Feb 10th

So I've had some more sketchy internet problems and am now a whole week behind. This will be my third time writing this entry.

I've gone out with the missionaries three days in the last week, working hard. One day Elder Pukati and I taught 22 lessons and probably invited upwards of 50 to church. Twice we've visited Lugazi, a town more than an hour taxi drive away. Lugazi is home to some people who are active in the church, making the sacrifice to come each week by taxi. I figured out that one would spend 6 dollars a month to do the commute. No biggey right? Wrong. Police officers here start making around $50 a month, elementary/secondary teachers (with 3 years of university) at $80, and doctors (with 7-12 years of post-secondary) at a whopping $160. In other words if you were a police officer with three kids, it would take 70% of your income to join the LDS church. In order to reduce this financial strain, the elders are aiming to get a Lugazi branch up on its feet.

The area is hard! Lugazi is predominantly Muslim, which makes missionary work extremely hard. After reading some of the Koran myself, I can see this is rooted in their scripture. Frequently the book counsels against the dangers of listening to the doctrine of other faiths. The investigators we taught there attacked us with questions which seemed impossible to answer without sharing your testimony. Through it all my companion kept his cool finding scriptures to back up his faith. As it was clear these guys weren't really progressing, we've had to amp up our contacting effort. The new people we will start teaching next week look promising, something I'm more than excited about.

It's interesting how sharing a common belief in Christ can serve as a foundation for a testimony in the church. The elders always start lessons in Christian homes by emphasizing their love for the Savior and their gratitude for the Atonement. This seems to invite the spirit in a magnificent fashion.

I've had the opportunity to sit in on some amazing lessons with the elders (although I can't say I've participated much). One of my favorite was a lesson with Dennis, a guy born into a wealth household with lots of opportunities in academia. Unfortunately his biology courses had convinced him that God couldn't exist. He told us that his concerns had been fed through experiencing financial corruption in his church. Our lesson was probably 40% testimony with some truly profound moments. We closed with James 1:5, telling him that if he prayed, he would feel the comfort only found through the power of the Holy Ghost. He's doing great! We even saw him at church.

One evening I was walking back to the elder's apartment with Elder Pukati, a Zulu from South Africa. Suddenly a bunch of kids attacked me, yelling "mzungu, mzungu (white person!)." They wanted to touch my skin and feel my hair. After talking to them in some broken Luganda, I said I had to leave. They followed for about a quarter of a mile until Elder Pukati said he had had enough. He picked up a dead chicken off the side of the road and flung it into the middle of the cluster of children. One little boy picked it up and started chasing us. Luckily a parent came to the rescue.

It's funny how Ugandans treat their children. Mom's hold their babies a lot but then kind of ignore them when they hit a certain age. You'll see three year olds crying near the side of the road all by themselves. We seem to give our youngin's tons of slack, but they expect a lot of them. It's also ok for a stranger to scold/punish someone else's kid. I'm not sure I like this part of the culture.

Funny story: I was asking someone in church how one would say "sing" in Luganda. Unfortunately, he didn't hear me say the "g." I continued, telling him how much I loved to sin.

I'm teaching piano to some people from the church tomorrow and am going to be busy visiting less actives all week! I should also be going to the village clinic and the prosthetist in Kampala towards the end of the week.

There is so much more, but I've run out of time. Hopefully this blog will be a little more consistent someday!