Thanksgiving and more...

"Serve the Lord with gladness: come into his presence with singing..."  That phrase in Psalm 100 stands out to me during this Thanksgiving season.  Yes, may we all serve with gladness rather than out of a feeling of duty or obligation.  Sometimes when I'm feeling selfish and struggle with our call here, God gently reminds me of the song... "I gave my life for thee... what hast thou done for me?"  

  We continue to enjoy visitors and all the different people that we cross paths with here in Kisumu.  On Sun. eve. the unit was invited to Marlins.  James Peight, Lavina's brother, showed us pictures of the work in Honduras.  James is on the mission board so we enjoyed hearing about the work there.  After that report he showed us pictures of their trip to Masai Mara since their arrival in Kenya.  That was very interesting!!  It included a 15 min. video which made it seem almost real life.  I'm looking forward to the day we can go see the "big five" of Africa! :)  We enjoyed yummy taco salad that evening as well.  

On Monday Wayne was in Pastor's meeting for 10 hours!!  I usually send Bradlyn over with a plate of food for him at lunch time.  They didn't even get finished with everything on the agenda!! It would seem to me that it would be very wearing to be in a meeting that long but Wayne seems to enjoy the fellowship. They have some good times together. :)

Tues. morning I went to Dr. Sokwala's office.  I have a nasty ingrown toe nail that has been a real pain for some time.  Wayne cut some of the nail away (while I nearly hit the roof) but it didn't take all the pain, although it helped the throbbing in my toe.  It "hit" me again that day how different things are here than in America.  We walked down the street trying to find her office and all I could see was a little sign that said "Daktari" or something like that.  The door was open with a few people sitting in a very small narrow room.  The lady at the old wooden desk asked me to sign my name on a piece of paper that had a few other signatures.  I noticed Glen Helmuth's name was on there. :)  I didn't need to fill out any info... I just sat and waited in a not so clean room that didn't smell very great.  I was happy with Dr. Sokwala though.  She's a nice Christian, Asian lady who seems very caring.  Her office is very plain and doesn't seem very well supplied with instruments, etc. but I think she knows what she's doing and she gives God the glory for what He does through her.  She wasn't able to take care of my infected toe but she did prescribe antibiotics and gave me an order to give to a surgeon at the Aga Khan hospital. I guess I will have to go get the nail cut away on the one side. :(

  Wed. was a VERY full but interesting day.  In the morning Wayne and Bradlyn and I went to the Kisumu airport to pick up Rachel and her replacement, Stacy Byler from Seymour, MO.  Welcome Stacy!!!  Rachel flew to Nairobi the day before to be with Grandma Lois when she flew out and then picked up Stacy that eve. and took her back to the airport in the morning for their flight to Kisumu.  Stacy got a good taste of Kenya roads on the way home... town was pretty crazy.  We're enjoying Stacy already.  She's a nice friendly girl who will do well here.  But the hard thing is giving Rachel up!!! :( :( :(  I dread it so much.  It seems this place is so full of goodbyes.  I hated it when Grandma Lois left too.  Rachel has become almost like a part of our family and we'll miss her terribly!!  Wed. afternoon Wayne and I and Carolyn headed out to the Lela area for Bible study at Eunice's house.  We stopped at Hesbon's house to pick him up since he can't walk well.  We had to go through major mud but with some rather wild maneuvers we made it out of there without getting stuck!! Whew!!  Then we kept meeting more church folks that needed a ride.  We ended up with 19 people in an 11 passenger van and on the way home there were 21!!  I honestly don't know how they do it!!  I thought Wayne and I were pretty lucky to be up front and not need to be "squashed."  I love these people though!!  They burst into song soon after the door was shut and they sang their hearts out.  I think they were trying to raise the roof. :)  They were in good spirits and we had a nice day together.  We had a good turnout that day... seemed like most of the folks were there.  I'm so glad for Zilpa's help when I need a translator and when I need to take care of sewing needs with the ladies.  We discussed which Scripture we want to study in Sunday school.  We ladies have a separate class twice a month and I will be responsible to teach one of those times.  I'm not too concerned because they talk a good bit and I pretty much let them take over since I don't have a good hold on the language yet.  When we arrived home around 5:30 Tony's had arrived from Nakuru!!  We quickly changed clothes and got ready for an evening at the Yacht club down by Lake Victoria.  Tommy took some family pictures for us.  Tommy's and Tony's and us ate in one pavilion and the youth and visitors had a separate place to eat.  It was a gorgeous evening!! There were even monkeys in the trees above us! :)  We haven't seen hippos yet though... hopefully one of these times we'll get to see them.  I'm really beginning to love Asian food... especially paneer.  Its fried cheese in a wonderful sauce that we eat over rice.  After we got home from the lake we enjoyed visiting with Tony's a while longer.  I needed to work on jello salad for the next day as well.  It takes quite a bit when you're making enough for 60 people!  

