Lost In The Jungle, A Duel Birthday, A Tuk-Tuk Gets Stuck In A Volley-Ball Net!!

(Saturday October 22nd)

African sunsets are the best...

Today we were all just working around home, Dad was preparing for communion, an Mom was out buying Chappaties an grape juice for communion.
We also cooked a chicken to take along to Daniel Okelo's house for lunch as he had invited us an Bishop Josephs to come to their house for lunch.
In the evening Stan an I went to Hippo point.
Dad got chicken at the Chinese restaurant for supper...
I actually didn't go swimming today with the rest...what a sad day!
(Sunday October 23rd)

Steve an I loading Judith & Elaine's luggage in the car...

Today was communion at our church, it was such a great time of bonding with our church people.
I enjoyed standing in a circle at the front of the church, eating the "bread an wine" an remembering all that our Savior suffered at the hands of wicked men, for my sins. What a Savior!
After that, we all washed each others feet, I was so honored to be able to wash my friend Jane's feet as she had done it for me the time before, washing her very black feet reminded me how very much the same we are, an how that our skin color is really the only difference between us, I knew all that. but when you bow down an wash their feet it helps you to put aside pride an better-then-thou attitudes.
So after the service we went to Daniels house for the usual feast he makes when we come, (or rather his wife, an neighbor ladies.) We had a great time there.

At hang-over with the girls for lunch, eating Kenyan food with our hands...

Going through all of the goodies sent from home!! thanks so much everyone!!

Our family literally cried an then laughed as we looked thru everything...

After lunch I had talked with Rhoda telling her that I would like to travel back to Kisumu with her an Joseph an Becky, so I saw they were getting ready to leave, so I was still telling Daniel an his wife thank you for the food, an started following Joseph's an Rhoda, who had just disappeared around the bend in the trail on their way back to the church to get to their vehicle, I knew the way so I wasn't worried, as I had led the way from the church house to Daniels house for lunch an everything had went just perfect, but leave it to me to get lost on familiar trails! yes people!  I got lost in the jungle! I soon discovered that things were no longer looking familiar...an I got more an more worried as I was trotting down trails that were becoming increasingly unfamiliar, I was soon strolling past huts with curious children looking out, my pace increasing by the minute, I finally got up enough courage to ask an old grandmother, which way it was to the CBF church in Nykoko, I could tell that she didn't understand English very well, but she so confidently pointed in the direction I was headed that I just believed her, an kept going, trying hard to look like I totally knew where I'm going, even though I had not even the slightest clue...so I again asked some guys coming along the trail, an they point in the opposite direction, the direction I had just come from...great! so now its entertaining to point around in random directions in the jungle, an see the white girl circling around? I felt desperate, an the booming thunder over head seemed to proclaim the already doomed feeling I had inside...but the two guys, an another lady told me to follow them an they would take me to the church, thanks God! So they led me to the church house, an kept on their way, I thanked them profusely! but as I was walking into the church house drive way, I saw right away that the gate was shut an locked, an Josephs vehicle was gone...an right then it started to rain in torrents, an I knew I couldn't just stand in the rain, so I ran to the mud hut beside the church, where a family lives in that I had never met before, but at the moment I felt terribly social, an wanted to get to know them in the worst way possible! Mostly to stay dry.

Sitting in the living room still looking thru cards an notes from home!

At the market buying fresh fruit...

So they welcomed me inside, even though I was just planning to stand on the edge of the house on the outside allowing the roof that extended out abit to keep the rain off of me...they insisted that I come inside, so I did. I just stood anxiously at the door so I could see the drive way...I started texting Rhoda, asking how far they had gone, an I tried calling Dad, an texting my brothers, Dad, an Mom just to find out my credit on my phone was gone! an I could not contact anyone...I was thinking...I might spend the rest of Sunday evening at this house! An the people could not understand English hardly at all, I could not get everything they were trying to tell me either...I could see Joseph's returning to the compound without me thinking I went with my family, an my family returning surprised that I wasn't with Joseph's! I started praying really hard, I was thankful that I was out of the rain, with a seemingly friendly family, but I really wanted to get home before it got dark!! Then the impossible happened. I see the vehicle my brothers had used driving in the church house lane!! I bolted out of the house, I cant remember if I thanked the host for letting me get out of the rain, an stay in their house, or not! but in that moment I had one direction in mind, an that was to get in the vehicle with people I knew, an that could understand my language, an that knew where they were going! I jumped into the van, wiping myself dry from running through the rain, I asked Steve who was sitting there much too calmly, an undisturbed for the present situation, "HOW did you know to come for me!!!" an he said, "There were two guys out on the main dirt road that flagged us down, an told us that there is a white girl at the CBF church that needs to be picked up." wow! I had never told them I needed a ride, just that I needed to get to the church house. unreal. An another miracle was that my brothers stopped, usually when people flag us down we just keep going, since it is a mission policy not to pick people up that are none CBF people, and they tell us not to give them transport. But my brothers actually stopped to see what they wanted! Thank almighty providence that they did!

Elaine an I watching the local soccer game....eating chips.

