The Reeds are back in the US

The Reeds are back in the US after a wonderful two weeks with us in Moshi. I was pretty much out of touch with the world while they were here so I am trying to get back on track. The day they left I came down with a cold and then strep throat the next day. I am feeling much better today and am going to try to get to my emails and blog which have been sorely neglected. More to come in the next few days. Our time with the Reeds was productive, fun, joy-filled and a blessing. I can't wait to tell you all about it.

The Reeds are Here!

Alan and Shannon Reed (our ministry leaders) are here! Yay! We are so looking forward to our time with them. It has been way too long since the last blog update. I hope to have more updates for you soon. I don't know if I will be able to blog or email much while they are here, but soon after I will get right to it!

Thanks!!!!

Feeling Better

Praise the Lord, Eli and I are doing better. There was a virus going around Moshi that many children had. They all had a high fever, runny nose and bad cough. It's probably what I had as well (minus the fever) which made my asthma worse. My asthma is still there, but it's not as bad as it was when I had the severe chest congestion. Eli is back to normal and feeling good.

Thanks for praying!

Weird Weeks

Hi guys,

I hate when so much time goes by without a post. We have had a weird couple of weeks. Our computers crashed making it difficult for me to get online. George has his ipad that my mom brought him when she visited us, but I can't stand using it. I can't figure out how to type on it other than using one finger. It drives me nuts! Fortunately, George got my old laptop working again, but it's still unstable. Then we had some issues with our landlord close to our lease renewal. He wanted to raise our rent and we were looking at moving again. So, George had to start looking for a place to live which is a stressful process here. Praise the Lord the owner called last night to say he is leaving the rent as is for now. Then, Eli and I have been sick. My asthma, which has been very good for a long time, began getting worse during my pregnancy. Combined with the arrival of the hot season and all the dust being kicked up, I have been struggling to breathe. My inhalor has become less effective and for the last five days, I have had terrible asthma attacks and chest congestion. A few times I have been quite scared. I wish I had a nebulizer (asthma treatment used in the US) to help out. Lastly, Eli woke up with a high fever yesterday which has continued through today. Whenever we are ill, it's a guessing game on how to treat ourselves. Without good, reliable health care, we have no other options. George has a lot of experience with medical stuff so that is helpful. Prayer is what truly gets us through. Poor George has been stretched taking of the sickies and the chaos at home while still trying to get ministry work done (teaching at church, viewing land, meeting with officials, etc.) We sure could use your prayers as we plod through these challenges. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon!

Fun Times in Dar

In addition to our ministry objectives, our trip to Dar ended up feeling like a little vacation. We have never taken a vacation as a family. Any time we have left Moshi, it has been to go to Kenya for ministry reasons (medical camps) or to take care of family things or do things we can’t get done in Tanzania. They have been busy, tiring times. This weekend away was very restful and fun.

It was Eli’s first plane ride. It was less than an hour and he did pretty well. He just got a little antsy with the seat belt, but overall he liked it. On the way home, he slept the whole time. Must have been due to waking up at 5:10am while in Dar!



Chuck and Eileen’s house was very comfortable and welcoming. It was very nice and felt like a hotel because they have a few things we don’t in Moshi like AC, ceiling fans, hot shower, oven and a washing machine. Even the bed and sheets were extremely comfortable. Eli had his own special little bed too. In preparation for our arrival, they stocked the kitchen with special items for us.

Both of them were extremely kind and accommodating to Eli. In someone else’s house, we take extra care to make sure he is quiet and not too messy, but they were quick to reassure us that he was very much ok to be free. They took interest in him and played with him often.



He had a blast “helping” Eileen in the yard. They have chickens, guinea fowl, a turkey and a dog which was fun for Eli.



Eileen spoiled Eli with new books and a toy to encourage math skills. Eileen home schooled their children so I got to learn a lot from her about that which I appreciated since that will probably be what we do with our kids here.

