Miller Family Kisumu, Kenya: Another Grave To Dig, Pastor Meets Pavement, An A Valentine Supper!

(Saturday February 11th)

The Rabour choir singing at the funeral....

Today Dad an Mom left early to go to the funeral home to pick up the body an take it out to the family, also the grave had to be dug.
The twins an Wayne left around noon to go help with the difficult task of digging the grave by hand, But on their way with our patrol, the oil container had a leak an the vehicle ran completely out of oil, thus burning up the engine, an ruining it completely....so they stopped beside the road, an called around, finally getting on of their friends to bring a tow truck, an haul the dead vehicle back to the compound, by the time they reached the compound it was already around 4pm. so they decided to not start the trek back out with another vehicle as it would get too late.
That evening one of my good friends Winnie came over an we went to the lake, an then watched the youth play spike ball, an had a sleep over, it was a lot of fun!
(Sunday February 12th)

Some of the youth guys lowering the casket...

Today was the day of the funeral at our church, an old widow lady named Leyonita died, after a long health battle, coming mostly from old age.
So this morning Dad an Mom along with Stan an Wayne went to our church in Nyakoko for a short service, before leaving to go over to the place where the funeral was being held at the deceased ladies home, the funeral started at 1pm. so services were kept short.
Also with the funeral being on a Sunday afternoon, many of the surrounding CBF people came to the funeral, I don't think I have ever been to a funeral where so many of our CBF people were present.
Anyway, so my morning consisted of getting up an making breakfast for Winnie an me, then we got public transport to take us to her church at Rabour, at Rabour they also had short services since their choir had asked if they could come sing at the funeral, so, my brother Steve came to Rabour after Sunday school, with a van, an after the service we took the choir to our church area an they sang at the funeral, it was a long, hot, dusty day, but with lots of food, friends, an good times after the burial.

With Victor an Winnie at the funeral, they are two of my good friends...

Poor Dad was so tired since he an Mom had been at the wake the night before, preaching an singing with the church people an the deceased ladies family, an didn't come back to the compound till around 3Am. the next morning...they had been there all DAY! Dad texted us at 10:30pm. saying that they were still digging the grave, an the dirt was stone hard, then they still had services planned for that evening...sigh....then only to turn around an go back out the next day to preach for the funeral.
(Monday February 13th)
Today was just a normal Monday, of working around home....Dad went to Pastors...Nothing to write about to day.
(Tuesday February 14th)
Happy Valentines Day to Everyone!!!!

The casket...

Today all of us ladies that could flocked down to Jake an Janice's house to help do some cleaning there, since Jakes moved out of their house an to another house, making room for Brains that are coming as the new family.
So we were kept busy waxing floors, an scrubbing walls, an washing curtains, it was a long day, but a rewarding day as well.
(Wednesday February 15th)
Today Dad an Mom left for Bible Study with the piki since no other vehicle was available.
Today I stayed at home to prepare things for Valentines supper that us youth are doing for the missionary couples...I worked on other things to prep for the supper...
Today was also the day, as most of you know by now, that Dad An Mom had their piki accident, that morning Mom was just not excited about going with that motor bike all the way out to our church, but with our vehicle down, it was the only choice.

At the burial...

So driving a piki in mud is very difficult as I understand, so while they were out close to our church, back in the boonies, an on their way to Bible study, they were going through a thick an slimy mud puddle, when Dad somehow lost control an Grandma Miller, along with gramps, landed into the mud with a solid thunk! After gathering themselves together they slipped their way back onto the piki determined to continue on to Bible study, once they got there mom was really muddy from her rapid descent into overly-hydrated dust, so the loving church ladies offered to wash her dress for her, an wrapped her in a laso cloth while the dress dried...

Scooping the hard dry dirt on the casket...

So on the way home, is when the accident occurred, they were only within several miles from home, is when they had the accident....this tuk tuk pulled over in front of them, striking Dads handle bars on his piki, flipping them both out on the pavement...Mom said as she was setting sail through the air, she thought, "not again!!" an landing on the pavement is then when she broke her arm, mostly the finer bones up towards her wrist...I was at the super market, an by the time I got home, they were getting ready to take her to the hospital, I ran to the house an got some things, an hurried back to the vehicle to go with them...Stan drove, since Dads cuts an bruises really started hurting after his adrenaline wore off, his pant legs were splattered in blood, an he said he doesn't know how he had managed to drive that piki the remainder of the way home with his road burns, poor Mom winced in pain in the back seat cradling her arm over the extremely bumpy road till we reached the paved highway...
Upon arriving at the hospital no one was in a hurry, as usual, but a short, pointy-nosed, business-like, Asian guy did direct us to a small room, were mom sat on the Doctor bed, an Dad sat in a chair, it was a cramped room, with a lady sitting on a wheelchair in the middle, making it hard to even pass by her, the room was extremely hot, an Mom felt like fainting from, the pain, trauma, an no fresh air.

Waiting on the tuk-tuk to get rides to the supper...