In the evening Rhoda an I went walking...
(Monday October 24th)
Today Dad went to pastors meeting like usual...Mom was doing laundry an making granola...I went to Java house to write the blog, for something different...so I was there for a while trying to catch up on my very late blog posts.
(Tuesday October 25th)
Today all the pastors an their wives went to Jennifer's Gardens, along with all of the native pastors an their wives for a meeting, an day of fellowship.
So I was babysitting Jake's children, an doing our laundry, Wayne helped me out a lot!
(Wednesday October 26th)
Today I was at home, I painted basically all day in my bedroom, I got most it done, I wanted some of it to do when Judith an Elaine are here to help, but I didn't want to spend too much time painting while they are here, so like I said I tried having the majority of it done before they came...
Dad an Mom went to Bible study today, then we were all at home in the evening preparing for our visitors that are coming from the states!!!
We could hardly wait any longer!! we all felt so honored that they came all the way over here to see us! unbelievable.
(Thursday October 27th)

Dad an Mom enjoying an evening watching the sunset...

Our prized visitors from America!!

Today it was FINALLY the day to go to the airport to pick up our visitors! Steve an I drove the 15 min. to the Kisumu airport to pick them up...they landed right on time at 10 am. Steve an I stood at the chain link fence watching as the airplane landed an taxied to the building, an then we saw two white girls, in their white veiling's coming down the steps onto the hot concrete, walking to the airport to claim their baggage...we were waving as soon as we could see them...I was excitedly clutching the roses I had gotten for them in one hand, an literally shaking with excitement! they finally burst through the doors pushing their carts loaded with luggage! then all the hugging an excitement of seeing people you haven't seen for months an months!! it was just amazing...I kept telling them that I'm so scared I'm gonna wake up soon, an find that this was once again just one of my many dreams I have had where I wake up an realize that I didn't meet my friends at all, but was just dreaming! But I didn't wake up! that was the best part!
We then took them back to the compound, an let them settle into their little apartment, an take showers an short naps, since they looked quite travel worn when they came...Steve an I then took them to "Hang-over Hotel" for lunch, where they had a traditional Kenyan meal, complete with eating with their hands, we then walked the streets an did a little shopping at the small shops along the way, we also walked ring road back home, an I got to introduce them to some of my friends there, which was beyond fun!
We had unit prayer meeting in the evening, at Dean Miller's so we all went for that...We then came back to our house for a snack, an a early retiring to bed.
It was a great first day with our visitors...but already time has somehow sped up, traveling twice as fast as it usually does. I tried not thinking when they will leave again, but just to enjoy it while they were here.

Elaine in her 'element'

Dad an Mom were out visiting today so they could not go along to the airport to pick them up, they really wanted to though.
And Stan an Wayne went with Joel from our church, to a gold digging site where they were digging gold, Wayne took his video-tape camcorder with him, an took a whole video of the gold mining camp, putting it on YouTube which is seemingly something he is learning to enjoy more an more...putting videos together.
(Friday October 28th)
Happy birthday Steve & Stan!!!!!
Today I let the girls sleep in really late to overcome some of their jet-leg, in the meantime I was taking care of the sewing ladies, an working around here at home, we then had lunch together here at our house, as Dad was at home today an working in the office.
After lunch we went fabric shopping, riding piki piki's, which was one of our favorite things to do, an also got milk shakes at java house, an took them up top to acacia to drink them, were they had fluffy couches an we could look out over Kisumu city, it was just amazing to sit an talk an catch up on life...we still kept exclaiming how wonderful it was to be seeing each others faces again, an to be able to talk face to face instead of through email...it was simply to wonderful for words!!

So many cute little babies to hold, an so little time!

We then went back to the compound, an got ready to leave for Joseph an Becky's house for supper, as they had invited us an some others over for supper, afterward the youth couldn't play volley ball because a random downpour came an ruined our plans, plus we had another power outage.
It was really sad we couldn't play since the guys had already set up the net, but then it started to rain an the lights that are usually set up on the lane to play v-ball  went dark because of the power outage.
So we all scattered for cover, into JoeAllens carport were we played ping-pong, an afterwards celebrated the twins birthday, an last year as  teenagers, with some snacks. It was sad not having Stacy an Rissa with us, as they are still on their visit to the states.


But out on the lane the net was still up, an the guys had planned to take it down, after ping-pong an thought that hopefully the rain would be stopped by that time as well.

Working in the kitchen...fresh avocado dip, an pineapples an mango's...

But while we were all having a jolly grand time playing ping-pong...a lone tuk-tuk decided to come through the street, only to be caught in the web of a volley ball net stretch out over the lane, becoming much like a small pebble, in a sling shot! it ended up tearing the net down, as well as collapsing one of the poles that we had a light on. But thankfully no one got hurt, an we have fixed the net an light pole since.

Helping the sewing ladies while Stacy is in America...

I found it rather humorous of course...(imagining) the tuk-tuk driver floor boarding his little wagon-like contraption, wondering why it wasn't moving ahead like usual, only to shoot ahead with a sudden burst of speed, as the light pole gives in to the little game of tug-of-war, he an the tuk-tuk were engaged in, collapsing to the ground.
I'm guessing the tuk-tuk driver made a mental note to not only watch out for, people, cars, piki's, bikes, cows, goats, vehicles, an buses, but also added volley ball nets to the long list that any studious driver in Kenya should have.
That is all for this post!
~Sylvia

 For The Miller's

Elaine an I having a blast...

 

 

Mom working in her kitchen...

 

 

 

Mango smoothies...#thebest

Dad an Elaine ever joking about something! =}

Remember; "When Life Gets Rough, Drink Several Coke." or in this case, an entire crate. lol