SEMINARY GRADUATION LUANDA

December 29, 2012

The last of the Seminary/Institute Graduations

was held in Luanda at the home of Justin the

Institute Teacher. Sister Okila is the Seminary 

teacher and she was also there.

It had rained hard all night and into the morning.

We met President Okila in Majengo and he showed

us the way to Justin's. We took a "short cut" over a

VERY muddy, slick road!! Thank goodness for

4 wheel drive today!! Several times we slid as 

though we were on ice!! 

The soil here is straight clay and very slick!!

Justin met on the turn to his place and had us park the

truck in a neighbor's compound at the top 

of the slope to his home. He didn't think we would make 

it up in the mud once we got down.

Some young teen aged girls carried down the 

boxed of refreshment and books!!

This is the top of the trail leading down to his home.

You can hardly see the slope but it was sharper in a few feet.

Some of the students during refreshment.

We were in a small room surrounded with furniture and

centered with two coffee tables.

Some of the students sat in the 

curtained off area you can see in the back.

More students.

This is looking at the side of the home. There is a small

trench for water to run off. The house is made of mud.

Justin and his wife in the front of their home.

You can see where the yard in front of them slopes up 

a little and their home is level.

In the trench around the home several of the girls who

came rinsed their feet off in the 

small puddles that had formed there.

Under this tarp are brick that Justin has made and air dried

to make a new home. They are covered so they don't get  

too wet and break apart. It takes 10,000 to make a home.

They make the brick, air dry them then build a kiln from

mud and with a wood fire they fire the brick.

Quite a process. They have to buy fire wood for

the fire and fire wood is costly because there is

becoming a shortage of it.

When we made it back to where we had parked the

truck a woman stuck her head out from her 

door to see who was there. 

Justin said she was 100 years old.

I asked to take her picture and she was

very happy that I would do that!!

This is the trail of mud leading out of 

Justin's home compound!!

Thank goodness we all made it OK!!

CHRISTMAS 2012

December 25, 2012

Pascal and his sisters came to visit and 

wanted their picture taken.

I gave them a sandwich and juice.

We had already eaten with 

nothing else to feed them. 

They were satisfied.

They had come to town for the 

festivities at the park. Notice they 

have writing on their faces from there.

In keeping with the request of President Broadbent

we had a nice meeting at our home.

We first had a dinner to which everyone contributed.

I fixed some chicken and apple pie and 

the rest of the meal was furnished by the missionaries.

We had a testimony meeting to bear witness

of the Savior's Atonement. It was a good meeting!!

We then watched the First Presidency Christmas Fireside.

Looks like everyone is enjoying the DVD presentation.

Had pie and ice cream then watched the mission DVD of

pictures from the year. Thank you to good senior couples

to keep track of pictures and compiling them for each missionary!

We had the Elders from Busia with us as they are 

part of our zone. It is good to all be together.

Back: Elder Bhala, Elder and Sister Moon, 

Elder Arineitwe, Sister Arach and Sister Kusina

Front: Elder Tsegaye, Elder Huskinson, Elder Shutt, and 

Elder Pienaar.

With our oval table seating only 8 and we had 10

the Elders went to work to bring a table down from

upstairs. If I jad known this I may not have requested them

to find more table space!!

They lowered the table over the walls on a rope!!

Because it would not come down through the door and 

down the stairs!!

This is taking it back up! 

Isn't Elder Moon strong!!

Elder Shutt and Elder Bhala doing the pull up!!

When I went outside and saw this I was shocked.

With NO barrier in front of them with that heavy table!!

Elder Shutt yelleddown, "Sister Moon, we are OK. 

You are just being a mother!!"

Yes, and I didn;t want to tell their mothers they had fallen

from the third story while holding a heavy table on a piece of twine!!

Success. Now just get ot over the short wall!!

A wonderful day with wonderful young people!!

CHRISTMAS

December 24, 2013

After service of collecting garbage we met

Fred, traveled to Majengo and met President Okila

to make a visit to Isaac and Elizabeth Ogote.

We drove a ways, met Isaac and then had to park and

walk in to their home. 

