Colby in Kampala: Ugandan funerals......sad but fun

Hello from Masaka!

Well we had a really good week. It went by super duper fast but was really fun. There was a lot of work and a little bit of struggle but all went well. My companion and I are super happy with how everything is going. We spent a lot of our time locating and teaching these new investigators. At the same time we were unable to meet with a few due to some business on their part but that's okay. We actually met two people who came on Sunday and said that the church was mad and they never wanted to hear from us again. So we narrowed down and were able to meet with about 8. All in all it was a successful week.

Earlier this week we were at a members house. There is a guy here named Chris. He is less active but lives in Masaka. Chris is actually African American and fled here to hide from a gang he wanted to leave. He embraced the culture well and liked his life. On Saturday Chris was hit by a car and died. They held his burial on Sunday and we went briefly. Ugandans actually celebrate funerals a lot like weddings so it was fun! Sad but fun.

I will tell you about the ones who are progressing well. First we have Julius. He is about 23 of so. He is a really great guy but somewhat quiet. We have taught him twice and he has a baptismal date of August 13th. He is fully prepared and working great. He was at church on Sunday. We also have Mirembe, meaning Peace. She is a villager who hasn't spent much time outside of the village. She knows very little English but we have been taking Teddy, our recent convert, to help translate and teach. Mirembe as well has a baptismal date on the 13th of August. She fell sick on Sunday and was not able to come. We hope to see her tomorrow. The next one we have is Godfrey. I mentioned him last week. We were finding and found him at a school. He was taught a long time back and is happy to meet again. He will also be potentially baptized on the 13th of August. The last is Agnes. She is living with the Branch President and is a teen aged girl. We taught her once last week. Like the others, August 13th is her baptismal date. So we have a lot of potential baptisms on that date and need to work hard. To comment on Teddy, she is doing amazing. We were able to get Teddy some reading materials like True to the Faith and Gospel Principles... She is just eating up the books. Yesterday President Robert told us that Teddy came to him at church and asked to start her mission papers. He told her to slow down a bit because she was only baptized a month ago. She is mostly finished with the Book of Mormon and is just insanely Powerful. She is a big help in teaching Mirembe. It is awesome!!

Yes Hafsaah... Sorry I forgot. Hafsaah did come to church last week but was a bit too busy this week to visit. She is having issues with her family and leaving them. She called President Robert and said not to forget about her and that she will pray and do her best to come. President Robert called us last night and said we need to work on seeing her this week.

And yes I am totally over home sickness. I actually love to hear what you guys are doing. I am a little jealous of Top Golf but of course it will be there when I get back. You can send me anything you want! I enjoy pictures of food too!!! haha

Tomorrow we are going to Kampala for some work permit things. I am going to get a custom suit made for 150,000shs. I think thats like $45 or something like that. I hope that's okay. It will be the one I wear home and it will have a cool Ugandan twist!

I don't have much more to write.. We had a really good week. It has been a great time in Masaka and I have grown a lot here. I love this place! Have a good week and safe travels.

Love you all!

Love,

Elder McLain