Deeper Insight and compassion as time goes on

Well, it has been awhile since I’ve written. Saying for the day: “When you get too wet (from continual rain), it means your wife will be more beautiful!”

HAIR
We have a member who fixes hair: she gets about $1.20 for doing complete cornrows, and about $6 for doing long fake weaves. Another lady gets $1.30 for cornrows (it takes about 2 hours to do cornrows and they are done with the client seated on a wooden stool outside in the yard) and $13 for doing long weaves for beauticians in town.

PROSELYTING
The elders and branch president asked us to visit a really neat young man—30s. He has two children. When we arrived (they are better off than most), he was upset because an employee had just stolen the company money and taken his tools from his shop. He said his wife had just left to chase his cow because it got loose in the confusion. Later, he confessed that his wife had run away because she is so terrified of us because she thinks we are devil worshipers, will eat his children, have the Book of Mammon, and “strip naked in the church building” He said all of his neighbors have been watching from their homes as we drove up and are scared to come out so fearful are we for them. He lives right near downtown in really quite a nice mud house with a little plot of land. He is an electrical engineer (now out of work), but did quite well for many years after getting his degree. Both he and his wife (she also is quite well educated) lost their jobs about the same time 2-3 months ago.

We spent about two hours talking with him trying to help him understand that we truly do believe in Jesus Christ and try to practice His teachings. This man is really a choice young man—sharp. We left him with some pamphlets and the Proclamation on the Family and Strength of Youth pamphlet. We tried to explain who we really are and that those are false claims. He said he would come to Church Sunday. He did come, but the meeting was already over.

Saturday we went to a meeting—a branch fireside with maybe 30 people attending, only to discover that we were the key speakers. That was an interesting experience.

Tough decisions
Two of the branch presidents have asked us for money this week for their own families. One asked us to please visit with his wife. Before she arrived, he brought out her school papers and wanted us to see how well she was doing and how good her grades were. When she arrived, she began to talk about her school and tailoring course. I was a little surprised (shouldn’t have been) when almost immediately she asked if we would buy some sewing machines (she could get them cheaply from Nairobi) so she could start a small business. We explained that we are not allowed to do that. She said, “Well, I know the Church can’t do that, but I thought maybe you could”. I helped her understand that we can’t do that either. She is such a lovely lady, and we then had an animated discussion about sewing techniques.

She is attending a college to learn to do tailoring. I was impressed that they had seam rippers, tape measures and a couple of sewing machines for a fairly large class that they share. They hope to get some more soon. She said for their final exams (she has been in class about 1 ½ yrs and is about ½ done) they have three tests. One is written, one is practical, and the third one is completed in a large barn-like facility—a big room. They are given a machine, the measurements of an individual, some cloth, and told to make the item according to a picture. They have a proctor standing over each person (one on one). The proctor has a paper that gives plus or negatives depending if they pick up the correct tool and proceed as they should. They are timed for how long it takes to make the blouse or uniform or pants. It sounds pretty tough I think.

The BUG BUSINESS
Since February, off and on I have had some really frustrating bouts with hives or welts all over my body. We thought we had them beaten back, but they are back with a vengeance. I was going to wait until the couples’ conference next week to go to Nairobi to see the doctor, but I just couldn’t stand it any more. They itch like crazy. We really like the doctor (he is Indian with a turban) but very urbane and astute. He is puzzled. Another missionary had the same kind of problem and he had tried unsuccessfully (along with 2 dermatologists) to treat him as well.

He just isn’t sure. He thinks because we are in mud houses almost every day, and the area is known for scabies, maybe that is what it is, but it doesn’t present like that. It is like hives. But, just to rule out everything, we are going to wash everything in sight—blankets, sheets, clothes, then take the medicine, and after showering and rubbing ourselves hard with a towel “paint” our bodies COMPLETELY with some medicine for 3 days.

We looked up scabies in the mission office, and it doesn’t look like what I have, but we’ll try it. We’re supposed to see him again next week. In the meantime, I’m scratching like crazy!

JIGGERS and Mormon Helping Hands
Our helping hands project in this area was to clean the grounds of a local dispensary. We were supposed to paint the building, but there was a communication problem, and when we arrived (over 50 members came..it was awesome) there was no paint and no brushes, so instead they used pangas and pieces of metal to slash the grass and weeds and dig around trees. It turned out to be a nice event.t
Pres and Sister B. went to Eldoret where their project in that area was so offer a free clinic to dig out jiggers. It was life changing for the B’s I think. They were really touched with what they saw and did. They couldn’t believe the people who came had many many jiggers between their toes and fingers and sat stoically while they were dug out, even though they often had tears rolling down their cheeks. You can die from too many jiggers untreated.

