Our First Month back in America

Lots of Travels

April 13 - arrived in LA on British Airways after a very smooth trip 

First stop: a week with my sister and her family in sunny California

The boys were thrilled about our first McDonalds stop

Our free van which we called "God's Car"

Sweet Reunions with Special Friends

From California we traveled north and stopped to visit friends and supporters in Oregon and Washington. We spoke at a supporting church on Sunday and then began heading east, heading into some pretty cold weather and SNOW!

Yep, I sunk in the snow :)

Feeling a little chilly

So thankful for this van!

In Idaho with my roommate from college!

Crazy Evan insisted on wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the snow! 

We prefer picnics at rest stops rather than fast food

We found a cool Dinosaur Museum on our way thru Montana

We even went up into Manitoba to meet "heroes of the faith" we've been longing to meet.

Joshua testing out roller blading

 So now here we are in Naperville, IL, one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the United States. We are having a very refreshing time with family friends and while we're here for 11 days, squeezing in some rest and family time between meetings, speaking engagements and reunions with friends.

These boys are such good sports in the midst of all this travel.

Rewind to April real quick: Recap of special Fader Reunion on the Kenyan coast

The view from our room

In April life started moving really quickly. For the first 7 marvelous days of the month, we reunited with most of Eli's family (missing one brother in law and 4 nephews in Michigan) and stayed together at a beautiful beach house in Mombasa, Kenya right on the Indian Ocean. We spent the days swimming, eating delicious sea food and tropical fruits, playing games and catching up on each other's lives.

The uncles taught the kids how to scuba dive in the pool

Josh did it!

My sister in law and I relaxing in the Indian Ocean.

Digging in the sand with Isaac

Uncle Eli with our youngest nephew, Gavin 

Games with Nana

We made cars in the sand for Liam to drive on the beach

Isaac showed off his lizard catching skills

All of us eating around our giant table!

Cousins sitting on the plane together

Feeling so relaxed and thankful at the end of our vacation together.

For Such a Time as This

The Doro Team (1 man missing)

 This last week was really special for Eli and I since we got to see more clearly WHY God had us staying here in Kenya this long before heading back to the States for our home assignment. Tomorrow we'll have been here three months and I'll admit that it has not been easy. We are not city people. After being used to living in the bush, especially the boys were missing the freedom, space to run and play, and all their friends. They've been confined in our apartment with no grass or trees to climb and lots of school work that I use to keep them busy.

But we know this is exactly where we needed to be as a family so we could process, grieve and heal from the crazy Christmas and evacuation we had, including the loss of everything we own again and the huge question marks in our future. It has been precious to have time together with our teammates to cry, struggle, pray, encourage, and play.

In February the assessment team went into Doro for a week to check on our base, visit friends, and get a feel of the "new Doro" after the intense tribal fighting in December. Then in mid March, a team of 5 SIM men flew into Doro to REBUILD. They have been working hard in over 100 degree heat every day, wiring the missionary houses, setting up solar power, trying to get internet set up again, and many other things to make it easier for the rest of the team to come back and re-settle.

This week we had the great joy to pray with and send back our Doro team.

The team has literally been cut in half. There are now 8 SIM missionaries and 4 Kenyan health workers who will all live on one compound and begin picking up the pieces of ministry, home, friendships, and push forward to whatever God has in store for them. Last Monday, as I stood with one arm around one beloved teammate, and one around another, and prayed my heart out for them as they prepared to fly back in, my heart overflowed with thanks that we could be here FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.

Ladies Painting Night

A couple weeks ago I came across an old Wayne Watson song called "For Such a Time as This". As I listened to it and read the lyrics, I was struck with how fitting it was for our team going back into South Sudan during a time when things are still very shaky and uncertain. We are so thankful that God has opened the door and for the courage and bravery our brothers and sisters are demonstrating as they continue to love and serve the Southern Sudanese in our small corner of South Sudan.

