Rebekah's Blog

Rebekah is here!! And I can already feel the pressure of things beginning to ease as she helps manage and steps into her job as HCO Business Manager.

She has started blogging about her time here as well. Here is her post from today.....

"This Little Light of Mine"

One Year Later....

As of today, we have been in Nakuru for one year! And what a year it has been!!  I am so thankful to God for bringing us here. It was a great move for us.

This year has brought about so many changes. Good changes. The ministry of HCO has grown, as have our babies.

And our babies have not just grown, they have come and gone! We have been blessed with some beautiful new bundles of joy, and we have watched others leave our home and return to their biological families, while others have become a part of their brand new adoptive families. We moved here with Lizzy, Julia, Miah, Kate, Eli, Hope, David, and two week old Joseph. We now have Lizzy, David, Joseph, William, Brian, Kennedy, Annabelle and Winnie. And in there, we also had Elizabeth Soni, Solomon and Noah.

Elizabeth

Lizzy has made great progress! She is more mobile and gaining strength every day. She is very bright and happy. We are still in process of determining the options for her future.

Julia

Julia is now officially released from Haven of Hope and I am now her legal guardian (until 18 years of age). We hope to begin the adoption process soon. 

Jeremiah

Miah, who will be called Jeremy, is now living with his parents in Nairobi. When their adoption is final, he will go to his new home in Italy, where I am sure he will be playing football with his papa on a very regular basis.

Kate

Kater-bug was finally reunited with her mother in December 2010, after being and HOH baby for 15 months. They come to visit us in Nakuru and are doing well. 

Elijah

Eli is now the son of a very proud daddy and mom. They live in Nairobi.

Hope

Hopey, now called Chabet, is the daughter of one happy mama! She is definitely a mama's girl and they have a true mother-daughter bond. They live in the Trans-Mara area of Kenya. 

David

The baby who had such a rough start in life is now a happy, healthy little boy. We are currently pursuing documents so that he can be freed for adoption.

Joseph

Joseph just celebrated his first birthday. He is a funny little boy who loves his favorite auntie. He is soon to be released for adoption.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Muthoni (Soni) was a HOH baby for six weeks. We were able to provide her with a safe home while her mother worked things out in her life so that she could be a better mother.

William

William is almost 8 months old. He was a fussy little one for his first few months, but now he is a happy, playful little thing who loves to bounce in the play station. He has been submitted to an adoption agency and is awaiting the freeing process.

Annabelle

Sweet Annabelle is now 3 months old. She is a beautiful little girl with a bright future that will include a story that is a true picture of God's redemptive grace.

Solomon

Solomon (whose real name was Caleb) was only with us for a few weeks. After being abandoned by his father, his mother came for him. We were happy to be a safe place for him until he was reunited with his mother.

Winnie

Sweet Winnie is a quiet little cuddler. She is 2 1/2 months old and loves to sleep and eat, and rarely cries. She grows every day and is beginning to look like a cute little round ball!

Noah

Noah graced us with his presence and cute little man-like face for just two weeks. His mother, in fear of losing her future and opportunity for education, abandoned the sweet boy. He was eventually returned to her, under the supervision of his aunt and uncle.

Kennedy

The bright-eyed Kennedy was rescued from his mother's incapable care. His future is uncertain as we wait for court processes dealing with his mother. Meanwhile, we will love him and care for him for as long as God keeps him safe in our home.

Brian

Brian was supposedly abandoned by his mother. He was a sad little boy when he first arrived, but is now a happy little boy who recently learned to walk. We are waiting on the status of his mother to be determined in order to know his future plans.

His Cherished Ones has also expanded our outreach ministry since we moved to Nakuru. We are blessed to have these handsome young men and beautiful women as part of our family now, too.

The boys in our HCO boys' home

These are orphaned and/or abandoned boys who have been on their own, either on the streets or roaming from home to home of well-wishers willing to give them a bed. None of the boys had been in school in over a year. They now have a safe place to live and are all in school. It is our desire that these young men will all come to know the Lord, will grow in their faith, and will one day become godly leaders who genuinely love and provide for their families as men of integrity.

