Luo Land Happenings

Greetings from Kisumu!!  We are enjoying another relaxing Sunday afternoon at home sweet home.  Yes its feeling more like home all the time.  There are hard days when I miss our dear family, and church at home, as well as our "new" house that we enjoyed for 8 years with all the comforts and conveniences that it had to offer.  I miss good, REALLY good, food and Walmart.  But when I see our friends here in Kenya and realize what we have compared to them, I feel smitten and God forbid that I would ever complain.  These poor people have so many aches and pains and cannot even afford simple Ibuprofen to help them feel better.  A lot of them have no idea how to use a real toilet.  Why was I born in America?  I don't know, but all I can say is lets do what we can to relieve pain and suffering where we can and point people to Jesus, the one who is the answer for all our needs.  Even though we miss home there is a peaceful feeling in our hearts because we know we are where God wants us.  I wonder why I resisted the call to Kenya for so long. By the way... have any of you ever read the AMA newsletters and noticed with great relief that all the Kenya positions were filled?  Well thats exactly how it was for me, for years already.  If that is happening to any of you it may be that God is calling you here!  Since we're here we realize what a blessing it is when people are willing to answer God's call.  As most of you know, AMA is desperately needing two more families to come.  I almost get a panicky feeling when I think about the fact that someone should be coming in Jan. so that Tommys can leave in March.  I hope I'm not praying selfishly but it would be such a huge blessing if the new families would have children close to our childrens ages.  We will sorely miss Tommys and Marlins when they leave!  They're the ones that have children for ours to fellowship with and I don't know what we will do without them!!  We were invited to Tommys Fri. eve for supper, along with Marlins, and enjoyed the fellowship very much!  We miss Tonys  already too!! :(  I was sad to hear the horn blow as they drove out on Thurs. morning.  Its so quiet without their cheerful presence.  I especially missed them Fri. eve. when we sat out on the lane to watch the volleyball game.  They were always faithful attendees at activities.  We're anxious to go to Nakuru now and see where they live. We would've liked to go with them when they left and help them get settled in but we couldn't because of language classes.  It was a hard adjustment for me this past week to get back into classes!  I was spoiled when we had off for a week and it was hard to get into "gear" again.  Rosemary is a nice teacher though and doing a great job.  Josephine taught us the proper, professional way of speaking Luo but Rosemary is teaching us how Luo's actually speak.  They shorten many of their words and phrases so its good to learn the actual way of speaking.  The thing that makes this language so complicated is that many words have 3 or more different meanings.  And just the tone that it is pronounced in can make the difference in which meaning is used.  I wrote some Luo words on my kitchen tile with a dry erase marker and Wayne printed out large words on papers that are now hanging around the house.  Maybe someday we'll actually master this but we still have a LONG way to go!!  

Our church service this morning was a bit longer than usual.  Wayne and Jason and Cynthia left an hour before the rest of us did to be there for Instruction class.  The rest of us went with Marlin and Lavina.  Marlin is the Bishop of Lela so he was there to take charge of the members meeting.  Wayne preached his first sermon this morning titled, "Life begins at the Cross".  I thought he did real well considering the challenge it is to speak with an interpreter.  We were saddened that one of the members, Milkah, needed to be excommunicated this morning.  You may have read the nice story that was written about her in the AMA newsletter.  Since that was written she has been deceived and is living in adultery with a pastor from one of the Repentance and Holiness churches.  Please pray for her restoration to God and the church.  

  Monday was a special day for the compound here.  It was family day and there was no school.  Tonys, and Rachel and us went to Jennifers Gardens.  Its about an hour and a half from here and a very interesting drive through some mountainous country.  It reminded us of scenery we saw in Costa Rica years ago.  The tea fields were so beautiful and its so interesting to watch the way the workers pick tea and throw it behind their backs into a basket strapped to their backs.  The gardens are a lovely, quiet place to relax and enjoy Gods creation.  The many beautiful flowers, trees and bushes make it a paradise!! And we saw monkeys again!! My favorite! :)  Most of the pics added to this blog were taken at Jennifers.  If you ever come visit we want to take you there!!!!!!:)  We enjoyed mountain pies for lunch.  Yummy!  Judith shared some of their precious ham and sausage that came all the way from America.  

