Life in Chuylu

Missionary work is always going great! You know it has is challenges but that’s not what they really are, they are just more blessings just hiding them self. Just another chance to prove our self to the Lord so it is always wonderful!
So about the new area. 
Chyulu is in what we refer to as  the bush because it is in the bush!! lol  People live here like they have lived for hundreds of years, most of them live in mud huts that they made themselves without power without water without anything like that, just a family to feed and a farm to grow things on. I think that is why it is called the bush but to tell you the truth I have no idea. :) The house is nice but we are cramped we have 4 elders living in a small flat. but that does make it very fun :) more people to talk to. :) all of them are great! and all of them are from Africa (except me). So here is farm country!! We have LONG ways to travel between people that is why we get bikes :) but it’s not like we are riding them on roads. We ride them on dirt trails, and the bikes only have one gear and are the OLD iron horses, they are .......................great. lol :) but they are fun and we do really need them.    So right now it is very very very very very beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!! everything is sooooooooo green!!!!!!!!!! it is the rainy season here so everyone is planting and doing their farming. I just have to say this--- that you guys think that you did farming????? I’m going to say no you didn’t on that one. :) see for service we go and help people with their farms or what they call "shambas" and the reason why I say that you guys didn’t do real farming is that you still used tractors. See, us when we help we get a hoe, or the old plow that is pulled by two cows because no one has horses here. I want to get a pic of us doing that so I can send it to you but I don’t have one yet but ya I will claim that I am a farmer now!! :) I hope that you are ok with that. :)  When you look around here you might think that it is something you would find in a old western movie where there is one major road with shops on both sides and that’s really it, yep that’s what it looks like in the "town". This place in many ways has not changed from the old times most people live in the old mud huts that they make by hand. This place is what people think of when I told them that I was going to Kenya. :) also another thing that is really cool is that I am right in between the two biggest game parks in Kenya :) so I hope that I will see some cool animals here :) I have seen a lot of snakes, in fact my first day here we had to kill a king cobra that was in our front yard :) that was super cool!!. but don’t worry we are safe :) we just got a very big stick and started hitting it till it died so we have a fail proof method :) plus the Lord is on our side :)

I am doing great!!!! this week has been good. we are working hard! my comp and I cover 3 branches here and they are having a lot of problems!!!! A LOT OF PROBLEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we don’t know where to start! But we have a plan and I know it will work! One of our branches has been called the worst in Kenya so you can see that they have a lot of problems but we are doing our best and that is all that we can do. :)

Ok to start off I will answer all your wonderful questions :)

Logan- I don’t know yet about the mission report. I will want to do it so people will understand but still that is a long way off and so for now I won’t really think about it. :) and going door to door here is not like back home, or in the city its more like hut to hut. And they are super far away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parker- The food needs work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a lot of work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t think there are any words that I can use to tell you. So I think I will just have to make some for you when I get home :) 

Karee- you bet I will teach you Kiswahili when I get home :) if you want to learn :) and my companion is VERY nice!! He is from Nigeria his name is Elder Orton he is great :) and we are always trying our best to be good teachers, I really hope we are being nice and fun. :) I have seen a lot of animals :) but not the kind you are thinking of. The biggest animal I have seen has been some snakes and a warthog. Ya the snakes have been fun my first day in my new area we had to kill a cobra outside our house. :) That was fun. :) 

Libby- I don’t have a pedometer. So I can’t really tell you. Sorry but also in this part of the mission people are so far apart and our area so big that they have given us bikes to ride :) but not the bikes you are thinking of :) they are the OLD bikes!!!!!! even older then your mom and dad :) Hashanah (hope you guys know that I’m joking around) 

Quinn-no I have not seen an elephant yet but I am the place to see one. I am right between the two biggest animal parks in Kenya and it is the time for them. :) so I hope to see one. :) 

I hope that got all of your questions answered but keep the questions coming I like them a lot :) 

so thank you all for being wonderful :) keep up the good work!!!!!!!

Elder TTHodges