The lady on the wheel chair was getting IV, an looked frightened an solemn, there was a small puddle of blood in the middle of the room, from a previous patient, when ever I passed I tried stepping over it...so disgusting! The trash can in the room was over flowing, an trash was laying on the floor.
We sat there for a long time getting hotter by the minute, then soon a nurse breezed in an took a look at her wrist saying they will need to do an x-ray, wow! so we figured out we need an x-ray!! hurray for our side!! I was thinking.... I could have made that choice a long, long time ago! But then again, I really need to have more patience with these slow-moving Doctors an nurses over here. (If you have any extra, slow-moving orange triangles laying around, I would appreciate having them as gifts for the Doctors an nurses.)

Jake an Janice getting chauffeured to the supper...

So we sat, sat, sat, for several hours, Victor from Aroba came to see Mom an Dad an to help where ever needed, so finally I had Mom admitted to the hospital, then we waited some more, In the meantime I tried cleaning Dad's wounds an stop the bleeding...being in that hot cramped room an smelling blood was almost more then I could handle....then Dad said he thinks he is gonna faint, so I start vigorously fanning him with the doctors record book that was laying there on the counter, Dad was turning grey, an muttering something incoherent about he thinks he will just sleep here...huh!? are u kidding me!? sleeping here is not an option, an I knew he went coo-coo on me, so I got wet paper towels an put them on his forehead, an got him to sit out in the waiting room where it was cooler, an got Victor to stay with him, in case he feels like fainting again, in the meantime I was trying to fill out paper work for Mom so she could get her X-ray's done.

The duo, enjoying their job...

So after waiting a long time we were finally released with X-ray scans showing the fracture in her wrist an a obviously dislocated bone....while we were waiting to be released Stan went to KFC to get some supper for us, since we still had not eaten any supper, we got home around 11pm.

The Doctors had told us to be back between 9-10am. in the morning, An the Doctor would be in to tell us the next plan of action....so, after helping Mom shower, I got her comfortable in bed with strategically placed pillows to make her arm comfortable...I cringed thinking about the fact that she would have to sleep overnight with a bone dislocated. ( if only I knew how long it would go till she could have her surgery.)
We were all so exhausted, we all slept good, even Mom said she slept fairly well, considering her circumstances with her arm.
(Thursday February 16th)

Dad an Mom enjoying the chocolate fountain...

Dad an Mom left around 8:30am. to be at the hospital in time to hopefully do a surgery an get a cast on her arm...but so was not to be, they did meet the Doctor, but he told them that the Aga Kahn hospital they were at is full, an that they would have to be transferred to another one, Dad an Mom were skeptical but the Doctor promised they would like this other hospital even better, so they agreed to go, an discovered true to the Doctors words the hospital was even nicer then the hospital we usually go to, this hospital was new, an clean, an mom felt very good in being there, the hospital was only 6 months old, so it was very nice, an Mom said she would rank that hospital right up with American hospital's, but the Doctor had a busy schedule an told Dad an Mom to come back the next day to sign in an schedule surgery for her arm, so they came back home around noon, an Mom rested, an tried to get used to living with only one arm.

Lester an Hannah

Tonight was the Valentines supper that us youth were doing for our married couples on the compound, So I was actually glad in a way that Dad an Mom were able to come home an able to be there for the Valentines Supper.
So today I was really busy with having Mom's usual work to do, then I grilled chicken for the supper, an hot dog's for the children who were being babysat by the under-youth-aged girls, I also made a unique drink made with white grape juice, an ginger ale.
It was a fun evening with us youth serving the parents an catering them, trying to make them feel as special as they really are.
We of course decorated a lot, an even had a photo booth, an moved stuffed furniture out, an set up a white screen to play the movie "War Room" on for the couples entertainment, we even had pop-corn for them, but everyone was so stuffed from supper, that it wasn't a big hit, but it was the thought that counted!
The boys really dressed up, an even rented a tuk-tuk for several hours, to escort each couple to the place of the supper.
We had a lot of fun that evening, an I really hoped the couples enjoyed it too. I'm pretty sure they did.
(Friday February 17th)

The table they ate supper at...

Today Mom again went to the hospital, an got settled into her room, being prepped for surgery, an just as she had her gown on an was ready to be taken to the operating room, the Doctor came to her room for a meeting...he informed her that there was an emergency surgery that came up an that her surgery would have to wait till the next day, so she spent the night at the hospital, anticipating to get the surgery over with the following day. (We later discovered that the Doctors were on strike, an that is why we were being juggled around for so long, till they were allowed to work again.)
Today I was just around home, trying to fulfill the duties that I so often take for granted that Mom does.
In the evening volley ball started early, we played till around 8:30-9:00pm. then we all went to Simba Club for supper, Its a really good Asian restaurant, with a nice buffet, but they don't open till around 8:30pm. so that's why we always go so late when we eat there.

Dad an Mom trying to smile amidst the pain from the accident...

We got back to the compound around 11pm. We had a really fun evening with Lester's youth being along, as well as Clarissa had some youth visitors along.

Our youth group is small so we always enjoy any visitors!

So that is all for this very late post...

An while I'm talking about late post's, with my sister coming here in the next several days an staying several weeks, the information might be sketchy an I might do several blogs with only pictures! Gasp! haha! I know you all look at the pictures an not my long winded letters anyway...haha! So Happy Day for all you picture loving people.

Have a blessed week...

~Sylvia

For The Miller's