Miller Family Kisumu, Kenya: October 2016

(Saturday October 15th)

Today was once again a regular Saturday...Mom was making food for Sunday lunch since we were planning on having Mark Beachy's an their company from the states...James Gingrich's from Leesburg, Ohio an another single lady from plain city who I forget her name...as I understand, her an Maryellen served together as single ladies in Belize an the connections have been kept alive all these years...
later I got a piki an went to town to get a few things for mom, an stopped by mamma Kays shop for a short visit...
In the afternoon, all of us youth with Joe & Glenda went to a school to pass out books, an to sing songs for them, as well as have them sing some songs for us! it was a really neat experience, an the best part, being to get to interact with the students after the program, an take pictures with them, much to their delight...we then all went to Kiboko bay where we had supper planned with the rest of the families from the compound, not everyone showed up, but most of them did.
We had a great evening, with the topper being a free boat ride, on a big fancy boat that was shipped over from America, the lady that owed it sat on the boat an saw our youth group an offered to give us a ride for free since she said, "she was feeling generous." WOW! we hoped right on an had a pleasant 20 min. boat ride, for free, usually it costs around $100.00 for 30 min. We were so grateful! she said she had lived in America for 12 years, an that she lived in Boston, she was obviously a very rich Kenyan lady.

My favorite African tree...

We had a great evening, an a breathtaking sunset, that pictures will never do justice...

(Sunday October 16th)
Today we once again had confession an testimony time for the ones who were not there last Sunday in prep. for Communion next Sunday...

Dad in awe of the valley...

Meanwhile there was a little girl whom I couldn't remember seeing before, that wanted to sit on my lap, an was really, really sweet, but she smelled horrific!! for a while I was certain that I would not be able to hold her, she smelled like she had not been given a bath for weeks, an the urine smell was almost too much, so finally I wrapped my sweater around her an that suppressed some of the stench...as the service progressed she fell asleep on my lap, an all of sudden!! I feel a warm stream running down my leg, an splattering into the dust at my feet...I froze. I sat in dumbfounded horror! as she used the restroom, while sitting there on my lap...suddenly I flew to my senses...an in one swift motion plunked her on the bench beside me, forgetting that she was fast asleep...the poor little soul was struggling to wake up, an make sense of her rapid departure from her comfy slumber, to the hard backless, wooden bench, on which she found herself sitting on...I usually sit toward the middle or the back of the ladies side of the church house, but for some odd reason this Sunday I had sat on the very front bench, the first time I had ever done that! and here I had to walk all the way to the back with a huge wet spot on the front of my dress!! #embarrassing.... I walked out clutching my wet skirt, feeling all awkward an shy, as people stared at the huge spot on my dress, some shaking their heads, with sympathetic looks on their faces, others hiding their sheepish grins behind their black hands....I so wanted to stop an explain to everyone what actually had ta

One of the family pictures we "tried" to take...

ken place, but since that wasn't an option, I just hurried out the back door, heading straight to the well, an washed, an rewashed my skirt out profusely! I then sat in the sun to try an dry off, after the service people kept asking me if I was sick, or cold that I was sitting in the sun, an I said no! an explained what had happened...they thought it was so funny...an shook their heads saying, sorry....sorry....sorry...over an over again, with huge amused grins on their faces! Ha! I wanted to tell them that it was ok to go ahead an laugh about it, since I found it rather humorous myself!

What a smelly experience though...

We returned from church around 2pm. an Marks an their visitors came shortly after, we also invited Dishon for lunch, an picked him up on our way home from church...Dad returned later as he had to take Charles back to the blind school.
In the evening we had a compound carry in at Joseph an Becky, We sang together, good harmony singing is nonexistent in any of our churches....James then shared a short topic, an we all had a great evening together.

These awesome purple trees amazed me...

(Monday October 17th)
Vacation Time At Last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today we got up earlier, an since I wasn't able to sleep after 5am. I fired up our wringer washer an did our laundry, since we decided to leave this afternoon already an travel to Nakuru, so we don't have to travel so much on our first real day of vacation, also, Dad an Mom had to have a meeting with Winford an Debbie from Nakaru, about the marriage seminar coming up...
So I worked on Laundry, Dad was at pastors meeting, an mom had a little "ladies party" that Maryellen got together, since she had two friends here, an wanted to share them with the other ladies from the compound...so they had a little tea party of sorts, an mom had a small topic...then once she returned home things flew into over drive as we packed bags with clean laundry, an packed up to go on our much anticipated vacation to the Abadares!!
We left around 3:30pm an headed for Nakuru, arriving there around 7pm. we had supper at Winfords, an while Dad An Mom had a meeting with them, we children headed for our beds soon after supper...

Dad an Mom following soon after mid-night after a long talk with Winford's, they reached the guest house to find the big steel gate locked, since it was so late, an everyone was in slumber land...so Grandpa & Grandma Miller found themselves heaving their aged bodies up one side of the gate, an plummeting down the other side, and this was a very tall steel door, it had to look amusing folks! I would have loved to sit behind a bush an have gotten some footage of these agile, senior, missionaries, not content with activities like rock climbing, but opting rather for climbing tall, steel, gates in the dark! poor souls what could they do!? what a way to start off a vacation....
(Tuesday October 18th)

These amazing flowering trees, in the tea fields...

This morning around 8am we left Nakuru to continue our journey to the Abadares mountains, seeing different wild animals, an our van surviving the serious "off roading" that we did! at one point all of us children an mom were out pushing the gutless van up the steep rocky mountain side...but we really enjoyed our drive through the national park, an after driving all day we were glad to reach our beautiful hotel/resort at around 5:30pm. we unpacked an settled in to our cute little rooms, showering an refreshing ourselves before strolling around the well kept grounds, an barely being able to fathom that we were really on vacation, an at such a classy place! we then went to the main dining area for a very nice buffet supper, an thus concluded another fun day of vacation....

