Our New Normal

This has been a week to remember. I have really seen Heavenly Father pour out blessings upon our mission.

On Monday some of the missionaries had arranged to play soccer with some of the members of the church here in Kololo. They were all meeting at the Kololo church, and President Collings wanted to enjoy some soccer with the missionaries. We went to the church at 10:00, where there were a few people already, and waited for the rest to trickle in. While they were waiting, somebody pulled out a basketball and they started a 3 on 3 basketball game. President Collings, 2 missionaries, and 3 members. They played for quite a long time, and really had a good workout.

Once all the missionaries arrived, and changed they all started walking to the field. Silly me, I thought they were going to play on the grass at the church... I forget how important a game of soccer is here in Africa.

When they got to the soccer field, I was shocked at how huge it was! It's tucked behind a school, and on the other side is a steep drop off to one of the busy roads here in Kampala. You would never see it from the road. We have some very talented missionaries! It was so fun to watch them play. Once in a while, the ball was kicked out of bounds and you'd see it bouncing around on the road below. It was pretty funny.  After a few hours with the missionaries, we went to the office to get some work done.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we had interviews at the mission home again. After the interviews, we have been feeding pizza to the missionaries. It's pretty funny when you look at the all the rubbish after 4 days of interviews. I call this our tower of shame.

I have loved these interviews so much. President gets to talk with each of the missionaries one on one, but the Assistants and I have asked questions, and one by one the missionaries have shared spiritual experiences with us. I'm growing to know each of them better, learning of their sacrifices, their challenges, their joys, their families. President has said that while he is talking with them, several have told him that he is quoting phrases from their Patriarchal Blessings. We finish the day and both Steve and I say, "Wow, that was Amazing!"

We left after interviews on Wednesday and drove to Jinja. We met with the Assistants for dinner at a fun restaurant called The Keep. We really enjoy the time we are able to spend with these missionaries. They are such great leaders in our mission. And they really like milkshakes.

Our room in Jinja was at a fun hotel called Two Friends Resort. It's quiet, and feels very African. We stayed here for two nights while we had interviews for the Jinja and Iganga Zones. The last time we were here in Jinja, we had a senior couple who made lunch for all the missionaries. They have returned home from their mission, and I wasn't sure what we should do to feed these two groups. One of the Assistants told me that there is a pizza restaurant in town (why not?), he even ordered it and picked it up for me, because they don't deliver. That will be day number 5 serving pizza to them, haha! I'm gaining back the weight I lost!

I have really enjoyed talking with the sisters after our meetings. I usually get the same questions, "How will I know who to marry?" "How did you two meet?" "Is it possible to live happily ever after?"  I always have a prayer in my heart that the advice I give will help them. Some don't have any other example of what a husband and wife should be. I asked one sister to tell me about her family, and she said she lives with her grandma. No mom, dad, or siblings. We talked about how this mission will help her to learn to get along with a roommate, and learn to deal with disagreements, and challenges. Because every relationship takes work, she may not have the happily ever after that they show in Fairy tales, but she can be married, and raise a family, and experience more joy than she has ever known.

I did have a fun experience in Jinja. I have been praying to be able to have a missionary experience. President Collings talks to a lot of people, and has 2 who he has been teaching that will be baptized next month. I know them well, and have been so happy to see them progress, but honestly if President Collings had not approached them, I wouldn't have, and they still would not know about the Gospel. I wanted to have that experience for myself, but I'm a little more timid about approaching people. In Jinja, I had a man approach me and asked about my name tag. Deep breath, this was it. I just started to tell him about what we believe. We had a very nice conversation. He told me that he lives close by the church, and always wondered what we believe. He has a family with 5 children. I gave him a booklet about the Plan of Salvation, and he gave me his phone number and said he would like to have the missionaries come to his home and teach him more. I was so excited. I wish he lived closer so I could actually see him being taught, but I passed his information on to our missionaries in the area. I just felt like this was such a tender mercy. It was a good day.

After our last interviews in Bugembe, I wanted to snap a picture of the group. It was pretty funny, the security guard at the church stood in the picture. I didn't mind, but then he approached me afterwards and asked if he could see the picture. I pulled it up on my IPad, and he said, "Why am I not smiling?" I said, "I don't know, why aren't you?" He said, "I thought I was!" Haha. I asked if he wanted me to take another picture of him smiling and he said, "Yes, please." I took it, he looked at it and was happy, and then left. He didn't even ask for a copy. It was pretty funny.

