Kisumu Yoder's: June 2018

"A clean home is nice, but a clean heart is better."

"The proof of spiritual maturity is not how pure you are but awareness of your impurity. That very awareness opens the door to grace." Philip Yancey

"It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to. C.S. Lewis

The last number of week the girls and I have been cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of anything we don't need. This house desperately needed a good cleaning and I'm enjoying the feeling of an organized house even though I know it won't stay this way very long. It reminds me of the importance of keeping our hearts maintained as well. A clean heart is far more important than a clean house. In the end it will determine our destiny. I hope I can keep my priorities where they belong!

We're enjoying lovely weather in Kisumu. It's been a bit chilly at times but I think it's wonderful! We could use a bit of rain again but we're so thankful that the rains lasted as long as they did! Some folks appear to be getting a good harvest but others not so much because of flooding.

JoeAllens have returned to America for furlough and are currently in Georgia spending time with his family. We miss them here but look forward to joining them on the other side of the pond in a few weeks. The children especially miss Tiffany and Elliot! Joseph and Becky Hostetler and Rhoda Wengerd have also returned home for a number of weeks. It's good to have Gerold's lively family back in Kisumu! :) . And we're very much enjoying Ivan Peachey's family as well as Jason and Cynthia Beachy and family! Both of them have done so well in just picking up the reins and moving ahead as though not much time has passed since they lived here! :) .

On Sunday a week ago we were at Ahero. We are always glad when it's our turn to go there. One bad thing is that the church house seems to be infested with mosquitoes. Thankfully I had some repellant with me and we were able to ward them off. We were also a bit distracted during the service by a bat hanging from the ceiling and sometimes sliding down a beam and looking like it could fall any minute. Wayne announced that day that there was unanimous support to move ahead with commissioning a new Pastor. Wayne hopes to move ahead with it soon after our furlough. On the way home from Ahero we stopped at Rabuor a bit to drop something off for Bishop Thomas. While visiting with the ladies outside I noticed Helen had a very nice pink dress on that was unusual fabric for here. I commented on it and she told me that it was a dress that belonged to Sarah (Sarna) Esh. Sarah gave the dress to Helen before she died and then Helen took it all apart and cut it to her own pattern. It turned out beautifully and I could tell that the dress is special to her!

The week was a busy one! Wayne had a number of meetings to attend. I feel badly for him with the stress caused by allegations against Bishop Eric. Ivan has been a blessing and support to Wayne though and has attended different meetings with him. Things don't look good and even though we still don't know for SURE that the accusations are true, it's very obvious that something must be done to bring rest to the churches at Kasongo and Ombeyi. So pray earnestly for wisdom for the Pastor's as they work with the issue. This coming weekend looks "BIG" to Wayne as he needs to meet with the two churches on Sunday morning to make some statements. From there we are scheduled to go to Oroba for at least part of the service to cover for Joseph and Becky.

On Wednesday morning Jason Beachys arrived at the compound! The girls and I made a simple lunch for them. It's so good to have them around again! Soon after their arrival Jason said he wanted his "marching orders." :) And I was amazed that they had enough energy left after their long flights to attend Bible study at Lela that afternoon!! The Lela folks knew they were coming soon but didn't expect to see them that day. They were VERY happy to see them! :)

My week was full with cleaning and organizing. I also needed to prepare for the clothing sales coming up in the near future. It was a big relief to get everything sorted and into totes for our 4 different sale days. The girls also tackled a project that was interesting but time consuming! The Ahero church sign was taken away by the Kenya Highway Authority a while back because they said it was too close to the road. After some time Wayne was able to pick it up at an office in Kisumu but the thing was in dire need of repainting so he designed a new sign and our girls painted it, with the help of Kaylita. It was a great feeling to have that done! That evening we met at Ivans for Prayer meeting and they served us some yummy homemade ice cream with different toppings afterwards!

Our children sure are enjoying the privilege of having more children/youth on the compound! They've been playing spike ball on the lane quite often in the evening and there have been some impromptu's as well... such as a BIG water fight that ended up including almost all the children and youth on the compound! :) . They had great fun! I love to see our children making memories like that! Kore was here for supper that evening and we invited Stacy too.

On Saturday we enjoyed having Ivan's family and Stacy here for supper and the eve. Pizza was on the menu as usual.

Last Sunday found us at Rabuor where Wayne was asked to preach a message at their family seminar. Pastor Tobias from Ahero preached a message as well. It was a good morning and we enjoyed hearing the choir sing as usual!

The Pastor's had a special lunch at Java House on Monday. Joseph so kindly gave money before he left to treat all the Pastors to a meal. The meeting ended up lasting most of the day again... as it did last Monday!

