Back in Kenya - safe and sound

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

After 6 weeks back in the US, we are now back in Kenya again for our next adventure! We arrived late last night and were able to go straight to our own apartment! We are excited and thankful to have our own place, and are grateful to our friend that lives here for her help with all the details. We arrived to find flowers and some food as a wonderful welcome to our new (even if temporary) "home". Our one bedroom apartment is at the very top of an apt complex in the middle of Nairobi and it requires us to walk up 10 flights of steps to get to it (no elevator). We should stay in good shape! :) Despite the stairs, I love the location as the view looks out over the city and feels like a cozy little nest of our own. Today we are getting settled in and trying to set up internet (currently at an internet cafe). We slept well and all three of us are safe and sound!

(For those of you who didn't know - we are very excited to share the news that God has graciously blessed us with the gift of a child! We are expecting our son or daughter to arrive in early July and are so grateful and excited for his or her arrival!)     

We enjoyed a crazy, busy, and wonderful last month and a half with family and friends back in the States! I am just now finding time to sit down and write. Here is my best effort to summarize some of the news and events over my absence on this blog… 

• On our return trip from Kenya, we had arranged three-day stay in London, England to debrief and enjoy another culture that we have had almost no exposure to. This was my first time in Europe at all (aside from airports) and we had a blast. Although it was a bit of a culture shock after our two months in Kenya, we very much enjoyed even the most basic luxuries (i.e. hot shower, electricity, variety in food, etc). We had a wonderful time exploring the city and Jason spoiled me by taking me to a couple of very nice dinners and plays. We saw Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera, and we enjoyed Indian, French, Italian, and of course British food. It was also a great time of discussing the things we had seen and learned over the past couple of months, along with simply enjoying one another and the gift of uninterrupted time together. 

• Our first few weeks back in the US were full of the fun of the holidays and spending time with our families. We travelled to Ohio for almost a week to spend with our Axt family, and then headed back to TN to celebrate Christmas with our Maupin family. The week after Christmas was a whirlwind as Jason began working a lot, and my sister Carissa prepared to spend a year overseas in France. She received her visa a DAY before leaving the country, and we drove her down to Atlanta to see her off with the missionary family she will be a nanny for while there. They are a wonderful family with three beautiful children and they have all been adjusting well so far. I got to talk to Carissa just a couple of days ago and it is so exciting to see how God is working in her life!

• January was spent working, moving between “homes” as our gracious family and friends hosted us and allowed us to use extra space and empty apartments when able, spending time with people, and preparing for our return to Kenya. Thank you to everyone who had a part in caring for and loving on us in this way! We appreciate you all and your hospitality more than you know! Many times I would worry that we were inconveniencing people too much, but was always re-assured that we were more than welcome. What a humbling and rich blessing… 

• One major highlight of January included being able to spend a lot of time with my friend Beth, who was my roommate for 5 years (college and after) and is currently serving in Peru as a teacher. She had just finished a year of her two-year contract and was able to come to TN for a couple of weeks! We had a fantastic time taking a road trip to Ohio to visit with a bunch of friends from college, and enjoyed catching up on life, while reminiscing about our college days. It was so fun and encouraging to catch up with so many people and to see and hear how God’s hand is strongly at work in their lives. It was also really nice to have hours to just sit and talk with Beth as we had both missed that greatly over the past year. 

•  Another major highlight of our time at home came through getting to see our whole and healthy baby on ultrasound, and the delight of watching him or her grow while sharing this joy with our families and friends! We are currently around 18 weeks along in this pregnancy, and by God’s grace all seems to be well. What a gift this baby already is! I am working on writing up the story of our children (three are with Jesus) and will hopefully be posting that soon. God has shown great mercy and grace through this area of our lives and I pray that He uses this child and all of our experiences for His purposes and glory. 

• Lastly, a large part of these 6 weeks was spent in studying and work for Jason. He presented his thesis project for the MPH (Masters in Public Health) on Friday, and had his annual surgery exam on Saturday morning. In addition, he has been picking up a lot of extra shifts at the hospital, while also working hard on all the preparation needed for this research project and the return trip to Kenya. I am continually amazed by his strength and resiliency in the midst of extreme busyness, stress, and sleep-deprivation. Even in the middle of all of this, he was continually asking me how I was doing, and helping with anything extra that he could. He is an incredible man that I have much to learn from, yet at the same time I am so blessed by! 

Well, that is our past 6 weeks in a very brief (believe it or not) nutshell. :) I am looking forward to writing consistently again, and being able to process things more as they happen. We are so grateful to all of you who keep up with us and pray for us – we so desperately need it! We pray consistently for so many of you and we love to hear how you are doing. Keep us updated!

Agape!
      Meridith