Another Blessing

Grandad is here! Justin went over on Thursday to Dar to pick up his dad and bring him over to our island. He got to fly co-pilot on the little plane over and get a good aerial view of the islands.

 

 

The girls were super excited to see and hug Grandad when he arrived. Of course he came with many gifts and presents which were such a blessing to all of us. It was a long journey over here and we are so happy he made it!

 

 

We've been having a blast showing him around our island, our home, meeting our friends.

He and Justin even got to check out the ocean wildlife today. The boys are planning some diving and fishing while he is here and enjoying the wonderful Indian Ocean.

 

Thanks for sharing him with us and watch for more adventures with Grandad coming soon!

Graduation

We've finished our first Computer Courses!  This awesome cake I made commemorated the event with a very professional looking "Hongera"  aka, Congratulations!

 

 

These are 5 of the 6 ladies who completed the class.  They were very proud of their certificates as well as the sodas and cookies (the guys class got the cake. I  burned the one for the ladies, hence, cookies).

 

And here are the first 8 men of Northern Town, Little Island to become proficient in Kompyuta!

 

Thanks for your prayers in making this happen!  We rejoice in the relationships we built through this class and look forward to going deeper and further with these new friends.

Tooth Fairy

 Well the African Tooth Fairy struck again! Hunter was eating a carrot while playing outside and her second loose tooth popped forward. She came running inside and all it needed was a little tug to finish it off. For those who might have missed the post when Hunter lost her first tooth....apparently the tooth fairy takes into consideration cultural differences and needs from around the world. Here in Africa you place your tooth under a gourd or watermellon and the next day she will bring you a chicken (at least that is what Justin keeps telling the kids). In an effort to keep things exciting and new, the tooth fairy mixed things up and brought Hunter her very own Guineafowl!

 Guineafowl are native to Africa but there are not many of them around on our island. Hunter decided to name her's Squeaker Spotty Brown because it sounds like a squeaking door when she talks. As you can see, Hunter was more than happy with her new pet.

We were all pretty happy, except for Toothless Kukulicious Brown, her chicken.  She clucked like a banshee and ran away as fast as her little legs could carry her!  Later, we all did a little running when we found that Squeaker can fly...and did...and did not perfer to be recaptured. We now know that Guineafowl are really fast runners.  It took Justin and 4 friends, climbing roofs, diving in the dirt, tearing up gardens and the loss of her tail to get her reigned in.  We did a home-style wing clipping and just hope we can get her in the coop again tonight.

 

And thus ends another adventure on our Little Island.

January '13

It's sad when my BLOGS have to have month titles!  But alas, such is life right now.

Gramma and Papa came from Colorado!  It was wonderful!  They brought hugs stored up for 2 years and many gifts from many wonderful friends and even a VBS to do with the girls in the afternoons!

We had fun trooping them around our island, showing my mom our life for the first time.

The girls got to show Gramma a thing or two also!  Avery got a 2 wheeler and is working on learning to ride solo now too!

We got to make the rounds to meet my friends too.  Mariam started to pull her head wrap down to cover up and I told her then we wouldn't see her pretty earrings, so she left it up.

Here is Fatma.  She is my best friend over here.  She married my next door neighbor in April I think and just had her first baby on Friday!  Guess who caught the little fellow?  ME!  The midwife knew me and handed me an apron and gloves and told me to get in there.  Be still my heart!

He was an ugly little fellow but today, at 6 days old he is BEAUTIFUL!  I'll get a picture soon. 

Here's Hunter all gussied up in her VBS outfit.  They learned about the Califor-ni-A gold rush and how we should be mining for the Truth, and how the Son is our pure gold!

Do these pictures need any explanation?  I think not.

This little one was born to my friend Aisha a month early at least while we were in Kenya.  She'd been having complications already and I feared I would return home to a stillborn.  Instead, I found this little fighter...9 days old and perfect.  Lacking only...milk!  That's right.  Mama's milk had not come in and she was waiting till it did to feed him.  HUH?  How he survived again is God's grace alone!  These are some of the things I'm desperate to help change here!

Here's Omar's firstborn bonding quite nicely with the lovely Mzungu Mama.

We attempted a beach photo shoot.  Only I forgot to check the camera battery. 

Lipgloss?  Check.  Nail polish for touch ups?  Check.  Change of clothes for secondary shoot, check.  Battery?  Who me?

Love these girls.  Love their grandparents for coming all this way to love on us.  Miss you ALL!

Krismasi katika Kenya

This year, we made plans to spend Christmas with some dear friends in good old Mombasa.  We pulled in after about 12 hours of busses, mini-planes, waiting, dust, walking, more waiting and plenty of sweat.  

 

And it was perfect.  Fresh fajitas, warm showers, smiling friends, even stockings hung up just for us.

