Miller Family Kisumu, Kenya: Chickens Die, Thieves Check Our Doors, Unit Meeting And Orientation

(Saturday April 29th)

Unit meeting Thursday evening...

Today the youth girls had planned to go swimming but we woke up to cold rainy weather, it seemed like a chilly, fall day back home!
Needless to say the swimming was cancelled an we slept in, staying in our warm beds as long as possible....then we had a late brunch.
In the afternoon I took Wayne to town to buy some shoes.
Then late afternoon to evening my friend Winnie was on a visit to the compound, an then, when the visit was over I drove her home, I was at her house for a while talking, drinking chia, an enjoying being with Faith her sister before she returns back to school.
(Sunday April 30th)
Today we all went to church early with Dad, an we really enjoyed our new vehicle, thanks to the mission for allowing us to buy another one after the other engine was ruined.
We picked up Dishon at Rabour church, as he wanted to go with us, Dad had IC class...we also had two visiting youth guys from Aroba church, Rodgers, an Felix come to visit, so Felix had devotions, an Dishon ended up preaching for us, so dad got a little break for once.
We got back home, had our lunch, an retired to our naps...it was cold an rainy again this evening...we were just around home, an ended up going to bed early...since the dreaded chicken butchering was scheduled for 6am. the next morning.
(Monday May 1st)

Merl Beachy Sharing the story how his son was almost killed while they lived in Kenya.

Happy May everyone!
Today started with a crash at 5am. for my brother Steve...then it was off to the place where butchering was held at, to set everything up, so things were ready to start butchering at 6am. when everyone else came to help with the task of butchering 200+ chickens!
This time Mom an I were on to make breakfast, so our morning consisted of cleaning up the house from the weekend, an making food for all the hungry people after butchering was over with.
We had biscuits an sausage gravy with scrambled eggs, then fruit an dessert was brought by others.
The butchering finally finished at 11am. everyone ate, then we cleaned up an did dishes till around 1pm. then the day was almost shot already, so we took short naps....And in the later afternoon I went with my friend Winnie to buy fabric at the Muslim fabric shops, she wanted to buy some fabric, an also needed to buy some school things for her sisters. Then I took her home, it was a good afternoon an evening....an so concluded another Monday.
(Tuesday May 2nd)
Today I did all our laundry...Mom was sewing most of the day.

Orientation morning..

Dad was out with some of our church people, various church issues summoned him for a day of visiting, rebuking, an encouraging.
In the afternoon I worked on the blog some...
Then Wycliffe a youth guy from Rabour an his sister Sue came to visit us, staying the rest of the afternoon, an for supper....so everything else was on hold, an that is okay, we are learning to be flexible when visitors arrive.
In the evening Dad an Mom an the three boys with most of the rest of the compound went to Josephs to see some slides, an videos of last time election riots in Kenya.
I decided to stay at home an work on the blog some more.
That evening, Some thieves decided it was time to check out our compound again...They climbed in over our hedge row, where a section of the bushes died after a car crashed into them, then they pulled one of Brian's chairs from their porch so the exit with the "goodies" could be more successful.

Story time with the children before the message on Sunday.

They then went to a house on the compound where some Kenyans are living in, an found a window unlocked, an broke the glass an entered, an while the family slept they took the TV, an anything else that suited their fancy, even some trousers an shirts were scattered around outside, where they were looking for anything of value.
Everyone else was sleeping in the compound, even the guard grew tired of his watch, an with his door to his little guard shack almost closed an the radio playing he didn't hear hardly anything!
Then after a robber climbed several of the poles where we had camera's on, an bent the camera's down to the ground, so as not to be caught in the act, they continued to Wayne's house, Wayne woke up to the back door alarm going off, then the front door alarm went off soon after, an so he jumped out of bed, an pulled aside the curtain in the dining room, where the window is facing the front door, an there is a man, in only his trousers, fingering his front door, inspecting the wire meshing, an seeing his best way of entering, he never saw Wayne watching him look at his door, but Wayne went an started their security alarm, an got dressed an by the time they were outside, everyone was gone, an the thieves jumped the hedge row, an left with their goodies...we thank God that it wasn't worse, an feel sorry for our neighbors that got targeted this time, we know how unsettling it is!
Our family was really proud of our dog, he was going crazy out in our yard, barking an raising the biggest fuss, then soon after we heard Wayne's alarm go off. So we are glad for the security that a big dog brings to our compound.

It wouldn't be Dad if it wouldn't be a "dramatized" story! haha

It was also a good reminder to keep things locked tight at night.
(Wednesday May 3rd)
Today Dad an Mom went to Bible study like usual...The rest of us were just at home, doing our jobs.
Dad an Mom got back late, so we were just at home...in the evening we all packed our bags an were busy getting ready to leave for Nakuru in the morning.
(Thursday May 4th)
This morning all the missionaries in the Kisumu compound packed up an made the long trek to Nakuru for the bi-monthly unit meeting, as well as orientation the following day, for three new families that have arrived, two of which are from our compound, Brian Mast's an James Barkmen's.
Jonny Zook's from Greenville are the new family in Nakuru, an with his brother Tony Zook working for CAM an living fairly close, I'm sure they will enjoy "Family times," that most of us only dream of having.
We reached Nakuru around noon, an made a KFC/Java House stop for lunch, then headed on out to the compound.
It was really nice to leave later in the day instead of 5:30am. for Nakuru how we usually do.
We started our meeting around 1:30pm an it lasted till around 5pm.
Then we had supper, an after supper us youth went to the CAM warehouse an played volleyball.
It was a good long day.

Hanging out with my friend Winnie...

(Friday May 5th)

This morning the breakfast was at 7am.

An then the topics for orientation. there were four topics. shared by four different brothers.

We dismissed around 1pm. we had lunch, an most left shortly afterwards, arriving home around dark, an just in time to unpack an go to bed early.
An so was another week that flew by in a flurry...an who can believe that it has been 15 months now since we saw home an family!? time flies when your having fun I guess...

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week.

Choose joy, choose happiness, the negative happens by default.

~Sylvia

For The Miller's