Thank you all so much for your support of ‘Mercy Monday’ . It blessed my heart to know so many of you were praying for us on that specific day. It was also a blessing how many of you told us that you’ve been praying each day. Also, a big thank you to the precious person that sent Emma and Avery flowers. The flowers came anonymously with a note saying that they were praying for them. So sweet!
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| Emma and Avery's Flowers |
Last night, I was going to write an update, but it was just too hard and I was a bit discouraged. It had been almost two weeks with no real progress. Some nights are just harder than others and last night was one of those nights. I prayed a lot and asked God to hold me up through this process because I was certainly not feeling strong enough. Everyone keeps telling me that I’m here now for a purpose and that God is using this time for something special. And I know this is in my head, but my “D” personality, would really like to know what that purpose is and exactly when this “lesson” from God is going to end. But believe it or not, God does not work that way, so I am doing my best to take it day by day.
Thankfully, I got some encouraging news today. I have a hearing scheduled for November 11th. It’s not as soon as I had hoped for, but I’m grateful to officially be on the schedule.
I also spent most of the day at King’s College Budo. I visited the new “Libraries of Love” library that was put in this past summer. It’s beautiful and sits inside an old chapel. And I’m so glad to report how much the students are using the books. They simply love to read and are so grateful for all of the new books. The librarian and headmaster both told me that some of the students are actually getting in trouble for reading novels during chemistry class or skipping a class to go to the library. I want the students to obey, but I’m glad they have such a heart for reading.
I also spent most of the day at King’s College Budo. I visited the new “Libraries of Love” library that was put in this past summer. It’s beautiful and sits inside an old chapel. And I’m so glad to report how much the students are using the books. They simply love to read and are so grateful for all of the new books. The librarian and headmaster both told me that some of the students are actually getting in trouble for reading novels during chemistry class or skipping a class to go to the library. I want the students to obey, but I’m glad they have such a heart for reading.
The school has a beautiful campus with many large grassy areas. During my tour with the librarian he pointed out a man on a riding lawn mower. He was so excited about this new contraption they just received. He called it a “slashing machine” and could not believe we call them “riding lawn mowers” in the US. He also informed me that only that one man knew how to operate it. I assured him that he could figure it out too. Mercy was awesome during our busy day. She charmed everyone and won the favor of all the people in the offices by blowing kisses and waving “bye bye”. She also, as you can see in this photo, entertained herself for about 20 minutes by playing in a box. Hey, it kept her happy, busy, and contained. I was served lunch in a teacher’s office. It was just me and Mercy, which was a good thing because she can be pretty wild and messy when she eats. The funny thing… she got rice all over the floor, so here I was on my knees picking up pieces of rice off of the carpet when a student walks in looking for the teacher. The look on his face was priceless. He could not figure out why this white lady with an African baby was in that office and on her knees cleaning. Too funny!
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| Showing off the Libraries of Love/Trudy Marshall plaque |
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| Students reading during free time |
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| Mercy in a Box |
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| Very Cool Africa-shaped puddle Autum noticed tonight on our way to the store. |
Another funny chicken story… a couple of times yesterday the neighbors hen flew into our yard. Medias or one of the neighborhood kids would catch it and put it back over the fence. Last night everyone was outside talking and playing. Medias’ two year old, Michael, kept carrying around the chicken. He has no fear! A bit later, our friend, Kim, that was staying with us for a few days, went into the girls’ room as I was walking down the hall and said, “There’s a chicken on my bed.” She said it so calmly, I thought she was joking. I poked my head in and sure enough the hen was pecking around on her luggage on the bed. I ran outside and yelled for someone and they caught it and threw it back outside. It seems there is always a new chicken story around here.
Some of Mercy’s new tricks… she shakes her head “no” when you ask her a question, no matter the question. She has a book with a lion on the front. So I always tell her, “Lion. Lions say ‘roar’”. Now she points at the book and growls. She also taps me on the shoulder or chest to point things out to me. And if I don’t respond right away, she taps harder and harder and harder. She still can’t tolerate ice cream. She shivers and makes hilarious faces anytime she takes a bite. But she does like it once it’s all melted in a bowl and a giant mess. We went to a play area at one of the fancy malls the other night. She had her first trip down a slide. She was not so sure of it. But she did prefer trying to walk back up the slide. She didn’t have a clue what to do with any of the play stuff. She mostly just stood back and watched the other kids. But she seemed to enjoy it. She's in for some big surprises when she gets to America.
