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!

September 19, 2011

Well your week sounds fun. Ha having a little meeting with bosses to get their feeling out? But your method is the same one we use for when sisters fight. Ha pretty funny ya? And its always a problem to get them talking at first but when they start talking they let it all out. HA makes me laugh everytime. Ha anyways though as for me my week was awesome. We meet alot of new people. You know knocking doors and talking to people and listening to people who lie to us and tell us they will come to church and dont. But despite all of those people there were 4 who actually did come. One of the people we are teaching came to church and we had 3 more show up as well. It was like sweet and always makes your day when they come. Ha last week we did not have any come and this past week we had 4 show up. Nice ya! Anyways tracting is fun. We have been finding some people that way. I have not usually tracted in my mission. But this area we do. Esh though it works somehow. I dont really like doing it but my comp keeps pushing me. I love that guy. Ha he is awesome. We have alot of fun but we work alot together too. Esh its nice. Again i got a freaking sweet comp. Anyways we continue to work here and tear things up and get as many DA's as possible. We are pretty powerful at that by the ways.

Ha so we got assigned to give talks this next week in church and teach the lessons again......Esh i hope these people wont make a habbit out of this. Anyways though im enjoying the branch though. We have already made some good friends with members and they want to feed us. So ya we are doing good. Ha we have one lady in our ward who always feeds us even last night we realized that we didnt have any food in our flat and on Sunday so we called her and asked what’s for dinner and she replied what do you want? And we had a da last night. Ha this place is cool. And finally the rains have gone away so its not so muddy anymore. But when it rains here it gets bad.
Anyways ya i saw Pres B on Saturday he came and to look at our flat. By the ways we are living with the zone leaders still and it looks like it will be that way for a while. Pres told us to find a house for our area. So i was like okay. But for now we are chilling with the zone leaders. Anyways this past week was good. Anyways ya last week me and my comp gave lessons in Sunday school and elders quorum. And this week they asked us to give talks and the lessons. Ha yep i already feel apart of the branch. Pretty good.
So home sounds nice these days i find myself thinking about home more than usual. And when i got the pics of ava and Elissa and tour of Utah ah just killed me. AVA looks really cute by the ways. I cant wait till i get to hold her. Esh it kills me. And ha im already wearing another one of Elissa's bracelets. And when some members saw me wearing it they wanted one. And so does also a sister missionary. Also elder olsen. Fetch Elissa you got some popular bracelets here. Anyways though esh home all i will say is home feels like a dream. You know not real. Everything about home is only a dream right now to me. But ya anyways enough of that……. However, if there something i learned for here is that you need to tell the people you love that you love them assuming is not good enough. And you need to show them that you love them. Well ill talk to you next week.

love, matt

September 11, 2011

Anyways I’ll tell you about my week real quick. We didn't have much lessons, we tracted and contacted. And we found 1 person through our efforts but that was before Sunday. On Sunday ah it was awesome we got referral and referral from members. And to make it better we had the branch president, and his counselor and the elders quorum pres and his counselor and the branch mission leader with us. And they took us to see less actives and show us our area. And wow our area is huge! I cant believe that gave all of our area to 2 missionaries its too big. Ah i don't know about that. But its okay we have ALOT to work with. But ya today we decided to have an activity and go to a cool waterfall here. And it you know it was cool we went behind the waterfall and the rocks were super slippery and i ended up falling and eating it. Ha it was kinda funny i fell on my back. And you know now my back is muddy or dirty. Ya even now im still in my muddy shirt. But anyways it was cool, i got some cool pics. But imagine I forgot my cord and so i cant put any pics up. But no worries next week ill put some new pics for you up even of our lovely eldoret.

So imagine that we still are living with the ZL's here. But i don't know maybe they will move us out of that place next week with the new couples coming. I don't know ill have to wait and see. But ya here in eldoret sadly we don't have a ward where i serve. And its in a small house ha pretty cool. The sacrament room is about the size of our living room. Ya just imagine sacrament meeting in our living room then you got the branch im serving in. But its cool though the members are awesome here. And im still not used to the cold here. I still freeze at night I’m to the point to where i wear jeans to bed cause shorts are cold and don’t cover the legs. But esh i don't know if ill get used to it and when i come home ha ha im in trouble. And for the mud ha you don't know mud till you come here. Mud is everywhere like everywhere. Its almost impossible to walk around. Anyways Im happy to hear Utah state came and won the second half. I cant wait till i get to go to them again. Ah i miss them like crazy. I’m sick of soccer! ah soccer is the only sport here and its freaking lame. We emailed late today and so i don't have a lot of time. But ill write you more next week. Keep smiling.

love, matt

September 5, 2011

So ya i got to Eldoret somehow with all my stuff. Ha i did not get the bus to here this time. They put me on a matatu with all my stuff and ya that was kinda scary. They tied my big bag on the roof and i was worried it was going to fly off since the driver was feeling crazy and wanted to drive super fast around every corner. But ya somehow made it. Ha they crammed it with people to. I had my guitar in between my legs and a guy next to me getting to close for comfort. Ya was not that comfortable of a ride. But i made it. Me and my comp have been put into a threesome till wed. When my zone leader comp comes. So ya we have been enjoying that threesome. So ya Saturday we had to help him with all the small things he needed to do. So that meant carrying a 60 pound gas tank to the sisters which had to have been like a mile and half or 2 miles, I don't know why he wanted to walk but he did. Anyways that was fun. And then it rained making everywhere muddy. Esh scary i i thought i was going to fall. It looks we will be living at the zone leaders flat for a couple of weeks since our flat is not ready. And so that means i stay here and sleep on the ground till we can move into our place. You know I miss having my own bed and not just a tiny mattress. Anyways though that's mission and these things are just there.

So ya imagine this place is cold. Like freezing cold. Like wow I'm gonna die cold. Ya i don't know how people live here. Its always so cold. And it rains alot leaving the place very muddy. Like very muddy. And that's not fun to walk around in. I know before i leave this place that i will fall. Esh i've already had a couple of close falls and i've only been here two days. Esh i don't like mud. And here there are not too many paved roads. So ya i better get used to it. Anyways as for the area, ya we are still learning it. The sisters helped us out for a few hours but i just hope i can remember all the places they showed me. Ha but for now its just walking around trying to figure out where we are. But i hope this week will be better. I know all we do is walk around and try to find people investigators or members. Ha ya me im just worried if i can even find my area. And esh people call this phone like crazy. And its driving me crazy. Anyways though ya should be fun this week.

So ya my comp is cool though. He is new on mission, 4 months out. Ha ya but he is cool though he is a good worker. Anyways though ya not too much to say for this week. Ill give you the update next week. But for now just now that eldoret is cold and muddy. Esh i die in the mornings. Its freaking cold. I dont know what ill do when i get to Utah. Anyways though my comp is cool though. ESh he is cool i like him, he is a hard worker but still likes to joke around and have fun. So it works for me. I dont like having those work hard, serous, no fun, no emotion people. Ah not for me. I like to joke around and have fun sometimes. But i know those people, esh they are not humans they don't even smile. But ya luckily my comp is cool. It should be a fun transfer for us trying to figure out the area. Anyways though ya that's it for this week.