Our time in Dar was full of both relaxing downtime at the house and out doing fun activities. On Friday after we arrived, Eileen took us to a hotel on the beach where we swam in the pool and played on the beach. This was Eli’s first time at the ocean so it was extra special. I miss being close to the ocean. Just being there filled me with peace. It has been three years since I have been to the beach. I had to hold back tears. The tropical environment added to the vacation feel of the weekend. I just loved it.



On Saturday, Eileen took us to a mall! Wow… a real mall! It was so exciting to be there. We ate gelato and walked around the shops. For lunch we went to Subway! A real Subway! It was the same as in the US and was such a treat for me. It was the first American food I have had in over three years. Who knew a sub sandwich could be so delicious? The cookies were great too!



That night, we made pizza at the house. It was so fun and yummy.

On Sunday we went to church with Chuck and Eileen. It’s always nice to visit other churches. They also go to a Swahili church (as opposed to one aimed at foreigners) which we like. After naps for all of us, we went to another hotel for dinner. It was also on the beach and very delicious. I had the “Catch of the day” which was Red Snapper… my favorite!



On Monday morning, it was time to head home. It was a quick weekend, but awesome. Both for us personally and for the ministry. Thank you Lord for this special time.

Ministry Brainstorming in Dar

We had an absolutely fabulous weekend in Dar es Salaam. Chuck and Eileen were extremely kind, generous and hospitable. Although we had never met, there was no awkwardness. We felt at home with them right away.

Our main purpose for the trip was to talk with them about ministry issues, particularly land issues. We have been looking at land for the orphanage for a while now, but have not been sure how to proceed. Land fraud is a big problem here so we are seeking the wisest way forward. Do we try to purchase land or lease it? We would hate to make a mistake and cost the ministry lots of money. The main problem is the lack of laws, or specifically lack of law enforcement. In addition, the government seems to be resistant to foreign help, making it very challenging as an outsider.

Eileen is an American lawyer who has been dealing with land contracts and issues in Tanzania. It was so helpful to hear about her experiences here and get her advice on how to move forward. She confirmed that the obstacles that we have run into are common. We had lots of time to bounce ideas back and forth. As we seek to fulfill our vision of helping orphans and others in need, we may need to try a different approach and go about it a different way. Most important, we need to pray and ask for God’s wisdom about how to go forward. There is so much to consider. The Reeds are coming in December and although we talk on the phone and through email, it will be wonderful to talk about it in person and get a game plan in place. Lord willing, Chuck and Eileen will be able to come as well so we can have a big brainstorming session all together.

In the mean time, we are still looking at different land options and meeting with officials. We’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

More on our Dar trip tomorrow...

Back from Dar

Just wanted to let you know we are back safe from Dar. It was a great trip. I will do some posts about it soon.

Done and Done!

Wow... you guys are amazing. In record time, a car seat and play pen have been found. Both will be a huge blessing for us. THANK YOU!!!!

Kid Stuff Needed

Does anyone have a portable play pen (I think they may be called Pack and Play) and/or an infant car seat you are getting rid of? We are in need of both of those things soon. The play pen will be Eli's bed while we are in Kenya for the baby's delivery and the infant car seat... well that's for the new baby! Neither can be found here so we need to get them from the US. The Reeds, our ministry leaders, are coming for a visit and will be able to bring them to us. If anyone finds used ones for sale at a cheap price that we can buy, that would work too. We are hoping to avoid having to buy them new. Let us know if you come across anything. Thanks so much!

2 Years, 1 Month

Eli recently turned two years and one month. I am not sure if I will continue to do these monthly updates now that he is two because the many of the significant milestones (sitting up, walking, talking, etc)have been reached and the growth isn't as exciting. However, the once a month updates are good for people like my Mom who like to see photos of Eli. So, we'll see...

