The Work Rolls Forth

Monday Oct 27-Saturday Nov 1, 2025

    An Adungu or Ugandan bow harp.

We had a casual preparation day and went looking at local craft art to get some ideas for the future.  We didn't see much that caught our eye.  We did buy some Christmas ornaments and then ate food at a restaurant as a marker for serving our mission for two months.   Elder Kaiser had a hamburger and fries and orange Fanta, Sister Kaiser had a curry dish with rice and a strawberry shake.

We taught an online temple preparation class for one of the members who is out of town doing his medical internship.  He does great in the classes and has completed them and will go to the temple in November.  We are excited for him.  Then we had our weekly training with the Ences and learned about English Connect for the missionaries.  Those who do not start their mission as English speakers work through a program to improve their English language skills.  If they get a high enough score while on their mission they can move straight into BYU Pathways when they finish their mission.  Pathways is a church online educational program to help people learn skills and get degrees to help them acquire better jobs.  

We also had an online meeting with the couple who is in charge of the English Connect program for central Africa with all of the other missionaries who are also serving in various missions in Central Africa. Most or all of the other senior missionaries who are serving with the English Connect program put a lot of focus on that responsibility.  We should be OK with this assignment but time will tell. We also had a chance to go see Geoffrey. It's been a couple of weeks and we missed him.  We taught him and some of his family members a lesson from the Book of Mormon.   Having us show up makes him so happy...it makes us happy too.

Geoffrey and the gang

Everything fell apart on Wednesday.  We prepared to meet and plan the upcoming temple prep lesson with the teachers in the Pece Branch. While we were getting things ready to go meet them and see Calvin and his students we received a call that one of the sister missionary companionships. One sister was having a hard time breathing so we rerouted and took her to the hospital and waited with her and her companion for four hours. She had an x-ray taken and they gave her medicine to break up the mucus in her lungs. 

One of the Pece Branch members had on a Broncos hoodie.  

She had no idea who the Denver Broncos are, but it made us happy

"Organize yourselves; and prepare every needful things; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."                                                                D&C 88:119

Temple preparation classes are happening but not always the way we would hope.  Only one person showed up at Pece and he was late.  One week we get one and then the next is very good with 6 or 7 people.  I think reminder calls make the difference but then are they really committed?  The teachers are trying to learn how to do lesson plans but still basically write the whole manual out and then write it all on the board.  This makes the one hour class go for two hours.  Way too long, we keep instructing and hope it gets through.  

The next class was much better as the teacher does his part and then we do ours and the focus of the lesson stays on track.  We like the Laroo class because they consistently show up, participate, and have the Spirit.  We told the class we want to go to the temple with them and they agreed that we should come.  Who knows we might be able to make it work...stranger things have happened.

Happy Halloween!  No trick or treating in Uganda.  They think it's kind of creepy. 

                      OK, maybe it is a little creepy! Elder Sister Kaiser and Sister Elder Kaiser.

Spent most of Saturday at the church.  We attended a zone meeting which was scheduled to start at 9 AM but others were late so we started about 9:45. They discussed monthly numbers and new goals.  I reminded them that they need to not rush things, that converts need to be ready and continue on the covenant path not just be baptized.  After the meeting Sister Kaiser gave out brownies she had made.  You can guess which one of us is more popular.

Birthday missionaries.

While we were at the Zone meeting we found out through a WhatsApp notice that there would be a wedding at 12:00 at the church. We were delighted to find out that we met the couple on October 16th we had been out that day with the Gulu Missionaries. While waiting for the wedding we discovered that Nancy, whom we had tried to make contact with for her last temple preparation lesson was actually at the church. It was our pleasure to spend time with this sweet sister.

Nancy one of our first to complete temple preparation classes.

Next it started pouring rain but that didn't keep us from running from one building to the other for the wedding which was to be held in the chapel.  Right before we dashed the District President assigned  Elder Kaiser to give a spiritual thought about marriage.  The wedding was sweet.  These two are the first couple in Gulu to get married since the Churches Area Presidency for Africa redefined what they will accept as a marriage in Africa.  They now accept tribal and ceremonial weddings, as long as the couple can prove the date of the tribal union and now allow church weddings to be held in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints chapels.  This is a huge blessing. The couple can avoid the costly government fees required for marriage. As a result of the high government marriage fees many couples cannot afford to pay them and simply choose cohabitation.  We know that a few other couples have already announced that they will be married soon and hope these examples will open the gates for more weddings in the near future. 

Innocent and Denis

"Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."    1 Cor 11:11

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Elder Kaiser had an opportunity to talk to the district president, President Orombi about items we want to discuss at district council.  He is on the same page concerning retention, reactivation and temple preparation.  It was a productive visit.  He said that all that they need is 35 more members to qualify to become a stake, they are on track to accomplish this goal thanks to the continued efforts of the missionaries.

We then were blessed to attend a baptism for three men and one woman. The Lord's work rolls forth.  

Fun Stuff:

We always say hello to the people we pass as we are out.  Children like to shake our hands or give us a "bonga" (closed fist knuckle bump). Recently as we walked by different groups of preteen or teenage girls we have reached out for a bonga while passing by.  They all make sure they get their turn. Once past, they squeal and giggle.  Who knew touching a white person would be such a unique experience.  We made their day!!

We get lots of looks because of our white skin but Sister Kaiser also thinks when we are in closer proximity to the locals they look right at us due to our eyes color. Elder Kaiser has blue eyes and Sister Kaiser's are green with some gold streaks, which is different from what they are used to seeing.  One person made Sister Kaiser happy when she was told, "I feel like your eyes look like sunflowers."