I'm getting used to the crazy things we see when we drive now. It was pretty funny as we were driving home from Jinja, Steve says, "Wow, look at that!" I looked out the front window of the vehicle and didn't exactly know what I was supposed to look at. We were behind a HUGE diesel piled high with Matoke, there was a taxi, which is a van that had about 50 live chickens tied to the top of it which was passing the diesel on a solid yellow line (maybe a car was coming from the other direction?). There was a bota-bota on the left side of the road with a chest freezer strapped to the back, and on the right side of the road there was a woman walking down the side of the road with a baby strapped on her back and a HUGE bag of something that was on her head. I had no idea which of the many things I saw that he was referring to.  We both just started laughing. I guess it was the freezer on the back of the bota. But you really see so many crazy things ALL the TIME.  I'm glad I have been writing it down, because it's becoming our new normal.

I don't usually have my camera with me for the best shots, but here are a few fun pictures I've been able to snap.

One more fun memory. While we were driving to Jinja, we were stopped by a police officer. Police here in Jinja are dressed in white uniforms and stand just to the side of the road. If they see you doing something wrong, they raise their hand for you to stop. You pull over and receive your ticket or your lecture. Haha. On this trip, Steve pulled over, he wasn't doing anything wrong. They looked at his license and let us go. At the beginning of our mission, we drove past a police officer, she stepped forward and waved her hand, and Steve waved back and kept going. He mentioned how friendly people are here in Uganda. A couple of miles up the road another police officer was standing in the middle of the road with both of her hands up stopping us. He pulled the car over and rolled down his window. She said she didn't know what he had done, but the previous officer had called her and told her to stop us. The officer called her boss and said she stopped us, now what should she do? He asked to speak with Steve. Steve apologized for not pulling over before and told him that he just thought the officer was being friendly. They let him off with a warning and a chuckle. Steve promised he would stop in the future when a police officer waved to him. 

Johannesburg and other surprises

This has been an amazing week. After 7 weeks here in Uganda, and time spent at the MTC in Provo, all of the new mission presidents in the Southeast Africa Area were invited to Johannesburg. We got to spend time with the Area Presidency and all of the area office staff just asking questions. They wanted to give us time in the field so that we KNOW what questions we have. It was WONDERFUL!!

Since traveling to this mission, we have had to fly to Ethiopia twice, and Rwanda twice. The seats on the airlines are very tight. Very little leg room. The seats don't recline. However, we are served a full meal each flight. It's just usually the SAME full meal each time. South African Airlines had lots of space, reclining seats (as much as airline seats recline), and such great service. We felt spoiled from the moment we stepped on the plane until we arrived back in Uganda a couple of days later.

Once we arrived in Johannesburg, we felt like we were back in the United States. The hotel room was SO nice! The food was amazing! And we actually went freeway speed on a FREEWAY! It's been 2 month since we had any of these things.

Steve ordered a rib-eye steak. Look what they brought him! He said he could use the huge bone they brought him as a weapon!

It was so fun to see our friends from the MTC, the mission presidents from the DRC, Kenya, Zambia, Durban, Botswana, and Angola. It was fun to talk about each of our missions, and find out what we have in common, and the trials and blessings each one of us are experiencing. We all had a lot of the same questions, and the Area Presidency was so helpful and patient in helping us each understand what to do in different situations.

We had lunch in the home of the Area Presidency on both days we were there. It is such a beautiful area. The home sits on a hill overlooking the whole valley.

The temple is nearby. The grounds are absolutely beautiful with water features, and beautiful trails you can walk on. It was very peaceful, and we were totally able to relax and enjoy our time there. We went to dinner as a group as well, and again talked about our missions and families. We have really grown close to these people we are serving with.

On our last day we were able to visit with each department individually and learn their role, and how they can help us. We were able to ask any questions specific to our mission. It was very nice to put names with faces. We communicate with these people by way of email a lot. They are so helpful and kind. Seeing them in person was a real treat. As we were getting ready to leave the meetings one day, the receptionist said someone wanted to see us in the distribution center. We hadn't ordered anything, and we were kind of curious who would need to talk to us there. As we went inside, and woman came out from behind the counter, and said that she is sending her daughter to the MTC in just a couple of weeks. Her daughter will be serving in the Uganda Kampala mission. She just wanted to meet us. We talked with her for a few minutes, and she gave me a big hug. It was a real treat to be able to meet the mom of one of our future missionaries.

