sojourning His path

Last December, when we received Preapproval to adopt Silas James from China, we immediately began to consider how we would come up with the funds needed to pay all the adoption expenses. Our first expense was our homestudy update, and it was going to cost $800. I remembered that in the past my parents would have yard sales from time to time. And that $800 was doable. So I began to consider having a yard sale to help us pay Silas’s homestudy update.

My collecting began with a drive to Middletown to pick up a lone baby rocker. Over the next few months, we made “yard sale runs” to Shelbyville, Oldham County, Bernheim Forest, Prospect, Taylorsvillle…all with our eye on the prize of getting a little bit closer to bringing our boy home.

What began as a desire to hold an average-sized yard sale at our home, grew over time, into something much larger than we could have ever imagined in the beginning. This past weekend, we held our long-anticipated sale. And boy, did God ever multiply our fish and loaves!! We sold $4,200 worth of stuff in just two days!! Many of you will remember too, that we also made $2,000 prior to the sale, by selling many of the donated items on Ebay or Craigslist. And then, the Lord blessed by giving us $1,000 through a private donor – amazing! $7,200 from a YARD SALE….WOW!!!

HE has done immeasurably more than we could have asked or imagined and we give Him ALL the glory!

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.”

~Psalm 126:3

Below are a few pictures from the sale.

These two played a major role in drawing attention to the sale with their dance moves! :)

These two Bear boys played a major role in drawing attention to the sale. Over 50 people made comments about how they had to stop because they saw these two guys dancing and waving the sign!

Our sweet friend, Megan Kuhl, ran the pay table on Friday. She did a great job!

March 14, 2015 + Uncategorized

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

by April Kelley

We have an Orphan Care jar that sits atop our microwave.

We deposit our leftover change in it all year long, and in years past, we have donated that money to the designated orphan initiative at Ninth and O Baptist’s VBS. Our kids are always super excited to see how much we’ve accumulated over the year, and are so proud to carry that jar in all together to give. This year though, they approached us with a different initiative in mind. They wanted to give it to us for our adoption of their brother, Silas James. At first we said, “No way! You guys always give that money to Ninth and O!” But they were adamant that they wanted it to go toward Silas, and we quickly realized that we were stealing their joy in being able to give it to what they wanted it to go toward.

Just yesterday, I put a $20 bill in the jar. It was the first of many monies to be paid for some sold items that were donated to us to sell for our adoption. I looked at the $20 bill and pondered how that small $20 was going to have to somehow multiply into thousands upon thousands of dollars. Doubt filled my heart. But the Lord began to impress upon my remembrance the story of the fishes and loaves. And I, like Andrew, questioned the Lord.

“Lord, there is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

“Lord, there is a family here who has a meager bit of change and a $20 bill, but what is that among so much still needed?”

In the story, the Lord goes on to have the people sit, He breaks the bread, gives thanks to the Father, and the amazed (and surely humbled) disciples attest that, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world”.

The rest of *our* story spills over into today. We have for several weeks now planned to attend an adoption conference in Elizabethtown. We knew they were intending to award ten adoption grants to pre-adoptive families and we had applied with the hope that we would somehow be one of those chosen families. Upon arriving at the conference, we quickly realized that much of the topics being touched on pertained to families that had not yet experienced adoption, and we began to wonder if we had made the right choice in coming. But we set our hearts aright in believing that perhaps the Lord had some other purpose in mind for us at this conference. Maybe we weren’t supposed to be there to be educated as much as we were to be encouragers and supporters of others’ journeys. Right before the lunch break, the lady that was officiating the conference saw me sitting alone (Rick had headed to the restroom) and struck up a conversation with me. She asked if I was enjoying the conference. I thanked her for all the time and effort she had put into orchestrating something of that magnitude. She asked if I was an adoptive parent, and I said yes, and told her about the girls’ adoption last year and the hope of bringing Silas home by the end of this year. A look of recognition came over her face and she asked, “Wait…aren’t you one of our grant applicants?” I got a little bit excited and said, “YES!” She asked me my name and when I told her, she began to explain how the process of whittling down the candidates from 50 families to 10 was excruciating…how each family was so deserving, and they wished they had enough money to award to all the worthy families. I realized in my heart…”Oh no! She’s trying to let me down easy! She’s explaining why she wanted to give us a grant, but couldn’t.” I was so deflated. It was almost mine and Rick’s sole topic over lunch…processing the let-down of a hoped-for grant that was not to be.

