Seth's "Praying" Chameleon

Seth recently got another pet chameleon.

This one was quite unique though!  While BJ and Seth were holding it, it clasped it's little "hands" together and looked just like it was praying! 

 

We got some laughs out of our "praying" chameleon.  Maybe he was praying for freedom?  Well, he got it.  That same night, BJ and Seth took the chameleon out to one of the trees in the garden and let it go free.  Seth enjoyed it for a day, but he wanted to let it live.  We have found that they do not do very well in captivity.  So every time Seth finds a chameleon, he plays with it and loves on it for a day, then bravely lets it go.  By now, he knows another one will show up before too long.  They seem to be plentiful here in Kenya!  Although, I do not actually touch the chameleons, they do not creep me out like they used to because they move very slowly.  When creepy crawlers move fast, that is when I have serious problems with them!
 

Baby Boy or Girl?

This is the big question on my mind right now.  I hope to find out soon.  This Wednesday, I have a doctor's appointment, and I'm going to ask him if 19 weeks is too soon to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl.  I hope we can have an ultrasound, and that BJ and Seth can see the baby this time too. 

Here is our baby at almost 19 weeks . . .

Seth likes to get in on these pictures with the baby!

I am amazed that my tummy doesn't really look as big in that picture as I feel!  The baby is definitely beginning to make his or her presence known though.  I get little jabs and kicks all throughout the day and even at night.

Seth enjoys suggesting new names for the baby every day.  I've actually been impressed with some of the names he's come up with.  His daddy and I are not committing to any of them yet though until we know if it's a boy or a girl, and then we'll settle on a name.  BJ and I have some ideas too, but nothing for sure yet.

BJ is still holding out for all boys!  He is scared that a little girl will wrap him around her littlest finger, and then he will be no good as a daddy after that!  Seth wants a brother, but some days he goes back and forth on what he wants.  Me?  This time, I honestly do not have a preference either way.  I just want a BABY!  Hopefully, I'll get to let you know soon!  My hubby's going to get a lot of teasing if we find out he's getting a daughter!  I am sure if it turns out to be a little girl, he will fall in love a second time in his life!

The Missionary Heart

    
     Cares more than some think is wise,

     Risks more than some think is safe,

     Dreams more than some think is practical,

     Expects more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience.

There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him.

I read this quote recently on my friend Maria's blog at Raising 4 Princesses.  It was written by a lady serving the Lord in Iraq.  She actually wrote this in a letter to the States before she was killed by anonymous gunmen in 2004.  Her pastor and church received and read the letter after her death.  Her quote really spoke to my heart.  How true it is!

Update on My Dad

My dad made it safely back to the States.  He slept off the jetlag; then he had an eye doctor's appointment.  The results were good.  Our family eye doctor tested his eyes and said that there is no pressure behind his eyes.  The doctor concluded that the pain and the feeling of pressure is probably due to sinus problems which my dad has had for years.  A very good report!  Thank you all for praying for my family.  It means so much to me.

Nakuru Trip Part 2

Now I get to tell you about the three days we spent in Nakuru.  We stayed at the Mickey's house, and I was able to glean some missionary wife ideas from Mrs. Mickey--even in simple things like what kind of this she uses, and what brand of that she buys, and how she makes this from scratch.  As many missionary wives have learned, this kind of knowledge can sometimes make things easier and can be time savers on the foreign field.

BJ was busy all day every day helping Bro. Mickey teach in his Bible College.

He really enjoyed it, but found he had to talk very slowly for the people to be able to understand his English.  Kenyans are used to the British English accent, and they say that we Americans talk in the back of our throat.  Maybe that means nasal?  Anyway, when meeting Americans, it usually takes them a while to get used to our strange accent.

For three days, my husband sounded like a tape recording!  He spoke very slow and deliberate, even when he was just talking to Seth or I.  It was hard for him to change back to talking normal at night when he came home! 

