Two Kenyan Funerals, Cow Intestines, And A Chat With A Blind Man.

At the funeral a small girl gets a better view, thanks to her Dad!

(Saturday October 1st)
Happy October everyone!
Now I can FINALLY say that Judith an Elaine will come at the end of THIS month!!! I'm so ecstatic about them coming! Just in case you missed the fact that I'm happy about it! =)


I can imagine fall weather is well under way at home...such a nice time of the year! But around our home in Kenya, it is very much summer, dry season is here, an seems with each passing week it is getting hotter, even though we thought more heat wasn't a possibility, the grass is shriveling up to brown nothingness, but with our sprinkler going in our front lawn it is still fairly nice an green, but other things are turning brown, an drying out...then in other area's they are having enough rain to plant their last crops before the final setting in of dry season. Just depends which area you are in.

Being stuck is taken to a whole new level....

So Today we all got to sleep in a little from our evening before, since the funeral didn't start till 11:30am. So we all got ready an left, arriving at the funeral as the "testimonies" (Also known as, people stating various random facts, an talking into the microphone as long as possible.) were starting.
It is basically a time for Family an friends to take turns coming to the front to the microphone, an saying all manner of kind things about the deceased person, (Some of which are actually true.) going on, an on like most Kenyans do, till the moderator told them that that had to be enough as the service had to continue on now.
So after several very loud songs, Bishop Joseph from CBF in Aroba (Also the Bishop of our church.) had the message, an then we had the final viewing of the body, an dropping in some money in the offering basket sitting on top of the casket, with chickens gathered around under the casket, pecking around in the grass, enjoying the shade the casket offered.

Some of the youth from Nakuru an Kisumu...

We then all followed the family an casket out to the grave, where Dad had the "committal" since he was the pastor of the deceased.
The committal is basically final words of comfort to the family, an letting the family each toss a hand full of dirt on the lowered casket, an sharing some scripture verses with the ones gathered around, an also announcing that this is the last service to be held at the graveside of the deceased person, as in Kenyan culture they will often come back to the grave an dance around it, singing, clapping, wailing, an praying for the deceased person.
But Dad explained that we had done all that we can do for the deceased person an have shown our respects an given the body a proper burial, now the rest is left in the hands of God.

Winnie an I

There were several drunk guys at the burial, an the one guy especially made a lot of noise, it made me feel so bad for the family who was standing at the grave weeping, an he was shouting around, an singing songs, (mostly outlandish shouting.) an dancing around with his shovel, making the rest of us who were trying to remain sober to laugh...one of the men from the immediate family finally gave one of the drunks a punch in the head, an fists flew back an forth for a while, then the drunk man was taken away, as he was standing right in front of the grieving family making such a fool out of himself.
After the burial we all had a feast, us CBF people went to another house away from the loud music an reveling, to eat our lunch/supper.
We then left for home around 4:30pm.

Charles At the blind school....

(Sunday October 2nd)
Today was a very normal Sunday...
Dad & Mom an Stan left early for IC class, An Steve, Wayne an I went at the regular time, an also picked up Charles at the blind school, an then continued on to church, After church they had a meeting about the upcoming funeral on Tuesday, an what everyone needed to help with.
While they had the meeting us youth practiced several songs that our youth group wants to sing in several weeks when we go to one of the other CBF churches to visit.


Steve, Wayne an I then took Charles back to the blind school, an another young couple and their young child, back to Kisumu, the couple had been visiting our church this morning.

When Dad went to visit that coffee plantation...

Coffee beans growing in Africa....

On our way home from church, I started talking with Charles that is at the blind school...asking him how life is at the school, an asked what different things are that he does there...usually Charles sits in a corner with not much to add to a conversation, but is very friendly when you take time to talk to him, an take an interest in his life, an I knew he loves it at the school! so I figured that would be a topic of interest to him, an after he told me all about his life in the school, an how he is now with the "staff" instead of the "students," he proudly told me that he now even eats with the staff! he claimed that his life is more fulfilling then he ever dreamed possible! an continued by telling me that he is so extremely blessed to only have one handicap, an said that many of the students at the blind school have more than one handicap, some being blind, an crippled, or blind, an having epilepsy...I couldn't believe I just heard him saying the word  epilepsy, because most Kenyans are not as familiar with that type of thing, so I asked him if he knew that I also have a handicap, an that I have epilepsy.

