Scratching itches...

The African Mary Poppins popped in yesterday to watch how well Abby is adjusting to the Austin family.  She left her shoes behind though...

Seriously- I've never seen a kenyan wear these.  Now you KNOW there has to be a sweet woman wearing these shoes.  She either reminded me of Mary Poppins or Mrs. Doubtfire... not sure which one.   

This was one of our attempts at getting a picture with 2 of the Lost Boys that go to our church.  Anything funny to you at all?  What?  If you got an itch- scratch it.  Shaggy sure does.  Also- it is funny if you click to enlarge it and look at CT's face of disgust.  

Sally Sunshine

After a few days of marinating on some things, I know that I can't keep my Debbie Downer attitude.  It is beginning to pick up a bit.  I still get emotional when CT and I talk about "things".  But overall I like to think I'm getting better.  I know I said I wouldn't update this blog again until we got some news I can share, but in regards to changing my ways from Debbie Downer to Sally Sunshine I feel the need to update about some pointless or funny things to make myself laugh as well as you.  (mostly myself probably as I ALWAYS seem to have 0 comments lately.  People I AM words of affirmation ya know.  I really DO try to comment on other peoples blogs but the bloggy world discriminates against those of us here in Africa- every now and then it lets me post a comment).  Okay, so heres to my new attempt at being one of those "positive power people":

We are down to just 2 guests at the Guesthouse now and they were a total surprise.  At the time they came the OSU group was still here.  It's all good- we found them beds and there are easy shm'easy.  We had all these great plans for when the OSU group left.  You know things from the states in our pantry we couldn't possibly justify sharing with those who might not appreciate them.  All these great food plans were for Tuesday night as it was supposed to be our first guest-free night.  We decided to continue the festivities after our new guest went to bed.  (Aren't we so stingy!?)  The boys went and got Sara and I a 1 liter/$6 thing of vanilla ice cream so we could make milkshakes and watch the office.  :)  We split it and both had a 500ml of ice cream- she had cookies n' cream n' chocolate.  I made some espresso and made a mocha milkshake!  DELICIOUS!!  Then I had to put some cookies n' cream in too.  

Yesterday I was at the house by myself MOST of the day.  It was really nice. I washed dishes and did laundry while listening to about 4 Frances Chan sermons.  I decided to break out the next American treat I've been waiting on since JUNE!  Thanks to Miss Sally Clark (whom I appropriately renamed myself after).  I surprised everyone last night with little mini cheesecakes!!  Everyone all but groveled at my feet!  It was the no bake kind. SO DELICIOUS! I made 12 so we have enough for 3 nights of treats.  Just in case you didn't know- Cream cheese here is about 10 buck-a-roos a block.  Okay... Are you bored hearing about how excited we are over our treats?

Friday we are all going to the Toi (pronounced TOY) market to buy jeans. I'm pretty excited. It's SO flippin' cold here and I only have 2 pairs of jeans.  in fact the other day Zippy said to me "You must really like those trousers don't you?"  Hmmm, now what would make her say that?The fact that she could see my underpants through the holes in the back pockets, the massive hole in the knee, or the ragged bottom?  Since she said this with my back toward her I'm going for the holes in the back.  What?  I patched them once?  Only problem with the Toi Market is you can't try them on, but then again they are only about 200-300 shillings.  

Around here, we people must be frugal as most of you know.  Sara is so great about keeping the girls in cloth diapers b/c disposable are SUPER expensive though the straps rip off frequently causing irritated parents and diaper buyers.  When they are washing the cloth ones, they have to use disposable.  Yesterday I thought this was just so funny I had to take a picture.  I picked Kailyn up last night when I got home and could tell her little diaper was all whop-a-maimed.  So I preceded into the living room to fix it.  I pulled her little jeans down and this is what I found- 

Yep- diaper duck-taped on.  Hey, Austins- I would have done the same thing.  Cheers to you for thinking of it first! hahah!  You definitely belong in NC!

