Reyna's First Year Trivia

In keeping with tradition, we've created a quiz for you to take to see how well you know the birthday girl. Answer the following questions FIRST, then view the answers in the comments section AFTERWARD to see how many you got correct. No cheating! Put your total in the comments as well. The winner gets a big hug and kiss from Reyna when we visit Utah in January. :)

Good luck!


1. Reyna's first taste of junk food was from what?
a. cookie
b. cake
c. chocolate milk
d. ice cream

2. Reyna's eyes are what color?
a. brown
b. blue
c. green
d. grey

3. How old was Reyna when she cut her first tooth?
a. 4 months
b. 6 months
c. 8 months
d. 10 months

4. How many teeth does Reyna have now?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 6
d. 8

5. How long is Reyna's original tuft of hair on the top/back of her head?
a. 3 inches
b. 4 inches
c. 5 inches
d. 6 inches

6. What was Reyna's first word (with meaning, not just babble)?
a. Mama
b. Dada
c. Hi
d. Jambo

7. What flavor of soda did Reyna first sip from a straw?
a. sprite
b. coke
c. fanta orange
d. fanta black currant

8. Reyna's favorite foods are from what taste category?
a. sweet
b. salty/savory
c. spicy
d. sour

9. What is Reyna's favorite activity to do with her brothers?
a. play piano
b. play ninja
c. dance
d. sleep

10. During Reyna's first year, whose arms did she sleep in most?
a. Mama
b. Dada

11. Which of the following is NOT one of Reyna's nicknames?
a. RainRain
b. Princess
c. Darling
d. Darkwing Duck
e. Gorgeous Goyle
f. Swapadoo
g. Malaika
h. Bup
i. Toto
j. Fuzzy Head
k. Angel Face
l. Kiss-Lub
m. Reyna-Baby-Shababoes

Christmas Decorations

The kids have been collecting soda bottle caps. We decided to use them to decorate the Christmas tree I bought in town.

I had a lot of fun teaching Miriam and Betty how to make snowflakes

Ninjas

My friend Juliet Mwangi "picked" this bamboo stick for the boys so they could act like ninjas. Tough guys...

...Heh heh.

Write Your Missionary

Miriam's parents invited us to their place in Changamwe. It was a colorful, cool structure. Mama and Baba Miriam (mother and father of Miriam) made us feel very welcome. Mama Miriam prepared a wonderful meal. She even prepared something especially for Reyna. She, like everyone else in our family, wants to fatten her up, and has instructed me on how eating maize can increase my milk supply. Hey, I'll try anything.

Anyway, she was extremely generous and prepared a big meal with way too much food. I made the mistake of finishing all the food on my plate and she scooped a TON more on there. I should have left a few bites. When they said again I needed more food I explained that if I eat more I would be in pain. They said, "Pole" (sorry) and left it at that. Hope I didn't make them feel bad.

Paulo and Andre had fun playing in the common area where people hang their laundry. Some clever Kenyan kids had fashioned their own checkerboard with a black marker and bottle caps. The boys enjoyed playing with the other kids. It was quite sweet.

My favorite part of the night was that we got to show Miriam's parents how to email their daughter Diana, who is currently serving in Ghana. They, like Miriam, were super slow on the keyboard, but they were so happy that they now knew how to keep in contact with Diana through email.

At the end of the evening I surprised them by saying, well, the great thing about email is you not only can send messages, but you can even send photos. So Hunter snapped a photo of all of us and we emailed it then and there. They were delighted and amazed. It just made my day. I love being able to help family members keep in touch with their missionaries.

Why don't Kenyans like to smile for photos? It's so old school.

Karani

Have you ever met someone for the first time and knew immediately that this person was going to be a close friend? I met someone like that here in Kenya—his name is Karani. The first time we met was my first Sunday in Mombasa. He shook my hand warmly and confidently introduced himself. As the Sunday School President he taught the Gospel Doctrine lesson and did a fine job. Over the last few months we have shared some fun times and interesting conversation. I'm grateful to have a good friend here that I know would lookout for me and my family if ever we needed help. 

A portrait I took of Karani for his Facebook profile.

Here are some of my favorite experiences we have had so far:

Standing for Something: 

Antony Karani is his stage name. It's something he needs as a radio personality. Karani hosts the morning show MegaBreakfast which airs on 95.5 FM Baraka from 6am – 10am. Since he was a young boy Karani has always wanted to be a broadcaster. His uncles tell the story of attending bull fights in his provincial home town where they watched young Karani standing on top of a nearby structure announcing to the audience the commentary. I'm impressed with the fact that he has chased his dream and is now hosting a radio show at such a young age. I can only imagine what opportunities may come to him in the future if he continues progressing. 