Seth got reacquainted with his friend, Gilbert, whom he had met last year when we visited the Mickey's church.  Gilbert is five years old, and Seth is four, but they are still both exactly the same height and size.

As soon as they saw each other, they grabbed each other's hands and headed off to play!

 

I went to the church/college in the mornings with BJ so that Seth could have time to play with Gilbert and any other kids who showed up. 

I used my Swahili almost constantly those couple of days!  Seth learned some more Swahili too.  Gilbert knows a tiny bit of English, and Seth knows a tiny bit of Swahili.  They seemed to have no trouble at all communicating.  This girl's name was Eva.  She was a couple of years older, but played with them every day too. 

So that was how our trip went.  We had a great time, but we are very glad to be home again, settling back into our routine.  Seth was glad to see his guinea pigs again!

Wildlife on the Way to Nakuru

Our trip went well, and we had a great time with the Mickeys and their people.  But let me start at the beginning.  We left Monday afternoon for Nakuru, which is about two hours away from where we live.  It was cloudy and overcast as is the norm right now, so we could not see much of the Great Rift Valley this time.  However, we were able to see quite a bit of wildlife along the sides of the road.  It still amazes me to see herds of zebras grazing right beside the road!  We saw three different herds of about 8-10 zebras.  One zebra was within 10 feet of the road, but I didn't have my camera ready for that one.  It would've been a great shot.  You may have to look hard to find them in this picture.  They blend in pretty well.

Here is another zebra shot taken out my side window while we were driving.  I was happy the zebras were at least visible when all was said and done! 

Off in the distance we saw gazelles and what looked like wildebeests.  They were too far away to get a picture of though.  Here is a picture of a wildebeest that I took on another day.

Then when we stopped at a vegetable market, we got to see monkeys playing in the trees and along the fence.

Seth was very interested in the monkeys!  He wanted to get as close as possible.  I wasn't sure if they were nice monkeys though, so we watched them from a distance.  We also saw some some very large birds behind the market. 

We saw the pink flamingos on the lake beside Nakuru, but we were so far away that they were just pink dots.  They are always there though.  Here is a picture of them used with permission from this site.  They are beautiful.

 
Sorry, no lions, elephants, giraffes, cape buffaloes or anything like that.  Okay, I'm not very sorry.  I'm not too keen on being close enough to take a picture of a lion or a cape unless they're behind a chain link fence!  They can stay far away from me, and I will be perfectly happy!

We really enjoyed the ride up there and back.  On a clear day, the view of the Great Rift Valley is amazing.  Maybe someday, I'll be able to get a picture of that for you, but I know it will not even come close to what the human eye can see.  Gotta be here in person, so that means come for a visit!

Prayer Request for My Dad Now

Just a quick prayer request for my dad now.  He will be flying back to the States this Tuesday, so I would greatly appreciate prayers for his safe travel as well as his eye doctor's appointment a day after he arrives there.  He is still having pain and pressure behind his eyes.  I am very glad that the problem will soon be able to be properly diagnosed and hopefully, prayerfully be taken care of soon.  Thank you so much, my dear prayer partners!

Almost a Year in Kenya

Thursday will make a full year for us here in Kenya.  That is so hard to believe.  The time has flown by very fast.  Time flies when you are having fun.

Today, was our last service as pastor and pastor's wife of Karen Baptist Church.  The Madory family arrived back in Kenya this past week, and so next Sunday, we'll be turning it back over to them.  These past six months have been such a blessing for us to grow in the ministry and also to be able to have a part in helping these people continue to grow in their walks with the Lord.  Sadness was evident on some faces in church today because we have told them that we are praying about where the Lord will take us next.  They want us to stay right here.  It is nice to be wanted and loved!  But we are praying, and we must go wherever God leads.

BJ has become very close to some of the men in the church.  They started a men's visitation program which has really bonded their hearts together.  These men have done more to help BJ learn the language and culture here than even six months of language school did, although that was needed as well.  We have made friends here that will last a lifetime.  God knew what He was doing when He landed us in Karen for our first year on the mission field. 

