7-25-11

Im always having fun, kinda weird, you know everywhere i go im known as a crazy elder. Even among missionaries and elders, those who know me, know me as a crazy elder. And you know i like it, i like having fun where ever i go. As for me im still just chilling in kisumu, not moving anywhere yet. But wow i have to say how fast time goes here. See this is my third tranfer in kisumu and wow does not feel like it. And you know im thinking my next area will be my resting place. At least thats my hope, i want my next area to be the place where i die. And you know where i want to go. So anyways church was fun yesterday. Me and elder olsen were invited to the primary, which we did attend and it was fun. We got to teach the kids give said the little stream and it was fun. Suprised me though how many songs they do know already. They sang praise to the man from memory. I was like ya you guys are awesome. But ya anyways it was just fun from a changeup of sunday school class for investigators and preistood, dont get me wrong there good but just need a little change sometime. Anyways this week was good ha on thursday we contacted a guy named oscar and he invited us to teach him at his home on saturday. Now that does happen alot but when the day comes to see them they never answer phones or tell you they are busy. But this guy the day came and he called us and asked us if we are coming still. He called like 6 times. So ya we went to see him and he was ready and had 2 other people there for us. So we taught them and they listened and wanted to know more. Esh and after that he made a huge meal for us, esh alot alot alot of food, but ya it was good though. So we told them to come to church tomorow. And guess what he did! ya he came and he liked it. We get to see him this saturday again. Pretty excited. And while this was happening another guy named andrew came, he works at the orphange we do service at everyweek. And him he wants to know more and were meeting him this week as well. Yep all i can say was it was a awesome sunday. But anyways though ya thats the highlight of last week for me. Its good sometimes when the lord just says im gonna give you these two awesome investigators, and he leaves it up to us to take care of them. Esh though makes the work alot eaiser. But anyways yesterday was funny, see we were going to an appointment and on the way to were we get matatu's we saw like 50 people all holding clubs. And we saw like 15 more people run past us with clubs not sure they were going and as we were at the bus station we saw even more people holding clubs. Still havent figured out why they were but i have to say i dont even wonder anymore. See this is kenya and these weird things happen. Like esh man i've gotten used to kenya culture. Like i no longer respect personal boundries. Esh kenyans sure dont and i have to say its rubbed off on me. But at least i have problems still holding another guys hands. Esh whenever i see that here im like no you guys stop that aint right. And esh my branch president here loves holding hands. He has tried to hold my hand like 5 times since i've been here and he has not gotten me yet. And i wont let him get me. But for my comp he just holds his hand and there is no problem .And for my old comp here ha he got him once and it was funny to watch him try and get his hand back. But ya just funny sometimes. So anyways though yep thats what i wanted to share this week,
love, matt

7-18-11

Well would you belive me if i told you, i have not been sunburned once since i have come on mission. I also have not put on sun screen once since i come. But i will say at least im not white like some white people around here. Ha even a guy who we contacted ran into the other missionaries here and he told them ya i met two others like you, an indian and a really black boy. Ya me and my son. But ya the dude literally thought i was an Indian. Ya not sure if thats good but ill take it. But anyways ill spill the secret, we took a little trip last saturday and we went and found sarah obama. I was kinda mad when they said no camera's but i didnt listen. And the member we went with, she knew him well she got excited when she saw him and he asked if we could get a pic with all of us and she said yes. She doesnt speak english, but she said she can read a little and that she will have her grandson read it to her. So we were like sawa. But ya pretty awesome, so ya marked that off the list to do on mission. Ya conctact and give BOM to obama's g-ma and also pet cheetah's. Yep did some serious stuff on my mission But all i can say she is quite a tourist attraction. Like wow no joke, there were like 20 wazugu's there who went and saw her before us. But anyways ya pretty awesome ya? By the ways we had tranfers this past saturday. And the news is that there is no change. Yep im still in Kisumu for at least another 6 weeks. And there is no problem i like kisumu. The members here are freaking awesome. Anyways the sisters i came with go home at the end of this transfer. Yep they will be gone. And yet when they leave my trainer will still be here. Esh that guy trained me young. But by the ways we just had 10 missionaries come. and we have 24 come next transfer. Yep they have to fill up the mission since the big groups are leaving at the end of this tranfer. And my group is the last of the big groups. Pretty exciting. Starting this tranfer missionaries will start leaving 8-10 missionaries every tranfer until feb. yep gonna be crazy. Our mission will be very young. Esh two tranfers ago it was old. 3/4 of the mission was over a year. And now all of them are going. Esh gonna be interesting how these things are going to work out. Pres is getting ready for it. But ya anyways dad im gonna go. But talk to you next week. But anyways besides that nothing really new we are still pressing forward with the work.
love, matt

