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.