The women of Cherished Handworks

This beautiful group of women are all single mothers who struggle to provide for their families. In a society where single mothers are not respected and face many extreme trials, these ladies are now offered the opportunity to learn a skill and use that skill to earn a consistent income to provide for their family. They also have the support of other women in the same position and have the support of learning about the consistent provision of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

What a blessed year it has been!! And this week, we also celebrate the birthdays of staff members Suzy (baby caretaker), Eunice (house keeper), and Tobias (groundskeeper). It is certainly a blessed week!

Truly, what a wonderful year! And this is a wonderful week to celebrate our anniversary in Nakuru! Thank You, Lord, for Your abundant blessing and provision.

"Thanks is what builds trust"

Why do I keep count of all these gifts, these blessings in my life? these things in my life that lead me to thanksgiving, to eucharisteo?

So many reasons. I don't even know all of the reasons yet. But as I keep reading, continuing to explore, looking for more gifts from God, opening my eyes to the blessings He has already placed before me, I discover more reasons and more ways God is using them to show Himself to me and draw me closer.

As I move from one HUGE blessing (getting Julia's passport) on to our next phase of trust in this, our journey to America (the visa), I must surely cling to the promises of God. It is hard to remain strong and optimistic and not be overcome by fears of the "what ifs." This is time - it is always time - to cling to the "God IS." It is a time to trust Him. Our journey to America is just one of the many things that I must trust Him for in this "job" I do! There are always problems to solve, battles to fight, obstacles to overcome, hoops to jump through. Trust is a must. But it isn't always easy, is it? How do we do it, just trust?

"Thanks is what builds trust." (p. 150) Once again, One Thousand Gifts pierces my heart with simple reminders of the obvious that are so easily forgotten. Why do I count His blessings in my life? Because it draws my heart to thanksgiving. It reminds me of His ever-present faithfulness in my life. And that is what I cling to when facing the next hard steps, the frustrations of life, the shadows of despair around every corner, the problems too big for me to solve.

Trusting in God is the answer. But how do I do that? Easier said than done sometimes, isn't it?

"Can God be counted on? Count blessings and find out how many of His bridges have already held." (p. 151)

Once we begin to see where we have walked, from where we have come, the promises kept, the gifts already given, and evidences of His presence, reminding us that we are not alone, our trust is strengthened. When we recognize the gifts - the everyday blessings or the miracles - we can thank Him for them. And that conscious act of thanking Him for them draws us to Him and builds trust.

So one more reason why I count gifts is because it builds my trust in God. And this life I live (the lives we all live) is one that depends on trusting Him! I simply cannot face the struggles of living and ministering in a hurting, starving, developing country without knowing He is here with me. Counting reminds me was, He is, and He will be. And it helps me in our journey to America, knowing that He has been there to bring us this far, so He will be with us til the end!

His bridges HOLD!

Counting His many blessings....

184. Little Girl playing hard.

185. Sunset at the Kenyan farm house.

185. "Mommy, this is for you. It's a gift."

186. Long shadows.

187. Loving time with my little girl.

Brian

Sweet little Brian is getting more comfortable in our home. I am sure he still misses his mama, but he is starting to relax and be happy. He is such a cute little guy!

 It's a little dark, but can't you see that sweet smile?

You can pray Brian, that...
* He continues to feel at peace at HOH.
* He feels comfortable enough to be his happy self. (I have a feeling he is really a happy boy, just confused right now.)
*If the story we were originally told is not true, and that his mother may come looking for him, that it would happen soon. The longer he stays and feels at home with us, it will be another transition for this already confused little boy. Though we are SO happy to have him, it is often the case that there is a story, some sort of confusion and the mom will really return in this sort of case. (i.e. Noah, Solomon)

PASSPORT!!!!!

Julia has a passport!!!!!

