Prayer Request & Cute Kate

Tomorrow, October 1st, we are scheduled for our Children's Department registration inspection. It should not be a big deal, but it is still a little nerve-wracking, wondering if I have all my ducks in a row. I think we have everything in order....but this is Kenya. I am sure they will find something to dispute so that they can get "a little something." Well, I won't be doing that, so there could be some small issues.

Please pray for favor as this committee (the Area Advisory Counsel) comes to visit us tomorrow morning.

And.....just because I want to share the beauty, here are some pictures of Kater-Bug from today. She's just the cutest, sweetest little thing. One of the easiest babies ever. If she is awake, this is her look....

Managing Monday

Do you ever feel that life is flying by, out of control, and you just can't seem to get a grasp on it? Well lately, life seems to be running me rather than me running my own life. So....I am taking it back. And the first step is to manage my own time/schedule.

My daily routine is not routine in any way. (Par for the course for living in Kenya.)
Sometime I get stuck in a jam that delays me for hours (literally). Sometimes I don't.
Sometimes we have water in the house. Sometimes we don't.
Sometimes the babies all wake up happy. Sometimes they don't.
Sometimes I spend 5 hours driving in the car. Sometimes I don't.
Sometimes we have electricity. Sometimes we don't.
Sometimes the babies get sick and need to go to the clinic. Sometimes they don't.
Sometimes I get a portion of my to-do list done. Sometimes I don't.

What IS routine is the busyness of life, and its unpredictability.

If you want to know what I do on a daily basis....well, good luck. I would still like to know that sometimes myself! (You can look back on my July posts for a real daily log example.)

Things remain busy. Busy is fine if I am well organized and in control of the busyness. Busy is not so fine when it is controlling me and I am not being as productive as I should be...feeling like I am spinning my wheels. I know that I must be a good steward of the time God has given me and the gifts He has given me to be able to do my job.

The hard part of that is learning to say "no." If you ask any of my friends who see my life on a daily basis, that is the advice they have given me MANY times over the past month or so. I also must learn to say "yes" to time for myself.

So....I am managing my own schedule on this Monday - and subsequent Mondays - so that I can be a better manager of the ministry God has blessed me with.

So far today I have done management tasks like....
- talking with the girls about their "time away" hours,
- filling in the calendar with important dates & known appointments,
- writing the forms for 3-month evaluations,
- writing permanent employment forms,
- talking with my assistant about the future of one of the employees,
- going over the shopping list with the head girl, and
-completed last week's Expense Report & Petty Cash Report.

So far today I have practiced managing my own life by doing things I have put off, i.e.....
- organizing one more closet in my "apartment",
- putting away misc junk brought up from downstairs,
- replying to emails, and
- doing a few loads of laundry.

In my life right now, there is no such thing as a "weekend," no days off. Every day is the same and it is hard to tell when a weekend is here. I am making Monday a sort of "weekend." It may seem that I did a lot for a day "off," but let me just say that it actually felt like a day off to stay at home and do those things!

And now, it is 4:30pm and I am going to try to remember what it was like when I had a job that I left at the end of the day. I am going to go downstairs and play with the babies. Then, I think I will make dinner and watch TV - without doing some kind of work at the same time. Yes, that is just sit and watch TV! I may go for a walk. Or read a book. Hmmm. Calling it "a day" at 4:30pm??? What will this be like???

Thanks Kris!

My best friend and Secretary of His Cherished Ones, Inc, Kris, was here for three weeks. Not only was it great to have my friend here to hang out with me, it was also good for her to be here and see what happens on this side of HCO on a daily basis. I cannot even tell you how much work, how many hours Kris puts into HCO every week! I definitely could not be here without her! She keeps the ministry running by handling the business/money side of things. In fact, she knows more about that side of it than I do! I am so glad she was able to spend so long getting to see the ins-and-outs of the daily side of His Cherished Ones and the Haven of Hope baby house. The work she does on "that side" makes it possible for us to do the work we do on "this side."

Kris, some of the HOH staff and the babies:
Kris & Elizabeth, Emmanuel & Tracy
Lynette & Jeremiah, Julie & Julia, Irene & Kate

Thanks, Kris!!! We miss you. Come back soon....and bring Barry with you next time. :-)

Kris and the Girls: Irene, Lynette, Julie
Auntie Kris brought a special UT (Texas) outfit for little Jeremiah, our only boy. He did look quite cute in it.
Elizabeth got a little extra therapy from Auntie Kris.
Kris gave Julia a lime while at lunch on our "girls day out." Julia shared.
I walked around the side of the house to show the staff something. We all disappeared, started talking and forgot that we left Kris alone with all the babies. Don't worry....they all survived, and she did too.
Kris brought a First Aid kit for one of the football teams that our friend Tom sponsors. (Yep, it's a TSMC thing.)

The kids came today. Kris and Jackie are both gone and I think the kids are a little disappointed that it is just us regulars here. They like it better when we have visitors who play with them!Even Daisy misses you, Kris.