For Such a Time as This

Now, all I have is now
To be faithful
To be holy
And to shine

Lighting up the darkness
Right now, I really have no choice
But to voice the truth to the nations
A generation looking for God

[Chorus]
For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is
For such a time as this
For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this

You, Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place
You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace

Can't change what's happened till now
But we can change what will be
By living in holiness
That the world will see Jesus

[Chorus]

Songwriters: WATSON, WAYNE

Homeschool week at Rift Valley Academy

It is time for me to introduce this wonderful school to you all because it is about to be a very important part of our family next year. Rift Valley Academy is a boarding school for missionary children whose parents serve in African countries. Eli and I both graduated from this school and have very fond memories of our years there. It is crazy that now, almost 18 years later, our oldest has been accepted to join next year. 

Joshua playing handbells

The 5th and 6th graders playing handbells 

 Several times a year the school invites homeschooled children and their families to come for a week and experience a bit of the Rift Valley life. Children spend part of the week taking a standardized test to make sure they're keeping up to standards in their education but they also get to attend classes with the RVA students and are paired up with a "pal" for the week. We came in 2015 and that was what got Isaac thinking about coming here in the first place. About 4 months after the last homeschool week Isaac asked us if he could apply, so we did. And this week we found out he has a place which is very exciting (and sad for me!)

The boys with some of their friends eating in the school cafeteria

The boys had a very full week making friends, attending classes and playing really hard on the playground and on the hockey courts. Their favorite game was playing hockey while skating on a ripstick (type of skateboard). Needless to say, we were all exhausted when we got back to Nairobi on Friday evening.

Emily and I eating lunch just like old times


Emily was my roommate and best friend during my years at Rift Valley Academy and isn't it amazing that both of our oldest sons will be starting at RVA next year?! It was really special to spend the week with Emily and her family and what memories it brought back!

Emily and I 

The day we left RVA we got the boys' test scores back and were so thankful and encouraged to hear that they are all doing really well in their grade levels. What a relief that was for me as their education has been my full time ministry for the past 7 years! Hopefully we can jump back into our homeschool routine back in our Nairobi apartment with new vigor, knowing we're right where we need to be.

Why it's so cool to grow up in Doro, South Sudan

I thought I would give the boys a fun creative writing assignment today by having them write an essay about why Doro is a fun place to grow up. I thought it would be a good activity to think about all the wonderful things about the past year and a half that we got to live there. Isaac and Evan jumped right in. Joshua didn't find it quite as easy and burst into tears. Suddenly I realized what I thought was a good idea maybe was not so great after all. He said he was upset because he doesn't like writing and he didn't want to have to write something long. I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't the best day to give the assignment since we've just said goodbye to Eli for a week as he flies into South Sudan on a small assessment team. But I thought each of their little essays were unique and wanted to share them.

Here is Isaac's:

Life in Doro for a boy

Some people think South Sudan is a horrible place, not to mention a refugee camp! But those people have the wrong idea! If you live at the edge of the camp like me it's really great. Every morning I wake up to the good smell of breakfast cooking or occasionally Sudanese zalabia (fried doughnuts). After that, we jump into school for like 4 hours and by the time we're done it's lunchtime so we hop on our bikes and ride over to lunch club for some okra or kudra soup. Then we come back to our concrete home to have rest time. At 2:30 we have a choice of about a million things to spend our afternoon. We could go get stuff at the market or go play at the crashed Russian cargo plane. We could go find a tree in fruit or go catch grasshoppers for our 11 cats to eat or we could play soccer with our refugee friends or build a grass hut. If there was rain we would have mud ball wars. There are a lot more things like fishing or swimming at the river but I'm tired of writing so why don't you come and see them yourself.

     

By Evan:

Doro Memories

Doro is a fun place because there is only half a day of school. And once school is done we play with all our friends and go to the river, swim, fish and play with our friends. We also climb so many trees and get the fruits to eat. There are also crashed airplanes that we love to play in. When it is rainy season we play mud fights, catch grasshoppers, or we just sit around under trees talking in the shade. If we get bored there are two little girls named Annabelle and Mikat that we also swing and play with. That is our life in Doro.