Eli is talking away! He says things all the time that are remarkable, amazing and funny. I wonder how he learns those things. It's especially funny to hear him repeat things that we say. Sometimes he'll answer me "yes Babe" which he hears from George. It's hilarious. He is full on speaking in sentences and is daily refining his knowledge and grammar. If he says something a little wrong (like missing "the", "from", "for" in a sentence). I will restate it once and am so impressed when the next time he says it right. A few weeks ago, he said "Papa, thank you this shovel." So I said, "Papa, thank you for this shovel" and the next time, he include the "for" in whatever sentence he was saying at the time. He soaks things up so quickly.

Here are some photos from this last month.



He has started to learn "pretend" playing. Here he is reading to his animals. He also loves to pretend to cook.





Eli likes to "help" me cook and will sit for so long on the counter while I am cooking. Here he is "helping" during a power outage.




Sometimes he seems more grown up than two. One day we went to get groceries and stopped to get a snack at a coffee shop after. We just sat, ate and talked for over an hour. It was really fun and sweet. He didn't run around, just chilled with Mom. It's nice to be able to sit and rest when we are out with him now.



He loves hanging out with Papa, especially when there is ice cream involved!



We are taking a little time each day to do "school." He learns so quickly that I thought I could try teaching him simple things like letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. He likes it so far so we'll see how it goes. He can count to ten which is fun. I don't have teaching experience or learning tools (like books, puzzles, interactive learning toys etc) so we are improvising.



He is not a great eater. If left up to him, he would live on milk alone. However, he loves eggs (in any form) and really enjoys peeling boiled eggs himself.



It used to be hard to get a good photo of him, but now he loves saying "cheese!"



He is still obsessed with drumming and will do it anytime, with anything. And with a lampshade on his head... it's even more fun!



My Mom sent Eli a bear with holly berries on it so we call it Christmas Bear. He is so attached to it. He takes it everywhere and loves it so much. Here he is with Christmas Bear at the grocery store. It was a little chilly so of course, Christmas Bear needed a jacket too!

And lastly, the hair. Mixed race children often have a head full of curly hair. I was hoping for a nice big fro. What I got was wild, fuzzy hair that is more like mine than George's. I don't really know what to do with it. The best solution seems to be to wet it and let it dry. Usually it will stay in semi nice curls. Eventually it goes wild and fuzzy again. Here is the before... (Eli's a bit dramatic and insists on being covered with a towel in case a drop of water or detangler dares to drop on his clothes. It's a battle I am ok with conceding.)





The after...

Family Photos

We have so few photos of us as a couple or family. I was excited to get a couple from our Kenya trip of the Orwas. We are having computer issues, so I was only able to get them yesterday although we took them a month ago. These are from a waterfall in the Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya.

Trip to Dar

This weekend, we are very excited to go to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. We are meeting friends of Alan and Shannon Reed (our Africa Harvest of Hope ministry leaders). The wife is an American lawyer. We hope to pick her brain about land for the orphanage and other ministry issues. We are also looking forward to just spending time with them and being encouraged by being with other believers. It’s a 12 hour drive to Dar, but we were able to get good plane ticket prices which means we’ll be flying there instead. This will be Eli’s first flight. It’s only an hour long, so I am sure he’ll do fine. He loves seeing planes in the sky and I am very excited to see his reaction to flying. Please pray for safe travels and a good, productive time in Dar.

Church Update

Since we have been back, George has been back teaching at church Sunday morning, covering for the pastor who is across the country doing a pastors training. Each week, I feel so proud to see him up there, preaching the Word, teaching solid Biblical truths in a way that both challenges and encourages the church members. He is also quite funny... or so I think. He sometimes switches to Kiswahili so I am not in on the joke, but everyone else is laughing.



One cool thing about being the pastor is getting the honor of baby dedications. It is always so special.



Each week I enjoy watching the kids perform as well as the choir




Eli loves, loves going to church. He loves the songs and often sings them during the week. We are working on getting him to sit in the service. He is doing pretty well considering he is an active two year old! Here he is watching the choir with "Baby Faith" a little girl (who George also dedicated) that Eli adores.



I wish you all could be here to experience our church with us.

Medical Camp Stats

Here are some stats from the API medical camp in Kenya. Very cool.

