The best week of my mission

Colby is now in Ntinda. Sounds like change is good! He's happy and healthy. Life is good!

Hey Everyone!

I had a great week!  In fact probably the best week of my mission. My companion and I get along like bread and butter and the area is just perfect for us. We work in such unity that I find the exact words I want to say coming out of his mouth. Regularly. It is amazing! It was somehow crazy but really cool! So Ntinda is very close to the mission home. I even included some addresses in Dad's email for the house and church and what what. So Ntinda is extremely nice. It is where a lot of mzungu business men live too. I have a Tusky's in my area! Nice! And a Quality Shoppers. These markets are really nice and have everything. Even coconut milk for about 1 dollar. I am going to answer your questions now so I don't forget:

1. My apartment is a big 4 story apartment with 4 elders, the Assistants to the President (2 elders) and a sister couple. It also has 2 senior couples! I replaced Elder Gooch in his last area. The apartment is pretty nice and much bigger than my first.

2. Yes there are grocery stores, Tusky's and Quality have everything Day's Market has.

3. The mission home is like 20 minutes by taxi. Close!

4. My companion is Elder Nathan Haines from Phoenix, AZ.

5. We have a washer and hang dry. That's how all apartments are.

So, about my area. It is a big area with lots of hills but really really nice. Many people drive nice cars like range rovers and what here. There are a lot of younger wealthy people because Ntinda has a few higher end Universities. Some of the houses like in Mininsters Village are nicer than the nice houses in Provo. I have a million restaurants to eat at like KFC, Cafe Javas, Mr Tastys, Chillies, fake In-n-out, and many more. So food and all is no problem  here. The actual problem might be running out of mission money because both me and Elder Haines like to eat at restaurants :/ So I might have to use personal money this month or next... I have only had 3 full days in the area so I don't know a ton but that is what I know!

The stake split this month and now we have 2 stakes in Kampala area and even branches are now wards!!!! It is so neat. I smell a temple soon maybe?!

I even watched Queen of Katwe this last week! It was so cool cause that is literally my last area and I walked the same streets every day! The movie is incredibly accurate. There are some funny things like when the mom goes to sell her nice dress for 10k (which is like not even $3) and the guy says "make it 200k and your company at Calendar Hotel"... Well in my last area I lived like a 2 minute walk from Calendar Hotel! So it was all really cool to see!

I also got to meet Dan (dad's friend from BYU) this week! We don't stay far from each other so we quickly passed the stuff then walked a bit in the same direction. I loved everything! The calendar is so sweet! Man, just awesome! Thank you! I ate the pesto noodles twice this week and they were so good and cheap. Since they are small you can throw some in every package cause they are super nice! 

So a few things, I can buy a speaker here for about $10 or so which I might just do. Should I? Also, just for future warning. If you ever send money in a package you have to be super sneaky about it... Like super sneaky! My companion's mom just sent him $100 and literally cut open a beanie baby and stuffed it in and then he cut it open and retrieved the money. That goes for all nice things! And tape pictures of jesus or mary to the box too. We have gotten lucky that no one has messed with our packages so far! But they do!

Elder Tesch fell in an accident from a boda guy last week and that had me staying in once this week to watch him while his companion went out with mine. Other than that this week was quite crazy! We had a Zone Development Meeting, Mission Broadcast and Interviews with President... Woah. All on different days too! We were really hungry for the work so right after all of these things we would go running back to our area to teach. It was fun!

The mission broadcast was nice. It was neat to hear from the Apostles what they expect from us now. Many thing are new and I will mention them briefly. So they did a schedule change BUT our mission president sort of changed it because he has the authority. So not much changed other than between 6:30am to 10am we can do our schedule how we want as long as we do personal study and exercise. So that is nice. And now we don't plan for the next day at night but rather in the morning the day of. I think that makes sense...

Interviews with President were super awesome. President is an amazing guy. He really gave me a boost for the work.

We had a baptism this Sunday. It was a young man named Odongo Samuel. He is 19 years old and is THE most converted person ever. It took him some few months to get baptized but he knows more than even some members know. It was amazing to see such a converted person join the church.

