Writings from the week of August 15-22, 2009

Writings from the week of August 15-22, 2009

Jambo from Kisumu Kenya. It has been raining in the evenings so it cools off a bit and we are enjoying it. Please continue to pray for rain for us because it has been so dry.

Thank you for all being so kind to look at the pictures which fill up your email box. We will continue to take pictures but maybe you will not have to endure so many at a time. People here love to have their picture made and they want you to print it and give it to them.

This week many things happened but the most costly was car insurance. So we have taken the advice of an insurance man and we hope if needed it will pay. He was nice and Jared uses him so we trust all is well there. Even on the mission field life goes on in ordinary fashion about some things. We are still researching medical insurance that possibly will work here and stateside. The same doctor that found our car is researching this. We are in process to get our work permits which seems a bit more complicated that first thought but we are confident that it will all go well.

Our house you know is a sub-lease so this weekend we had the cousin of the man who the house is rented to sitting in our living room watching TV. We were a bit surprised as you can imagine. We find out he is staying and is outside in the guest house. The woman never really speaks and we aren’t too sure what is going on. Jackson isn’t sure either but walks in the kitchen and does a few things. John and I just watched we aren’t too sure what is up. Jackson is off on the weekend so no one to ask. Later they leave but return. Now they have left as far as we know. So you never know who might show up when you sub-lent a house in Kenya. 

This week on Thursday we were in the field with VCT and had a chance to do Bible teachings while people wait. The turn out was great and they tested 44 people. John and I had the opportunity to go to a lady’s home nearby and pray with her and her friend.
It was a long distance and a walk but worth it because of the response to testing. Many young men came and this is also encouraging.


Friday we were back at Dunga Beach. This sounds much more lovely than it is. It is a fishing place mainly where boats come in with the catch and there are ladies waiting to bargain and sale fish. The best way to reach these ladies is to walk up and teach the Bible as they clean and scale their fish. This is about the fourth time we have been there for this work and I think they are starting to trust that we will come again. Now they welcome us back each time. John goes out finding men or boys and sits wherever they are and teaches. This week one of the men from the day before that was tested came to find John since they had talked long after he had learned of his status on Thursday. John had invited him for study and he came to Dunga.

Saturday was our first monthly Bible Study for the ladies at Ring Road. We told them 9 AM to 2 PM. So in typical African fashion they arrived about 10:30. Let me give credit to the 6 that came around 9. We had chai and bread. Everyone loved that.

John felt it was important to teach the ladies what he has been teaching to the men so they would know what the men are hearing. He did a great job and left the ladies feeling important in God’s eyes. Then I taught on prayer and how to have your heart clean before God before the prayers would be heard for the others. I stressed prayer for their husbands and to let God do the work. Please keep these ladies in prayer as they try to change to live for the Lord and raise children to live Biblical principles. Many had things to share at the end of what the words meant and how the changes they needed to make.

After sharing and singing they had kuku (chicken) ugali, and greens. They left with full hearts and full stomachs. We will meet again September 19. They are excited to have a plan to come together monthly. Your funding supports this event for women to grow in their walk with the Lord.




Blessings, Connie

PS: Since everyone seemed to enjoy the melting toe nail polish story so much I had a couple of funny things about life in Kenya.

In Kenya dairy is just not what you think it will be.
Cream has curds and cottage cheese is one big curd.
Yogurt you drink from a carton just like milk.
Milk comes in packets.
Last weekend we were eating breakfast and I reached for the cream and after pouring realized I had just poured vanilla yogurt in my coffee. Now what to do? Well maybe it would be good so I just drank it and pretended I was at Starbucks ordering a vanilla latte.

But this week we discovered laughing cow cheese and it TASTE THE SAME!!! You have no idea how exciting this discovery is. God is good to give us a small taste of home. 

The House:
Our house is a big house built when the British were here. It is almost like being back in the Hudspeth. Well not quite you see there is no hot water. The rental agency told us we could just pick up a kettle for 1000ksh ($13) and boil all the water we needed. Did he think we didn’t know how to boil water? It is so hot here most days the cold shower seems just fine.

The upside is we have water!!! We can’t drink it but we can flush it. The pipe out front is broken and Jackson tied something (plastic bags) around it and it is still holding. We are waiting to see if the agency will send someone to repair it.
I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of our life here.