Kisumu Yoder's

"Simply believing in the existence of God is not exactly what I would call a commitment. After all, even the devil believes that God exists. Believing has to change the way we live. " Unknown

"If we have no destination in mind, there is no journey." Dan Millman

"We will never change the world by going to Church. We will only change the world by being the Church."

We were privileged to attend our "home church" at Lela this morning. Two ladies were baptized, Lena and Alice. It was a real blessing to see how happy they were to be a part of the church and to see the big welcome the other members gave them. I was challenged by the last question Wayne asked them before they were baptized.... "Do you promise by the Grace of God and the aid of the Holy Spirit to submit yourself to Christ and His Word, and faithfully to abide in the same UNTIL DEATH?" I wonder how often those of us who have been baptized think about that promise we made before God and witnesses. It was a beautiful service and I sincerely hope that these dear ladies will truly be faithful to death. Its the only thing that matters in life.

Its been a good, but busy week for us. Monday morning after getting Pastor's drinks ready for their meeting, I went with Stacy and Becky to the Kibuye market to get some things that were needed for the clothing room. That's an interesting place!! There is so much to see and so many amazing sights... I could just stare! But the sad thing is that you hardly have time to look up when you're walking because you have to watch EVERY step! There is so much mud and garbage around! But they have lots of nice things to sell and many eager vendors that would love to sell to the mzungus! Later that afternoon we school moms and teachers got together at the school room to clean. To say that the place was dirty is a major understatement!!! I'm sure the ladies at home would be appalled!!:) Living beside a dirt road and having windows that don't close completely lends to layers of dust on EVERYTHING! We felt great relief and satisfaction when we left the place looking much better.

On Tues. morning Wayne took the piki to Kajulu area to have a meeting with the Pastors there. In the afternoon he had a real workout... He went to Ahero to assist a widow with harvesting her maize and hauling it to her dala. She was VERY thankful for his help! Wayne isn't used to hard work like that in the hot sun but he thought it was good for him. That eve. we were privileged to go to Gerold's house for a wonderful meal! I love eating other people's cooking! :) The fellowship was great too! We're SO glad God called them to Kenya!!

Wednesday afternoon Wayne and I headed to Dienya to spend time with Mark and Mary Ellen and the Church there. Bible study was held at Nick and Lillian's house. It was the first time since the serious issue the church had there that Bible study was at their house. We sincerely hope that fruits of repentance are genuine in that home. Only God knows the heart. They gave us a nice welcome and Lillian blessed me with leftover mandazis and a new lesso before we left. I think Lillian's mandazis were some of the best I ever had! I was amazed at their nice house and furnishings. Mark is a gifted teacher and the Bible study was very interesting in spite of me feeling terribly sleepy that

day.

Thursday eve. we hosted Prayer meeting at our house so the girls and I tried to have our house cleaned up for that. Wayne spent the afternoon visiting members in Ahero again that day. At the home of Widow Mary, he was given a basket of freshly harvested maize. I'm sure she could have used it herself. God loveth a cheerful giver! What a challenge to give out of need.

Wayne enjoyed spending time with Maurice from Lela, on Friday. He got him started selling MZL books at the Ahero market. They had a profitable day and Maurice should have made a nice profit that day for which we were very thankful!! They desperately need the income. Clarissa and I helped clean Deans house that morning in preparation for their return from America!! We're so excited about having them back!!! We only wish we wouldn't have to think about their termination coming up in May. :(

It seems there are so many funerals that Wayne needs to take care of lately. On Sat. there was one in Ugunja that the CBF church was asked to take care of. The deceased was an old lady, almost 100 years old. Wayne needed to preach because Deans were not home yet. Mark Beachy was there to moderate the service and keep things on schedule, and that meant a lot to Wayne! JoeAllen also went with Wayne to show his support. That eve. we found out of another funeral coming up at Rabour. Penina Ouma passed away so I guess that will mean another burial for Wayne. We hope that all these deaths will speak to people about the seriousness of life and how we live affects our destiny. I should have mentioned Kore Beachy was here Fri. night after a busy day doing CAM work. Wayne grilled some chicken for us and it went well with potatoes and salad. Stacy was blessed with some very special visitors yesterday and its bringing a big smile to her face! Her sister Amy and cousin Andrea are here and I'm sure they will have some great times together! They brought us some wonderful American goodies! Oh that cheese is SO good!! And the chocolate... :)

