Haven on the Hill Boys

Remember my precious boys of Haven on the Hill? That was the home that I was the Director of for awhile. It has now been over two years ago that those sweet boys came into my life. What a privilege and honor that was, and oh, how God used them to spur me on to what He had in store for me.

The new playground where the village children come to play. 

(These pictures taken at the same spot the group picture above was taken. The place looks GREAT and has really come to life over the past few months!)

I have taken FAR too long to visit those boys! It has been several months since I saw them, and they have grown SO much! It has been even longer since I updated on them and posted pictures. They are still as beautiful as ever! 

Baby James (not such a baby anymore)

My boy, Godfrey

Sweet Joshua

Big Brother, Kevin

The newest "big" boy, Hezekiel

Beautiful Tyson, the newest younger boy

I will forever be grateful to Phil & Janice Wagner for allowing me the honor of being a part of their ministry. Haven on the Hill is such a special place. That was truly the basis and jump-start to what God had planned for me in Kenya. And if you did not already know, the name, Haven of Hope, is a tribute to my precious Haven on the Hill.


It was so great to spend some time with the boys again and see the amazing progress at the place. Julia loved the boys, and they thought it was fun to have a little girl around. They were so sweet to her, especially Kevin. It was fun for me to watch her with them.

And of course, I loved getting to see my Godfrey boy again! :-)

Where Have We Been??

Two weeks - 7 different beds. Away - home - away - home. Driving. Driving. Driving. I think that just about summarizes the past two weeks. 

The few days that I was at home in Nakuru were wonderful. Although the days were filled with the usual happenings and mishaps, it was great! I am starting to get a schedule and a routine, and I am able to be much more productive. Julia and I are loving having our own house, too! 

Here is a bit of what our days at home included:

broken guest bathroom at the baby house, 

fundis building cabinets in my kitchen, 

writing new job descriptions,

staff evaluations, 

leaking toilet in the baby house, 

electrical outage in half of baby house, 

unpacking clothes & organizing my closets from the move,

instant shower broken in my house (with guests here), 

updating baby files,

friends coming for overnight visit, 

monthly shopping for babies, 

guest passing out in the cooking oil isle at the supermarket, 

training new staff....

A bit of what our time away included:

going to Tigoni to check on girls/house I am watching while friends are away,

meeting friends in Nairobi for a birthday celebration,

meeting Janice (from Haven on the Hill), 

seeing another friend who finally returned to Kenya!,

visiting the Haven on the Hill boys, 

visiting Julia's family, 

having a "family meeting" with Julia's family,

visiting friends who have done so much to help me,

picking up Judah (my German Shepherd) from friends' house,

picking up Little Tykes play equipment,

visiting Heshima,

ordering furniture,

picking up a new friend/volunteer coming to work with HCO,

meeting with District Childrens Officers in old place,

monthly shopping for Tigoni girls....

So, there ya have it. An overview of my "time away" from blogging. Now, more updates to follow....

Jackie's Blog

If you have been around HCO for awhile, you will know Jackie. She is also the one, the "20 year old," who came and spoke at our benefit dinner in Houston last December. Yeah, she was "in the area" (as in Tennessee) for Christmas and just thought they would drive over for the dinner. I guess if you drive from Michigan it doesn't seem so far?????

Anyway, Auntie Jackie is back!! And she is doing a better job of keeping her blog updated than I am. So...if you are interested in more baby updates, house pictures, etc, here is.....

Jackie's Blog

The Big Move

We did it! We officially moved the baby house to Nakuru, Kenya, about 80 miles from Nairobi. So, goodbye to our big, beautiful house in the Ngong Hills! 

A bittersweet day....a little sad to leave our first home of HOH, but looking forward to settling in in our new home in Nakuru and excited to see what the Lord has for us here.

Julie (w/BabyBoy), Hellen (w/Joseph), Kennedy (w/Eli), Joshua (w/Jeremiah), Daisy, Anne (w/Lizzy), Me (w/Hope), Irene (w/Kate & Julia)

Moving day was quite eventful, especially after a busy day the day before. We tried to organize the best we could so that the babies had what they needed in the house until the last minute, while also having what they would need the moment we reached the new house. I think we did pretty well! No major issues or baby breakdowns.

Our caravan out of Kibiko. TWO moving vans, followed by our babies and aunties in a Nappet Mission Tours van (Thanks, Tom!!), followed by Jackie, Julia, Daisy and I in the Prado.

True to Kenyan form, the move did encounter a few hitches, including the moving van being delayed by a police check and arriving at the baby house almost 3 HOURS after the rest of us....in the dark, in the rain. Try entertaining 8 babies after a long day of travel (when most of them are not even used to leaving the house!) in a new place with only a handful of toys to entertain them. They were troopers! And so were the staff girls. 


It was quite an undertaking, but we all survived and arrived safely at our new house. 