We left the meetings feeling renewed, and excited for the future of our mission. The Area Presidency cares very much for each of our missions and missionaries. They have so much experience, and were so thoughtful, and helpful. We are so excited that we get to work with each of them. It was hard to say goodbye to the other mission presidents and their wives. We can't wait to get together with them again.

A funny story. As we were going through security at the airport, I had my magnetic name badge on, and set off the metal detector, and had to be searched. President Collings came right behind me with no problem at all. We both commented on it, because usually he's the one to set off the metal detector. The lady working security said, "Of course you're okay! You're the PRESIDENT!"  We all laughed.

Back in Uganda, and back to missionary life. Home feels more and more like home everyday. We had interviews with the Mukono and Kabowa Zones. They were both pretty large groups and took most of the day, which gave me a lot of time to spend getting to know the missionaries. I've tried so hard to remember to take pictures. This time I did it on a break, but forgot to do a group picture at the end. I'm glad I at least remembered a few.

About 3 weeks ago we bumped into an American couple here in Kampala. Both of our husbands were getting a haircut, so I had a nice conversation with this lady. We exchanged phone numbers and said it would be fun to get together sometime. We have been told that we need to have a date night each week, and a preparation day.  We decided to go to dinner together with this couple. It was so nice! We get along so well with them. They have been here for about 6 months, and have kids here with them. She drives! It's giving me the courage to try my hand at driving. Steve has encouraged me to drive a few times... We'll see.  We really enjoyed the evening, and have decided that we will try to go out with them frequently in the next couple of years. It's fun to have new friends.

For those of you that know me well, you will be surprised to hear that I have started cooking! There aren't very many things here that are convenient. There are no meals in a box, or creamed soups in a can. There are no cake or brownie mixes. And definitely no Rhodes bake and serve rolls! If we want a dessert, I have to bake it! If we want a decent, home cooked dinner, I have to make it from scratch. I know this is normal for many American moms, but I'm a "dump it" kind of cook. Dump in the mix and add water. Dump 5 cans of whatever into a  crock pot for dinner. We do eat out a lot, but that doesn't work when you're trying to keep the Sabbath day holy. I have missionaries come over all the time, and they're ALWAYS hungry. It's just nice to have things for them to snack on when they come. I have made cinnamon rolls (which I have always made from scratch), Brownies, Chocolate Cake, Breakfast Casserole (I actually baked the potatoes, peeled them, and shredded them by hand instead of buying frozen, shredded potatoes), Lasagna twice, pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy. It's mind boggling what you can do in the kitchen when you have no other choice! I do have to be creative. The ingredients here are NOT the same at ALL! The sugar is large granules, like a small rock salt. It's hard to "cream the butter and sugar" when it's granules. The brown sugar has these huge, hard clumps in it. I tried to pick out all of the clumps when I first started cooking with it, but I found out that when it's baking it ends up dissolving. So it's not too bad. The eggs have to be cracked into a separate bowl, just in case it was fertilized, and they didn't catch it. I've been warned, but never seen THAT yet. Anyway, those of you that know me may be shocked with this news. It's pretty fun.

That being said, I'm wondering how my cooking really is, because since we have been here, Steve has lost 15 pounds, and I have lost 10 pounds. I told him, Africa is just what our bodies needed! There are no preservatives or additives in the food. Everything is very fresh. No chemicals. We can eat, feel full, and feel really good!

Guess what!!! I DROVE today! It was AWESOME! We got in a bind after one of the interviews and didn't have enough people to drive the missionaries to catch a taxi home. President Collings had a meeting at the mission home that he couldn't miss. I guess sometimes we just have to jump in with both feet. Prayers were said by both me and my husband. It's Saturday, so the traffic wasn't terrible. I took 4 sister missionaries to the taxi station. I'm so HAPPY! It went so well, that while Steve was in the meeting, I went grocery shopping too! I have been a navigator for him for 2 months, and being behind the wheel wasn't too bad. I can do this!!

