11- The Spirit Has Told us This

Kiaruuh's father (named Mwangangi)  invited me to sit down next to a small table outside, with a Bible resting on it, and on top of it was the Book of Mormon that I had given him the night before.  As always, he was smiling and cheerful as he introduced me to his brother and his brother's son, who were already seated at the table.

He pulled up a table to this chair in this place overlooking the valley (below)

As his son Kilonzi interpreted, Mwangangi began by telling me that he, his brother, and his nephew were Elders in their church.  He told me stories about their conversion and experiences that they'd had along the way, as they sought for the true gospel and sought earnestly for the spirit of God to be close in their lives.  All that he wanted from life was to feel close to God, and do as he would have him do.  And he sought for the right church that would lead him in the right direction. He felt that he had finally arrived at the right church that he felt best in, and had been in that church with his brother for a number of years.  At the end, he said, "and now, here you are, and it's a miracle.  We have been told by revelation to a person in our church who had a prophecy, that there are saints who worship like us, and that we should join with them and share faith with them, and that we would meet them soon.  And now here you are, and it is a miracle from God."

He then asked me what I thought about it all. I began by telling him that I believe that our one God is so aware of all of his children, no matter where on Earth they live, and he desires to bless all of them. I repeated the story of how Jesus Christ visited his children in the different parts of the world, repeating it so that Mwangangi's brother and nephew would understand the history of the Book of Mormon.

It began to sprinkle rain, and we knew what that meant,

so we went inside and gathered around a table with an LED lantern on it for light. The whole family was also gathered around, seated in chairs in every corner and down the hall, quietly listening and completely still, even the children, who are always well mannered and quiet.  Dallin was there too, (and subtly took a few photos and videos).

This is a photo of the family living room, taken the morning after graduation. Kiaruuh's sparkly "lei"s are on the wall and on the table.  The room is dark at night because the only source of light that they have is the lantern on the table.

For the gospel discussion, three chairs were brought in and placed against the empty wall, so that the room was full of chairs and people.  My chair  was one of those brought in, with father Mwangangi on my right, and Dallin next to him in the corner. 

After we were seated, they said "first, let us eat", and we ate a bowl of baked beans and steamed milk. 

After dinner was done, they asked me to please continue. I told them that I have seen and felt that they are a people who believe in miracles, and in revelation and prophecies, even in these days.  They all wholeheartedly agreed.  I asked if they would listen and consider a true story as powerful as the story of Moses when he received the ten commandments, but which occurred in recent years.  The Elders looked at each other and said "yes".

So I shared with them the story of the Restoration of the gospel, beginning with the creation, the prophets through the ages, the fulfillment of the law through Jesus Christ, the falling away, and then the story of a young boy named Joseph Smith.

I sit on the left, with the nephew and uncle to my left, and the father on my right.  The rest of the famiy were all gathered around the room, with the mothers and sisters sitting in chairs down the hall, listening in.


As the story of Joseph Smith was told. the nephew read the words of Joseph Smith and his personal account of the First Vision, and continued learning about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including the priesthood power that has been brought back to the earth today. 

Before talking about the plan of salvation as it was revealed to the Prophet Joseph, I paused and asked them how they were feeling about it all.  They looked around the room at each other, talked a moment together in their language, and then Mwangangi smiled and said, "yes, it is good.  It is true.  Keep going."

So I began to talk about the plan of Salvation, beginning with  how we were all spirit children of our Father in Heaven before the we were born, before the Earth was.  At that point, Mwangangi said, "Yes, the Spirit has told us this. We already believe that." 

 I was so happy to hear that confirmed, the way that Kiaruuh had said it months ago in our facebook messages.

I continued to tell about our Heavenly Father's plan, Jesus Christ offering himelf as our Savior, Satan's rebellion, and the war in Heaven.  I told the Elders that we are here on Earth to receive our bodies, to learn self control over them, to develop love and trust in our Father in Heaven through faith, and to keep the commandments and covenants that we make so that we can return to Him again, living with him in the eternities as his children, and as families sealed together forever.  I asked how he felt about being a familiy after this life.  Again, he said "We believe that.  We know this already because of the Spirit which has told us this.  In fact, we don't grieve when a loved one dies, because we have trust and faith in God." When I told him that we too don't grieve to the same extent that others do because we know that we will live again as families and spouses, and have eternal life, he was shocked.  Their religion is unique compared to all of the others in the area because they don't grieve the way that the others do.  It is because they believe in a plan from God, and when a person dies, it is according to the plan, and they can have joy because they have hope in their faith, as families with God.  The Spirit had told them this, and they were shocked that we also have peace when loved ones die.