Harvesting tea...

(Wednesday October 19th)
Today we all admitted to being very tired of traveling, an decided to sleep in late an then we ate breakfast at 9:30am. then we just relaxed around the resort, an explored the grounds discovering a gym, sauna, an a nice swimming pool, but with being up in the mountains an a lot cooler of a climate, there was no swimming, an mostly wearing sweaters, an jackets, we concluded we were wimps about cold weather, already, after only living in Kenya for 7 months.
We then walked the streets buying different things...an tried to take some family pictures, which wasn't necessarily a smashing success...but we tried.
Then back to the hotel for more relaxation, an supper together on the front lawn of the resort....what fun! doing nothing!

Tea leaves going where ever tea leaves go...

(Thursday October 20th)
Today we got up earlier an packed-up all our things, an went to the main dining room for breakfast before we left the resort an started our long way back home...a 7 hour trip back to good ole' Kisumu...We stopped along the way, at different touristy places, an even a place where they were giving camel rides, an horse rides, (The first horse we had seen since coming to Kenya.) they even had four wheeler rides! must to the bros delight.
We traveled all day...stopping frequently at look out stops over the mountains, an finally returned home around 7:30pm. after stopping in Ahero for a quick supper, the rest of the evening we unpacked an unloaded the van.
All happy that we got to have gone on vacation, an all happy to be back home again...
(Friday October 21st)

Delivering milk...

little boys playing...

sunset at kiboko bay...

More pictures of the flowering trees...

Today I got the laundry together for mom, an started the washing...then Stan an I went to town to see if I could return the paint we had gotten for my bedroom since it wasn't glossy but flat, Stan had tried earlier, an they said no that he couldn't return it, so I told Stan that I would still like to try before we give up, since paint is expansive, but even with my cold demeanor, an "bratty customer" tactics that I had learned from working at the barn shop office, they still said no! I cant return it...I asked them what I was supposed to tell the mission that allowed me to buy this paint?? an he just looked like a startled pigeon, so I asked how come I have to pay for a mistake they made?...no words...so I knew the silence was supposed to be awkward for me...so I just didn't say anything more, till it was awkward for him, I stood looking out the door, an he was staring at my receipt, I guess hoping somehow the receipt would magically wisp me out the door, if stared at long enough...so finally I excepted that they will not let me return the paint because, "it is going to be unhandy for them, as it is a special color that they will not be able to sell again" but I wanted to tell him that the paint isn't what I wanted either, actually I did tell him that! It was funny, because I knew exactly how he felt...an I remember so many times at the office when I knew something was our fault, an trying to explain it to an angry customer, so that we wouldn't get a barn returned...Oh! Joy! it was different being the brat for once. but I did finally give the man a break, an thought it my missionary duty to leave it, an just use the flat paint, that they gave me.
Oh! well! it isn't my "for real" bedroom anyway...I then painted the rest of he afternoon, till it was time to get ready for volley ball.

leaving the guest house in Nakuru...

In the evening we had youth volley ball, we had a shortage on players since Carolyn has a hurt foot that is making so she isn't able to play volley ball, it has hurt for a long time already, but lately she has dropped out of the games...we miss her since we don't have enough players the way it is, we all hope it will get better soon!
But in the meantime Dishon, an Brian came to the rescue as well as the pastors an helped us play...we sincerely missed having Stacy an Rissa with us, to laugh, an play volley ball with...all the youth came to our house afterwards for an impromptu snack, an I quickly made some popcorn an had some dessert that Carolyn had made, as well as some fruit that mom had cut up.
We had a jolly grand time...an I even got Carolyn convinced to leave her house an join the party!

Us youth passing out books to the children at school...

We had some great talks an much laughter for sure!

An that is all that happened in Luo land this week...

until next time...an just a warning with visitors it might be a while.
~Sylvia
For The Miller's

Weston enjoying life...

these lilies were growing wild beside the road...

Mom couldn't believe that these were growing like weeds everywhere...

more mountain's....

....And more mountains...

Stan thought on top of the van provided a better view...

....ok so we really liked the mountain's...

heading up the mountain trail...

Stanley ever looking for a higher spot to look out over the valley...

"But what if I don't want my picture taken?"

amazing views...

Us youth visiting at the school...

The students watching us sing some action songs...

singing song for the students...

talking to the soldier's before entering the national park...

Some of the students...

directing us to the awesome water falls...

We had to hike the rest of the way back in to the falls...

hiking to the falls...

Me with some of the students...

At the top of the first water fall, with the second one in the background...

The other water fall was way on the other side of the valley...

The actual falls that we hiked to...

Some of my friends an I at the school...

Steve enjoying Kenya scenery...

silly girls posing for a picture...

My favorite three bro's...EVER!

Dad an Mom Miler

Stanley hanging out with the children...

one of the animals we seen...gulp! don't ask for its name though...

Jake an Janice's four oldest children....

Sigh....Dad taking another "short cut".

"Come along pal!"

Jake & Janice Gingrich

Melody Byler (The one who was helping out at Nakuru for a while)

The youth on a boat ride...

The lady in the brown shirt was the owner who decided to give us a free ride...

Rhoda an Rissa...

Stanley, Weston, an Steve...

Stacy, Shonda, an I...

The youth on the boat...

A kind of quail?

We saw monkey's along the way...

We threw some banana's out for them...

Dad an Mom enjoying Kiboko Bay...

When we were leaving the Abaders we stopped at the exit gate, an honked an honked, but no one came, so Wayne helped us out by unhooking the gate from the post...