This week has really been a blessing. We are so happy to be here. No better place for us to be!

Lira, Mbale, Busia, and Kololo

We are now starting interviews throughout Uganda. President was able to interview the missionaries in Rwanda and Ethiopia,which was a treat. For Uganda, we will be traveling to the outer branches, and then have missionaries from the Kampala area come to our home. We left early Tuesday morning and made it to Lira. We were able to meet with all of the missionaries in the Lira Zone.

We haven't forgotten our goal of finding people to be baptized. Although it feels like we are always running from place to place, the Lord puts people in our path. As we were getting into our car in Lira, President Collings called to a man who was walking by the church. He asked if he knew this church. The man said he walks by it every day. Then President asked if he'd ever been inside. He said he had not, and was promptly invited in. He was introduced to the missionaries, and his whole countenance changed. He said he was interested in learning more and will come to church there on Sunday. We aren't sure how we will meet our goal, but the Lord knows our heart, and we really believe that we need to set an example for our missionaries.

Our next stop was Mbale. We had training planned for that evening for the Mbale Branch Council. It was an extremely long day of driving, I think 8 hours total from Kampala. The last time we went to Mbale it was raining hard, and then was overcast the whole time we were there. This time it was clear, and the landscape is so much different from the rest of the country. They have amazing mountain views!

I couldn't get enough pictures. There was also a village we passed by on our way to Mbale that is right at the base of a mountain. As we drove past it, I could see that there were people all over the mountain breaking rock into gravel by hand. There were small piles all over the place.

It was so interesting to see. I also saw fields of rice and corn growing.

As we got into Mbale, I guess it was time for school to be out and everyone was walking home. I took a picture of all the school kids, then we turned the corner and there were so many more! It was amazing.

There was quite a group of people waiting for us when we arrived at the Mbale Chapel. We had training again, and every auxiliary of the branch was represented. It went very well. After the meeting, there were around 8-10 people who needed interviews from President Collings. Because they are not a stake yet, Steve is the person they go to for any stake business, like temple recommends, priesthood advancements, submitting mission papers, etc. We only get to these outer branches every 6 weeks or so, so they have quite a few things lined up when we get there. We were at the chapel until late into the night.

The next morning we had interviews for our Mbale missionaries. President Collings has said that he really feels like he is being blessed. He is still new, and doesn't know the missionaries very well, but when he sits down with the missionaries he receives impressions as to which questions to ask. He understands what they may be struggling with. It's one of those tender mercies of the Lord with this calling.

We had training in Busia that same evening with the Branch Council. Busia is on place in Uganda we haven't been yet. When we came for zone conferences, the Busia elders came to Mbale. Busia is a border town. It sits right on the border of Kenya, an hour and a half outside of Mbale. We thought while we were there that we could find a hotel. When we looked online, the hotels on the Uganda side were poorly rated, but there was a 5 star rated hotel on the Kenya side. Unfortunately it costs $50 each to cross the border and permission from our church leaders in South Africa. We decided it would be easier to just find another hotel. We were told that there were possibilities in Tororo Uganda, and had a room reserved at Green Meadows resort.

The training went well again. There were representatives from every auxiliary.  Again, after the training, there were interviews that needed to be done. We didn't get out of the church until after dark.

Busia Branch Council

 Agnes and Jackie

 Laston

Then we had to drive 40 minutes to Tororo, to a hotel we have never been to. Addresses in Uganda are very hard to find. There aren't a lot of house numbers. It was just listed as a hotel on a certain road. We called and got directions, but that doesn't always go well. It was very dark, there are diesels coming toward you with their lights on, on their way to the border, and there are still people walking up and down the roads in the dark. It's very hard to see them. Luckily we made it. It was clean, and they had a restaurant where we could eat before going to bed.

The next day we were able to visit with the Busia Elders. They are doing really well here.

We drove back to Kampala that same day, and decided that Saturday needed to be a day off. We had been busy every day for two weeks straight. It is really starting to feel like home in Kampala, and we were able to get some much needed R&R.

