October 25, 2011

So ya the hike ha these mountains are kicking my butt. But no worries they are not getting me geared up for Kings Peak. They are getting me ready for Kilimanjaro. Yep by the time I’m done here I'll be ready for it. You have no idea these mountains are getting me in shape. So anyways though as for us we still have no power here. And as of right now the power has not come back 12 days now. And it doesn’t look like its coming back anytime soon and to think some people at home can’t handle it for more than a few hours. I don’t know what my house looks like with the lights on. I might never see it with the lights on at least that’s what the people tell me. The Kenya Power Company is bogus. I’m gonna have to go and bribe to fix it faster. But you know these things are just there and I am just enduring. But no worries I’m loving all of our forced candle light dinners.

Hey the couples are nice. They baked us a cake and it was freaking nice. The halls are sweet. They live in Nairobi and drive out here twice a week. So ya it’s nice to have them around. Anyways though the work is good here. And ya imagine our branch president feeds us all the time. It’s nice we are slowly being adopted into their family. I love going over there and playing with the kids and just playing games with the whole family. It’s nice though. Although I wish you could see this place though. I know you would love it. As for the temperature its going up a little but I’m still cold. But hey I’m going to Mombasa next week for zone conference it will be hot there.

We had some baptisms this past week, 2 from us as investigators and 16 as children who are turning 8. So ya we had alot to dunk. And for confirming them, ah it took the whole hour to confirm them and I think every Melchizedek priesthood holder confirmed including me and my comp. And then after confirming we had the sacrament and then the primary program. It took up all of Sunday school so ya sacrament meeting was 2 hours long. But the primary program was good. I enjoyed it. Those kids can sing and they are loud. Loved it. Anyways though ya that was the highlights of my week. Pretty nice ya? By the ways I still have not seen conference yet. No power means we can’t watch conference. So I don’t know maybe I’ll have to just wait and see it when I come home. It’s killing me.

I’m super excited to go to Mombasa to Zone conference next week! And also I finally get to see Munatsi again. It’s been almost 7 months. But ya I finally get to go to Mombasa and see it. That’s the one place I wanted to go in Kenya so ya I’m gonna take some pictures for ya. Anyways though home sounds good. I miss home. I don’t know why but I keep dreaming of home and its killing me. Ah but you know i don’t have much longer. As for the package by the ways don’t worry about it I’ll get it. The couples live in Nairobi and they come out this way twice a week. So I’ll get it whenever it comes. But I’m gonna go for this week. Just know I’m okay and its warming up now. And next week will be hot when I go to Mombasa. Esh I’m excited. Anyways I’m gonna go for this week, I can’t wait to tell you about the climbs of this week. But I’ll talk to you later.

October 18, 2011 - Kilungu Hills

This place is no joke!

Ah I’m freezing worse here than in Eldoret. Ah I think this is the coldest place in the mission. Ah it rains a lot here. And when it rains it gets cold. It can get warm sometimes but for the most part I’m freezing. So ya Sister Hall is cool. I’m glad she sends the photos to you. And ya I got lucky the Halls gave me a ride down from Nairobi so it was a lot better than taking a bus. But ya I get to go to Mombasa for zone conference and I’ll see Munatsi he is still there. I’m super excited to see him, have not seen him in like 7 months. I still call him a lot though. so i wish i could have been there at Phil’s baby blessing but you know these things are just there.

So anyways ill tell you about my area. I'm in the bush! ha it takes like and hour and half drive to get the closest cyber! As for my area we are according to me now known as mountain climbers. The area I’m in is called Kyambeke and Ilima. live in Kyambeke. Sunday we went to church at Ilima and that was on the top of the freaking mountain and it takes a good hour to hike up to it. I just kept thinking you would have loved it. It’s beautiful up there and everything is green. And you know yesterday we hike like 45 minutes up another mountain to get an appointment. So ya that’s gonna be my area hiking up mountains to get to see people. And the person who named this place hills was confused very confused these are no hills these are mountains! And they are kicking my butt everyday.

But ya we don’t have a cyber in our town we go far very far to this cyber and its not all that good. In fact we have not had power in our town for 5 days now. Nice ya. But our branch president is taking care of us very nice. He is our neighbor and he always comes down to our house and says elders don’t cook tonight we are making you dinner. And I’m like yes sweet! But ya as for my comp he is sweet. I love this kid. His name is Elder Mpahlele from South Africa. So ya he is my second South African comp. But he is sweet. He is making this area alot cooler. But just know I’m enjoying it here. Anyways though this place is good but I don’t like bucket showers though I’ve been taking them alot. But ya I’m just enduring these things.

But anyways my p-days are on Tuesday now and Monday is gone till I come home. Market day is on Tuesday and it’s the only time in the week where matatus run to the place where the cyber is located. I don’t know about uploading pics here this cyber is not good. So you might have to wait till I come home. Esh though I wish you could see it here. It’s all so nice.

Anyways though the area is nice and I’m loving the people. I just meet a sweet recent convert yesterday named Kelvin the guy is cool. He gave us a free ride to the other elders flat. And before that fed us alot of chapotty and beans freaking good. Anyways though ill have alot of stories to tell of this place when I come home. I already have a lot and I’ve only been here a week. Ha imagine ya that we have not had power in 5 days now. So ya thats been nice. Our phone died and we did not call in for 3 days now. Ha it does not matter anyways we don’t get any phone service here anyways. Like none at all. In fact we have not called in the past 3 days. Shows how far out here we are. But despite all that I’m having fun. This place is awesome. So ya p-day is on Tuesday now until I finish.

