Observing Faithfulness

For all you blog followers, this is Gayla now…  Last night, as I was reflecting on our time here, I knew I had to get some things down in writing.  When we were here two years ago, our purpose was to get to know Zuri, go to court, and do everything in our power to get home without changing plane tickets.  We felt like we already knew Zuri before we came and the transition was very easy. I had packed so much food that we just ate processed for the whole five weeks practically for fear of getting a parasite.  This time, I packed lightly and have been experimenting more even venturing out to fruits and vegetables!  I lived in fear two years ago worrying about everything that went across our tongues.  It has been refreshing to enjoy the bounty that this land has to offer.  I love stopping at the side of the road and be accosted by women showing us what they have to sell.  They are so proud of what they have grown J  Last night I had the best pineapple I had ever put in my mouth!  Lunches are hard.  You really have to cook that too because the bread here always seems stale.  It seems I am always in the kitchen .  Tonight, Leia wants to be in charge and she is making spaghetti (which is not easy like in the US) and making a cake.   I looked out the kitchen window this morning to see a mound that looked like it was fluttering or moving.  What was fluttering was actually big ants with bigger wings.  They collect them and take the wings off and fry them up.  The kids love them.  Two years ago, I turned them down not intending to ever try a fried ant.  But today, when Leia came to me with one, I just decided what will it hurt, and told her if she ate half, I would eat the other half (yes they were big enough to half J).  It didn’t really have a taste but just knowing what I was eating was enough to never crave another.  The boys both ate one too (you can be assured that will be their next facebook comment!)

My heart is full of the Lord’s faithfulness.  We have been staying at the Greer’s place which is right next door to Claudia’s (who is the missionary who is taking care of Zeke).  Her kids have all gotten Malaria in the last week, and we have had Charlie Zeke staying with us.  This has actually been wonderful because the bonds have woven tighter both ways.  He has blossomed both from getting to know us, and feeling better after his surgery.  He is pure delight.  This in itself is an answer to prayer because the connection has taken more time than it did with Zuri.  It is like experiencing a miracle to feel love well up for someone who is going to become your child.  It boggles by mind to watch it happen to our family with each encounter.  To see one of our kids making him laugh or cuddling with him.  I really can’t put it into words.  I will admit I didn’t have the feelings when I first met him and had to depend on the Lord and trust Him and his leading.  We believed that the Lord placed him in our path and we were to pursue him.   I am overwhelmed with greatfulness that our whole family has had the opportunity to experience this love before the court date.  What a caring God we serve.  My heart is full….that is my phrase I claim at one time or another each day…….Now, to trust his timing for a court date---He has answered so many of our needs, over and abundantly, I am excited to see what He has up his sleeve J                        

Appreciating the rhythm

The life at GSF has a slow, methodic, rhythm to it. We watch as the children arise and begin their daily chores before going to school. The chickens poke along the ground searching for food, the babies awake with laughter or tears (one of the two), and regardless of what time I awake it seems that the farmers in the field are already there working the ground. It is a sustainable rhythm. Life flows with the rising and setting of the sun. Work is done within the cosmic framing of the morning and evening sun. After the sun has set, life begins to wind down, a settling occurs, and the day is done.

Juxtapose this life with my life as an American. A world of opportunity is before me each morning when I rise. I leave running and I return sweaty, but still there is need to run kids to sports and activities. I miss the sunset entirely and pay no attention to it whatsoever. It matters not the time of day and night, work can and will be done.

I am inspired by the farmers that I observe each morning while I drink my cup of coffee. They do not seem harried in the least. They go about their faithful work with dignity and a confidence that their labor will produce fruit. Their homemade hoe is all they bring with them and they toil the day away in a steady, manageable rhythm. If the rains come (which they do each day this time of year), they find shelter and rest. But their rhythm is not disturbed, because in the end they recognize their need for the rain and they receive it with thanksgiving.