After lunch, we mailed off some items that we’d sold for Silas’s adoption, and then headed back to the church building for the remainder of the conference. We sat through two more sessions, both of which were excellent and well worth the drive and time spent listening. Then it was time for the grant presentations. They called up the first of the ten families, then the second. I was busy filling out my survey…things I thought they’d done well, and things that I felt could be improved for next year’s Adoption Summit. Then suddenly…I HEARD MINE AND RICK’S NAMES! And I couldn’t believe it! Rick and I both looked at each other incredulously….we had been CHOSEN!!! We walked up in a fog of disbelief and tears. She handed me the microphone and I remember having the quick, panicked thought of, “No! I don’t speak publicly!’ But when I tried to hand the microphone to Rick, he had tears running down his face and was waving off the microphone mouthing, “I can’t speak!” I put the microphone up to my lips and the words began to gush out…unrehearsed words, but words that were easy to form. Words of gratitude to that church for choosing us…words of shock, awe, and thankfulness to God for what He had done. I had doubted Him just the day before…and the very next day, He dropped a $2,000 grant into our unbelieving and undeserving laps.

He multiplied our meager fish and loaves.

The decision to say yes to adoption always begins one on a journey so full of faith and dependence, that we can scarcely look at the whole picture without being consumed with doubt. We must take it a piece at a time, lest we take our eyes off the One that was able to turn five loaves and two small fish into enough to feed thousands of hungry people with plenty of baskets left over. He’s also the One that has multiplied that $20 bill and some superfluous change into $2,000 in a single day!

“I will bless the Lord at all times; HIs praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”

Psalm 34:1-10

November 9, 2014 + Uncategorized

Nine months ago

by April Kelley

Hard to believe that its been nine months since ‘Gotcha Day’. Here’s a little video.

July 21, 2014 + Uncategorized

Wedding Pics!

by April Kelley

Christian and Kaylynn were married Saturday! Attached are a couple of pics.

Christian’s first glimpse of his bride walking down the aisle

All the kids! 🙂

March 13, 2014 + adoption, China adoption

My Adoption Hero

by April Kelley

There is a biblical narrative in Genesis 32 where Jacob is engaged for a night in a divine wrestling match.

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks. But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” 28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

The text suggests that the Angel initiated the engagement and Jacob fought valiantly all through the night. But lest we think that Divinity could not handle a mere man, the Angel touches the socket of Jacob’s hip to show how easily He could defeat him. Jacob again struggles and labors and seeks a blessing from the Divine Being. The Angel condescends and blesses Jacob and gives him a new name – Israel. Israel because he struggled with God and with men, and prevailed.

There is much to bring out in the text, the One who wrestles with Jacob is the preincarnate Christ, the name change, etc. But one of the things that stands out to me is Jacob’s tenaciousness in laying hold of the Angel and not letting go until the blessing comes. Jacob’s wrestling with God is a picture. Wrestling is a terribly difficult and physically exhausting sport, perhaps like no other. I wrestled my freshman year of high school and I hated it. It was too demanding.

Prayer is to the spiritual realm what wrestling is to the physical realm – at least it can be. Matthew Henry writes, “A great while before day, Jacob being alone, more fully spread his fears before God in prayer. While thus employed, One in the likeness of a man wrestled with him. When the spirit helps our infirmities, and our earnest and vast desires can scarcely find words to utter them, and we still mean more than we can express, then prayer is indeed wrestling with God. However tried or discouraged, we shall prevail; and prevailing with Him in prayer, we shall prevail against all enemies that strive with us. Nothing requires more vigour and unceasing exertion than wrestling. It is an emblem of the true spirit of faith and prayer. Jacob kept his ground; though the struggle continued long, this did not shake his faith, nor silence his prayer. He will have a blessing, and had rather have all his bone put out of joint than go away without one. Those who would have the blessing of Christ, must resolve to take no denial. The fervent prayer is the effectual prayer.”

