Ugandan Saints are that Light of Christ and I am the poor struggling seaman. These people have changed my life. They've saved me!

Oh the lessons I learn from each letter I read. He strengthens me and brings me joy. I am thankful for my missionary son and for each missionary who serves selflessly throughout the world and blesses each life for good. 

For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
Devotion to the Savior's name,
Who bless our days with peace and love,
We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.

31243, Hymns, Each Life That Touches Ours for Good, no. 293

Helloooo,

Another week on mission and its going too fast. I can hardly keep up right now. I am still in the Ntinda area and still going strong. It has been a pretty tough couple of weeks I wont lie you. It was nothing to get me discouraged because the work can't always go completely smooth but we are through the drought! This week was a big turn around for us. I am grateful to serve in a place thats unique and has interesting things happen all the time. It keeps the slower days interesting. 

I am on week 15 in this area... Just about 3 and a half months. I feel like I have been here a really long time. I am the oldest in the area out of the district and missionaries living around here so I am constantly helping people find things around. Who would have ever thought that I would know a town in Uganda like the back of my hand?! Even I am blown away by it all the time. We are half way through this transfer and when transfers come I am pretty sure I will stay here for another six weeks... A long time! 1/4 of my mission in Ntinda! We will see.

Well, first I will start with our investigators and our tender mercies. We had a great break in Investigators. It was an answer to our prayers. This week we FINALLY figured Esther out. We talked to her on Friday and after the lesson set a baptismal date for May 7th! She agreed and is ready. So, Esther is being prepared for baptism. My comp and I needed that one so bad! It has been a few long weeks of no progression and a lot of praying. We were praying for her! All of our other current investigators are still a bit low and not progressing well.  I told mom earlier but we found a new finding technique that is so great. There is a large road under construction called the Northern Bypass. It is super long and a part runs through our area from Kisaasi to Kiwatule and Najeera. So one day we were in Kisaasi at an appointment and decided to walk to Kiwatule using that road. On the way we talked to two different people. One was particularly powerful and had a lot of questions. We shared with him about the Book of Mormon and he was hooked. He even pulled out a planner of his own and asked us if he could meet us at our church on Friday at 2 pm. We were so happy! We set the appointment and sure enough he came. His name is Wilbur and he is probably about 19 or 20. He is smart and in school. He is a promising investigator! We hope to give him a bap date by next appointment! Continuing our great week of new investigators we had 4 referrals in 2 days from surrounding areas. 2 of the referrals had been taught before and we are continuing their teaching! Every time I answered the phone and the missionaries on the other line said "we have a hand off for you" I would just about lose it. It came just at our lowest time that we were helped out by everyone. We are blessed!

This week I had two experiences that were cool. I will briefly tell both. So a few months back we had an investigator named Jenifer. She is a Congolese woman that was suuuper stubborn. She read online some few false doctrine things that really messed herup and caused her to stop progressing. In one of our last lessons, about half way through,  Elder Haines (my last companion) just bore his testimony and closed the lesson like that. He thanked her for her time and we left. When we were out of her apartment we continued down the path and he just said he closed the lesson because he heard a voice say "dont worry, she will be baptized when the time is right. Just not by you." After that lesson we left very peaceful. Now it's months later and a new companion. We hopped out of the taxi the other day and were on our way to a lesson. We had a full schedule but out of nowhere I had a strong feeling to go to Jenifers. I was a bit confused because it was out of the way and we "dropped" her. The feeling came again so we went. When we got there, we approached the door and she entered the gated compound right behind us. She excitedly greeted us and her kids ran out of the house and gave us hugs. Elder Denison and I felt super welcome. We talked for a minute and she said her main concern was the English materials. In Congo they speak French and Swahili so she cant read English well. We agreed with the problem and left happy. That very night I was going through some boxes of old papers from past missionaries. I had no purpose in going through the stuff. I thought it was because I was bored. Turns out it wasn't out of boredom. About half way through the box I found every single missionary pamphlet AND many other small books in French!! I freaked out a bit and got so excited! What an answer to prayers. This was a great tender mercy. We took the few things over to her the next day and even some suckers for the kids. She took them and promised to read. We were so happy. Tender mercies keep us going!!!! It's moments like these that strengthen my testimony.