7-11-11

Would it be weird if i told you that im starting to think its kinda cold here. You know i take cocoa every morning and night. And i wear a hoodie at night. Esh i need to go to mombasa or somewhere way freaking hot. Cause the heat here is not bothering me at all anymore. Esh when i come home im going to be in trouble. And if there is snow on the ground im going to be in double trouble.
Zone conference was good my father gave a nice training. Ya he is the zone leader for the other zone for us kisumu and eldoret we combine zone's for zone conference. But ya it was nice to see him again. I do hope i get to see him before he goes home. he goes home in October. But ya we got a family photo after. My father me and my son. Yep keeping it real with the mission fam. Anyways well today and yesterday have been kinda bad for me. For right now me im sick with the flu or something. But if you ask a kenyan i have malaria. Bogus. But ya i've been taking medicine but its not helping to much. But oh well these things are just there. And ya to respond to your not eating, do you know what we cooked last night? CHICKEN ENCHILADA'S! Ya i found some enchilada sauce in the other elders flat and i was like ya im taking this. So me i do eat, like alot. Fetch i got up and cooked everyone french toast this morning. esh i cooked alot of french toast. But mom you would be pround of me now im not quite as usless when i was at home. Now i can actually cook some stuff. But ya you should trust me and know that im not starving i do eat all three meals of the day. But ya i am suprised that im still losing weight, maybe i have like another tape worm or something. I dont know but ya this is mission and these things are just here.
Anyways though i have a funny little thing for ya. So we are teaching this sister and she is okay to teach i just ran across something with her that i have never come across anywhere else. Well we taught her about the book of mormon and asked her to pray about it. And when we came back we asked her if she knew the book of mormon is true and she said yes i prayed and know its true. So as we were teaching her i noticed she didnt like something we were teaching her and this is the bible. Ya i asked her if she belived in the bible and she said no.......And then i asked her if she belived in jesus christ and she said yes.......and the book of mormon and she said yes.......So ya she belives in all those but the bible she doesnt belive. Esh i was like what? Uh ok so ya now im trying to use the bible a little more but still am focusing on the book of mormon. But ya i've never come across that esh just kinda funny. So anyways though ya i had a fun week this past week. You know i had to say goodbye to the sisters that i came with from the m.t.c. See i wont see them again in my life probably. They are going home next month. And i wont get to see them. But ya kinda freaky that they are going home though. Esh really freaky. I hate to say this but im scared to come home. Esh you know once you get used to this kinda life you cant imagine going back to the ways you were at home. But ya sorry i have a long ways till then so im good. But ya im gonna go for this week. well i hope you guys enjoy summer there and remember that its always summer here. BUt ya love ya. Keep rocking utah ya?

