Colby in Kampala: I Went Back To The Future

Hey guys,

This week was really cool! We worked hard and got a lot done. It was a relatively normal week for us. We stayed busy, had some success but likewise had some upsets. That is how missionary work goes though. If you can't get over upsets quickly than a mission would be very difficult. SO, let me tell you about the week............--->

1. We have been teaching Joseph and preparing him for his baptism. It will be this Friday! Joseph is doing really, really well and progressing at a level I haven't seen in a long time. I can honestly say that of any people I have taught on my mission, South Sudanese just comprehend so well. AND they speak a really nice English that I love. It sort of reminds me of British English. Anyways, Joseph is great. And as I said last week we started teaching his nieces he stays with. They are enjoying the messages too and will likely be baptized in the coming weeks.

2. Flavia is still just doing A okay. She is progressing at a great pace too and has incredible understanding of the messages. It is as if she knew a lot and our short messages are connecting the dots for her. She is looking forward to her baptism next Saturday. A funny short story about Flavia took place in Sunday School. We were sitting in a room with about 40 people and she was called on to answer a question. She was asked "How do we receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit?" She got a bit nervous (because she hasn't received or seen someone receive it) but answered and said, "I believe it is following our baptism and goes along with our confirmation. Worthy men lay their hands on your hand and give you the gift of the Holy Ghost." ............ My companion and I were super proud. The teacher said that was true and she somehow loudly leaned to us and said, "BOOM, I am a genius!" hahahaha. Then a returned sister missionary raised her hand and tried to correct Flavia for saying Holy Ghost instead of Holy Spirit and that ghosts are evil. Flavia responded confidently that evil ghosts are evil but the holy ghost is holy. She even told her to read in Acts 19 where it refers to the Holy Ghost as a Ghost. It was soooooo awesome. Flavia is a genius for sure!

3. We found a new investigator named Kita. She is 17 years old but seems much older. She is also from South Sudan. We taught the Restoration first lesson and she loved it. We committed her to baptism on the 29th of June. She was excited to accept and even said she will be bringing her friends to our next appointment on Tuesday.

4. Another new investigator is named Ayantu. She is from Ethiopia! She is a 7th Day Adventist but is somewhat interested in our church. She enjoys the messages but of course is caught up on the sabbath day being on Sunday instead of Saturday. So when we meet tomorrow we are talking about that.

5. We dropped a few investigators this week :( We were teaching some powerful people that are easily ready to learn but just won't come to church. It isn't that they don't want to but rather that they don't know what their priorities are. So when something comes up on Sunday, they put that before church. Soooooo this week we are going to do some door knocking and street contacting to fill up our teaching pool again. I think back on my favorite moments in my mission and they all come from finding and door knocking so I am really excited for that. !

To answer your questions about the people I work with, I would say 75% are Ugandan. A majority of the people we talk to or find are Ugandan. But still daily I am meeting Congolese, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Rwandese, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Somalians, etc...

As far as Ethiopia goes, things have improved. I am still the most recent missionary to transfer from there but I think next transfer they will send some people up. Work permits are becoming easier to get now!

I just tried printing off President Nelson's talk and our internet cafe is out of ink. I will try to speed read some of it today. Or print it next week. It seems to me that President Nelson is doing a super job interacting with members across the world, both youth and adults. I love that about him. He is a great man.

And yeah, I am gaining weight! I am getting healthier here I think. The food I eat isn't the healthiest. There is a lot of oil but overall I am getting a better variety of things that are good for my body. So I am happy!

OKAY I had a super cool experience this week! So there is a family that was living in Ethiopia and working for USAID. Just as I went to Ethiopia they moved to Uganda. Then I returned back to Uganda and found that I was serving in their ward! They are the Backman family. Brother Backman is from the US and Sister Backman is from Ghana. They have 4 kids. So this Tuesday we went to their house for dinner. As we were sitting at the table, Brother Backman was asking all of us where we are from. When he got to me I mumbled, "provo" because I always get beef for being from Provo... Anyways, after I told him he was like, "have we talked about this?" I told him no. He asked the school I went to and I told him Timpview. He asked where I lived and I said above Timpview. His brow wrinkled and he said, "Which ward?" I told him the Edgemont 14th. He asked which street and I told him 920 E. He then told me he grew up in the condominiums in Quail Valley. I was shocked and told him I was raised in a house across from the tennis court. He said he loved that court in High School. Skipping a lot of detail, Steve Backman was raised in the condo next to the Anderson condo and across from the Palmers. He knows everyone in the ward and said he was good friends with the Reichman's son. He knows the Reeves and their kids, Miners and their kids. Going on and on he just told me all about his teenage years in Quail Valley and that when he went on his mission he had no idea what he would do for a future career. He was called to Johannesburg, South Africa and served there for 2 years. On his mission he fell in love with the people, the place and everything about it and quickly decided he would come back to Africa for work. Right now he works to improve child education across the continent and is doing really well. It is crazy to me and this is why I say, "back to the future".... I was also raised in the same neighborhood, about a stones throw from his house. I also was a bit confused on a future career. I was called to the same type of place and during my mission have gained a great love for the place and the people. Now I have decided my career path will involve coming back to Africa and working on water resourcing. He said his mission was the greatest blessing and biggest life changer for him. I can definitely say the same! So I met somewhat of a future version of myself this week. Brother Backman is awesome!

That will wrap up my week. Hope everyone is doing well back home. Congrats to Josh Palmer for returning safely. I am proud of you man! See you all soon :)

Love,

Elder McLain

The Backman family!

Brother Backman is from Provo, Utah and Sister Backman is from Ghana!

At a burger shop and this American woman came in and asked, "so what kind of cheese is on the cheese burger?" Like come on this is Uganda girl not America. Of course the worker responded and said, "its just cheese." Hahahaha I was like.........