Kisumu Yoder's

Monday, March 6, 2017

The Power of Words...

"Words can inspire and words can destroy. Choose yours well."

"Don't mix your words with your mood. You can change your mood but you can't take back your words."

"We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out." Winston Churchill

I've been thinking a lot about the power of WORDS. They can bring hope and courage, or fear and despair. Words can bring unity or cause division. They can cause laughter or bring sorrow. Have you ever noticed how some people are “energy givers” and some are “energy takers”? People who are constantly critical or cynical take lots of energy. But cheerful, kind folks are so energizing! God help us to speak kind words! We are so blessed with MANY friends who have spoken words of life and blessing to us. Thank you!!

Joint unit meeting was on the schedule for Tuesday. We were blessed with a nice day to travel to Nakuru. Carmen and Glen were with us. That added to the fun of the trip! :) We got there in plenty of time so we stopped in at Tony's house for a bit before heading to the compound for Breakfast. We were happy to see Johnny and Sue Ann Zook and their family! It's nice to have a new family around that we know a bit at least! :) Johnnys arrived in Kenya on the same day that Brian Masts came. The meeting went well and we appreciated the words of affirmation and encouragement that we all received from the delegation. After the meeting Paul and Wilma Beachy, and Mark and Rose Wagler left for Nairobi to catch their flight back to America. Marlin Yoders took them. Carmen and Glen Gingerich and Angie Miller left with Gerold Millers who had some special visitors to pick up at the airport the next day.... Their daughter Sharon and husband Andre Weaver with their two young children! Gerold and Becky were excited about meeting the newest grandchild for the first time!

We attended Bible study with the Lela group at Mary Ondiek's house on Wed. Wayne shared a devotional and Jacob did a great job with the topic. It was nice to be back with our “home” church again. We were served chapatis and chai afterward. We also stopped at Hesbon's house on our walk out to the road. We prayed with him and soon left. Poor man! He can't get around too well anymore. Hopefully we brought him a bit of cheer!

On Thursday morning Wayne and Joseph left the compound around 6:30 to go to the Kisumu airport and catch their flight to Nairobi. It amazed me when Wayne messaged me around 8:20 and said they arrived in Nairobi! The children hadn't even left for school yet! That 30 minute flight is so convenient! We heard his flight going overhead (at least we think it was that one).Wayne and Joseph are required by the government to get Certificates of good conduct because they have been put on the Agape Board. Those certificates have to be issued in Nairobi. So they caught the morning flight, did their business, and then brought the evening flight home again. We were all glad he was able to be home in time for supper! Now this week Wayne has to fly back to Nairobi to pick up the completed documents.

Wayne and Pastor Tobias spent Friday afternoon visiting Ahero folks. One of the visits was to Paul Juma's house. He has been sick for a long time and unable to attend church. Wayne is quite suspicious that he has TB. He has a lot of the symptoms so I think he will be tested again soon. He had an earlier test that showed negative. That evening we hosted a rather large crowd for supper... Lester's family, their daughter Cynthia, husband Michael and 2 sons, and the single ladies from here. It was a lively time! :) They came back from the Mara that day and told us their stories. We sure will miss their family when they leave!! They've been an inspiration! Shonda and Vanessa missed Hadassah and Janessa so much when they were gone from school for a few days!

Wayne and I spent some time on Saturday finding plants to replace some that died around here. It was so much fun to do something like that again! It looks so much like Springtime! The lush green grass and flowering things are so beautiful and amazing!! Pake Yesu!! Everything looks so fresh and clean instead of covered with dust! I didn't think I have a“green thumb” but there's something stirring inside of me right now and I'm really in the planting mood! :) I love planting when I know it will be watered by the Almighty! Our African brothers and sisters are thanking God for the rain! Some of the most drought stricken ones also received seeds provided by CAM for which they were very grateful! I love to see them rejoicing in God's goodness!

We attended church at Kajulu today. The road to church is HORRENDOUS! Wayne was taking it fairly easy at first but the children begged him to just fly over the bumps because they think its better to hit them hard and get it over with! And they don't think they feel the bumps as much. Groan! I don't know which is better! It was a pretty wild ride to be sure!! The first part of Wayne's message today was dedicated to the Pastors and the last part to the rest of the members. Many words of encouragement in how to relate together well. An accident happened close to the Church this morning that was very unfortunate! A Lorry (big truck) hit and killed a pedestrian.Then the mob went to work and burned the vehicle! The driver ran, and escaped with his life. Your prayers for our protection are needed constantly! Thanks so much!

We spent another relaxing Sunday eve. sitting on the lane visiting with others who felt like socializing. We LOVE those times! There were two games of spike ball going at the same time. Have a good week!

Clara, for the Yoders

"For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:" 1 Pet. 3:10

Visiting Wellington's with Carmen and Glen

Unit Meeting

Joseph Hostetler and Marcus Burkholder

Lester and Hannah Stoltzfus

John and Sue Ann Zook

Sue Ann and John Zook, Paul and Wilma Beachy (AMA), Mary and Freeman Byler, Marcus Burkholder

Hannah Stoltzfus, Brian and Mary Jane Mast (Center), Mark Wagler (AMA)

The "New Bridge" on the Londiani Road to Nakuru, almost got washed out!

Mt Kenya, from the air

Check out all the wooden scaffold!

Waiting for takeoff in Nairobi

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Seeds of Hope...