  Wayne and the children made mountain pies again this eve. and they are finished now so I must run along and join them.  Please continue praying for our protection, physically and spiritually.  I'm constantly reminded of our dependence on God when we're out on these treacherous roads.  Last eve. we went to Nakumatt after supper and traffic was unreal!!  I've never seen the likes!!  Tuk tuks, piki pikis, bikers, people on foot, and matatus all in one big jumble, just inches from each other. Wayne thought it was funny but I thought it would be a miracle if everyone gets out of that mess without getting hit!!  PTL He kept us safe once again!!  We're depending on your prayers!!  Thanks so much and God bless!!  Clara

You never know what you'll see next around here!! 

Tea fields

Jennifer's Gardens

A New Normal...

Another week has gone by and I wonder... have we made a difference in anyone's life?  My constant prayer is that we could be a blessing to the church at Lela where we have been asked to serve, as well as in the compound here where we live.  It feels like we have been in Kenya now for a long time and I think we are actually beginning to feel like this is normal life... a new normal.  The new normal includes many interesting and unusual sights, smells, and sounds.  I wonder if I will ever be able to go down the road without being amazed by something I see. This morning as I was sitting in church there was the cutest lil mother hen with 6 lil chicks that came close to where I was sitting.  They were pecking away for anything they could find to eat and I marveled again at the huge difference in the church setting here compared to at home.  No one here acted like it was unusual to have chickens at church but at home that would make quite a scene! :)  I'll admit that it is a bit distracting not to have walls in our church.  Sometimes we can see men herding cows, or trying to push a big cart out of a ditch. People walk along the road a lot and I always feel sorry for the ones who appear to be crippled.  Last Sun. Rachel saw 2 men fighting... I didn't see that but it would've been kind of interesting to watch.  Wayne found a big lizard in the "cho" this morning... at least it wasn't a snake!!!  We are beginning to remember names better and recognize those who regularly attend Lela. Wayne taught the Instruction class this morning for the first time.  On Tues. of this past week Wayne went with Jasons to Lena's house to do an Instruction class interview.  Lena is a nice looking lady with an adorable lil girl.. maybe a yr. old, named Josephine. Lena was born in 1974.  She is a widow... her husband died last yr. of HIV.  She has had 10 children I think, and 4 have died (miscarriages or still births I think.wy)  Our hearts go out to her so much.  She has a hard time finding work in the rice fields sometimes and its very hard to support her family.  We simply can't imagine a life like that.  Makes me wonder why I was born to an American family who always provided well for us and who loved us so much.  I should never complain about anything!!!!!!!!!!  

  On Wed. and Thurs. Wayne spent 2 long days with Jim Harries learning language and culture.  Jim is British.  He is single, and has lived in Kenya for over 20 years. He cares for orphans and is a very educated man who cares for the Luo people and lives like they do.  He is very concerned about bringing Western (or American) influence to these people.  Wayne said he could've easily driven the Patrol up to the house or church that they visited but Jim didn't want to because he doesn't want that "image". In other words.. he didn't want to take an expensive vehicle in there since those people could never afford one. By the way... it is a strange feeling to go to church and the only vehicles there are mission vehicles.  Everyone else walks... and some from long distances!  We are just so blessed!  And so Wayne and Jim walked a LONG ways in the direct sun.  Bradlyn and I had plans to go with them on Thurs. but when Wayne saw how much walking they did he knew it would be too much for me so we stayed home.  I have still been studying Luo some every day and I think this week now we will be doing Luo classes with  Rosemary, who is a member of the CBF church here.  It felt so wonderful to have a break from classes all week!!  I felt like celebrating!!  I wanted to do what Fannie Peachey (Aarons) said she wanted to do after their language was over!! Marjie told me Fannie said she wanted to stand on the roof of the house and holler!! :)  Fannie you must be a woman after my own heart!  I'd like to dance a lil jig up there too. :)  Janice and Carolyn would like to join me too!!