I seem to arise each morning with a drive to produce something, to have a sense of accomplishment, and to validate myself by checking things off the list. Yesterday, my friend, Carolyn Jacobsen, took me to visit another orphanage and said to me: “come on let’s go visit ‘Answering for the Children’ so you will fill like you have accomplished something today.” She has been here for years and she is cut from a similar cloth, and she knows the struggle well. “I have been here for two weeks and I must justify this journey” is a inner-power that drives me: “I must produce, I must yield a crop, I must bring back a harvest.” These thoughts, feelings, and interior motivations are all driving forces each morning when I awake.

I hit the ground running in Uganda and was determined to do as much as possible for these two months in the country; however, the longer that I am here the more that I see that it is really all God’s work and I must be patient to sow, to water, and to plant and allow him to produce and to bring the harvest. When the rains come, I must learn to sit, enjoy, and realize that it is all for his greater purposes that many times go unseen.

(Four hours later) I just spent the last four hours listening to the heart of a friend of mine…Now, if it were any other day, I would have been off to town “to work” and in the end, I would have missed this precious opportunity to love. I am a slow work, but I am learning to appreciate the rain…

Jimmy 

Power...

Yesterday we experienced one of the seasonal storms of Uganda. We sat out on the front porch and watched it roll in and thirty minutes later, roll back out. I was reminded of the power of God. There are millions of children here without parents. Many of the western run orphanages are now trying to focus more on couples from Uganda adopting these children and I love this emphasis! It is good and it is right. However, there are still hundreds of thousands that will go without parents and are being raised in deplorable conditions. The fortunate ones are those that make it to a nice orphanage. I have visited several homes thus far and the conditions that some of these homes are in would break your heart.

As I watched this powerful storm roll in, I wondered what my place is and how I am to serve in helping address this orphan crisis. God is powerful and he can move mountains. I am praying for my specific role in helping children without a family to be joined with a waiting loving family. I am also praying that God would use His power to secure us a court date before we leave in August. Let's wait and see what the LORD does; whatever it is He chooses to do - it will be right and it will be good.

  

Gayla speaks...

Yesterday we decided to attend a field day that some of the GSF kids were playing in.  They played soccer and net ball (which is like an ultimate basketball).  We were told that it was just right down the road, so we thought it would be a new memory to pack away….it can’t be too far.  We decided we could even handle taking all four babies, packed snacks and water and headed off.  Forty minutes of largely uphill walking later, we got to the field!  Zuri kept saying the whole walk “I hungy, I hungy”, but we kept putting her off telling her we would feed her once we got there.  That was a mistake. When we arrived, we were treated like we were the only white people that had ever made it that far into their village.  Some of the village kids (maybe 40 of them) surrounded us just staring.  Talk about uncomfortable!  Zuri piped up again with “I hungy” and we were stuck.  We knew Zuri would not stop until we gave her a snack, but we were also surrounded by kids we knew were no doubt hungry as well.  Jimmy, my shining knight, decided to entertain them while I snuck away and then while distracted we gave the crackers out and fed the babies, while Jimmy did his thing to keep them entertained.J   Zuri was very wigged out and to be honest so was I, so we decided to head back after only about 30 minutes (which feels like an eternity when you are surrounded by a starring crowd!)

On another note, Charlie Zeke needs more prayer.  He isn’t healing well with his antibiotic and is going to need a stronger one maybe through and IV.  He is still running a fever.  Its more serious because of the pneumonia that you can still hear in his chest.  Please pray we can find the proper care here.  The doctor he needs to see is in Kampala, two hours away….we will be trying to find him care from Jinja which is closer.   We are still praying for a court date before the courts close in mid-July.  Our attorney says it will take special favors to get a date before they close.  Not sure what that really means but I am trusting in a powerful God that is better than any favor.  I have seen what the Lord has done to get us here, and am comforted in knowing that He is not discouraged or delayed by the Ugandan courts.  Praise be to God as we wait for him to “do His thing”.  --Gayla

Zuri's bed pals need a lot more baths here

Zeke's back home

Zeke now finds himself with two mothers for sure! Claudia has been his mother since he arrived at GSF, but now with Gayla helping nurse him back to health she is officially attached. They have spent the past 36 hours bonding. Why are you not hearing from Gayla you may ask…well she is just too exhausted to type. Going into Kampala for an ordinary trip is exhausting, add to it a terribly ill child, a hospital stay, grocery store, the theft of Claudia’s mirror on her car and her verbal encounter with the parking guys, and you have one tired Gayla and one tired Columbian, ready to collapse. We are grateful that he is back on campus and praying that he continues to heal from his pneumonia. He still has a fever and he sounds like he has a rattle in his lungs, but he looks more healthy already.