Tomorrow, we will drive to Nakuru and be there for several days.  BJ will be teaching a couple of classes in Bro. Mickey's Bible College this week.  He is really looking forward to that opportunity as well.  I am looking forward to the fellowship with Mrs. Mickey, and of course, Seth loves visiting other missionaries too!  It means kids and play and dogs and new ground to explore!  So if you don't hear from us for a couple of days, that is why.  I'll be back to let you know all about it at the end of the week!

Our Tent Stable

Last week, one of my college friends was challenging mom's to take the time to make a tent with their kids.  So, Maria, I know I am a week late with my tent, but I had a special plan for our tent!

For Bible time in our homeschool, I am teaching about the birth and life of Christ.  Each week I tell him a Bible story on Monday.  Then each day, we do something fun that relates to that Bible story.  Sometimes it is a craft.  Sometimes we may act out the story.  This last Monday, I used flannelgraph to tell him the story of how no one had any room for Baby Jesus, so Jesus was born in a stable with the cows and the sheep.  Each day this week, we've done something fun to help him learn the story better, but I saved the best for last.  Today, we made a "stable" which was actually a sheet thrown over our kitchen table.  All boys (and girls) love tents, right?  You should've seen his eyes light up with excitement when I explained what we were going to do!

He loved it!  He immediately ran off to get his flashlight because, of course, we were going to need a flashlight in a tent.

Notice his tiger flashlight beside him.

We sat under there and talked about what it must have been like for Jesus to be born in a stable among cows and sheep.  (The thought crossed my mind that Seth probably thinks a stable would be an ideal setting to be born into!  He loves animals.  So much for getting that point across!)  Then we sang "Away In a Manger" together. 

After that, we had to play cars together under there!

Ummmm.  I do my best, but I still to this day do not play cars well.  It just doesn't come naturally for me!  He seems to know exactly what to do though, so he teaches Mommy.  He asked if we could leave the tent up like that all day.  Hmmm.  Might make meals a little difficult, but we'll see!

Thanks so much for the idea, Maria.  It sure made a little boy in Kenya very happy!


P.S.  BJ just walked in the door wanting to know why I am using one of our sheets for a tablecloth!  We explained to him that it is a stable. 

Lovin' Fruit Smoothies

I don't seem to be having many cravings this time around.  With Seth, I craved milk, milk, and more milk.  BJ was literally buying a gallon of milk for me every two days, and I was drinking it all by myself!  (He is not fond of milk.)  I remember meeting him at the door as he returned home from work at 2:00 in the morning.  I was almost in tears for fear that I would run out of milk before morning!  Bless his heart, he turned right around and headed for the convenience store to make sure his pregnant wife had an extra gallon of milk on hand!

After Seth was born, just for fun we figured up how much money we'd spent on milk for nine months.  I was shocked to find out it was close to $500!  That is crazy!

I am not craving anything that bad this time around.  However, I am drinking fruit smoothies nearly every day and absolutely loving them!

Maybe it is a craving since I think about it all throughout the day until I finally get around to making one.  The only problem is that it is cold here right now, but it is still worth it!  I sit there and shiver while I down the whole thing!  Seth is enjoying them too.  Whenever he hears the blender, he comes running, asking excitedly, "Mommy, are you making a smoothie?"

Here is a yummy recipe I found over at Tammy's Recipes.  By the way, I enjoy looking for recipes and ideas on her blog.  I adapted this recipe just a little to fit the ingredients I have here in Kenya.  (I cannot find orange juice concentrate here.)  I make the orange julius sometimes, and at other times, I add frozen strawberries and/or raspberries to make it more like a fruit smoothie.  

Strawberry Orange Julius 
3/8 cup orange juice, chilled (or 3 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate plus 1/2 cup water)
1/2 cup cold milk
1 and 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons sugar (to your taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 frozen banana
handful of frozen strawberries and/or raspberries
ice cubes
 
Instructions:
Blend together everything except the ice cubes until smooth. Add ice cubes, one at a time, blending each one until smooth and until you reach the consistency or thickness that you desire.