Wayne with our gardener George...

He couldn't believe it! he never knew that I had certain things that I could not go do by myself because of my seizures, so we started swapping stories...he asked me about my "handicap" an took such an interest in my epileptic challenges, bless his heart! an then he told me how it was for him, an that he was also not born with the handicap that he now has, an said one Monday his eyesight was blurry an he wondered what was going on, an each day that week it got worse, each morning a little less light was able to be seen from his failing eyes, he said he also experienced extreme pain, as blindness took over his eyes, with such terrible pain, that he didn't know what to do next!

Joe Allen relaxing on the porch with their two children

Then he painfully relayed how that his wife left him upon discovering he was blind, and he said he became terribly depressed, an was living by himself, he told me all that he did each day was get up, an eat breakfast, an sit in the sun all day till evening, an then start the same thing all over again the next day.
He said he became so unhappy with his life, an bitter towards God, that he thought often about how he would and his life...an soon.


Whatever ya'll!...what's up with not leaving any for me!?

Picnic at Hippo point....

But then he found God in a new way, and he got the opportunity to go to this blind school, where he found out that he wasn't the only person with this handicap, an he said that at the school God showed him he still has a purpose in life for him, an he is now writing in Braille, an even teaching Braille to other students. (He had his entire devotional this morning in Braille, reading the verses with his fingers!) I was so amazed with his story, an especially his repeated mentioning of how that at the school, you cant just sit in a corner an not talk, but you have to socialize an not only that, they get you to talk about your hurt, or your feelings of bitterness, with counselor's that are at the school there. He said, "When you are silent about your hurt, it becomes bigger, an you cant carry it on your own." how true! an he talked repeatedly about "excepting your handicap" an how that only after excepting your handicap can you go on with life an be happy, an only after admitting your bitterness can you heal...I sat in amazement at how well we could relate, with having a "thorn in the flesh" that we both had to choose to accept an not become angry at God.

Wayne, enjoyed holding this little baby....

He would often stop an wipe his sightless eyes, which were brimming over with tears...an I was glad at that moment that he was blind since I was crying too, an could barely get my voice to sound normal in time, for when he would ask me another question...I couldn't believe that this quiet, blind man all of a sudden, had so much in common with my own struggles of bitterness, humility, unanswered questions, as well as rebellion towards God... Just as I had.
And we talked about how it isn't just excepting it once, but over, an over, an over again.
I got home feeling so free an awesome having had that conversation with this dear man, who loves God so much! an even thanks God for his blindness!!
In the evening Steve an I went to Hippo point to watch the sunset, coming abit late an watching as the last light of red/orange faded, an then we watched as the city lights all around came on...an reflected on the large body of water, it was really awesome!

At the wake....

(Monday October 3rd)
This morning Dad left early for pastor meeting...an I got up earlier then usual to do the laundry, an we all tried to be ready by 12 noon to leave to pick-up another body at the funeral home, all of our family, except Wayne an I left in a large van to pick up the church people, an the family of the deceased person at Masogo, an take them on to the funeral home...

All of Fredrick Juma's sons, Fredrick is the one who died.

I was still doing laundry, so Wayne an I came later taking a public vehicle to the intersection where the dirt road starts that leads on back in to our church house, we took two piki- piki's on back in from the highway, while I generally love piki rides, I was kinda ticked off at the piki drivers, especially my piki driver, as we were going through a muddy area, an two other piki's coming from the other direction were waiting for us to cross through the mud, so that they could also pass through the small dry piki trail as well, as we were going through the mud, I heard my piki driver saying to his friends waiting on the other side, "oheri" (I like her.) an they all laughed...I had been speaking all English to him so far, so he didn't know that I knew what he had said, it made me want to give him a bonk on the head, especially since he didn't have a helmet on anyway.

