settling.....

Well we've been home a little over a week, and were starting to settle back into some sort of a routine. Today is the first day I have felt good and alive. My sciatica is doing better, now that I am on meds for it and have seen the Chiropractor 5 times!

We've been busy with other Dr. appts. had both boys at the dentist today, and last week had Jacob into a new Dr. one that specializizes in ADHD, as he has been having very negative side effects from the patch. So he is now on a different med, and we are praying this one works, with no bad side effects!

I am back to watching one child for the rest of the summer, so we have been having fun going to the pool, and movies etc. Now if I can just get myself to stay home and unpack that would be good. But no fun :) The end of this month we will be taking off again for a week, to go to our Church's District Camp Resort in Vermilion Ohio for a week of Bible and Missionary Conference. We are looking forward to being up there hanging with family, and talking more Missions stuff!

As we settle into being home in the States, we are continually seeking the Lord and His will for us in Missions. We have been in contact with an organization, and are praying about our future. There is a lot to think about, plan for etc.....and we want to make sure it is all done in God's timing and will. Please continue to pray for us and God's leading. We also feel led to continue Missions work while here in the States. I am hoping to lead a Womens Missions Bible Study, and Bob and I together will continue to spread our zeal for Missions to all those around us, and hope to get involved in some projects state side.

Well I am sitting here staring at a huge paper pile, that I should attempt to get to. But wanted to take just a moment to update.

In September we are hoping to have a special time at our home of sharing our Kenyan stories and eating some good Kenyan food. Details to come in August!

Blesssings to all

Back in the United States

We're back in Ohio. Kids were up at 6am this morning, wide awake and ready to play. I was up at 4am. Guess we're gonna have some jet lag issues...lol.

Please pray for Janell as she is having some leg & back issues w/pinched nerves & some numbness in her leg. She had a rather miserable flight home yesterday & didn't rest too comfortably overnight. Otherwise than that & the "extended stay" in Brussels, as Janell mentioned above, the return was uneventful. And a HUGE thank you to Jessica for handling the baggage issue for us - they were waiting for us when we arrived in Cleveland last night. Jessica, we cannot tell you how appreciative of that, we are!

We definitely miss Kenya, and it's very, very clear that we are going to return someday. The only question now is - "for how long?". All four of us can see ourselves making Nairobi, home.

That said - please pray for us for our future plans and where God will help us serve. Once again, thank you so much to all of those who have been praying for us and/or gave financially to this trip. We felt amazingly blessed by the Holy Spirit while there and hope that we were a huge blessing to those we served while on the ground there.

URGENT

We are in Brussels, safely arrived from Nairobi. However they overbooked our flight from Brussels to New York, and needed 5 people to opt to take a flight tomorrow morning to New York, in return they would give each 700usd in vouchers on American Airlines. So Bob and I and the boys decided to take the option, as we LOVE to travel, and now have free airline tickets for our next Family Vacation!!! Jessica went on home to New York, as her hubby is anxiously awaiting her arrival!

PLEASE PRAY FOR JESS, AS SHE GET'S INTO NEW YORK SHE WILL HAVE TO TAKE ALL OUR LUGGAGE THROUGH CUSTOMS!

THEY WILL HELP HER OUT THEY SAID, AND SHE DOES HAVE A 3 HOUR LAYOVER, SO THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME.

IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A HASSLE WITH 7 PIECES OF LUGGAGE!

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HER FOR DOING THIS!!!!! SUCH A BLESSING!

So we are now in Brussels at the Airport Holiday Inn, with a pool for the kids and now a good night sleep before another 8 hour flight home in the morning! We are praising God for the extra sleep tonight for the boys before the next flight!

Lions & Tigers & Bears - OH MY!

Okay, perhaps only the first one. But boy did we see a lot of animals! We are wrapping up our 2-day safari to Amboseli National Park, and the wildlife seeing was out of this world!

But to me, of course, was the view of one of the greatest volcanoes in the world. Rising 16,000 feet above the savanna floor, and over 19,000' tall in all, was the stunning Mt. Kilimanjaro. Absolutely amazing to see it dominate the entire skyline for over 50 miles from end to end! Wow.

So what wildlife did we see? Well, there were innumerable zebras, wildebeests, gazelle & elephants. As in 1000's of the first three and hundreds of the last one. Lots of musk ox/water buffalo (whatever they're called). A dozen or more hippos and water bucks. And about 12-15 lions, including a number of cubs & a fresh kill (yummy!).

Of course I'm not going to forget about Janell's favorite - the giraffe. Alas, there apparently are not many twigas (Swahili for giraffe) here in Amboseli right now, so we've only seen about ten. Janell is obviously not overly thrilled with that...lol.

Janell, Jake and I have had a few bouts w/minor illnesses this week - mostly a cold for Janell & stomach issues for Jake and I. However, it's nothing we cannot handle, except that all three of us had to miss our last church service on Sunday, the worst day of it. BUMMER!

Anyhow, thanks again for your continued prayers & support. We are absolutely in awe of Kenya and could certainly see ourselves serving permanently here. God created some of the most beautiful people and land in the world, and combined them in Eastern Africa!

Praise His holy name & thank you, Lord, for allowing us to share Your love here in Kenya!
Bob

Well today was our last Saturday here. Our last VBS! I asked to speak to the kids at the end of VBS today, and should've known better, as of course I started crying! Shocking I know. It was great to have Bob there today! All the kids are mezmorized by the big Mzungu guy! It's cute.

Tomorrow we will enjoy our last Sunday service; and then we are having ALL of Pamela's family here for dinner! We leave for Safari early Monday morning, and won't be back till late afternoon Wed. so we don't have much time left with them, which is very sad, and makes me cry a lot. But I try not to think of it, and am trying to live it all up right to the end!

Enjoy the pics! We have had Internet at home now for a week, and it's been so nice to be able to load pic easier, and to not have to always walk to the Internet Cafe!

So Kwaheri for now, and enjoy the pics! Yesterday Pamela and Bob and the boys enjoyed a 12 hour day going on a tour 2 hours outside Nbi, to Hell's Gates, Nakuru Lake, and Mt. Lagenot. Jessica and I spent the day at an Orphanage holding and feeding babies! It was a great day!

P.S. we were able to purchase hundreds of bags of rice to hand out to the children at VBS to take home to there families! Thank you for your financial support which allowed us to do this :)

the boys in a hot spring with a Massai

Bob's team at VBS won the untangle game!

Pamela and boys at Hells Gate

Pamela and boys with a Lava Rock

Bob and Jess giving out Rice after VBS