for you dad

We pass this place everyday on the way to school and i was finally able to get a picture. Just wanted to show you that you can even get a John Deere on the other side of the world. Now knowing this, daddy, you can come see us!!!

potty training

Potty training here is going to be so fun. Annie Lynne, of course did not want to sit on the western potty she wants to use the eastern. she always has to be different.

our trip

We have been home five days now, and as I look back on the trip I know there will be a few things that in years to come will stick out. It was a great trip, lots of fun playing with the girls and swimming. But I believe in years to come I will think back and remember our last night in Mombasa. After we had an incredible time worshipping the Lord, we partook in the Lord's Supper. This was the first time that we got to do this with our daughter, now our sister in Christ. What a wonderful memory to have. And being in Mombasa we did not have the Lord's Supper the traditional way, instead we had passion juice and bread from the resort. Our group only had one cup and since some were a little sick we just dipped the bread in the juice. As we did this and I watched Ayden the Lord reminded me again that it is not what is on the outside but what is going on in the heart. We were not sitting in pews with tiny little cups with grape juice and a dry cracker, we were on the floor with passion juice and soft roll; but that is not what is important to the Father. I am so thankful that we do not serve a God whose is only concerned with outward acts, but cares about the heart. I am so thankful I can worship my God anywhere and in anyway.
Our Father also reminded me while we were there that He is worth it. Sometimes I become so selfish and really miss all the conveniences of home. I miss my family and friends and fellowship and I miss having bacon in the morning and a normal washer and a dryer. Add learning a language on top of that and I can wonder if it is worth all the trouble. While in Mombasa He just reminded me again that no matter what happens He is worth it. It is something I know but something I often need to be reminded of. We sang a song that talked about our hearts cry, and was challenged about what our heart cry is. Who do I cry out for? What do I cry out for?

leaving Ethiopia

a modern day shepherd, at least in Ethiopia the goats have grass to eat!!!

This picture is for you Becky, we know how you like wet bread and all. The is the national bread of Ethiopia it is called injera and someone once told us that it is like a wet ace bandage, I agree completely. I do not like it, but Kirk does. The meat and veggies you eat with it are not bad so I just end up digging in with my hands, I guess I am to much like Becky, I can't get over the wet bread.

The girls loved the grass in Ethiopia, the last day I asked Ayden if she was ready to go home and she said yes, but i will miss the grass here, I think she is missing mom and dad's yard more then i realized. All we have is dirt, I try to bring the to the park often but even there you don't see much grass.



heading home for a wonderful trip. After the stop in Djibouti most people got off the plane so Carsyn had her on seat. The girls did great on the plane rides!

beautiful Ethiopia

The embassy may not have been a lot of fun but the city is beautiful.

braids

We did make time while waiting on visas to go to a little local shop and have the girls hair braided. They love it and so do I! I have not had to fix hair in almost a week. hoping to get one more week out of it and then find someone here to braid it. It was so funny though, annielynne was not about to leave without them doing something to her hair too. As soon as Ayden was done she went and jumped up in the chair and waited. Of course her hair is to short to braid so they put it in 6 pony tails. too funny. they just used regular rubber bands to put it up so was not fun getting down, but she loved it while it lasted. I thought it was really interesting too that they did not have pony tail holders there, they do not use them. They just braid their hair and it stays. They realized ayden's was not going to stay so they tied thread around the bottom of aydens hair. Addie's they had wet so it was staying but by the time we got out on the street it was starting to come undone. So we walked across the street and found a little ducan with hair stuff. They had beads and the ladies in there when I bought the beads started helping me but them in addie's hair. They just put two bead in and tie the bottom of the braid in a knot. They also had some colorful cloth pony tail holders so I used those in Ayden's hair, the women put those in to. I think they were having fun with this different kind of hair. they also put them in annie lynne's hair, so when she was all done she looked like she stepped out of a Dr. Seuss book. Most of the beads have fallen out of Addie's hair, it is just to soft to hold the knots, but we have found a few pony tail holders to help hold it up. Enough about hair, just thought it was so interesting and cute.