love, matt

7/4/11

Now that i think about it long drives are not so long anymore to me. See everytime i get transferred it always involved with a 8 hour bus ride to nairobi, followed by another 8 hour bus ride the next day. So ya long drives back home to grandma's or to logan are not long at all. Esh now i will have no problem i will just say lets go. Anyways though ya this week was good. Esh i was so proud of my son yesterday esh we had to teach alot of lessons at the church yesterday and so i told him to find a branch missionary and go teach this one guy named jared, while i went and taught another investigator with another branch missionary. And ya as it turned out both lessons went really well. And i think we are going to invite them to baptized this week. Kinda excited for it. But ya this past week was kinda tough. Had alot of opposition, or more than usual. Anyways first i had a dumb guy from north or sound dakota at a ladys house who we teach and he does not like mormons. Ha first he started attacking me and calling me bogus but me i was like dude what are you doing? So then i started calling him bogus and he was getting mad but didnt want to show it. So finally i told him i know you hate me and hate my church and you think were wrong but that still wont ever change what i know to be true. That kept him quite for a minute and while all this was happening the lady pastor came over. And that was no help at all. Esh she started at us as well. And from the time we got there till the time we left we made no progress, we bible bashed yes and it goes to show that bible bashing and arguing get no one anywhere. So we simply bared our testimoneis and prayed and left. Not sure if it helped but made me feel a little better. Not to mention a little kid early that day like ever day kept calling me mzungu or white person. So i started saying no you are the myzugu. And then he starts in english by calling me hey white guy, so i answer back hey black kid. And then his languge got very colorful for like a 5 year old. Just know he dropped the f-bomb on me like 6 times. But ya to end that day we got bounced by our last appointment. But ya that day just sucked, but luckly the week got better. after that but still alot of people that week were just not happy to see us. But ya i come to find even those experience's on mission are good and mission is still worth it. Anyways happy 4th of july by the ways! what are you guys doing for it? fire works obivious buy how about a bbq? as for us we are going to the couples flat elder and sister jorgensen and we are roasting hot dogs and haveing cake and soda and stuff. And i have some fire crackers left over from new years eve so im going to light a few of them off. just you know celebrate independence day in america. You know kenyans inpenedence day isnt tilll like december something to bad they wont match up. Thats the plan for day. But anyways as for the secret ha ya didnt work but its going down in two weeks from now......ha ha secrets secrets secrets.......


love, matt

6-27-11

We are having a BBQ's here in kisumu on the 4th of july. And i even
have some fire crackers for the occasion, im not sure how the
neighbors will feel about it. But i know im gonna have fun. Ya though
anyways im looking forward to next week. We are buying two big
chickens this week for sunday. We are going to have morice (member who
stays with us) kill them and cook them. So ya i just wish i had my
package here with the rootbeer stuff in it so we could have it with
it. but i guess it just wasnt meant to be. Its still
kinda bogus that they dont have rootbeer here and i have to make my
own. so anyways ya im willing to bet that i stay with my kid another transfer. Thats what they usually do i was one of the exceptions that did not get to stay with my trainer for 2. But ya. So i have a connection in the office.
Ya one of the Ap's is my brother. Elder jackson from zimbabwe. And
likes me so ya im pretty set till i go home. Its nice. By the ways we
have zone conference next week in eldoret. Esh eldoret is cold though
i dont wish to serve there its way too cold. Like i always say i just
want to die in mombasa. That is what would make me happiest. My kid (the person im training) is
pretty smart as well. He can speak 10 languges, and now he is working
on swahli. Ya pretty awesome. So anyways this past week was cool. We
got two new investiagotors thanks to some members. And another one
from our own contacting. I can say its nice to see your work is
working. ha ya but one of our new invistagotors name is peris and she
is a way cool lady. And very nice. She had me teach her a hymn last
week and this week she is going to teach me a swahili gospel song.
Pretty exciting. But the cool part was after we taught her she asked
us if we could teach her whole family. And we were like heck yes! But
ya we are slowly progressing here in kisumu and its fun. But ya other
than that nothing too new here in kisumu. Well ya we are going to do
some fun stuff this week and i cant wait to tell you about it next
week. im super excited. And ya ill get pics for it. Anyways though i
think thats it for this week. Oh ya i saw some more monkeys this week
while we were walking down the train tracks and ya i got pics.
love, matt