On Sunday we decided to go to our Kololo ward. That is the ward where the mission home is located. We have been so busy attending all of the mission branches, that we haven't been to this ward yet. We have been teaching an investigator, and this week, he and his cousin came to church. It was so fun to see his excitement. He had his Book of Mormon, which he says he takes everywhere with him now. He also had a red marking pencil, and throughout the meetings he would look up the scriptures that were discussed, and would highlight them. He asked lots of questions. I really loved going to this ward. It felt a lot like home. The Kampala Stake is very strong, and it's really neat to see the Gospel growing from this strong foundation. We were excited to see that our missionaries were on the program to speak. Two were invited to give their testimonies, and two others gave a talk. They ALL did very well! We love these missionaries!

Later that evening the investigator came to our home for dinner and another lesson. He said that as they left the meeting, his cousin turned to him and said, we really need to be baptized into this church! There is a baptismal date scheduled for them on September 11th. We are all excited.

It has been a very good week. Monday we leave for meetings in Johannesburg. I'm so excited to see our friends who are serving as mission presidents throughout Southeast Africa. We were really able to make a connection with them at the MTC in Provo. Now 2 months into our missions, it will really be neat to see how things are going for them.

District Conference Ethiopia

We arrived late Friday night in Ethiopia. We had District Conference scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Last time we stayed at this hotel in Addis Ababa, Steve left a pair of flip flops. We were sure they were lost forever, but when he asked them about it, they went to the lost and found and brought them out to us. We were so surprised.

This is a Plexiglas covering (or glass, I can't tell) that cars drive under to drop off hotel guests. These workers are cleaning it and using a squeegee to push the water off after a rainstorm. They are standing on top of it without any safety straps. It is about 4 floors up. I was so shocked to look out the window and see them working out there. Obviously there is no OSHA in Ethiopia.

Saturday morning, the district leadership went out with the General Authority that was there, and the mission president. They divided up and visited members of the District who needed to be strengthened. President Collings went out with his companion, and they ended up meeting with a couple who had been separated. They came together for the meeting. President Collings shared scriptures, and gave them encouragement. He said the Spirit was very strong in their meeting, and the couple decided to try to work out their differences.

Once they were done with visits they all came back to the church for a priesthood leadership meeting. At this same time, I was in a women's auxiliary training meeting. When I first received the notice of how the meeting would go, I was a little bit nervous. It was 2 hours long. It said the District Relief Society president would take 15 minutes, the District Young Women's president would take 15 minutes, and the District Primary President would take 15 minutes. Then it said Sister Collings would take the remainder of the time... ME?!? That would have left me at least an hour. I kind of panicked. This mission is definitely stretching me. Well it turned out that all of the ladies speak Amharic, and none of them adjusted their time for the translator, which usually takes twice as long.  I had prayed pretty hard that I would be able to know how to teach these ladies. It was an answer to my prayer when we were in Rwanda, and the wives of the Area Presidency taught on exactly the same subject. I was able to see what was expected, and was at peace. The meeting was very nice, and was very well attended. And I felt good about what was taught.

That evening we had an adult session. We were able to hear from the District President, who spoke on Traditions of Latter-Day Saints, like family prayer, scripture study as a family, family home evening, Sabbath day worship, tithing, and having fun together. The Ethiopian people have many other traditions, and I think this really helped them to see how traditions can be positive and can bring your family closer to the Lord.  Then a return sister missionary spoke. She spoke on keeping the Sabbath day holy, and the blessings associated with that. There is a brother who is a counselor in one of the branch presidencies. He gave a powerful talk on improving the spirituality of Sacrament meetings. He promised that if they would come early, purify their heart and mind before coming, and keep the commandments, that they will receive constant companionship of the Spirit, and wisdom to choose the right.  A member of the district presidency spoke on teaching the Savior's way, and why it's important. President Collings then spoke on the way the Savior strengthened the one. He told them the way to do this is to complete their home teaching and visiting teaching. This is something that isn't happening in Ethiopia now. Our final speaker was Elder Chatora, who presided over the meeting. He quoted Psalms 30:5 "joy cometh in the morning". He said that through the atonement we can overcome ALL issues of the world. He asked if we are taking sacrament meeting seriously. Do we come prepared to offer our hearts to Jesus Christ? Do we know the importance of sacrament prayers? It is the only ordinance done EVERY week. We can't afford to miss the sacrament.

