A Clothing Sale At Nyakoko, An A Trip To Niarobi!

Palm Tree's at Lake Victoria

(Saturday August 6th)
Today we were just around home mostly, cooking food, an cleaning.
Wayne was over at Deans house mowing their lawn an getting the place ready for their return from furlough on Saturday.
The twins worked in the shop...
We had pizza for supper in the evening, an were just around home.
(Sunday August 7th)
This morning the twins took a vehicle an went to the blind school to pick-up one of our church member's there, his name is Charles an he is 35 yr. old, he was not born blind, but lost his eye sight (unknown cause) only 3 years ago. after he was blind his wife left him, not wan


Children carry lot's of water for their mother's, for cooking an cleaning.

ting a blind husband to care for, so the church is supporting him at the blind school, where he is learning to read in braille, an is already teaching others there at the school, there are 165 students at the school for the blind.
So anyway, the rest of us took another van since the native pastor Thomas, an his family from Rabour church, were planning on coming to our church in Nyakoko to preach, we picked them up, an took them with us, it was very interesting to me to see the attentiveness of the church people, listening to a sermon preached in their mother tongue, an it was amazing how much less I got out of the message listening to the interpreter, translating the message from Luo to English...  makes me hope there will be many more native pastors who will rise up preaching the gospel to their own people in their own tongue.
We then had Thomas an his family at our house for lunch, as well as a youth guy, Fanwell, from Aroba church.

Fishing boat out on Lake Victoria

A Boat man returning, after taking several people on a boat ride.

We had made pizza for lunch, an our family enjoyed the treat, devouring our food, however, the natives were not sure about the food they were eating, an poked around at the food, an for once it was fun to sit there an watch them picking at their food, like we did when we first came to Kenya! The young man Fanwell, picked up a pepperoni, an stared at it blankly, them asked "So what kind of meat is this." what do you tell him!? seriously, just eat it. an don't ask such hard questions!! he hardly touched his pizza, an eyed his red jello suspiciously, an when the twins jokingly mentioned that it could look like blood, he took a few bites an pushed that plate back as well, he then laid into the dessert, eating chocolate chip bars, an other desserts too, hope he didn't go home hungry.
In the evening I hung out with the single girls at Carolyn's house, an Joe & Glenda visited my parents, at our house.


(Monday August 8th)
Today we were just around home...
Dad was at pastors meeting most of the day.

docking his boat before the storm

Mom did laundry, an got clothing sale things ready, for the clothing sale that we're planning to have at our church on Wednesday.
The twins worked at the shop.
I did some clean-up, an odd jobs around home.
(Tuesday August 9th)
Today I worked on the blog for several hours.
Mom worked on some cleaning, an food prep. for our supper, since we were having the single girls (Stacy, Rhoda, an Carolyn) as well as Wayne's family over for supper.

This creepy lizard type of animal was in the hedges outside Joe's house.

Mom made potatoes with a garlic/butter sauce over them, cheesy noodles, an I grilled chicken an hot-dogs, then we had a peanut butter/ chocolate ice-cream dessert.
Was a great evening with everyone.
(Wednesday August 10th)
Today the twins left with Jake, to go to Niarobi, to do some vehicle shopping, since our compound is in need of one.
This morning we all got up earlier then usual, an helped load all the clothing sale things in a van.

Cute little Tiffany, I cant help but think how much fun my niece Angela would have with her

This lady we call the "bag lady" she is wrapped in bags, an walks all over Kisumu

Stacy an Joseph's wife Becky joined us, since it was our first time, an they wanted to help us, basically what clothing sale consists of is, its kind of like a yard sale...a lot of different CBF ladies come to the compound different days to do sewing, as a means of income. Stacy the social worker is the one helping them with that. they sew all kinds of different sizes an colors of plain dresses, an shirts for the native people who are in the CBF churches. So we take dresses, shirts, pants, veiling's, Fabric pieces, half slips, hand bags, blankets, bobby pins, an lots of different sewing supplies, ect. we then set it up at our church house, an put prices on everything, so they can stock up on what they need. It was an interesting day for sure.

At the clothing sale

After everyone that wanted something, bought something. (Except for the families that were to poor to be buying new things. made me sad.) we served them mondozies an lemon grass tea, an then they had their regular Bible study, while they had the Bible study, Stacy an I took all the plates an cups to the well, an washed them, storing them back into our little mud-hut "mini barn" were the rest of the church things are stored.