  I spent my days getting caught up on baking, making pizza sauce, and some of those things that get neglected when we're in class.  On Wed. I made Vanessa's birthday cake and then since the children have a half day of school that day, Clarissa nicely decorated the cake that afternoon.  On Fri. Wayne and I went to school for Nessa's party.  LaRay Stoltzfus (Marlins) also had a birthday so Marlin and Lavina were there as well.  It was fun to see where our girls spend their days.  Charity and Carolyn are doing a great job and have the rooms decorated nicely.  Charity has a Dr. Seuss theme with lots of interesting sayings... :)  Rachel and I also spent a bit of time one afternoon helping Judith clean her house.  Judith is going above and beyond what she would have to do to get her house clean and decluttering "junk" that has collected there over the years with people coming and going and just letting things there for the next person.  I sure don't know what we will do without Tonys!  And we will miss Jamie and Ayla so much too!  But we're just SO glad that they were here to help us through these first weeks of huge adjustments.  We had an interesting day yesterday.  In the morning all the compound ladies went to Java House to have brunch with Judith as a farewell.  After a nice meal Janice, her mother Lois, Charity, Marjie, and I went to Ochumi's... the grocery store in the lower level of the same building.  They have a nice amount of stuff, but not as much selection as Nakumatt has.  I'm slowly learning how to cook around here I think, and how to substitute ingredients.  We're all learning to be content with less than the best too, which doesn't hurt us at all!!  After getting home from Java House I had to rush around and get ready to go to Mark and Mary Ellen Beachys house.  Tonys, Joseph and Becky, and our familly were all invited to their house for supper.  We were really glad for the privilege of seeing where they live.  They're the only Mennonite family who live in a compound much closer to the church where they minister.  It took us close to an hour and a half to get there and as usual we saw many interesting sights along the way.  We saw the road where you go back to where Obama's grandmother lives.  In a village close to Marks there is a sign that says "The village where Obama's father was born." We took a pic of the sign but it didn't turn out well.  Marks have fixed there house up very nicely with plenty of African decor.  Its very livable in spite of concrete floors, etc.  Mary Ellen has a special touch and one thing I really liked was all the scripture and nice sayings on the walls. I would describe Mary Ellen as an "encourager".  She reminds me a lot of Mary King.  She has certainly blessed me often already.  We were served a delicious meal of ricardo chicken, rice and beans!  Our favorite!  Also a nice pineapple coffee cake for dessert.  Thanks SOO much to those of you who take time to write.  We always eagerly check our email during the day and love to hear from HOME SWEET HOME!  God bless you!  Clara

Story time with "Aunt" Becky

Jim Harries himself at Yala falls

"Bishop" on the new 'toy'!  Sorry I couldn't resist that one! :)

Masai Indians with their punga's  inside Nakumatt.

The chilins don't have a lot of toys but they love to play in mud!!

Vanessa and Ayla with the cake

Marks in front of their house

Here's the sign that says, "the village where Obama's father was born."

Sheep at church this morning

                       Sound clip from Bible study with Jim at a indigenous church

Of Snails and Dholuo....

