Sun 7/18/2010 1:54 PM

Hello Family and Friends:

Another week gone; it seems like just seven days ago I was writing a letter telling what happened. This might be short. It’s late and I’m tired. Sundays are long days with four hours of driving just to get to church and back. Then throw in four hours of meetings, some shopping to get treats for the week, it makes for a long day. We went to the fancy mall again today just to make sure it was still there so when Debi arrives she can have a nice place to go for a retreat. They have a clothing store where they sell “I dream of Jeannie” clothes (whatever country those come from).

So anyway, two things to tell you for the week. It has been a long tough week for production. The plant is still in a funk and it doesn’t look like it will be coming out of it anytime soon. So I’ve been spending a lot of time in the plant. On Friday, I was watching the operation and noticed a conveyor belt was not working right. It was running to one side and was beginning to fold over on itself. The operator was a man from the bush and didn’t have a clue what he was doing. He was just standing there watching it destroy itself. I finally yelled across the plant and told him to shut the belt off. I was so angry by the time I got to where he was I told his supervisor I wanted him off the plant site. If he didn’t know what a disaster looked like we didn’t need him. With that I walked to check on another area where a pump was being rebuilt. I was at the pump for a few minutes and started to realize I had been a little harsh on the Maasai and went back to talk to him. As I walked up on the scene, the old man dropped to his knees and started pleading in Maasai with me to let him stay. I pulled him up off his knees and told his supervisor I had acted harshly and to tell him he could continue to work but he had to pay attentions to his work. So after that message was communicated, he dropped to his knees again to thank me. So I pulled him up again and put my arm around his shoulder and gave him a hug. Told him through his translator he had to be more careful in watching the operation. Many of these people don’t have a clue what goes on in a plant and have no business even working there but they are here and I guess I have to deal with it. I just need to find jobs where there is no risk to the operation or themselves.

The second interesting thing was the Stake President dropped in on church today unannounced. In PEC he was asking about the activity in the two areas of the branch – Rongai and Langata. That is where they want to have two branches instead of one. He will submit paperwork to have the branch split in August. He told of an example of a branch in western Kenya (Eldoret) where there was a group of about 80 members that attended. They came from many different communities to a central location. They divided the branch into three units and placed a branch in each of the communities and after three months each branch was up to the 80 members that the original branch had had prior to the split. So it looks like there may be some excitement coming. Like I’ve said there are some very strong and faithful people in this area. There are a number of young men that are very impressive, they may be a little young now but in a few years they will be the leaders in the Nairobi Stake. When they were talking about where the current priesthood leadership lived and discussing how they would be divided they told me I may not be in the branch that I lived closest to. Because I was an ex-patriot they would assign me to the branch they needed me in.

I think I’ve said it before, transportation here is a major problem. Very few people have their own car so they come to church in vehicles driven by suicidal youth. Some people can’t afford to come to church every week so having a Branch closer to their home would help many members. It is just like a lot of wards and branches we have lived in; by the end of sacrament meeting the congregation is pretty good sized. But at the beginning there aren’t many people. But here they have an excuse. They have to walk to a Matatu pick up point then ride to a spot close to the church and then walk to the church from the drop off point. Just getting to church is big deal in Nairobi. The cost for a ride is about $.35 one way but that is a lot to some of the members.

So, so much for the week in review. Just a closing note, Churry, I got a necklace for your sis in-law so that is covered. Debi, there are some good chocolate candy bars here and the same brand has a dark chocolate one so I got some for you to bring home. And come to find out the Massai have very good teeth because they chew on a stick called miswak (Google it) that helps prevent tooth decay and anything else. I got some miswak toothpaste; you can introduce it to the US and we can “BOTH” retire after you make a fortune in the import business.

Only one more letter then I’ll be in the US. Looking forward to seeing you all.

Love Paul/dad

Sun 7/11/2010 1:05 PM

Hello Family and Friends:

As I’ve said before, the weeks go fast but sometimes when you look forward to how long it is before I come home it is sure a long time. So I’m down to less than 20 days but whose counting (I started with 99 days). I left the day the well blew up in the gulf so when they talk about how long the well has been spewing oil, that’s how long I’ve been here on this trip.

Today in church there were two speakers. One young man from Sandy who had been out on his mission about 6 months and the other a young man from the branch here that just returned for a mission. Now maybe I should give the new Elder a break but there was no comparison in the talks given. The young man from here will be a church leader before too long. His father is the first counselor in the branch presidency. I am very impressed with the level of understanding in the young brethren here. I handed him a home teaching assignment and he was so excited to have home teaching responsibilities. He said he had never been asked to home teach before. What a difference between here and some in the US. But on the other side of the equation; most of the people in the Nairobi area are not from the city. So attendance is sometimes sporadic. The go home to visit the “Village” frequently. I haven’t seen one of my counselors in a month and the other is only about 50%. Those that are most faithful are those from the area that don’t have to leave. Today the RS president asked when Debi was coming. She said she was excited to see her. I guess they are tired of seeing me without a wife.