Another spiritual experience I had increased my love for this Ntinda ward and the people I serve. We were in church yesterday and I was at the front blessing the sacrament. As Edwin and I were at the table breaking the bread and singing I looked up over the congregation. We were all singing Joseph Smiths First Prayer. It was the fourth verse and that is like the most powerful verse of any hymn in the book. I looked out over the 80ish people, smashed together under a tent for sacrament meeting due to a rainstorm, and they were ALL smiling so big. Most of the congregation was even swaying back and forth as they sang their lungs out to this amazing song. I couldn't help but feel so happy and grateful to be here. These people just get it. They ave testimonies. Most have seen a different life and a different way of worship and for that reason they have solidified their spots here. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Uganda KNOW the church is true. It has blessed their lives in a noticeable way and it has and can bless all of ours! Even to see some of the people I have been blessed to assist in their conversion swaying and singing just filled me with joy! 

Everyone reading this email, know that I know that the church is true. It's probably the most common sentence ever said in a chapel but I could scream it for hours. This church is true!!! I have gained that testimony as I have serve my mission. I have seen the light in people literally grow as they joined this church. 

 I want to close with the lyrics from a hymn that really hit me the other day. 

1. Brightly beams our Father’s mercy,
   From His lighthouse evermore,
   But to us He gives the keeping
   Of the lights along the shore.
2. Let the lower lights be burning!
3. Send a gleam across the wave!
4. Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
5. You may rescue, you may save.
6. Dark the night of sin has settled,
   Loud the angry billows roar;
   Eager eyes are watching, longing,
   For the lights along the shore.
7. Let the lower lights be burning!
8. Send a gleam across the wave!
9. Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
10. You may rescue, you may save.
11. Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
    Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
    Trying now to make the harbor,
    In the darkness may be lost.
12. Let the lower lights be burning!
13. Send a gleam across the wave!
14. Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
15. You may rescue, you may save.

Sometimes I feel like Ugandan Saints are that Light of Christ and I am the poor struggling seaman. These people have changed my life. They've saved me! I love this place and this mission. I look forward to my time here. I know this work is divine and it is my time to serve. I hope you all have a great week. I love you and pray for you!

Love,

Elder McLain

Missionary life in Kampala

Walking the Northern Bypass - our new finding technique

 Far from home in Gayaza. 

We had been walking for about 3 hours straight at this point.

 The Districts Elders... 

A swamp and a missionary thumbs up

"Stuip Idiot" 

 Elder Dennison breaking out of the church

 Elder Lukhele hitting his year mark with a burning shirt

Mutungo! Another area in my zone I went to on exchanges. 

These kids kept escaping from Primary and we had to go get them.

There is no greater joy than this!

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend! My companion and I forgot it was Easter or rather never really figured out but it turned out to be a great weekend for us too!

These last few weeks have just been very normal weeks for us. Not a whole lot out of the ordinary is happening and to be honest the work is slowing down a lot in our area. I have been here in Ntinda for a little over 3 months and just started another 6 week transfer so I will be here for a while! We really hope things pic up here and are trying our best.

Our investigators are all struggling right now. Esther is the most promising and says she wants to get baptized soon but just doesn't know when. Ntinda is hard because it is an area that people move to for work. So just when someone progresses they get a break from work and go visit family in the villages. It can be hard on us! It leaves us a lot on days with not many lessons to teach. This week was a bit different for us. We worked extra hard and decided to change our plans. After praying for help we both felt the need to just take a break from finding and knocking doors and begin working through members. So we spent most of our week finding where members stay and meeting with them. After teaching them we would ask for a referral. It worked out well and we will continue it this week and through this transfer. We told our ward mission leader that this transfer would be a foundation builder and that next transfer will be our big progression transfer. Ntinda is a large ward boundary and members can stay pretty far. But they generally bunch together and we can see a few out in each area. I've been learning the area a lot better this way and it has been a fun week! Once we get closer to members they are a lot kinder too! We went far from our area this week into an area called Kabanyoro. Google it. it is far!! We taxied some 2 hours to get there. Met a member and then came home.

Yesterday I got a call from Church Head Quarters in Salt Lake. She had a referral for us in Ntinda. How cool is that!! We gave the referral to the other Elders in our District. The weirdest part was that she asked me which country in Africa I was from. I kindly responded and said I was from where she was sitting right then. I told her to tell Utah hello for me and I missed it very much. She was surprised to hear that I was from Utah and said I sounded like an african :) Wowza! 

