The Conclusion of language study, Glory In The Highest!!

Me with my Three bro's =)

(Saturday May 28^th)

This morning all the ladies went to Java House to do a last bash with the Stoltzfus ladies in tow, we had a wonderful time together!

Then after we got back from breakfast, we youth girls along with some of the school girls went swimming most of the afternoon at Cosmos, we had a really good time, but it was kinda sad to think that it was one of the last swimming parties with the Stolzfus girls, an Charity along.

Linford teaching Wednesday Bible study.

We all had a really good time an got back in the late afternoon, we were just around home in the evening, an then before dark, Dad an I went on a walk on our street yet. We ended up watching this big group of boys play foot ball, they were all ages playing, an just having a blast! The ball they had was basically plastic bags smashed into a ball, an then string tied around it. But they sure were good! Making goalies with their heads, hitting the ball was amazing! An I couldn’t help but notice how good sports they were.

Coming to Bible Study...All excited.

Dad was studying for most of the day, for his first message on Sunday, so I think he was excited to get out an think something else for a while.

 

(Sunday May 29^th)

 

Today was just our family going to church, since Linford & Kay an Charity were at another one of the AMA churches, to preach an visit. Our family left for church again at 7:45AM.  Since Dad was teaching instruction class as well.

He then had his first message since we came, he preached about “the church.” I thought he did very well to remember everything he had going on, with teaching instruction class, all the announcements, the message, an then meetings with various people after the service.

We finally got back from church around 2pm. An I think we were all pretty tired, an glad to have the first Sunday, “on our own” past.

Some of the youth went to hippo point, by lake Victoria to watch the sunset, then we all gathered at JoeAllen’s for games an snacks. Another thing about today is that we hardly had electric, it kept going off an on, went off prolly about 8-10 times today!

 

(Monday May 30^th)

At Bible Study.

Today we didn’t have any language classes! Because there was a unit pastors meeting somewhere, not sure where it was, but it was a little ways from the compound.

Mom came home showing some amazing pictures of the place where the meeting was being held. The flowers an landscape was pretty incredible! Mom said it was so pretty an seemed “enchanted!” wow! Made me wish I would have gotten to be there. I really wish she would have taken my camera…

 

School Children Waiting to watch them do a skit. (Love the "chill out" pull over!)

The twins were working around the shop, doing various welding, painting an oil changes, I am so proud of them for getting into that type of work, it’s so different then building barns.

Wayne was mowing the lawn, an taking care of the chickens.

I was baby-sitting Jakes three boys, since they were obviously at the pastors meeting. Their names are Mahlon, Joey, an Joshua, we had a good time together, I loaded them on our wagon an got Wayne to pull them. ;) we then went down the street to buy some chapatti’s for our lunch, since the electric was off again most of the day today, an I can’t cook if it is off, it’s so unhandy!

In the after noon I got out some big tubs an filled them with water an let them splash around in there, it was fun watching them.

The preachers an their wiflet’s all got back around 6:30pm.



Acting out the Bible story of the good Samaritan. See Stan laying in the background

So we were all just around home, except for the three bro’s who tore out the lane with our land cruzer to buy some things around town, but I think the main reason was... they had just put new mudding tires on the vehicle, but they said they are going to buy Pringles at Nakamatt! Lol

I had to go to bed early since I was feeling seizurey again…

 

(Tuesday May 31^st)

Today was our last day of language classes, an we were beyond thrilled to have that part of our lives over with, but we were also very thankful for all that we learned!

Stan all ready for his part in the skit.

After classes Dad an I took Rosemary to her house, she has a very nice house for Kenyan standards, she has a bunch of orphans that she takes care of, she has such a big heart.

We then went to Nakamatt to buy a few things, got back in the afternoon, an got ready to go to Deans house for the farewell that was planned there for Marlins family, as they are leaving us for their journey back to America this Friday. They will leave a big hole in the compound an in the youth, as they had 4 youth.

 

Markus an Micah came for the occasion as well.

 

The School children. God has a purpose for each one! there were 650 students!

After supper the youth played volley ball, then shortly after dark dark it started raining, but that didn't stop them from playing their last game with the Stoltzfus youth, they kept right on playing in the down pour!

I wasn’t helping play, because of my seizure health again, an went to bed early. Sigh…but was nice to hear the rain falling.

 

(Wednesday June 1^st)

Happy June you all! It’s hard to believe that it’s been exactly 3 months today that we have left Brown County! It doesn’t seem like that long…in some ways, then in other ways it seems like it’s been three years!

It was so amazing to have the forenoon to work instead of being in class.

One of the many colorful birds in Africa

Dad was doing some church work on the computer, an mom was working on fixing some of the ladies choir dresses.

Some of the choir dresses that the native ladies had done were not very neatly done, so mom was redoing them, an I washed all of them.

We then ate a hurried scattered lunch, an Dad & Mom were off to the weekly bible study.

The twins went back out to the shop to glean all the info on Jadon an Lavons work that they can while they are still here.

Wayne was doing odd jobs around the house, an then escorted me to town to buy several things, since I don't like going by myself, plus he adds so much, humor, protection, an entertainment... needless to say I drag him around as my "chaperone" these days. (Or he drags me around, Not sure which!) But we enjoy our times together. Today we had a new experience of getting a tuk-tuk to take us to town, it was a first for us.

An I felt kinda smug that I actually got the driver to come down to my price, instead of paying the "white man's" price.

WE got back an I worked on my EVER-SO-LATE blog off an on, an worked on cleaning my bedroom. Did some laundry. An that's about all that happened today.  

Meeting with Richard & Rispah

(Thursday June 2nd)

This morning around 8:30am. all of my family along with Joe's, an Wayne an Clara's family, went on a book distribution at a school...I stayed at home since I still was not feeling the best.

