Tires Spinning Mud, An Our Brains Spinning with The Luo Language!!!

Some of the AMA youth

(Saturday April 16th)

We have upgraded on our vehicle! oh happy day!

Misawa! (hello)    *at this time feel free to clap for me, as I have officially learned a Luo word! =0   =) along with several other words as well.

Had a lazy Saturday by sleeping in a little. then at 12 I went swimming with Stacey, Carolyn, an Charity at a local pool, we had a grand time together, an I felt like I got to know then a little better by hanging out with them! We got back from swimming at around 3:00 pm all fried to a crisp!

The rest were just around home doing various tasks, Dad & Mom were just leaving for town to pick up several groceries.

Stan with some Masi Friends

I quickly made some pizza dough for supper, an did some other food prep.

We then had supper on the front porch once Dad & Mom came back.

Then I finished the blog...we were jus around home, Dad stopped next door to check up on Joallen & Glenda our new neighbors, that we are learning to know very well, by spending time together in language classes.

(Sunday April 17th)

Today we keenly felt the absence of Tommy's...but appreciated that Linford & Kay were here to help us out with all their Kenyan experience!

Language Class

Dad along with Linford & Kay left early for instruction class, the rest of us miller's along with Charity coming for Sunday school an the services.

The services went fairly normal, with Linford doing an alter call after the message, several people responded, however, alter call is something fairly new to the backwoods, poor people from our church. none the less, the one man became converted for the first time! Praise the Lord! so that was exciting, an adds fuel to the spirit of working here!

My First Piki-Piki Ride!

The usher made a complaint today that when he got to church, he noticed that someone had seen we hadn't slashed our grass with machete's in a while, an somehow unlocked the main gate, an turned his cows loose in our church yard, an since we don't have doors on our church house the cows entered the place of worship, an bumped the backless benches around, as well as leaving digested, recycled "food" all over, he encouraged whoever it was to not do that again as he had a big mess to clean up! so I thought, well thank God for dirt floors...because you never know who, or what, might be inspired to attend church, we had several chickens turn up for worship as well the other Sunday... I guess so is life in Kenya!



Ministers Meetings Seminar

We had charity to our house for lunch as she would always go to Tommy's for lunch an according to the report she was always welcome for lunch at Tommy's if she would bring dessert, as well as wash up the dishes! so the tradition has kept on as she is added to our family to have lunch with us every Sunday, an we are thrilled to have her!

We all took our naps of course, after lunch was disposed of.

Little Tiffany She reminds me SO much of Angela

In the evening Linford an Kay stopped by for abit on their way to Wayne an Clara's house. We ended up inviting Joallen & Glenda to our house for popcorn an drinks.

And so ended yet another week!

(Monday April 18th)

Today was the first day of language classes.

There are 8 students, our family except for Wayne (you have to be 16 to join class) Joe n Glenda and the social worker Stacey. So that makes for an exciting learning atmosphere, along with lots of laughter an goof-up's to be sure! It starts at 8 am every morning, ending at 12 o'clock noon. Monday - Friday, so it is nice to have the afternoons off to catch up on other things that need to be done.

Language Class

After classes were dismissed Dad an JoeAllen went to the pastors meeting that had started at 8 am as well.



Wayne went with Jadon an Lavon to Nakuru to do some carpentry work for CAM there. they left this morning at 6, an will be back on Wednesday.



Mom was doing laundry, an supervising the lady that now comes to do our ironing for some of the ladies here on the compound, she makes several shillings, an we get a little break! I like this lady a lot! =)- since I am the next thing to allergic to ironing!!

Ministers Meetings

Mom also discovered a new occupation around home here is to keep our new dog "prince" from becoming too protective! as he was fairly vicious with some customers that came to buy eggs, he was growling at them, an mom was trying to get him to calm down! but no one got hurt so it all ended ok.

We are in charge of the terribly smelly, before mentioned chickens, an sell the extra eggs to stray customers that stop by.

