African Down-pours, Power Outages, An Preaching The Good News!

(Saturday June 25th)

Sunset over Lake Victoria.

We all slept in this morning...an then around 11:30am. Stacy, Rhoda, an I went shopping, an just exploring Kisumu town, seems there is always a little shop, or restaurant, that you didn't know existed. We had so much fun doing basically nothing. We returned around 2pm.


Dad had several different meetings today, one was a school board meeting with the new school teacher, Rhoda Wengerd, from Tn. since Dad an Mom are on the school board for the mission school here.
In the evening Dad was practicing to drive his new motor bike, since he needs to be getting his license soon to be able to drive the bike.
Steve was showing me a project that they had been doing, they were putting a gate into the hedge row, to enter into the new food pantry we just put in. So they had to cut hedges, an concrete posts into the ground, an then the main work was to weld the gate together, as well as a frame to hang the door on, looked totally perfect to me, even though he says its not! I marvel at how they come over here to Africa an learn a totally new thing, building barns is quite different from, welding, painting, an hanging guttering, an fixing vehicles, to name some of the things they do. they do great!
After I looked at their work, Steve, Wayne, an I went on a walk before dark.

Pretty Flowers!

Out on a boat ride with some of the youth

There were some big waves...an I was praying that our little boat would stay upright!

We happened upon this Baptist church that was having revival meetings outside, they had a big stage, an a tent setup, an the volume was ear splitting, even though they were preaching in Luo, an interpreting in Swahili, an we didn't understand much, we decided to stay an just analyze the situation from all angles! :)  we enjoyed it, an it added to the experience when a tropical storm moved in an it started pouring rain, but I think that only poured fuel on the fire! the preachers kept right on yelling, screaming, an hollering in to their mikes, which were very, static ridden. I couldn't understand much, but with the amount of energy the two preachers were putting into it all, an the crowds yelling an cheering, I'm pretty sure it was "hell-brimstone, an fire." preaching! It was getting dark, an since Wayne had turned around an went back home earlier, Steve an I kept hoping the rain would slow up so we could get home before dark. but so was not to be, so finally after getting some amazing footage of the preachers outdoing themselves, we left in the pouring rain...we were soaked to the bone, as soon as we stepped out from under the tent! an Steve's long strides had me jogging to keep up, an finally I took my sandals off since I was slipping all over, with the deep puddles, an streams we were hiking through, an it was funny to see people staring out of their huts, watching us either in pity, or laughing at these, white people trotting through the pouring rain, some thought it was funny, an were bent over laughing, which was fine with me, since I was laughing too, an in-between chattering teeth, I kept asking Steve, if he remembers why exactly we had wanted to go on a walk tonight!? he never did answer. I kept babbling nonsense, since I was SO COLD...an Steve kept repeating in an even tone, "lets just get home!" Hey! I was basically running! and it was raining so hard, I couldn't see an I kept rubbing the salt water out of my eyes to be able to see...so by the time we got to the compound we decided we're wet anyway, so we jumped into the amazingly huge puddles on the street outside our house, jumping an splashing each other...we felt like kids again! but there's something fun about not acting your age all the time! lol I would know people! I do it most of the time...but seriously, it was amazing. an we made some epic memories! but, I will add that I'm grateful that is was dark by that time, since I'm sure if fellow missionaries would have seen us....they would have questioned

Steve taking pictures of the hippo's

our sanity! But Hey! missionaries need to have those "moments" too. right!? We can't be sane all the time!
The gate guards thought we were crazy, an when they saw me shivering, they asked if this is the type of weather us Americans like? since we are always saying how hot it is here in Africa. I told them we are really, cold now! an they laughed, an thought it was great that their weather finally had us American's cold! Since they were bundled up like they had a skating party planned!
We got home, an after some dry clothes, we had moms amazing chicken ranch pizza, an were just around home.
(Sunday June 26th)
Today our whole family got to sleep till like 8:00- 8:30am. What a treat, for Sunday Morning!!
Then our whole family went to Lela for church. (JoeAllen &Glenda's church) since we had pastor rotation, an Dad was assigned to preach at Lela, was great to be there, they have a very small church, an the people were super friendly, an had a great time.
Dad preached about having faith as a grain of mustard seed,(He took real mustard seeds along.) Our family then sang a Swahili song together, an that concluded the service. Dad uses a lot of "object lessons" when he preaches, seems the natives remember things better that way, also the natives here have a shorter attention span, an sometimes it takes some creativity to keep their attention.
We were invited to Joes for lunch of yummy grilled chicken an potatoes, (Dad was happy!;)

What is this!? a leaf...or a bug!

Stan at the chip shack

We children were then just around home in the afternoon, except for Dad an Mom who came home from lunch, an then got ready to leave for a local church down here on Ring Road, at 4pm. were an ex-muslim, now Christian, pastor Richard an his wife Janet, wanted Dad an Mom to come, they are both newer Christians, but have faith that inspires me so much. they are also, so humble an want Dad & Mom to teach them things from Gods word since they feel like they know so little. Dad gave them the instruction class book that teaches a lot of the things that we believe. They went for the Sunday evening services, but were a bit late, so the service had already started, but Richard wanted dad to share something, so Dad preached abit, an then they had an alter call, an a young man gave his heart to the Lord for the first time! Richard calls my Dad & Mom, his Daddy & Mamma, since he says he doesn't have family.  So he kept telling his little church that Gerold is his poppa. It was a stretching experience for Dad & Mom.