Thanksgiving day was very special!!  The morning was very busy.  I was responsible for broccoli and cauliflower salad and it took a lot of time!!  We asked a native lady, Consolata, to come help wash and cut it up for me.  She was here probably close to 3 hrs.  I finally saw she wasn't going to be finished in time so I quickly helped her for a while.  Judith brought cheese and bacon from Nakuru so that helped a lot! We had a yummy lunch with grilled steak, compliments of Marlin;  as well as ham, some of it came from America, thanks to James Peight!!  For dessert we had specialties that we don't have much here... cream cheese dessert!! 4 different flavors!!  Jake's and us were responsible to plan the afternoon activities.  The men and children played scatter ball in the school yard for a while... there was also Can Jam and corn hole. The adults and youth also played a game called "Bus stop".  That was hilarious.  We also had a homemade pinata for the children which they loved.  I couldn't help but miss my family and think about what they're doing.  Once when we were singing a Thanksgiving song and it mentioned, "father and mother, sister and brother" I found myself choking up a bit but it didn't last too long.  We are enjoying our Kenya family a lot too and it helps ease the pain of separation from our dear friends and family's at home.  

Tony is doing a food drop today but Judith and the children are around and plan to stay til tomorrow.  We look forward to having them here again next weekend.  It just feels right to have them in Kisumu! :)

 Blessings to all of you and thanks again for your prayers and support!!  Clara

The Yoder family at Yacht club

Family Day with Tommy's at Haandi's, a wonderful Asian Restaurant

Wayne and Bradlyn with our TALL friendly guard at Nakumatt

Logan, walking their turtle!

Bible study... eating nyoyo

Lina and baby Josephine

Lake Victoria

"Sisters" Heidi and Teacher Charity

Stacy and Rachel

Meriah Wagler with her friend... a frog

The food table on Thanksgiving Day

Who's pulling who? :)

Girls trying to get oreo cookies in their mouths without touching them with their hands

Need a great place to relax?  Come to Lake Victoria!!! :)

Of Service and Snakes........!!

          

"...and as thy days, so shall thy strength be."  This verse is a comfort and blessing to me.  And it has been proven true over and over since we came to Kenya.  I keep thinking about how I dreaded coming here and absolutely could not imagine myself in a setting like this.  But here we are... for 3 months now and we are surviving very well.  God is giving strength a day at a time and we are actually enjoying life here most of the time.  There are still things that are hard for me and that I wish I could be more relaxed with, such as dirt and germs and our drinking water... etc.  But I suppose some of those things will always kind of stick with me and I need to just accept it as part of Kenya. It helps to realize that God brought us here and He will help us.  Sometimes I feel like we might ruin our health with questionable drinking water, and with our exposure to all kinds of illnesses and things we weren't used to at home but I guess if God brought us here He will see us through. 

 We have been experiencing a number of "firsts" again this past week since Jason's left.  On Wed. afternoon we had our first Bible study without Jason's.  It turned out to be a rainy, chilly, and windy day. Normally we meet in the natives homes for Bible study but this time we met at Church since we couldn't make contact with the person who was supposed to host.  Wayne parked the van under the church roof and then we kind of huddled beside the van for our Bible study and it at least protected us a bit from the wind and the chill in the air.  Only 2 men and 4 ladies showed up but we still had a blessed time together.  I was so thankful I had my leso along to throw over my shoulders. Thankfully we have enough of people in Church who understand English well enough to translate so we can usually get our point across when we are trying to communicate.