So I puttered around home, did laundry, an then made some lunch.

The rest got home around 1:30pm. an promptly all took naps, an then launched into their afternoon jobs...in the evening our family went to watch the sunset, an so by 5:30pm. we headed out to hippo point, with a picnic lunch in tow, an watched an awesome sunset, took pictures, an visited with some natives, an just enjoyed the strong breezes, from of the lake, an watched the huge waves crash against the shore, it was all so refreshing an lovely.

An just to be as a family was probably the best part!

(Friday June 3rd)

This morning around 8am. we had another sad parting, as Marlin's family said their final good-byes to all the missionaries here on the compound, an after praying, an many tears, they left the place that they called "home" for the last four years for their lives...
They will be missed so much!

easy-going Richard is our usher at church. An his fiery wife is one of my best friends!

After a quick breakfast, Dad & Mom an Linford & Kay an I left to visit several people from church...At the first place we ended up staying for several hours, since the lady decided to make lunch for us yet too!

The ladies choir in their new black dresses, waiting to give a program.

Me drinking tea, with some friends. at least I'm outside the steamy hut!

First she served us chia, tea, an some kind of chocolate drink, with plain bought bread, with butter an jam. We thought that was the extent of the food, an finished up our eating, an got ready to have the meeting with her, that we came to have. So we wait...an wait...an wait some more, finally someone went outside to see if she can come inside for the meeting. (the ladies in Kenya hardly ever eat with their visitors, or their husbands, so she was outside while we were eating.) But she said, No! she said, "you are my visitors, an I have not yet released you to go, I am making chicken, Ugali, an chapatti yet, so just be cool, an wait." sigh....we were so hot an sweaty inside the hut, so when we heard that we had just had our "appetizer" an that more food was being made, we ask if we could move our chairs outside under the shade tree. (For Kenyan's it is very important that before you do anything else, we pray inside their house, so God's blessing is on their home.) so since we had prayed already, we sat outside an waited till lunch was made, several hours later after finishing the food inside, an having a lengthy discussion with her, we left for our next visit, which we only happened to be several hours late for. (real Kenyan style)

Waiting...an waiting.... on lunch.

This family is painfully poor, so no food here, we were totally fine with that! an after praying inside, they moved outside under the shade tree to have the meeting.
It was actually at my friend Jenn's house, an she was there as well, since she does not have enough money to go to school...so since she can hardly talk any English, we sat on the other side of the hut in the shade, an looked around, wondering what to talk about, I soon discovered that whatever I said she would just say, "ehh" meaning yes, since she could not understand me very well. it was a long hour or so, but was fun to hang out I guess.

Wayne with his friends, Wycliff, an Dishon 

So some of us had to use the restroom, so Jenn's mom told her to take us to the "restroom", so we started walking down this trail, way back into the sugar cane field, all the time I kept thinking...well lots of things...but mostly, that I'm afraid we wont be finding even an out house way back here! so finally Jenn stops on the trail where we were all walking single file, an points into the sugar cane field! an "grunts" pointing towards the field, an I'm thinking cool! nice crops.... now for the out house!!?
 but after several seconds of standing there, hoping she would continue walking an take us to a real out house, I realized that the sugar cane field, was the out house...I'm thinking of all the snakes, an creepy crawlies, an what-not that is in those fields. But hey we all survived, an still live to tell the story! it was another one of those, "Welcome to Kenya moments" for me!




Brad & Tiffany having sweet cousin times...

We finally left the second place by late afternoon, an then on the way home we happened upon a funeral of a youth boy, that had died, because he choked on his food at school. (he was eating a biscuit type of bread, an choked to death!) strange... anyway, it had been two weeks already, an they were still having viewing! unreal! an they were planning on burying him the next day...an feeling a little adventurous, we decided to stop at the funeral. We went in an viewed the body, an prayed of course, an shook many, many, black hands, an talked, an then left again...it was another new cultural experience for me.
Funerals in Kenya are so very different then in America. Funerals here are kind of a place to go an party, the ones that are not Christians anyway, they often get drunk at funerals. so sad.

Mom working in her kitchen.

An they are not nearly as organized as we are used to. for example often the hole to bury the casket is not big enough, so they have to dig it bigger while everyone is waiting!

One of the missionary pastors that has been here many, many years already. once told us the story of him being at a funeral were, several drunk guys came in during the funeral an just picked up the casket an walked off with it! unbelievable! so yeah, I didn't experience anything that radical, but still was an experience. 

Dad trying to figure out his new ride.

On days like today when I'm sitting outside huts drinking tea an talking with little children, I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming...I still just cant believe that I'm living in Kenya! I know, after 3 months you would think I would just get over it all already. but after a day like today I just cant believe I'm really here, an getting to experience these things! I just want to make the most of every moment.

-Sylvia
For The Miller's


P.S. (Today is Monday, an they are having their debates for the elections in 2017, there is especially alot of rioting today, an they have told us missionaries to stay inside the compound today.

Here is a picture I snapped just this morning, of rioters burning tires.

All forenoon, there has been smoke in the sky as rioting, an burning cars continues, so far one person has gotten killed this morning, an three wounded. We hear them shooting the tear gas, since some of the fighting is right here on our street, (Ring Road) so please lift us up in prayer today, an every Monday especially.

Just before I sent out this update, mom told me that one of the pastors that was at the pastors meeting today, was on his way home this afternoon, an got mobbed! they said he just got paid his salary for his pastoral work, an they robbed him of his money, an beat him, they took his motor bike too, but later returned it. they say Kisumu town is in chaos, an is shut down today with road blocks. Even this evening around 5:30pm. we still can hear shots firing...please keep praying for all of our safety.  Thanks so much!)