Our place

Ok.  I found a way to post a picture!  But I might have to do one per post.  Sorry!  I will get all this figured out with our tricky internet connection.  For now, enjoy Liam!

Pictures!

Starting on the journey!  Kari was able to fly with us from Springfield to Dallas.  It was great to have her help starting out.  Overall Liam did great on all of our flights.  He was the cutest little "deer" anyone ever saw!

In Nairobi we stayed at the Menonite guesthouse.  We all three, plus 5 totes squeezed into this little room!  Liam is smiling even through his sickness.  He was a trooper.

This is the Rift Valley.  We drove through this going out to Tenwek.  Gorgeous.

Lambskins just like this were for sale the whole drive out.  This made me laugh because mom bought one just like this in the States and cut it into pieces for Liam to sleep with.  Little did we know we could've bought the real deal right here!

This is the view from our door.  We are on the bottom of two levels.  Straight ahead is a little fence that the cows come right up to and "moo" for Liam.

This is zoomed in across the river.  Still from our front door.  On that road we see vendors, donkeys, cows, and many motorbikes throughout the day.

Adjusting

We now have slightly more reliable internet in our apartment, so this is my first time to blog!  Logan is at work.  Liam just went down for a nap.  It has been a slower adjustment than I had anticipated.  After we all three could keep food down, I was thankful.  I have been trying to "feather our nest" as best I can.  With no feathers.  When we arrived we had no shelves, dressers, drawers, or any "surface" really to put things in or on.  The people at Tenwek are so nice and helpful though.  One missionary wife found two old broken dressers in storage.  We bleached them and decided to use them broken.  If someone comes to fix them great.  If not, great.  Liam was so cute "helping" Logan move it into our bedroom.  I will try to upload the little video I got of it.  Speaking of Liam...

He is trying to get his sleep patterns transitioned still I think.  He takes a few very short naps in the day and wakes up through the night.  Pray for guidance for me as to what to do with and for him.  He is slowly getting used to his new home, but many times clings close to me.  He calls me "Mimimi."  It's cute.  Much of my time is spent steering him away from shoes he loves to put in his mouth and outlets, which are much bigger here for little fingers!  I taped a couple this morning, but I should've done it out of his sight because he marched right over and took the tape right off the wall!  He is walking 95% of the time.  Hardly any crawling anymore.  He likes to push chairs around, which makes a fun screech on the concrete floors!  We have cows right outside our door, so I take Liam to visit them.  I say "moooo" and he makes this big "mmmmmm" sound.  Now when I read his book that has a cow in it and moo, he makes the same sound.  He is so smart!

Today I am having tea (or Chai) at 10am at the Manchester's house.  She is a career missionary who hosts a bible study for new missionary wives once a week.  Then we have lunch at another missionary house, the Spreigals.  Everyone has been so hospitable.  I have not cooked a big meal yet.  I think tomorrow I will tackle it.  I can do it.  I can do it!

Well, there is much to write, but also much to do.  Perhaps another day I will be much more eloquent and insightful.  For now, we will just go with my random thoughts.  Love to all!
Julie

The View From Here

Liam loves to crawl over to the door, play with the curtains, and look out at our amazing view.

Answers to prayer:

First, all of our luggage made it.  We checked 9 items, including 2 bags which were ophthalmic medical instruments that were mailed to us before we left.  Five items were waiting for us in Nairobi.  Our five trunks.  But not the two medical suitcases, nor the stroller or carseat.  The next night the carseat and one medical suitcase arrived.  The carseat came just in time for our ride out to Tenwek (which was amazing, I didn't even mention last time, but we saw 3 or 4 different groups (herds) of zebras, 1 group of gazelles, and 1 group of giraffes!).
Then today, the other medical suitcase, and Liam's stroller arrive at Tenwek delivered from the airport, what an answer to prayer.

Second, we are all feeling better.  Liam started getting sick in Nairobi, but he is great now, and sleeping better, I think the jetlag is wearing off of us all.
I'm feeling much better and was able to have the medical orientation at the hospital today.  I saw my first patient in Casualty (that is the ER).  Status epilepticus.  Also saw blindness from CMV retinitis.
And Julie is still getting over it some, but is about 75%, on her way to full recovery.  Thank you for your prayers.

Julie is going shopping in Bomet tomorrow.  I'll have some more orientation.  Pray for me as I start a 2-month rotation in surgery on Monday.

I was going to include the view that Liam was looking at, but this picture took so long to upload, I'm going to have to wait until next time to show you the beauty of Kenya that we see everytime we look outside.

In suspense?

At Tenwek

[Internet is still sketchy so I'll keep this short until I know more about it.  Pictures to come later.]

We safely arrived at Tenwek yesterday afternoon.  Liam had picked up a stomach bug on the flight or in Nairobi, and is already doing better from it.  But he passed it on to Julie and me.  Last night I started having symptoms and Julie today.

So our first full day at Tenwek was one of zero productivity.  Mainly rest and hydration.  I wanted to get started right away, but was wisely counseled to wait until I'm well or I can make it worse for myself.  It reminds me that it is not about the talents that I bring, but about letting the grace of God work through me.

Pray for a quick recovery for all of us.  We appreciate your prayers so much.

In Nairobi

We're here in Nairobi!  We landed last night.  We are all safe.  Liam did an amazing job on the flight, better than could be expected.  Thanks to your prayers.  It's beautiful here, we'll attach some pictures as soon as we can.


We had a really fast turn around in London, so we literally RAN to our gate.  We figured some of our stuff (if not all) would get left behind).  When we got to Nairobi, some things hadn't made it.  But all 5 of our totes made it, by God's grace.  But not the car seat, stroller, or the 2 other suitcases with medical equipment.   Hopefully the rest of the luggage arrives tonight on the next plane from London. 


Right now we're staying at a Mennonite guest house in Nairobi.  Which has wireless!  So here I am.  Julie is out shopping for food with some other missionaries from Tenwek, and I am babysitting Liam.  We both have jet lag, so we don't know what time it is.  When Julie gets back we'll meet some other missionaries from Tenwek for lunch, and then we'll all go out this afternoon and get some more stuff for our 5-month stay.  Then tomorrow we drive the 4.5 hours out to Tenwek.  


This is just a quick note to let you know we've arrived safely.  We appreciate your prayers so much.  Thank you and please keep praying.  Doing this kind of thing really makes us realize how much we rely on the Lord for absolutely everything.  Because so much is out of our control.  I think we can become a little too self-sufficient in the States because we have so much available to us.  But even just on the flight over, I sensed how much we needed God, and also how in control He is.  I hope this blog can make that reliance fresh in your life as well.  


Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord.  jeremiah 9:24

Happy New Year!

We were sitting around the table at the Bratvold's, playing Ticket to Ride, European edition, when Liam woke up around midnight and started screaming in the other room.  We decided he wanted to get up and celebrate the new year with us.  We had a great time playing games with the family tonight and recounting God's guidance and blessing over our lives in the past year.

You can see Liam joining in the fun.  Now he will clap when he hears people cheering, it's adorable.

We shared what amazing things God has done for us in 2009, and prayed his blessing and guidance through the ups and downs that are sure to come in the new year.  Who knows what's in store for us in the next 12 months?  Only God.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11