  Vanessa was home from school on Thurs. sick with some kind of stomach bug.  By eve. she was better but she didn't want to go along to Joseph and Becky's house for Prayer meeting and singing.  I really didn't want to miss out on the singing because I knew it would sound extra good that night with all of Charity's visitors as well as Marlin and Lavina's.  So Vanessa agreed to stay home alone while I went to the singing.  It was wonderful indeed!!!  Oh how lovely to hear those beautiful English songs in 4 parts!!  I feel like I just have to drink it in when I hear it.  Charity's visitors are 2 of her siblings as well as 3 other youth from her church.  Marlins visitors are James Peights from Bedford, PA.  Marlins sister is married to Lavina's brother so its very special for them to have such close family here with them.  

Thurs. morning we ladies had a surprise Birthday party for Janice, planned by her mother.  When Jake brought Janice home from town we were standing just inside the hedge and sang Happy Birthday when she walked in. :)  The table was nicely decorated and we were served yummy treats.  Becky decorated a lovely cake!  While we were still sitting at the table Wayne came to inform me that he was going to town and then he told me that he found a snake under the door mat just outside our door!!  I was horrified!!  The snake was very small but I still hate them!  It was in a bucket so I showed it to the milkman who comes to the compound and he said right away, "Its a black mamba!"  Those are very deadly snakes but Wayne and Tommy say "no" its not a mamba because after researching they found out that mambas are already 16 inches long or so when they are born and also they are black inside the mouth.  This snake was white inside his mouth so I was quite relieved but still I hope I can believe that info.  So here we had a "real" snake and later that night we had an "imagined" snake!!  One of our daughters, who doesn't want her name mentioned, :)  came to our room at 1:30 am and said that she thinks a snake fell on her head!  It wiggled and then she brushed it off and she heard it plunk on the floor beside the bed. We asked he how big it was and she said, "about as big as the one we saw today".  I was instantly wide awake... I was going to check this out good and proper... just in case some snake had made his way into our house!!  I flipped the bright light on and carefully and very cautiously began my search for this "critter".  But the only thing I could find was a nice pink leso on the floor.  When Wayne saw it he said.. "that's what it was".  Sure enough... the decorative leso had been hanging on the wall the night before and I suppose with the fan blowing and all, it fell on Shonda's head and when it fell to the floor she probably heard the beads on the leso hit the floor.  I guess our imaginations work pretty well at night sometimes. :)  It took Wayne and I a long time to fall asleep again but all's well that ends well. 

On Fri. Wayne, Bradlyn and I went visiting for the first time... just us.  We went to Maurice and Caroline's house.  They were both baptized in April.  Caroline is Maurice's second wife... his first wife died.  With all the rain we've had recently it was too muddy to take the van back close to their house so we walked for a ways. (I wasn't allowed to try. :) We drive 4x4 Toyota diesel vans that off road much better then US vans) wy.  Maurice met us at the road and we donned our boots first.  He took us to his mothers house for a short visit and then we headed back to his house.  We tried to find as much dry land as possible to walk on but it was a challenge.  I had a bad scare once when we came around a bend in the trail and here comes a herd of cows right toward us.  There was nothing to do but stay right where we were while the cows passed all around us.  Normally the cows here seem quite placid, but there were a few ornery ones in this bunch,  they were mostly bulls.  I held my breath as they went around us, and all was well until the one big beast paused right beside Wayne and put his head down as though he wanted to charge!  My heart jumped to my throat for a second and instinctively I whirled and tried to "hide" behind Wayne.  But just that quickly the bull turned again to join his "buddies".  I think it was God that made him decide these "mzungus" were not worth chasing!!  Thank God!!!!!!!!!!!  Times like this make me realize that we are in God's hands and He has protected us so many times.  I'm sure your prayers make a big difference too!!  We really enjoyed our visit with this dear couple.  Caroline has always seemed very reserved and bashful to me but I was amazed how she opened up and talked that day. I was so encouraged!!  They seemed very interested in how things are in America.  We don't like to spend much time on that subject though.  Caroline wondered if we live in mud houses like they do.  We tried to explain that our homes are made of wood instead of mud and we told them how it gets very cold and we must have heat.  They can't seem to wrap their minds around electric heat and those things. Their simple houses can be built fairly cheaply and serve them very well.  Most of them are fairly small, but who needs a big house when you can live, cook and wash outdoors year round.  These dear brothers and sisters can teach us Americans a lot about being happy with less.We are SO blessed... I just don't understand why the differences have to be so great... but that's how it is.  We took some time to sing and pray with them and they graciously served us black chai (no milk added) and plain white bread.  We had some major ditches to go through on the way home... we had to try several times but thank God we made it without getting stuck!!  One highlight for us was passing out Bible story books to the children who gathered around us as we were leaving.  We pray that these books will point them to the One who can help them and save them.

