Kenya

In my last post, I said I'd spice this one up with some pictures from the next step on my adoption journey. Well, come to find out, I can't find my scrapbook from Kenya. But that's cool. I guess I'll have to go again and snap a few more pictures. I'm sure I'll spend all weekend looking for that book, now. I'll let that go for now. You'll have to use your imagination, I guess.

Sooooooooo. . . Back in 2002, I went to Kenya with 16 friends, on a mission trip. The trip initially was was designed so that the first week we would work on some building projects for Daystar University and then the second week, we would climb Mt. Kenya. Only 10 people were originally going to be able to go, because that is how many you could have in a guided trip up the mountain. Well, 16 people signed up, but only 10 could still hike. I specifically remember thinking how unfair it would be if I wasn't able to hike the mountain, because I had gotten my application in early. As luck would have it, I was playing indoor soccer at the time, and I got some bone chips and then broke my toe, right around the time that we had to decide if we wanted to climb the mnt. or stay back in Nairobi. I had to choose to stay back, because I didn't know if my ankle and toe would be able healed completely by then. Coincidence or power of God? as my friend friend Mari used say.

The six of us that stayed back in Nairobi worked at a Mother Teresa home for disabled women and children. Another day we went to a different Mother Teresa home where there were about 16 babies laying on a giant bed. The one that I held was beautiful little Beatrice. She had two thumbs on one of her hands, which is most likely why her parents dropped her off at the Mother Teresa home. Many of them had physical problems that could easily be dealt with if they were in the US. Anyway, that little Beatrice was a little heart stealer. I wonder where she is now??? After holding her, I again, just knew that some day, I would adopt.

As a little side note, it turned out that our hostel was only 15 minutes away from the Compassion child that I had sponsored for 5 years at that time. I got to meet her and her mom and brother. I would love to post pictures of that, too, but they were in the same scrapbook that is MIA. But that's cool.

There ya have it - the next defining moment in my adoption story. Now, we are just hoping that the list starts moving a little. It's officially been the longest we have gone without seeing any movement on the lists, since we got on it. However, we are encouraged, because our agency recently joined up with 2 other orphanages and there was mention, that there are already kids assigned with completed paperwork. I'm hoping that means that there will be some referrals coming down the pike (or is it pipe?) Anywho . . . I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!!