Christmas in Uganda

Christmas in Uganda is certainly a different experience with green grass and trees, birds singing and lizards running around the place. We have avocados and papaya hanging on our trees for decorations. No white Christmas for us this year!!
On Christmas Eve day we hosted our eight elders for a big breakfast and then enjoyed a spiritual program of scripture reading, carol singing and topped it off with a viewing of "It's a Wonderful Life", the best Christmas movie of all time.











Elder Bailey, Elder Winters and Elder McChesney finding goodies in their stockings.











Elders Kaseve, Ngqoyiya, Lyman, Maumbe and Ogollah are making sure they have as many treasures as the others!! The chocolate santas didn't last long...
We hope the elders felt a little bit of home with us and that their parents are comforted to know that they are well cared for.

Thanksgiving with Good Friends

Instead of a quiet day by ourselves with no incentive to cook creatively, we were blessed to have two of our favorite couples join us in Mbale for a few days over Thanksgiving. What a treat it was for us!!
The Thayns and Frosts are so nice to have around providing us with good conversation, accounts of exciting experiences like almost sliding off the mountain-side in their car and inspiring missionary encounters. These two couples may be the best missionaries in the whole mission!! They will even share the gospel with the police men that pull them over to the side of the road. Their technique is to keep the upper hand on the situation by saying, "Do you like to read? Can you read English?" and then they hand them a church pamphlet on the gospel. Distraction works well especially if the people have a love for their Savior...and most do.










Elder Frost spent the first few hours in Mbale training the Branch clerks on the use of MLS and he impressed them so much they wanted him to come back the next day (Thanksgiving), not that they had any more questions, but they just liked being around him!! The day after Thanksgiving Elder and Sister Thayn taught five of our members a 'Planning for Success' lesson and then taught the leaders their role in the PEF program. So the vacation was really a working one (not just a lot of fun and goofing off...just in case there are any out there that think missions are snap).






Here are the missionaries hard
at work, studying, working on
the computers and generally much engaged in doing good works!! Me, I was goofing off taking the pictures.

Another Wedding

On November 18th, 19th and 20th we were in Jinja for Zone Conference and the Jinja District Conference. Elder Renlund of the Seventy and our Africa Southeast Area President was the visiting authority with his dynamic wife. They both spoke to the missionaries on Friday and then to the members of the church from Jinja, Mbale and Busia. There were more than 500 people in attendance at the Sunday meeting. Elder Renlund was impressed with the faithfulness and quality of the people he met over this weekend and is inclined towards organizing another Stake in Uganda because of his impressions. How exciting that is!!

After the Sunday conference session we had another wedding of an Mbale couple. Mbale is still not registered with the government for us to conduct our weddings there so we have to do it where they are approved!!

Isaac and Josophine are now married and she is progressing towards baptism.

Elder R supervised the signing of the certificates while Pres. Mubbala looked on. The President did such a great job in giving counsel to the couple before he performed the ordinance. He has such a cute way of sayings things.

Couple's Retreat

Last week we were on the road again, only this time we were off to join with all the other couples in the Uganda Kampala Mission. President Jackson asked us, along with three other couples who serve in the outlying areas over branches, to come a day before the others so we could report on our stewardships. We all found that we were facing very similar problems so we felt a real kinship with each other.
It was a treat to stay in such a beautiful, well constructed hotel on the Nile River. Here are some pictures of the Chobe Lodge, the view, our room and dining area in the open air.

Our room with its very firm bed...but we slept well.

The view from our balcony overlooking the many tiered swimming pools and the Victoria Nile.

The happy group of missionaries; next to me are the Jackson's, (our fearless leaders), then the Grundys, Crayks and Woods.

In this picture I'm checking out the giraffe that doubled as a place to post letters while the couples were paying their bills and preparing to leave for the next adventure at Murchison Falls, Paraa Lodge.





We left the lovely Chobe Lodge to eat the President' dust down the long dirt road. He is a speedy man with places to go! We didn't see many animals due to the high grasses and bushes but they were probably seeing us.





It was great fun joining the other couples at the Paraa Lodge, eating lunch with them and then going on our first game drive which turned out to be more of a four-wheeling experience because of the bad roads we encountered.

Sisters Crayk and Grundy knew how to get the most out of the experience. Don't know if their husbands were hanging onto their ankles or not??

Some highlights to share from our boat ride up the Victoria Nile,
crocodiles and a lone bull elephant in the rushes.

On the afternoon after the boat ride we co-rented a game drive vehicle with our very own guide, Ammon. We saw many more animals by standing up with our heads out the top. We probably got more bruises on our ribs and arms but it was really fun!!









And our favorite sight was the giraffe nursery as we were leaving the park on our last day! Nothing cuter than a long necked baby.