My Little Lulia

Tracy calls her "Lulie," so it kind of sticks. Of course I don't have favorites, but Julia and I do have a special bond. Kris took these pictures before she left yesterday and I just have to share. She's just the most precious thing in the world!

Julia is usually very happy, smiling and talking. On this day, though, she had been to the doctor for a horrible rash/infection. She wasn't feeling so well so the smiles aren't as big.



















To think that this little girl just learned to crawl after coming to our house less than two months ago. Her progress is amazing! She was just waiting for an opportunity to develop. She literally does new things every day. From scooting, to crawling, to pulling up, to trying to walk....all in less than two months.

Best Friend Trip to Mombasa

Yey! I got a little vacation!! Well, sort of. It was two nights away. I had strep and felt horrible the first day. I was on the phone way to much trying to put out fires with the two security staff members. Even so, it was a GREAT trip and I did have a wonderful time!We stayed at Baobab Resort at Diani Beach on the coast of the Indian Ocean near Mombasa, Kenya. Thanks to great friends, Dennis & Allison (http://theomondisinafrica.blogspot.com) for an amazing hook-up! Allison and Anjela got to come spend the afternoon with us on Monday.

And thanks, Kris...the best friend in the whole world!! I am so blessed to have such a great friend who makes me get away from the stress of daily life in Kenya, treats me to a relaxing getaway, and helps me realize how important it is to do that occasionally. I could learn to like that! I'll have to try it again in a few months. A few days off every six months isn't bad.

It was a great time and I am so thankful for it!!!!

Bathtime

I still have strep and Kris and Jackie are enforcing the "don't go near the babies" rule. It's not fun at all. Strange how I miss them so much!

So, I am posting pictures from earlier this week to remind us all of how stinkin cute these babies are!

Kater-bug loves bathtime. She totally relaxes and enjoys. As you can see, she is a chunk!

This is Julia wearing some adorable giraffe pajamas from Auntie Kris.

Organizing!

Thank you to everyone who donated and sent clothes with Kris! We LOVED going through the bags of clothes. It is such a blessing to have such amazing friends who care enough to take care of our babies.

It took several days to go through the things that Kris brought and the clothes we had here. Kris and Jackie sorted them by size then we organized the ones for our four babies.


Now, we have to get out the bag that is nicely packed and labeled "Newborn Girls" and find a place in the closet for our new little baby!! Yes, we will a new little girl next Wednesday. She is 13 days old today. Her mother died when she was 5 days and her twin sister died a few days later while staying in a shelter. Obviously, the place the father took them was not a safe place. Yet, he was unable to take care of newborn twins while organizing for funeral arrangements. etc. She is now with her father and will remain there until Kris and I come back to Nairobi on Tuesday. We are working out an arrangement so that we can assist him with the baby so that he can work and prepare himself to take her back. So....we will receive our 5th baby - another girl! - next Wednesday.

Please pray for the father of our new baby as continues to make decisions.

Also, I would appreciate your prayers. I have strep throat and it is so very difficult to find time to rest!! Kris and I are planning to go to the coast of the Indian Ocean on Sunday for two days away. My whole plan is to REST - but I want to be well enough to enjoy it!

Auntie Kris is Here!

Auntie Kris is finally here to see the babies!! And they love her.

She arrived here last Sunday night and we have been in a whirlwind of activity ever since. It started Monday morning with an on-going situation with one of our staff. We have been dealing with the issue for weeks and Kris was here to see first-hand what I have been talking about. It was sheer craziness!

Tuesday was a busy day with a trip to the Maasai Market (with Kate and Julia), shopping at Nakumatt and meeting friends for lunch at Artcaffe.

We stayed home and played and unpacked some of the boxes of AMAZING stuff that Kris brought on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who sent stuff! It is like Christmas a few months early!!

It was a fun afternoon.....

Heshima

I haven't updated anything about Heshima lately. Heshima is the center for children with special needs that I work with.

I spend one day a week helping out as the Education Coordinator. I work with the teacher, Nelly, to assess the children, set goals and develop their educational plans.

His Cherished Ones also partners with Heshima to provide the salary for the Physical Therapist. True to God's nature, He always has a plan and works things together in such amazing ways. Tracey, the found of Heshima, has generously allowed us to have one of the spaces for PT children so that Elizabeth can go to therapy one day per week.


Elizabeth goes to Therapy every Thursday when I go work with Nelly. This week, Kris joined us and sat in on the therapy sessions. She got to watch Edmond, the PT and then offer suggestions and advice. We also have two new boys at Heshima. Leon was coming for PT but is now one of our full-time kids. He has mild Cerebral Palsy. He just started on Tuesday and is still getting used to the routine. John is the other new boy. He is blind and has autism. It is a challenge for the center to be able to meet all of his needs due to limited resources and the needs of the other children, but for now he does fine and is adjusting to the routine. I absolutely love this kid. He is a sweetie. He now knows my voice and gets excited when I come. He even crawled into my lap this week. Love him! The other kids are doing great as well. They are growing and learning. Victor and Mark love being the big kids and helping with the little ones. Celeste and Macharia are becoming more independent and have such adorable little personalities. I am blessed to be a part of Heshima!