Let us start at the beginning!

I am finally getting around to our pictures from the beginning of our move here! We have almost been in Kenya 2 weeks now! Wow time is flying by quickly! There are so many times that I want to sit down and write our blog and update you all with pictures but time runs on by and there is just so much to do here. We are still settling back into our home here.... unpacking, cleaning out the cobwebs, sorting through various boxes! It is taking quite a while since all our children want to do is go play with Grace family from morning until bedtime! Shoo! Grace family has been on school break since the beginning of this month and will head back to school the end of this month. What a treat it has been for everyone to be able to play and get to know each other!

We are working on getting chores implemented well so that the older children are helping and teaching the younger children. We are trying to work with the staff on various things. Shoo we are tired at the end of the day. We need your prayers for guidance and a clear vision of what God wants us to do each day. We easily get overwhelmed with all the things we still need to work on with the children, building bridges back with people in the community that some people burned, training staff, getting settled in our home and such. We thank the Lord for you and your support! The Lord has brought so many people together for His work!

Now onto some pictures!

What fun to have no more carseats! The kids got to ride in the back of the truck when we were picked up from the airport by Lydia's husband! 

Lucy absolutely loves all of the animals here! We have 2 cats and about 6 dogs! Thankfully all the animals are very tolerant and will allow Lucy to follow them around and pet them!

Mercy and Lily are back together! 

Lily enjoys to call to people from the fort!

Kipchumba, Levi and Kirwa

Levi enjoys watching the children's shenanigans! 

Lucy enjoys the antics of the boys making her laugh as Brenda carries her around! 

We all love riding in the Yellow Submarine!  

We got to go visit Kogo (David's Mom) at David's older brother's home, Joseph, about 20 minutes from our home! 

Since arriving in Kenya we have been trying to get some of the Grace family children out a little at a time as we go various places or Zion heads out to town for various items! Here are Moses, Winnie Awino and Kipchumba with us!

Moses our 3 year old and Lucy 18months! The look to be the same torso height! 

Lucy saw Moses eating food at pointed that she wanted to sit next to him and eat also!

Me, Winnie Awino and Lily for a selfie 

Lily and Lucy making some funny faces for the camera!

Levi and Kiphcumba hiding. They are quite inseparable lately!

On the dirt roads Zion allows the children to try out driving! It is quite a different life here! Here is Kipchumba!

Levi loves it!

Lucy loves to also check out the sights while we park the truck!

Lucy loves going down our slides here! They are so fast someone has to go with her! Here are Kirwa, Victor and Mercy (underneath the slide)! 

Playing around the area where we milk the cows! Quite an audience and Lily was waiting to learn how to milk the cow!

Lily milking Brownie

Lots of people gathering around to see who Lily was doing with milking the cow! On a sidetone: the two kids with the hats on are Kipchumba and Levi. Whatever Kipchumba puts on after a shower Levi will come run home and see if he has anything similar to wear! Levi loves they both have hats. Another time Levi wore a button down shirt when Kipchumba had one on... etc.

Little monkeys---Moses, Gideon and Kirwa

Victor, another monkey! 

Yahoo! Lots of fun high flying tire swinging! How many people can you count?!

Brenda lining everyone up for the tire swing!

 It is time for bed now! It is 4pm EST your time and 11pm our time! Thank you Lord the providing good internet! We love you all!

Our Journey

Greetings our dear family and friends. We have lived in Kenya again a week now!

Momo (Laurel's mom), Lucy and Levi playing around at Dulles

Our journey started many months ago when we were feeling the Lord taking us back to Kenya. We have been preparing for a while and praying the Lord would strengthen and help us for what lies ahead at Grace family.

Lily was so ready to get going on the plane but we had 9- 50lb bags to check in! shoo wee!

David was so sweet to carry Lucy around in the baby carrier since I am not supposed to lift anything bigger than 5lbs after ruptured appendix surgery! What a strong sweet husband God blessed me with!

We finally got on our long flight from Dulles Airport to Addis Ababa Ethiopia around 10 hour flight!

This little munchkin cuddled up on my lap for a good sleep.

Lily was enamored with the kids movies on the flight. She and I did not sleep a wink on the long flight!

The Lord blessed us in a big way by putting us on a flight that was not packed! We were able to spread out between 6 seats all across from each other! We loved the freedom to move and not worry about knocking elbows with anyone or our children getting other peoples things! Woo! God knew what this mama needed to just enjoy the flight!

Levi enjoyed the movies also but loved walking up and down the hallway of the seats

Lucy did not want to eat any of the plane food but she did love playing with all of the plasticware! 

After our first long flight we had about a 2 hour flight from Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya.

Lucy zonked out in the bassinet on the flight to Nairobi. 

Lily finally took a break from all of the movies and slept on the whole flight to Nairobi!

Just about to land in Nairobi, Kenya!

Lucy watched Baba intently in Nairobi as he found all of our bags!  

While Lily fell back to sleep on the floor and Levi rolled all around her.

I didn't capture it but seeing a Kenyan man in Kenya carrying a baby in a carrier is a rare sight. Men in Kenya do not use baby carriers but will just carry their children. When the schools of children who were touring the airport would walk by I could hear their laughter and whispering to one another. My husband is brave and such a leader who did not let it bother him. I am thankful he was able to care for Lucy so well. My arms ached to carry around our children once we got off the plane since they were so tired. I hated I could not help in that way. This surgery is very humbling.

 I love how at the Nairobi airport they have sculptures of wildebeest and elephants!

After we arrived in Nairobi we had to take a bus with all of our bags to the other side of the airport to get on our final flight to fly to Eldoret, Kenya which is about 50 minutes from our home. I was so thankful for how the Lord worked it out to take this flight because if we had not had this flight we would have taken a van for about 6 hours to get home! I can't imagine! I praise the Lord for the option to fly into an airport closer to home!