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| Home Sweet Home |
| Sunday 25 August 21:16 » 8835 views, [430 comments] |
| Wow!!! What an adventure. As I said last update, we were waiting on final Visa approval from the US Embassy. Guy and Jackson had gone back up to Nairobi to meet with them. We thought It would just take a couple of hours, but quickly realized they would need to be there several days. The only flight back to Mombasa was on Thursday night so Guy convinced the Embassy to let a friend pick up the passport and Visa for us on Friday. So our friend, Abdulla, picked it up on Friday and brought it to us Saturday morning just in time for us to fly out Saturday evening. We got to the airport in Mombasa early and it was a good thing. When Guy purchased our tickets, British Airways put a sticker over part of the tickets with the new Kenya Airways flight info. Kenya Airways confirmed our flights and tickets two weeks before our flight, but at the airport they would not honor the ticket, despite the confirmation, because of the sticker...they said it was not an official stamp. I thought Guy was going to have a stroke...he was so upset and spoke to several different people, supervisors, managers, etc. They all said the same thing. We finally had to just buy new tickets from Mombasa to Nairobi that we should be able to get refunded from British Airways. Anyway, flights were great, London was great for a few hours. The drive from one airport to the other was so beautiful, through the English countryside. Jackson really enjoyed that. We passed farms with goats, horses, cows, etc. We pointed out to Jackson how they were kept inside fenced areas, not just roaming around the roads through traffic. We also pointed out things like all the green grass, trees, no trash along the road, etc. You can just imagine all he noticed. On both flights, I had to make the kids turn off the movies, radios, and lights and go to sleep. Jackson was not going to sleep at all, but we finally just made him do it. We knew what we were coming home to. We arrived in Ft. Worth (the new international terminal was a great first impression) and my parents meet us when we came through from Immigration. I did not tell the kids they would be there, so they were all surprised...it was fun. It was a very emotional and fun reunion. We picked up a rental van and our car and headed to the hotel. We then visited our new house for a sneak peak and then on to Lowe's to buy a washer/dryer and fridge. We had a nice steak dinner and then crashed. Monday we began moving. The house is so wonderful, with plenty of room for all 6 of us. Now we just have the monumental task of unpacking and getting rid of stuff...this will take a while. We are for now, at least half-way functional and working hard everyday to get to a place of normalcy. The kids are loving Ft. Worth. I think coming from Kenya to Ft. Worth was good, because they would like anything at this point after being away so long. We have been taking Jackson to all our favorite places to eat and he is probably gaining weight. He is certainly enjoying the food. Last night we took him to a Japanese Steakhouse for hibachi. As soon as the chef lit the fire and began, Jackson’s mouth hit the floor in amazement. Everything is so new to him and he is soaking it all in. He has discussed on a couple of occasions how he would sometimes go to bed without food and wake up to no food. He has also noticed that a majority of the people in the US have weight problems. I have noticed it more too since we have returned. So many people seem to be not just fat, but really obese. It's sad and makes me really think twice about what to put in my mouth and feed my children. We have begun the search for a home church. We have already ruled out a couple and today we visited HighPoint Church. It’s huge and the pastor’s wife (April) is the baby sister of Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church in Houston (if you are familiar with that). Most of the family including Joel was at High Point today due to Houston evacuations. Jackson was so amazed at the music and many people. So, all this to say, we are so glad to be home and hearing from some of you. We hope to see you soon. As we look back over the past few months, we continue to be amazed at how the Lord went before us every step of the way. We stand in awe of God and His greatness. From every miracle through the adoption to finding a house for us in Arlington, etc…He has clearly ordered our steps. We love it here in Texas. Everyday, we see another way God has provided for us and orchestrated our move and put us in such a perfect place. We will keep you posted as Jackson’s eyes are opened more and more to the good ole’ USA!!! Blessings, Top of Page |
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| Week 15 |
| Friday 09 August 10:23 » 8930 views, [2 comments] |