Bible Study at Helen's

Greetings on this rainy Sunday afternoon.  The rains seem to be coming earlier this year they say.  Its been raining almost every afternoon.  Its a nice break from heat and dust but the down side is that the power often goes off for a while.  I think we are kind of used to it now... and thankfully we still have water when its off. We have a big gas lantern that lights the place up pretty well. Last eve. when the power went off Tony sent a text that said... "another night with the Amish." :)  I don't have much time to write this afternoon so I guess I will keep this short and mostly send the pics.  Tonys are in charge of planning the Sun. eve. activity for the compound so they asked Wayne to preach the message he preached at home just before we left... titled "Hope for the Journey."  Wayne also has something planned for the children.  We will have food afterward so we are making 2 pans of breadsticks.  The folks here hardly ever hear an English message without an interpreter so that is why Tony planned this.  We hope and pray that people can be encouraged and strengthened in our journey here in Kenya.  We need lots of support from each other here.  I don't know how we'd make it without these dear people all around us!  
  Rejoice with us!!!!!  Our 3 wks. of formal language school are over!!  They were very intense weeks and now we look forward to a change of pace this week.  Wednesday during language Wayne saw something strange hanging from the porch rafters.  Upon investigating we discovered the huge snail (pictured below).  This old fellow was probably 5 or 6 inches long!  Our language teacher almost became unglued for fear it would drop down.  :)  Learning a new language makes us feel rather snail like...  It's a slow, hard process.  We have off Mon. and Tues.  On Wed. Wayne will be out and about with Jim Harries who plans to help us understand culture and language.  I will probably go along on Thurs.  We also plan to spend time with Rosemary, a member of the CBF church here who teaches language.  We plan to go out to her house for classes and I think she will also introduce us to cultural things.  
  On Thurs. eve. we hosted the prayer meeting at our house.  It made for a busy day but thanks to help from Clarissa and Rachel the house got cleaned and we enjoyed the eve.  Becky made yummy donuts for everyone in honor of Jake and Janice's arrival.  I think she had help from Judith and Rachel.   
  On Sat. we were invited to the home of one of our church members at Lela.  Her name is Silpa.  She is a fine Christian widow who has a celebration every year on the Anniversary of the day she was anointed with oil when she was very sick and nigh unto death.  She wants to remember that special day and give thanks to God for another year of life that he has granted her.  She invited Jasons family, our family, Marlin and Lavina, and Carolyn Rodes.  We had a feast!  Potatoes, beans, ugali, cooked cabbage, beef, and chapatis.  Cynthia worked long and hard to make 36 chapatis over a small giko.  It took hours and it was very warm.  We enjoyed the food and fellowship in spite of the heat.  Sometimes days like that feel like a "test of endurance" for me since I'm still a "soft" American I guess.  Hopefully I can toughen up soon and long days in the heat won't bother me so much.  By the way... please pray for Wayne. He has been struggling with migraine headaches almost every day this past week.  Hopefully that will get better now that we have a small break from stressful language classes.  We miss ya'll so much!  Thanks to all who encourage us with phone calls and e-mails!  God bless you!!  

Its amazing how much stuff they can haul on a piki piki... here's a couch and 2 chairs!

Herbert the snail... some people paint them bright colors so they can keep track of where they are.

Bradlyn hauling chairs.... and Ayla :) 

Weaver birds building nests

Trying to peel potatoes at Silpa's house with a big "pala".  Didn't work too well.

Enjoying the feast...

Church service this morning

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Speed Bumps, Pot holes, and Answered Prayers...

Greetings from Kisumu!  It was another nice day here... Wayne mowed the lawn this afternoon for the first time since we're here, and I'm enjoying the nice trim look.  I really like the plants and trees in our lawn. So many of them look like the house plants people have at home.  Barbara Jean has a HUGE geranium in her flower bed.  I was wishing my sisters could see it.  We also have a big poinsettia thats about 8 ft. tall. Amazing! 