Addis Abba

Here we are in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. The girls got very tired of the Embassy the first day so the next day I was smart enough to bring colors and paper. We got there the second day when it was to open and the building was open but of course we still had to wait for someone to show up that could help us, so I was very thankful for the colors. Also a BIG thanks so Carrie for giving us your snacks before we left Mombasa, that is how we made it through the embassies and long taxi rides, we also ate your crackers and craisins for breakfast the first morning we were there because we had no food in the house. And now that we are home we are rationing out the rest of the peanut butter crackers and the two granola bars that were left, trying to make them last as long as possible!!! The other pics are of Addie and Carsyn looking out the window of a taxi and at the embassy. Carsyn has now been all over mombassa, addis, and our city. Then the highlight of Addis was again we got to sleep in princess beds!!!! The girls love the princesses beds!!!

addie

This is a picture of Addie laying on the floor in an African airport using Carsyn as her pillow. I finally just looked at Kirk and said "i guess this is what being a "worker" does to you" Two months ago I would have never let my child lay on a floor in the airport. I didn't want them to sit on the floor of the Frankfurt airport when we moved over here, and less then two months later, I am so over the germ thing. We were all tired and had spent to much time in airports that I really didn't care that she was on the floor, I was just glad she was not asking me to hold her. She was happy and quite. And as you can see Carsyn has been through a lot, now that we are home Carsyn has to have a bath and be put on the line to dry. She has picked up all kind of germs I am sure, Addie drags her everywhere!!!

more mombasa

Ayden in the Indian ocean!!!

mombasa

one of the girls that came from the states is a photographer, so she got some great pics of the girls

still mombasa

I hope from the pics you can see how beautiful the place was!!! and the girls loved having the monkeys all around. we would watch all the time. even in the airport leaving we saw monkey's playing. too funny.
the picture of ayden dressed funny was for a silly night with her class. It was so fun they planned a special night for the kids and gave all of us money to go out an eat on. So fun, we went to a steak house and had steak wrapped in bacon. So good!!! and a fun night out with only adults. The kids had a great time too and Ayden especially with their silly night.

more of mombasa

The one of Annie Lynne and Kristy in front of the sign is the one day we left the resort. It was so fun, the big girls and Kirk came for a little while then he left with them and they went swimming, again! While Annie Lynne and Kristy shopped and saw some of the city. It was such a neat place. The picture of Annie Lynne is at one of the places on the side of the road where women just set up a place to put their goods to sell. Annie Lynne won their hearts and one of the ladies gave her a necklace and kept calling her "my little valentine" (it was valentine's day).

Our trip to Africa

Here we are on the plane; we had to stop in Dijuobti to let people off and on the plane, we didn't get off, but in the picture Addie and Carsyn are looking at the Dijuobti airport.

The girls were so excited when we got to Mombasa, and they got to sleep in princess beds. Really just mosquito nets all around the beds, but of course to the girls they were princesses and Kirk was a King. It was so fun.

Here are the girls getting ready to go swim!!! They had so much fun and were so excited about getting to swim.




They love swimming!!!
more pics from Mombasa and Addis to come!

Best News

It has been a while since I have had time to write, but the best thing happened to us on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. Ayden became my sister, not just my daughter. That morning I was laying in bed reading in Matthew and Ayden came in and wanted me to read to her. She asked lots of questions when I got done and then wanted to know what she needed to do to live with Jesus forever. I went to Romans and went through some of the verses there with her and she said she wanted to pray. It was so sweet and through many tears she asked for forgiveness for her sins and that the Spirit would come live in her. Kirk new that we were talking about this so he was in the other room praying for her. When she got done praying she went into the living room and told Kirk what she had done. It was so sweet, and she cried in her daddy's arms for a minute. We were very excited and so thankful that our Father answered this prayer for us. Please pray that she would continue to grow in the Lord.

this is for you, mom

thought you should know if you were selling eggs here you would not have to wash them!!! All that time you spend washing eggs at home you would have. We can buy them in the store or on the street and it doesn't matter they are not washed. but you buy 30 at a time and that is good since eggs are my children's favorite food. If you look closly at the picture or enlarge it you can see that these eggs still have a few feathers stuck to them. Just thought you would think this was funny.