Total Patients Treated 2,131

Total Rx Dispensed 7,037

Total pills, syrups, injections, creams, etc. 91,884

Glasses Dispensed 182

Wound Care 22
Lab Procedures 18
Injections 149

People who came to know the Lord. Over 700!

Praise the Lord!

Shoe Ministry

Many, many times, we have been driving and have seen kids going without shoes (particularly in the village) . George knows from his childhood what that is like. Not only is it embarrassing for the child, but it puts them at risk for injury and illness. Ask any child who grew up in a village and they will be able to tell you about their experience with jiggers (Google it... it's terrible). We have often wanted to get them shoes, but couldn't find any nearby. So, we have wanted to do a "shoe ministry" for a while. While in Kenya, one of the API team members gave us a little seed money so we could start it when we got back to Tanzania. Last weekend we went to the market and stocked up on different size shoes. We plan on keeping the bag in our car so we'll be ready when we see a child in need. We can quickly hop out, pray for him/her and bless them with a pair of shoes. Then, we'll replenish our supply as we can. It's pretty cool for only $2-$3 we can get a pair of shoes for a child and put a smile on their face. We'll keep you posted as we have the opportunity to put our plan into action.

Happy 2nd Birthday Eli!

A couple weeks ago, Eli turned two. It was the day after we returned from Kenya and we didn't have the strength or resources to celebrate it. Fortunately, he had lots of goodies from Grandma so he wasn't deprived at all. This last Saturday, we had a little party to officially celebrate it. It was very small and low key, but fun. A friend of ours made a great cake for him.



So, she was there along with our Swiss neighbors (including Eli's best little friend, Flynn), a friend's two kids and our good friend Charles. We just had snacks (chapati, lentils and fruit) followed by the cake. Eli was so excited to blow out the candle.



He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, so he only had a couple bites of the cake. Which meant more for me!



We had a nice time hanging out with some of our favorite people. A few others couldn't make it so we saved them some cake.

At two, Eli is more fun than ever. His speech is improving rapidly. I am so impressed how he remembers words and phrases after hearing them only once. A couple days ago, he was bugging Nala and I told him to be kind to Nala because she keeps us safe. Yesterday, another dog came in the yard which Nala chased away. Later, Eli was scared to play out in the yard so I told him, "don't worry, Nala is there with you and I am right here (on the porch) watching." The he said "yes, Nala keeps us safe." I loved how he remembered what I said and used it in the right context!

One thing he recently started was answering with "yes." He used to nod, say yeah, or do something else less formal. Now, it's "yes." He sounds so proper! His cousin, Adi, in Kenya says "yes" just like it so I think he learned it from her.

Eli loves singing and does it all the time. One song he is learning is the Barney song. "I love you... you love me..." He hasn't got it quite right yet. All he sings is "I love me... I love me..." It cracks me up every time.

I think I am going to start doing a little homeschooling. He soaks things up so quickly that I think he will respond well to a little learning each day. Nothing major. I will start with letters, numbers, colors and things like that for just a few minutes each day and see where it gets us.

Lately, Eli loves playing outside. He can stay out there for hours with just a spoon and some old bowls. He pretends he is cooking and brings me all kinds of "food." It's fun to see him grow a little more independent.

I am trying to prepare him for the arrival of the baby. So far it has been received positively. We have prayed (with him) for a baby for a while now during our evening prayers so the concept isn't new to him. He seems to be excited and says the baby can sleep with him. We'll soon see how much he really understands! Of course I am happy about the baby, but part of me is sad to not have just Eli anymore. I don't want to have to share my attention, but I must. I have treasured these last two years with him, hard times and all. He is just the best.

Happy Birthday Eli!

George in Action

Since I was busy with Eli, I missed out of a lot of the activity. One thing I love seeing is George in action (thanks Brianna for the photos!). Here are a few photos of him doing what he loves to do...helping people in God's name.



On the last day, the team played games with the kids. George is so good with them.