New missionaries and an Apostle

Well, the adventures continue. On Saturday we took our first road trip alone. Previously, we followed the AP's, or rode with the Goodwins. This weekend we had training for Branch Presidencies in Lira, Adyel, Gulu, and Bardege. We took our trusty GPS, and set out on our own. It went really well.

When we got to the Nile River, there were monkeys and baboons everywhere. Steve pulled the car over and actually got out by the Nile to take some pictures. As we drove further, he stopped a few times to get pictures and videos of the monkeys and baboons. At one point, he had stopped the car and had the window down on the driver's side to take pictures. All of a sudden a big baboon jumped up on my side and was hanging on the mirror. I screamed, and had a million thoughts running through my head. Was the window up? Was he going to reach in and scratch my eyes out? You know, basic questions. My window was up, and the mirror kind of folded in and he lost his balance and fell off. I think I screamed a couple of times. Scared my hubby to death. I have fingerprints from the baboon on my mirror. It scared me to death.

When we arrived at the Hotel it was just early enough to get some lunch before our meeting. I love the menus here. They have everything from hamburgers to goat meat. They offer matoke, rice, or chips (fries) with just about everything. It was funny today, for the first time we saw Goat Spit, Beef Spit, and Pork Spit on the menu with a salad and chips of course. I got a club sandwich, which reminded me of what we used to make with the sandwich makers back when we were first married. It was 4 pieces of bread with a different kind of meat between each one. I know one was beef, and I believe turkey, but I'm not sure the third type of meat. Then there was a cooked egg, and tomato all squished together like a panini, but sealed on the edges. It tasted pretty good! There is avocado, watermelon, and pineapple with everything. I had no idea I would get so much of those three fruits. Or is avocado a veggie? Good thing I really like all 3 of them.

The meeting with the Lira and Adyel branch councils was really incredible. I'm not sure how or if they have been holding Branch Council meetings, but this was just a basic lesson on how to Shepherd the Lord's way. The Spirit was so strong in the meeting. At one point President Collings told them that Elder Holland had said the Saints in Uganda have the blood of Israel in them. They all started clapping, they were so happy. It was very touching. They are really trying to lead the branches the  way the Savior would, and I believe they were very happy to have a little guidance in how to go about doing it.

President Collings asked one of the branch presidents if he would provide a small refreshment after the meeting. He brought a variety of soda pop, and a bag of donuts. Donuts in Uganda are a mix between a cake donut and a bagel. There is no glaze or frosting on them. They look just like a huge donut, but they are thick like a bagel. I also tried a new soda called Stoney Tangawizi. It is a ginger soda, but the ginger is very strong. I've seen it a few times, and decided when I saw it among the choices, that I'd try it. I LIKE IT!

We have been asked to help all of the branches to go online and map the locations of every members home. I spoke with the branch presidents and they said that they were unsure how to take care of this. I had my computer there in the building, so I said we could sit down and I'd show them how to do it. I asked them to log on to LDS.org. Nobody could remember their user  name or password. I finally was able to get the Branch Clerk online, and pulled up the Branch map, which is just a satellite view from Google Earth. I asked him to just show me where his house is on the map. We looked for a very long time, and he wasn't able to figure out where his house was. There were enough men at the meeting, that I thought we could get all of their homes listed. Unfortunately, we weren't even able to find one. I asked him to go home and study the map, and maybe find homes of members who are closer to the church, which was marked. And then work your way further out. We were hoping to have the entire mission mapped by the middle of September. I guess we could use a few prayers. This poor branch clerk seemed a little overwhelmed.

It was fun to bump into our missionaries in the Lira, Adyel area. As we were getting ready to leave, they were setting up a movie night for the young single adults. It sounds like they were going to watch Jungle Book. Fun times. We have great elders here.

