Kisumu Yoder's: The Little Things.....

Greetings from the land of the sun! I don't recall that there has ever been a day in Kisumu since we came that was cloudy all day. We've been having rain almost every day but mornings are always sunny. We rejoice with the nationals who are happy because of the rain that is watering recently planted crops. We were a bit chilly last weekend when we were in Nakuru. Socks and sweaters felt good. We very much enjoyed our weekend with Tonys and Rachel. Tonys definitely have a different life there than they had here in Kisumu. They are the only Mennonites in their compound but they're within walking distance of the other Nakuru families and the school, so thats really nice for them. They have a 2 story house and have done a beautiful job of fixing it up, furnishing, and decorating it. Judith has a unique way of decorating with very simple things. The cheery paint colors on the walls add a lot too. We had a relaxing visit... we ladies spent some time cutting out flannelgraph pictures while Tony, Wayne, and the little boys worked on hooking up a water tank outside. We also walked over to Jamie's school and took pictures. Mahlon and Ruth lived in the house that is now the school around 15 yrs. ago. Its very interesting to see the changes that have taken place in Kenya since we were here to visit Mahlons in 2000. On Sunday Wayne preached at the Engashura church. Marcus Burkholder was scheduled to preach there but when he heard that we were planning to be there he asked Wayne to preach. We enjoyed the Engashura folks. When Wayne told them that he knows Randy Lapp (their former pastor), it caused some ripples in the audience. It was obvious that people loved their pastor!! After a delicious lunch of chicken, rice, and beans, and even cheesecake for dessert!! we headed home again. We had a fairly uneventful 3 hr. drive. There is some awesome scenery along the way. We took a different route than missionaries have often taken over the years. The road is very nice except for many speed bumps some places. We drove through some mountainous places that reminded us of scenery you would see out west in the U.S., especially Phoenix.

When we got home we were blessed with a tote full of goodies that my dear sisters, Ruth and Marla, sent over for us with Marlin Stoltzfus'. Some of the items they sent were things that I wished I had brought along from home. It was delightful to have a "touch of home". Thanks a million!!!!! Another huge blessing when we walked in the door that night was a brand new fridge! We had been told soon after we came that ours will be replaced sometime soon. The old one didn't cool well and it was a "power waster." I constantly had to wipe up puddles of water inside too which was rather annoying. We feel indebted to all of you across the "pond" who take care of our needs here. When we first came to Kenya the adjustments were huge... such as the lack of conveniences, no microwave or recliners, water troubles, lack of hot water, etc. I guess we were just way too spoiled in our new house at home. But the longer we are here the more I realize how VERY blessed we are and I feel unworthy to say the least! I'm finding joy in little things. No, my house is far from fancy, but its amazing how simple little things, like cute little clay pots, that we bought for less than a dollar each, can make my day. We spray painted them black and now they look so pretty with ornamental grasses in them. Some cheery hedge flowers in my kitchen can really add color and cheer my day. Clarissa has blessed me many times with her creativity. She has made all kinds of things out of toilet paper rolls! :) Little things... like power when we really need it is something to thank God for!! Our power has been going off almost every day, at any hour, and for several minutes at a time or for hours at a time. I feel blessed when its there for us when we need it! It can be stressful when I have something in the oven that is partly baked... I'm so thankful for Marji who is next door with a gas oven and she so kindly allows me to use it. Another little thing that has been a huge blessing to us is a good sized rug that we have in our living room that we brought along from America. Its the softest spot on the floor anywhere in this house and we use it SO much! I think I've been more thankful for this lil rug than I ever was for our wall to wall carpet at home. Yes, the little things in life make a BIG difference!! Our compound family has done many "little" things for us to show us that they care in our time of adjusting and language classes here. They have all become very special to us!!

This past week was a special time for the men and boys of the Nakuru and Kisumu units. They all went to Wendo... a beautiful place not far from Nakuru to go camping. There are also indoor games to play, etc. They reported a good time but sad to say it rained a lot of the time and the night in the tents was quite miserable for some. Poor Wayne only got about an hour of sleep that night. :( But in spite of it all they seemed to have great fellowship. We ladies took advantage of this time to do some special things as well, such as shopping, partying at Becky's house, and swimming at a large pool! Shopping at the market was quite an experience!! Its the largest market in Kenya and one of the largest in Africa! There were so many amazing sights to see that I wanted to just look and look, but I had to constantly be looking down to see where I was walking because there was mud, food scraps, and all kinds of junk, to detour around. Sometimes I wanted to hold my nose and sometimes my ears!! Vendors were overly eager to sell to us!! Once I heard someone say, "Welcome to Kenya!! Americans, Welcome"!! The sun was hot and it was so chaotic that I was glad when it was time to go but OH, what an experience!! Some of these things are just priceless!! And so much fun to do with friends!! We ate at Java House then, partly in honor of Cynthia who will be leaving us soon. :( We are sad to think of Jasons leaving... they have done much for us and trained us in well... not pushing too hard and yet covering the bases well. We are starting to feel the weight of the responsibility ahead of us. Very soon we will be on our own here and we need the wisdom of God so much to know how to meet the needs at Lela. Please pray for us!! We had a blessed time at Bible study on Wed. afternoon at Wellington and Benter's house. These people are becoming familiar and more dear to our hearts all the time. After leaving Wellington's house we went to a chemist and Jason got some medicine for an orphan who we found out about who had a staph infection in his foot. The Dr. sent him home with only pain killers!! I was horrified!!! It seems its important to have at least some medical knowledge before coming here because sometimes you kind of have to be your own Dr.

On Sunday we had Communion at Lela. I helped fill lil cups with juice like I was used to at home but in a VERY different setting!! We use chapatis for the bread so its really nice not to need to make unleavened bread! Bishop Marlin was there and preached a good message for us. At the end of the service Wayne and I stood up front while Marlin officially charged Wayne to be the new pastor at Lela. It was touching... and oh such a responsibility has been handed to us!! God help us to make wise decisions and to be what these people need! We feel like the church is accepting us well and that means a lot! They will miss Jason and Cynthia very much!!!! After church Marlins, Jasons, Carolyn, and us were together for lunch. In the eve. we were all invited to Deans for finger foods and fellowship. Jason shared some of the things he has learned here during their 4 yrs. of service. Very interesting!!

God bless your day! Clara