A couple weeks ago, Melia came inside as I was cooking and said "Aunt Lindy- i think there is a snake outside that is bigger than the last one we found."  Melia found a baby black Momba back in April when they lived with us.  It was litteraly the size of an earth worm.  CT burned it.  We knew there were probably more.  I was in the middle of cooking dinner so I just said "that's nice" thinking she might we exaggerating.  Finally she went and got someone who would listen and sure enough it was a bigger- baby black momba.  

Sara and I have continued our running, but it is indeed getting harder!  And we're only doing a few miles!  I really think it's b/c Nairobi is getting higher.  Maybe our altitude is changing!?  I seriously think I'm going to die or vomit my stomach up every time.  Monday when we were running I was looking hard for snakes for some reason.  Well- I jumped right over a green mamba!!!!!   Yep.  I was talking to my bro later that day on skype and I told him how he should always tell me he loves me b/c I could have been bit by a green mamba today and could have died.... IF it had been alive.  He's words to me?:  "So you hurdled a dead snake- what an accomplishment, Lindy.  That's something to be proud of."  Thanks Matt.  Love you too. Seriously- It was about 6 inches long and I didn't know it was dead.  I went back to kill it b/c I didn't want anyone to get bit!  It wasn't squished, just wasn't moving.  How was I supposed to know it was dead?  It's on our every day run.  So yesterday we were running and I KNEW it was coming up so I tried to prepare myself.  Then I started talking doing a reenactment for Sara as to how close I was to it.  The darn thing was more in the middle of the dirt road. It was moved AND a little squished.  Even though I knew it was coming I still screamed and jumped.  My bro is gonna be proud...

glory in tribulation...

My intentions were not to leave you all hanging.

We have run into some unforeseen complications in which we are trying to figure out.  This adoption continues to become more and more frustrating.  We are just trying to glory in tribulation as Romans 5:2-4 says.

Chances are I will not be updating this blog for a little while until things get sorted out.

We are choosing to keep these complications to ourselves for now, but will update you all as the Lord leads us to do so.  Your prayers are appreciated.  

the i800 saga...

Called the US Embassy today and spoke with someone who "couldn't tell me [her] name over the phone".  I was trying to make an appointment with someone to turn in our i800 form.  The lady kept telling me that I can get my fingerprints there but I am to file it in the U.S.  I tried to explain that I had specific instructions to file it there at the embassy.  I told her that if I file it in the US they will send something to our home address (Matt and Beth's) telling us to come to Charlotte for our fingerprints.  She said the last word she got was that we are supposed to file it there.  WHO KNOWS.  This might sound ugly, but sometimes I just want to talk to an AMERICAN at MY embassy.  I have written Robyn our Country Coordinator and asked her about all of this.  I am waiting to hear back from her.  Towards the end of our conversation the anonymous lady said she felt that she needed to "prepare me".  She said no one has been approved who has applied for the i800 b/c the kenyan government has not been compliant with the Hague.  I could have cried on the phone after she said that but where has that gotten me?  I pushed my emotions aside and finished our conversation.  I kept telling myself that it's God's timing and reminding myself that HE has called us to this.  But I also kept seeing my child's dark brown eyes.  I thought of them getting older as they wait for the Kenyan government to decide to be compliant...  

When we got home we told Graig and Sara and she said that she would have cried for the rest of the day.  But I have been there and done that and it ended up being just fine in the end.  We just have to keep reminding ourselves that we are PASSIONATE about orphans and justice because GOD made us passionate about these things.

so let us not catch Debbie Downer syndrome just yet...

  

For my Mama...

One of my favorite memories as a child was each year when mom bought a new advent calender!  I LOVED counting down the days until Jesus' birthday!