After language classes I tried to settle the "Jumble Tumble" state my Brain was in, with English, Luo, Dutch, an maybe even Spanish wordo's floating around in it!

Janette then asked me if I would wanna go to Java house(coffee, ice cream shop.) with her on Piki-piki's (dirt bikes) an of course I said no! as I wanted to do more studying on language, an maybe some laundry.... KIDDING!!!  OH! My! Word! YES!! I wanted a ride on a piki-piki for so long, an was terribly excited to get out an do something with her!

The youth playing games at our house

The ride on the bike was really neat! I loved it! only I had to try an control my GASP'S! to short, little, quiet, intakes of air, especially when we went sailing right through town, an dangerously close calls zipping in front of other vehicles, I also thought he leaned way to far going around corners! but I had to remind myself to take long even breaths! an also that he probably, hopefully, had done this longer then me!

So I got home put the laundry away an then we had supper, Dad an Stanley went to Nakamatt were we do our shopping, to buy some groceries, an also bought some pringles! we all enjoyed those a lot! an I think some of them even got put into hiding, since they are really expensive. We really missed having Wayne around.

Steve had a little bit of a fever today, but it only lasted today. an us others have not gotten sick yet. so that is something to be thankful for!

(Tuesday April 19th)

We had language classes In the forenoon.

 Visiting an Singing with The couple that stayed at our house over night

In the afternoon the twins were working on digging holes to concrete in the posts for the carport they are constructing, the holes needed to be 2 feet deep, an on the second hole they hit rock, an had to get out the crowbar an sledge hammer an in the blazing sun try to keep digging! needless to say they really missed Jadon an Lavon, an had many water breaks, an no weight lifting for them that evening! =) lol

I worked on some sewing.

(Wednesday April 20th)

Had language till 12. Dad & Mom along with Linford & Kay an Charity left for the weekly Wednesday Bible study with the church, right after language classes were over.

Steve & Stan were still working on the holes to set the carport posts in.

And I was at home cooking an cleaning, first I cooked two chickens for the soup that they wanted at the ministers meetings, to put over the rice. Our compound is hosting the ministers meetings this year, on Thursday an Friday. there were somewhere between 150 - 200 pastors an their wives an some children that came, most were natives.

Also cleaned my room extra good as a native pastor an his wife stayed at our place Thur. Evening.



Wayne got home this evening, finally! reporting much hard work, an also how he realized that he took things like air nailers for granted when building at home! as they had to pound every nail in by hand, I believe they were adding an addition to something or other. Wayne said they got it as far as the drywall, In three days! so he was excited about that, an despite extra callouses he enjoyed it very much!

(Thursday April 21st)

Wayne an our new dog prince

Today was a crazy busy day for me!

of course had language till 12 (you may get tired of that part of the blog, but bummer for you, its gonna go in! lol ) Mom an Dad left right after class to go to Rabour to have lunch with all the pastors there. Then came back to Kisumu with the rest of the caravan, an so started the seminars for ministers meeting. they were in seminar the rest of the afternoon, in Joseph & Becky's spacious back yard, under a big white tent, since, after all, this is right in the depths of rainy season!

Mom was gone the rest of the day so most of the cleaning an making the soup was left to me...I know poor, little, over-worked me! lol

With the forenoon already being extinct by being in language class, I dove into my cleaning, an making soup with a viciousness known only to a petrified individual running way behind schedule.

On our way to church, welcome to rainy season!