| 8 September 2005 What a whirlwind this has been. We have been so busy the last two weeks, I haven’t even had time to write…where do I begin. We quickly realized a couple of weeks ago that our time was running short and we really needed to start planning our time to fit everything in that we wanted to do. We started by going to Kikumbala for church one last time. Several weeks ago, the Lord gave me a message on the ministry of reconciliation for this struggling little church. I prayed for weeks that God would provide the right time for this message, so Patsy, the children and I enjoyed one last time of worship with the people there…it was wonderful. After the service, we drove a family home to their village. William and Helen and their 3 girls are so sweet and appreciative for the lift home. If you recall, they are the family that were starving when we first arrived and had the baby that was so sick. They are doing great now and the baby was up running around and looked so much better. We drove off the road as far as we could into the village until the road became too narrow for the car. We parked and walked dirt and muddy paths between lots of huts until we arrived at a building in the back of the village. This building was larger than the other huts with a hallway dividing it in half. There are about 10 “apartments” on both sides, each having 2 small rooms and 1 little window. Each apartment was not much larger than a single car garage….no electricity and no plumbing, and one bed for the family of 5. They were so delighted and honored that we came to fellowship with them in their humble home. They only pay about $15 a month for the place, but some months, that is all the money they can earn. Pray that this family will find a steady source of income. William is an honest, educated man with a strong work ethic. We have put the word out that he is looking for work so maybe something will come up. Logan and her friend in the estate found a couple of kittens (just a few days old) whose mother was hit by a car. They took turns nursing them and feeding them through the night. One day the friend had the kittens and she woke up the next morning and they were dead. It was very sad as the girls had worked so hard caring for them. A couple of days later one of the little boys came by and had found another kitten from the same liter. This one had found a nursing mother somewhere, but had been abandoned again. So Logan took this poor little thing in and began the feedings through the night again. No one in the estate wants to care for the kitten after we leave, so we took a crying Logan with her kitten to the vet who assured us she would take good care of “Forest”. We had just seen Forest Gump a few nights before and the girls liked to say, “Run Forest Run”. Guy arrived again safely after making final arrangements for our arrival in Ft. Worth. We have found a nice rental house in Lake Arlington and will begin moving the day after we return. We sat here and watched Hurricane Katrina approach the US and now we watch the rescues and cleanup. CNN International has been great with cutting in a lot of CNN-US coverage so we have seen most of what is going on. Our hearts go out to the families that were effected and we pray that they will find the peace and support they need while they move on repairing their lives. Know that even suffering people in Kenya are praying also. One day we spent visiting a couple of other families in their villages. Rehl is the mother of 5 children and was due to give birth again any day. We went to see her and provide some funds for her to repair her house…it was not in good shape and the thatch roof was caving in. We have also encouraged the men in the church to help her make the repairs. We also visited Margaret who is the head mistress at Joseph’s House of Hope. Her daughters were away visiting their cousins, but when she got work we were coming she sent for them. They were all there for our visit and where happy to tell us about the oldest daughter passing her school exams. Both families were very gracious and hospitable. Their trust and faith in God was inspiring. This past weekend, Jackson went on his first safari. What a time that was…it was the best safari we have ever been on. We saw more animals than ever and closer than ever. We even saw a pride of lions eating the giraffe they had killed the night before…we could have reached out and pulled their tails…It was amazing! Over the course of the last couple of weeks, we have been struggling daily with all the last minute details of the US Embassy and obtaining all the documents we will need in the US. God never ceases to amaze us as He has been before us every step of the way. There have been times when we were not sure we would ever get the papers we needed, but we have seen miracles. We are happy to say we are at this point just waiting on the visa to be delivered to us on Saturday so we can fly out on Saturday night. Please pray for safe travel for our family as we leave Mombasa on Saturday night, September 10. We will arrive in Ft. Worth on the afternoon of September 11. We have much to do when we return, but we are excited and looking forward to seeing friends and family again. Look for at least one more update soon and please keep in touch. Top of Page |