 

We spent the next week or so relaxing and playing and swimming and eating all kinds of food not made by my two hands. 

 

We had one night set up for Mombasa Christmas and had the kids decorate their own gingerbread people.

 

And eat them.  Then stockings and a Christmas movie under the fan.  Just before Christmas, we headed up to Nairobi with our friends to spend it with Maggie's parents who live there.

 

THAT was a treat.  It was deliciously cool and beautiful.  On the drive there and back, we saw giraffes, zebras, giant storks, white tailed antelope, ostriches and 2 dead hyenas (the only kind you really want to see up close).  In the wild beside the road!  Awesome. 

 

We spent one day at Paradise Lost...a beautiful "park" of sorts with a huge waterfall, caves behind it, a lake to fish in, or to attract dive-bombing hawks like Justin and Josh did with the chicken legs they had out there.

 

The kids: Hunter (7), Matthew (6), Avery (5), Caleb (4), Braelyn (3), Jordan (2).  We were every bit the spectacle as you might imagine as we trooped around the city!

 

This was a fun little bridge to cross up above the waterfall.

 

A certain Gramma was not happy to see this picture afterwards!

 

We were blessed to have both Josh and Maggie's parents with us to stand in for our own much-missed grandparents.

 

Hunter and Matthew seem to have some sort of glue between them, which was so sweet to watch at this innocent age.

 

OK, lots of pictures taken this day.

 

Let me not forget horse riding!

 

To prove my existance.

 

Nothing indicates the end of a good Nairobi day than feet covered in the red dirt of fun!

 

 

It got so cold at night, we donned sweatshirts!  First time in 2 years, huh? 

 

We even had smores outside with "The Grinch" movie projected for all to see.

 

Grampy read us the Christmas story as Maggie lit the advent candles.

 

Including the stocking-received tattoo, Avery was in her element.  Long sleeves and jeans every day, long silky hair left down.  Beautiful.

 

And speaking of beauty...Hunter lost her first tooth!!!!  It was a heart-pounding moment for both patient and puller (mom with dental floss).  And there was much rejoicing by both of us when it popped out easy as pie!!!!  She is waiting till we get back to Little Island to put it under a gourd outside and receive her chicken.

 

And our last beauty had to sleep in the closet. 

 

 

Don't worry.  There was a nice mattress put out for her in real life.

 

We hope your Christmas was as Merry as ours!  We pray that your hearts are drawn ever closer to Jesus this year as we work together, Loving the Lost.

The final installment

Saturday night was the big Christmas Party with Omar's 2 families.  I was nervous and overwhelmed and excited and it was great.

The big boys loved trying out our dance game, which was hilarious to watch.

Justin Zahor got his first set of wheels.

Mahil sparkled in high style...African style.

The teenage girls watched the wedding across the street dreamily.

Bibi (grandmother) seemed to really enjoy herself, dancing to the wedding music, laughing, talking to me about her 12 children.  She got all solemn for the picture though.

 Maryamu, Mama Huntah, Azia.

 The 2 Justins

 Shemsa and Sabra.  Avery calls Shemsa "Shrimpsa".

Spider Swinging

 Some of the children eating dinner...fish curry and rice and homemade bread and butter and Christmas cookies and brownies.

Best of all, when Omar finally showed up himself, merely 2 hours late, we ate and then got to share the Christmas story, including the why of Jesus' birth and the final results of it here on earth.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the story a lot.  Afterwards, Omar asked where he could read the story himself (at which time he was presented with his very own copy of the "Injili" (New Testament)).  Then, he asked for 2 more copies.  Praising God with us?

We spent Sunday relaxing and doing a little fishing/snorkeling, but we had one more matter of unfinished business...Babu (Grandfather).  Monday I went to his house but he wasn't home.  I gave his wife the gifts and told her the story of Christmas, but she was not the ONE God had laid on my heart a month or two ago.  I couldn't find him in his field either, so I went home and had to trust God for this one...we were headed out first thing Wednesday for Christmas in Kenya.  

Tuesday morning dawned sweaty and bright with homeschool and packing yet to be done.  Justin takes off for business and my work is interrupted by a knock on the gate...it was HIM!  Babu had heard the crazy white lady was looking for him and he came.  We sat on the front porch and there I poured my heart out to him in my broken Swahili.  How I believed God had given him such long life so that he could hear God's final name.  Here they believe God has 99 names (the Merciful, the Holy, etc.)  but that no-one knows his final 100th name.  I was able to take that and explain that we know the "final" name...the ONE that saves.  

We discussed back and forth a few things.  I did not understand everything he said, but we seemed to make a way and he was open and happy the whole time.  Praising GOD!  Pray for these seeds planted to grow and flourish and someday bring fruit for God's harvest!