  We have been enjoying some meal invitations from others in the compound.  Its a good way to get to know people better and oh what a blessing to have a break from cooking... especially with 4 hrs. of language daily, 5 days a week. Marlins invited us one evening along with the singles here and another day Tonys and us were invited to Dean and Barbara Jeans house.  The food was GREAT at both places.  I hope I will learn to cook well here soon.  I'm struggling to know what to serve with my main dishes because I'm used to having lots of applesauce and pickles on hand.  Here we have neither of those things and I don't have corn, peas, or green beans in the freezer, or baked beans in a can that can quickly be opened.  Does anyone have ideas for quick side dishes?  I used to ask Gina a lot of food questions... what do you suggest? :)  Maybe after language is done I can find time to make some refrigerator pickles.  I was talking to Martha Kauffman today (Thanks a million for calling!!!!!!) and she said she has made freezer pickles already.  That would be a nice idea for here!  I think I need to start planning meals in advance a bit more so that I have stuff on hand that I need.  The girls come home from school at noon every day so its a must to have something quick. People are so kind in sharing food with us.  Today I was blessed twice.  Marji gave us a pan of banana bread with powdered sugar on top.  So yummy!  And then Rachel stopped by with some pudding and a raspberry dessert!  Very American!  It was such a blessing because I was tired... and I wonder how they knew I needed to bake today!  God must've told them....  By the way... I am really enjoying a break from packing lunches and driving school children. :)  I have to look on the bright side... right?  The girls seem to like school now and I don't see that stressed look on their faces anymore when they come home.  I really think we are starting to adjust! We're starting to feel like we belong here.  I think every day is getting better and life feels a bit more settled down and routine.

  In language class today Josephine was teaching us about time. Luo time is different than ours.  I guess its like they did in Bible times.  7:00 is same as 1:00 our time.  The Luo day starts at 12 which would be 6 am on our clocks.  I was really struggling to keep everything straight and I mentioned to Josephine that "this is hard!"  She said, "no,no its very simple!"  She says you just turn the clock upside down and then its right.  I thought that kind of describes life here... kind of upside down.  But no, not really.  Its all in getting used to new things I guess.  Josephine asked us questions like... "what time did church start yesterday? And what time did you get up this morning?"  We had to answer her in complete sentences.  Talk about frying your brain!!!!!!!!!!! If I want to say "the time is 7:25 am I would say. "En sa achiel gi dakika pier ariyo gabich gokinyi."  Sounds simple right???  Well not for this dumb American.  Oh well... we're all in this together and we are definitely learning something cause it makes more sense than it did at first! 

 Oh I should tell you about our living room lizard. I wish I'd have a picture of him.  Wayne decided that we could name him "Larry the living room lizard. :)  Sorry Mr. Kurtz.  No offense!  

  Jake and Janice's family and her mother Lois have arrived safe and sound.  We're so glad they are here and hope to learn to know them better soon.  We only met them once since they are here.  

  On Sunday morning soon after we got up the power went off.  Oh no!!! What about our Sunday chicken?  I went ahead and made rice and beans on the gas burner and then put the chicken in the crock pot before we left for church and we hoped and prayed that the power would come on soon.  Well it was not so to be.  We came home to cold chicken and disappointed children.  I quickly put the chicken in a skillet and cooked it on the stove top but we had to exercise patience while waiting on it.  The power was off about all day then.  It was off the other eve. too during our prayer meeting at Tommys.  But we made out fine with gas lanterns and the singing sounded great even though we had to compete with the pounding of rain on the roof. Instead of going to the Lela church on Sunday we went to Oroba with Joseph and Becky to assist with Baptism there.  I wasn't sure if I could go along or not because I was suffering from my rib problem that causes me pain once in a while.  How I miss Dr. Tommi!!!  Since we knew there is no way to go see a Chiropractor we prayed and Wayne treated me the best he knew how.  God answered prayer!!!!!!!!  I was so amazed that I got over it so quickly... it was clearly a blessing from God!  He is so good!  Sunday morning I had almost no pain and even on the horrible roads to Oroba I didn't suffer much.  Our family took Tommy's Nissan Patrol since we need a heavy duty vehicle on those roads, and we followed Josephs to church.  It was so much fun to be alone as a family on the way to church!!  It took a little over an hour to get there and OH what an adventure!!  How I wished that ya'll could somehow get a glimpse of all that we were seeing.  Its better than a movie cause its real life!:) The amazing sights we see are priceless! Its so far from boring here... you really need to come and see for yourselves!  Wayne was having the time of his life maneuvering around potholes ( I mean craters!)  One time we hit a bump so hard that Bradlyn's back side was as high as the top of the seat and his head hit the ceiling.  The girls roared with laughter! :)  We went through some mud holes but nothing bad since we're still mostly in dry season.  Wayne is doing a great job in driving I think, although I thought he seems to be getting a bit too confident already. :(  Ya'll pray for us!  Driving here makes driving in America look very safe and roads like Johnny Lane look quite mild.  On Sunday we drove through sugar cane fields.  We tried to remember all the twists and turns so that we would be able to find our way home again on our own.  We actually did then! PTL!  One thing I can't understand is why on earth these people make speed bumps on dirt roads that are already extremely bumpy. There are LOTS of speed bumps on the paved road as well.  If they decide they want a bump where there isn't one they will just make one out of dirt, right on top of the pavement. :)  I have actually been glad for the speed bumps sometimes.  It really does keep traffic slowed down but the bumps on bad roads is a mystery to me.  Oh well... that just adds to the adventure I guess. :)  I love all the cows, sheep, and goats that roam everywhere and anywhere.  As we got close to Kisumu yesterday I saw some cows laying down on the street. They seem to have no fear of vehicles and drivers just maneuver around them... only inches from hitting them.