"The hat makes the man..." lol

An then to top it off they were complaining about the money we gave them, an that it wasn't enough.... Wayne an I knew well we had paid a fair price, maybe not "white man" price, but a fair price non-the-less, those little rascals!

On the way to the funeral we tried to help these unfortunate people out...

Once we were dropped off at our church we were supposed to call Dad an he was going to see where he was by that time an either come pick us up at the church on his way back in or get someone from church to take us to the place of the funeral, but all that wasn't nessicary, because as soon as we reached the church house we could hear the mourners weeping, an wailing in the distance, so with a little help from a lady washing dishes out in her lawn, she led us through the jungle paths, an soon we were at the place where the funeral an wake were taking place at, Dad had just arrived with the casket, an the mourners were just catching their second wind, an the place was ringing, with the awful wailing an lamenting, of the women outdoing themselves with their crying.


The men were finishing up the grave, an while they were digging, I played some games with the children, teaching some of the older girls some clapping songs that I knew, an I also enjoyed teaching a whole group of random children how to play "duck, duck, goose!" it was great fun, an I think they enjoyed it to...

Testimony time....an the speakers were SO LOUD I sometimes held my ears shut!

Listening to the message from here

Mom came to me later to share a bit of drama she had experienced earlier that day...She said that they had went to the funeral home to pick up the body, an unlike in America, they could walk right into the funeral home, an she said she stepped into the building, an looking down the hall, with doors all along both sides of the hallway, she saw a body laying on a table, in a big room at the end of the hallway, an with only curtains over the doors along the hallway the church ladies started lifting the curtains an looking into the rooms to see if they knew anybody, the rooms were complete with shelves like bunk beds along the walls, with bodies waiting to be "operated" on, an as the church ladies started walking through the rooms, seeing if they knew anyone, it was more then mom could handle, she said she turned around an went outside an waited till they brought the casket outside. Interesting...I think I will make a mental note to not visit the inside of funeral homes EVER.

 My friend Stacy cutting Skuma...

So back to the wake, an funeral going on at Nyakoko, we had the usual corn an beans, an chocolate tea, then we sat around an watched them finish the grave digging, talking with all the visiting people, I was playing games with the children, but once the music started they left to go dance an sing, so several of our youth guys an my brother's an I sat beside the mud hut, off to a side where no people where crying or dancing, an talked about all the differences of things here, compared to things in America, it was really interesting, an I got to know some of them a lot better, later my friend Stacy came as well...soon after eating supper, the service started, with the usual, of music an then a short devotional, there wasn't as much loud music at this wake as it had been at the one last week, I think because this family was a lot poorer, an so we had mostly topics, my brothers an I sang several songs together at open mic, then Dad had a short devotional as well, as one of the other brothers was sharing a very fiery, an inspiring topic a young man that was related to the man that had died, came forward an said that he wants to find God an wants to ask Jesus into his life! wow! we had not even given an invitation yet to come an pray, but he just interrupted, crying, an saying he is so lost, an that the Devil has been tempting, an tormenting him for so long, an that he wants to find freedom from the chains he is bound in. wow! it was incredible!

yummy intestines....

After we had been sitting in the service for a while my brothers an I went to watch them butcher in the cooking tent, they were butchering an entire cow for the funeral the next day, (I guess it would be rather difficult to butcher only part of a cow.) my brothers saw them slit the cows throat, but thankfully I wasn't there to see that part of it, but I got to see them try to skin it while it was laying there on the ground, an they had a big fire going with big pots of boiling water, for making food, an also hot water for butchering, the one man was making chapattis for the next day as well, it was great fun hanging out with them, sitting around the fire, an laughing an talking, they got a major kick out of my clown brother Wayne, an also out of our limited knowledge of the Luo language, it was fun to be with all of them.
My brothers an I left around 11:30pm. starting the long dark ride back to Kisumu, Dad & Mom returning around 1:00am.

cuteness....