This morning was our first service without Jason's.  Wayne preached a challenging message for the youth.  Amazingly there were more youth there this Sunday then there ever were I think.  He used the rope illustration and showed them how important it is to live our short lives for God so that we can spend all eternity with Him.  Before church started Bradlyn came to me almost crying because something was on his neck and back. I was horrified to see a good sized lizard there and I quickly brushed him off with my songbook.  Sigh.... will I ever get used to these things?!!!!  As usual we picked up a number of people to give them a lift on the way to church. We always stop at the Rabour church as well to transport people.  With a van load of all of us, open windows sure are nice! :)  

Have a wonderful week!!  Clara 

                                                    

The "real snake"

Maurice serving chai

Maurice and Caroline Kitayi

Brad at play

Visiting

Maurice, Brad and "Mud"

A few of the students with their excellent Music Teacher, Margie

Life in Luo Land...

"Home is where God is"  Thats a quote that someone shared with me recently and I really like it!   I want to thank all of you who are so faithful at writing and sending notes of encouragement.  We feel so blessed to have friends that care.  We eagerly look forward to reading e-mails in the morning and throughout the day.  There are certain ones who are very faithful and deserve recognition... such as Jim Pash, Anthony Grubb, Rosy, who faithfully send the Church news every week plus family news anytime, Esther Zook, Mary Ann Yoder,Wanda Peachey, and Carolyn Yoder.  My dear sister in law, Ruth, from PA is also very faithful in writing and it means a lot because I know she really doesn't have time to write!  My wonderful sisters, and Mom often write too... Thanks a million!  It was great to talk to Tracy Osborne on the phone last week!!  Thanks so much for calling!  You're a dear friend!  I'm very sorry if I have missed someone... I know more of you have written too... and I'm sure I'm missing some of you but again THANKS to all of you and God bless!  

  The beginning of last week found us heading to Nakuru with Marlin and Lavina for Unit meeting Tues. afternoon and Orientation on Wed.  We were very surprised when we walked into a pizza shop for lunch before we went to the meeting and found a big group of youth there, including Clarissa, as well as Tony and Judith!  And soon after we got there Tommys walked in.  None of us had planned this beforehand so that was fun.  The pizza doesn't taste anything like Papa John's but its very edible. :)  

  After unit meeting and a wonderful supper provided by the Nakuru folks we had a good night at Tonys.  The worst thing that happened was that Bradlyn had some VERY bad sores in his mouth that kept him from eating and made him extremely grumpy!:(  I don't understand whats up with the sores because he was very tired and had a bit of fever too.  Now Vanessa has been extra tired and has sores too. Also one or two of Jake's children have it. Seems like it may be a strange virus.  People are telling me that we are likely to get strange illnesses here. :(  It takes a lot of trust and prayers at times but we really can't complain because we've been blessed with good health most of the time... and nothing real serious yet.  

The topics for our orientation were all very good and so encouraging.  Marlin Stoltzfus had the first topic titled "Thriving in a Foreign Environment".  The challenge to me was to not only survive, and do what has to be done but THRIVE.  He gave the example of greenhouse plants that are transplanted.  The health of a plant when its moved to a different place may depend a lot on the health of the plant when it was transplanted.  Another thing he mentioned was that when we get beyond the point of needing the "leeks and garlics" then we show growth.  He mentioned that a missionary takes "deprivation" for granted.  Very challenging thoughts and I see much room for growth in my life!!  Marlin Yoder shared about how we can foster true Brotherhood.  He did a great job and I thought of his Dad, Ray Yoder from Bastrop, so much when he was talking.  He looks and talks like his Dad. :) The last topic, Vision for the Future; was by Samuel, a native pastor from Engashura.  I declare he looks a lot like Randy Lapp. :)  He did a terrific job of speaking... very good English and he shared many things with us about how Kenyans "think".  We learned much about the culture and how we can best meet the needs of these people. It was amazing to hear him talk. Its a real blessing to have someone like him to be the "link" between the two cultures.  On the way home Wayne drove and we brought Barbara Jean and her children, as well as some of Tommy's children home with us.  Tommy, Dean, and Marlin stayed an extra day in Nakuru for a meeting.  Barbara Jean said they counted speed bumps one time between Nakuru and Kisumu and there were 177!!  It wears a person out to always be tensing up for those bumps and avoiding potholes and all kinds of other things.  I saw a big truck with a mudflap stretched along the whole rear of the truck that had big letters that said, "RELAX".   Hmmm... was that for me?  The timing was good and I really did try to relax after that.  I really think I've come a long way... but I'm not always sure.... :)  Maybe you should ask Wayne.  Travelling here makes travel in America seem very safe!  I'm surprised there are many accidents there. 

