So this week has gone by so quickly, its crazy, but its been really awesome and a ton of fun! I will mainly touch on the main events due to time reasons, and plus there are some cool stories that happened.
So Tuesday was our travel day to Busia, an area within our zone that is about 3hrs by bus from Kisumu. Right when we got there we began exchanges. I went with Elder Orenge, while my companion went with Elder Ntsele. Elder O and I had the bikes. This was my first time on bikes for the past like 20 months. I can’t even remember the last time that I rode a bike for more than 5 minutes. We had a member going with us for the day. He was on his bike, an iron horse (bike that is very heavy and single speed. ) After our first couple appointments, it began to rain, so we took shelter under a shop until I stopped, then we proceeded into a very muddy area. The bikes didn’t have mud guards, so it threw muddy water all over our backs. It started to rain again so we took shelter with a bunch of kids waiting under this small roof protrusion. By the time we got to the last appointment, we were covered in spots of mud and really wet. As we rode home, it rained again so we were trying to do our best to race home. I remembered how to ride with no hands again very quick and found that that is the fastest way for me to ride, so when I would do that, everyone would look at me as though I was crazy, everyone would stop and watch, it was funny!
Wednesday I had probably the most fun I have had yet on mission. We had a seminary (youth religious class) activity in the morning which was helping people to get caught up in reading of the Book of Mormon. After the activity we were fed some really nice rice and supu. Elder Orenge and I then proceeded back on the bikes to some appointments. We had some really great appointments and within the two days, 3 people had baptismal dates. Our last appointment was very far into town where we met Jacob, an investigator and he jumped on a Piki Piki (motorcycle taxi) and led us to his home which was really far into the bush. We had a powerful lesson with him and then afterwards he was escorting us to town, but it began to rain so we all took shelter at a flour grinding mill with a tin roof. It was starting to get late and the rain wasn’t slowing, so we shoved everything in a plastic bag I had and put it in my back pack then set out. The roads were all dirt and were totally flooded with muddy water. We just peddled hard and were plowing through tons of water and mud, almost immediately we were soaked through and through, so it didn’t matter anymore, we just rode hard, doing our best to make home. We went through some deep rivers and puddles, some mid calf and a few close to the knee high. I was having so much fun, I had a huge grin on my face the whole time, lightning and thunder all around, two elders soaked to the bone in mud, it was awesome!! Somehow we found our way out of the bush but ended up in the Immigration yard at the Uganda border... we rode our bikes through and I guess that’s not allowed so a military officer waved us over. We came over and he was asking who gave us permission to ride our bikes in the yard, he told us he should arrest us, but right then I felt the spirit prompt us to contact him, so I stood there in the rain, soaked in mud, but bore testimony to him of our reason for being in Kenya, of the gospel we are taking to the world and the impact it has. He smiled and then told us to go on our way. Really it was a powerful experience for ELder Orenge and I. We were muddy all the way through, we had to immediately do wash on arrival at home. So worth it though I was smiling that whole night due to it!
Thursday was a full proselyting day after getting back. We taught a man named Bishop Paul he is an evangelical bishop and was interested in the Book of Mormon, really a nice guy, we didn’t have any Book of Mormons with us at the time, so we planned for him to come back another time. A cool thing that happened in the evening, we were seeing Sister Helen and her husband, Alias. She has a special child named James who has some mental handicaps. Something that was cool is that whenever the missionaries are leaving he will always grab the one closest to him. Interesting thing is he doesn’t do this to anyone besides missionaries. Goes to show that there is more than meets the eye.
Friday we had splits with two of our branch missionaries. Then we met at Brother George’s for a dinner appointment. I have had so few DAs on mission, so all of them are so wonderful!!
Saturday was the Mormon Helping Hands event and we all met together with the branch members and cleaned the city by shoveling and picking up trash. While at the sportsground which is like a big park, we were waiting for some members to arrive and there was a music video being shot. The dancers were super strange, wearing very unusual and minimal clothing and doing very not good dances, so my companion and I turned around and said "what has this world come to.." and stared in the opposite direction. After the activity, we went and taught the institute class and then equipped the sisters flat in case we get sisters transferred here this week.
Sunday was the confirmation of Brother Steve. He was so happy and excited, you could just see the joy he had radiate. I had the privilege of being the voice for the confirmation, I could feel the spirit so strongly. After church we went to a place called Nyabondo with the couples and held a Sacrament Meeting there. It was really nice experience a very reverent and testimony filled meeting. In the evening after getting back, we went to Mama Flo's home for dinner, it was liver and ugali. I really have grown to enjoy liver now days!