  We enjoyed the Oroba church.  A 15 yr. old girl was baptized and several others who had been excommunicated were restored to church fellowship.  The one was a former pastor, Eric I believe.  One thing I really liked was the singing.  They have a choir there and some of the men actually sang tenor.  Sounded nice!  After church Joseph and our whole family stood in the back, along with those who had been reaccepted as members and then the whole church filed by to shake our hands.  I especially love the little children that come shake our hands... some are probably only 2 yrs. old... so cute!!! :) We rejoiced with Oroba in the adding of members.  Its a blessing to see them thriving.  Well this is long enough... Blessings to all of you!  Keep praying! Here's just a few miscellaneous sights...

God's school and others...

Greetings from Kisumu!  Many thanks to those of you who faithfully write us or send lil notes to let us know we are thought about.  It means SO much and gives us the boost we need to keep on keeping on.  

 We definitely feel like we are in God's school right now.  He is teaching us to be patient with inconveniences, with water problems, with hard chairs, or backless benches, with ants and mosquitos, with bad roads, etc. etc.  He is teaching us to be transparent.  We have little privacy here.  If you would stand outside our house you could hear much of what is talked about inside.  We can hear our neighbors singing in the evening... it sounds great Tommys!  Sometimes we hear dear little Ayla "wailing" over an ouchie, and one time Wayne heard Ayla's daddy sneeze real loud. :)  Tony says he can hear Wayne laughing sometimes. We may have as many as 10 or more people stop in for this or that in day's time.  I'm amazed though that these things don't bother me more!  I expected this would be a real trial for me but it actually hardly bothers me at all!  Thats a blessing from God I guess because I would be miserable if I would be bothered by it.  Its kind of fun to have people close by like this... our children love it of course and it keeps life interesting.  And I suppose its good for us to always be a bit careful of what we say or do because even if others don't see or hear, God does!  God is teaching us to be accountable to others.  We came from  setting where we were self-employed, made our own decisions, were independent, and felt secure in our comfort zone. Now we have been thrust into a setting where we know very little of whats going on.  Its a total different world!!  We feel vulnerable and insecure... definitely far out of our comfort zone!  We are accountable for every shilling we spend.  If we want a bike for our children it must first be cleared by both missions.  New curtains or new paint for our house is not for us alone to decide.  Our vacation days must be approved by the unit.  And please don't get me wrong!! I'm NOT being critical of the mission because in a setting like this there needs to be order and accountability.  The many policies, spoken and unspoken here are for the benefit of everyone involved!  Its just an adjustment... big time!  I know that in the long run these things will be very good for us and our children. But please pray for us in these huge adjustments. Our schedule is not our own either. If we haven't learned to submit to others before we came we will be in major trouble.  Sometimes I feel like a little child who hasn't learned much yet and has to be chastened at times.  I especially feel that way in language class!  Whew! Talk about "stretching!"  Josephine does well in praising us when we catch on to what she is teaching us but she also gets a bit frustrated with us when we just don't "get it". She really hates when we don't get the subject and verb tenses right... and that is the hardest part! Its tough but I think we are learning fast.  This morning we had to tell Josephine in Luo what we did yesterday after class.  It had to be in story form. Here is an example of what Luo looks like... "Nyoro gokini ne wadhi kanisa". Translated...Yesterday morning we went to church.  What looked like "greek" to me before is making more sense now and I can actually figure out these sentences.  Its challenging to get laundry done and food made with 4 hrs. of language a day but its going pretty well.  I've been wishing for some of your yummy pizza sauce that so many of you have been making lately. How I would love to have a shelf full of it right now!  I did make some yesterday but its just made out of tomato paste and water and I need to freeze it.  I have a very small freezer and few containers so I can only make a little at a time.  It would sure be nice to have a bunch when we need quick meals.  I'm getting a bit more comfortable with cooking here but it certainly is a challenge and doesn't always turn out like it did at home.  God is also teaching us to be ok with less than desirable food sometimes. :)  

