Monkey Business

We had District Conference this past week.  What a treat, it was like being in a Stake Conference in Utah.  Instead of only a few black people dispersed in the crowd, there were only a few muzungu (white) people in attendance.  I loved it!  The spirit was there and you would never know you were in Africa from the teachings we heard.  We had an area seventy attend from the Congo, Elder Kyungu.  We were able to spend time with him after the Saturday conference at dinner.  He told us his conversion story.

When he was 25 he was living with his uncle in the Congo.  His uncle was a judge and had thrown a member of the church in jail for some offense.  The senior couple that was serving in the area came to get the man out of jail.  The judge wanted to know what they were doing with this African and how they came to know him.  They told him they were members of the same church.  Elder Kyungu agreed to let them take the man if they agreed to come and teach him at his home at 4 PM that day.  Of course they agreed and the uncle called Elder Kyungu to also attend so he broke off his appointments and came to listen.  It took 6 months to find all their answers as they wanted to make sure the Book of Mormon did not disagree with the Bible.  Once he had his confirmation, he joined the church along with his Uncle.  He is over seminaries and Institutes and then travels every weekend to different conferences.

Elder Kyungu, President Chatfield and Sister Chatfield

Elder and Sister Story, Wallace, Casperson and Hansen

View from the other end of the table.  Best steak I have had in Africa at this nice restaurant in Jinja.

Elder Kyungu speaking at conference.  They set up tents outside one of the chapel buildings so they have room for everyone to attend.

 Some of the sister missionaries with one of the members

Our Lugazi Branch rented a van to bring them to conference.  The three white girls are here for internships.

Most of the Elders from the District, they have fun getting together.

We drove over on Saturday and because it is a two hour drive back we stayed overnight at the Nile Anchor Hotel.  Nice clean place and the beds were softer than our last hotel experience.  Because we had time before the Saturday conference we took a boat ride out on Lake Victoria and the Nile to see the headwaters of the Nile. The first picture is of the village where we picked up the boat.  You can see Lake Victoria is very high because it is the rainy season here.  Some of their homes are under water and the shops where the start of the Nile were also under water.  In the dry season they will be out of the water.

 Our sweet ride, all to ourselves.

They have fish raising beds and the birds like to stick around for a free meal.  They have nets over the top but they still get a few.

This is a fishing village across from where we picked up the boat.

There are two prisons around this end of Lake Victoria.  The guy in yellow is a prisoner and helping them catch fish.

Our driver would shut off the engine and paddle around the areas where there were birds or other animals to see.  He had to run and get a plastic jug of gas based on our wanting the 90 minute tour instead of the 60 minute tour.

Our guide, Frank

A sail boat out on the lake.  You can tell where the lake stops and the river starts as the current starts to pull you down river.

A big old dragon lizard sunning himself on the island. 

We finally found the family of monkeys.  They were hard to find in the trees but they were moving across the trees and I could get a glimpse every once in a while.

Gandi wanted his ashs spread across 4 of the great rivers of the world.  The Nile is one of those and they put up this monument to signify the event.

I guess this is one of the places they actually have a bathroom.

 Normally this point is out of the water but not during the rainy season.

World's longest river starts right here folks.

Finally, I wanted to do something really crazy for my 60th birthday so I got this sweet fairy tattoo to always remember the day.