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| Week 14 |
| Sunday 28 July 22:34 » 9057 views, [0 comments] |
26 August 2005 Guy returned safely to the USA and will return one final time to Kenya next week. We are 2 weeks and counting until our return to Texas. We are all so excited and looking forward to getting back to a somewhat normal life again…whatever normal is. I had to make another trip to Nairobi to turn in papers at the US Embassy. This time I was able to get a flight so I did not have to drive that horrible road. I was just there one night and had a great trip. I was a nice little break from life here in Mombasa. Java House is a popular restaurant there with many locations. I actually ate a burrito that tasted like a real Mexican burrito…it was great. A friend of ours (who we met through Guy’s sister and family) lives there now and was available to pick me up and drive me around for the time I was there. It was such a blessing to have him drive me and watch out for me. I had tea at his girlfriends house that evening and it was a wonderful time of fellowship with our Muslim friends. This couple is so in love and want to marry, but their families do not approve…they still hold to the tradition of arranged marriages. We have recently been out to Kikumbala to visit with Carol at Joseph’s House of Hope. We had Logan with us and since the last time I wrote, her foot is better and the boot is off once again. When we first arrived in Kenya and went out there, her foot was in the boot. I think I told of the mute woman who prayed for her. When we returned at a later time and Logan was healed, this woman rejoiced and praised God for her healing. Then when we returned again a couple of weeks ago with the foot in the boot again, this woman again prayed for healing for Logan. Yesterday when we went back and Logan’s foot was once again healed and out of the boot, this precious woman fell to her knees and kissed Logan’s leg, she danced and jumped and lifted her hands and clapped for joy for Logan’s healing. We got many great photos of this excitement. She even picked Logan up at one point and danced around with her. I have never seen such enthusiasm and joy in the Lord as I have seen in this woman…she is remarkable. She is a widow whom Carol found in a ditch ready to die. She lives with such joy and passion...not with words as she cannot speak, but she sure uses all her other senses to glorify God in all she does. May we all learn to live with such abandon. Carol mentioned that there are several upper level children at the school who need highly qualified teachers to meet their needs. She is in the process of hiring 3 new teachers before school begins again in a couple of weeks. Most of her teachers are making a salary of about $30-$40 a month. These new teachers will need a salary of about $100 per month. This is a huge step of faith for the school. They are trusting that God will provide the funds to meet their needs. As they prepare for the beginning of the school year, there is no food…which is the greatest need. This school is considered a private school, but they do not charge any money for the children to attend…this is unheard of here. All private schools charge some kind of fee, but Carol knows these children cannot afford it, so she provides the school for them at no charge. She receives her funds from the hand of God by walking on her knees in faith. Her trust in God is unbelievable. Please keep Carol and JHOH in your prayers. Pray about yourself or someone you know becoming a monthly sponsor of one of the teachers. For people to commit to paying 1 teacher’s salary would be such a huge blessing. We would not ask for this if we did not believe whole-heartedly in this ministry. Sitting out there yesterday talking and praying with Carol made me almost consider staying here to help her….no, Mom, I am not really staying. If you are interested in becoming a continuous supporter of Joseph’s House of Hope, please let us know. We fill our days now with as much activity as possible so the time will go by quickly. We still feel like there is so much we want to do while here…so many relationships that are growing…please pray for our final 2 weeks here, that we would be productive in doing what honors God and be able to sow as many seeds as possible with the remainder of our time. Blessings… Top of Page |
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| The Adoption |
| Sunday 28 July 22:31 » 9060 views, [0 comments] |
Ø Jackson, Tiana and Jackson’s grandmother “Rose” having a coke at a local Hotel while we wait to see the Judge. 
Ø The entire family having refreshments while waiting to see the Judge. That is Carol from Joseph’s House of Hope at the end of the table. 
Ø Rose (Jackson’s grandmother), Guy, Jackson, Karen and our attorney, Veronica outside the court house the day we went to get Jackson’s passport. 