We had to run an errand before it got dark, and can I just say, the driving at dusk is INCREDIBLE! In a crazy way!! I really want to take a video of it, but it's too intense. I have to help watch so we don't run over anyone. Unlike anything I have ever experienced. There are people everywhere, bicycles carrying huge loads, bota-botas usually carrying several people and huge loads,  cars, huge trucks. The streets are narrow, sometimes pavement, sometimes dirt, but mostly both. Huge pot holes on both sides of the road, so you're dodging a pothole, and trying not to hit traffic the other direction. There are people sitting on both sides of the roads with things that they are selling laid out on blankets or in piles. And they are sitting so close to each other, it's no wonder the people are walking down the streets. You hit an intersection, and there is no light, sign, or right of way. You just slowly go, and stop if you are getting close to hitting something.  On our little excursion, we had a conversation with a young man. He told us that he had never met a white person before.  It was pretty funny.  We were so grateful to finally be back at our hotel for the night! We pulled the mosquito net over the bed and were happy to collapse into bed.

On Sunday we had to travel to Gulu for church, which was 1 1/2 hours away. There were some people out in the town, but it was much quieter than the night before. While driving, it was amazing how many people lined the road just walking. Mostly in their Sunday clothes. Many carrying plastic chairs or stools. You could see where the churches were, because people were all walking into them, or standing outside of them because they were filled to capacity. It looked like church for them started at 7:00am. We left at 6:30, and there were so many people walking.

By the time we got to Gulu, we were quite a bit early for our church. We had just over an hour wait. I was surprised to hear prelude music playing.  The organ was set to self-play the hymns . There was a young man putting hymn books on every chair, and people were starting to file in. The missionaries were there early, and the one elder sat down to the keyboard and started to play the prelude music. I was impressed! He did a great job. One man told us that he is always to church on time. He has been a member for 9 years. He rides his bike 30 KM to church every week. He leaves very early because he wants to ride slowly so he doesn't get sweaty for church. It was fun talking with him.

We were the speakers in the branch. I talked about reading daily to our family from the Book of Mormon. President Collings spoke about using the Priesthood, serving each other, and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. After sacrament meeting we drove over to the Bardege branch, which started at the same time, so we were able to sit in on Sunday School and a combined Priesthood/Relief Society meeting. We were very impressed with both of these branches. There are so many good people in both branches, and we really felt uplifted during the meetings.

There was a cute little baby who was 7 months old. She was holding on to the chairs to help her walk around. After a while she got fussy, as babies do at church. Her grandma took her out. When she came back in a few minutes later, she had been bundled on her grandma's back and was sound asleep. These babies are so comfortable when they are strapped on their mom's back, it's so cute. They just snuggle right in and go to sleep. It's surprising how often (several times a day) you see ladies with a baby on their back.

After church we had another combined Branch Council training. We were so happy to see that the ladies from both branches came, and participated in that meeting. President had asked for all members of the branch council to be there. The meeting on Saturday had been all men...except for me. And as the training continued, he stressed how important it is to get input from the Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women's president's when you hold a branch council. Seeing the way the ladies came on Sunday, made the training that much easier. Again the Spirit was very strong. They were anxious to find out what they need to do, and then do it.

The extension cord used with our projector

After the training, I again, tried to show members of the Branch Council how to map the houses for their branches. I came to realize that the only members who have an LDS.org account are the return missionaries. I spoke with a couple of them, and showed them how it is done. I could tell they were excited to get it done. It's just very difficult for them to find their houses. But they did have an easier time than the Branch clerk in Lira.

We met up with President and Sister Goodwin. He is the 1st counselor in the Mission Presidency. He had been conducting audits of the different branches. It was getting late so we caravaned together to our hotel for the night. Sister Goodwin had booked each couple a room at a safari resort called Chobe. It is in the Murchison National Park. The Hotel is located 20 minutes off the highway on a dirt road. Just as we got to the resort, the clouds opened, and there was a huge downpour. There was so much lightning and rain. It was crazy. We went inside and had an amazing dinner, and then went to bed. The next morning we were awakened by the sound of grunting. The hotel sits right on the banks of the Nile, and it's home to many Hippos! Apparently they come out of the water at night and roam freely  all around this resort. There was a group of them in the water right outside of our room. We got up and walked around the buildings for a while and saw water buffalo, wart hogs, baboons, monkeys, and other fun animals. After breakfast we drove into the national park and saw all of these animals along with giraffes! I've never seen so many all at once. There was a mom and her baby walking together. It was so cute!