We did find one tender mercy this week that really stood out to me. I don't think I will ever forget this moment in my whole life. One day after coming in a bit later my companion and I were pretty exhausted. I went to my study room a bit mentally defeated for the day and got down to pray. I prayed hard for help and guidance in our area. My companion as well has been praying hard for the same things. We are both very young on mission, I being 6 months and he being 2 months out. It can be hard for us sometimes to know what to do. After praying we felt the need to go up to the senior couple in our area and talk to them. We followed the prompting and went up to there place. There they invited us in and we talked with them for a few minutes. After a good conversation Elder Whitwer pulled out his tablet and told us a cool story of his neighbor. Elder Whitwer is from Santa Clara, Utah and had a neighbor go to London England on a medical school trip. There she met a girl named Grace from Uganda! Grace was on the same school trip and just graduated as a Medical Doctor. After the trip they both returned home. The Whitwers later found out they were serving in Uganda and their neighbor gave them Grace's contact. They were told to try to contact her and become friends but all they had was a number. He gave us the number and I gave Grace a call. I have never heard someone so excited to hear a young muzungu missionaries voice. She said we could come later that week when she was off work to meet her! After I asked her where she stayed she said "Bukoto, near Kampala International School". This is when I knew our prayers were answered. It was a few days earlier that I learned of Bukoto and tracted just around the school. Wow... of all places and all times for Grace to live, it was in our area. We went to bed that night so grateful. On Saturday we went to Grace's house. She flipped out when she met us and was so so excited! We went to her nice little place and her brother and mother came in. The Whitwers and my companion and I had an extremely powerful conversation with them over some pizza and water they gave us. They are Protestants from Church of Uganda. It was one of the greatest nights and blessings on my mission. It's a day I will never forget! 

Well Brothers, Sisters and dogs.... The Church is too true! I have seen everything I need to see and experience to solidify my testimony. I know without a doubt in my mind that we have the fullness of the Everlasting Gospel and we are His covenant children. We are so blessed to have found our route to salvation. Quite literally we know and have what it takes to become like Him. Let us continue to push forward as a light to everyone and spread this Gospel. There is no greater joy than this! I love this church so much.

Have a great week everybody. Give the missionaries in your area a referral! Read the scriptures and stay safe! I love you all and pray for you always!

Love,

Elder McLain

Had the most interesting meal this week. I wont lie, probably the hardest thing I have ever had to eat in my life!

Hey guys,

Super nice week over here. I was so happy to hear General Conference this Sunday. The talks were great and very inspired. I am sad to say I am short on time this week due to some struggles with finding a good internet cafe. My computer looks more like a toaster than a computer but at least it works enough for me to send this email!

I am just going to be fast fast this week but there were some great things that happened for us. I am so happy right now with my mission. I can get stressed at times with my work load and having a forgetful memory but all in all I am just doing well. Like I've said in the past, the slow and normal weeks are never bad. We are lucky and blessed right now that things have died down as far as contention between us and everyone here. The persecution has ceased and the work is going forth boldly and nobly until it will sound in every ear!

This week was kind of a weird preparation week for the coming transfer, which actually starts today. I am staying in Ntinda with Elder Denison and am happy! We did a few fun things like a great deal of service. We went to Brother Peter Sekalekas to dig. We used machetes to cut the grass down instead of a lawn mower and then dug some trees and a few other things. We also went to Sister Angelyns and cut a bunch of okra. She has a South Sudanese family in one of the apartments she rents out and they cut Okra to import to the US so we also helped. So if you see some cut okra in the states it was probably mine! We cut like 3 US trash can sized amounts. A ton!

I am in fact at a challenging point right now in my mission. At times I struggle to keep up with the work and find myself falling short or behind on the things we need. Training can be difficult for me because when I do my best to teach my companion and he still struggles I take it upon myself. I had to sit down this week for a solid hour and just think about what needs to be done and what needs to stop in order for things to work for us. Just as I felt like I had myself under control I got a call from President Collings to be the District Leader over a 6 missionary district. Aaaaghh man. It's quite early for me and was unexpected. It has been a call to repentance in a way and also a smack in the face. I gotta be better and do better always. We had a longer 15 minute phone call on the things he has planned for me and the things he expects now. I have a lot on my plate. I look forward to the experiences though!