6-20-11

The ways swahili here in corrupted. People use whats called sheng. Which is a mixture of swahili english, and some other stuff. Ha ya if they dont know the word for something in swahili they will just use the word for it in english. Its really bad, but i think its pretty fun. Like a really common on is (he's coming). Which is ana kuja, but people will just say instead "ana come" or there is also "im coming" which is "Na kuja" but people will say "na come" But ya there is alot more than that and its really bad. And im not really suprised that they would try to take advantage of him. Cause people here if they think your not from here they will rip you off and do all they can to get money from ya. It sucks have to deal with that stuff everyday. But luckly people in Tanzania dont use sheng. They only speak swahili like the real swahili. And alot of times people in kenya will not even understand them. Kinda bogus of kenya. But no worries i still love kenya. So ya Anyways you met someone new coming from kenya. Well thats awesome im excited for him. What is his surename or his last name? Ill look for him when he comes. I dont know if i will be in kisumu still or not. Im betting ill be getting transferred in september. But ya i hope you tell him to get ready for a culuture shock. Even my kid when he got here he was having it bad. He was not used to kenya and he tells me that transportation here is crazy. Which it is. But ya its still fun though. Anyways though ya thats pretty cool though all these people you met coming to kenya or are from kenya. I do hope ill get to meet some when i go home. But ya anyways this past week was awesome. See last tranfer we baptized pretty much our teaching pool so we are looking for new people. And this past week the lord blessed us with new people. Thanks to our recent converts we have met some. And you know i can truely understand why they want you to invite recent converts to teach with ya. Cause esh they really help out in relating to the person your teaching. I cant even tell what a lady named agneta did for us last week. She finally got through to her sister and helped her better understand and accept the book of mormon. And there is something i know that i could not have done that by myself. She really did help us out there. And ya just one of those awesome things on mission. But ya the lord is blessing our work. And i can really tell now that he is pretty much doing everything. But ya esh mission is awesome, im loving showing elder mbazima around and stuff. Its fun to watch him learn and teach. Kinda glad i got the oppurtunity to train.

So anyways ya the building im sitting on is our church. Ha ya our building is pretty awesome, still love how we have sacrament outside on the roof. How many people have that? And ya sorry i havent sent any pics for a while. But i got some good ones for ya. Like today we went to see hippos and we actually saw some. I got a pic of a mama with her two kids, not sure what they call hippo kids. But ya it was fun, we got to go out on a boat in lake victoria and you know the water actually it really warm. Kinda sucked we had to get up way early but still fun and it was worth it. So ya got some good pics for ya. So other than that mission is going good. Im loving showing my comp around. In fact i like knowing my area and knowing where im going. And i would rather do that than go and not know where i am or where im going. I just dont like the feeling. So ya now its good, dont know when i get tranferred, esh you have the stress of learning the area and the investigators. i like just knowing them. But anyways ya the work is good. And im loving our recent converts. They are giving us people to teach and even helping us teach them. Its pretty powerful and im loving it.


love, matt

6-13-11

I cant belive im training a new kid. He really is new and green and doesnt know anything. Ha this past week we had to go pick up some stuff from the store and him he takes out all of his money for the whole month and wants to spend it all now. And i was like wo chill a bit. And he tells me back home whenever we go shopping we spend all the money. But you know i talked him down and he didnt spend too much. But ya just kinda fun to show him around and how things work. But ya i've been having fun so far with him. But ya its been fun teaching with him. He is reminding me how it feels to come out of the mtc. But i think he is more powerful than me. The thing i love about him is that he is always wanting to pray for people. At the beginning or end of a lesson he always asks can i pray for you? Pretty powerful guy. Last night we had the other elders over at our flat and we were playing games with him trying to keep his mind off of home. But ya thats the news for this side. Otherwise we continue our struggle with investigators and getting htem to come to church. But you know this is mission and im loving it. So ya we were unable to go to the hipp'os last week and todya was a no go but next week for sure we are going. But we did go to the park today and see some animals again. Ha it was funny this time, there was a elementary school there for a field trip and some of the mama's came. And they had two photographers there to take pics of the animals and the kids. And it was funny when one them came up to me and elder olsen the two white guys and said that the mama and kids want photo's with you. So we agreed and you know we took like 50 pics with the kids. And then the mama's wanted to get pics with us. So we agreed there too and i know exatly where there pics are going. They will be hanging up on all of the mama's living room walls. But ya i thought it was funny. Im not sure how many homes we will be hanging in but just know that i will be haning in some african homes here. BUt ya cool stuff but anyways im gonna go for this week. Ill talk to you later. I hope you enjoy this week. Anyways bye's