Some of the bungalows to stay in

A family of wart hogs

Not sure what they call deer here. 

We were only able to spend a few hours before we needed to head home, but WOW, what a fun experience!

Tuesday we picked up our new missionaries from the airport. We took them over to the mission office for some dinner and interviews, and then they came to the mission home with us for the night. Before they even settled in, they were invited to teach one of our security guards. President Collings had given him a pamphlet on the plan of salvation. When they started to teach him, he just started asking all the right questions. He had read about Alma in the pamphlet and asked who that was. Then he said he always wondered why Jesus Christ only visited the people in Jerusalem. He was excited to hear that he visited "other sheep". The spirit was very strong, and it was a good experience for the security guard and the missionaries.  The next day we had a large breakfast with the new missionaries, AP's, and the Senior Missionaries. There was a missionary who was returning home to Ethiopia from his mission. He had a layover in Entebbe so he could get off the airplane long enough to be released from his mission, and then was back on the plane to Ethiopia again. President Goodwin went to the airport to release him early that morning, because President Collings could not be in two places at once. Along with training the new missionaries, he had to set apart a missionary who is on his way to Botswana, and  train the new trainers. We had lunch  with the new missionaries, their trainers, the AP's, and the senior couples, and then after a few photos, sent them off to their new areas. I'm really impressed with these new missionaries. They will do great things.

Well, that was only half our day. We then had our missionaries who are leaving to go home come over for a farewell dinner and testimony meeting. I made my first pot roast dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. The senior sisters helped me (actually throughout the day) with salads, desserts, and vegetables. I couldn't have made it through the day without their help. After dinner, we had a testimony meeting. I have only been here for a month, but I feel like I'm sending my own sons away. I can't believe how attached I feel to them. They are great men, and I can see them being future leaders of the church. They bore strong testimonies of the Savior, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of missionary work, and personal growth. Many tears were shed... Okay,  mostly by me. We are losing one of our AP's. We appreciated how they all helped us this first month to learn our way around. Just wanted to share this fun picture they left for President Collings.

Immediately after the testimony meeting, with everyone still in my house, we rushed off to the airport to catch a flight to Rwanda. Elder Bednar was scheduled to visit the 3 branches in Rwanda, along with Elder Hamilton, the President of the Southeast Africa Area, and his counselor Elder Palmer, along with their wives.

Traffic was horrible, and Godfrey, our driver thought we would miss the flight, even though we left 4 hours early. I knew this is where Heavenly Father wanted us to be, and we would make it just fine. We made it, but it was very close! We didn't get to our hotel in Rwanda until about 1:30am. After an extremely long day, we collapsed into bed again.

Bright and early the next morning we got up and helped finished the preparations for our visitors. The senior couple serving in Rwanda made a simple meal for them, and the branch members worked very hard to prepare the buildings where the meeting would be held. It was a perfect day. The weather was amazing. We were able to spend one on one time with them talking about the Saints in Rwanda. There were 3 meetings held. One for priesthood leadership, and at the same time one for women's auxiliary leadership.  Then a general meeting for all of the Saints and anyone else who wanted to know more about the church.

President Collings said the Priesthood leadership meeting was really amazing. There were over 60 men who attended. They were taught by Elder Bednar, Elder Hamilton, and Elder Palmer. In the women's meeting, there were about 40 women. We were taught by Sister Bednar, Sister Hamilton, and Sister Palmer. Then the General Meeting had close to 200 people. In each meeting, we were taught, and then they opened up for questions. I felt the spirit over and over as I was able to listen to an Apostle and General Authorities bear testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement, the Book of Mormon, the Prophet, Joseph Smith, and our prophet today, President Thomas S Monson. I was thrilled to hear both Sister Bednar, and Elder Hamilton bear testimony that Elder Bednar was called of God as an apostle, and it strengthened my testimony again, that this is the true church, led by Jesus Christ. At one point Elder Bednar had all of the missionaries stand up. They all looked so great in their white shirts and ties.  I'm proud to be their mission mom.  I spoke with members after the meeting, who said they could not believe an apostle would come visit them. They truly want to do what's right, and want to be taught.