(Tuesday October 4th)
Today was once again a funeral day...We all slept in a little, except for Dad who was in his study early this morning, studying for the message he was needing to deliver today.
We all headed out for the Nyakoko area once more...arriving around 11am. and once more the testimonies were started, an Dad feeling abit stressed out, an with the lack of sleep, an the weight of responsibility placed on him, Dad & Mom spent time praying out in the vehicle before they came in...us children found chairs to sit in under the tent, away from the direct blazing sunshine.
We were thankful that the testimonies were well under way already, since testimonies are an almost "never-ending" event.

Always children everywhere....

cute little things too!

One of the last ones to give a testimony, was an older man, who just happened to be a politician, an even found a way to weave politics into his compelling speech, at his cousins funeral....sigh! He talked an talked, for a terribly long time, talking all kinds of nonsense, that caused me to duck behind the mammoth speakers sitting in front of me, an laugh myself out, then tried sitting back up with my very best sober/funeral expression that I could muster, till I had to once again hide my face, as I shook with laughter, (I'll admit it. could have very possibly been the lack of sleep that caused my laughter.) The old man talked about how that us white people should be feeling very honored to be among the Luo people, as they were the ultimate tribe, an that most of the people in the bible were Luo's (Not sure which history class he attended at school.) as well as the children of Israel, coming out of Egypt, were Luo's, an Jesus was a Luo too...he then named a lot of other supposed great leaders that were Luo's, an finished up with that even our white peoples president Obama, is a Luo! wow! what are the odds!? snort.
He then asked Dad if we are from Indiana, as most missionaries from America are from Indiana, Dad told him that we are actually from Ohio, an he got all excited about that saying that, "Great! that is the "Obama state!"  I'm thinking, "wait! why didn't I know all of these interesting facts, that I should have learned in school, but then again.....A Kenyan funeral, an history class in school could be very similar I suppose."   Whatever old man....he then closed by requesting prayer for Donald Trump, saying that if he becomes your president there will be another world war...wow! not really the most positive closing comments I had ever heard of....but we were at a funeral anyway so.....I supposed it didn't matter, as most of us were already in tears, either of sorrow, or of laughing at his speech.

Some of our church ladies cooking lunch...

After Dad had the message, we went to the grave, dug behind the lonely mud-hut, thankfully there were no drunks there that caused too much noise...Joseph had the "committal," an once again we had a feast at another little hut, were we sat around outside eating an talking...the food was really great, an its crazy but I find myself craving the Kenyan food, more an more!

Bishop Joseph an Pastor JoeAllen sharing a secret during the testimony time...

My friend Stacy was sick so I went to the hospital with her an her father, it is quite a "rustic" hospital, an while they were getting Stacy's meds, I enjoyed the freedom of being able to go right on into the maternity ward, were I got to see 3-4 new born babies being held by there mothers on a hard single bed mattress, 5-6 other ladies being in the same room, I had so much fun looking at the tiny babies, touching their impossibly soft skin, an looking at the looks of pride the mommies had, asking the babies names, an telling the mothers how cute their babies were, it was so much fun! I was feeling so sorry for the mommies as so many of them are single, very young girls from school, or single mothers, since they generally go to the hospital by themselves to have their babies.
Nurse Jabet told me the other day that a twelve year old girl had a baby at the clinic the other day! how horrible.

The ladies an their brightly colored dresses...

After Stacy was done a the hospital the rest of my family came an we took her an her father home, we headed for home very tired, but ended up getting stuck in a mud hole on the way out, but with a trusty winch, an a strong tree close by to wrap our steel rope winch around we were soon out, an on our way home.
On our way home we saw Wycliffe out in front of his fathers shop waving us to stop, he is a youth guy from Rabour church, so we stopped an ate some chips (fries) at his fathers shop, his father used to be a CBF Bishop, but after some kind of conflict he left he CBF churches altogether, I don't know what the reason was that he left.
Anyway, we continued on home after that, completely worn out...

Testimonies an more testimonies....

(Wednesday October 5th)
With the funeral an everything else that has kept us busy with church functions, we decided to cancel the usual Bible study for today, as we caught up on things around home...Our family certainly took advantage of the day at home, an did laundry, cleaning, an getting things around home back into order after being out an about so much.
Dad was in an out of the office all day, working on different updates for church reports, an financial reports as well.
The twins were working on vehicles an fixing things around the compound here an there...( They really need to write a blog of their own, to give you a peek into what they actually do, since I'm so vague with what they do, since I don't really know what all their day consists of.) We were then just around home in the evening. amazingness.