  Well I told you about God's school and language school, and now I will tell you about the school for our children.  The first day was on Monday.  I need to have lunch ready for them when they come home at 12.  Language class ends at 12 too so I have to have something ready fast.  The girls seems to like it pretty well but one thing they really miss is the singing at home.  With a small group like this we can't expect it to sound like it did there.  Its hard for me when I see "stress" in their eyes when they come home from school but I guess thats just another thing that goes with adjustments.  They need to get used to individualized learning rather than the classroom setting.  They also have some different curriculums to get used to.  They don't complain but I can tell things are not easy for them.  Clarissa is with Wayne and I during language class and then she goes to school for the rest of the day.  Bradlyn entertains himself fairly well while we are in class but sometimes he wants someone to come over and play with him.  Today Ayla came over for a while and that helped him a lot.  I simply don't know what we will do without Tonys when they leave. :(  We love having them just across the drive and our children would about live together if they would be allowed. :)  We were together with Tonys on Tues. after the joint unit meeting  with Nakuru.  We had chapatis and beans, leftover cabbage salad, and soda and ice cream for dessert.  We also had some waffle bowls that we brought along from home.  Its so special having family here!!  

  The unit meeting was interesting but it was a VERY warm day!!  We ladies just sit there most of the day beside our men while they "hash out" the many details and decisions that need to be made.  It seems there is just a certain "bond" with all these mission folks and I think it may simply be because we have a lot in common.  We have all forsaken home, family, friends, and the familiar, to come to a foreign land that we know little of.  We all know the weeks and months of planning, preparation, and plain hard work that goes into a move like this.  But I'm sure the rewards will be great.... at least after we figure out what we're doing. :)  The Nakuru folks are very nice too and I think we will have many good times together. 

  We are looking forward to the arrival of Jake and Janice Gingerich and their family later this week.  They have 5 children under 7 yrs. of age I think and are expecting no. 6.  Janice must be a very brave woman!!  All I can say is some people are made of stuff that I'm not!!  I can't imagine having small children to care for here but I guess she will have help.  Her mother-in-law is coming along to help them out for the first 3 months or so.  

Thanks again for your prayers... its what keeps us going!  Clara

Here is Miss Carolyn Rodes teaching Sunday school. She does a great job!

One day Wayne took Jamie, Ayla, and Bradlyn to Nakumatt, our local "Walmart".  It proved to be a "circus".  But I think the children had fun at least. :)

Wayne and I wearily doing homework.

Here's a pic of unit meeting

Our house has very few decorations... so Clarissa used some of her creativity to make this for me to set on top of a window.  Its made out of toilet paper rolls.  She got the idea off of Pintrest.