I had been staring at an advent calender every time I went to Amani Ya Juu .  It was a beautiful hand sewn fabric hanging advent calender.  It was a big tree with all African animals that you would take out of the little pockets for each day counting down to Christmas then you would hang them on the tree on buttons.  There was just one problem:  I looked and looked and couldn't find baby Jesus among the animals.  But I really like the advent calender and knew if I bought one it would be in our family for years to come for all of our children to look forward to each Christmas.  There were 2 reasons I couldn't buy it though: 1- there was no baby Jesus.  2- it was EXPENSIVE! ($60!).  So every time we'd go I'd just look at it until finally one day I told my friend Maggie that works there- that I would consider buying it if she could get someone to carve me a baby Jesus.  So she said she would present it to the board and let me know.  Next time I went back, still no baby Jesus.  Maggie said it was still being discussed.  Life got busy and I didn't go back for a while.  The next time I came back- there is was!!  A BEAUTIFUL wall hanging advent- nativity complete with BABY JESUS!!  (Go ahead- click and ENLARGE!)

I said "MAGGIE!!  It's BABY JESUS!"  She came right over and said "Isn't it lovely!?" I said "Lovely- this is perfect!"  But I still couldn't pay that for it.  I told her I would buy it as soon as I could.  She told me that i just HAD to buy it b/c she said I had given them the inspiration for it!  She said they even thought about stitching my initials on the back of each calender but they didn't not my sir name.  I told her I was so glad they didn't do that b/c I can't claim Baby Jesus as my idea.  

So the NEXT time I went I was able to purchase it.  My Mama, not even knowing about this calender, put some monies in my account and said I could use it for whatever i wanted to pertaining to the adoption so of COURSE this was the first thing I went for!  Now, let's pray we get to use it THIS Christmas with our child!  

Ma, you love it don't you?  

HOME STUDY DONE!

For serious this time.  No- REALLY.  It's done.  In fact it's in Ryan Murdock's backpack.  I found so many more mistakes all throughout the home study.  There were many phone calls and discussion over this matter.  Susan was upset with SWS b/c he didn't let us preview the final copy (that I begged them all for).  But SWS swore to her that he DID show it to us.  I think if I had seen the home study I would have pointed out at least 1 of the 29 mistakes (no joke- the # is accurate).  You know- for sake of time I think I would have showed them to him.  CT and I took a break on Tuesday morning from doing a conference in Kibera to go by LAN.  We sat with SWS and led him through the whole thing and showed him exactly what to change.  He was very prompt without our asking and promised he would have it printed and signed by 9am the next day.  Good thing b/c the Murdock's were our last people going to NC.  We got it and the grants together literally in the nick of time.  

So I'm so glad that is over with!  So now I'm halfway through the I800 application.  Then we have to actually FIND THE TIME to go to the embassy to drop it off.  Ugh- I dread that- i mean I have no clue where to go.  Last time it took us at least 2 hours of walking around and sitting in the wrong places before we actually got to the right place to get our fingerprints.  After we apply for the I800- we will get an appointment to get more fingerprints.  Then we will be awaiting our I171H. Once we have that we can send it to our country coordinator and hopefully get to send off the dossier IF we have all our money.  

So that's the deal!  I'm getting even more anxious as I stare at beautiful little Abby Austin!!  My mind is going so many different directions.  Sara said I could post some pics of Abby since my blog is private- ugh, i could just eat her up!

God is our refuge.

I can't put this on our ministry blog for fear of guests seeing it who are about the fly to South Horr.  We are always keeping things so secret that happen here b/c we don't want anyone to find out and be worried.  We don't want people who would normally fly with AIM air to stop nor do we want people to be scared to come a serve here out of fear something may happen.  But the truth of the matter here is some people really need your prayers.   Please read my friend Candice's blog post.  After reading this PLEASE stop and take time to use this guide to pray for these families.  

Our hearts are so broken for these AIM families as Chris and Ryan Murdock had JUST seen and spoken with Ryan Williams a couple days before the crash.  Ryan and Dawn have 4 children, 1 of which they have adopted from NLH.  They are now trying to get Ryan back to the US for treatment however Cloe still doesn't have her visa.  PRAY this is expedited so she can go with her family.