We are continuing to have a slower teaching pool. Things progressed in a way and then slowed down even more. I am beginning to wonder if it is because of my lack of desire, though it is there, that is holding us back. So I have committed myself to be better in everything. I want to rely more on the Lord through my faith that things can progress. I truly believe they can. Esther is doing fine. She continues to know that she needs to be baptized and we are trying to help her. She said she is trying to confirm her thoughts that this is the Sunday for her. We are meeting with her tonight. Paul is just continuing slowly by slowly. He just doesn't have the time during the week to meet and so we are teaching him every Sunday and he is progressing about the fastest rate he can. He will be baptized for sure in the coming weeks. This week at conference we were sitting in the tent/chapel and when the session ended a hand grabbed my shoulder. It was David!!! I don't know if you remember him but David is the Congolese man we met a few months ago that moved back to Congo. He was in town for literally 25 hours and took the time to come to the morning session of General Conference. Sadly, he went back that night... Once he comes back to town we can baptize him! He is so solid. We hope his work takes a turn and slows down enough for him to join us. We added another nyabo to our teaching pool this week. We found a girl named Shantel that was a former investigator from a few months back. She is a Muslim and began to take lessons. She ended up gaining a solid testimony and then left for school in the village. She is back now and by the grace we tracted into her. We picked her back up and she is really excited to continue progressing. What a blessing!

General Conference was so great this week. As a missionary I feel a lot more when I am watching conference and loved every talk. Many reached out to me and I enjoyed them. One of my Favorites was Weatherford T. Clayton. Man, what a powerful testimony and invitation he put forth for all to feel the love of this Gospel. That was probably my favorite. Dad, I really enjoyed the talk you attached from President Uchtdorf and even found myself thinking the same things you shared with me. Those words were spoken right to me. It helped me a lot. I look forward to reading the talks in the Ensign. 

We had the most interesting meal this week at Sams. I wont lie, probably the hardest thing I have ever had to eat in my life! It was called Ocokocoko (ochalkochalko) and was a mix of tomatoes, eggplant, onions and mukene. Mukene is like sardines sort of but a lot worse tasting. It was also with Kalo which is Casava flour posho. Just google it all. I will also attach a picture. 

The work continues every day and I am grateful to be here, I learn so much and realize so often that many things I learn will bless me even when I get back home. I look forward to calling home soon! 

I have to wrap up for the week. I knew I couldn't write a little and I am sorry about that. I love you guys and am glad you are all well. Stay doing well!

Love,

Elder McLain 

Pictures from Ntinda - early April

Out in Kisaasi -- a rapid drop off in the standard of living as you go down the hill.

Caught the rat that's been eating his food for the last two months.

Made a burnt offering of the rat.

Macho poses amidst the jumbled furniture after the rat was taken out.

Pictures from Ntinda - March

The baptism of Okwiri Charles.

Elder McLain with his new companion Elder Denison. 

In the pose sporting fake Rolex watches.

Out on the town.

Enjoying lunch at a local pork joint.

Out on the edge of town.

Posing on a cliff.

Pictures from Ntinda - Late February

Catching up on posting pictures. These are from Ntinda with Elder Haines in late February.

The Ntinda Elders.

Baptisms in Ntinda.

The sun looms large on the Ugandan equator.

Elder Haines' recent converts paying a visit before he transfers to Iganga.

Preaching it to the Ntinda Primary!

With our recent convert Odongo Sam. He is preparing to serve a mission. 

The District.

Sending Elder Haines off to Iganga.

Even though it's hard, a bad day on the mission is far better than a good day back home. There are no words to describe the difference.

He does it again! My heart is so full because of this kid. It's all I can do to hold back the tears. He strengthens my testimony with every letter. I love him dearly!

Hey everyone!

I'll start by saying that the keyboard I am using is kind of like trying to type on a moldy loaf of bread. Most keys are switched and I have very few symbols to use so you might notice some weird things throughout the email. Just ignore them.

The mission is just great right now. Really, sometimes I just have to sit and look at all the blessings and benefits of serving in Uganda and my mindset changes almost immediately. There are days when we will come in around 9:30 pm after teaching 3 lessons in a day and I find myself hanging my head and hoping for the day to end right then. Then I step back and realize that the numbers we achieve on a bad day are often higher than many missions see on the greatest day. Not in a boasting way but in a broad way. It isn't my work or power but the Lord's. Think of it somehow like Alma 26 as Ammon glories in the Lord. I am so blessed to serve here! The missionary work in Uganda is unlike anything else. 