Bishop Joseph having the "committal"

(Thursday October 6th)
Today Dad was out an about most of the day, going to town getting things he needed, an again working in the office.
Mom was also working around home...I helped babysit Janice's youngest little boy, Jedidiah Kenya, while Janice went to town to buy several things she needed, the rest of their children were either in school or with Jake.
I ended up staying an helping over lunch time, as they had unexpected visitors for lunch, several young men from Kisumu here, who were helping Jake with a project he was doing.

If you've never seen one, here is an Albino Luo...im not even joking!

I then went home again, an in the afternoon Stan took me to town to get different things I needed, an to print out Joshua an Karen's wedding pictures, as well as get paint to repaint my bedroom, an I also wanted to get a few roses for Geneva as she is a 8 yr old (I think) girl here on the compound that in the last several days, and for the first time ever, started having seizures much like the ones I have experienced...my heart goes out to her so very much, I went to visit her tonight after prayer meeting an she told me all about how it happened an how it was for her, (She is a very outgoing bubbly little girl.) I tried to encourage her that this is not a punishment from God, but that God still loves an cares for her, even if it seems so dreadfully unfair at times, she is so sweet! I just hope an pray she will be able to continue a life of happiness, an independency.
Stan needed some lumber in town, an other things, so we were gone most of the afternoon, an got home in time to get ready to go to Unit Prayer meeting at Wayne Yoder's.
(Friday October 7th)
Today Dad an Mom once again went out to our Nyakoko area, to visit different church people, as well as take one of our youth guys to the hospital, as he had hurt his leg.

Dad having the "committal"

We children were working around home today, I had wanted to get my very late blog post out, but of course the internet was out of order almost all day...so I did laundry instead, as well as a few other things.

This little guy reminded me of a certain short man in the Bible...

Holding up a picture of grandmother...

For the youth activity tonight we all decided we wanted to do something different, an not play volley-ball, so we decided to put a picnic supper together, an all go to hippo point, an watch the sunset....well, what usually happens when you plan a picnic?? right! it started raining just as we had our picnic all spread out, an the first ones were filling their plates...blast it all! so we grabbed up the things closest to us, an scurried towards the vehicle, with picnic goodies in one hand, an soggy pieces of bread in the other hand, we sat in the vehicle as rain poured in torrents, eating what ever we had happened to grab up as the rain came, we then decided to go back to our carport an finish our  picnic there, which was kinda depressing... I started wondering if it was perhaps "Monday" instead of Friday, but about that time the internet came back on, an I knew for a certain that Monday would've never been that generous, an as the rest scurried along to play some amazing games of ping-pong I decided to go work on the blog, (Awe. I know! such a proverbs 31 thing of me to do. feel free to clap at this time.) I worked till around 11pm. an then added the pictures an posted it Saturday morning.
And that concludes this late post as well....hopefully I will get-a-rhythm here before too long again with this whole blog posting jazz...it's lame how I'm procrastinating! I know.
~Sylvia
For The Miller's


P.S. (I have a lot of random pics, not just from the past week, but other times as well.)

Some of my little friends...

Caren an her daughter Mary....

playing duck, duck, Goose!

Melts my heart every time, when I see an older sibling taking care of a younger one.

Butchering the cow, during the evening services...for the following day.

Laughing an talking around the fire...

Hanging out with friends, the guy on the right, in the white shirt is a son of the deceased man.

Mixing chapatti's

"Everyone Welcome!"

Stanley at the hospital to figure out what his illness is...

Picture time with the white man...

Even the "pasta" is digging the grave...

our meal in the making for the following day...uggghh!

Singing several songs for the people...

Cooking rice...

All of the sons sharing at their fathers funeral...

The last funeral....for now.

Walking to the grave....

There's more then one way to get dirt down on a casket...

Peaceful sunset over Lake Victoria!