District Presidency with Elder Chatora

Elder Chatora had asked for a choir to perform for the Sunday session of district conference. During preparations it was obvious that there was a struggle getting a choir together. President Collings offered to have our missionaries sing. There were about 17 of us including the office staff, senior couple, and President Collings and myself. Our missionaries sang "Called to Serve", and it was AMAZING!! I was so proud of them!! Elder Chatora thanked them as well for bringing the spirit into the meeting. It was wonderful! I saw several members recording it and taking pictures, that's not usually the case in a session of conference, but I wish I had a copy...

During this session, we again heard from the District President. He talked about how our leaders care for us. He said we all have moments of need, and that we need to carry each other. Then we heard from the District Relief Society president. She spoke of the importance of paying tithing. She talked about how paying tithing will lift them out of poverty. Next was a young woman who is about 13 years old. She spoke on the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. I was very impressed with how much knowledge she showed. She had worked really hard, and was very confident in what she was saying.  One of the district presidency spoke on sacrifice. He said no good is done without sacrifice. He told the story of the rich man who had kept the commandments from his youth. He asked Christ what more he could do. He was told to sell everything and follow the Savior. He told the story of Abraham, and said we can't come close to God without sacrifice. I was asked to speak, and talked about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon everyday with your family, and alone. Then President Collings spoke on sustaining your church leaders. He quoted the scripture in D&C 1:38, and said that the District President is one of the Lord's servants who holds keys for this district. The things he tells them are things that they should be following.  Elder Chatora then quoted the scripture that says something like, "do not be weary in well doing, you are laying the foundation of a great work." Then he said, "I call upon each of us to ask, what can I do to build the kingdom of God in Ethiopia?" In 2001 priesthood session of General Conference, President Monson said something like, "The world is in need of your help. Don't be spectators." Elder Chatora told them to listen to the prophet's call. Save those that need saving. He said the parables of the lost sheep, prodigal son, and the lost piece of silver all focus on saving the one. He told the story of Ammon and King Lamoni's flocks, in a way I have never thought of before (Alma 17). When his flocks were scattered they rushed with swiftness and gathered them, and brought them to the place of water, and encircled them. He said the flocks are members of our church who are lost, and the church is the place of water. We are Ammon and the servants of King Lamoni, and it's our responsibility to rush with swiftness and encircle them, and love them, and bring them back. 

This is a panorama outside of the conference. President Collings was moving so he looks a little weird, but I like the picture.

Overall a very good conference. I truly enjoyed the spirit that was there, and the time I was able to spend getting to know the people of Ethiopia.

Elder Chatora

An amazing Branch President

After the meeting, President Collings spent time with the District Presidency, and Branch Presidencies, and trained them on having District and Branch Councils. The meeting went really well, and the spirit was very strong.

There was some other things going on in the country while we were there. There has been some civil unrest. There were whisperings that there may be riots in the country outside of Addis. When the mission leadership in Ethiopia heard about it, they contacted the missionaries and had them come to the district conference a day early. They were able to be here and enjoy the wonderful district conference, and also be a safe distance from the other things that were going on. It was not happening where the missionaries are staying, but there was a concern that the road they would travel may be closed. I just love how the Lord protects his missionaries. The only issue we had while in Ethiopia was that all social media and internet access was shut down. A bit inconvenient, but we never felt like we were in any danger. I did see a clip on the news, that looked a bit scary. I thought if I was at home and saw this, I'd be worried about my son. I was able to get a message to Sister Goodwin, and asked her to let the missionary moms know their sons were all safe. We also contacted the Southeast Africa Area President to let him know everything was okay. By the time the 2 day conference was done, and interviews were done, they were able to return to their areas with no issues.

On Monday we were able to meet with all the missionaries. President Collings interviewed them all, one by one, and I got to spend time asking them questions, and getting to know them better. It was such a great day! They are truly good missionaries. They put their whole hearts into what they are doing.

A few sights in Addis. These are shelters right on the side of the road. They are everywhere. The one on the right is the length of a person, it's just big enough that they can slide in there to sleep. I'm told that a lot of the security guards have one of these right outside of the gate that they are guarding.

This is on Ethiopian Airlines. Isn't Amharic beautiful? It sounds beautiful too.

We flew home on Monday night, and have started traveling the Uganda loop again to interview all of the missionaries. There's never a dull moment here. We love it!!