The fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Dueteronomy 14:29


~ Silas and Naomi are HOME from Uganda ~

06 March 2011

The Bumpy Road

As you might have guessed, life has not been as we expected...but that is the beauty of God's plan; it is never what we expect, and always greater than we could have imagined.  HIS road is not always easy though, and we are experiencing that in a very real way right now.

Life is hard, but full.  There are struggles, but bountiful blessings.  We are all adjusting and sifting through the emotions that have arisen with the many changes that have come in the last 6 weeks.  (This is the explaination for our lack of blogging, we really thought we would do it much more often, but soaking in and dealing with the fullness of daily life was the priority...but our apologies all the same.)

After 4 long weeks living in Uganda as a family of 6 (plus wonderful Alexa), Craig made the decision to send some of us home.  I had been sick for several weeks and was not seeming to get better; Noah and Maela were healthy and doing really well, but it was apparant it was time to bring them home as well.  So Alexa and I packed up all we could, leaving Craig with just the necessities, and headed home.  It was a terrible, tearful goodbye - we really had not anticipated splitting up our family for any part of this journey, but God led Craig to this decision and it was the right one.

So we are home, recouperating (I ended up with walking pneumonia), and getting over jet-lagg.  We have enjoyed wearing cozy sweats in this cold weather and drinking water right out of the tap.  But our thoughts are with Craig constantly and it's hard to fully partake in some of the conveniences of life here at home knowing he is still living in Africa.  I am trying to unpack, get through the laundry, make some meals for the freezer, and get a little head start on figuring out how to run my home with the coming changes.

Craig has not had internet for a while now, but we are able to talk frequently on the phone.  He and the kids are doing well and staying somewhere comfortable that makes life a little easier for him than where we were beforehand.  There's a lot of stories he is eager to share and even more of God's grace on our family we are excited to praise Him for...all that to come.

Monday is a big day (tomorrow!).  Craig will turn the final paperwork (written ruling and passports) in to the US Embassy and will hopefully get an estimated time as to when the kids' visas will be issued so they can travel home.  (That's all we are waiting for now!)

So until we have some more news and are ready to share the good stuff, here are some pictures of our time there.  Thank you for all your prayers and faithful support of our family.  We are so grateful for our loving family and friends...God has used your words and encouragement, meals and phone calls to bless us richly.


The water and power were off for a while so Maela got a bath in this little tub of water I heated up on the stove.  She LOVED it!

A small hut on the side of the road.


Our baby girl's little brown toes.  They look so tiny on Craig's hand.


Danise, her family lived behind the house we stayed in.  She spent a lot of time with our family and we enjoyed showing her American things, like coloring, bubbles, and suckers.


Our little man, sweeping and wearing one of Daddy's socks, two of his favorite things!  I know...such a helper AND a sharp dresser!  (That sock went all the way up to his hip when pulled tight.)


Nothing like a morning ring-pop to start the day!


Alexa was always faithful to jump in and help with the kids...or maybe she just enjoyed doing/eating what they were!  We all miss her very much!


Check out the new hair-do!  Tiny braids all over her little head...so cute!  This is Stephen, our good friends' son.  He loved playing with her.


Exploring a monument to the king of an old Ugandan tribe.


Alexa and Precious playing with baby kittens in our back yard.


Some artifacts in the king's tomb.


Climbing on the king's tomb...hmmm, not sure how respectful that was, but they sure had fun!


Oh yes, he did!  Noah was catching chickens all the time!  He told me he was going to hold this one until it laid an egg...we had to have a little lesson on how that works.


Our fist morning as a family of 6.  I think we were skyping with someone too (Craig looks like he is mid-sentence with the computer in front of him.)  Can you sense a little of the choas????


Can you resist those rolls and that grin?

More coming of our trip to Kampala soon!!!

5 comments:

  1. I'll be praying for you all. Hopefully you can be fully recovered by the time Craig and Nicholas and Abi come home. My heart feels for you...I've never adopted before, and I can't imagine how hard it would be to only have half your family with you while the other half is across the world. I understand the feeling of chaos, though. Hang in there. What I'm learning is that it's a job that's bigger than me, but a chance to show God's glory. May the Lord bless you and your whole family. Love to you from the Schoutens!

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  2. beautiful pics of a family that God is knitting together stitch by stitch. love you.

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  3. Rebecca Hoehne08 March, 2011 20:25

    AWWWW sweet Jen!! Not a day passes that we do not see your adorable bookmark that you passed out at a fundraiser dinner and have the privilege of interceeding for your precious family!! I love your perspective on the Sovereignty of God and His plan is ALWAYS Perfect!!! THanks for the updates, even though I'm sure you are exhausted and at times, overwhelmed! We love you and are glad you are back home safely!!

    Can't wait to see your WHOLE family together!!

    lots of love,
    the Hoehne's

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  4. just got to read your blog here jen. what a blessing that God has provided here. I know it can't be easy but I'm so glad to hear your family is doing well. Thank you for sharing the many pictures. They do tell a story of an incredible journey and one that will be treasured for a life time. We love you guys and look forward to meeting all of you soon.
    Laurie, Peter, & Emily Jing.

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  5. her nappy looks soaked I want to take it off and lick her pee coveredpussy

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