monday, 20 january

2.30pm local time
Doha, Qatar

Well, it was an interesting week last week. A week of continued waiting -- for the baby to come, for Rod to come, and for us all to see what happens in Kenya with the planned opposition rallies. Three days of rallies increased the death toll in the country. And, the opposition is not backing down, saying that they will continue with “civil disobedience, strikes, and boycotts” until the current administration acknowledges that there was election fraud and agree to do something about it. We pray for continued safety for all there that we know and love, and for the eyes of those who do not know the Lord to come to know Him through this. We are thankful for the reports of national friends who have, even narrowly, escaped harm and are well, physically at least.

Cristiana and I continue to try to keep some semblance of normalcy in a life that feels very abnormal right now. She asks to “go home where Daddy is” most every day. She talks about our dog, Osa, every day. She does not want to be away from me for very long at all. If I am going upstairs she wants to go with me, if I am going down stairs she wants to go with me. The only time that is different, is when she is engrossed with playing with one of the kids.

Rod has been flying more this past week and will continue the next two until he comes here, which is good for two reasons. One, it keeps him busy and his mind off of missing us too much; and two, it keeps him away from Nairobi during some of these perilous times. The news has been sometimes hard to come by, but I hear daily from friends back there as they keep me informed. I have needed that to stay connected. I can imagine that Kenya’s crisis is not on the front cover of the major newspapers in the States anymore.

I have been having recurring nightmares of being stuck in roadblocks, being gunned down in the middle of it all, and in my mind saying goodbye to Rod and Cristiana, knowing that the baby and I were going to die at any moment; of losing children; of being evacuated again; and of various other issues. I am able to pull myself out of dreams, and often do before the really horrible stuff happens. Sometimes I wake up crying, sometimes I wake up wanting to cry but can’t, sometimes I just wake up, lay there, and pray. Every time I lay and pray, asking the Lord to calm me. Often, even in the middle of being half asleep still, I just simply either say or mouth the words, “In Jesus’ Name”, over and over and over and over again. I either fall back to sleep, or, like the other night, I lay awake for an hour thinking about things. I know that it is all because of what is going on, but it does not make it easier. I often wish that I could just turn my mind off, like a light switch. But, alas, the Lord did not make me that way. He made my mind to be very active and imaginative, and very susceptible to suggestions as one friend put it.

We are in the middle of the desert. You would think that we were in the middle of a winter in Pennsylvania, minus the snow. If it were to get any colder, the rain might actually turn into snow. The other day Angie and I and all the kids were going to a mall for the kids to play, and we were simply trying to figure out how to get the heater to work -- in the desert! We laughed about that one. The houses have air conditioning, but no heat. So, we have little space heaters all through the house, and sleep under piles of covers. Finally the last two days the sun is out and it is a little warmer.

I went to the doctor Thursday night. Dr Samira scheduled the c-section for Sunday the third of February. The calculated due date, as per my last period, is 14 February 2008, but the first ultrasound date was the 10th. That is what date I had been using the whole time (as it was also from the book that I calculated things from). Dr Samira gave me some dates that she was comfortable with, and we chose the 3rd. It is a Sunday, but since the weekend here is Friday and Saturday, that is a good day to do it. It will be the beginning of the week, and should have good medical care throughout. If it is anything like in Nairobi, the care over weekends is not quite as good. Rod will be able to make it here on Thursday, the 31st. And, we have asked my Mom to come over and help out with Cristiana and the baby. She will get here on the night of the 29th.

I am very anxious to meet our little daughter, who, by the way, is still a girl! :-) The ultrasound showed that. I was a little worried when we were packing things up that we would have a boy and he would be dressed in pink for the first month! The ultrasound also showed that she is already 3.1 kilos (that is 6 pounds 14 ounces). Cristiana was 3.05 kilos when she was born. We have just two more weeks to go, so we’ll see how big she gets. The doctor said she could gain up to another 400 grams (not sure what that is in ounces), but would make her up to 3.5 kilos at birth.

We are working on some alternative housing for us while Rod and my Mom are here. We are soon going to be busting at the seams in this house where Cristiana and I have been staying. It is a great place, with high ceilings, four bedrooms, an office (suite that could be a bedroom, but is the school room), and four and a half baths. We are actually in a little suite, a bedroom with a bathroom. That is nice for privacy. There is really plenty of room . . . right now. But, in a week, Angie’s parents get here, a few days later my Mom gets here, and then a few days after that Rod gets here. There really is not enough room here for us all, not even with Mom offering to stay in a hotel.

Please pray that the Lord shows us where He wants us to be. It is very expensive here (read that as more than anyone would ever expect to pay for a two bedroom temporary apartment!), but we know that He will provide. He has provided from the very beginning, and He is not about to stop now. I am so convinced of that. A few people from D&A’s church have already called, just to say hi and say they are praying for us. It is very encouraging what the Lord is doing. And, I have needed that encouragement, just at the times that He gives it.

A friend asked the other day if I am keeping these entries as a reminder of what all He has done, and YES, I am. I am a journaling person, and they are going right into the mix. I know that this season of our life is going to be one of my “twelve stones”. We are still in the middle of it all, and know that when we look back on it we will see His incredible leading, but can also thankfully even see it now.

On a side note, please pray for my older brother, Karl Jr, as he was admitted to the hospital last week with chest pain. He was released the next day after they determined he did not have a heart attack, and he is now on cholesterol medications. And, my Dad had pink eye and was miserable. Seems like a bad time physically for them all.

This has gotten very long so I will sign off for now. Thank you for reading this whole thing!