Dear Loved ones,
I was wrong last week in my letter that anticipated that we would have the mission tour with Elder Satiti this week. He will be here in the coming week. I was right to think I was headed into a busy week, because we did have transfers which creates havoc with our normal schedule. Monday, night was the Farewell dinner at the Mission Home for the three Elders and two Sisters that flew home the next day. It was so much harder to say goodbye to this group of missionaries, because I knew them so much better. I was really attached to Elder Horne, Elder Latu, Elder Johnson, Sister Bueno, and Sister Archer. To make matters worse the President sent the assistants back out to the field for their last transfer before they go. Elder Hale has been sent up to Montpelier and Elder Dawson to Blackfoot. Elder Dawson has come to my technological rescue several times, and I am feeling very insecure knowing he is so far away. The best part of the evening was the after-dinner testimony meeting. It is so wonderful to hear these remarkable young people tell what their mission as meant to them and hear their powerful testimonies.
May 21, 2017
Sorry I didn’t finish this letter on the 13th – but Jon, Katrina and the kids came up and took me out to
lunch. We went to a place new to me called Freddie’s. The hamburgers were good but some dessert
they called a “Turtle” was beyond wonderful – ice cream, with nuts, caramel and fudge dripping over it!! So fun to get caught up on their family activities.
The next day continued the family fun. Sally, David and their kids came up. David’s niece, Rebekah
George invited us to have dinner at their house. I appreciate all the notes and calls from others of you. It made such a delightful two-day Mother’s Day celebration for me. I should say two-week celebration because the week before, Emily came up and took me out to dinner and stayed the night with me. Thank you all that made me feel special.
This week has been amazing!! It has been the Mission Tour with Elder Sitati and his wife. Wednesday, he met with the mission office staff and shared his remarkable conversion story with us. He knew a member of the church who contacted him about helping a young man, recently returned from earning his engineering degree in New Mexico, find employment. One evening when the three of them were meeting to discuss employment opportunities, the only missionary couple in Kenya stopped by for a visit. The missionary couple were not proselyting missionaries, but had been sent to work with the government to gain recognition for the church, so a mission could be established. The American members of the church working in Kenya were holding regular meetings at the Missionaries’ residence, the couple invited the Sitati’s to join them. Elder Sitati had hungered for something to fill a void and he thought religion would be where he would find it. So he and his family had gone to the Baptist church, and several other evangelical churches, but he had not found what he was looking for. He had almost despaired of ever filling the void he felt. So when invited to meet with the Mormons, his family decided “why not try one more religion.” He felt something in that first meeting that he had never felt before.
His children liked the meeting, and so they continued to come faithfully. Such a small branch required everyone to participate. Eventually, Elder Sitati was taking his turn, and one day he ask if he could be baptized. He was told that there were no missionaries to teach him the discussions he would need, but they had the written lesson that he could read. After reading all the discussions, he was baptized. You can say he converted himself and eventually his family.
Elizabeth shared with me after the Sitati’s visit to San Jose that he told them when his family learned of any church program they just did it! Family Home Evening, family prayer, Home teaching their family just began to do it 100%. How amazing that the Lord sent such a powerful spirit to a rural village in Kenya, prompted him to seek an education, and had him in the right place at the right time to find the gospel. Thursday, we had two zones meet in the chapel of the building that houses our mission office. President and Sister Hancock began the meeting and then Elder Sitati had his wife give us a wonderful exercise on how companions can help each other develop Christ-like Attributes. Then the remainder of the time Elder Sitati taught us by effectively using the Parable of the Sower and Lehi’s dream. Friday, two zones from up in the mountains came down to Soda Springs for a repeat of Thursdays meeting. It was such an inspirational week! The Gospel is True!!!!.
Remember my Brother Winston in your prayers. He is having prostate surgery tomorrow.
Love to all,
Grammie/Sister Shill
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