May 4, 2015

     Ok....so I'm having a really hard time getting these letters posted this week.  Too much running around from sporting event to sporting event.  But only one more week until my FINAL Mothers Day phone call!!!  Getting very excited!  20 months down....4 more to go!

hey mom haha everything that side sounds like it is just spinning wonderfully. Well as for me all is well but i was transfed 

I am now in Mautuma Kitale. In the bush. It is just like home alittle small market and then FARMS and Fields as for as the eye can see, no more KFC or Subway but whatever. we are nolonger walking it is riding bikes everywhere kabisa. my butt is very sore but still happy and pushing hard,\

  So i hate to ask this but when is mothers day is that next sunday or something like that, Ya i ll see what i can do. Love you lots and i hope you are there so as to ask me questions.

Love you lots 

Carson

Hey Carson, Just got back from break and happened to look up my email,...SURPRISE!!!  So good to hear from you.  It's been an awful night here in the ER.  It's been crazy busy and we have seen a ton of people and to top it off, one of the doctors lost his mind at me and was screaming at me in front of a whole bunch of people.  Of course...your mama doesn't like to be yelled at so I yelled right back at him.  I'm still fuming about it!  The jerk!

So you got transferred to the boonies eh!  That should be exciting.  Who is your companion?  Are you training?  Is there a branch or ward?  How many people?  Is it nice to have a break from all the walking?  Can you remember how to ride a bike? 

Mothers day is next week...May 10!  I guess if you need to you can always call me the week after?  Or both...or whatever.

My new companion is Elder vidonyi no not training. no it is a branch, about 60 somish people kind of mixed opinion

ah ha ha ha you fall just get back up and do it again. what else can you do. 

hahah ok May 10 powerful that is this week i m so excited.  

Just trying to find that Mautuma Kitale on the map.  I can find Kitale but not Mautuma Kitale.  But there are a few places with Mautuma names...is it between Eldoret and Kitale?

It is off the road of kitale maybe try makutano

Ok...so I see Makutano....just north of Kitale.  There's a place called Mathare Slums in that area.  Should we be concerned about that? 

Where is your companion from?  How long has he been out?

maybe your alittle far but it is about 2hrs 

kenya 4 transfers so about almost 6 months

What?  2 hours out of Nairobi...or out of Kenya?

Do you mean your companion has been out for 6 months...or has 6 months left?  Sorry...can't remember how I asked that.

I'm a little sleepy.  I meant...is it two hours out of Kitale?

ya two hours out of kitale so we have been hustling hard to try and get to town so to email home. really funny

ya he has been out for 6 months

Hmmm....well...then I have no idea where you are.  My google map says that Kitale and Makutano are 29 min apart.  So...maybe I'm totally wrong where you are.  Any names of other places right around you? 

So how is the missionary work there?  Were there other elders there before you?

Ok...so I'm at triage...there's some drug dealer using my desk phone.  I might be a little distracted for a minute.  Sorry.

No that is all that i can think of. maybe type the mautuma church name or something i don't know. it is going good we are white washing so it is some how frustrating but it is going on. ya They were 

ok no problem

Oh yeah...that's a good idea.  I'll try that.  What is white washing and why is it frustrating?  Are you the only two missionaries in the area?

We ll there was two missionaries here but they took both of them out (White wash) and now we are there trying to build off what they had started so it is hard but its is moving on.

Ohhh....sorry I'm a bit thick today.  So what kind of house/apartment/hut are you staying in?  Any big plans for your upcoming week?  How far away is your house from where you are using the email?

we live in a huge house in the middle of a farm land. Not really we have ddm tomorrow and then we travel back to our area and then recover from that and do again all the next week

very very very far we are in Kitale and that is the only place we can cyber at,

How huge is a huge house over there?  Like our house size or grandma's house size or more of a garage size house?  How long does it take you to cycle from your house to the cyber?

What's the weather like there?  Any different than Nairobi?

like bigger than the flatt in Mwanza about our house actually. we don't cycle if we did that it would take us three hours to bike there, 

It is some how hot but cold in the nights and rainy kabisa

That sounds ok.  So if there's no KFC or Subway...what are you eating there?  More lizards?  Do you go to the members houses very often to eat?

bugs.... 

not really

Hey my friend Elna says they serve lots of bugs over there....big deep fried juicy ones.  Had any of those yet?

ya they are good 

What would you rather have....a big juicy deep fried bug or a slice of homemade cherry pie with vanilla ice cream on the side?  

The latter will make me sick but i ll take that any day of the week

Really...my cherry pie would make you sick?  Well that's too bad.  Guess I'll have to have Elna teach me how to deep fry lizards and worms and big juicy bugs....just for you!  Dad will have to eat that cherry pie for you.  Oh well.  Luv ya

WHAT wait just a second it something that we have to get use to if we eat alot we will be sick so that is what i say if i slowly work into it like 1 pie instead of 2 i ll be right as rain before you know. speaking of which i have a request for you

Can you do me a favor and buy all of the Duck dynasty seasons Please!!! and then we can have a duck dynasty marathon 

Ha ha ha!  Maybe 1 pie is starting off too much.  We'll just let you watch us eat that food and then maybe in a month or two we'll let you try a taste.  I think the slower we take it, the better it will be.  Gma and I already have a bunch of kale saved up for you.  ;)

Duck Dynasty?  Why would you want to watch that?  I thought you'd be all about just watching Gen Conf reruns.  Think of it....Pres Uchtdorf and Elder Holland....24/7!

(Ummmm...you'll probably find that I'm already way ahead of you in that area.  You'll be ok with the duck marathon!)