Love, Matt (Mountain climber)

October 10, 2011 - Kisumu

Esh sorry I was not able to email last week. My account refused to open and leaving me not able to email at all last week. Kinda bogus if you ask me and really bummed me out. But oh well you know these things are just there. Anyways ya I got transferred or getting transferred this Thursday after only 6 weeks. Elder Phiri is training (he is now just 6 months out) and I’m going to Kilungu Hills, which is the bushiest part of the mission. Yep I am finally going to a village or rather the place you see of Africa at home. Ha ya I won’t even have a toilet where I’m going. I get the hole in the ground the missionaries here like to call them the long drops. But ya I’ll share that with the other people in the community awesome ya! Anyways my new comp is elder Mangenela’s kid. Yep I don’t know him but I hope he is cool. I’m going to miss Phiri like crazy. That guy is awesome. Fetch we had alot of fun here. Anyways I said my goodbyes to the members and I’m gonna miss some of them, like Brother Henry. I’ve never found a guy that is as funny as him. Ha he speaks his mind and wow its funny most of the time, or Sister Jacky totally awesome. We made chapottys at her place and no worries they were awesome. But ya I had fun the six weeks I was here. Fetch I met alot of awesome people I’m going to miss. Ah they are sending me far away from here.

We visited another waterfall and it was pretty cool. You can go look at it if you want. Although the people that works there were bogus they made us pay a few shillings cause were white. But me I got away with it ya I have my Kenyan i.d. Ha I love it. People are always surprised when they see it. Oh by the ways the mission is doing something new and it’s surprised me. They are giving all the new trainers dvd players. I've never heard of such a thing but ya they are trusting missionaries more now. Me I just started laughing when I heard about it. But ya I’ll see how that goes.

I am now aware that I’m under 4 months I think. So ya not much left. Kinda scary to think about. Yep this is for sure the last place for me. I’m going into the wilderness to die (end the mission). But ya I’ll be walking the Hills of Kilungu and I hear that they are high and I’m going to die. But even still I’m kinda excited still. Anyways ya I leave on Thursday to go to my area. Yep another 7 hour bus ride to Nairobi and then another 4 to 5 hour ride to my area. Totally awesome I’m getting used to travelling for long time. They never seem to last long now. Ha I’m finally going to eastern Kenya and luckily I’ll get to see Mombasa for zone conference. Sadly I won’t get to go there to serve but at least I’ll get to see it. Anyways though ya I’m excited and scarred to go. Esh I don’t know I’ll see how it goes. But by the ways I get to see Munatsi at zone conference! Super excited! But ya I look forward to emailing you next week. Anyways I’m told the internet I’m going is totally bogus and doesn’t work. But we will see.

HA pray for me I’m going into the wilderness. haha

Love Matt

September 26, 2011

So its almost October wow time flies. I know I always say that but wow it went fast. You know this week is week 5 of transfers and next week we get the transfer news. Pretty exciting. But you know I have been enjoying transfers with my comp. He is a freaking cool dude. I’m gonna miss him. I think I’m leaving and he will train. I hear there is a lot of kids coming. You know us we had 14 come just this last transfer. Freak that group was huge and i hear there are 10 more coming this transfer. But no joke we are having fun this transfer. We have been tracking most of the time and I hate tracking but him he made it better for me. And you know I have too much fun when i tract. Ha people ask me what i want and I tell them i want to be your friend. And they don’t really know what to say for that. And me I’m just laughing to myself. but ya I find if your smiling at them they are generally nice to you. HA ya thanks to mission I’m very outgoing by the ways. Except to white people when i see white people i hide behind my comp. I’m still not used to them. I really freak out when I see them. Like the other day at the orphanage we do service at one came up to me and greeted me I said hello and then ran to my comp. Esh its bad. My comp like to make fun of me for it. But I really can’t help it anymore. But ya for everyone else I’m very outgoing. Just ask the members or sisters.

So this past week you know me and my comp went and knocked doors again and talk to people who are still pretty bogus. But you know out of all the people we talked to we did find one who came to church on Sunday and is progressing. She keeps commitments and is just awesome. Her name is Joanna cool girl. Ha she stopped taking tea when she saw they we didn’t take it. Ha I’m loving it though. But ya that’s my success of last week. Wait lied we had another one. We had a less active come back on Sunday. Ya we were visiting her every week and nothing. And then finally we saw her come into church on Sunday and we were like yes! Speaking of church on Sunday you know i had to give a talk and ya my comp also but him he was sick and he didn’t take much time and me i was the last speaker. So ya after my comp the Branch Pres gets up and announces me and tells me to take as much time as I want and to take my time. And i was like sawa. Then ya i gave a talk for forever and made me feel like a pastor. And then after my talk they give me a manual and tell me I’m teaching the gospel principles class. So my comp started calling me a branch pastor. Made me laugh. But heck these people love to give missionaries assignments. ITs okay i guess.

Ha you know Kenya is pretty cool. But if you ask me i still think i like Tanzanian more. Hey are you hearing about the hauge the Kenyans leaders are in it. And people are freaking out since all the people who are running for president are going there. Ha me I think its kinda funny. But ya just so you know.

Ha I made chappotty's this week at a members house and it was awesome. We then made some at home. And I gotta say I’m getting good at them. And I want to make them for you when i come home. and even show you how to make them. But they take time. But I can say its a heck of alot better than ugali. I can promise you when I’m done eating it forever. NEVER AGAIN. Anyways dad i wanted to let you know a guy came up behind me just now and scared me he is holding a machine gun. FETCH FREAKING ME OUT. Ah! Anyways he left, but ill talk to you next week. A week of tracking is not fun but no worries i always find a way to make it fun. Love ya. Naku penda!