I will update soon with pics of our new place! We love it!  


Thanks for all your prayers for smooth transition!! 

Making the Most of Our Last Days in Nairobi

We decided to take full advantage of the fun opportunities we had nearby while we lived in Nairobi.


On Saturday, the day before our movers came, we went on a field trip! With the help of our friends, Jackie and Sandra, we loaded all the babies and staff in the cars and headed for the Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Center.

The staff girls had never been to see the elephants. I think they enjoyed it as much or more than the older babies!

After visiting the baby elephants, we went to the Giraffe Center, my favorite! Surprisingly, Jeremiah was not at all afraid. He loved the giraffes. Giraffes are Julia's favorite. She loves to feed them and laughs when the giraffe sticks its long, ugly, rough black tongue out and takes the little food pieces out of her hand.

We took time to have lunch at the Giraffe Center. Quite an experience. The babies did great, though! 

The older ones (Lizzy, Jeremiah, Julia and Kate) really loved the animals. Even Eli enjoyed watching them. 

Yes, I do believe, a good time was had by all!

A Busy Weekend Ahead

Things have been so very busy here the past few weeks. I have been back and forth from Nairobi to Nakuru more times than I can count. Julia and I have moved into our house in Nakuru and I have been trying to get the baby house prepared for the babies to come. The house is much smaller than our house in Ngong, but it will be MUCH better suited for a baby house. One floor, no stairs! Woo hoo!

We finally made HUGE progress with the baby house this week (SERIOUS cleaning needed to be done, electrical wiring, a few plumbing things, and wood floors re-done) so we are planning to move the babies there on Sunday. Whew! I'm already exhausted and we haven't even left yet. What an undertaking to move a house full of seven babies and three live-in staff, not to mention Julia & I. I don't know which is harder to prepare for - the move itself or the actual logistics of getting the babies there. Feeding 8 babies while traveling?!?!? Maybe I should have paid closer attention to Jon & Kate Plus 8 to get a few tips.

In order to take full advantage of the fun opportunities we have in Nairobi before we leave, we are going on a field trip (WITH ALL 8 BABIES) tomorrow. We are going to the Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center!!! Yes, I know, I know. Should have planned ahead a little bit, Trena! Well, I have had great intentions to take the babies to these places many times over the past few months, but it has just never worked out. And now I know I would regret it forever if I don't do it before we leave. So rather than spending the day before we leave trying to get ultra-prepared, we are going to play! Yikes!!! What am I thinking???!?!?!

So....
Saturday = Elephants & Giraffes
Sunday = MOVING DAY!!

Prayers welcome. :-)

(And by the way...Welcome back to HOH, Auntie Jackie!)

Little Joseph

Just a few new pictures of Joseph.  He is now one week old. 

Can you imagine anyone leaving this precious thing on the road?

It took him a few days to learn how to eat, but he is on track now and doing very well. We will be taking Joseph for his preliminary HIV test within the next week.
  

Moving Right Along

Just a quick update to say that I have officially moved to Nakuru, but the babies are still at our house in Ngong. We are still working on getting the baby house ready with all the repairs done before bringing them here. I hope to have them here around the middle of the month. Meanwhile, I am going back and forth, trying to get my place set up and things started here while traveling back to Ngong to check on things there. 

Since coming here on Saturday night, I have begun to unpack a bit and we have done lots of interviews, meetings and appointments. Everything from interviews for baby caretakers and cleaning staff to appointments with landlords, childrens officers, and fundis (handyman type workers).

I will be here one more day before going back to Nairobi/Ngong on Friday. Our special friend, Jackie, is coming back to see her babies and meet a few new ones! 

I have missed my babies these past few days, especially new baby Joseph. I can't wait to get back and see how he has grown! 

Thanks for all your prayers in this transition time. I am so excited to be here and can't wait to get the babies here, too! I am certain that the Lord has great things in store for us here! 

Kater-Bug

Kate. Beautiful baby. She was the baby who never cried...for the first few months. She figured it out. But she is still a wonderful baby. And her hair is beginning to grow back! :-) 

Kate's story is somewhat complicated. She was with us for a few months before we got summoned to court. After a strange mix-up both of her parents were taken to jail. They have both since been released, but Kate has not been released back into her mother's custody. Her mother did not intentionally abandon her as first thought.  You can read the back story at the previous blog posts about her situation.

Court Report - Feb

Kate Update - Jan

Tomorrow, we go back to court. We have been in "holding" since February 2nd. We hope that the judge will declare her plan for reuniting Kate with her mother. We do feel that is what will happen, but the court system here is all about showing power and making people wait. Kate's mom has worked very hard the past months to get herself prepared to take Kate back. She comes to visit as often as she can. 


Please pray for a speedy resolution to this case. We would HATE to see Kate go, but I know she ultimately deserves and needs to be with her mother who deeply cares for her and will work to provide for her needs.