Miller Family Kisumu, Kenya: A Pastor On A Piki, A Baptism, An Another Wake!

(Saturday November 26th)

Bishop Joseph an Pastor Joallen Baptizing...

Today we of course slept in late...then for something different the three bros an I decided to go swimming! We had much fun! Dad an Mom also came to the pool in the late afternoon, after Dad was finished studying for his message for tomorrow.
Us children then came home an got ourselves cleaned up, then we got a picnic supper together, an met Dad an Mom At hippo point for a picnic, we ate our supper by the lake, an watched a amazing sunset...it was a VERY relaxed Saturday for sure!
(Sunday November 27th)

My Friend Leah being baptized...

Today Dad & Mom went to our church like usual, an us youth were going to Aroba for the Baptism of three of their youth...an we were supposed to drop off Wayne at our church, so he could get a piki from Masogo on back in to our church...he went with us because Dad & Mom left so early for our church...anyway, the morning didn't go quite as we had planned, first Dads patrol gives out in Ahero...an due to my non-existent mechanical thinking, I have no idea what went wrong with the vehicle! my brothers could tell you though...all I know is something or other was getting hot....maybe the muffler?....or the engine!? who knows. Missionary vehicles always get hot one time or another...right?
So Dad had to leave his vehicle in Ahero, an him an mom grabbed the nearest van heading to where our church road branches from the main road, an then got piki's to take them on back in to our church...poor mom hates piki rides, so it was a trying Sabbath day for her!
They arrived at church in one piece, an were a-little late for IC class, the natives were surprised to see the pasta being late! maybe now they know how we feel when they are always late....so as for our journey to church...it was more uneventful, an cool as ever was the fact that the three bros an I got to take Joseph's new truck to church, we were in shock the whole way there! we had AC, an even a CD player that worked in the truck! Oh! Happy Day! we are used to driving a van with a window missing, natural AC, an carpeting loose on the floor of the van...anyway, it gets us there an back, an that's really all we need!

Committing their lives to Christ...

So first, there was a guy at the gate that needed a ride to our church since his family is attending there, so he got in, an the truck was full...an we still had to pick up Victor, an take him along to Aroba...so needless to say, Wayne was generous enough to sit on the back of the truck on the way to church, an then got a piki, an went to our church in Nyakoko, along with the other guy that was at the compound gate, an the rest of us continued our trip to Aroba for the Baptism...we had a good day an were invited to one of the youth guys house from Aroba for lunch, along with all of the other Nyakoko youth that came for the Baptism, an David & Leah, Victor, an some others from Aroba...we had a jolly grand time, an finally left for home an arrived home around 5:30- 6:00pm. What a day it was!

Joseph having the message...

(Monday November 28th)
Today I was going to have a dentist appointment to put on the top part of my braces, but then it got cancelled.
So I was just working around home, I tried to work on the blog, despite no internet.
In the evening Kate Yoder called, an we had a good long chat...it was so good to talk to her again, I miss her like everything since she is basically my best friend from home!

Dad of course was at pastors meeting all day...Dad an I went on a walk in the evening, an took one of my sandals to a shoe fixing hut along ring road, he fixed my sandal for .50 not bad I thought!

(Tuesday November 29th)

Today I was again around home all day, I again worked on catching up on my blog posts...but mostly helped to cook an clean since we had invited Joseph an Becky along with their company from the states over for supper...we had a good evening!
(Wednesday November 30th)

This is the time of year that the natives are harvesting their rice...

This morning I did something I never did before...I was a substitute teacher for Carolyn, for about an hour while she went to the airport to pick up one of her friends there that was coming to visit her here in Kenya...the teaching experience was fun, but also very new for me! I think the students were all happy to see Carolyn return!!

Piling the rice in a circle, with the heads facing inside, so the birds don't eat the rice

In the afternoon I went to Bible study with Dad an Mom, it was not at someone's home like it usually is, but rather at the church house, the service was stretched out for longer then usual, since they were making plans for the upcoming funeral on Saturday, for James a member from our church who passed away from sickness an old age...so all of the members need to add their 2cents on how it should all be done so it took a long time to discuss everything! We got home around 6:30pm.
(Thursday December 1st)

back-breaking work, as they cut all the rice by hand an carry it to the circles..

Today we were all just working around home here, even Dad was home an working in the office...The twins were getting ready for CBYC (Christian Believers Youth Conference) an last minute Steve decided that he need new Sunday shoes for the occasion, so I went to town with him, trying to find a pair that struck his fancy, we were successful an returned home in time to finish packing, an I quickly ironed several shirts for them, then we gathered on the lane to have a prayer for them, in the group were about 9 mission youth, an 5-6 native youth, but they had around 4-5 different vehicles as they needed to pick up other youth at appointed destinations, an then continue the long trek to Nakuru were a 10 day Bible School is taking place. I have since heard that with the CBF youth in Nakuru they have around 50 youth there! so pray that the seed could be planted in their hearts an lives!
(Friday December 2nd)

Once in a circle, they put a stone in the middle, an beat the rice heads on the stone

Today Dad An Mom left early to go out to our church area an pick up some of the church people an take them along to the funeral home, as is the custom here...they waited around 3 hours at the funeral home till the body was ready! then they put the casket on the top of the van to make the long trek back in to the place where the funeral was taking place.

In the meantime Wayne an I came with public transport in the afternoon...as we got off the van that brought us to the road where our church road branches off of the main road, we took piki's an as I was getting on my piki I look over an see Wayne trading places with his piki driver! GASP! the piki driver was on the back, an he was getting in the front to drive it! I almost had a panic attack, much to Wayne's delight...I tried begging an then pleading, but my words meant very little to him, he was planning on driving the piki, I held my breath several times since the road was bumpy an filled with pot-holes, an he was swerving around those, an with trying to balance another person on the back!? I couldn't watch!! I concluded that the piki driver did not value his life an breath as much as I did...he was sitting on the back like nothing out of the ordinary was going on, an grinning with delight that a white person was driving his piki! Wayne ended up driving all the way back to Masogo, an then we looked for piki drivers there that knew where the funeral was at...Wyane an I were not on speaking terms for around 15 min. but after the reality hit me that we were now safe an sound at the funeral place, an that I might as well not try to tell little-BIG brother what to do, I was fine! an we were soon laughing an joking together again...oh! sibling stress....gotta love em' though!

Wayne then helped dig the grave, after we showed our respects at the casket an shook hands with the family...we then sat around watching as tents were erected, a cow was butchered for the feast... an dogs ran around everywhere looking for a bloody morsel of left overs to fight over...although this was one of the poorest funerals I have been to, they somehow always have money for a speaker system with loud music, an beer....we left around 5:30pm instead of staying at the wake till so late like we had the funerals before this.
We got home in time to go to Java house for supper, an ate good ol' American type of food, an what a treat that was...we enjoyed it greatly!
So that is all that happened this week...hopefully next week you will be able to hear all about the funeral, so for now, have a good week!
love an miss you all!
~Sylvia
For The Miller's

For the last three weeks till harvest, someone needs to watch the ripening rice all the time, since the birds can clear a rice plot in a few hours...so the "guard" sits in a small hut at their plot of rice all day for 3 weeks, or until threshing day...