We went from the meeting directly to the airport to drop them off,  and said our goodbyes. But what a day to remember.

On Friday President Collings had interviews with each of the missionaries in Rwanda. I got to spend time talking with them, and getting to know them better. They told me some fun mission stories, and stories of back home. I learned about their families, and hobbies, and things they like to eat. It was a fun morning for me. After the interviews, we went with the Gilletts to lunch, and then went to a park in Kigali. The park is where Elder Holland dedicated the land of Rwanda for missionary work. It's a beautiful park on a hillside that looks over all the city. I can imagine what an amazing day that was. We spent some time taking it all in, and then after a couple of pictures, ran to the airport.

We had to fly to Ethiopia for District Conference on Saturday and Sunday. The flight was hot and cramped. We didn't sit together. I was beside a man who kept asking for beer. He would wave his empty beer can, which would splash beer on me. He had two waters and 3 cans of beer on our flight. It was very uncomfortable, not because he was drinking, but he was just being obnoxious to the flight attendants. And I don't like having beer splashed all over me...

We arrived late, and (this seems to be a trend) passed out as we hit the pillow.

We haven't had internet access for several days, so I will post on our Ethiopia District Conference in the next week. It's been such a fun and busy week.

Ethiopia

A little bit about the food here in Uganda. We have amazing restaurants! We have been to French, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, and there is also pretty good American Restaurants! They remind me a lot of home. Very clean and nice, but mostly set outdoors in beautiful settings! We have also had our share of authentic African food. We have had rice, beans, chicken (which is extremely tough here), matoke which is green bananas, but they taste more like potatoes, and even goat, which is really good! Samosas are really popular here as well. The missionaries favorite food is called Rolex. It's egg wrapped in a type of tortilla shell with other vegetables like cabbage rolled together with it. The one I had was pretty simple. I have asked the AP's to buy me one that won't make me sick, from a real Rolex vendor. We'll see. But, we will not go hungry here!!

Speaking of restaurants, on Friday before we went to the airport, we decided to take the AP's out to a Mexican restaurant. Steve parked the car, and then when he got out, he realized that he should pull the car forward to fit in the stall a bit better. He climbed back in the car and turned the key, and it wouldn't turn over. This car is about a week old. It's brand new. The car wouldn't lock or unlock with the remote. It was like it was completely shut down. We thought there was something wrong with the security system on it. After trying over and over to figure out what was going on with the car, we just decided to leave it in the parking lot and worry about it after lunch. An hour later after an amazing Mexican lunch, we were back at the car which was still in lock down. We were starting to get concerned because we needed to get back home, pick up our luggage, and get to the airport. The mall security came over and asked what was going on, and could they help us out. As we spoke with them about the vehicle, the head of mall security came over and pointed to our name badges and said he knew where our church was located, and always wondered what we believe. President Collings was able to talk with him about the church. During their conversation he told Steve that he has traced his lineage back to Israel. He has a wife and children and he said he is very interested in learning more about the Gospel. He gave his contact information to the missionaries. After this exchange of information, he said we should pop the hood so he could look at the car. We popped the hood, and he was surprised with how clean the engine is. He said, "Wow, this car really is new." Then he looked at the battery. The battery cable had slipped off... That was it. We were all so surprised. But then realized, if the battery cable had not slipped off, we would not have met this new investigator. We can't forget who is in charge of this work.

On our drive to the airport, I was able to get pictures of downtown Kampala, and some of the shopping on the road to Entebbe. The different levels of society are very apparent in the city. The malls remind me a lot of home, and they have 24 hour security, then there are the smaller markets that  the average person shops at, and then there are the street markets, where people lay their goods out on the ground and it seems like hundreds of people are all selling the same things. All of these areas are so close to each other. The wealth and poverty are a stark contrast.