Ø Jackson outside the Passport office. Top of Page |
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| Our New Home |
| Sunday 28 July 22:27 » 9065 views, [0 comments] |
Ø We lost our lease on the Indian Ocean front apartment once the tourist season started. We were blessed to be able to rent a four bedroom house in Nyali. That’s ours on the left side. 
Ø The neighborhood is enclosed with a ten foot fence with electrical wires on top of that. It has a guarded entrance and there are always 3 guards on the grounds 24 hours a day. Very safe to allow the kids to run around. Mostly professional people reside there. 
Ø A banana tree in our side yard. 
Ø PawPaws in the side yard. 
Ø A passion fruit vine….you can see it in front of the house on the left side. Top of Page |
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| Logan’s trip to the Hospital |
| Sunday 28 July 22:25 » 9069 views, [0 comments] |
Ø When Logan re-fractured her foot we took her to the Mombassa Hospital to x-ray it. 
Ø Logan waiting outside the outpatient clinic to see the Doctor. 
Ø View from the Hospital. If only all hospital rooms had the same view! Top of Page |
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| Our Daily Lives |
| Sunday 28 July 22:20 » 9073 views, [0 comments] |
Ø The Nyali Cinema. Show many of the latest Hollywood releases….and Dollywood. (Movies from India) 
Ø Karen at the Internet Café. 
Ø Inside the internet café. They actually ran cables from next door so we could sit with our laptops and check email. Most people do not have laptops and have to use the computers next door. 
Ø Our local grocery. The “Green Grocery” 
Ø Our Doctor. He is a very nice Muslim and knowledge Doctor. Gave us his home number in case we needed something. 
Ø Mama Rahania’s restaurant. One of the locals restaurant. Makes the best Samoosas! 
Ø The bowling alley with a very good Italian Restaurant downstairs. 
Ø Our local fish market. We get red snapper all the time. (It is also a pet shop) Top of Page |
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| Our Adventures |
| Sunday 28 July 22:15 » 9078 views, [0 comments] |
Ø Logan carries Tiana the locals way. We visited the Crocodile farm in Nyali. 
Ø Just a few of the crocodiles. The farm raises them and then sells the meat and the hides. We saw several hundred…there were several hundred more we did not see. 
Ø Feeding time is wonderful entertainment for the tourists. A chicke is hung from the feeding stand up above. 
Ø Jackson takes his first ever horseback ride. 
Ø Shelby went horseback riding also. 
Ø Jackson’s first encounter with a cobra. 
Ø Mom took this picture of the family at the botanical gardens. That’s Chalo…Jackson’s friend in front of Guy. 
Ø Dad and Tiana Top of Page |
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| Street Scenes of Africa |
| Sunday 28 July 21:27 » 9087 views, [0 comments] |
Ø Mombassa street scene. Notice the Mosque in the background. Calls to worship are a daily occurrence….5 times a day. If only Christians prayed as much. 
Ø A government vehicle lays to waste because they do not have the money to repair it. 
Ø A street scene in one of the villages. Note the Hotel on top of the hill. 
Ø The bikes lined up along the road are "bota botas"...African Taxis. For a few schillings you can catch a ride from the Hotel in the background to where ever you need to go. 
Ø On the way to Nairobi. These are probably barber shop or other small local business along the highway. 
Ø Baboon as we traveled along the highway to Nairobi. Stop for some Zebra to cross the road also….batteries had died at that point. 
Ø A village scene along the highway to Nairobi. 
Ø Another village scene along the highway to Nairobi. 
Ø On the way back to Mombassa, Abdula stopped for us to grab a bite to eat at the “rest area” where all the locals stop to eat lunch. Not sure many of our friends could have handled the toilets. As we left I took a picture of the Witch Doctor selling potions alongside the road. She is the one with bottles on the table. 