On Tuesday Gerold, James, and Jake flew to Nairobi in the morning, got their work permits verified, and then flew back to Kisumu in the afternoon. Please continue to pray for Brian's situation. John Zook has reapplied for the permit so we continue waiting to see whether it will be approved.

On Wednesday Wayne and I and Clarissa and Vanessa bounced our way to Kajulu for the annual clothing sale. Things went well and it never got very hectic since the people arrived at different times and the check-out line never got very full. It was a good day and we stayed for most of the Bible study as well. I always enjoy watching the ladies having a good time helping each other try on their new dresses and I love the way the younger ones look out for the old mamas!

On Thursday Clarissa and I drove to the Specialists Hospital where our Asian dentist is located to have some work done on our teeth. Things went well and I was glad to have that over with! Wayne and Ivan spent all day at a meeting with Kasongo and Ombeyi members. Days like that are stressful!

We're gearing up for a time of refreshing in Mombasa next week! Tony's plan to be there as well as Kore (part of the time). We plan to take the train from Nairobi to Mombasa and then the following week our flight leaves from Nairobi and on across the waters!! Opake Yesu!! :) Hoping to see some of you there!! Blessings, Wayne and Clara

Water Fight!

Working on the water tank tower

Sewing Class

Elliot

Tiffany and Elliot in Nairobi the day before they flew home

JoeAllen with his approved work permit!:)

The building where the work permits are issued in Nairobi

Happy Father's Day!

Family time around Joe and Glenda's fire ring

Jacob and Benter Obiero

We're done!!

Meeting at Ombeyi

"Waiting upon the Lord allows your focus to shift from you to Him."

"Patience is not about how long one can wait, but how well one behaves while waiting."

"He hath made everything beautiful in His time..." Eccl. 3:11

"Waiting on the Lord" seems to be what we do a lot of in Kisumu. In dry season we wait for rain, we wait anxiously for the day when new Pastors can be added to the churches, we wait for the Board to find fill-ins for those on furlough and fill-ins for Brians, we're waiting for truth to be revealed in the life of Bishop Eric, we wait for those whose memberships have been terminated to repent, we wait for electrical power to be restored to our houses (we've had a number of days lately where the power has been off most of the day). We wait for prayers to be answered... Is waiting a waste of time? I don't think so. In God's mind I think waiting is working. But to human minds it's difficult because it feels like nothing is happening. Pray for us that we can redeem the time and be fruitful in the Kingdom even while waiting.

It's been such a pleasure to have Ivan and Kay Peachey's family join us in Kisumu. Their 16 years of experience here is so valuable. I envy their ability to speak Luo so well. The nationals seem very happy to have them back, even if it's only for several months. Ivans four boys sure know how to work and they've been a big blessing here already!! I'm so happy for Bradlyn that he has new friends to be with! Ivans willingness to serve at the church in Dienya has taken a big load off of Wayne. We hope and pray that Brians will soon be able to return and if not that replacements can be found quickly because Dienya REALLY needs someone! We were so happy to get the message last evening that Jason and Cynthia Beachy and family have consented to come as furlough replacements for Joes! They arrive next Tuesday and stay until August 9 I believe. Their experience here will also be very valuable! Welcome Jasons!! :)

Wayne has spent hours and hours working on land title issues. His patience is starting to pay off. The last time he waited at the land office he was finally granted 5 titles! Opake Yesu!

Another thing that has kept Wayne busy the last several weeks is attending burials. One Saturday Wayne attended 2 burials, one was the son of Mama Jane from Ahero. I think he died from complications of HIV. He had quit taking his HIV medication because he was going to a church that claims healing for their members. The other one was a double funeral. Joe was at that one as well. The sub chief of Lela had a nephew who was murdered. His body was tied to a chair in the house and the door padlocked. When his mother finally got into the house and found his body there, she also died... probably from shock. Another day he went to the funeral of our friend Henry's brother who was killed in a car accident. Our hearts go out to his wife and children. The next day he went to Lela area to show his support at the burial of Hesbon Odep's step mother. Joe was also there. So many deaths! Attending funerals is a good way to show people the love of God and that we care about them.

On Family Day our family decided to go to the Kisumu Museum. I can't believe we've never been there before. It's almost within walking distance. There is a Luo dala (homestead) set up there. It shows how the mud houses looked traditionally and our guide explained how the dala is set up with the first wife's house here and the second wife's there, etc. I quietly challenged our guide about the life of a polygamist and how the Bible way is the best way. He said "What about Solomon in the Old Testament?... he had many wives!" Then Wayne took over and explained things much better than I could have. I hope our guide will take these things to heart and desire to follow the Bible way! We enjoyed watching some natives dressed in old time traditional clothes dancing and beating their drums. It almost gave me an eerie feeling though. It was just weird! Next we went to see some of the reptiles they have there. We saw 2 large crocodiles and also a snake in the snake pit. Next we saw the snakes that were in the glass cages. I don't think we'll ever forget the HUGE snake we saw! I think it was around 4 meters long and so frightful thick!! This kind of snake is one of the largest snakes in the world. I was afraid I'd have bad dreams because of it! :( We did some street shopping after that which is always interesting!