This week we also found a man named David. He is from Congo and is a really educated man. His wife came back from Congo on Friday and sadly David left to Congo as she got here. We gave him a book of mormon and sent him to some missionaries there. He is Catholic but loves our church. I have no doubt he will be baptized and even come back here in 3 months. His wife and daughter are a little tougher but we are working hard on them. Sadly the mom got online and read an article titled "Why I am not a Mormon" and that caused some serious confusion. She told us she read that we are free masons who rewrote the bible... Ouch... We are straightening her out.

The work is fruitful here. I love the area so much! I hate to say I love it more than my last but it is night and day difference for the work. I love it and my companion!

I am glad all is well at home. Seems to be snowing like crazy! That is good! Keep skiing and even send me pictures of you skiing!

Okay, I think that is it for this week. I hope that is a satisfactory update. Again, I think for now on just to save me time, because I email with the APs now so I have to be exactly 2 hours, I might just have you start to take my emails to you and dad and collaborate them for the blog. Cause that is just the time I have and I pretty much say the same things. Sorry it has to be that way but living around the APs requires exact obedience now now.

I am doing so good right now! Me and Elder Haines are like best friends! We get along like nothin and it is so awesome. It makes the work so fun! Ntinda is the best! I will have a full week in the area next week and give a nice big update but this is what I got for the week! I love you all so much! Thank you for loving me and supporting me. Mom, you and Dad are the best! 

 Enjoy your week and I will enjoy mine!

LOVE,

Elder McLain

Ntinda is the BEST! I feel like I'm on a crazy adventure

Transfer #2- Ntinda, Uganda. I think he's going to like this place! It sounds wonderful and so does he.😊😊

Hey Everyone!

Wow, I finally got a taste of being a little older on mission this week. Transfers are an interesting thing. I would like to start by saying that this transfer has been a huge blessing for me! The work is absolutely amazing right now and the area of Ntinda is THE BEST! My companion, Elder Nathan Hanes, is from Phoenix, AZ. We are whitewashing Ntinda and it is a blast. We get along like best friends and have a lot in common. Even running and basketball. So I feel like I am just on a crazy adventure with a best friend right now!

Ntinda is a fruitful area. It is much nicer than Makindye and even many white people live here. I see nice cars and well dressed people every day but yet the people are so receptive! We have been doing a lot of finding every day and have success almost constantly. We have been teaching lessons on lessons and just thoroughly enjoying the work. Just to show you the area so you can check on google maps: I love off of Bukoto Ntinda Road on Commercial Road. I don't have an actual address but my house is a big green gate at the base of the steep hill we call Repentance hill! The church is in a very wealthy part of Ntinda called Ministers Village. It is on Muwafu Road and you can see the big sign for the church out front. Just continue in that area and look at the houses... This area is very nice.

The man who added mom on facebook from my stake showed me pictures of Dad's award when I saw him at stake conference.. Wow, it seems like a big deal! I wish I could be there but from the looks of the pictures it doesn't seem like a small award! I am proud of you Dad! You deserve it! 

Well, I am just over the moon with my mission right now. Everything, and I mean everything, is going good right now. I love being a missionary and have so much fun working hard every day.

Love you all.

Love,

Elder McLain

p.s. I also forgot to mention I met with your friend Dan! It was a tender mercy for me to transfer to Ntinda because that is where he stays every time he comes! We even stay just a 5 minute walk from each other! So I got everything you sent with him and it was awesome!! (Special thanks to Dan Nielson for hand delivering our love to Colby.)

             
         

Pictures from Makindye

Here are some pictures from Colby's first area -- Makindye. Makindye is a large suburb of Kampala with many refugees from neighboring countries. The Katwe neighborhood that is featured in the Disney movie Queen of Katwe is part of the Makindye area.

Colby's companion Elder Ndamane (left) and two other elders.

CTR rings for Christmas.

Dinner from Colby's favorite chicken shack in Makindye.

Burger from Cafe Javas after zone conference.

Zone conference lunch.

Roasted corn -- street food.

Eating like the locals.