I recently gave Karani a copy of "Standing for Something," a book about important virtues by Gordon B. Hinckley. The book contains great stories told by Hinckley which emphasize the power of virtues in our lives. I shared a story from the book with Karani and said it might make for some good radio commentary.

Sure enough, the next time we meet Karani tells me that he shared a story from the book on the radio. It was the first time he ever spoke about his religion on the air. I'm not sure how risky that was for him but I respect the fact that he would stand for his own beliefs on the air. He shared a story about honesty in which a man took some money from Hinckley's home and 20 years later returned it in an envelope because he could not shake the feeling of guilt. 

Here is the news broadcast itself. Unless you can speak Kiswahili it will be tough to completely understand but there is enough english for you to hear how Karani weaves it in smoothly. Take a listen to just the beginning:

Soccer Game:

Karani's second passion is soccer. Using his press pass he can get into any game for free and because of his morning work schedule he often has time to make the evening games. I told Karani that I wanted to attend a game with him when two teams played which would yield safe crowd conditions. 

This week the match I hoped for came to town. The Kenya National team was playing Rwanda in the quarterfinals of the CECAFA Cup and Karani was confident it would be safe enough for me and my boys to attend. We had a blast. Karani proudly watched his hometown buddy playing on the Kenya National team and we all cheered our heads–off when Kenya scored the winning goal. 

Me, the boys, and Karani at the soccer match

Home Teaching:

Karani is my home teacher and I am also his. We see each other about two times a week but that doesn't keep us from fulfilling our duty to properly home teach. Last month I received two other home teaching assignments but I didn't know where they lived exactly and couldn't reach my companion. 

I knew how to solve this. My first destination was Karani's house where I taught him a short lesson and then asked him to accompany me to my next appointment. There was no hesitation on his part. He switched off his reggae music, listened to my lesson, then threw on some shoes and started out with me.

We walked and talked and eventually got lost. It was my fault. I had confused landmarks and we had to ask a stranger for directions. By the time we reached the home of Brother Richard it was dark. Inside the small mud hut, we taught a quiet lesson by the light of a tin can oil lamp. Karani assisted me with Kiswahili when it was needed and was first to ask about opportunities for which we could serve the family. It felt a lot like some of the sweetest teaching experiences from my mission and even though I exausted his whole evening, Karani had a good time too. 

Learning from Each Other:

Being a news presenter and journalist Karani is fascinated with the fact that I have a Bachelors in Communications and a Masters in Media Design. He wants to gleam as much information from me as possible. 

We have recently discussed things like Mommy Bloggers, Personal Branding, the power of Facebook in reaching niche audiences and many other aspects of what makes journalism in the U.S. so different from how it is here. Karani also teaches me about Kenyan culture, recent events, and Kiswahili. He's sharp and much more socially apt than the average person which makes it fun to converse. 

I have a goal to help him find a way to continue his education. Right now he is qualified to receive a certificate in broadcasting but cannot get it because he still owes school fees. He might be able to pay them off if his job paid him but due to issues with the station executives he has only received a little pay here and there. Yet he is dedicated to his job and to advancing his career, so he sticks to it every morning at 6am. 

About once a week I invite him to our place for some dinner, conversation, and planning on how we can help him get into a college where he can earn a bachelors in Communications. I sincerely hope we can find a way because of all the people I have met here in Kenya, he is the one who would make the most of it. And unlike so many others, Karani has never asked me for a single schilling. In fact every time I ask him how things are going his first words are, "I thank God I'm doing fine. I am so blessed."

I'm so grateful to have Karani as a friend and I hope these experiences have helped you understand why. It's pleasing to know that know matter where you go in the world, there are always good people.

If you are interested in helping me help Karani, let me know. There is so much that could be done even with small donations of time, funds, or contacts. (hsebresos@gmail.com)

-Hunter

Choir

How often does a person get the chance to conduct their own African choir? Sounds awesome, right?

Right now we're working on preparing a Christmas song or two for an upcoming Sunday sacrament meeting as well as the Christmas party. I'm teaching Hark The Herald Angels Sing, which no one in the choir knew beforehand besides Hunter. I've been working on teaching the harmony lines to my altos and men since we only ever sing the melody of the hymns in unison.

Hunter captured the first time my sopranos and altos tried singing both the melody and harmony at the same time. They were pretty excited afterward.

I expect we'll have more people participating in choir in the future, especially once they hear how awesome it sounds.

Enjoy!

A Marvelous Work! (Religious Post)

Ever since we watched general conference, Hunter and I were very inspired and motivated again to be more deliberate in our member missionary efforts. I jokingly said to Hunter, "Okay, 'Senior Comp', what do we do next?" The next morning he said, "Time to get ready, Yosh. We have companionship study in five minutes!"

Now, nearly every morning we study together and discuss the progress of specific people we could refer.

