"When God gives you a new beginning, don't repeat the old mistakes."
"Every day is a new beginning. Take a deep breath. Smile, and start again."
"Our hope is not in the new year, but in the One who makes all things new."
Who would've thought we'd see the year 2020!! How well I remember the dire predictions made before the new millennium. But here we are... Our God has been faithful and we praise Him for the gift of life. What a privilege it is to serve the One who makes all things new!
It's been very warm these days in spite of the rains we continue to have occasionally. On Christmas evening there was flooding in Nyamasaria. People were wading water almost waist deep some places. Seems so unusual because by this time it's often very dry and hot. But we will enjoy the lush green grass while we can!!
We're very happy to have Dean and Barbara Jean's family here for around 3 months. They have done so well in picking up where they left off. Dean is taking care of the churches at Oroba and Nyakoko. On Joseph's last Sunday here Deans and us attended Oroba. Joseph officially handed over his responsibilities to Dean, and Bishop responsibility was handed over to Wayne. We were invited to Miltone's house for lunch. They live close to the church which was a blessing because of all the mud! Our ride to church that morning was quite jarring to say the least!! And the mud was amazing!! :( Dean's boys with all their youthful energy are such a blessing here!! They are available to mow lawns and do many maintenance projects around here. The guest house is all torn up right now. They're replacing the ceiling and there's a major plumbing problem to fix. Hopefully when that's done the mold and crumbling walls will be taken care of.
Steve's were happy to have their daughter Jessica and husband Justin, and dear little Zoey here over Christmas time. We enjoyed seeing them around too, especially since they're from our home church in Wytheville. They got in on the big chicken butchering day we had. Thankfully this round of chickens was a huge success. The birds were of consistent size (nice and big!) and our freezers are full! What a blessing! We enjoyed a delicious meal of breakfast haystacks after we finished up that day. Allens were our hosts.
It's hard to believe that Joseph and Becky have gone! It was a sad farewell time on the lane before they left. They have given 11 years of their lives for the mission here in Kisumu. Their experience and wisdom is sorely missed! Gerold and Becky Miller joined us for the little farewell on the lane that day. It's been so good to have them around! They're spending some time in Kisumu with their daughter Sylvia and her friend Koree.
A few weeks ago Wayne and Allen attended the burial of Hesbon Odep (formerly from Lela). He was a much loved brother during his time at Lela church. That evening we hosted Jeremy Fisher and Paul King for supper, as well as Allens. Jeremy was training in the new CAM worker, Paul. It was interesting to meet him and discover we know a lot of the same people.
We enjoyed attending the Dienya church two weeks ago along with Steve Esh's and Justin and Jess. Wayne was asked to go share a message on the qualifications of a Pastor. We're so happy that things are looking favourable to commission a brother there in the near future! At this point it looks like Bro. Maurice Omondi will be the one. We enjoyed hosting Steve's and Justins at our house after church. We had the normal Sunday fare... chicken, rice, and beans.
A Christmas eve. celebration was hosted at Allens. It was great to have Johnny Zook's family here with us! They spent a few days with Steves and Allens, who they have family and church connections with. The food was amazing! Everyone brought some special Christmas treats to share.
Christmas day was spent with the Kajulu church. When we arrived at church, after a very bouncing, jarring journey, we saw some of the men were butchering a sheep. The ladies were busy preparing rice, ugali, sukumu, and cabbage to go along with the meat. While they prepared the food, the rest of the folks listened to a message preached by Pastor Joshua. Wayne also shared a short inspiration and there was some special singing. The singing didn't go well that day because of all the people who were outside busy with other things. We provided sodas for everyone at lunch time, which was a treat for them. After coming home that evening we enjoyed our own little family Christmas meal... chicken that had been in the crockpot all day, mashed potatoes, and corn. We're looking forward to being able to spend Christmas with family at home next time, Lord willing! :)
Last Sunday was a special day for the church at Ahero. The two Pastor's, Tobias Ajuma and John Omondi, each had a daughter who was baptised that day. The choir did a great job of singing which adds a LOT to the service! Another matter of business was taken care of that day... ballots were collected to see how the members feel about ordaining John Omondi since he has had a year to prove himself since he was commissioned. There was 100% support to go ahead with Ordination! That is now scheduled for 26 Jan. Opake Yesu!
On Monday during Pastor's meeting we ladies were together a short while to take everything out of the main rooms of the guest house to prepare for the remodelling project. Wayne has had a busy week... he took Charles Ochieng's Dad (Ahero) to the Russia hospital one day for testing. Another day he, along with a number of Ahero brothers, went to the Nyakach area to take Tobias Odongo to his wife's parents dala so that more dowry could be paid. That ended up being an all day thing. He also had a Pastor's meeting at Kajulu one day, and then delivered some poles, lumber and metal on the back of the truck to Deacon John Opiyo's house. Today Wayne, Dean, and James went to Ugunja to a special service hosted by a community friend.
Steve Esh's invited the compound to their house on New Year's Eve. We were treated to Martha's wonderful donuts and hot drinks, etc. The rest of us also shared some goodies to celebrate the New Year. The children, young folks, and a few of the married couples played some games of prisoner's base and single base, etc. We enjoyed watching the launch of a Chinese lantern.
So time goes on... the children are back in school, and we continue our work in Kisumu, a day at a time. Our constant prayer is that we could fullfil the work God has called us to. Thank you for your prayers and support! Waynes
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