What's even happening?

Well, it’s been over a month since I blogged, and that’s the story of my life. Things have been way busy around here lately, and I’ve had little time to do much of anything extra or tedious (LIKE GOING THROUGH THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS… or Swahili homework, or regular cooking, or even regular sleeping some nights). So I think it’s time for an update in pictures, what about you?

Sweet Auntie Maggy's boy, Titus, has new parents! And he's only one of three who have just been adopted!

And this funny, loud girl is next.

Collins was not adopted, but reunited with family.

Haggling fabric prices. I'm usually awesome at getting good prices, but this store owner... he was tough. But come on, look at those beautiful fabrics.

A trip to visit a merchant's workshop. This family makes nativities out of banana leaves.

HOH anniversary! It was fun seeing adopted kids, siblings of adopted kids, current baby house babies, and kids of HOH partners and staff all having a giant child party together.

Teeny tiny soft-hair Baby Jacob Mshindi

Many many birthdays were celebrated this summer. AKA we ate lots of cake this summer.

Home visits to the ladies of Furaha! We had a great time!

Julia learned how to wear a head covering in true Kikuyu style.

This giant truck lived at the baby house for a few days, making noise and shaking ground, DRILLING A WELL!

We hit water, and we praised the Lord.

These past several weeks have been full of adoptions, out-of-town fabric shopping trips, a visit to a friend’s workshop, the annual Haven of Hope anniversary party, new baby Jacob, birthday parties, visits to the homes of my Furaha ladies, and bore hole drilling. Not to mention moving into my own apartment, a macaroni and cheese cook-off, making new friends, saying goodbye to older ones, new products being made by the Furaha mamas, my two boys FINALLY starting to walk, a staff member having a baby, and making arrangements (although early) for when I’ll be home for a couple months at the end of the year. Whew. Also, let's not forget that my birthday's next week :)

Excuse me while I go lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling.

Lizzy's parent day

This is Lizzy.

Lizzy is the oldest baby at the baby house, and really not even a baby at all! Lizzy has cerebral palsy, which has delayed and limited her physical development. But her mental development is perfect, and at almost seven years old, she is well past the age that Kenyan kids usually start school (three years old!), which is why we decided that she is more than ready to start school herself. Lizzy goes to a wonderful primary school just down the road from the baby house for half a day every weekday. A few weeks ago was a “parent day” at her school AKA an opportunity for parents to come and make sure their kids aren’t failing ;) I went with Alysha, a volunteer who was concentrating on Lizzy’s therapy and schooling, and Susan, the baby house manager, to Lizzy’s parent day. Mostly I just went to show Lizzy support and for a change in my typical day. Ha!

Turns out Lizzy is doing great in school! She loves her classmates, and she enjoys being a big girl and not just being stuck with the babies all day.

After visiting Lizzy’s classroom, we sat in a boring parent meeting.

It actually got really heated at one point. I didn’t know parent meetings were so tense. So instead of arguing with others (even though I was kind of tempted to), I made faces at and took pictures of this cute baby sitting in front of me.

Overall, a successful parents day!

Titus

This is Titus.

He only makes weird faces and hilarious faces.

                                                   
Even when he was a teeny tiny baby.

Like his faces, Titus is a little weird and a lot goofy. Which is why I love him. Titus has new parents coming very soon, and I hope they love his quirkiness as much as all of us at the baby house do!

P.S. He’s actually really handsome when you catch him not being so silly.

Trip to Luo land!

I realize that when people hear that I live in Africa, it’s legitimately often assumed that I live in a hut in a village with no electricity, walk around in hiking sandals and long skirts, and have no idea what’s going on in the rest of the world. Well, it’s not true. While there are many areas and people like this just a matter of minutes from my neighborhood, I actually live a very cush life compared to so many missionaries on this continent. I have an apartment in a city with running water and electricity, I wear normal clothes, and I have fairly reliable internet. I don’t consider myself high-maintenance, but praise the Lord that I am not called to live a village life. One of our babies, Collins, on the other hand, will be living the village life when he permanently reunites with his family in just a couple months. He was born in a village in Western Kenya, predominantly inhabited by the Luo tribe, into the same family my friend and HCO social worker, Tracy, was born and raised. I joined baby Collins, Tracy, my friend Caitlin, my director Trena, her daughter Julia, and another baby from the baby house (just for fun) on a quick two-day visit there earlier this week. Here are a few photos I caught during my stay.

Sugar cane farms surrounded the homesteads we were visiting.

Collins' future homestead.

I loved this house and how it was decorated. A little tacky, but kind of eccentric for a Kenyan home.

Caitlin and Malaika being sweet.

Excuse my hot mess hair.

Collins was fed constantly on our visit AKA he had the best time.

Love is enough, you guys.

Breakfast of mandazi and chai

I thought this was gonna be a quick picture of just me and Tracy...

Collins with his soon-to-be Auntie Milka. She LOVED him.

People of the Luo tribe are AWESOME at carrying things on their heads. Maureen demonstrated.

Home.

Baby in a bucket!

Mama Brian's kids look exactly like her.

Walter was teaching Julia how to play tire games. Why do all kids in all developing nations know how to play stick and tire games?!

Walter loves kids. He was one of the nicest people I've met.

Lunch on Lake Kisumu

You pick which fish you want.

Before

And after. This fish was DELICIOUS! I miss seafood.

Mama Brian is so fun, and her smile is so beautiful.

Although I’m very grateful that I’m not called to village life, I’m also grateful to be able to experience it. I like seeing that despite not having modern conveniences and technology, these people are not deprived, they don’t feel sorry for themselves, and they live healthy and normal-for-them lives.