What's next?
* Fill out visa application form online - CHECK!
* Pay visa application fee - CHECK!
* Book visa appointment - waiting for payment to process, could take up to 24 hours
* Gather more documents for visa interview (i.e. letters, bank statements, affidavits, lease agreements, invitations, etc)
* Visa interview - HOPEFULLY will be by mid-July
* Buy plane tickets - Way more expensive going round trip from here. :-( And now paying for a child, too. Yikes!
* Go home!!!

She loves looking at her passport. :-)

Keep in mind, this is what is supposed to line out from here, but this is Kenya. Things do not always go as planned. There are also lots of "little things" that must take place as sub-steps to these basic big steps. And, in addition to all of this....life goes on and the ministry is MOVING!!!

It is notoriously difficult for a Kenyan to get a visa to America. And you might think that me, an American citizen, being the legal guardian of this two year old might help, but you would be sadly mistaken. In fact, it may even make things more difficult. The passport was supposed to be the easy, predictable step. Kenyans have the right to a passport. The visa is known to be a hard, tedious, tumultuous task. I am claiming that we have already faced our hard task and now God is ushering us on, going before us, and walking us through these final steps in the ease of His power!

God is so good! And I am thankful that He is BIG! We have more hurdles to cross and steps ahead, but we have made a huge stride this week!  Thanks for all your prayers the past few weeks.

William Robert Ivy

Happy 34th Birthday to my little brother, Kenan!! Kenan got the best birthday gift ever.

Little Will legally became William Robert Ivy when his adoption was officially finalized. I am so happy for my brother and sister-in-law! And I absolutely cannot wait to meet this little guy in person!

Congratulation, Kenan & Karat!! And happy birthday, Keen! I love y'all!

New Toys!

Thanks to some great friends who gave a gift to bless our babies, we have some new toys at the baby house! It is incredibly hard to find baby toys here in Kenya. Anything that can be found here is either very poor quality that will break within days, or is an extremely expensive import. But, we found a treasure! Several of them. I am sad to see some friends leave Kenya, but in their leaving we were able to buy some awesome things for our baby house! You will be missed, Lawrence's, but thanks for sharing your toys with us, little Jonathan. :-)  Here are our babies enjoying the new finds....

Mr. Serious, William, in the swing!! (Thanks, Dan & Beth)

Julia talking to Winnie in the bouncy seat/rocker. (Thanks, Auntie Susan!)

Happy boy, Kennedy, having fun in the play station. (Thanks, Auntie Susan!)

And just to give you an example, I saw one of these bouncy seats at a toy store in Nairobi last week. I bought it at Target last year for just under $20 and brought it in with me. It was $115 here!!! Needless to say, the toys above would be impossible for us to buy if we had not been blessed to find these from fellow missionaries.

(And just for the record, David would never fit in this seat now!)

We are SO very blessed to have these wonderful things in our baby house. We are definitely not your typical Kenyan orphanage. Thank you, Lord, for our abundant blessings, and thank you to all of our friends and supporters who make it possible!! 

Our recent international adoptive family and the adoption society staff for the international adoptions were overwhelmingly pleased with our home, as were our previous national adoptive families. Because of the type of home we have, it helps our babies transition into a family and home life very easily. Though children do adapt, this home style setting helps them transition more easily than if they were to come from a large, institutional type facility. THANK YOU to all who help make it possible!!!

Counting His many blessings....

171. Bedtime book time.

172. A wobbly stand and toddly steps.

173. Belly laughs at Donald and Goofy.

174. Shadows through the trees.

175. Ladies on the lawn.

176. Hearing the soft assurances of God in the early morning hours.

177. Pantry full of boy-sized food supplies.

178. Gentle reminders of the obvious, yet often forgotten

179. Underlined words on rich pages.

180. A first loaf of baked bread.

181. A slice of girl-sized, peanut better topped bread

182. Strawberry milk and pink lips.

183. Anticipation of a letter, ready & waiting.