That evening we flew to Ethiopia. On the plane, we sat by a young man from Uganda. He was very interested in us too. He has lived the last two years in China, and works there. He came back to Uganda to update his Visa, and was on his way back to China. He would ask us questions about the church. We would answer them and then you could see he was just trying to process it in his mind. A few minutes later he would ask another question. This went on for at least half of the flight. I gave him a pass along card that has the website of the church on it. We also wrote Steve's email address on the back of the card, and told him to contact us if he had any other questions. It made the flight go by quickly.

I was warned that Ethiopia is COLD! Cold is a relative thing, right? I'm used to Utah cold, with snow and ice, but I thought Africa is not cold. I haven't worn a sweater since I got here. When we arrived in Ethiopia, it was 15 C. I had to look up the Fahrenheit temperature: 59 F. After several weeks in 80 degree temperatures, 59 did feel pretty cold! The church here is made of cement, and it seems to hold in the cool air, so throughout the entire day at Zone Conference, it was chilly. But it's beautiful!

Addis Ababa seems to be a little more of a modern city than Kampala or Kigali. There are roads that seem to move really well. There is a train system throughout the city. The people here have a very uniquely different look than the other countries we have been to. Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa. Except for a 5 year occupation by Mussolini's Italy, it has never been colonized. So while other countries speak the language of the country that colonized them, English, French, etc. Ethiopia speaks Amharic. Beautiful people, in a beautiful country, and they speak a beautiful language. I really love it here!

While in our hotel room, there was a wedding party that drove by. A limousine, and several other cars, all with flowers on the front. They stopped in the middle of the road in front of the hotel, and all got out of the cars and started dancing. Then they got back in and drove a little further down the road. At the hotel there were 3 wedding party's. Each of them paraded out to the parking lot where cars were decorated with flowers. Quite a tradition.

The church is in a complex. There is a security gate, (which all of the buildings in our mission have) a church building, a mission office for Ethiopia, and even a basketball court. The grounds are BEAUTIFUL! It's rainy, and cool, which makes it so green!

Mission Office

Construction Everywhere (this is across the street from the church.)

Zone conference was another amazing experience. You could tell that the elders were very prepared. A couple of fun things that were said. One elder said that recently they were having  a gospel discussion while they were sitting outside. They noticed as they were talking that a young man scooted over closer to them, and was listening to their conversation. He approached them and started asking them questions. He said he just felt something special as he listened to them speaking. This elder said to the group , "The Holy Ghost is like free  WIFI!" ( Haha, I couldn't agree more. )

We were having a discussion on acting in faith. During the discussion, one of the elders brought up the story of the Brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon, and how he found clear stones, and prayed that God would touch the stones and give them light so they would not have to cross the ocean in the dark. The next elder said something I never thought of before. He said, just like the Brother of Jared, we can pray to Heavenly Father, and ask him to touch the people we are teaching and give them light, or truth. It's a simple concept, but I had never thought of it in that way before.

The Spirit was very strong at this Zone Conference. And as it was ending, President Collings bore his final testimony and was just about to sit down when an elder raised his hand and asked if he could say something. He spoke and then 3 or 4 more elders spoke. Many of us were in tears as the meeting was ending. It was as if they didn't want the meeting to end. They wanted more. It was so touching.

The senior couple serving here in Ethiopia are Elder and Sister Harline. We also had the public affairs couple who represent our mission there; Elder and Sister Ford. They stay in Kenya, but come to our mission frequently. Sister Harline took care of lunch for Zone Conference which was REALLY good. We were able to spend quality time with both couples, and again, just have felt such a connection to them.

Steve and I were both asked to speak in church on Sunday. Again, we needed interpreters. Most everyone speaks Amharic. This time I just bore my testimony, and President Collings did the bulk of the speaking. The second counselor in the Branch Presidency is from South Sudan. His wife recently had a baby, so she was at home, but their 5 other children came to church. They latched right on to President Collings and me. In fact, when we first arrived, the youngest little boy ran to President Collings with his arms outstretched, and just hugged him around the legs. Then he grabbed his briefcase and started to pull it around the church house.