"Sow seeds of hope and enjoy optimism. Sow seeds of doubt and expect insecurity. Max Lucado

"Hope is a seed God plants in our hearts to remind us there are better things ahead."

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson

Some of our drought-stricken friends have been blessed with seeds of hope! We're so thankful for the presence of Christian Aid Ministries in Kenya! They have offered to donate seeds to the 3 churches that have been hardest hit by drought... Lela, Ahero, and Rabuor. It has been a tremendous blessing and I'm sure it gives them hope! Some church members had prepared the soil but didn't know where the seeds were going to come from. God answers prayers! I was so happy to see all the water standing in these drought stricken areas on our way to Church this morning! The rains have come!!! Pake Yesu!! The water holes that had been dried up for a long time now have plenty of water. God is good! The weather has changed from VERY warm temperatures to much cooler ones. I LOVE rainy season!

The last two weeks have been full but interesting! Time was spent preparing the house that Brian and Mary Jane Mast have moved into. Stacy Byler and Becky Hostetler get a lot of the credit for the work done there. They spent a lot of time stripping and waxing those tile floors, and did countless other jobs as well. The big cleaning day was well supported by the compound and we had a good day working together.

Valentine's Day was a day we won't forget right away! :) The youth on the compound spent a lot of time making the evening special for all the Pastor's and their wives. First of all we met on the lane and then each couple was taken to Joseph and Becky's house by tuk tuk! The youth rented one for the evening and it certainly made memories for us!! Then we were taken to a table where there was a chocolate fountain and we could dip fruit and pretzels (Yes American pretzels!!) It was wonderful! The bad thing was that it was windy that eve. and some of us were splashed by the chocolate! After that we had a photo shoot. And then were seated at a beautifully set table where we were served a WONDERFUL meal! Ham, chicken, potatoes, salad, green beans, crescent rolls, and individual cheese cakes for dessert!! It was so relaxing and a great treat to be served so well!

Last weekend we were blessed with visitors!! Carmen and Glen Gingerich arrived! They are Vernon and Rosy's oldest children.... Wayne's niece and nephew. We've been having a great time with them! Our children LOVE having their cousins around! Tony's and Kore were here for the weekend as well. And also Angie Miller, a good friend of Judiths from our home area. They stayed til Monday afternoon. Wayne had a Bishop's meeting in Kericho to attend on Saturday and I was kept busy making food for all the people around! The AMA Delegation arrived on Saturday as well! Mark and Rose Wagler, and Paul and Wilma Beachy. We know both couples and its special to have them here!! We served them supper that evening along with our other visitors. We attended church at Ombeyi on Sunday. It was Wayne's turn to preach there on our Pastor rotation schedule. They are also considering Ordination there so there was a short meeting afterward pertaining to that. It was the first time that we were there for a Sunday service. In the evening there was a Compound activity at Lester and Hannah's house. Plans were for Mark Wagler to share a bit and then Paul Beachy. But we had to change plans because of a ferocious storm that moved in! The rain came with force and the lightning and thunder was almost scary!! With the rain pounding on the metal roof we could barely visit without having to holler. We finally just gave up our plans and decided to go ahead and eat supper... some wonderful stromboli made by Lesters as well as many other yummy dishes provided by the other households.

Some of our activities this past week with Carmen and Glen included shopping at the Animal market, different stores downtown, a visit to the Orphanage, etc. Clarissa and Carmen went by tuk tuk to the Muslim shops to buy some fabric one day. Yesterday we went to the Ahero market to let them experience some real culture and also to buy some maize and beans for a few people that we know are struggling to have enough. After that we went to visit Wellington and Benter at their house. It's such a sad situation. Wellington is old and has dementia and is extremely hard to live with. He eats about anything in sight and complains that his wife doesn't feed him. He gets angry and chases people with a stick... also tries to beat his wife. He doesn't keep himself clean and I noticed that when he came into the house where we were sitting his wife took the cushion off of the chair that he sat on. Probably fears it will be soiled. Sigh... how do you help someone like that? At home he would be put into a nursing home, but that's not an option here.

Brian and Mary Jane's family arrived safe and sound on Thursday and we're very happy to have them here!! I think they will fit right in and fill their role very well! We're anxious to learn to know them better! That evening instead of prayer meeting we heard from the Board members who had planned to speak on Sun. eve. We really enjoyed hearing Paul share some of the history of AMA as well as his own call to Missions. Cake and homemade ice cream were on the menu afterward!

Early Friday morning Wayne went to the Kisumu airport to pick up James Yoder who just arrived from America. He works for CAM and came to spend the day with Kore Beachy and Brian Wagler who were in the area doing distribution. He ate a light breakfast at our house and then a few hours later Wayne took him to Ahero to meet Kore and Brian. Glen went along as well to spend the day with them. Carmen and our girls had an interesting afternoon with Sylvia who took them to the slums to visit a family they know who lives there. It sounded like it was a very good cultural experience! :) That eve. the whole compound including ALL the visitors went to Kiboko Bay for a wonderful meal provided by AMA!! What a treat!! We loved it!! :)

This morning we attended church at Ahero. Wayne preached a good message on "Giving". It was intended to teach members the importance of tithing and setting aside the amount that is "Gods" as soon as we get paid instead of only giving Him the leftovers. Once again I'm reminded that we "plant the seeds" here in Kenya but it is God who gives the increase. Thank you for your prayers!! Clara for the Yoders