On Monday we took a little drive up North to Kumi to see the Nyero Ancient Rock Paintings. Our new convert, Daniel, is from this area and he thought it would be fun to go see them. We had a nice day with Francis, Daniel, and Geoffrey (our other new convert). These boys are really fun and I love to hear them gabbing in the back seat and laughing. Geoffrey is a little more quiet so it is really nice to see him open up:)
These rock paintings have been around for a long time. (They say 2-3,000 years but I have to question that:) Anyhow, hiking around the rocks and seeing where the people lived was quite interesting. Mostly, it was just fun getting out and having a good time with the boys!
The African men hold hands a lot. It is a gesture of friendship. It is very common to see men walking down the street just like this. I think it is really sweet.
After visiting the rock paintings we had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Daniel's family. He was so excited to see his mom because it's been a few months. His family makes cooking pots made of clay. It was really interesting to get instruction on how these pots are made. Clay is gathered from he swamp and then mixed with a finely crushed stone. The pot is then formed and then set out to dry in the sun for a few days. After that the pots are cured even further by putting them in a huge fire for 30 minutes. They say that these pots are really good for cooking meat. They are also used to store water. It keeps water nice and cold. Interesting stuff! Daniel's family has been creating these pots for generations. It is a trade passed down from parents to children.
After we got back into Mbale we took the boys out to dinner. I could not believe how much they ate. First they all had a fruit smoothie. Then they all ordered a rolex which I have talked about before. One of them fills Rick up completely. Then after the rolex they all had a huge main course. Geoffrey ate a whole fish right down to the bones. The boys were so giddy afterwards. I do not think they have eaten like that (probably) ever! It was fun to let them eat whatever they wanted.You can see in the pictures that they are just as skinny as could be. I think they generally eat one meal a day and it is pretty basic and does't change much. They are lucky if they have meat. It is more the exception than the norm. It is just to expensive to have every day.
So then, next.......
We have been doing a lot of teaching this week and giving Christmas messages to members and non members alike. We have some really great investigators that we are working with. I love being able to visit with the people in their homes and share a gospel message. We try to show the 'Light the World' video as much as possible. It is such a great tool to show that we can serve as Jesus did:)
It always brings the Spirit.
So our service has been ongoing this week .
Monday was Day 5
Jesus Healed the Sick and So Can You
After our day at Nyero it was late but I knew we had to get our service in for the day. Before going home we stopped at the Mbale clinic and visited three sisters who are receiving treatment. One with back problems and two with stomach issues. We said a prayer with them and hopefully brought a little peace to their minds. It was a simple act but hopefully it made a difference.
Tuesday, Day 6
Jesus Read the Scriptures and So Can You
We read scriptures in our lesson with Violet and Joshua, two of our progressing investigators. We encouraged them to be reading from the Book of Mormon each day.
Wednesday, Day 7
Jesus fed the Hungry and So Can You
This was our day to travel to Busia but I had some time in the morning so I made a batch of banana bread with the intent of giving it to someone who I thought needed it. I was thinking of giving to the handicapped man just outside of the grocery store that we use but we never made it over there. I also wanted to get a bag of nonperishables from our pantry to give to a mother with children. On our journey to Busia I spotted this woman walking with her baby and two children. I knew they were the ones. We turned around and asked if they needed a ride. She declined because they weren't going far but she was happy to receive the bag of food. This made me 'SUPA' happy! It feels good to give.
Later, as we were making visits with President Ojambo, we passed this man who doesn't have any legs. I knew he was the one! He was happy to receive my loaf of banana bread!
Thursday, Day 8
Jesus Prayed for Others and So Can You
We met with Daniel (a guard at the church) to teach him the Law of Chastity. He has been living with his girlfriend, Winnie, for a while and she just recently she moved back to Lira to attend school. They want to get married but her parents want her to finish her schooling before they do. We taught the Law of Chastity and he said, "I have been thinking about that recently." We asked him to pray about speaking to Winnie's parents and talk to them about them wanting to keep this commandment so that they will see the necessity of getting married and making commitments to each other. He is going to do that. We are praying for him as well:)
Friday, Day 9
Jesus Visited the Lonely and So Can You
Tonight was our movie night. We announced last Sunday that we would be showing the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional and that it would be special. We had about forty people come and I felt like that was a good turnout. We invited Michael, an investigator whose family lives out in the village. Michael stays alone during the week close to the school where he works. He sees his family only on the weekends. He was able to come with us and enjoy the video. We all loved it!
It is good to serve each day!
On another note.....
Francis picked up our Christmas Turkey yesterday. He hired a Boda and carried the turkey in his arms to get to where we were. (About 15 kilometers) He walked into the compound of the place we were teaching and dropped this big guy on the ground. The turkey's legs were tied together and he was just laying there. I felt kind of sorry for him.
Not sorry enough that we are not going to EAT him for Christmas, though:)
Francis said, "Boy, that one sure is heavy!"
Thinking about him carrying that huge turkey all that way on the back of a motorcycle made us all laugh!
We had other appointments after this one and so we plopped the turkey in the back of the truck and there he stayed until we got to Francis' home later in the evening. I really felt sorry for him then because it is HOT in the back of our truck! I kept saying, "Francis is the turkey ok?" He would always laugh and say, "Yes, he is fine!" He'll be fine back there." I was happy to see him out of the truck and on his feet when we dropped him off:)
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