Happy New Year everyone! Needless to say it has been a while. How about I say we are running on "African time" now :) We are all doing and feeling good. We left Lodwar on November 18 and we headed to Nairobi. On November 20, Taylor and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary. We had a new friend/neighbor watch the girls while we went to a snazzy country club for a great night out. We celebrated Thanksgiving with just ourselves. We missed our family and college football like crazy.
Great news!!!On November 28 Taylor got his work permit! Hip Hip Hooray! It only took a year :)
On December 1st we hopped a jumbo jet to Rome, Italy! We met Taylor's parents and our sweet friends,Stephen and Elizabeth Turpin there. We spent 10 awesome days visiting, catching up, exchanging gifts, eating too much amazing food and laughing. Oh yeah, we saw some old stuff and art too. We came back to Nairobi on December 13. We had a sweet Christmas. A new Lodwar missionary that was also in Nairobi came to eat Christmas dinner with us. It was not much of a "White Christmas" (considering it was 95 degrees!) but it was sweet. We received some serious Christmas love from Ruston, The Bridge and our family. They sent extra suitcases with Taylor's parents and the Turpins. THANK YOU!
On December 28th we headed back to Lodwar. We were all ready to come home and glad to be back. We celebrated New Year's Day with a Share staff get together at our house. It went really well. We were so glad to have 20 staff and their spouses in our home.
Taylor is planning on starting construction on the SEND Center at the end of January. We will begin with $25,000 that has been donated. Please pray that more comes! We are so happy about this. Taylor is so ready to get going.
I put a few, ok...a ton of pictures below.....that is what everyone really looks at anyway!
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| Lucy in Rome |
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| Andi in Rome |
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| Mrs. Elizabeth and Lucy reunited :) |
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| Stephen and Taylor |
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| Andi |
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| Us and the Turpins....and all of Rome! |
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| Lucy in Florance, Italy...it was so cold! |
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| Spanish Steppes |
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| We will just have to remind them later that they have seen Pieta by Michalengo! |
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| Hunny and the girls. So happy to see her! |
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| Hunny and Pops with the girls...on a little street in Italy... |
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| Lainey |
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| Taylor and his Dad (Jeff) |
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| Napping through the Colosseum |
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| us! |
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| Lucy and Pops |
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| Just taking it in... |
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| love this one. |
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| Andi, not a fan of the cold after living in the desert. |
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| Back in Nairobi, getting set for Christmas. |
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| Popcorn string |
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| Anything with sparkles |
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| Yes, those are sundresses. |
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| Andi |
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| Trading of "sister gifts" on Christmas Eve |
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| Christmas morning!!! |
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| Thanks Ruston Peeps. |
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| Staff party on Jan 1 |
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| It does not get more Kenyan than this. yummy. |
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| Mutea (one of our watchman) all dressed to attend a traditional Turkana wedding. |