Colby and friend.

Resting weary legs. The Makindye area is 20 km by 20 km in size -- a walking area.

Elder Ndamane feeling it.

Saying goodbye to Brother Sam.

Hoops anyone?

Best buddy.

Cool shades.

Dinner appointment.

Colby hogging the chicken.

Rice and water for Ndamane.

At church in Makindye.

At church in Makindye.

Add caption in Makindye.

Holiday celebration at night in the apartment.

On a visit.

More friends.

Filling the baptismal font.

New members in Makindye.

Converts and Elders.

Christmas dinner at Brother Sam's house.

Christmas at Brother Sam's.

Brother Sam and the Makindye missionaries.

Planting a banana tree. Colby said the ground was HARD.

On the streets of Makindye after grocery shopping.

Colby with Makindye ward member.

Leaving a French Book of Mormon.

Football (soccer) pitch.

Elders and ward members.

Elders and investigators.

I am leaving Makindye

TRANSFERRED!

Hello again,

I had a wonderful week here in Makindye. Something happened this week that is beyond my understanding. About 2 weeks ago our President called our area (out of the blue) and said he had a feeling our area needed help. He encouraged each of the Elders to pray more meaningfully for love for the area and it's people and pray more as a district. So we listened to his advice and did so. We fully saw the result of our prayers. In the last week I have grown to love this area so much. I love the members and even the non-members. The area is just awesome. Even at church yesterday there was a spark in our ward that I have not seen in the 3 months of being here. Our whole district has come to love Makindye and the ward. Sadly, I got a call this morning that I am being transferred... I am really sad to leave the area. They are going from 4 to 2 Elders in Makindye and then the area will probably close in the next 2 transfers due to ward inactivity in the work. My new area is Ntinda. It is just closer to Kampala and a really great area. There is much more wealth in this area. The area is supposed to be really fruitful and I am in an apartment with a senior couple that treats the missionaries like their children. So I AM excited about that. My new companion is Elder Hanes from Arizona. Guess what, he is a cross country runner! So we plan to run every morning! I leave Makindye on Wednesday. I have mixed feelings because things finally started rolling smooth in Makindye. We had many progressing investigators and Alex and Honesty are closing in on marriage soon. So I won't get to see about 5 of my investigators be baptized in February... :( I know that is what the Lord wants though and I have a reason to be in Ntinda! The work this week was really good. We had a really fun week and made the work fun too. My companion and I had a really great unity between us and I will miss him! So, that is my update for this week. Brief but it is because I am leaving Makindye. As of now Makindye has about 10 progressing investigators and one is a family of 4 that is really awesome. They are Congolese refugees and love the gospel! So I will keep an update from the new Elders here and let you know how things go!

I would love conference talks! And not only conference talks but BYU Devo talks and things like John Bytheway talks too! That would be great! Thanks!

I love you Dad! I am happy that all is well back home. You will be rewarded for your work both at BYU and in the Church! I know our family has seen the blessings already! Keep working hard and I will too!

Well, the mission is just amazing right now. I am super sad to leave the area and it has shown me how sad it will be to leave the country when it is time... :(  I love this place so much! Elder Gooch is going to Ethiopia too!

I Love you all!

Elder McLain

That was a fast 3 months!

Just a normal letter from our missionary but I happen to LOVE normal!

Hello from Uganda! 

Wow, this was a fast 3 months!

Time is flying on the mission and I love it. I am so happy right now and loving every day. This week was very normal and not much happened besides crying repentance to everyone and working super hard. That really helps the time to fly too!

Well, I honestly don't have much to write about this week because we just did a ton of knocking doors and didn't have so much success. But we had some random tender mercies and cool things happen so I will just try to remember everything!