  Some of you have wondered about cooking... is it going better?  Yes and no... I think one of the hardest things is when I look at a recipe and get excited about making it because it sounds so good but then I remember that I have to make the cream of chicken soup, the ranch dressing, the cheese sauce, or the refried beans.... I can't just open cans or bottles of stuff.  And when I think of all that work I just kind of give up and opt for something simpler.  And so we are eating very simple meals and my family complains very little.  I think they are already becoming less "picky" about food which is a good thing.  I enjoy trips to Nakumatt with Wayne. It takes us about 2 or 3 minutes to get there and it seems there is always an adventure of some kind.  The other day there was a man there with a big stack of hats on his head and many wares hanging from his belt... shoes, belts, and I don't know what all.  He made quite a scene and when we stopped to talk with him he said he is a "mobile shop". :)  We got a kick out of that and I wish so much we could've got a good picture of him.  I'm totally amazed at the music that comes over the loud speaker at Nakumatt!!  I have heard many English songs such as "Swing low, sweet Chariot" as well as beautiful songs such as "Hallal" sings.  I think most of the songs are Gospel songs.  We see many vehicles that have signs talking about God, His goodness, and inspirational sayings.  This eve. when we were out at Hippo Point a drunk came up to us and was even talking about God... saying things like, "God is good, all the time". :)  It would be a blessing to see more evidence of God in their lives. 

  On Fri. eve. we prepared a meal for visitors, Trevor and Regina Derstine as well as Trevors uncle Mark and his wife.  I think Trevors may have been the ones who started the "Reach Out Ministries" here in Kenya.  We also invited the single ladies from here.  Our plans changed though when we found out that Trevors and Marks weren't going to need supper after all, so we invited Joseph and Becky to join us instead.  We had barbecued chicken, rice, and cabbage salad.  I didn't need to make dessert because we had a special activity planned out on the lane after supper.  The youth played volleyball and we also had a farewell for Jason and Cynthia's family.  We enjoyed Coke and Fanta floats and salties.  By the way... when I was buying salties at Nakumatt that morning I was AMAZED to see that they have Bugles!!! And they're even the real Bugles brand like they have in America!!  I couldn't believe my eyes!!  The bad thing is they are very expensive so I used self control and left them on the shelf.  Trevor's and Marks joined us out on the lane that eve. and we VERY much enjoyed their visit!!  They are very interesting to visit with and we're so glad we got to meet them. 

   Its hard to believe that Jason's are actually gone now!!  They will definitely be missed!!  It was hard for me on Sun. when the church folks at Lela said "goodbye" to their dear pastor and his wife.  It was hard for them... some were crying. Its very obvious that Jason's had a very good relationship with the people here and so it makes it a bit hard to step in now and try to take Jason's place.  I know we won't be able to be just like them... we will need to just be ourselves and pray that the people will be able to adjust to us and our way of doing things.  Please pray!!! If we ever needed you to pray its now!  It looks overwhelming at times but I'm sure we will make it if we take a day at a time.  

  Wayne has been finding plenty to do... today he was helping George, a native man who cares for our flowerbeds and hedges, etc, to take out a short sidewalk that was being pushed up by tree roots.  He has school devotions in the morning, Bible study at church in the afternoon, Instruction class and message on Sunday.  Oh, a correction..... I had mentioned once that Wayne was put on the school board but he is actually the Principal. All the men here are on the school board.  So he has school related things to do sometimes.  I enjoy having him around the house when he's not out visiting or running errands in town.

