Beginning Quilting Class

This has been such a wonderful experience, for me to be involoved with these wonderful women.  They are so eager to learn, so creative, so hard working and not afraid to try anything.  There is a closeness among these sisters, as they work together learning something new, they are sharing, laughing, talking and all enjoying the excitment of a new adventure.  I was there about 2 hours and had to leave, the sisters just wanted to stay and they did and had a wonderful time together.    They have a Relief Society President that loves them.                

 Their Relief Society President would brave the Marketplace that the missionaries are not allow to go to, to look for supplies that can't be found in the regular stores so this event could take place.

This is an amazing branch, they really are a family.  The branch is small  their love for the Savior is enormous.  Last week we attended their Sacrament Meeting and they had a Branch Choir that sang prelude music, and sang "Secret Prayer" as the musical number in Sacrament Meeting.  Harmony and all!!

The choir was about half the congregation.

                    It was beautiful.

At our next quilting class we hope to finish the edges of the project they are working on in the pictures.  We also hope to learn the International Quilting Stitch and make a Baby Quilt.  It can be diffcult to find the tools needed for this task but once again the Relief  Society President is on the move.  These ladies really understand the meaning of extra mile!!!




                                                 "CHARITY NEVER FAILETH"

Called to Serve

 This is Mashaka and Rashid, they are brothers in the Changombe Branch in Dar es Salaam. They have both been called on missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  They left for the MTC this week and are at the MTC in South Africa.  One will be serving in Zimbabwe and the other in Kenya Nairobi.

This picture was taken last Sunday after church, they both shared their testimonies and did a wonderful job.  THEY WILL BE GREAT MISSIONARIES.

It was our opportunity to teach these fine young men the Temple Preparation class.  We really enjoyed teaching them.  They were very interested and always came prepared.  They loved learning about the temple.

We received a short email from them the other day and they are having a great time.  They are the only members in their family.  They worked hard to get ready to go and they studied hard too!

Mormon Helping Hands - Dar es Salaam - August 15, 2015

 The Dar es Salaam District Missionaries.  Fun and hard-working.  So willing to do anything that is needed.



         WE SO ENJOY BEING                        WITH THE                            MISSIONARIES!!!!

 From left to right:  Elders Lopeyok and Arudo, Elder and Sister Wilson, Elder and Sister Smith, Sister Mayoli and Alinyo, and Elders Harvey and Nkhoma.  They have so much fun but when they do training at District Development Meeting, they rise to the occasion.  At the end of a meeting you feel a need to go home and study some more, work harder, love more and serve better.

Every year the Dar es Salaam District finds a large project to do with Mormon Helping Hands.  This year they chose a hospital.  There is a very large Government owned hospital that required a great deal of cleaning around the hospital grounds.  Members brought their own tools, shovels, rakes, brooms, pitchforks, and of course pass along cards.  We have been told there were about 120 volunteers.  They worked the whole morning and got a great deal accomplished.  Many hands make light work.

Elder Wilson       

               ElderArudo                  Elder Lopeyok and friend waiting for area assignment for work!               

What a joy it is to be able to serve side by side with the members of this district.  I saw several people stop to read the sign that was placed in the center park area of the hospital grounds.  It is a quiet place where visitors and family members can go for quiet reflection.

Dar es Salaam's Beautiful Peninsula

 Just out for a walk along Dar es Salaam's beautiful peninsula.  You can see everything from dugout fishing boats to yachts.  There is a lot to see in the area from fancy hotels and restaurants to the humble fishermen working for food.  There is a long natural pier that you can walk along and just take your time enjoying the atmosphere.

We had a great time with Elder and Sister Clayton and Elder and Sister Smith.  The weather was perfect for seeing the sights, with a pleasant breeze blowing in off the ocean.  The sand is white the water is clear and the sky is blue.  It was exciting to watch everything that was going on, from fishermen hard at work to those that were just relaxing and enjoying themselves.  Some walked down to put their feet into the waters of the Indian Ocean while others

 were parasailing across the water.  We were able to watch one young man, hanging onto his sail and standing on something similar to a surfboard.  We watched the wind pulling him over the waves.  It was quite a sight to see.  He would go so far and than return to the place where he started and do it all over again.  It really was breathtaking.