We were told the people often don’t have scissors or clippers so they let their fingernails and toenails grow long. The jiggers use this as a bed to nest under the skin, then it is very painful to remove them. When they do cut their nails, both toe and fingers…they use a razor blade.

Fare to come to Church
So many of our people elect one of the family to attend church because they can’t afford to have any more come when it is too far to walk. We wish we could set up a branch in every neighborhood. WE are so impressed with how many of the people walk 2 hours one way to Church often…actually most of the rainy season in the mud. Their faithfulness just blows us away.

One of the branch presidents told us that his 14 year old son has bleeding from his ear (this has been going on for several months), but they can’t afford to get him treated. He worries because the boy can no longer hear from that ear.

WATER THEFT
We took a R.S. Pres out to visit less active sisters Thursday. She was explaining to us in the car as we drove through her home village, that when she was a young wife, it took her 2 hours ONE WAY to pack water (she showed us where) to their home. The upsetting thing for her however, was that she lived in an extended family compound, and after she got the water and put it in her home, if she went out to collect wood or hoe in the shamba, her sister-in-laws would come and steal the water. She expressed how upset that made her.

We asked if you can buy water. She said it was 10 ksh (about 13 cents) for 20 liters, but they can’t afford to do that. Little children are given little containers (when they are about 5 years old )to train them to realize that is their job) By the time a girl is 11-12, she should be able to carry a sizeable amount. Water is carried on the head.

MISSIONARY PREPARATION
One of the highlights of the mission for us has been teaching this Missionary Prep class. We meet for 2 hours every Monday. We started with about 6 young men. Now we have 13, and they come really well to it. We very seldom have more than one of them miss class. They arrive early—between an hour and ½ hour early and wait for us. They know they have to arrive BEFORE the prayer to be paid their transport to get there, but they come. It has just been a wonderful experience for us. I don’t know if they learn anything, but we really try to give them the meat of what they will need to know in the mission field. We use the Institute Manual and Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon.

We figure even if they don’t get on missions, if we can instill the gospel in their hearts, and they develop not only a knowledge, but a strong testimony by learning the gospel, it will be a blessing. So, we take this assignment really seriously and really give it a lot of prayer and thought before teaching each week.

We are so excited about them. They have so many trials to get ready, it just breaks our hearts. The one young man we have the highest hopes for wants to go so badly, but the money is such an issue for them. This week his aunt and mom got together and have told him he shouldn’t go, and they want him to go to school instead. He goes out as a branch missionary with the full-time elders almost every day. We are afraid he will lose his home (he lives with his grandmother…a polygamous home). It just seems like Satan knows when these kids are prime and ready to go. He works so hard on them.

Visiting Teaching
We took the mutual president in one of our branches out the last two Wednesdays to visit every girl. That really was successful, so the wonderful branch president in that congregation encouraged his R.S. Pres and her counselor to go this week. We have some wonderful visits with those two women and the branch President. On the way they discussed one of the sisters, who was married to a much older man when the girl was 16. Her family had no money to support her and the rest of the kids, so she was married so the dowry could bless the rest of the family.

We don’t hear of that a lot, but we do hear that it occurs. That led us to a discussion of education of girls. One of the branch presidents (not the one I’m talking about) works as a community lecturer for NGOs. He had never heard of One Cup of Tea, but he knew well the concept of educating a woman and that it will educated a village. It is great to hear that it is beginning to be accepted here according to him.

Boy with spinal injury
About two blog entries ago, I mentioned a young 19 year old boy, who sustained a spine fracture at 1-2. He has been lying on their dirt floor for 1 year waiting for money to be treated because they have no bed for him. They enlisted the help of a couple of NGO’s to take him to the hospital on 2 earlier occasions, but they could do nothing for him here. The father and boy traveled to Nairobi 2-3 weeks ago on a bus to see if the hospital there could perform his surgery. We were just told that he was sent home because they said they do not have expertise there to treat him. They are recommending that he go to another country to try, because they feel he would die if they treated him here. So sad.

Mission couples
One of the really nice blessings of being in Nairobi yesterday (we drove there Friday, saw the doctor that afternoon and returned this morning (Saturday) was that we were able to meet 2 new couples, who have just arrived. By November we are supposed to have a record number of couples—14 here! Isn’t that amazing. Wow!

When we were in the Philippines, we were the only couple in our mission and there had been no couples there for 3 years prior to us. Couples really can do a lot. I know that sounds funny coming from a couple involved, but our focus is so different from that of traditional-age missionaries, and I think there is much that couples can help with in the branches.