On Sunday a week ago we attended church at Dienya. Ivan and Kay's family ministered at Nyakoko in Gerold's absence. We enjoyed the day and the church seemed to be doing fairly well. We had a number of people who wanted a ride after church so we squeezed them in, but our poor girls thought it was the worst ride they ever had. They were SMASHED into the back seat and the roads were very bad! I think next time we just have to say "Pole" we are full!

Last Monday Tony and Judith's family and Janell Stoltzfus arrived to spend a few days in Kisumu. Tony needed to do some CAM work in the area. On Monday eve. after supper we invited Ivans and Joe and Glenda to come join us for the evening. Ivans worked with Tony's for a little while before they returned to America approx. 5 years ago. And Joe's knew Ivans from the 6 months they spent at FMH before coming to Kenya.

On Tuesday Judith, Janell, Kaylita, and our girls spent the day with Lillian Owino. Lillian got all of them to help her with cooking as she likes to do, and they were served some yummy food! It means so much to Lillian when people visit her! Jamie and Ayla stayed here for the day. Brad and Jamie had a good time together. Ayla spent a good part of the day at Joe's playing with Tiffany. Poor Ayla had an unfortunate thing happen when she jumped into a tub of water she had been playing in and suddenly her skin was burning and she was screaming! Glenda and I couldn't figure out what in the world happened to her but we knew there was a terribly strong odor of fuel. We finally discovered that some naughty little neighbor boys had been there while Ayla was in the back yard and had poured gasoline into the tub of water. It was quite traumatic for Ayla but thankfully all is well that ends well! Wayne and Tony took time to visit Alfred that day. He is the one who had the awful cancerous growth on his foot and had it amputated. CAM helped with a majority of the expenses. Alfred was very happy to see them and seems to be doing well! The power was off for most of that day so as usual my plans changed again.But I decided to try and make the best of it and cleaned out a closet and drawers. Now I have a better idea of what all I need to stock up on when we go on furlough in several weeks. I hope I'm learning to be flexible and just roll with the punches when plans are so often changed.

On Thursday Wayne went to Awasi land office for the second day in a row and then in the afternoon Joe and Wayne had an IC interview (Instruction class) with Moses and Irene... a fine young couple that has been attending Lela. It's so encouraging to see young families interested in church!

On Friday some of us ladies and the singles met at Gerold's house to do some much needed cleaning before their arrival back in Kisumu this week! We look forward to having them! Some work was done on the ceiling of their house while they were gone so the place was filthy!! Wayne went to the marriage office with a young couple from Oroba that day, Duncan and Daisy, who wish to be married soon.

We went to Kajulu for church yesterday. They had S.S. reorganization and that took quite a lot of time. Wayne didn't start preaching until 12:00! But in spite of all that we were home by around 1:30 so it wasn't too bad.We were happy that old Mama Elizabeth was ready to be taken back in as a member. She had been excommunicated for smoking, but seems to be living in victory. In the evening we had a unit activity at Jake and Jan's house. Jake planned an evening with a theme of honoring mothers. Ivan Peachey shared an interesting devotional and there was special singing by the singles and children, then the fathers, and later the mothers. There was also a time of sharing things we appreciate about our mothers. We really enjoyed the "haystack" meal we had afterward! It was so good!

Today Wayne is responsible to lead out in 2 different meetings... the normal Pastor's meeting this morning and then all the native Pastor's from Kisumu are coming for a meeting in the afternoon. Wayne asked me to pray for him. He's been keenly feeling the weight of his responsibilities the last while. I think he needs a break. We look forward to spending a week in Mombasa, leaving July the 4th, and from there traveling to Nairobi to catch our flight to America where we plan to spend 3 weeks! Joe and Glenda are very excited as well about their 6 week furlough beginning on Wednesday of this week! Wayne and I plan to take them to Nairobi and then pick up Gerold's family and bring them home. Wayne, Joe, and Gerold all plan to get their work permits reviewed while they're in Nairobi. The government is requiring ALL foreigners to appear in Nairobi to make sure their work permits are valid. People have to stand in LONG lines waiting their turn. A lot of folks arrive at the office at very early hours. Joseph, Stacy and Rhoda were there recently and when they got there at 4:50 a.m. there were already 20 people in line ahead of them. It will be nice to have this done! Thankfully we married ladies don't have to appear... only our husbands need to stand in line.

Continue to pray for the work here. We need your prayers very much! Wayne and Clara