Well sorry for the quick update, but due to time I had to make it quick. Tonight is Transfer news, so that should be exciting. My companion is thinking he is going because he has been here 6 months, so we will see what happens. I suppose I will be staying, so that’s fine by me, but the rest of the zone is what I am wondering about!
Well I love you all and thank you for your love and support, its crazy to think that very soon there will be two Hiltbrands on this side of the world!
Love always,
Elder Rushton Jay HIltbrand
Wednesday I had probably the most fun I have had yet on mission. We had a seminary (youth religious class) activity in the morning which was helping people to get caught up in reading of the Book of Mormon. After the activity we were fed some really nice rice and supu. Elder Orenge and I then proceeded back on the bikes to some appointments. We had some really great appointments and within the two days, 3 people had baptismal dates. Our last appointment was very far into town where we met Jacob, an investigator and he jumped on a Piki Piki (motorcycle taxi) and led us to his home which was really far into the bush. We had a powerful lesson with him and then afterwards he was escorting us to town, but it began to rain so we all took shelter at a flour grinding mill with a tin roof. It was starting to get late and the rain wasn’t slowing, so we shoved everything in a plastic bag I had and put it in my back pack then set out. The roads were all dirt and were totally flooded with muddy water. We just peddled hard and were plowing through tons of water and mud, almost immediately we were soaked through and through, so it didn’t matter anymore, we just rode hard, doing our best to make home. We went through some deep rivers and puddles, some mid calf and a few close to the knee high. I was having so much fun, I had a huge grin on my face the whole time, lightning and thunder all around, two elders soaked to the bone in mud, it was awesome!! Somehow we found our way out of the bush but ended up in the Immigration yard at the Uganda border... we rode our bikes through and I guess that’s not allowed so a military officer waved us over. We came over and he was asking who gave us permission to ride our bikes in the yard, he told us he should arrest us, but right then I felt the spirit prompt us to contact him, so I stood there in the rain, soaked in mud, but bore testimony to him of our reason for being in Kenya, of the gospel we are taking to the world and the impact it has. He smiled and then told us to go on our way. Really it was a powerful experience for ELder Orenge and I. We were muddy all the way through, we had to immediately do wash on arrival at home. So worth it though I was smiling that whole night due to it!
Thursday was a full proselyting day after getting back. We taught a man named Bishop Paul he is an evangelical bishop and was interested in the Book of Mormon, really a nice guy, we didn’t have any Book of Mormons with us at the time, so we planned for him to come back another time. A cool thing that happened in the evening, we were seeing Sister Helen and her husband, Alias. She has a special child named James who has some mental handicaps. Something that was cool is that whenever the missionaries are leaving he will always grab the one closest to him. Interesting thing is he doesn’t do this to anyone besides missionaries. Goes to show that there is more than meets the eye.
Friday we had splits with two of our branch missionaries. Then we met at Brother George’s for a dinner appointment. I have had so few DAs on mission, so all of them are so wonderful!!
Saturday was the Mormon Helping Hands event and we all met together with the branch members and cleaned the city by shoveling and picking up trash. While at the sportsground which is like a big park, we were waiting for some members to arrive and there was a music video being shot. The dancers were super strange, wearing very unusual and minimal clothing and doing very not good dances, so my companion and I turned around and said "what has this world come to.." and stared in the opposite direction. After the activity, we went and taught the institute class and then equipped the sisters flat in case we get sisters transferred here this week.
Sunday was the confirmation of Brother Steve. He was so happy and excited, you could just see the joy he had radiate. I had the privilege of being the voice for the confirmation, I could feel the spirit so strongly. After church we went to a place called Nyabondo with the couples and held a Sacrament Meeting there. It was really nice experience a very reverent and testimony filled meeting. In the evening after getting back, we went to Mama Flo's home for dinner, it was liver and ugali. I really have grown to enjoy liver now days!
Well sorry for the quick update, but due to time I had to make it quick. Tonight is Transfer news, so that should be exciting. My companion is thinking he is going because he has been here 6 months, so we will see what happens. I suppose I will be staying, so that’s fine by me, but the rest of the zone is what I am wondering about!
Well I love you all and thank you for your love and support, its crazy to think that very soon there will be two Hiltbrands on this side of the world!
Love always,
Elder Rushton Jay HIltbrand
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