   I was busy helping Becky at the guesthouse today cleaning up since Jason's moved out and there are visitors coming tomorrow.  Marlins are getting visitors as well as Charity so there will plenty of activity around here.  I started 7 loads of laundry today and made some of the beds after the sheets were clean.  I also made a cake for Janice's birthday.  We were invited to go with Jake's to Hippo Point in honor of her birthday.  Clarissa decorated the cake and we had a great evening.  Gramma Lois was there too as well as Miss Carolyn.  It rained part of the time and was a bit chilly but the sunset was absolutely beautiful over Lake Victoria!  Sad to say, we didn't see any hippos. 

  Its time to bring this "epistle" to a close.  Don't feel obligated to read all that I write. :)  Have a good day!  Clara

Shonda on her 12th birthsday

Lunch at a pizza place in Nakuru before unit meeting

Waiting for Unit Meeting to start (L to R: Mark Beachy, Dean and Barbara Jean Miller, Cynthia and Jason Beachy,
Jake and Janice Gingerich, Lavina and Marlin Stoltzfus.

Orientation

Nessa, with Heidi and Hanna Gingerich

Sunset off Hippo Point, Lake Victoria

Picnic at Hippo Point

Hippo Point Panorama

Good old Kenya dirt!  This was from the living room and dining room!  The main part of the
room was swept the day before!  Where does it all come from??