Without the orange juice concentrate and the extra water added with it, this recipe is enough for Seth and I to each enjoy a smoothie. BJ is not big on smoothies either, so he just misses out! Ha Ha


P.S. I've begun to feel Baby move around the last couple of days.  I am really enjoying carrying this little one.

I Lov Mom

On the way in from getting my laundry off the line, I found this love note leaning up against our veranda.  So precious.  It made my day!  Seth had found an old board and a piece of coal, and written, "I lov Mom." 

He wanted me to know that he had underlined it so that I would always remember it!  I love being a mom.

First Week of Kindergarten

I would have to say that our first week of school was a success!  I do know one thing.  I just became a whole lot busier!  I learned so much as a teacher this first week though.  It was not my first week as a teacher, but it was my first week following an actual curriculum.  We are using the Abeka curriculum, and I must say that I am already impressed with how his subjects build and relate upon each other.  However, I had to do some adapting.  In phonics and in math, Seth is way ahead of the curriculum.  I must admit, I felt a little silly holding up the number 2, and asking him, "Ok, now what number is this?  Can you count how many animals?  Two."

Yeah, by Wednesday, he looked incredibly bored and I knew he must have been thinking, "Mommy, you mean you don't know that?"  Repetition is good but keeping him challenged is also a good thing!  So we stepped it up a little.  On Thursday, I skipped over some of that basic stuff and focused on things that I knew he needed more practice with last year in preschool.  I also added in some spelling games and some more challenging stuff for him.  Then he still did the work pages in his books. Thursday and Friday went a lot better.

That is the beauty of homeschooling.  Being able to tailor the curriculum to fit the needs of your child.  And who knows better what her child needs than the mother?  I love being a teacher and a mommy.  And yes, I am working on keeping those two separate!  Teacher in the morning and mommy for the rest of the day.  We are learning together and really enjoying it.

Rejoicing In Heaven!

There's a new name written down in Heaven, and this one is special to us.  BJ has been praying for an opportunity to talk with Mr. Roger, our neighbors' hired man.  He is here every day to tend the grounds, wash the vehicles, and do odd jobs around the place.  He constantly has a smile on his face and a cheerful greeting ready whenever he sees us.  Every time I walk out my door, I hear, "Habari yako, Mama Seth?"  (How are you, Mama Seth?)  Because he doesn't know English well, he has really helped us a lot with our Swahili.  He is honest and very hardworking.  He loves Seth, and, as you can see, that love is reciprocated!

Mr. Roger, Seth, and Twister, the neighbor's new puppy.

Last night, BJ decided to head back down to his office (part of our shed) to "burn some midnight oil" in Bible study. On his way down there, he noticed that Mr. Roger was warming his hands by the fire.  It was strange to see him still here.  He usually does not sleep here.  Normally, he leaves every day at about 5:00 p.m.  He does have a small shed with a bed here for times when our neighbors are away and he stays to guard the place.  Last night, for some reason, he stayed all night.

I tossed and turned in bed waiting for BJ to come back up.  I cannot fall asleep when he is not with me.  Last night, it was not from fear, just from the fact that I am not used to sleeping alone.  Hours ticked by.  Finally, at about 10:30 or 11:00 p.m., I texted him asking if he was okay.  I was sure he'd fallen asleep down there in his office chair!  I got the reply, "Talking with Roger," and I began praying.  I prayed myself to sleep.

About 12:30 a.m., BJ returned home to me with the joyous news that Roger had just accepted Christ as his Saviour!  We could barely fall asleep from the sheer joy and excitement of our prayers being answered!

This morning, BJ asked Roger, "What made you spend the night here last night?"  Roger could not figure out what had made him stay.  BJ and I knew it was God Who had led him to stay so that he could hear the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ as he warmed his hands by that fire.  "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth . . . "  (Luke 15:7)