They didn't understand any English  but it didn't seem to matter. The girls sat beside me and stroked my hair, and copied my name from my missionary name badge. All five kids spent all of Sacrament meeting with me and the other senior couples.  The oldest son is named Judea, and I believe the youngest son is named Tay (But I like to call him TAZ, because he runs around like the cartoon character) It was so fun.

I went to Relief Society and there were about 6 ladies. The all spoke Ahmaric, so one of the young sisters translated for me. There is another sister in the branch who is from Russia. She doesn't speak any English or Amharic, only Russian. It was not easy for her, but she had the lesson pulled up on her iPad in Russian, and just followed along.

After church, we spoke with her and her husband. He is a neurosurgeon. He was a District President, and then was made Stake President in Russia. They have a daughter serving as a missionary right now. He says because of economic sanctions, they have cut the pay for healthcare workers and teachers. When he left Russia, he was making the same amount of pay as a bus driver. They came to Ethiopia because he was able to be paid better. He has a one year contract, and will decide from there what to do. He speaks English well, and was able to translate for his wife. We had a very touching conversation with them.  We feel like they are already dear friends.

After church we went with the Harlines to visit some members of the branch who were unable to make it to church. When we arrived, the sister did not speak any English, and her son was not there yet to translate for us. She had her daughter and grandson there. She was able to motion to us that she was suffering from a bad headache. We asked if she would like a priesthood blessing, to which she acknowledged that she did. President Collings and Elder Harline gave her a blessing. They told her the headache would go away and that she would know it was through the Holy Ghost and the power of the Priesthood that she would be healed. Then  we enjoyed time in her home. Her daughter brought out pictures of a kindergarten  graduation celebration for her son. She was so excited to show us. Then the Harlines pulled out their iPad and showed a video they had taken at that celebration. It was videos of all of them dancing. Her grandson came in and started to dance for us. It was so fun.  Finally, her 17 year old son came and was able to translate a bit for us. We asked how she was doing and she said her headache was gone. President Collings asked how she felt during the blessing, and she said she felt the Holy Ghost. She said she wanted to tell us about how she was converted to the church, but she thought her son would not be able to translate. She made us promise that the next time we are in Ethiopia, we will come to her home. This is the first home I have been to made of corrugated metal with just a dirt floor.  Very humble, but she has such a strong faith in Jesus Christ. She has a son serving a mission in Africa, and her 17 year old is preparing for a mission as well. I love meeting these Latter Day Saints in Africa!

It has taken us just over 3 weeks to meet all 137 missionaries in 3 countries. I must say, we have the BEST missionaries!

We returned home, and on Wednesday had Mission Leadership Council. All of the Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders, and AP's come for that. We had it at the mission home, and all attended except for the zone leaders in Ethiopia and Rwanda. They joined us by way of the internet. During MLC, each Zone reports their Zone's baptismal goal, and where they are at in reaching the goals that are set.  There was a kind of negative feeling in the room after the zones reported. All of the numbers for each Zone was listed on a white board. President told all of the missionaries to look at the report and tell him what was wrong with it. Everything looked in order, and they weren't sure what he was getting at. Then President Collings said, "I don't see any baptismal goals for the AP's and Mission President and Wife. We need to show a little more faith." And he proceeded to set a goal for us to reach before the end of the year. I think the missionaries were all shocked. He has taken that goal seriously, and has given out so many pass along cards, brochures, and copies of the Book of Mormon in the last week.  Afterward, those in Uganda went out for lunch, at a Japanese restaurant. The group was HUGE! But there was plenty of food. The owner of the restaurant presented Steve and me with a gift. They have been hosting the missionaries for many years, and they said they were happy to meet us.

Mission Leadership Council

We are on our way to Lira and Gulu. President Collings will train Branch Presidents on how to hold Branch Councils, and do whatever he can to help lift the branches. It's been a good week!