I pulled out two more copies of the Book of Mormon, in Swahili, and they were quick to pick them up and thankful for them.  They said that they would happily read it.

They talked for a while together in their language, and then the father Mwangangi turned to me and said "Because of the prophecy from the holy spirit, we have known that we have brothers and sisters who live like us in other parts of the world.  We feel that your church has been brought to now meet with our church, that we might learn from each other and become one."  He put his hands up with the palms toward each other and touched the fingertips together.  "We must pray to God and come together."  He asked me to please bring that message home to my people, that these people in Kenya would like to share faith with us and become one in God.  He wanted me to be sure to ask my people to read Ephesians 4:1-13 (one God, one baptism). 

At the end, they wanted to have a "common powerful prayer" together, kneeling in a special prayer.  Everyone said a prayer, ending with the father Elder.

Then, they offered to close the evening with a special song that they said had been a big part of their church for a long time.  They said that many of their revelations they receive through inspired song.  This one was about how it is good to greet each other with "Alleluia, Amen".  You can play the song here.

After they sang that song for us (it is actually 8 minutes long!), the nephew sang it again, with Kiaruuh's brother Kilonzi interpreting it into English.  

The last verse said "And let us meet again in the temple of our God, brothers and sisters receiving the blessings there together and having joy forever".  I asked him the meaning of that line, and he said that it meant gathering in the temple someday in the millenium.  

But I think that it may have had another meaning.

It was late, so we said goodnight, and with a tender and grateful heart I knelt and prayed to my Father, with a million thanks for the joyful events of the day, unable to even express or even comprehend them with all of my limitations, but continued in tears of thanks as I climbed into my bed.  

And, again, as I laid down my head, it began to rain, steady and strong, pouring out from the heavens and blessing the soils of Kenya, all though the night.


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The next morning, it was time for Dallin and I to get a bus ride home (with the company of Kiaruuh, who had been relatively quiet this whole time).  We packed up and said our goodbyes.  The mother took a special moment with me, shaking hands, asking her son to take a photo as we posed....

She shook my hand a long time and said (Kilonzi messaged me later with her words), "Go well and may God guide you, the way that he has guided you to come from America to to visit my son at his Graduation.  That was a very great thing done.  The name you left with me is very great.  For an American to come to Kenya and specifically to my home.  Go with the Lord and even if we will not meet here, let us meet in heaven .  Pass my greetings to your children and husband, and grandfather, and grandmother. I will be waiting for all of you again to come. "  She presented me with some dry brown beans and said "Please take these beans, from my family's home here in Kenya to yours.  Cook them and feed them to your children, your family and loved ones, and let them know how much we care and thank you for blessing us in our home."

I thanked her, told her thank you too, and especially for the love and hospitality.  I too had been blessed these days in their home, and they had made me feel like family.  I began to tell her may God bless their land with rain, but she stopped the interpreter and told him to tell me that "in fact the blessed rain that has finally come has been a miracle from God, a part of the same miracle of you coming here."  I thanked her again, and told her that I hope that God will provide a way by His will, that I might return again.

The father Mwangangi also gave me a special farewell, saying that he was thankful, and prayed that the Lord would lead me back home safely, asking me to greet all the church members, and to please share all about the journey to Africa.  He repeated that he did not believe what he saw, it was as if it was Gods miracle to bring American here to Kenya and saying that "After we exchanged our testimony with you, we saw that it was a God's church in America.  Please remember that in Kenya the Saints greet each other with Alleluia, Amen, and those are lovely greetings. Now go greet all the priests and your church saints, and give them this message:  Let you pray, and we pray, so that the Holy Ghost can make us joined together, and tell preists to read Ephesians 4:1-13 (one God, one baptism), and read Revelation 19:1-10.  Please come again, prepare and come to visit our church when we are more prepared, because other church members want to see and chat with you.  Greet your church members and tell them to take care of the word of God, and stay pure, and live a clean life."

NEXT PAGE: 12- Saturday With Samaritans