We have arrived safe and sound in Kenya. Thank you for praying for travel mercies. It went pretty smoothly and all our bags arrived with us. We had a slight delay in moving but are now settled into our new place. Pictures and video to come soon, but for now a quick update.
The kids both have had little colds and are on the mend and getting back to normal sleep patterns. Both are taking some nice, long Sunday afternoon naps right now. Taylor starts work tomorrow and we get back to the normal part of life. More to come…

Things are starting to get really busy around here. I think I will be posting pictures from Avery’s birthday once we get settled into Kenya as time seems to be running out.

We would love your prayers as we finish up our packing, run last minute errands and say our good-byes. It was wonderful to get to see most of you and we can’t say enough how much we appreciate your prayers and many ways of support that allow us to “go”!

The next time we update will probably be from the other side of the world!

We are so very thankful for our precious Avery. Tomorrow she turns four years old! Since there will most likely be more than a few pictures I will want to post from our family birthday party I will spare you all on this one. It really has been a joy to watch her grown into her own little person. We are beyond blessed with the opportunity to be parents to our energetic, super friendly, imaginative little gal. It is hard to believe that our little bug has been with us for four years already. Happy Birthday Avery!

Having gotten through the first year with two little ones I still find myself struggling at times with feelings of not being the best mom I can/ should be. I stumbled upon an article written by Lelia Miller and have taken away a quote and perspective of it being okay to not have it all together when it comes to motherhood. That motherhood like our Christian walk is something we continually grow in. I love her quote below about how the rough times with our little ones help in growing us.

“My little sanctifiers are the artisans who change and mold me in all the ways God knows I need, ” Lelia Miller

This show gives a little insight into life in and around Nairobi. The first apartment the couple looks at is actually the same place we lived when we first moved to Nairobi.

We are about halfway packed, have our seats assigned and are counting down the days until we get on a plane and head back home. We would love your prayers as we finish up the packing, say another round of see you laters and good-byes and try to remember all that we have to do before then. We would also love your prayers for travel mercies during the 22+ hours of travel time. We should be seasoned pros by now, but we are a bit intimidated to be confined on a plane with little ones for two long flights. Prayer for patience of our fellow passengers is also much appreciated

p.s. we love British Airways and highly recommend them for international travel. They have a special fare we can use that allows us flexibility in flight changes, extra bag allowances and their staff have been wonderful with our kiddos. And, no we were not paid to say that we really do think they are one of the best choices…when they are not on strike that is.

While stopping by a Sonic to get a lemon slush (which I am also sooo thankful for ) I saw on a marquee across the street, “Joy to the World Our Saviour Reigns!” What a privilege to be able to live in a country where we can freely express our faith and freely share our hope and light.

We are also extremely thankful for our little guy, Larson. He turned one on the 21st. We are so thankful for the joy he has brought to our family. His laughs, smiles, getting to share his excitement as he learns new skills has enriched our lives. We are so blessed to have him in our family. We are enjoying this gift of raising him and praying that he becomes a man after God’s own heart.

Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas time with family and friends. We have really been enjoying this special time of remember our Saviour’s birth and his ultimate sacrifice.

Just a few items of interest to try and catch up. A few days before Christmas brought some shocking news that George Athor was killed near Juba. Sudan Tribune reported,

“Athor has been leading a rebellion against the government of South Sudan since he defected from the SPLA in 2010 after he was announced to be the loser of gubernatorial elections in Jonglei State, where he stood as an independent candidate. His rebellion has been one of the biggest security threats that faced South Sudan since it became an independent country this year.Hundreds of people have been killed this year in clashes between Athor’s men and the SPLA.”

Today CNN reported on what has been happening in South Sudan. The ever increasing in size village of Doro made headline news! It is a bit of a relief that it has shown up in the news, but sad that it has to be because of this. You can check out the link here.