Rwanda

The first mission president in the Uganda Kampala mission was President Duke. Two years into his mission, he was driving home from the airport and got in a car accident with his wife. He passed away in that accident. Friday marked the ten year anniversary of his death. The office staff all knew him, and it was very special, on that day they all took a half day off work and honored him. They all had matching shirts made with his picture on the front, and on the back it quoted Matthew 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." They went to the place where he had the accident and placed flowers, sang songs, and said a prayer. I was so touched by this outpouring of love. When I saw the shirts, I couldn't help but cry. I know they still keep in touch with Sister Duke, and I'm sure this meant a lot to her as well.

Flowers were placed on top of the mound of dirt. 

We left Friday evening for a zone conference in Rwanda. The airport in Uganda was a very different experience. It seemed to take forever to go through security. When we received our boarding passes, there was no gate assigned. We just sat in a waiting area and then there was an announcement overhead that said our flight was getting ready to board in gate one. We walked over to gate one where we had to go through a metal detector again, and send our bags through that hadn't been checked. Once we went through security at our gate they scanned our ticket and we went in and sat down at the gate. Pretty soon a lady announced final boarding for our flight and we all followed her down the stairs and outside. We walked past several planes and followed her to the one we would be flying in. We climbed up about 5 or 6 steps into the plane. It was one with propellers. It seated quite a few people, and was actually nice, just different than I'm used to. When we landed, we climbed down the stairs again and climbed onto a bus that took us to the gate where we got off and walked into the airport.

Once we arrived in Rwanda we received a message from the senior couple serving there, the Gilletts. They had planned to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel. The Zone Leaders were at the airport already to pick up the AP's, but the Gilletts were stuck in a traffic jam and instead called a shuttle from our hotel to pick us up. This weekend Rwanda is holding a summit, and all of the president's of all of the African nations are here in Kigali. The airport was SO busy, and apparently different roads would be completely shut down as different dignitaries were coming for the summit. The road that the Gilletts were on had been completely shut down, and there was no way they could get through to pick us up. There was even a problem getting a hotel room for us for the two nights we were staying. We stayed in two different hotels (which was totally fine).

We had an amazing zone conference! It's so wonderful when the Elders are prepared and the Spirit is able to flow freely. Everyone benefits from meetings like that.

Afterwards we had invited all of the Branch Presidents and their counsellors to a meeting. There is a special training coming up for the 3 Rwandan branches, and President Collings wanted to encourage them to help members come prepared, and also to invite their families, friends, and neighbors. They were very excited as the meeting ended, and I believe it will be a good experience.

The Gillett's helped us with everything while in Rwanda. They drove us to the different places, and were so kind. We developed an instant friendship with them. They truly are strengthening the branches in amazing ways in Rwanda. Saturday evening they took us to a Japanese restaurant. It was beautiful! Most of the restaurants we have been to in Africa are set outdoors with just a canopy over the top, or windows that are open to the outside. We haven't had any problems with flies or mosquitos like we have back home. I thought it was so funny, on the windows of this restaurant there were snowflake stickers! I'm guessing these people have never seen snow, but it still looked so nice.

On Sunday we went to one of the Branches and we had been asked to speak in church. This was a unique experience for us. We had been told that on this mission we may need interpreters sometimes when we speak. This was one of those times. Many of the members speak Kenyawandan, so everything was done in that language and English. When I stood to speak, a young man stood beside me with a hand microphone. I would say a sentence or two, and then wait while he translated it. I had felt the Spirit as I was preparing my talk, and felt that what I spoke on was needed, but I felt kind of disconnected. I hope it was something that benefitted people.  President Collings spoke as well. He actually was powerful. I really love hearing him testify of truth. After Sacrament meeting, he had two interviews with members of the Branch. I know this was an amazing experience for him. We have met the most amazing people here, and their life stories are incredible. While he interviewed, I decided to go to the Gospel Principles class. The teacher turned to me and said, "You understand we will not be speaking in English." I said I understood, and just sat in the class. It was different, but I could really see how much this teacher cared for each person in his class. He would ask a question and as they would answer, you could tell he was intently listening.