We've set the goal as a family and have been praying together to find someone that would like to be introduced to the missionaries before Christmas. 

It's been amazing to see how Heavenly Father has guided our efforts, especially with a woman I met named Lillian, and a friend named Dickson.

Lillian

One afternoon, I headed out of the house to pay an electric bill at the local post office. It was raining a little so I brought an umbrella. Up the street, I had noticed a young woman carrying what looked like a heavy bag. She crossed the street and set it down on the corner. I asked her if she's headed the same direction so I can share my umbrella with her. She said she just needed to rest for a moment. So we sat there and just chatted briefly.

She mentioned she stays in Bamburi. I said, Oh, we have a branch of our church in Bamburi, but I attend a branch of the same church in town. She said, "Maybe I'll join you there." I was surprised and said, "Sure!!", exchanged phone numbers and followed up with her throughout the week.

When Sunday rolled around, she was unable to come because she had to care for her aunt who unexpectedly ended up in the hospital. But we kept in touch and the following Sunday, she came! She got a little lost on the way to church, and was quite late, but she came!!! 

She was happy to meet the missionaries and has an appointment to meet with them to learn more about our church this Saturday. She said she may bring her little sister, Salome, next time. Awesome!

Dickson

Remember my friend Dickson, the security guard from the kids' school? 

The other day when Hunter and I were wrapping up our companionship study with a prayer, the name "Dickson" clearly and suddenly popped into my mind. I closed our prayer and said, "Hunter, what about Dickson?" He said, "Yeah! I was thinking about him, too!"

I had an errand to run over by the school that day, so I made sure to walk by the school and visit with him for a while. 

When I told him I came to see how he was doing, he said, "Now I know you are a true friend to me." I said, it's funny you said that, because I was thinking the same thing last night. 

Quick flashback: the day before, I wanted to meet with Paulo's teacher to get some information from her about the end of term testing. I left Reyna home and took a pikipiki for the first time (a motorcycle--don't freak out, Dad), since there was a huge traffic jam and no matatus were coming. I had absolutely no idea how much the ride should normally cost, so I asked him "Bei gani? (how much?)" and started to pull my money out of my pocket. He saw that I had 150 Ksh in my pocket, and said "150." I said, "Are you sure?" but had no choice but to pay him the 150. When I entered the school's gate, I greeted Dickson and said, "How much should I be paying for a pikipiki ride?…" He said, "Maybe 70 bob?" (They say "bob" instead of shillings sometimes) I said, "He just charged me 150." Dickson frowned and said, "That's not honest!" It was a brief exchange, but it stuck in my head all that night. I realized that he was an honest friend to me. Now flash forward again…

I said, "I know you are a true friend to me, too, because of what you said yesterday about the pikipiki driver, and I realized, I don't know very much about you. Tell me about your family. Do you have a church you go to?" Etc etc. The conversation went on naturally, until out of nowhere he said, "I think that you can maybe help me to change my life." I said, "I absolutely know how you can change your life. Do you mean that?" He replied, "Yes, I mean it." I said, "Dickson, I really think you should come to church with me. I know that what the missionaries will teach you can help you to change your life."

We exchanged phone numbers, and kept in touch. I asked him to meet me Sunday morning at 9:15 at the Nakumatt. He texted me and said he arrived early at 9:00. We rode together to church, and the missionaries introduced themselves and gave him something to read about our church. You should have seen how earnest he was.

I was SO HAPPY! I had to fight to keep my composure because I was just so happy and touched at the sight of him listening intently to the missionaries, and reading in a searching way the pamphlet he was given with a pen in hand. When he came to a question, he excused himself and sat over by the missionaries for the rest of the meeting. In gospel principles class, there was another investigator who had many questions, but they were asked in an argumentative sort of way. Dickson had many comments and questions, too, but I could tell that he wanted to believe what he was being taught. He had "real intent". He was what some might call "GOLDEN". The missionaries are trying to work out a time to meet with him, possibly even during work, so that he can be taught.

After church, I was so excited as I talked to Paulo. I said, "Paulo! We did it! We made our goal! What do you think?" He said, "I'm sort of surprised!" "Why? I told you Dickson was going to come with us to church, didn't I?" "He said, I'm surprised that it happened so fast! Seems like we just started praying." Then Paulo had some really good questions, like, "Well, how is he going to know everything we know and believe it like how other people believe in Rama." I said, "Paulo, we member missionaries have the easy part. We just get to invite people to meet with the missionaries. The missionaries have the FUN part. They get to teach people and watch them CHANGE! And after the missionaries teach, the Spirit is the one that will help people to know it's true!"

I was on such a high, let me tell you! Not to mention, Hunter also taught a wonderful lesson in Sunday school about member missionary work, and then a wonderful lesson in temple prep class. I'm just very happy. I will keep posting as things progress.