The medical care here is a two edged sword. On the one hand we would love to have the expertise, confidence, and equipment of our U.S. system. On the other hand, it cost the Renslow family about $700.00 for the surgery and hospital stay. Now, we will notice this money is gone for sure, but we could not get a parking place at the hospital for this much in the States and Claudia has found the best doctors in the country to serve the needs of her little bambinos.  

I will try to get Gayla to give a report later. 

Update on Surgery

Well Zeke’s surgery did not go without complications and some scary moments. When they went in to remove his adenoids they quickly realized that his tonsils would need to be removed as well. His whole throat was covered with infected and overgrown parts and he had an incredibly small hole to breathe through. Therefore, he has developed pneumonia and his lungs are very weak. They had to give him oxygen to help him breathe upon recovery. In addition, we learned that because of his labored breathing and difficulty with his lungs, his body was storing up hormones – thus his drastic weight gain. Gayla called to give me the report in tears as the situation was not looking good for the little guy. Our family began to pray, the doctors and nurses prayed and Gayla called me back in a few minutes and said that he was doing much betterJ The nurse walked in as she and Claudia were praying and when they said: “amen” the nurse said something like “you better be thanking God because he is doing better.”

Gayla and Claudia are spending the night in Kampala because Chachi-Zeke will now be spending the night in the hospital. Gayla said that they had to carry him from one surgical center to the hospital for observation and they had to transport him themselves. So, right after surgery, they wrapped him up and took him to another location in the busy, polluted, dust-filled  city. Please join us in praying for his recovery and that they would be able to diagnose other things that are happening in his little body. He has had a more difficult year and a half than even we can imagine and more than we know for sure because he has scars and bumps to show for it. Thank you for walking with us in this journey.

Zeke's Surgery is Tuesday (tomorrow)

We are asking that you remember Zeke tonight before you go to bed. Gayla and Claudia will be traveling to Kampala at 6:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. EST) to take Zeke to have his adenoids removed and to have his circumcision done. This adenoid surgery must be done because Zeke’s breathing is terribly labored and it sounds as if he has a horrible asthma problem. We are all hoping that this surgery will bring much needed relief. Thank you!

Zuri and Zeke

Zuri and Zeke…

Well the kids have hit it off you could say. Last night, Zuri woke up when Leia came in the room to go to bed and barely cracked open her eyes and said: “baby-zeke?” Tonight we had him dancing along with Zuri and he began to walk around for his longest walk yet.

Chachi-Zeke is a solemn little one, which is quite different from Zuri and we are very tempted to compare. However, each child is unique. As I was staring at him last night while giving him a bath, I was reminded that he is much like Mac when he was that age. Quiet, contemplative, and taking it all in. This seems to be what Zeke is doing too. With each passing day our hearts are being knit together as only God can do – this is the miracle of adoption. By the time August comes, we will "feel" like we are leaving our own child in Uganda if we are not able to bring him home. If you ever wonder if you could love an adopted child like your own biological child – you can.

We want to say thank you to the Greer’s for blessing us with their home to allow these two children to bond as future brother and sister-what a gift this is to be right next door. Also, Bob and Carolyn Jacobsen drove to Entebbe to meet us at the airport and stayed with us for the first couple of days and hand delivered us a phone. They were a great encouragement to us in getting us up to speed with communication and settled in Uganda. Claudia has raised Zeke and continues to raise him and 112 others in her home-small exaggeration. Mark and Amy Gwartney have been an amazing support system taking us to Jinja and making sure we are settled in. We are blessed to be surrounded by such great people.

Did you guys see the big red moon where you are?

