March Blessings

Wow! Where did March go? Time is ticking way too quickly, but God blessed our socks off in March. I really should have been blogging more this month, for some of these events deserve a full-length post. Too late now, I suppose! Here are the highlights:

March 4: An older missionary kid taught Noah how to play chess. Then, Noah taught Jacob. Another neighbor gave Noah this chess set, so now the boys wake up and play speed-chess before school. (It’s speedy because they aren’t too skilled yet.)

March 5: Levi, our fearless monster, isn’t a big fan of chameleons. He screams if they touch him. However, he loves finding them and carrying them around on sticks. We also found this beautiful moth.

March 8: We attended Joyce’s church to help them raise money to buy windows and pour a concrete floor for the church. Pastor John invited us to be the “honored guests.” Joyce, Donald (our driver), Aaron and I all gave speeches. Levi was enjoying the spotlight, but he was too shy to speak.

March 9: SNOW DAY!! Each school year, we get a little jealous of the kids back home who are playing in the snow on snow days, so we call one despite our lack of cold weather! We made snowman pancakes for breakfast.

Then, we bundled up for some playtime in “chemical snow.” (If you ever wonder what to send to missionaries, send them snow! We miss it.) The snow didn’t last long, so the kids ended up sledding down a muddy hill.

After the sledding, the kids enjoyed hot cocoa followed by snow cones and cookies. Joshua couldn’t have any of these sugary treats, but he enjoyed watching everyone.

March 14: The older two boys were away on their camping trip. Levi was enjoying time with the Bemms. Aaron and I enjoyed lots of quiet time while Joshua napped the day away. We did visit the river and threw a rock over the falls. Hannah was remembered well.

March 17: I made yogurt for the first time! I added strawberries and homemade granola, and the boys devoured the plain, unsweetened yogurt!

March 18: The househelpers came to greet Joshua! Instead of baby showers before a baby’s birth, Kenyans gather for a party after the baby is born. They usually bring milk, water, fire wood, and anything to help the new mama with her housework. Lots of people came over for chai, cake, banana bread, songs, sermons, speeches, and gift giving. Joshua fell asleep during the sermon (it really wasn’t boring), but he was startled by the gift-giving song. While everyone sang a “I’m so happy” song, they dressed Joshua in a new outfit, presented Aaron with a cap, and me with a kanga. The older boys each received a water bottle. It was a beautiful and special time.

March 20: We invited the interns over for a pizza party. I made 13 pizzas, 2 cakes, and fruit salad. We also served ugali chips and soda. It was a great time of celebrating the MO’s and CO’s who are in Aaron’s care.

March 21-22: Joshua and I took a road trip to Nairobi. It took us over 4 hours to get there due to a weird sound in the engine. After a quick fix and lots of prayer, we made it to the mall to eat lunch and shop. Joshua did great and even slept well on the floor all that night. We got up early the next morning to buy our meat in order to get back to Tenwek in time for Bible quizzing. Even though we left Nairobi at 9:30am, we didn’t reach home until 5:30pm due to TWO flat tires along the way!

I’m including this is the blessing post because God really did bless us. If we hadn’t left so early, we might have been stranded on the side of the road in the dark. Not a good idea for a carload of ladies and a baby. Through it all, Joshua was a super pleasant baby…until we got home. Then, he had a huge meltdown. I’m not complaining, though, because I’m so, so glad he held it together in the very long car ride. We did miss Bible quizzing, but God provided everything we needed and everything the quizzing needed. It all worked out in the end!

March 28: The MO’s graduated. More speeches, songs, cakes, and food! It was a nice time to celebrate the end of a year-long internship and the beginning of careers for these medical officers.

Praises and Prayer Requests:

1. Praise God for rain! We are getting rain just about every day now. We’re back on hydro! Although the power isn’t as reliable as usual, it’s getting better.

2. Praise God for a fun month. There was so much to be thankful for and to enjoy.

3. Please pray for these graduates. Pray that they would proclaim Truth wherever God takes them.

4. Pray for the families who lost loved ones in the recent tragedy.

5. Pray for us as we near the time to move back to the States! Many, many things to do here to finish well. More details to figure out and trust God for as we plan our furlough time in the States. Just pray for wisdom, clear direction, and peace in the process.

6. Praise God for a blessed Easter! We made it through. There were a lot of distractions. The boys enjoyed egg hunts, crafts, stories and candy! I’ll try to post pictures some time…

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16