Mother’s Day, I look forward to calling home, the last 6 months have flown by. It’s amazing how short 2 years really is.
Thank you all for your love and support as well as your emails, hearing from you all really brightens my weeks and brings great joy.
This is the true gospel, I know that for sure, it can be tested, and I have done so and found it to be sweet, to be true and to lead to eternal joy and peace. Remember, coming closer to Christ is a process, it is done one step at a time until you have come to know Christ as the savior and your redeemer.
I love each of you, Elder Rushton Jay Hiltbrand
Wednesday was our regular District Development so we all got up and returned back to town to have our DDM at the Sosiani Chapel. It was a nice meeting. We are trying to help build up the culture of exact obedience in the zone, so we discussed that a bit and tried to find some solutions. One of the challenges faced here is the use of Facebook by missionaries, and its a really hard situation, because many of the Elders from Africa have no other way to communicate with family and friends, so that’s the only way they can. So it’s a tricky situation to work around, but we're working at it so that we can overcome it and envelope exact obedience so we may have a powerful spirit within the zone leading us to increased success. After DDM we went and withdrew our Allotments then feeling pretty confident now in the amount of money on us, we went and got food at the nice Chinese restaurant in town. It’s a bit expensive, but hey it’s the beginning of a new month, so we had to treat ourselves to something nice. It was a nice time as a zone. One thing I have learned here is the importance of manners, especially when in a nice restaurant like the one we were at. In most hotels here, there aren’t really any manners shown, so many grow accustomed to that. It’s amazing how much is learned when something you were always taught about but never lived by is lacking. This leads to much of my learning here. After lunch we sent the sisters on their way to Kisumu to do exchanges, then went back to Langas and taught Benson one of our recent converts. It was a nice lesson, but he informed us that he would be moving for 3 months on Saturday, so this was our last week with him.
For service this week on Thursday, we went and assisted a member in the Sosiani branch move into her new home and clean the new place. We got there and the walls were black and covered with black spider webs... it would be the perfect place for a midnight horror film or something haha. We all arrived in white shirts and they laughed at us saying that we would get them dirty. We scrubbed the walls with big brooms, doing our best not to splash the dirty water on one another. It took a lot longer than expected, and they were cooking food for us, so once the room was cleaned she had sodas available for us to purchase, so we each purchased 2 and drank them as we waited for the food to be ready. After eating we hurried back to Langas because we were late for two appoinments, but luckily there was an activity there, so our investigators were able to be spiritually edified as they waited for us to arrive. On the way over to our stage (bus stop), we passed through the Huruma stage where they sell a lot of 2nd hand goods and such. As we were walking through my comp pointed out a nice looking jacket but didn’t end up wanting it, I wasn’t even in the mood for buying a jacket, but I looked at it and saw that it was a really nice ski jacket in brand new condition. I inquired of its price and the salesman said 1800ksh ($20.50) that was too much, but he said it was bargainable, so I started my bargain and said 400ksh ($4.50). he then went to 700ksh ($8) and we settled at 600ksh ($7). Its really a nice jacket, but there is no way I would ruin it by wearing it around in the dust here, so maybe in a less dusty area. Gotta love 2nd hand goods here! When we returned back to Langas chapel we met with the 6 investigators who attended the activity and got their information and set a time to meet. Benson is bringing all his friends to the church, so he is giving us lots of referrals. That evening we taught Daniel and he brought his wife along with him. He is probably one of my favorite people in this area, he is so happy and really desires the good of his people and knows the gospel will do that. His wife was a little bit hesitant at first and explained she was worried to come because of all the rumors she has been hearing in the area about the church. We toured her around the chapel and explained the purpose of each room. As we sat down after to discuss, she expressed that this is the true church, she sees there is no evil here and that It is truly set up to assist those who come learn about Christ. Bingo! She is really awesome, and Daniel and her (her name is Jane) will add great strength to the church and bring many unto the truth. It’s always nice to teach Daniel, he is truly a Golden Investigator and is already bringing others unto the church to learn the truth for themselves.