 There are several fun places to shop on the peninsula, one of them is called Slipway, it is a collection of small shops where you can buy anything from sandals, woodcarvings, to Tinga Tinga art.  Everything is handmade.  Nearby there is another shopping plaza that is also fun for shopping.  They have a bookstore, chocolate shop, jewelry store, a supermarket, but the store I like is a shop where everything is handmade by a special women's organization in Dar es Salaam. They make bags, purses, clothing, placemats, coasters, etc.

There is a community on the peninsula that is called Oyster Bay.  Many people live there that work for different embassies.  Many of the residences have signs outside their property identifying the nations that reside there.  Naturally, we were able to find the Canadian Residence.  This was fun for us to do because several years ago Elder Wilson's brother was living here with his family while he was working for the Canadian Government.  We are so grateful for having the opportunity to serve here and have met many members who have fond memories of  them.

The Ladies in Tanzania

 The Ladies in Africa love to dress-up, they like bright colors.  They love modern as well as traditional styles.  They even dress up to go shopping.  You can see them walking their children to school.  With a babies on their backs or in their arms often with another by their side.  They walk tall and proud.   They walk with                                            their heads held high!   They often                                             carry things on their head.                                              They are hard working women!

Nairobi, Kenya Trip - MLS Couples Conference

Can I just say this was a great trip!!  We arrived in Nairobi in the late afternoon just about the same time as another MLS Couple from Mwanza, Tanzania.  Upon on arrival we were greeted by Elder Shakespeare and Elder Horner. Elder and Sister Shakespeare are serving as LDS Humanitarian missionaries and Elder and Sister Horner are serving as MLS missionaries but they are serving in Kenya.  They took us to the flat where we would be staying with some of the other MLS couples and three of the couples who serve in the mission office.  When we got there, we were greeted by Elder and Sister Banks who also serve in Tanzania in a city called Arusha.  In total  there are  5 MLS couples in the mission right now.  Three serving in Tanzania and two serving in Kenya.   That evening the couples from the office had a spaghetti dinner for us and we just had a good time getting to know each other.  On Wednesday morning we were up and ready to go to the mission office for our MLS Conference with the Mission President and his wife.  It was a wonderful meeting full of instruction, inspiration, sharing of experiences and the love we all had for those we are serving.  We soon learned that we all were serving where we were supposed to be and that each was having a totally different experience even though we were all assigned as MLS missionaries.
That night we ordered pizza and continued to share.  The next morning we got to see more of Nairobi, it started early in the morning at Nairobi National Park for a game dive.  We started early enough that we were able to see this beautiful sunrise.

We saw many of the animals not the least of which was a big baboon!!!!!!!!

There were Cape buffalo.

                     The giraffe were graceful as always!!!!!!!
                         This looks like a whole family having

                                            breakfast together!

                               

   

            Zebras

  with their families!

                                Then of course, the overly friendly big baboon! 
                                 

But that is a story for another day.

SCHOOL HAS NEED FOR WATER

President John Mwingira, 2nd Counselor in the District Presidency, took us to a village where the Church has a water project. Water for homes and buildings is stored in large tanks. However, this village does not have city water. The Church installed the tank and a system of eaves troughs to gather water.

The eaves trough runs along the side of the roof and into a pipe that drains the water into the storage tank. It is a rather effective system if it rains. To supplement this, the Church will be drilling a well around the back of the school and pump water into the tank. Readily available water is a great blessing to the students and teachers.

The school is a public high school with about 1000 students. It is very crowded. In Tanzania, the students wear uniforms. They go to school quite early in the morning. This is one of the classrooms. We met two students working on problems from an English chemistry book. The surroundings are humble and the materials they have are rudimentary and in short supply.

In one of the classrooms, we saw a English lesson written on the caulk board. All students learn English. In general, the young people speak English better than the adults.