Mission Transfers

We recently had to say goodbye to four of our special missionaries, something we have to do each six weeks, but it is not easy. These great missionaries have a way of getting into our hearts and so we are happy for them and their new challenges and for the people they will be serving next...but for us, we will miss them!!
Elder Tyler, on the right, has served in Busia since it opened to the missionaries in June. He has been a fantastic organizer, support to the members and someone we relied on greatly. Elder Ndlela, second from the left, has the funniest laugh and he always loved it if we brought them a chicken to cook in their crock pot. They can't buy meat in Busia unless it is still on the run with feathers, etc., you get the picture. Elders Ngqoyiya and Kaseve will continue to work hard with their two new companions.

All of our missionaries become like sons to us.



Elders Ndlela and Kaseve teaching a Book of Mormon class to very attentive members.

The elders in Mbale have been very diligent in their missionary work. They desire to be obedient and bring down the blessings of heaven upon their efforts and it has paid off in many baptisms of converts. Elder Brough and Elder Musonga, the two on the right, have both been reassigned to other areas. Love these guys!!

The Introduction

Living in a foreign country is an education in itself. We were invited by our friend Charles, (the one on the left above), to attend the "Introduction Ceremony" for his sister. The introduction is to bring together her family and her fiance's family for the first time. In this case (which is not unusual in this country), she and her fiance' have been living together for a number of years and have a few children. Anyway, we were interested to see how the tradition played out. We were there about noon, thinking that we were a little early and all would get under way any time... but we learned another lesson in patience waiting for the ceremony.
After Charles greeted us and sat us in a nice shady spot we were then greeted by these two little fellows. The littlest was not too sure he wanted to get by us but soon warmed and while we waited, and waited he climbed on my lap and fell asleep. His father soon came and retrieved him, not knowing that it was perfectly ok by me to have the little guy there.


The guests kept filling in the seats around us and under the other canopies. It was really a big to-do. The family had rented four big tent canopies with all the chairs, had a big sound system and many other decorations. We were thinking how simple it would have been to just bring the guy over to the family and introduce him and save thousands of shillings.

The ladies next to us had traveled from Kampala to attend and so we told them this was our first introduction and would love their guidance about what to expect. The ladies in the crowd were all wearing their traditional gomez dresses, beautiful and colorful; while many of the men wore their formal long shirts and suit coats.


After awhile a big truck drove into the compound loaded with the cattle and goats which constituted the 'bride price' the fiance' pays to the bride's family (probably the reason it took so long for the introduction in the first place). Then the fiance with his family arrived all decked out in their best.
They waited at the arch for some time until they were greeted and given flowers or ribbons to wear. Then together with some of the bride's family they cut the ribbon in the arch and entered bearing more gifts in bags such the one below.




The poor fiance spent a good deal of the time on his knees begging for them to send out his bride.

But instead they sent out the mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers expecting from him gifts and trinkets.


The sisters of the bride-to-be received sunglasses from him, the brothers each were given an apple the rest received similar gifts.
But they were unrelenting in bringing forth his soon-to-be bride.



It was all very interesting but seemed to be dragging on and on so we entertained ourselves by watching the babies, children and people around us. One of the out buildings on the property caught my eye as I thought of our artist, daughter. She would have been taking pictures of it for sure, so we did!!

The funny part about the whole experience was...we never did see the future bride because we had to leave to attend a baptismal service.
You would think after four and a half hours the ceremony would have reached a conclusion.
Not this time....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOLL

On this day, 30 years ago a most remarkable daughter of God came to earth and began blessing all with whom she came in contact. She had a bit of a journey in her first few days to make her way to the right home where she has been loved more than words could ever express.
Neighbors made welcome signs and brought gifts. One neighbor went out and hugged her tree because she was so happy for the family across the street who just received an angel from heaven to grace their lives.
All the children in the neighborhood had to have their turn pushing her buggy around, much to the chagrin of her brother who wanted to do it himself!! We all had to learn to share her with others because throughout her life people wanted to be close to her. Her personality is such that people like to be around her. Seeing her eyes light up when she sees something beautiful that others normally would walk past without noticing is a joy; a splash of color on the mountainside, a dandelion in a mass of dead weeds, a pumpkin hanging from a basketball hoop or stuck on the top of the City County Building. Life is more interesting around her.

She's always had a love of furry things, creeping things, slithering things and jumping things. You name it and she wanted to touch it or pick it up and make friends with it. One day she put a grasshopper on her nose until her friend noticed and went into a screaming fit.










She makes friends easily because she loves so genuinely and completely. Loyalty and sincerity are two of her best qualities along with so many more which shall be listed below....



Caring about the 'one' and wanting to make a difference in helping just him or her.
Knowing where to come for comfort and security and always learning from those she trusts.

Loving a good ride on a bike and having the wind blow in her face and hair....











She loves family, church and country and serves each well.















Is never afraid to get her hands dirty for a good cause.










The journey is more fun with her because she knows where the scenic and less traveled roads are found. She once remarked that you haven't been on a real trip unless you've gotten lost at least once.

She celebrates others achievements and doesn't worry that she is not in the spotlight all the time.
Her arms are always ready to hold a loved one close and let them know they are special to her.Happy, Happy Birthday, Jenna. You will always travel life's roads in an interesting and unusual way. No one is quite like you. You are unique in every way and we love you for who you are and how you make us feel being close to you.