Arrival at Good Shepherd's Fold

We were met at the gate with an expanded choir and dance this time - and it was amazing. We were able to experience Zuri coming back to faces that helped to raise her from two weeks to ten months. One of the teenage girls said to her friend: “she is the first one to come back.” We were able to meet Charlie Zeke and pass him around the family. He did not cry – that was a good first start. The whole family was then ushered into the middle of the kids and asked to join along – Zuri was almost overwhelmed by the loud music and the festivities, but she hung in there really well and seemed to enjoy it by the end.

We are staying in Adam and Besty Greer’s place here on campus and they live right next  door to Zeke’s foster mom, Claudia. This works out very well because we are very fond of Claudia and Leia is good friends with her daughters. Also, Zuri can go next door and play with all of the little kids who live in Claudia’s home and we can bring Zeke over periodically and are beginning the bonding process. We still do not have a court date, so we are unsure if we will be able to bring him home with us in August, but we are praying that the LORD would make a way for this to happen.

Jimmy is teaching Sunday School tomorrow and will begin his exploration work on Monday now that he has the ability to access the internet and on Tuesday Charlie Zeke will have surgery to remove his adenoids and have his circumcision. Please pray for this.

Welcome to GSF

Dance Party

Day room in London

Claudia grabs Zuri immediately and starts dancing with her.

Zuri makes it back to Uganda

We left with excitement and arrived with gratefulness. We are simply astounded that the LORD has made a way for our whole family to go back to Uganda for the summer. We are excited about making partnerships with others who care for orphans, adopting Zeke, and allowing Zuri to experience her birth Country - we are so very grateful!

Our way to London was uneventful and we loved it. We were able to sleep some and Zuri slept for about five hours. We arrived about 9:00 a.m. and took a little excursion into the city since we had 12 hours to kill. We saw the basic London sites and were even able to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. However, on the way back to our day room in London everyone kept falling asleep in the car. Our driver must have thought that we were completely uninspired by London. Oh, and Leia threw up several times due to car sickness in London and two minutes into our car ride in Uganda as well. She seems to be doing better now.

We are so very excited to meet Zeke on Friday and see Zuri and Zeke together. Very exciting times. Thanks for your prayers!

  

And we're back.....

I know its been quite some time since we last wrote a post.  We've been busy doing life and haven't taken the time to write it all down.   I'm not one for drudging through all that has taken our time for the past year so we will be starting fresh from here.  I do have to mention though that it has been a year of growth for all of us.  Our kids just keep getting taller, with Boe at 6'2" and Mac at 5'11",   and Leia catching up quickly to my height.  Zuri may be taller than all of us the way she is growing.    We wanted to open back up this blog so that all of our peeps could follow our journey back to Uganda.  It also gives us an easy way to stay in contact with you guys and let you know what's going on with us from day to day.  We leave in just 9 days!  Each morning we wake up with a to-do list a mile long and add to it throughout the day.  We know one thing, when we get on that plane we will have done all that we could do and hopefully that will be enough.
We are traveling to Uganda for two main purposes, both having to do with adoption.   The first is so that Jimmy can make some contacts with orphanages that have children in need of homes.  He has couples each week who contact him wanting to adopt and he needs to have more contacts with orphanages that he can refer them to.  He will be meeting not only orphanages, but judges and lawyers as well.  Please join us in prayer for these meetings that the Ugandan officials will hear Jimmy's heart for the orphan and not feel threatened by his activism for "their" children.
The second goal we hope to complete is to adopt a little boy named Charles or "Charlie".  He is 16 months old and came to Good Shepherd's Fold severely malnourished.   Claudia has fattened him up and he is doing much better.  We decided to give him the name Ezekiel, which means God Strenghtens.  So it will be Ezekiel Charles or "Charlie Zeke" until he gets use to "Zeke" for short.  We have been busy getting his space ready for when he moves in with his older brothers.  We hope to bring him home with us in August but are not sure at this point because we have not been given a court date yet.

So that's where we are.  Thanks for joining us in this summer adventure.  Your prayers are coveted!

Gayla