Friday we did our usual weekly planning, discussing solutions to fix the problems we are facing. We couldn’t come up with any immediate solutions, but both agreed to seek solutions and keep thinking about ways to do that. We then headed to the church and met with Benson for the last time. It was a nice time and we reviewed the reading assignment we had given him in 2 Nephi 31. He really went in depth with his reading, and we could see that giving him a specific assignment really helped with his growth and knowledge of the Book of Mormon. When you commit someone to doing something specific. It helps them really consentrate their efforts and become more focused on what they are learning. It was a sad time saying goodbye to Benson, because in 3 months time, my companion and I will probably already have been transferred to new areas. We are expecting for one of us to be transferred this transfer, but we shall see. We then got our usual lunch of mchele mix and fruit (rice, chapatti (tortillas), meat, veggies, and beans). I usually get mangos because they assist with digestion, and my companion gets bananas. After lunch we taught Simon about the Priesthood and who Melchizedek was. It was a great lesson. Simon loves to learn and reads so much church literature. We had him go to Family Home Evening with us at Sister Janes, a member who lives really far away. We stood on the road trying to get a matatu for 45 minutes, but no success and the place is too far to walk, but luckily after our patient waiting we got a matatu and took it where we needed. While at the home for FHE, a tree fell on the power lines outside cutting off the city's power. People gathered around and started trying to pull the tree off, then used a huge branch to untangle the wires. My companion totally thought we were going to watch them all get electrocuted, but luckily they didn’t. My companion being the son of an electrical engineer knows all sorts of interesting stuff about electricity so I learn lots of stuff from him. For FHE we played a game elder Nyirenda knows where you roll dice and have to choose items, then after share with everyone. It was a nice time, but we had to go because it was gettting dark and we were pretty deep out in the Ghettos. At dark it’s very dangerous here, so we try our best to be in before dark, or being in a lighted area such as the church. Friday also marked the 1 year mark for Elder Nyirenda, that’s crazy, because I’m next... I don’t feel at all that I have been out for 11 months, but time flies when your in the service of the lord. Sure some days are slow, but many are over in the blink of an eye.
Saturday was filled with long lessons. Our first appointment was with one of powerful investigators, Francis. He is an old man and really smart, deeply pondering everything that we teach him. He truly desires to know, so our lessons are long because he wants lots of information each time. Preach My Gospel (PMG) recommends no lesson go over 45 minutes, but it can go over if necessary, thus is the case here in Kenya with many of the investigators, we taught him for 3.5hrs.. Luckily we scheduled that time for him, and usually Saturdays are pretty slow because it’s pay day and everyone is in town waiting to receive their money. It was a really powerful lesson though. We invited Jones, our recent convert to join us, but we learned Francis doesn’t like to be taught with anyone, so when Jones asked a question about something, Francis gave him the stare and looked as if he was going to destroy him. I think he thought Jones was a seasoned member, so when Jones asked a question, Francis may of thought it was a test or something. It was kinda funny, but that’s just how Francis is.. After finishing with Francis, we taught Jones and then taught Benson’s referrals. We taught them a nice first discussion and then commited them to be baptized once they come to a knowledge of the truth for themselves. That evening we again taught Daniel, but this time we invited the Senior Missionary couple to be present to teach with us. It seemed as though they enjoyed it. I don’t think they have been able to join in many lessons, so it was a good experience for them and they were able to add many great insights. Daniel is super solid, so it was nice for them to be able to see such a powerful investigator. After closing, we gave Daniel a set of the huge type scriptures so he can read without glasses. He was super thankful for them. It was dark when we finished, but regardless, Daniel chose to take the short route to his home not fearing the dangers involved. He told us " How can I sit and have an uplifting meeting with the missionaries and then some wicked man comes and tries to take me down.... it just can’t happen."
That which Daniel said kinda freaked us out though when on Sunday he wasn't showing up at the church... we were like "oh shoot... did he get attacked or something?" but he did show up at 10:40 and even brought his granddaughter with him. He wasn’t able to stay for all of church due to some prior commitments, but he did have the opportunity to speak with the District President and exchange numbers so that they can stay in touch. It was Fast Sunday, so it was Fast and Testimony meeting. It was a great meeting, and some powerful testimonies were shared. I got up and shared my testimony about the infinite atonement of Christ and how it is such a blessing to us that we can do our best and progressively become like unto Christ. We all make mistakes, so it’s kind of a bumpy road, but each bump along the road gives us the opportunity to rise higher than before, because trials open the doors for triumphs. It was a great time at church, afterwards we taught Joshua and his family, he had been away for 3 weeks, but is now back and on track for baptism on the 18th of this month. His family really enjoyed church and it will also add increased strength to the branch.
Overall it was a nice week, it went by incredibly fast and next week being Mother’s Day, I look forward to calling home, the last 6 months have flown by. It’s amazing how short 2 years really is.
Thank you all for your love and support as well as your emails, hearing from you all really brightens my weeks and brings great joy.
This is the true gospel, I know that for sure, it can be tested, and I have done so and found it to be sweet, to be true and to lead to eternal joy and peace. Remember, coming closer to Christ is a process, it is done one step at a time until you have come to know Christ as the savior and your redeemer.
I love each of you, Elder Rushton Jay Hiltbrand
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