By Joshua:

Fun in Doro

Doro was fun because you could do anything. Like fish or play with your friends. It was so fun. But then dudes with guns came and scared everyone. They kept shooting all the houses but we got in a plane and left.

13+ km hike up and around Mt. Longonot

Our family at the top!

 Early Saturday morning we set out of the city in a van with a group of teammates to hike Mt. Longonot which is a crater about an hour and a half out of Nairobi. We all packed snacks, a picnic lunch and lots of water for a day of adventure in the sun

Group pic at the top

Isaac with his awesome Aunties

Isaac clambering down a steep peak

Explorer Evan

We were so proud of our boys for making the 13 plus km hike!

Sweet family bonding

Eli and the men

Some of the downhills/slopes were a little scary

Still smiling with dusty faces - proud of our day's accomplishment

Josh enjoyed guessing what type of animal each skull was

We were amazed at how refreshing and fun it was to get out of the city and experience such a challenging yet exciting hike with breathtaking scenery. We are again thankful to spend these months here with our teammates though we're not able to be in South Sudan where we all really belong.

 Press On

Mandisa

When I’m alone, when I’m afraid
When I have had all I can take
Losing my grip, I start to slip away
When I can hear the voice of doubt
Inside my head, screaming loud
Strengthen my faith, and help me say today
Today

I will follow, I will press on
Even when the walk feels long
Your hands hold me together
Your love is with me forever
Through the broken, through the victory
I will praise You through it all
And run hard ‘til the race is done
I, I’m gonna press on, press on
I’m gonna press on, press on

How many storms have I been through
How many led me right to You
You’re using the pain, the hardest days for my good,
My good
So what do I fear God, You are with me
Guiding my steps today
Through the mountains, valleys, sun and rain
Lord, lead the way, lead the way

I will follow, I will press on
Even when the walk feels long
Your hands hold me together
Your love is with me forever
Through the broken, through the victory
I will praise You through it all
And run hard ‘til the race is done
I, I’m gonna press on, press on

One step in front of the other
No looking back, no looking back
One step in front of the other
I’m gonna press on, I’m gonna press on

Songwriters: Chuck Butler / Jeff Pardo / Juan Otero

Again God has been speaking to me through songs, and most especially while I'm out on my morning jogs. Yesterday the words of a song called "Press On" really impacted me because they expressed what the Holy Spirit has been gently laying on my heart. I haven't explained this whole saga here on our blog but a couple weeks ago one of our teammates and dear friends got very seriously sick here in Kenya and she and her husband made the decision to travel to the US to get the medical help she needed. Since she was weak and they also had a 2 year old in tow, I offered to travel with them. When I found out they were flying to LA, I decided to stay a few extra days with my sister and her family and it was such a sweet time of talking, catching up and loving on my adorable nephew.

Coming back to "reality" in Kenya, battling killer jet lag and jumping right into homeschooling my rambunctious three boys didn't add up to a very easy week. Rather, by day 2 I was ready to quit and was feeling so overwhelmed with everything going on in our life. Part of me was tempted to just "escape" and pack up and fly back to America. I was feeling "burned" by Africa and just didn't want to be here anymore. But then the Lord reminded me that sometimes He rescues us from hard times, sometimes He plucks us out of hard times but sometimes He is with us THROUGH the hard times. And I am realizing that I am in that third scenario. My life circumstances are just the way it is and God is calling me to walk through it with him. So when these lyrics to the song "Press On" blasted through my headphones as I pounded out yet another mile on my run yesterday, I was struck by the prhase "I will follow. I will press on. One step in front of the other..." That is all I need to do. Put one foot in front of the other. We will get through this season. I can't avoid it. I can't skip it. I need to press THROUGH it. It's not the easy route but I know it's for my good.