Another fault of mine is that I often find myself being bored of the area I am in. A few transfers in one area can become monotonous. Its kind of funny when you come home from what you thought was a boring day and then sit and think about the things that happened. Sometimes I just realize that not everyone sees things like a motorcycle getting run over by a car or a guy stick welding without glasses next to a shop that sells propane. Or a man selling a full size cow and a few pigs on the back of a motorcycle. Or even passing someone beaten so much that they are lifeless on the side of a frequently traveled road. It's as though the unordinary things become ordinary overtime.

 When you feel like you have knocked every door in the area the work can become a little discouraging. Lately we have been trying our level best to work with the members and receive referrals from them. THAT is the way to do missionary work here. Member referrals and member cooperation is the key to success in this mission. Ntinda is an amazing area and we are grateful every day for the referrals we receive.

Our investigators are struggling a bit right now. Each and every one seems to be going through individual trials keeping them from progressing in the gospel.  Newcreation Esther kind of told us this week that she would not be able to be baptized for fear of her family disowning her. Sadly though, her mom and uncle gave her permission and her Grandpa was the one who said no... We are pretty frustrated about that. I wont lie, I have grown pretty close to her as a friend and have found myself extremely sad with her decisions. That led me to really ripping out some heavy scriptures in the New Testament and Mosiah that I hoped would help her. They didn't... Ill be honest and say I let my anger get to me and I handled the situation completely wrong. I learned my lesson. She insists that she will be baptized one day but just not now. She knows it is true and knows what she needs to do. In fact she has had two pretty incredible dreams that answer her prayers in the most obvious way. One dream literally told her to be baptized on March 26th. She didn't seem to find that very necessary.... Man, it is frustrating! Ibrahim has been out and in with work and then fell sick this last week. So he hasn't been able to meet us for some long time. We just continue to try. On a brighter note we do have our recent convert Sam going to mission prep and fully planning to serve a mission! That will be amazing!! We also tracted into a less active member this week named Marianna. She is 19 and told us she was baptized at 15 and then couldn't find the church when she moved. We started teaching her and she said she has a half dozen people at home she wants to show us. We are seeing her tonight after emailing. This could really be our big break!

Well, I don't really know what else to say. I have this feeling that I need to bear my testimony on missionary work in hopes that some younger aged people read my emails and it can help them. Before I came on my mission I found myself doubting whether I should go. We all know quote ¨doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith¨. I took that pretty literally and realized that there is nothing back home that could help me more than a mission. Even the morning I woke up to leave, I put on my suit and grabbed my bags. As I worked my way up the stairs with 2 years worth of things in my bags I had a serious pit in my stomach. In that moment I didn't want to go. I really didn't want to go. I felt that it was seriously too late to back down and continued on my way. As I was in the MTC I continued to sit in misery. I told myself at that point that I didn't care what the next two years had for me. Even if it was the most miserable 2 years of my life I would go through it. I promised myself I would never go home. How stupid I was to think that a mission would hold the 2 most miserable years of my life. It was hard at first. The conditions I started in were a big challenge for me. Looking back on those first weeks, it was all for a reason. Everything that has happened to me since I left the airport in Salt Lake was for my own benefit. About 2 months into my mission I realized that I was happier than I had ever been in my whole life. I would come home from a hard, hot and long day and then realize that it really was so fun! A bad day on the mission is far better than a good day back home. I really wish everyone could see the change in me since I left on my mission. There are no words to describe the difference. First off, gaining a greater knowledge of the Gospel has been the greatest blessing in my life. I encourage everyone to just study more and more and never be satisfied with your testimony. The gospel is our safe guard. Everything we know can comfort us at any moment of the day. Just think about what we have and all the added light and knowledge we have. The other day a pretty drunk man came up to me and began yelling at me to read John 1:1-14. His point was to try to prove that the trinity is real and God is Jesus Christ. I didn't care to add my two cents and we continued. That night I read the Joseph Smith Translation for that section. Wow, that is a blessing of having modern prophets. If you find the time, compare John 1:1-14 with JST John. I guess I am kind of ranting now... But, all in all I just want everyone to know that this time that I have spent on my mission was the best choice I have made in my life. It is an indescribable joy to serve a mission and I hope everyone can feel the same happiness I feel. The mission is the greatest time of my life.

In closing I just want to thank everyone for supporting me. Especially in my lower times. The support I get from home helps me so much more than you think. I am so grateful to be here and look forward to the next 18 months. Im 6 months down and time is flying too fast. I love all of you so much! Have a great week.

Love,

Elder McLain