Okay, okay – what does all this have to do with my adoption hero? Well, everything. I have never met someone so doggedly determined to lay hold of a blessing from God like my wife. I can remember her dragging me to adoption fairs in our early 20s. You can read more about our adoption journey here:

https://megafamily.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/as-cold-water-to-a-weary-soul

She was relentless. She would read Scriptures to me that she came across in her daily Bible reading. She would remind me often of God’s heart for the orphan, our own adoption by the Father through Christ and most importantly, she would pray. I’m not talking perfunctory prayers spoken to a god who may or may not be there. My wife’s prayers were bathed in Scripture promises, offered humbly to the ear of the Almighty through the meritorious death of Christ on the cross. She would wrestle, she would lay hold at times in tears, and it was as if she would not let go until she received her blessing.

Her wrestling didn’t last a night though. She wrestled for nearly two decades through major disappointments and heartbreaks. The Lord would seem to open a door and then close a door. Not because He is cruel and wanted to string April along, but because it was best for her and us at the time. Because God is good and does good, we had every confidence that He would bless if and when He saw fit. April coined a phrase that began to stick – ‘adoption infertility’. That’s what she had.

But she was patient. She never questioned or blamed God. She simply trusted that He would, if and when He saw fit, give her this tremendous desire of her heart. She was also exceedingly patient with her at times dull, cold-hearted husband. I would come up with excuses like “But we’ve already had 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 children, it seems like enough to me. We’re in a good spot right now. We’re in a bad spot right now. There is no way we can afford it. Our youngest or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 – isn’t it nice to not have toddlers or teethers or change diapers, etc?” April would meet my objections with reasonableness, love, tenderness and Scripture. That four-fold strand cannot be easily broken! 🙂

April continued to patiently knock on the door. When there was no door, she would look for a window. When there was no window, she would take an axe and seek to cut a new door that she could knock on! Again, she was fervent. She wrestled. She prayed. And she did not lose heart.

The Lord was pleased to give her this great desire of her heart.

And I get to look back as the beneficiary of her wrestlings and see that God not only blessed her, but in His wonderfully mangificent way – blessed me and all of our children and who knows who else. I am, in the best way, proud of her. Proud of her perseverance by grace. Proud of her vibrant faith and vital attachment to her Savior. Proud of her wrestling. Proud of her patience. Proud of her love. Proud of how she has mothered and raised our other children. Proud.

She has proven well this quote, “What matters is not that we do all we might have done or all we dreamed of doing, but that, while we live, we live by faith in future grace and walk in the path of love. The times are in God’s hands, not ours.”

Proverbs 31:29 “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.”

February 27, 2014 + adoption, family

Everybody Say, “Hao La!”

by April Kelley

Hao La. This phrase was used much in our time while in China – it means, “It’s ok.” April and I were wanting to learn some Chinese phrases that would be a particular comfort to our children and we were told that ‘hao la’ is equivalent to our ‘it’s ok’. When the girls would cry through the night, “Hao la.” When Faith would not calm down on the ride to her home city to apply for her passport, “Hao la.” When the girls had their TB tests a couple of days before we left, the nurses would draw blood and machine gun the phrase at the girls, “Hao la, hao la, hao la, hao la.” It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok. I wound up adapting the phrase and would use it when we would get harried, “Everybody say, ‘Hao la!'” April would echo the ‘hao la’ portion and we have the kids doing it now that we’re home.

The phrase that we’ve often used for the girls is one that we’ve needed to be reminded of the past couple of days. Hao la – it’s ok. It has been quite difficult since we’ve been home. Faith has been having terrible trouble sleeping. She is having mini night terrors. This causes her to wake up every 20 minutes, scream for a minute or two and then lay down and go back to sleep. As you can imagine, this has left April and I quite weary. Having seven children before Hope and Faith, we know the weariness that comes from newborns, toddlers, teethers, high fevers, vomity nights, stinky Rota virus blowouts, trips to the ER, walking the floor to comfort whines and sighs and everything in between. You can usually find a little bit of time to catch some rest in the midst all of that.