The interviews were completed by the time the class ended, and we quickly drove to the second Branch. He needed to set apart a new Counselor in the Branch Presidency, and Elders Quorum President. This branch was really great. I was able to have a conversation with some of the ladies. There is a couple living here from the US. He is from Utah and she is from Missouri. They are a young couple and are such a strength to the branch.



The new Elders Quorum president invited us over to his house for a visit. His wife was there. She did not understand any English. She had the biggest brightest smile I have ever seen. She actually has breast cancer, and they are planning to fly her to France for treatment. You would never guess she was sick. She just beams with joy. He studied to be a pastor, and through his studies said he could see there was something missing in his church. He searched for most of his life for the correct church. He says when he was approached by Elders, he just ignored them. He said he never talks to young kids, he doesn't have the patience for them. But he says they were persistent. After they taught him, he sent them away, and then  he had a thought. "You have looked your whole life for this, you should listen to them." Sure enough, he says this Gospel of Jesus Christ has all the things that were missing in the other churches he has studied.

He is a farmer here in Rwanda. As we left his house he brought out the BIGGEST pineapple I've seen, and gave it to President Collings. Then he pulled out another one and gave it to me. Then pulled out two more for Elder and Sister Gillett. They were AMAZING!

Rwanda is such a unique place. It's called the land of a thousand hills. There are no flat roads, you are either going up or down. The homes are built on the side of hills, and they look like they are stacked on top of each other. Everywhere you look there are homes, it's hard to see pathways between the homes. The driveways are so steep! But Rwanda is CLEAN. The people have one day a month that they are required to go outside and clean. I think they really take pride in their little nation. There are still humble homes, but a lot more nice homes. People drive on the right side of the road, instead of the left like most of Africa. There are traffic lights, and people obey them. I was very impressed with everything about this country.

 It's amazing how steep the hills are, and yet there are houses on every one. Incredible.  

This is looking out behind one of the churches here. you can see the roof of the house right behind it. Every house here has a view.

Flying home Sunday was a little bit complicated again. Because of the Summit, we went to the airport extra early. It was so fun, while we were sitting in the airport with the AP's, a woman approached us and said she couldn't help notice we were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She said she is a member too, from Nigeria. She said her husband is in the Stake Presidency, and she is in the primary. She asked if she could take a picture with us. It was such a fun experience talking with her. She gave me a big hug before boarding her flight.

When it was time for us to board, we just sat in the airport. I think we boarded 1/2 hour late. Then we sat in the plane for another 40 minutes. The captain spoke overhead and said there were 2 VIP jets that had to leave before we would be cleared to go. It was a unique situation, but we didn't mind too much. Once in the air, the flight is only 40 minutes. By the time we landed and drove home, it was 12:30 am. A very long long day.

On Monday the Taylor's came and spent their last night here on the mission in our home. We went out to dinner with all the senior couples, and then went back home for dessert and testimonies. It was such a sweet experience. We have only known them for 2 weeks, but have really built a kinship with them. It's amazing how close you grow to people who you serve with, especially here in Africa. You start to realize that material things just don't matter. We also had a couple of Elders stay with us, who came into town from an outlying zone. It was a full house, which was really nice.

Tuesday our shipment from the United States arrived! I was so excited! I had family pictures to put up in my house! The walls are all cement in this home. There are a few nails, screws, or hooks embedded in the cement, but no way of putting in new nails or moving the ones that are already there. I was able to make do quite well, and I'm so happy to have some of my own things decorating the house.

I was also given some fun mementos from my dear friends at St Marks Hospital. I decorated my desk with them, and have had everyone from the office comment on them. It really means a lot to me.

Tomorrow we will be flying to Ethiopia to meet our missionaries there. I'm told it's a lot different than Uganda or Rwanda. I can't wait!

This has been such an adventure. I love the missionaries, and the other people I work with. The driving is coming along quite nicely. President Collings is understanding the new rules for driving here in Uganda, and I feel very safe driving with him now. Like everything else, it's different, but once you understand it, life is much easier.  I found out that the monkey sound I hear every day is a bird. I only had a couple of Africans laugh at me when I asked them... I should know that my husband is usually right.