Anticipation

It is finished. Good nights sleep. Rested. Packed. Errands completed, now waiting until the hot flashes come when we remember what we have forgotten:)

Fatigue, friends, and heads

The night before we left John and Sarah Pell came over to bring us pizza and drinks and this was a wonderful practical way to love one another. I was thinking about charging 5 ipods's, buying rain jackets for the rainy season of Uganda, packing our ten suitcases, exchanging money, charging batteries, packing clothes, missionary gifts, plane tickets, passports, money pouches, and general money and they (the Pell's) were thinking about a physical need - food. It takes a village!

These are lacrosse heads that we are taking. Our local triad league donated 10 sticks and we are going to teach them (those in the orphanage) how to play lacrosse while we are there. Look for pictures in the future.

Emergency Contact Information

If we need to be contacted for emergency reasons, please go to the bottom of this blog and click on the picture of the Good Shepherds fold campus. This will take you to their website which provides the necessary information.

Fatigue

The details of all that it takes to be gone for five weeks have overtaken us. Although we have prepared all along the way, these last few days have been utterly exhausting. We have hit a wall and are thankful for 24 more hours here to accomplish all that we need to.

Bank error in your favor-should we even be surprised anymore?

The check was payable to Jimmy Renslow and the amount was $317.00 from the State of North Carolina. Why? Poor accounting skills by Jimmy, but the perfect accounting skills by God. We have also opened several other envelopes with donations inside this past week, making our march towards zero balance ever closer! When will surprise stop and true belief begin?

P.S. Zuri seems to be feeling much better today. Lot's of people have asked and we are glad for care and love.

Bloodlines and love

We have never seen Zuri with our own eyes nor held her with our hands, but our hearts have already connected with her because that is just how love leads. Yesterday, we found out that Zuri is sick and is being tested for malaria. She may or may not have malaria, but our hearts are torn to pieces thinking about her suffering and we can do nothing to comfort her. Love aches for those who suffer, and to be honest it has nothing to do if she is a biological child or not. We already love her in the same way as we do our biological children and we have not even held her yet. I guess love operates in the same way regardless of blood lines. I think of the millions of children in the world who are suffering from malaria and other diseases right now and thank God for those who are demonstrating love to them as they suffer. People like this...(click here)

A child well-loved

This is Mark and Amy Gwartney and their family who serve at Good Shepherds Fold- they cared for Zuri every other week for the first three months of her life - we get to go and meet them:) Click here to go to their blog - it is a great blog to see what life is like caring for orphans.

This is Claudia and her girls (Zuri is on her lap). Early on, she rotated with the Gwartney's and for the past six months she has cared for Zuri in her home at Good Shepherds Fold. Gayla e-mails with her every week and Claudia actually called Gayla when we found out the court date. We have her to thank for all of the pictures of Zuri.