After church we went and looked for some world cup shirts for Andy’s grandkids. We hit two very nice malls. Debi has said her spending will go down once she gets here but if she finds these malls the plastic will melt. They have some unusual stuff. I found a store that sells the expensive rugs and some beautiful jewelry. Since Andy has been here there has been a drive on Sunday so that’s why I haven’t been to these malls, they are deep in Nairobi. They are in an area populated mostly by Indian people and many of the international embassies.

Yesterday we went climbing and with my African friends so I have attached some pictures of that and a pic of the hot springs. I wanted to show what the hot springs look like so no one gets the wrong idea. They are a hole in the ground with hot water and native women (fully clothed) selling homemade jewelry to the visitors. On the way to the hot springs we saw zebra, flamingos, and a lot of other water birds, wildebeest; this is like living in a zoo. In fact Andy went to a National Park today while I was in church and he said driving around the plant was better than the Zoo. I attached a picture of a Maasai village we pass on the way to church. It sits at the bottom of a hill so a view from the top is gives a good perspective. You can see the goats in the pens in the middle of the village. I also attached a picture of a tree. For a long time I thought that type of tree was dead. But then I noticed it has yellow flowers on the branches - strange tree. Only yellow flowers.

Work has had its normal ups and downs. Sometimes I think great strides are being made and then problems come up that should have been taken care of long ago. A man that works in one area told me this week that his area has improved dramatically in the last few months. It was the worst area to work in and now it is one of the bests. So we are making some progress.

Well not much else to report. I’ll be arriving in Vegas on July31st. Debbie and I will go to St George on the 2nd of August, a Drs. appt. on the 5th in SLC and the picnic in Green River on the 6th of August. We plan to be in St George the week of August 8th (let me think, what important historical event happened on that date). We leave to come back to Kenya on August 15th.

So see ya in a few weeks, looking forward to it.
Love
Paul/dad

Sun 7/4/2010 1:19 PM

Hello Family and Friends:

“Another one bites the dust”. I think I’ll write a song and use that line. Maybe I’ll even sing it. Not!!! A few things happened this week. Went to Nairobi on Tuesday to pick up another fellow from the US. He is here to help with maintenance. I am pretty good at breaking stuff and having extra parts when I take something apart but I’ve never excelled at the re-assembly part of the job. So I asked a fellow I worked with at General to come to Kenya. He worked at the Wyoming plant for 32 years and retired a couple of years ago. He should be able to fill in some of the gaps I have.

So on Tuesday we picked him up at the hotel and then went to the US embassy to get my new passport. You have to pass three security check point to get into the US embassy. Once inside, all us residents are directed into a waiting room where it usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes before you see a US representative. If you are a non-US citizen, it takes hours to see a US representative. So, one of the many advantages of being a citizen. After picking up my new passport, I had to go to the Kenyan immigration office to get my new passport stamped with my work visa and pick up my alien card indicating I’m in the country legally. It is always a good break to go out of Magadi during the week, makes the week seem to go faster. I didn’t have a difficult time at the Kenyan immigration office, the guy I was with has a high school class mate that is an official in the office, so he just calls and everything is taken care of. So when Debbie comes over, it should go very smoothly to get her paperwork completed.

Had more meetings with the management people here to prepare them for the changes in census. Most of them understand that the changes are necessary and are willing to accept them.

On Saturday we (Andy, Mike and me) went on another cheap safari. We went to the same place I went in March during the rainy season. Yesterday instead of having water lapping at the bumper, there was dust. I couldn’t believe the change. It was so dry and the dust was so deep on the road. But we still saw a bunch of zebra, giraffe, ostrich, gazelles, kudos, wilder beast, baboons, dig digs (I think i've told you before, this animal looks like a miniature deer), and again some of the most colorful birds I’ve ever seen. The city by this area also has bananas, mangos, papayas, maze and all sorts of other vegetables. It's quite the place. Also attached a pic of a Maasai warrior. This is a stage of a young man's life where he transitions from a child into a man. They have quite the dress and they color their hair.

We also stopped and looked at one of the abandoned Maasai villages. The huts are interesting. I attached some picture of one. They are all built the same. They have a bed for the wife, the children and a storage area. They are made out of sticks and coated with a mud that is a mixture of cow manure and dirt from termite hills. The women are responsible for making the houses while the men tend to the flocks. The reason there is only a bed for the wife is because Maasai men often have more than one wife!!!!! I attached a pic of a termite hill. See if you can figure out which one it is.

Well like I said I’ll attach some pic. I hope you enjoy them. I have certainly enjoyed seeing the pictures of the grand kids that Debi has been sending as she has visited Krista and cherry. Feel free to send pictures I like seeing all of them.

Church was good as usual. I’m always impressed by the caliber of people in the branch. They have a good understanding of the gospel and strong testimonies.

Love you all.
Paul/dad