August 19, 2013

So HEY! Wow. this week has actually gone by really fast. I love it here in africa. there are so many great spirits here! what a blessing each and everyone of them is in my life. Sounds like you guys are stayin busy at home, thats great!

So, dad asked when i am walking around, if when i talk to people, if they speak english, and if i run into a bunch of different languages. I can tell you that, yes i do run into different languages. The biggest language spoken hear in eldoret is swahili, and i am learning a little of that, but there are other languages like zulu, and swazi, and i have really only ran into those a few times. it has been easier to understand people in there crazy english, african accents, but it still takes some serious listening skills sometimes. so what has been goin on here this week.

We have a new investigator! he is really awesome. we have taught him two lessons so far, and he is just super exceptive of what we are teaching him. HE says that it makes alot of sense, and that it really has been on his mind everyday. We are really making progress with our other investigators. we have 11 persons that we are working with, and they are really good at keeping up on there commitments, like there reading, and church attendance, and so forth. the branch just keeps growing, and the active members are just keeping strong. Everything in this branch is about missionary work, and bringing brothers and siters back unto the fold. I am super happy, and healthy, and these people have a lot to do with it. i love being able to serve them everyday. that brings something else up.

We had this big thing called "Mormon Helping Hands", which is where people from all of the branches around, get together, and we all do service for the community, or a community. It is a way to give back, and so we went and served at a place that is about a half an hour away from where we are in huruma, which is called langos...langus. we pretty much just raked the garbage off the streets, and put it into a dump truck. it was so great to see all of these member, and some non-members helping to serve. That was probably the biggest event that happened this week. MAN! it has still rained every single day that i have been here! ha! it is a nice day, then it just pours. still have a tan though. My companion leaves in four weeks, so i am gonna have more than one triainer, don't really know how that works, but i am excited!

The food is still great. They have stores hear that pretty much have everything that i need/want, so i am my own chef! all we have to cook on is a gas stove, so i am getting good somewhat at just workin with a pan, or a pot.  but the crazy thing though, is that we take public transportation. hahaha i will tell a little bit about that. We drive in these vans, they call them mototus. They really aren't that big, but they try and fit as many people as they can. the usuall max, is about 25. 25! so, when you go shopping, it is hard to carry it around in the mototu, but i have my ways. people kinda sometimes make fun of me though haha, they say i am the mzungu who doesn't know what he's doing. I pretty much have caught on though. Sometimes though, it is still pretty scetchy to walk in front of moving traffic to get to the other side of the road. That is normal.

WE are finding different ways to be able to implement FHE into these members homes, and so we have been to a lot of different FHE's this week. Every place you go though, haha, they serve you hot coco, and bread. they think it is cold here!   I think it feels nice. i am learning alot from the scriptures, and my companion has been teaching me some great missionary skills, and more things in the scriptures. He knows alot about the work, and is really pretty chill...sometimes to chill. but i love the mission within this first week and a half/two weeks.

Holy cow! skyler is about home! how crazy! that is super exciting! I love you guys so much! You are in my prayers everyday, and hope things are still goin great, it sounds like it! love you, and have an amazing week!

Elder Andreasen