The funniest thing this week took place during sacrament. As you know I am in Africa and the people here can be a little confused when it comes to how our church runs. So our first counselor, Brother David, announced that there would be the naming and blessing of a child over the pulpit. As he mentioned this I was thinking "who the heck had a baby in our ward recently?". Turns out no one did! Our friend Mpfashingabo stood up with his 6 year old boy in his arms and walked to the front. Immediately I made eye contact with my companion and we held back laughing. Then I looked around the room to see all church educated members in the crowd with a big "what the heck" expression on their faces. It was quite hilarious. Mpfashingabo sat down in a seat at the front of the chapel with his 6 year old son Gloire in his arms and the bishop and a few members gave the boy a naming and blessing. So that was interesting! : )

We found a former investigator this week named Brenda. Her husband is from India and I can't pronounce his name so I can't even give it to you guys sooo. Anyways, after a quick chat with her she mentioned she was a former investigator. We didn't even share anything with her and she ended up coming to church with her kids on Sunday. She is progressing well right now and we look forward to her baptism in a few weeks. We hope all goes well. As for her husband, he will take some time!

We also found a really wealthy South Sudanese family this week who is so nice! They are slow to understand but we have taught them two lesson and they are progressing well. If all goes well, they will be a powerful addition to this ward.

I think that is about it for this week. Sorry it is brief but that's what happens when you have a brief week! I am enjoying my mission so much. I am happier than I have ever been and have every desire in the world to be here right now! I love being a missionary so much and feel so lucky to be here! 

I love you all and thank you for the support. I look forward to talking next week!

Love,

Elder McLain

Fasting for missionary work in South Sudan

Hey family!

This week was a good week in the mission field. The town is super dead right now. It is really quiet out and the streets are super empty. It is super nice! Except when it comes to the missionary work... This week was full of "what should we do know?" and "is it 9 yet?"... It was really hard to find people to teach this week because everyone went back to the village for holiday. So I got a taste of what some other missions are like! We taught only a handful of lessons in the last 2 weeks. The days were really long. But hey, they are over now and won't come back for another year! Today is one of the first days that people are coming back and the streets are crowding again. So this week should be great!

New Years Eve was not what I expected. We had a 7pm curfew because Ugandans love alcohol and guns so we had to be indoors by night time. Plus it was fast Sunday so we couldn't do any midnight drinks or snacks. Around 10pm we all just went to sleep cause we were tired of sitting on the couch listening to music. So New Years this year was a pretty normal day!

Our fast this month was as a mission.  President Collings sent out the list of things we are fasting for and it came as a big shock.... The main thing we fasted for as a whole mission was for success in sending the first missionaries to South Sudan?! So according to this they will be opening an area or two in South Sudan in the next few transfers. Crazy?! To be honest, I hope I can serve there one day and have had a strong feeling since I got my call that I would. So we will see!

This week as we were teaching Alex and Honesty we had a cool experience. She said that she had a dream about me and my companion that really opened her eyes. She doesn't speak English and so she spoke some small local language and her husband translated. She said that she was dreaming that she was in a body of dark water and was drowning. She couldn't find her way above the water and felt like she was dying. Then my companion and I, glowing in white, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the water. She said we saved her! She even got emotional as she told us the dream. That was a really awesome experience for all of us! She is confident that this church is true. Now we just need her and Alex to get married and baptized! That should come in the next few weeks. Alex and Honesty are so awesome. They are the definition of truly converted!

There is a man in my ward by the name of Tony Kakembo. He is a returned missionary who served a few months in Sierra Leone and finished his mission in Ethiopia due to Ebola. He said he knows Josh Burr! So ask Josh if he knows an Elder Kakembo or Tony Kakembo from Uganda. And tell him he is in my ward!

Church this week was only 40 minutes long. Literally. No one knows why. We finished our sacrament service around 10:35 and Bishop just stood up and said we will be closing with a hymn and a prayer and then going home. So that was weird...

Last random side note. Elder Smith, my Zone Leader, just showed up at our apartment the other day with a can of Dr. Pepper. To those who don't know, I love that drink SO much and they don't have it here. He found it for a really big price at a random shop far from my home and thought to get it for me. Such an awesome guy. Man, it was the nicest drink I have had in so long!

I think that is it for this week. We are kind of in a dry spot for our teaching but I am confident and have faith that we will build back up to a good spot this week! I hope all is well with everyone back home. Thank you for the love and support.

With love,

Elder McLain