Update by word...

...without any pictures.  Sorry!  We've posted so many pictures and haven't really said anything!  So here goes...

We have had a blast since we got home from Kenya the beginning of November.  We've been to West Virginia for our big family Thanksgiving, which was so much fun.  We got to meet some of the new additions by marriage to our family, and we had a great time hanging out, playing pingpong, eating, and watching the kids run on the treadmill.  After that, we travelled to South Carolina to see the Facendas, which was a great time, too!  It was there we realized how much fun Thomas trains could be.  Then, on to Wake Forest to see the Chilsons and the Singletons.  The time spent with all our friends over there was so much fun, we won't forget the excitement!  From there, we've just been in and out of our "home base" here in North Wilkesboro for day trips, weekend trips, etc.

The kids have been doing great!  They have taken all the new people in perfect stride and have loved on all of our family and friends.  It's been so cute!  They do have their moments of tiredness and grumpiness, but we're thankful for "our house" in North Wilkesboro where they can just be themselves and crash and rest when they need to rest.  They really enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas, and all points in between.

Candace and I have also had a great time.  It's been so much fun being able to catch up with some friends that we haven't seen in a long time.  Nathan's been able to speak at a handful of churches about how we are serving in Kenya with Samaritan's Purse.  We're also working on our documents for the dossier portion of the adoption.  It is harder than we thought...perhaps because we just aren't as gung-ho as we thought we would be.

We are so thankful to so many people that have made our transition back to the States so much easier than we could have hoped.  Our church family at Fairplains Baptist Church had "our house" all ready and waiting for us, and helped us get started with groceries.  We also want to say thanks to Center Baptist Church for letting us stay in their missions house...it really has been such a blessing to have someplace to call our "own" and be able to relax in the "quiet" and comfort of a home.  Thanks also for our friends who have given us gifts and asked how they can help us, both here and with the ministries of AIM AIR and Samaritan's Purse in East Africa.

We love you all and hope that the Lord will show Himself evident in your lives in the new year to come.

Blessings!

Happy Birthday, Papa!!!!

Prayer and Praise

Prayer~

We head out tomorrow for a few days in VA with some of Nathan's family. Please pray for a safe trip and fun times with family.

I took John to the doctor last week and found out he has an ear infection and bronchitis. Please pray for complete healing in his little body.

We can not believe our time here is passing so quickly. We are busily trying to buy the things we need for when we return to Nairobi. Please pray we remember all the things we need to get to take back and make wise decisions about the things we need.

The cookbook paperwork was mailed to the company a few weeks ago, we've received the proof, sent it back, and are now waiting for them to be printed and mailed to us. We were hoping they would be ready for us to take some back to Nairobi, but the letter we received said it would be about 4 days after we leave. Please pray for them to get here before we leave!

Praise!

We had a great Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord with our family!

We have some of the documents in hand that are needed for the adoption dossier!

We have been truly blessed by so many people here while we've been home, especially family and friends.  It has been a great time thus far!

Christmas Day 2009, Part Two

Christmas Day 2009, Part One