Home from Kenya

Well I got back from Kenya today. We had a great trip, and God was really good to us. I'm very tired, but I thought I'd go ahead and post some wildlife pictures for you to see:

Our first lion in Maasai Mara An elephant that followed our van Three giraffes in Maasai Mara A lion cub yawning in Mara ConservatoryBig male lion in Mara Conservatory

Lion cubs playing in Maasai Mara

Hippo on Lake Naivasha

Zebra herd on Crescent Island

A Post from Africa

Hey y'all...I have finally gotten a chance to spend a few minutes online here in Kenya. We've had a great trip so far, visiting our friend Staci at the Nakuru Baby Center, the students and professors of Kenya Highlands Bible College, and the doctors and staff at Tenwek Hospital. We spent the last two days on safari in the Maasai Mara...pictures will follow when I get home. We saw literally dozens of lions, elephants, and giraffes, as well as hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, zebra, and all manner of "DLT"s (deer-like things). Now refreshed, we are heading down the homestretch of our journey...two days back in Nakuru and three days in Nairobi before the long flight home. Thanks for your prayers.

A Good Day

I know I just posted yesterday, but we have had such a good day that I couldn't help but write. We received our approval today from the US Government (CIS) to bring a child from Uganda into the US. I also received an e-mail from our agency letting us know that the orphanage in Uganda has approved us as well, which means that as soon as a little boy age 18-36 months becomes available for adoption, we will receive our referral and know who our son is. We are not exactly sure how long this could take, but you know we will let everyone know as soon as we do. The only "downer" of the day is that the orphange said it will probably be a year before we are able to travel. This is mainly because the court system has slowed down so much lately. We are asking that everyone prays that the judges will start approving families at their first court date (they've been delaying families several months for no apparent reason lately) and that therefore the court system will start moving quicker. I guess that's it for now.

Life without Matt

Well, after a friend commented that we haven't updated our blog for a week, I decided I'd better make a new post. Matt left for Kenya with a small team last Thursday and since he does most of the posting, I hadn't really thought to write. Well, I did actually think about it once over the weekend, but have been too busy to sit down and do it. My Mom, sister Jen and nephew Hunter arrived Thursday evening and we spent a fun, but busy weekend together. The highlight of the weekend was going to the Cincinnati Zoo. Hunter really liked the elephants and the rhinoceros. He also proved that our house is not child-proof yet. Jen and Hunter went home on Monday, but my mom is here the rest of the week. She's been helping me at work in the afternoons, which has been very much appreciated. She's becoming an expert in laminating nametags for Reunion. The only thing I've heard from Matt is a general e-mail that they had made it to Kenya and everyone is doing fine. The team returns next Thursday so I'm sure he'll have lots of fun pictures to post.

Kenya Dig It?

I'm off to Kenya tomorrow (the 17th)! I'll be taking a group of Asbury College students over to do an overview of the World Gospel Mission field there. We'll be visiting Nakuru Baby Center, Kenya Highlands Bible College (where I am preaching Sunday night...yikes), Tenwek Hospital, Mathare Slums, and of course the Maasai Mara among other places. Sometimes we go on mission trips to DO stuff; this trip is more of a seeing what God is doing and looking for ways that we can be involved by increasing our giving, our praying, and maybe even our going. We will be returning on May 31st. Please keep us in your prayers.

Meanwhile, Amy's mom, sister, and nephew, are coming down from Indiana to keep her company while I'm gone. They're planning on going to the Cincinnati Zoo to see the baby rhino. I'm not impressed. I'll be on safari.

If You Were Mine

Fernando Ortega is one of our very favorite musical artists. One of his songs is taking on a much deeper meaning to us as we wait to meet our son in Uganda. The song is called "If You Were Mine", and you can listen to it below. To our mothers and sisters, go ahead and get the Kleenexes ready.



When my heart is troubled and I am weighed down,
Then I like to think of how this lonesome world would be
If I could see your face, or hold you in my arms
If you were mine, if you were mine.

If you had a bad dream I would jump inside it,
And I would fight for you with all the strength that I could find.
I would lead you home by your tiny hand
If you were mine, if you were mine.

I would sing of love on the blackest night.
I would sing of God, and how His goodness fills our loves.
I would sing to you, til the morning light
If you were mine, if you were mine.

by Fernando Ortega
from the album "This Bright Hour"

A Preview of "One Supreme Desire"

We are getting closer and closer to the release of my CD. The studio has promised that their part will absolutely be done by the end of the week, then it's in the mail to me, and I have to have it professionally duplicated. We hope to have it available for mass consumption by mid-June. This has been a test of creativity, ability, confidence, and patience. We are excited to see the project come to completion and are now looking forward to seeing how God uses it. We hope you enjoy this little sampler including clips from each of the songs on "One Supreme Desire":

This Too Shall Pass

Why the horse picture? Why, it's Derby weekend in Kentucky, of course. Our commonwealth's time to shine. (That and anytime KFC launches a new ad campaign.) The state is all abuzz with Queen Elizabeth here this year to fulfill one of her lifelong dreams - attending the Kentucky Derby.

Well, it's been a while since our last post (which was way too negative to leave you hanging that long on). So, I've decided to straighten out of the fetal position long enough to write a little. (We'll see where this goes...) Actually, I've been out of the fetal position for almost a week now...

Last Wednesday night we spent the night in the emergency room with my first-ever case of kidney stones. Without elaborating too much, let me just say...ouch. I was laid up feeling pretty miserable until late Saturday afternoon, when I finally started feeling better. That was good, since I was supposed to preach twice on Sunday at our church while our pastor was out of town. About noon on Saturday I was getting really nervous. But I had a backup plan - if I wasn't feeling better on Sunday morning I figured I'd just take a couple of the percocet they gave me and preach out of the book of Revelation and nobody know the difference. But God was good, I was upright, and Sunday went pretty well.

The school year is wrapping up next week, and we are getting ready for the ghost town that is Wilmore in the summertime. No rest for the weary, though - I go to Kenya in two weeks (May 17-31), then Amy has Alumni Reunion in June, then we both go to Guatemala with a group from our church in July (7-14), then I am song evangelist and Bible teacher at a campmeeting in Washington state in August (4-12).

For anyone who cares, the CD is almost done. (Actually it was supposed to have been done a month ago, but for some reason it is not yet.) Every few days I get something else to approve. I hope to have it ready for mass consumption sometime in the first days of June. I am just waiting for them to send me the final product.

No new news on the adoption front. We are waiting.