As was mentioned we attended Lela this morning and it was great to connect with those dear folks again. There's a nice young orphan girl that attends Lela that brought a chicken along to church this morning as a gift for Pasta Joe. He was busy so Wayne tied the chicken to a bush with a rubber strap. Before too long we noticed the chicken loose and running around. While Wayne was preaching Glenda was in the back and fearing that their gift chicken would get away, told Bradlyn that he should keep an eye on it. Well... boy that he is he tried in vain to catch it, running it up the side of the open church house! Wayne stopped preaching and so great was Bradlyn's concentration on catching the chicken that he had to say his name about 4 or 5 times before he was able to get Bradlyn's attention and postpone the chicken chase. :) After church a few of the little boys ganged up on the chicken and after a brief chase it was captured. It had been a LONG time since we were at Lela and people teased us about being "lost". :) Carolyn is doing a great job starting a ladies choir at the church there. We hope it will be a blessing and strength to the Church. Joe and Glenda and their little ones seem to be loved and well accepted there and are doing a great job!! Blessings on your week!! Clara

Charles Ochieng

John Omondi

My cob of many colors!

The faithful "Crusher"

Dienya Bible Study at Nick and Lillian's

Elizabeth Ajuma and my little friend Nellie

The Chai and bread, Widow Mary provided

Widow Mary cleaning the maize she gave me

Look at the chickens.. (where's the humane society)

If you can tie it on, it fits!!! This on the tailgate of a small box truck!

Maurice Kitayi selling MZL books

Notice the sticker, I'm not driving fast, I'm flying low!!

Mama Julia's funeral at Ugunja. Fred Obiero's Grandmother

I was so grateful for Pasta' Mark that day!

Fred Obiero

Playing marbles before church

Glenda and her chicken!

Pasta' and Peter

Alice Aoko, (left) and Lina Aduda

Lela Choir

I like you!!

Goin home from church!

"God says don't worry about your future. He's the author of your story and He's already written the final chapter." Max Lucado

" Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading." Oswald Chambers

"There is more safety with Christ in the tempest than without Christ in the calmest waters." Alexander Grosse

This is August 2016!! How can it be?!! It's hard to believe that in a few days it will be a year since we left our beloved homeland and flew away to a strange country across the big waters. I marvel at God's faithfulness. So many of my big fears have not come true and I have actually learned to love Kenya!! What a miracle and blessing from God!! I wouldn't want to do this year over again though!! :) It's been very stretching, a huge learning curve, many adjustments and changes. But through it all God has been close to us and so faithful to supply our needs. One thing that has amazed me over and over, and I know my sister Glenda is now experiencing the same thing.... is many times when I have had a physical ailment or felt like I really needed a Chiropractor, I cried out to God because He was my only help. And many times God has answered and taken the pain away. There are some things that I still kind of need to "live with", but God is giving strength to endure and keep on working. We're thankful for those who have helped us through the learning process here and have patiently answered our many questions. We still have SO much to learn!

Many times when we meet people at Church or in town they ask us, "How is Kisumu?" And we answer "It is good!" This afternoon I was musing about all the different sounds we can hear from here in the compound. There are many beautiful and unusual birds that sing for us constantly. And once in a while there is a monkey that entertains us on our house roof or in the tree! :)There is often loud music from off the street and sometimes nice music from nearby churches. There is the Muslim prayer call several times a day, there are roaring piki piki's, and the noise of school children at play. I have become so accustomed to these things that I hardly thing of them anymore. But I remember how strange and unreal everything felt at first when we came. I didn't think I could ever stand to live in the city after living in our quiet, tranquil neighborhood on Cinnamon Run with the awesome rolling hills, black cattle, horses, and fences, and blessed quietness... but God called us to Kisumu and I don't mind the noises of the city at all now. We are blessed with a beautiful lawn with huge shade trees and lovely plants and flowers. Again... God is faithful in helping us through all these adjustments!

