Hello there everyone,
So this week actually went by quite fast. It’s week 6 or at least it was so tonight will be transfers, so anything can happen. I don’t know if I'll go or stay, but I am fine with either. I really love Langas and the work is booming here, but also if the lord desires me to go to another area, thats fine too.
There really wasn’t a whole ton of teaching this week, or at least it didn’t seem like it, but looking at our numbers it didn’t seem like such a slow week. First off I would like to make a note out to all those parents who hold family scripture study. It is important that you also study the standard works, including the old testament. I have been reading a lot of the Old and New Testament today and am really loving it. There is so much that can be found to give inspiration and encouragement, for example the writings of Isaiah are some of my favorite, especially Isaiah 41, where the lord promises to always be there with us and that there is no need to fear. I love the Book of Mormon and know its true, but its also important to know the truth of the Old and New Testaments, because by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
In regards to teaching on Tuesday, we did a lot of less active visits and saw some people that we felt needed some strengthening . After visiting the homes of some of the less active, we went and taught at the church teaching two new investigators, both of them really solid. We gave them the Book of Mormon and then committed them to read and meet with us later in the week so that we could begin teaching them and that they could ask questions. After teaching, we went down into Kisumu Ndogo searching for Liver. Both my companion and I really enjoy liver, but so does everyone else here, so finding liver was almost impossible... especially being the first week of the month so everyone has money.. we found a tiny piece but ended up not buying because we were searching for a whole kg.
Wednesday we had our Zone Training Meeting. It was a really nice meeting in which we discussed the topics covered in MLC (Mission Leadership Conference) such as budgeting, not complaining about areas, and Pride. It was a really good meeting with lots of participation. The only thing is the application after. During the meeting everyone seems to be soaking it in, but it’s applying what is learned that matters. The meeting was a bit long though close to 4 hours. We were told ZTM is normally a around 3 - 4 hours, but in talking with the Assistants that night, they agreed that it should be close to 3 hours, not usually longer than that. After the meeting we went out and were greated by the Kitale couples and our couples, who surprised us with sourdough cinammon bread that sister Flake from Kitale makes on the regular. It was so delicious, a nice treat. We then went to lunch and then went around with the couples purchasing and dropping off the food storage. That took some time, but it’s nice to have that finished.
On Thursday, we held a small activity at the couples flat so that everyone can know where their flat is and bond, to make an increased amount of unity in the zone. We arranged to make California Burritos. Elder Harding and I are both lovers of burritos. We set out to teach everyone how to make them. Some how Sister Anderson had tortillas, because I tried to make some earlier in the week and wow they turned out like flour patties... they’re harder to make than I thought.. they are a bit like chapatti, just without so much oil. Also an interesting fact is that cheese is incredibly expensive here, 550ksh for 500g. After the activity, we returned to our area and I bought a Coke Zero hoping it would wake me up a bit, but it did the complete opposite and totally put me to sleep...so during our lesson with a young 18yr old kid, I was totally battling to stay awake. We also learned from our guard the reason he is missing one of his bottom front teeth, in the Masai tradition, to show your courage and manhood one of your lower front teeth is removed using a small little knife to kind of carve it out. If you cry they give you a dog, if you don’t cry, then they give you a small cow. The Masai are a cow herding people so everyone tries to get the free cow.
Friday after our companionship study, we headed over to west market in town where it is market day on Friday and purchased some white shirts for our recent converts. It’s crazy, you can buy a white shirt for 100 - 200ksh here, that’s a darn good price and I even found a nice Kirkland long sleeve shirt just like the one I brought on mission. As we were leaving, a matatu conductor was trying to get me to get in his matatu so he kept calling out to me saying "Nigger! Hey Nigger let’s go!" I was super confused and was like "Nigga Wapi?" Its super odd to me but that term is not offensive here, my companion just busted up laughing at it. After lunch we got back to our area and taught Johnson, as we were beginning to teach him a man named Jared showed up and asked us a bunch of questions regarding the rumors that are said about the church. It’s interesting because many people in the pursuit for money follow the rumors and come to the church thinking that they will get money. I don’t even know how these rumors start because some of them are super bogus... like the common one that brings lots of people is "if you go there, the first time the pastor will give you 1000ksh, then the second time 2000ksh" How in the world do people come up with this stuff. After telling Jared the truth and explaining our inability to assist, we continued teaching Johnson, running over with him the baptismal interview questions. That night we had one more appointment and it was really getting cold, but I was able to put my faith to the test and trust that the Lord would keep me warm as we went to see this last appointment. I was only in a short sleeved white shirt, so it was chilly. The whole time going to the appointment I didn’t feel cold and my mind didn’t even focus on the chilliness of the weather, but rather rejoiced in teaching.
Saturday was filled with bounces, but we got to the church early and taught some, then were able to help our branch president mow and slash grass. Slashing grass is interesting here, it’s a form of punishment used in schools. I think it should work great for my kids in the future, great way to discipline.. builds character! In the afternoon, our district leader and his companion showed up and did baptismal interviews for the three candidates getting baptized. We ran with them out to Kisumu Ndogo for more interviews and then went via boda boda bicycles out to our Branch President’s for a dinner appointment. His wife makes the best Chapatti. They are incredible and sweet and just really nice. I need to learn how to make them that well, but to be honest cooking chapatti is terrifying due to the amount of oil needed to be used and the results of last time (when he was burned as companion was cooking it).
Sunday was baptism day, we had three baptisms, Johnson, Chette, and Brandon. It was also fast and testimony meeting, so both I and my companion got up to bear ours because it could be one or both of our last times doing so in the Langas branch. The rest of church went well and we had many investigators in attendance for the baptisms. After church were the baptisms and they went really well. There were two kids getting baptized, but because they are over 8 they had to be taught by us. It was really exciting to see them all enter the waters of baptism. There have been twelve that we have baptized in the last 18 weeks, really the work is booming here and really pushing forward, there is so much growth to be had here in Kenya. After the baptisms while we were having lunch, my companion and I noticed that the egg yolks of the eggs here are white... just an interesting thing to know about the eggs here. He calls them fake, because real eggs have yellow haha.
Well everyone that’s it for last week, tonight will be transfer news, so who knows what can happen... “I’ll go where you want me to go dear Lord”.
Love always,
Elder Rushton Jay Hiltbrand
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