Greetings from Luo Land!  Our lives seem to be "picking up" now since Jason's are actually leaving us in a little over a week.  We're feeling the weight of the responsibility that is on us but with God's help we will make it, one day at a time. On Tues. we had a good day at Jennifer's Gardens where all the pastors and their wives, including native pastors from the Kisumu area, were together for a day of fellowship and good food! Wayne and Bradlyn and I travelled to and from with Mark and Mary Ellen Beachy and really enjoyed our visit with them. Joseph and Becky provided chicken for all of us that day and it was so yummy fresh from the grill.  Cynthia made cooked cabbage over the jiko and that was very tasty too.  We also had plenty of rice and potatoes with banana bread for dessert. These people love banana bread and we would enjoy finding a way for them to be able to make it over a fire.  Any ideas for us?  The problem may be the cost... it takes sugar, flour, eggs, and bananas. Some would not be able to afford all that.  The men and ladies had a separate little share time that day.  Rosemary (the one who was our language teacher) shared a devotional or topic with the ladies and she did a great job.  She spoke of how we can encourage our pastor husbands by being good wives.  I was challenged and saw much need for improvement in my life.  The day was nice except it rained some in the afternoon while some folks were trying to play games. The pastors love playing "mzungu" games like, Bocce Ball, Can-Jam and Corn Hole.  The interaction is wonderful! We left a bit early cause of the rain.  
  Wed. afternoon we had Bible study at the church instead of at someone's house.  We had a 50 shilling clothing sale that day and so I was initiated into some of my new responsibilities.  All the ladies were allowed to choose a medium or large dress for around .50 or else buy some fabric that we took along and choose a color that they want a dress made out of.  It was my job to collect the money and write down what color and size they need and anything extra they wanted to request with their dresses.  It was a bit hectic when they all wanted to pay at once but with Cynthia's help and encouraging them to only do one thing at a time.... we made it!  Our girls were at home all afternoon Wed. since there is no school after lunch, so I had a list of things for them to do for me.  Clarissa made Shonda's birthday cake and decorated it.  As happens frequently, the power went off while the cake was in the oven! :(  Clarissa quickly ran over to Tommys to ask permission to use their oven, then she ran back home, covered the cake, and quickly took it to Tommy's to continue baking!  I think God was looking out for her cause it didn't even flop! And it turned out more luscious and moist than ever! :)  
  I would appreciate if you could help me pray for an Asian lady here in Kisumu (can't remember her name) who we buy cashews and some other things from.  I like going to her house... its a very interesting place... more modern than a mud house by far... fairly big with nice furnishings (in Kenya standards).  I didn't see a stove in the kitchen, but there is a fridge and I've seen her cook over a small jiko on the floor.  She is a VERY busy lady.  She grinds all kinds of things like flour, and all kinds of spices, and seasonings.  I like getting cashews since they are much cheaper than at Nakumatt.  Then I buy ground nuts (peanuts) from the market lady and roast peanuts and cashews in the oven and season them with salt and sour cream and onion powder. Yummy!!  They satisfy my salt cravings so well and they're good for you!  Anyway... I like visiting with this lady cause she is so friendly and knows English quite well. She was telling me how its good to stay busy so we don't have so much time to think.  Her husband died when her youngest child was six.  She's so sweet and I would like to talk to her about God and how He can fill the void in our lives but I'm not sure how to start.  I think she may be Hindu because she has a red spot on her forehead.  It breaks my heart to think that she is serving a false god.  Wayne thinks maybe I should start by giving her Christian literature, such as the Seed of Truth magazine.  We love to give those magazines away!! Its so much fun to open the windows of the vehicle when we're going down the road, throw the magazine out and see how eagerly people reach for them.  Children almost fight over them. Most adults love them too. The other day as were going to Jennifers there were two boys and a little girl beside the road. The little girl appeared to be crying and the boy looked like he was threatening her with a stick!  Wayne threw 3 Seed of Truth magazines out for them and the fight stopped immediately. 
  Thurs. eve. was the first time that Wayne and I and Clarissa went along to the Russia (Government) Hospital to sing. We sang Luo songs, and some Swahili. I was so sad when I left that decrepit place!!  It was a relief that we could stay outside under a covered walkway to sing.  Everything seems so dirty and germy.   The wards are off of the covered walkways and the beds are so close together... its pathetic.  Nothing like privacy!! I saw no IV poles that I can remember... although I'm sure they use IV's sometimes.  Patients lay there curled up and you have to wonder what kind of care they are getting.  Tommys have seen so many people die there from wrong medications or just bad care I guess.  I think I would have to be deathly sick before I would consent to going there!!  I'm so thankful that there is a better hospital in town.  We can't be thankful enough for the good hospitals in America!!  I'm seeing I took far to much for granted when we lived there!!  
  Saturday was a more relaxed day and we did some special things in honor of Shonda's birthday.  We went to the animal market where we bought her a nice basket.  One vendor was begging me for 20 shillings to buy him a soda!!  It feels rude to deny him but if you start something like that there is no stopping and we had already bought a small motto from him.  Sigh.... From there we went to the "chip shack" where we ate french fries and drank sodas. Men sit around a fire peeling potatoes and then throw them into oil to fry.  They are quite good!  French fries are called chips here and chips are called crisps. :)  
  We are happy to report that replacements have been found for Tommy and Marji Wagler!  Gerold and Rebecca Millers family from the Georgetown, OH area have consented to come.  A year or two ago when Wayne had meetings at their church we were at Gerolds house for a meal.  If we'd have known that day that within several years we would both be living in Africa, we'd have been "floored"!!!  God moves in mysterious ways...
  We had some very exciting news this week when we found out about visitors from America who want to come see us!!!!!!!!!!  :)  Talk about making our day!!  Miss Kath and Lynita want to come as well as Joe and Glenda and dear little Tiffany!!!  That means a lot to us and we look forward to your visit!  
  This next week looks full with going to Nakuru on Tues. and staying til Wed. for our orientation as well as joint unit meeting.  We look forward to staying at Tonys house again.  Clarissa and the rest of the youth here in Kisumu plan to leave already tomorrow afternoon and be there for a volleyball game with the Nakuru youth tomorrow eve.  
   God bless your week!  Clara

Brad met this puppy when he and I and Maurice went visiting on Thursday

Chip Shack  Great chips!

Card board alien!

Nessa modeling a hat at the animal market

Rethatching at Jennifers Gardens

Great chicken Joseph!!

Cynthia cooking some good cabbage on the jiko

Pastors Meeting

Notice, the one man is holding a Seed of Truth

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

This is how Brad and buddies hang up their "trunks"!

Chy and Nessa making chips on the jiko

Leadership transfer at Lela

Story time with Rachel in our yard

Judith, Rachel, Clara and Shonda relaxing!!!

Tony's House

Nakuru School house (where Mahlon's lived)

Pumping water for feet washing at church

Miss Carolyn with children after Bible Study

Kenya hillbilly!!  Christian Wagler

Girls tea party at Tommy's