But night terrors. Whew – there’s no rest found. You just ride the wave, waiting for the next scream – the ‘terror’. We’re hoping that this is a quick phase, perhaps an adjustment to a new time zone, a new home, new faces or all of the above. Yesterday was really tough. April was up with Faith from 11-2 a.m., I heard Faith’s cries and relieved her for the rest of the middle of the night shift. When Hope woke up at 6 a.m., I was ready for April to take over for me so that I could get some much needed rest but April came upstairs exhausted having listened to Faith cry all night.

This was the first time in quite awhile we were having the ESP mind wrestling match. I shot April a look that conveyed, “I’ve been up with Faith all night and if you think that you’re going to be the one that’s going to bed, you’ve got another thing coming.” April fired a look back that said, “I’m tired. You’re going to need to ‘man up’ and take one for the team so that I can keep my sanity and get some rest.” Again no words were spoken but having been married for over 20 years, we know what the other is thinking (at least what we perceive that they’re thinking) by a look.

April went downstairs to our room to consult a book about night terrors. She had been gone for 30 minutes so I went down to check on her and sure enough, she was fast asleep in the bed with the book right beside her. Everything was ‘HAO LA’ for April! I dutifully but crabbily took care of the girls and boys for the next six hours while April slept but I was impatient with the boys, sinfully impatient. I was able to seek their forgiveness for my sinful heart. I’m thankful to be able to point my boys to the cross when their papa sins, the same cross they need to look to to be forgiven for their sins.

April came upstairs around 1:30 p.m., well-rested and relieved me to get some sleep. I was finally able to doze off around 2:30 p.m. and slept until 6:30 p.m. We were both so thankful to the Lord for granting much needed rest. We had a decent evening at home and game-planned on how we would tackle Faith during the night. It was decided that I would sleep with Faith in Graceann’s room. Her room is in the far corner of the upstairs. Our hope was that if Faith cried, it would not disturb April, Hope and Grace (now sleeping in the basement).

The girls fell asleep around 8 p.m. which was a good start. We put Faith in the pack-n-play around 9 and she slept quietly until midnight. I went to bed around 11 but I was still awake from my long nap in the afternoon. I was able to nod off around 11:30 but Faith woke up with a whimper 30 minutes later. I put her in bed with me and she did much better throughout the night. She only woke up a dozen or so times (much better than the 25 or so times the night before) and I was able to get decent rest. She didn’t wake up screaming either. She would sit up in the twin bed, look at me, smile and lay back down. It’s as if she was checking that I was still there and when she saw that I was, everything was okay and she would go back to sleep.

April and Hope slept great. Faith was up at 4:50 a.m., Hope joined her at 6. We gave them their first morning bath. It is so sweet to see them playing together in the water. They share toys with each other and Hope is very much loving her little (big – Faith is nearly a head taller but six months younger) sister. Faith is not nearly as interested in Hope though.

Tonight we are praying that they sleep even better. There is a sense in which this has to get under control as I need to go back to work on Monday. But the Lord gives grace, He knows our frame – He remembers that we are dust. We trust that whatever He gives us, He will also provide the strength to bear up under it. Thank you for your notes of encouragement, love, meals and prayers. We have been so well cared for particularly by our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are going to have meals for at least the next couple of weeks. Your help has been much needed and we thank God upon every remembrance of you.

Having fun with Jake.

Fun with Sissy.

February 20, 2014 + adoption, CCAI, China adoption

Last night in China!

by April Kelley

April writes:

It’s our last night in China! And today was such a great day. We woke up this morning to gorgeous weather…sunny skies and fair temperatures. The weather was so beautiful that we decided to venture out to Shamian Island. Many adoptive families remember this place fondly as it is where they stayed in years past while their adoptions were in the final phases. It is home to the famous White Swan Hotel, which has been undergoing reconstruction for a couple of years now. Our guide told us that it is set to reopen in a year or so, but that when it does, it will be very expensive and primarily for businessmen.