Waiting on their Mondozies an lemon grass tea

Dad in deep meditation, surrounded by a people with seemingly unending needs...

After the Bible study was over, we loaded everything back into the van, Joseph came to pick-up Becky, so it was just my parents, Wayne, Stacy an I, on the way home, one of the youth guys from our church, Steven, wanted a ride back to his school were he teaches, but most of all he wanted to introduce Dad to his fellow teachers, an wanted Dad to pray a blessing on their school, also, he wanted us to meet some of the students, it was an interesting time, the school looked like one of the poorer ones, but the students were all so happy yelling "white people!" over an over, in Luo as we approached the school, there seemed to be a black head poking out of every hole, an crack, an window in that building! we then asked if we could come back for a distribution day sometime, where we will give each child a Bible story book, they were delighted to have us come. I learned something new about the way Kenyans do schooling, Steven was explaining that in Kenya, for example 2nd grade, they are not all one age, student go to school whenever they are able to pay the fee, an they might do a grade, then be out of school for a year, or more, because of hard times in their family, so then there might be 16 yr. olds in 2nd grade with all other ages in-between in  that grade as well, you will notice on the picture I have of a class of students, that all ages are in the class, an they don't go to the next grade until they complete the one they are in. interesting.

Ever supportive Mom, happy to serve those around her

After we were finished there, we headed on home, throwing candy out to the children all along the way till we reached the paved main road, there were children everywhere, like usual, an I happened to have a bag of candy along, it was emptied in short order, we would yell out "sweet!" their word for candy, an throw some out an children would pour out of the huts, an run towards the road, to gather their treasure, often the 2-3 yr. olds run to the bushes to hide since their terribly frightened of white people when their young.

The school we went to visit, where a youth guy, Steven from Nyakoko is teaching

We then went to hang-over for supper, after supper, Stacy an I walked through the park in Kisumu, an watched some teams playing soccer, or foot-ball, as they say here. It was a nice evening, an it was fun exploring the tiny shops of random little things that they sell along the roads in Kisumu.
We finally got back to the compound, it was almost dark, we then unloaded everything back into the clothing room, it was a long, but very interesting day!
(Thursday August 11th)
Today Dad was out visiting people most of the day.
Mom was making granola, an I was doing our cleaning.

Some of the students running to get a glimpse of the "white people!"

In the evening we had compound prayer meeting at Wayne's house at 7pm. It was a small group, with Jake, the twins, an Deans family not back yet.
After prayer meeting, some of us girls went down to one of the guest houses, to sew, we have sewing machines set up down there, an have been working on sewing, an cutting out dresses the last while. I guess that's it for Thursday.
(Friday August 12th)
Today I did our laundry, an worked around home.

One of the school class rooms

The twins left on Wednesday with Jake, to go to Nakuru, an then on to Niarobi, with vehicle shopping in mind, as well as picking up Dean Miller's at the airport, returning from their 6 week furlough to America, to finish up their last year here in Kenya.
The twins reported a great trip, an especially enjoyed all the "Americanized" food that they could eat in Niarobi, saying that KFC, Dominos pizza, an soft serve ice-cream were among the list of things they ate. We all stared at them in envy! They grinned back, saying the 6 hr. drive was well worth the food! Only now will it begin to sink in dear reader, how much food actually means to the Miller family!!

They all stood up immediately as we entered, showing their respect.

Since the twins an Weston were gone, we decided to cancel v-ball, an all us girls, (except Clarissa) went out to The Green Garden for supper. Clarissa's family was having company for supper, so she stayed home, we missed having her with us!
But it was a good Friday, an kind of a treat to have something other then v-ball in the evening, just relaxing with friends was great with me....yikes! sounds like I'm getting old, once I'm not dying to play v-ball at every waking moment! never thought I would ever say id rather hang out then play v-ball!

Watching as the "white Pasta Milla" talked to them

An so another week ends for us in Kenya.  It's hard to believe that by the last of August, an towards the first of September, our family will have reached the 6month mark of living in Kenya! unreal.
Have a good week!


-Sylvia
For The Miller's

The school volley ball "net"