What blaspheme are you trying to get me remember the time my wisdom teeth pulled. You guys eating meat and all that and me stuck eating baby food. NEVER AGAIN NEVER

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! bring me foood actaulyl food stuff we actually meat,

ha ha ha i forgot how to laugh oh and is there any other books running around that i have forgot about that you have got for me.

Ha ha!  The meat is Taylor's department. She's all about the steak sandwiches right now.  So....we'll see if she saves some for you. And Ashlee has gotten into a bad habit of making pizza buns and chocolate chip cookies and then gives them all away to her friends.  She loves doing that pixie thing...knocks on the doors and runs away.  She did learn that from you if I recall.

Books....um...there is the rest of the Percy Jackson second series, the next Tennis Shoes book...and I can't remember the other one...hmmmm.  Oh well...we'll figure it out later.  I'm just looking forward to the Mother's day call!!!   Makes me smile!!!

WHAT TELL HER TO BUGGER OFF THE STEAK SANDWICHES ARE MINE.

and ashlee she started loving that when we almost got cut by don. Shut ashlee hit the tree hit the tree!!!

Save some for me too eh

ok poa poa poa 

also how is the arrow and grimm season going i m getting word that they are really getting kind of weird

Ha ha!

Yes...very weird...but you don't have time to think of that right now.  You are all excited to do missionary work...remember!!!!   Did you have any baptisms lined up back in Riruta that you had to leave behind?  How do you feel about that?  Are there any lined up for where you are now?

ya we had a few but they kicked us out and now we don't know if it will go down. well i don't like the new ap so i m not to happy bout that. but what can you do. we don't know nobody came to church but the previous missioniaries had a bunch but we will see what happens. 

Oh...I hope the new missionaries will stay on top of it.  Things will work out I'm sure.  And I bet with you out there working hard...you'll have things in tip top shape in no time.  i have absolute faith in you about that. 

Well,it looks like my shift is over (thank goodness) and I get to go home now (thank goodness!!!)  I really enjoyed our chat this morning Carson.  I hope you like your new area and that you have fun and work hard.  And I especially can't wait until next week!   I am so excited!!!  I sure love you Carson! Like more than you could imagine!  You kids are my heart and my life!  I am so grateful for my family and for you!  Thanks for being such an amazing son!  I love you tons.  Take care of yourself this weekend.  Good luck with the bike riding and the sore butt!  Ha ha!  Love ya lots!

Mom

Hey thanks mom safe trip home eh. Have a great week

Here is Ken's letter from Carson......

Ya dad

Hey ya so i have been transfed not to happy about that but what can you do right, I am now posted in Mautuma Kitale

THE BUSH!!!! We don't walk anymore it is all biking now... We have a huge area ah and it seems like this will be the place that i finish. But all is well, there is alot of work to do here so we will just have to see what happens. 

  Ya for sure i agree with you on that one Mission is a one time experience you are working for your own salvation, Hey for sure and in this district now there is alot of my old companions and members from mtc that are here too. It is awesome and i m really excited to see how these next three months will go. But i have really enjoyed mission and i really like it. I ll be honest somehow i m getting tired but some how this transfer has re energized me so we will see what happens. Really miss you and hope you have fun chasing those girls around, Love you lots 

Carson 

And here are Grandma's and Grandpa's letters..........

Hey grandma 

Ya as for me i m doing good. But i wasn't as lucky as i thought we recieved transfer news and they white washed our area and now i am in the bush. Im now posted in Mautuma Kitale. The branch is good but it is reminding me off home it is alittle farm town about an hour away from the big city. JUST LIKE HOME.

Really wow chance coming wow that is awesome i ll be really excited to see him. 

Ya but Pdays i really enjoy emailing family and just hanging out. 

hey thanks for writing love you lots 

Carson

Hey Mzee 

Ya i m doing good all is well over here. Like i said above i have been transfered, This area it is just like home lots of farming and cows and goats running around. And chickens my goodness were we live the land lord enjoys chickens and lots of them and they like pooping on our deck so every time i walk out it is like "Oh what a GREA---- Ah i just step in crape ah this is going to be and interesting day. Ya but all is good just working hard and really enjoying the work. Ever since leaving Nairobi it has been bikes and more bikes no more walking here it is biking hey hey this is the pre return diet and working out program. I m soo excited. Hmmm sounds like all is going well back home up this Spring will be good for ya good luck farming. Love you lots 

CArson

      So after all that confusion.....I did try to find a map that showed where in the world our Carson might be.  And I think I may have narrowed it down.....maybe......

So this first map shows Nairobi at the bottom and if you go up northwest...there is Eldoret and Kitale. Two of the more major cities he was talking about.  But I could never find Mautuma.

This map just showed how far away his old area of Riruta is to his new area.  Kitale is marked in red but just under that is a little gray marker and I think that's where Mautuma is.

  

This is the map I found on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints webpage.  The one where you can find any meeting house.  The church in the middle with just the one bold orange line around it is the Mautuma branch.  So I'm pretty sure that is where Carson is.

This is the satellite view of the Mautuma Branch....gray marker.

And again this one just showed the distance between those two cities of Eldoret and Kitale.  The gray marker in the middle is where I think Mautuma is.  

     During all my searching on the internet...I came across another LDS missionary's blog spot about Mautuma.  These are some of the pictures I "borrowed" from his site.  They look pretty amazing!

(No...this is NOT Carson!  Not really sure who it is!)

                 These look awesome!  I can't wait to see the pictures that Carson brings home with him.  What an amazing adventure!