We have to agree that the island is a lovely place…very quaint and full of whimsy and charm. A few shops are still open there, so we travelled by taxi to see if we couldn’t find a couple of souvenirs to bring back to our kiddos. We were successful and also found a few “squeaky shoes” for the girls to wear. They were still sporting their “orphanage sneakers”. 🙂 We very much enjoyed our day and we often quipped, “We *finally* like something about China…AND, we’re leaving tomorrow.”

Tomorrow….it is full of so much promise, excitement, and misery. We leave at 4 p.m. EST to begin the long trek back to America. We will be traveling for 30 hours with two toddlers in tow. I’m sure you understand why our most pressing need is for prayer. I have been both looking forward to and dreading this day ever since our plane took off from Louisville. Please pray for patience, sanity, and peace for us…we cannot wait to be home, see everyone that we love….and especially our children. And do please pray for Graceann as she faces another anxiety-filled plane ride. Anxiety is a cruel taskmaster…it is not partial and it takes many captive, but we trust and know that our God can calm even the worst of fears. We’re hoping the Tylenol P.M. will help for the 14 hour flight too. 😉

Much love to all back home. Our plane is scheduled to land in Louisville on Friday at 9:22 p.m. So, Lord willing, we will see you SOON!! 😀

How we’re hoping the kids sleep on the airplane tomorrow.

February 19, 2014 + adoption, CCAI, China adoption

Two nights to go!

by April Kelley

The U.S. Consulate appointment went well this morning. Faith fussed a bit on the ride over but all-in-all, we were thankful to get through the process in relative short order. The girls will not become U.S. citizens until the plane touches down in Detroit on Friday evening. It was good to see the American flag at the U.S. Consulate. There were hundreds of people outside the building, many of whom were seeking to immigrate from China. One of the many things the Lord has shown us during our trip is how blessed we are to live in the United States.

We have group pictures this evening that I hope to post later but we’re excited about dressing the girls in native Chinese garb. Stay tuned for that! Tomorrow there is an optional trip to the zoo but between the cool weather and funds getting close, we’ve opted to spend the day in the hotel packing. Friday morning is going to come early. We need to be up at 5 a.m., luggage outside the door at 6:15 a.m. and heading to the airport at 7:00 a.m. for our 9:00 a.m. flight. We will be getting up at 4:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon (Eastern Standard Time) and arriving, Lord willing, in Louisville around 9:30 p.m. on Friday evening. As you can imagine, the prospect of such a day with two toddlers in tow is daunting but we’re trusting the Lord for mercy and grace. We would appreciate any prayers for our travel as well!

The past two weeks have flown by. As many of you know, we had to leave Louisville a day early. We were scheduled to leave on Wednesday (2/5) morning at 8:00 a.m. but April received an automated phone call from Delta saying that our flight was cancelled because of poor weather conditions that were coming into the Kentucky area that evening. I checked Delta.com around 11:30 a.m. and our flight had been rebooked for 1:00 p.m. that Tuesday. I had some loose ends to tie up at work but was thankfully encouraged to leave so that I could run to the airport to see if we could be booked on a later flight that afternoon. There was no way we could’ve made the 1:00 p.m. flight as we weren’t completely packed and Graceann was still in school.

I went by the airport on my way home and was able to get the last three seats on a flight leaving at 5:15 p.m. I rushed home and what we had hoped to be a slow evening of packing and spending time with the boys turned into a tornado of activity as I had laundry that needed to be washed and dried, bags still needed to be packed, gifts for China still needed to be bought, and a host of other smaller things that needed to be done. On top of all that, April’s grandfather had fallen the night before and had spent a couple of hours outside on the ground until he could finally muster the strength to pull himself into the house. We had all of that weighing on us but we were, by God’s grace, able to make it to the airport and catch what must have been the last passenger flight out of Louisville for the evening.