This was on the path to their home.

Pretty big load!!

Brother Isaac and Sister Elizabeth had recently built a 

new home on property given him by his father.

That is the way it is done here. The sons get a portion of 

their father's land to build a home and raise their family.

He received a LOT of land for crops and a home.

One of the reasons for the visit was to dedicate the home.

Just the week or so before this we had been to Hippo Bay

to meet Steven so he could show us the area.

When we stopped on the road to get Steven 

another man came to the truck and spoke like he

knew us. He said his name and that he was in the 

Elder's Quorum. He was not familiar to us and

later Steven said he did not know him. Anyway, we

greeted him and he went on his way. That Sunday in

church the same man came to introduce himself to us!!

He WAS a counselor in the Elder's Quorum.

He was Isaac!

  Isaac and Elizabeth.

With their family.
We visited with Isaac for quite a while as Elizabeth
prepared food for us. It was very good and included chicken.
The people often make sacrifice to feed a guest chicken.
He has been innovative in his home. He has a small solar
onhis roof and it is connected to a battery which connects to
a light hanging from the ceiling for light!!
He was quite proud of his home. The walls were even painted.

The entrance to the home with Elizabeth and President Okila.

The children at the other side of the house eating 

their meal.

Looking over his crops.

Another home by theirs. We stopped and talked to them.

This part of Kenya is a beautiful area.
Hills, trees, bushes, agricultural and home mixed
in with all!!

CHRISTMAS SERVICE

December 24, 2012

President Broadbent, the mission president, invited the 

missionaries in June to read the Triple Combination-

The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants,

and The Pearl of Great Price,- before Christmas and 

mark all the scriptures that dealt with the 

Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

We did that and learned so much from our study.

To complete the study he requested that for Christmas

we really make it a Christ centered time.

For Christmas Eve we were to do a service.

Fred Okoth, the Elder Quorum President 

found a project for us near his home. 

We were to collect garbage from home in the area.

We drove to his area and waited for him to come get

us to show us where he stayed.

While we were waiting we enjoyed watching the people.

It was early in day and people were cleaning up 

from breakfast of doing laundry.

This woman was sweeping her yard with her "broom".

She was very particular about it and swept all the 

things into the road to join with all the other 

garbage there.

The following sites are in the living area we visited to 

collect garbage.

Laundry on the line.

We saw many, many children. All of them ready for 

a picture which we took of them and then they

would run for the camera to see themselves.

Notice the little girl on the right with a sibling on her back.

A very common site.

I told the children they must smile.

Many of the little ones would see us and say,

"How are you? I am fine."

They were practicing what they had learned in school.

Even at 5 and 6 they learn English, Kiswahili and a native

dialect - to read m write and speak!!

 This cutie was leaning against this pole and looked so 

forlorn I told him to smile for a picture. 

He immediately changed and smiled.

More children with Elder in the background.

Homes together. See the pig? 

And the water running in the gully.

Elder Tsegaye working. (in the green shirt)

Children.

Laundry is done by hand in these tubs on the ground.

Then dried on the lines.

Animals - large and small are free to roam around and

even some in the houses.

In a narrow alley between the homes we passed a 

woman doing anothers hair. I asked if I could take their

picture and they were excited that I would want to. 

They also wanted to see the pictures.

This is a lot of work,

They put extensions on to braid the hair.

Laundry.

Bringing the bags of garbage to the collection point.

The road going into Fred's area.

More road area.

Elder Arineitwe dumping a load.

Elder Arineitwe being the load for Elder Moon.

Elder Arineitwe and Elder Tsegaye.

Elder Tsegaye and Elder Huskinson.

Elder Pienaar

The place where Brother Fred Okoth stays.

It is in the left end of this building and comprises of one room.

In front of our truck is a small duka where he and his 

wife sell fruits and veggies and eggs.

When we were finished with the service Fred invited 

us and the sisters into his place for a refreshment -

a Fanta and cold scones.

He is a good man!!

We then hurried home to clean up and Fred came for

us to go visit a member in another area.

A home in the area.