In the evening everyone was invited to Jakes, to socialize, I stayed at home to catch up on my journal, an different things like that. our power got knocked out, as we had another big thunder storm. We are still getting used to these power outages that happen so frequently.
(Monday June 27th)
Today we were just around home, Dad was in the office, an at pastors meeting most of the day.

This little cutie sat with me at church

Mom was doing the laundry, an I wasn't doing much of anything... since like I wrote in my last post. I had another grand-mal seizure Sunday evening. So I was pretty sore from falling, an just rested a lot today, then in the afternoon, Dad an I went to get several things in town, an just drove around abit... an talked... I so enjoyed that!
Went to bed early tonight.
(Tuesday June 28th)
Today Mom was around home today, but Dad was out visiting the sick, an needy, most of the day.
The twins were in the shop, an I worked on the blog a tiny bit.

Church sign at Lela

In the evening some of us youth decided to go to hippo point to watch the sunset, then on second thought we decided to take a boat ride...which was even more epic! an to top it all off is we saw real live hippos right there in the water, umm...a little too close to the boat for my comfort,(since the boat was a slight upgrade from a dug-out canoe!)  an I kept trying not to mentally rehearse the facts I had heard several days before, about the ratio of deaths by hippos, as opposed to alligators, an snakes. creeps!!!
We got home to a late supper, an Dad filling us all in on the adventures of his day! I wish I could add some of those, but my posts are too long the way it is, so...
(Wednesday June 29th)
Happy 3rd Anniversary to André & Sharon!! ya'll are so special to me! hope you have many more happy, an fulfilling years together! Love you all crazy much! an miss you all more then ever!


Dad & Mom left early for bible study today, since they had other stops to make as well. meet a youth guy from church, stop at the hospital to help pay bills from members that were there, pray for a widow that was still in the hospital, go to a blind school to see if one of our member's could go to school there to learn braille. (I'm pretty sure that isn't spelled right, but you get it. hopefully.)

The one having devotions at Lela

The twins an Weston were painting, an hanging guttering along our house.
An me still trying to mend...worked on my VERY late blog post, an cook meals for the three bro's.
Dad & Mom got home in the early evening, an we were all just around home.
It was an uneventful day.
(Thursday June 30th)
Today Dad was just around home, an the twins were still working on putting up guttering, since it was some strange plastic, guttering that proved to be a work of art to put up.


Then in the afternoon, Dad & Mom an I went to the local Aga-Kan Hospital to do a Lyme's Disease test, as well as see about getting medication for my seizures. That looked pretty big to me, since I was so sure I could just somehow go without medication...but finally, I discovered that falling an hitting your head on tile flooring is very uncool as well! an after much thought, an encouragement from friends that thought I should start medication, I did! because I saw my seizures were not getting better, but worse, an I was having one, on average once a month. so as much as I hate saying it, I always kinda put people in a "box" that were on meds, but I guess I joined em'! lol but, I hope it can help me to g

Sunday school group giving a program

et some of my confidence back, since I am still so freaked I'll have a seizure when I'm out an about, or even at church, I really hope this will help me to not be so scared whenever I leave the house. please pray for me as I start this medication, that is could help me to never have another seizure, an also that the side effects would not be too dramatic. An that I would still be "me".    (I have a feeling that sounded weird), but I don't wanna have a personality change because of the medicine, but rather that it could help me be all that I can be here in Africa, an that it would help me to be more confident in reaching out to others. instead of worrying, will I have a seizure....
So it was a long stressful day at the hospital, I wont get the results on the Lymes for another 2-3 weeks.
(Friday July 1st)
July! really!? I keep trying to imagine it being summer at home, since it was FREEZING COLD! the day I hugged my dear friends at the airport good-bye. wow! I'm pretty sure that was an eternity ago...


Today Dad & Mom an the three bro's went to Deniea  (That town name isn't spelled right either...)  w

Dad an Joe preparing to share.

here Mark & Maryellen live to help them with some work on their church, including building a fence, an other random work, Steve drove a van, as well as Dad, since men from different CBF church's were beckoning the summons to help with the work at the church were Mark's are serving at.  several other pastors also took vans to pick-up people from their churches who wanted to help out. they had quite the crowd, an Mom went along to assist Maryellen with whatever was needed, and with getting everyone a bite to eat, that was working.

Our chickens supply the compound, an some to sell.

I was just around home doing various things, then in the evening I went with Dad to take a load of the workers back home, so we didn't get back till after dark.

We were just around home in the evening...

And that's all for our last weeks happenings!

-Sylvia

For The Miller's

Boats out on lake Victoria, Kisumu airport in the background

Who knows what I'm flipping out about here!

flowers...

our family singing in Lela

Sunset picture...

Two of Dean Miller's sons

A little cutie in church.