When we got to Detroit, I realized that I had forgotten my two pair of jeans in the dryer. But looking back on our crazy day, I’m thankful that was all that we left behind. My uncle who lives in Detroit was willing to pick me up at the hotel and run me over to Target to grab a couple of pairs of jeans. So sweet to have those people in your life that are willing to pitch in when they know there’s a need, no criticism just a heart open to you and wanting to help. Thanks Uncle Larry!

We are down to our final two nights. It has felt like the name of a local Guangzhou restaurant, A Thousand and One Nights! 🙂 We are so weary. Our stomachs have been fussing at us for most of the time we’ve been here. We miss our boys and church family. Lord’s Days have been rough. But, of course, the trip has been well worth it. Hope and Faith are a true delight and we’re looking forward to getting them home, on a schedule and beginning to gently move them toward more disciplined dispositions. We’ve started to gently correct them, giving more stern ‘No’s’ or ‘Bu Yao’s’ with a disapproving look. Please pray for us as we slowly begin the lifetime molding process! 🙂

UPDATE:

The group pictures went well but the girls HATED their traditional Chinese dresses that we purchased for them. Hope freaked out when we tried to put hers on, we have never seen her behave like that. Faith was unsettled when we tried to put her ‘silk dress’ on so we wound up abandoning that plan and letting them wear something that didn’t bring about such a fight. Below are our group pictures.

Finally, please pray for Elijah. Today is his 11th birthday and we miss him (and all the kids) greatly. We hope to call later and get to spend some time on the phone.

Miss you all and look forward to seeing many of you Friday!

11 families adopted 13 children – these are some pretty amazing folks!

Guess who’s hamming it up for the kid pic

Where’d the fried rice go?!?!?

Teeth brushing time!

February 18, 2014 + adoption, CCAI, China adoption

Total sweetness!

by April Kelley

Tuesday evening has come, just three more nights until we leave for home! Tomorrow we go to the U.S. Consulate here in Guangzhou to take ‘the oath’ whereby we swear to love and care for our new daughters. The little ones have been such a wonderful joy and I believe that they have adjusted more quickly to us than we have adjusted to them. I love their personalities, opposites in many ways but it is sweet see them already attaching to us and to each other. They are quickly and loudly letting their needs be known, which is a good thing. Graceann is already trying to get the girls to play the ‘silent game’. 🙂 April and I are overwhelmed by the Lord’s tender mercies to us!

My wife’s Facebook status this evening said, “Tomorrow is our U.S. Consulate appointment for the girls. I’m excited to take the oath promising never to abandon or mistreat them. Yet another beautiful picture of the Gospel.”

Below are a few pictures from the day. We are really looking forward to getting home. We miss our boys terribly and can’t wait to see them. Much love to all.

My girls 🙂

February 17, 2014 + adoption, CCAI, China adoption

A rough day at the clinic

by April Kelley

We had the medical checkup yesterday (Monday) for the girls. The children were taken to four different stations to check vitals, be examined, weighed, etc. For children over two years old, the final station is where their blood is drawn to test for TB. The clinic does not allow the parents back when the blood is drawn so all you can hear is their screams as they are trying to find a vein. Hope was easy, Faith was not. It took them several minutes to find a vein and when the were finished she cried herself to sleep from the traumatic experience. Poor thing. 😦

We also had McDonalds for lunch. I would like to say that it was delicious to have a taste from home but not being a McDonalds fan to begin with, the food was just as bad here as it is in the States. We closed the night down by going on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. Apart from the haze, it was quite beautiful. The bridges all have neon lights which make for a fun show for the kids. We were able to see one of the largest buildings in the world, the Guangzhou International Finance Centre. The children did well and were quite entertained with the juggling act and other children on the boat.

April and I have been struggling with stomach issues for the past several days. Nothing overwhelming but we have that constant feeling of sickness. We have just three nights left and then we’ll begin our long trek home. Please pray that the TB tests for the girls would come back negative. We get the results back this afternoon between 3:00 and 4:00. If the either girl has a positive test, our trip home can be delayed as the US will not allow an active case of TB into the country. Also, please begin to pray for our trek home. We will provide more details later but we will wake up at 5 p.m. Thursday (EST) and will not get home until Friday at 9:30 p.m. (EST).

Much love to all.