The hills where we are are sometimes like small mountains. Yesterday,
Sister Mary (Kyambeke) came up to us and asked if we would teach her
husband. He is a kibarua (daily worker with no set job, but tries to
get money by finding work each day), so he does not have a set
schedule of when he would be home. We said we would come by in the
evening. We didn't know where she stays, only that it is near to this
less-active family we visit frequently. We went to the less-actives
home, but the parents were not there. We played with the children a
bit and read from Book of Mormon Stories. Elder Mukonda was talking
with their second-oldest daughter, but she is retarted so it was hard
to really have a full conversation. He was actually testing her power
of comprehension to see if we could teach her so that she could be
baptized. She is 16 and in 4th grade. She couldn't even count. So
we can't teach her. The other four kids were with me. None of them
spoke English, so I did my best telling the story of Nephi getting the
brass plates. It was alright. But one of the girls didn't have any
pants on. She was six. Sometimes, here, people are too poor to get
enough clothes.
After our lesson with the kids, the mother showed up. We asked her
where Sister Mary stays. The less-active family stays at the bottom
of a mountain. A fairly steep mountain. The less-active mother
pointed way at the top of her mountain to a house way up high. We
asked where the path was and she sent two of her kids with us to show
us. We CLIMBED. Straight. Some people do zig-zags up a mountain.
Not Sister Mary. And she is old... So we climbed straight up the
face of this relatively steep mountain. About as steep as Y mountain
in Provo, but without the switchbacks. Just straight up. Her husband
was not there, so we rescheduled for later this week. Coming back
down was different. It was almost just as hard because it was tough
on the quads. Once we got low enough, the ground started to be less
steep. At this point it becomes very difficult and very tiresome to
control yourself, so usually we just start running. It is actually
real easy because all we do is figure out where to put our feet and
the gravity takes us down and forward. Well, we started getting
faster and faster until I realized that I couldn't stop sprinting even
if I wanted to. We would bound over ditches and cut corners like
olympians, but then I saw something dangerous, almost deadly. Elder
Mukonda was in front of me, sprinting just as fast down the mountain.
We got to a spot where there was a ditch, but the other bank was a lot
higher than this side. I say a lot higher, I mean about six inches.
The ditch was only two feet across, not a big deal. But IMMEDIATELY
after the ditch we had to make a 90 degree left turn. Elder Mukonda
hit the ditch, banked left hard, and barely made it. I knew I
couldn't manage that same feat. So I jumped over the ditch, going at
a sub-5-minute-mile pace, planted two feet on the opposite bank, and
tumbled down into the maize field that the path cut through. I just
couldn't make that left turn! It was too sharp. I was down and out.
I only took out a few stalks of maize, but I rolled a bit. Elder
Mukonda was doubled over laughing. I quickly recovered and we started
to walk the rest of the way down.
I also learned a valuable lesson that y'all probably figured out a
long time ago. The other day, I was feeling less spiritual. Not like
I was doing anything bad, I just didn't feel like I was where I needed
to be. No idea what to do, so I just did my thing the whole day.
Finally in the evening, I popped open my Book of Mormon. The Spirit
came flooding back, as if the Lord was saying "Finally, you figured it
out." I understood that when we tell people to read their scriptures
daily, go to church, say their prayers, and have FHE, that it is for a
lot more than being obedient. They need the Spirit in their lives!
And it will come.
--
Anyways, I love y'all so much.
Never forget. Fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and
bull-strong. Set your defenses against the adversary carefully.
Other wisdom...
People die in bed. So does ambition.
Opportunity is often missed because it comes smelling like sweat and
dressed in overalls.
I work out daily now. Twice a day, actually. Just small workouts.
Pushups, situps, and curls. But I do it! Also, I practice singing
bass. I can hit all of the low notes in the hymn book, but I am
working on getting SUPER low... Progress report when I get home.
Love,
Jacob
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