Ø We have a lot of local businessman who sole survival is a delivery vehicle. This guy appears to be collecting useable scraps in the “upper class” neighborhood. Top of Page |
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| Week 13 |
| Sunday 14 July 12:39 » 9334 views, [1 comments] |
| 14 August 2005 If you read our special update last week, you saw that the judge approved our adoption…Praise the Lord. We have seen our Lord work miracles and order our steps this week, to say the least. We spent the remainder of the week pulling together the final documents and papers for the US Embassy and the Passport office. Now that the adoption is complete, we obtained a new birth certificate with Jackson’s new name and our names as his parents. We also have to obtain a “Certificate of Adoption” from the Registrar of Persons office in Nairobi. (This will take about a week.) We (Guy, Karen and Jackson) had to appear in person at the US Embassy in Nairobi to file the I-600 papers for immigration. We had all necessary documents except the “Certificate of Adoption”. When we obtain that, they have given our attorney permission to bring everything back. At that point, they will send an investigator down here to check all the documents at the courthouse and do an interview with our family…then our immigration work is complete and we should have Jackson’s passport by then and be on schedule to return to the States September 10. Please continue to pray that things will wrap up as planned and there will be no glitches. We planned the trip to Nairobi at such short notice that we could not find a flight with any availability…it’s high season here. We did not want to take our car, because the roads are rough and we do not know our way around Nairobi. Our friend that took us on safari happened to be available on those days so we hired him to drive us to Nairobi and back. What a trip that was!!! What takes only 45 minutes to fly, takes about 8-9 hours to drive. The road is the only road from the port city of Mombasa up to Nairobi and is the only road for all imports for about 5 countries. It was horrible. The entire way is a 2 lane road and in places the road is barely there. The road is narrow, there are pot holes, and the huge trucks take up so much of the road. At times you can only travel 1 or 2 miles per hour. It is a very dangerous drive and you certainly do not want to make it at night. Gangs setup roadblocks and rob travelers at night, sometimes killing them. On the way up, we passed 3 separate head-on collisions that had happened the night before. Two of them involved passenger buses and it didn’t look like there could have possibly been any survivors. When you receive emails from missionaries overseas requesting prayer for their travels, trust me, they need it. I do not EVER want to make that drive again! I will say that the drive up was thought provoking. People walking down the road miles from anywhere…where do they live and how far do they have to walk to get basic supplies? I can’t tell you how many women I saw chopping wood, or digging pits…doing back-breaking labor. I saw many, many women walking with a baby on their back and a full 5 gallon water jug or a huge bundle of wood on their head. It is such a hard life for so many people. It was also interesting to see the different villages we would pass and each had their own unique specialty…one village had good clay, so they make bricks; one village had good wood, so they make charcoal; some villages have fertile soil, so they farm and sell their produce. We saw starving cattle (from lack of rain thus no grass) and we saw small children digging deep down into mud pits to obtain their water, because that is all that is available. We also saw people with sweet, gentle souls and warm hearts…you can see it in their eyes. They live a hard life, but it’s all they’ve ever known. If you are reading this, you are blessed! Then we would slow down to let the Zebra cross the road, take pictures of the Giraffe and baboon…not your ordinary journey. An update on our family…Guy leaves for the States again on Monday. He will tend to business in Texas before returning back to Kenya to bring us home. Jackson is so excited that he is getting closer and closer to the USA. Shelby has made so many new friends here in our new neighborhood and all the children love Tiana and spend most of the day holding and playing with her. Logan slipped and fell on a wet, tile floor the other day and re-fractured the same foot that she fractured just before we arrived here in May. She has been saying all summer that she wanted to keep her boot and crutches so she could use them for special treatment on the way home (joking of course). It’s a good thing we did keep them. The trip to the ER was fun… the view from the rooms is incredible…overlooking the Indian Ocean. The rooms have several beds and a balcony with rocking chairs for people to sit out and enjoy the view. I am sure just the view is healing for many people that have to stay there. Logan is doing well now and should be healing nicely again by the time we begin our return home. This week we continue to push for all the necessary documents we will need. We are all looking forward to returning home soon and are starting to county the days until we can eat some good ole’ Texas BBQ and Tex-Mex…and see our family and friends again. Top of Page |
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