The Journey Begins

The First Two Weeks

The MTC

Our daughter, Brooke, dropped us off at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo, Utah, on Monday morning, September 21. We were greeted by young missionaries (also in training) who were eager to help us with our luggage and lead us to the building where we checked in, received our room assignment, badges (yes, we do need stinking badges), and other vital information. After registration, we met together with the other senior couples who were taking the Preach My Gospel classes that week. We were placed in districts. Our district was small, and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that our district leader was Elder Watanabe, a very dear friend of Chris and Rebecca Jensen. Elder and Sister Watanabe are also good friends with Guy and Wendy Weisenburger! Of all the couples at the MTC, we got to be with the friends of two of our favorite couples. We enjoyed getting to know them and wish them well as they serve in the Asia North Area Mission. Tender mercy indeed.

Our instructors were all young, recently-returned missionaries. We had “Preach My Gospel” class every day and also some elective classes we could choose from. We learned some tricks and features of Gospel Library and how to make a post (we kinda already knew how to do that, but did learn some new tricks) on FaceBook. A highlight for us was being assigned to another senior couple that we would have the opportunity to spend a little time with to get acquainted and practice teaching techniques. A couple of days later we would sit down together and teach each other. Our couple was Elder and Sister Jenks from Eastern Washington. We became very fond of them right away. They are so spiritual and humble and we felt they were kindred spirits. They will be serving as MLS missionaries in El Salvador.

There were at least 3,000 young missionaries at the MTC that week. The cafeteria is HUGE. A perk to being a senior couple is that you get to go to the front of the food line. It warmed our hearts to see all the missionaries pouring into the building at meal time. The young missionaries were very kind to us and interested in where we were going to serve. Elder Thomas got so many compliments on his teal suit that it became quite funny.

We are taught that we are to issue a challenge when we teach our friends (formerly called investigators). The Jenks’ challenged us to reach out to a member of our family. We called our granddaughter, London, who was expecting her baby to be born the following week (which we were a little sad about missing). She was experiencing some pain, but it wasn’t regular so she didn’t think it was real labor. The next morning we saw a post to our family group that she was in labor and was at the hospital. Utah Valley Hospital is very close to the MTC. Shea, her mom, got on a plane that morning, hoping she would make it there for the birth of her first grandson and our first great grandson. She made it before Jack Cruz Beveridge was born, one hour before the end of our last class at the MTC on that Friday before we flew out to Kenya the next day. We got to hold Jack in our arms and congratulate London and Max before we left! We were overwhelmed by such a tender mercy extended to us.

Shea, Brooke, David, Afton and Bond bid us farewell at the Salt Lake City Airport as we left to catch our flight to Nairobi the next day. It was an emotional moment for us, but we held it together pretty well.

Week One in Kenya

We arrived in Nairobi after about 20 hours of traveling. Our flights were uneventful, other than that our friends, Dan and Debbie Peterson from Provo, were on the same flight to Amsterdam. We were met at the airport by Elder Gervais, who is the Executive Secretary for the Area Presidency. We arrived at a temporary apartment where we would stay for the next week until our permanent apartment became available. In the morning we were picked up by our host couple, Elder and Sister Amy, who would be our driver and guides for our first week. In Kenya, they drive on the other side of the road. Sister Thomas isn’t feeling too confident to ever attempt to drive in Nairobi. It is quite an experience. First of all, there aren’t many road signs or many drivers who obey traffic laws. Intersections are roundabouts. You have to nudge your way in and be aware of every other vehicle, boda boda (motorcyle taxi) or pedestrian on the road. Don’t even think about driving after the sun goes down. It’s impossible to see where you’re going or the people with dark skin, dressed in dark clothing, who dart across the road.

We live in an area called Karen, after Karen Blixen of “Out of Africa” fame. The temporary apartment was located on a street lined with walls and and gates with large, upscale homes behind them. The street is relatively quiet and a nice place to walk. On our second full day in Africa, we were getting some exercise and walking down this street. As we were passing by a group of four young adults, they called out to us. We walked over to them and started having a conversation. They saw our missionary tags and asked us if we were Christians. They said they were all Christians too. We were a little apprehensive, having been warned not to show or have our phones out with strangers, and when they asked to see pictures of our families, we just put our hands over our pockets where our phones were and made some excuse that we couldn’t access them. James and Fidel are the names of the two boys, and Rainy (James’ sister) and Ruth are the girls. We asked them about themselves, and if they prayed. They all said that they did pray. We talked about what they wanted to do in the future, and they all had goals they wanted to achieve. They do not live in that area, but the young men are attending a technical college nearby. Fidel’s immediate goal is to get a better smart phone so he can access more music and not be embarrassed by the lame phone he has now. We mentioned BYU Pathway to them and shared a message about Jesus, just like we had practiced at the MTC. Before we left them, James asked us if we would pray for them. Elder Thomas asked if they wanted to say a prayer together right there and then. They agreed, and we stood together while Elder Thomas offered a prayer. The outcome of this meeting is that we met them again with the young missionaries on Saturday at a KFC. The boys came and brought their friend Anton. The Elders taught them a discussion, gave them Books of Mormon, and invited them to church the next day. James, Fidel and Anton and another friend named James did come to church, but unfortunately they got lost and missed Sacrament Meeting. The Elders met with them at the church and taught another discussion. They set up another appointment and when we saw them on the street as we were driving back to the apartment a few days later, they said they would see us on Sunday. This was a great way for our mission to begin!

While shopping for a few groceries, Elder Thomas saw a young lady 12-13 years old dressed in her school uniform carrying a few grocery items. They look at each other. He smiles. She smiles and immediately comes over to him and gives Elder Thomas a big hug–a very sweet moment. The Kenyans are some of the best people on earth. They are kind, humble and cheerful.