I was still cleaning windows at 5 pm, an supper was at 6 pm, I was supposed to be there to help serve the food! yikes! oh! me! I barely made it in time to help serve at the seminar, but I got there, just at the nic of time...I adjusted my veiling, smoothed the wrinkles out of my dress, took several deep breaths, an assumed nobody knew that my heart rate was unusually higher, then your average guest attending a dinner. I did however find out I hadn't made my soup quite right. imagine that! I was supposed to leave the chicken bones in the soup, since the natives are oh! so fond, of such "delicacies" so I guess bummer for me! I figure our dog an I will have a better friendship though, even if the natives missed having the bones! But chicken bones!!? For real!? I was almost sad... but then I happened to think how lucky these people are, that I am even here at the dinner, with the soup, an we are both still in-tack! maybe someday I will learn all the various ways of this strange culture... 

After supper was served, an bread an chia served, all us youth washed up all the dishes, an had just started good, when a African  rain storm blew in, scattering everyone to their various places of abode, an shortly after dishes were under way, the electric decided to go on the blink as well, so we finished up by using iPhone flash lights, then everyone piled in the van as the drive-ways were basically lakes of water, an everyone came storming into our house to play card games, an hangout till curfew! Marcus an Micah Beachy also joined our youth for the occasion, since obviously Mark & MaryEllen came for the seminar.

Hope we can make it through this one!?

(Friday April 22nd)

Today was a busy day again. we actually didn't have classes today because of the seminar, but will need to have classes on Saturday, to catch up, which gives me a terribly queasy feeling, since my sleeping in will not happen. yeah! I know...wimpy me. I got over it now... an even still live to tell about it! 

Dad & Mom were at the ministers meetings all morning, they got back home around 1pm right after the meetings were dismissed, only to leave for Rabour church where everyone was to have one last lunch together before everyone scattered back to their various villages. Dad & Mom got home in time to go out for supper with Marlin & Lavina, they reported a good relaxing evening, chatting an eating beside lake Victoria.

  In Kenya it's all about fellowshipping together, eating together, an building relationships!

On the way home from church, so now we wait!

a prime example of this is the other day, Dad was telling us how that when Tommy was still here, they were going to bible study an were running late, an come hurrying to the church where bible study was at, an find the group waiting, an chatting, just to discover that no one had a key to unlock the gate, an the key was at another house, so Tommy an Dad left again to hurry go get the key, so they get there to pick up the key at the ladies house, an the lady insisted that they sit down for a spell an wait while she makes chia, she also wanted to visit awhile... an then have them pray a blessing on her an her house. Dad said he was sitting there thinking, here we are waiting, an drinking chia, needing only a key, an the rest of the group is sitting an waiting for us to unlock the gate, but he reported on coming back no one was ruffled by the long wait, an continued on as if nothing happened! someone later told us that if they had returned right away, the bible study group would have been surprised an thought that they were very rude not to take time. amazing.

Mom working in her kitchen

Anyway, as for what the rest of us did on Friday, we were really glad for a day off of language classes, the boys were helping Jadon an Lavon with installing the carport. I then made lunch for the bros.

then I did mountains of laundry, with my amazing wringer washer, an other then running out of wash line space, an not having enough clothes pins, things progressed very well!

I was just barely finished with laundry, in time to leave with Stacey at 2 pm to go shopping at the local markets, where you can buy cool little things the natives make, as well as the traditional scarves all the ladies love wearing, Stacy even showed me where some cool( actually very WARM) Muslim fabric shops were, an some pretty fabric, so now I know where to take all you visitors that are clogging up the airports on your way here to visit our family!! ;)  it was a really neat cultural experience, an even got to practice Luo with the natives, but I was a little disappointed how many of them spoke Swahili.

Table to serve food off of at the ministers meetings

We got back from shopping in time to eat supper, an leave for v-ball. the Nakuru youth guys came too, an we had some excellent games.

So now for my apology...ok, so yeah this blog was late... an yes, I am sorry it is. so I was really really busy this week, an I simply did not have time to write, an when I wanted to do the blog the internet was down, so there you have it! take it, or leave it! I will try my best to get it out on Saturdays.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive Mercy!"


I really Hope you all have the best week EVER! and remember... it's up to you to decide to have a good week...just saying.


Sylvia - For the Miller's