Our Trial of Faith

Wow, you never know difficult your trial of faith will be until it happens.  It happened for us this week.  We woke up and found we had no water and the water tank was empty.  The significance is that we had to take our first bucket showers here in Africa.  Sure, I know some missionaries that counted down the number of days left on their mission by the number of bucket showers they had left.  However, the water was really cold and I had to carry it in from our outside storage room. Now can you see why it was such a trial?  GOOD NEWS, we made it through this horrendous trial and we still love our Heavenly Father and being here in Africa on a mission.  We had our second bucket shower this morning and not a peep or complaint from either of us. I am sure this blog is an inspiration for everyone who reads it.  For those of you who have "real" trials, please forgive my frivolity.

Here we have a very large boy checking the water tank.  I think it might be broken because it should have filled up.

Another view...

On the missionaries preparation day they go and enjoy playing sporting activities and such.  The African elders play football (soccer) and then they give up the field and the American elders play the other kind of football.  Sister Squire decided they all needed to have a Thanksgiving party so we pulled them all together for about an hour and a half.  We talked about being thankful and how they should be the happiest of all men (and sisters).  As Ammon clearly stated: "we will praise our God forever.  Behold, who can glory too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men?  We see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.  Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever.  Amen. (Alma 26: 16, 37)

We then played bingo, a game none of the African elders and sisters had played.  They loved it or at least they loved the chance for some cool candy bar prizes.  One of the African sisters took home the leftover beans so everything was put to good use.  The next big event was Sister Squire, who had made 24 little pumpkin pies and a couple of other larger pumpkin pies, an apple cobbler and a chocolate pie.  Crazy lady, she does this on her own for the missionaries.

The week before transfers we go around to the 13 different missionary apartments to make sure they are clean.  It is always interesting and this week we even saw an elders apartment that looked as nice and clean as the sisters.  We were complementing them on how nice as they even had their shoes all lined up nice and clean like the sisters do.  This was our zone leaders but as we were leaving they confessed they had paid the sisters to come and clean because they were too tired.  I had to give high fives for their ingenuity.  I mean how can we complain when we also have a lady come and clean our apartment every week.  Sister Squire wants to bring her home with us.

Sister Ang'ila and Sister Kunene were both very excited to finally have their mirror hung.  I have been a slacker.  These two sisters actually stayed around to help us clean up after the thanksgiving party.

Elder Halladay, Elder Oliphant, Elder Hamlett and Elder Sisa bidding us goodby and receiving council to go back and clean a little better :).

A few weeks ago the wind blew down many of our banana trees out back and they were becoming a breeding ground for the mice and rats.  This week the landlord had some men come and chop them down and haul the off.  Hope that helps with the critter problem.

It's December right?  Well someone in this family has a decorating gene and it kicks off for every holiday but Christmas really kicks things up a few notches.  Here is a paper wreath she made out of paper designs and things she had in the drawer.  You can see paper reinforcements, CTR stickers, temple stickers, stars etc.  Crazy lady but it sure does look nice.

Our little tree.  Just right scrooge says.

Our nativity scene we purchased for the holiday.  Looks nice.

Top view at night.

Alysia and Rachelle brought some lights from Utah for us to use in decorating.  They lasted all of 30 minutes before burning up with the higher voltage here in Africa.  Here they are with Elder Sherwood and Elder Thomo.  Sister Squire has waited all her life to have pillars she could wrap like a candy cane - so another example of blessings that come from being on a mission.

Morgan had all the grandkids make paper hands with little love notes to us.  Alysia and Rachelle put them up for us when they were here and we enjoy reading the notes as we walk by.

When you find a good place for pizza, you take some pictures right.  These are rock oven pizzas, how cool is that.

On Saturday I had a District Priesthood Meeting where I was able to offer final remarks.  I took this photo at 10:06AM for our 10AM start time.  By the time the meeting started at 10:20 the center section was mostly full.  A good group of Priesthood holders.

This is just another cool flower that almost doesn't look real.  There are some really awesome flowers here in Uganda.

This is a fun video where you can see how the cover the brick with stucco.  The hat on the left is made from the concrete sack.  The wall really turns out nice when they are all done.  They even fill the eves with stucco.

I don't want to scare anyone but there may have been another siting here in Africa.

Just sayin....  It looks like he is going back the other way from wherever he was going.