Last Sunday we drove all the way to Ugunja for Church. It seemed far! It took us an hour and a quarter or so to get there. We were there to cover for Dean and Barbara Jean who are currently on furlough. We are eagerly awaiting their return to Kisumu this week! I didn't know anybody at the church there... but I guess they won't all be strangers to me next time! One of the young men from Kajulu, Andrew, was there visiting that day so he came back to Kisumu with us and ate lunch here before heading home. We enjoyed having him here. I'm always a bit nervous about whether these people will like our American food but it's never been a problem yet. We always eat chicken, rice and beans for Sun. lunch and it seems most people like that no matter what country you are from. That eve. we made soft pretzels and took some along to Joe's to enjoy as we sat around the fire. Joseph and Becky came and joined us too and we had a great eve.!

On Tues. our family left for a short vacation at Eldama Ravine with Tony's and Kore Beachy. Sunrise Acres is the name of the place we stayed. It was built by folks from America who wanted a place for missionaries to go to be refreshed. They charge very little for the facilities and there are lots of games to play and books to read. The weather was about perfect during the day but evenings were VERY cool!! We were so thankful for the small stoves in the cabins and we had piles of blankets on our bed, and we even needed to wear socks!! I confess I was very ready to head back to Kisumu where the weather is almost always comfortable... at least for me. :) I know Kisumu is too hot for some folks... Tony's served some great mountain pies on the first eve. we were there. They shared some of their American ham and cheese with us! The next day was spent relaxing, reading, and playing outdoor games. While Judith was reading an old Reader's Digest... from 1999 I believe, she discovered a story about Dr. Noah's (our famous Wytheville Chiropractor) family, along with interesting pictures of his family who adopted 8 children. Small world! I didn't expect to read that story in Africa! :) The boys and Ayla got into the pool for just a bit, but it was so cold they were soon ready to get out! Everyone except Judith and I hiked to a nearby falls as well. In the eve. we treated ourselves to a meal at Taidy's a restaurant in a nearby town. We had to wait a LONG time for our food but at least it was very tasty! On Thurs. morning Wayne and I prepared some breakfast burritos and then it was time to clean up our cabins and head home! On our way out of Eldama Ravine we stopped along the road where people were selling honey in glass bottles. We wanted to get some to stock the pantry here at the compound. Wow!! We were bombarded with many bottles of honey in our faces, fresh peas to sell, and tomatoes, etc. It was crazy!! Everyone begging us to take their stuff!! Finally things settled down and we had what we needed. The people were delighted when we gave them Bible story books. We have made it a family project to throw Bible story books out to people walking the roads... its fun to watch the thrilled expressions of the children especially. Sometimes they fight over them. It took us about 3 hours to get home and the trip went well. PTL! That eve. there was prayer meeting at Joe and Glenda's house.

Friday was an unusual day around here... it was SO nice to actually have Wayne here all day! It was a good thing he was here because the washer needed to be fixed... I had tons of laundry to do!! And then there was a water leak in the attic... water was collecting in the hallway, and then a water leak outside too! I was SO thankful for a husband who knows how to fix things!!

This morning our family went to Ahero for the morning service. People were very slow in coming around and the Superintendant "preached" at them about coming on time. :) I enjoyed the ladies Sunday school class even though they spoke in Swahili part of the time and I understood next to nothing of that. I think the interaction with just ladies is great!

School will be starting soon! Tomorrow we ladies plan to clean the school room. We are sad that there will only be 8 students this year... at least until someone comes and answers God's call to Kenya! Carolyn has been working with Bradlyn lately with some Kindergarten work. She already has him sounding out sentences and doing simple addition facts. I'm amazed at what "one on one" time can do for a beginner!! It's a strange feeling to be sending my "baby" off to school!! I feel mixed up about it. Life goes on... and God is FAITHFUL! God bless your week!! Clara

I was challenged by this story from the life of Mother Teresa.

In Mother Teresa's India, the hopeless and dying are like an endless sea of despair. Someone asked her how, considering this enormity, she could continue day after day, year after year with her ministry to those who were dying. She responded that looking at it that way applied the wrong math. She used subtraction. Every time she loved and cared for a destitute and dying man, every time she rescued a girl from prostitution, she was subtracting from the despair and adding to the hope.

Friends, in our battle against the evil and darkness that threatens to choke the world around us, every small act of kindness, every time we love another, every time we speak a word of encouragement, every time we forgive, we drive back the darkness and despair a little and add to hope. The Master said, "Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world."

Please don't stop praying, Wayne

PS. We still need families to join us in this ministry. Why is it so hard to find laborers? "Pray the Lord of Harvest to send laborers", but while you pray, be willing to come if He calls you.