tuesday, 1 january

11.00am local time
Nairobi, Kenya

Happy New Year! Wow, what a way to start the New Year. Hmmmmm, what will this year have to show us?

Last night was your normal typical New Year’s Eve celebration kind of time. It was quiet in the evening, then around midnight fireworks started off. We were all sound asleep at that point, but heard this morning that it was more likely that than gunfire. When your ears are attuned to the difference, you can tell the difference. I wish that we did not know that difference, but we do. :-)

We enjoyed some time with our friends here on the compound, having some good food and good fellowship. Since we were all so tired from the day none of us stayed very long. Cristiana and I came home in time for her bed at 8.00pm. I was in bed by 9.00. I never even woke up when Rod came later. He said he was at the party until about 11.00. We all slept well last night, which was a praise, yet again! The Lord is sustaining us through this. It is still hard on my heart to know that friends are suffering as they are.

Thank you for all of the emails we have been getting from people. Thank you for the prayers for this country! We so badly need them. We know that the Lord is doing great things here in the midst of this incredible chaos. And, He is protecting us as well. Rod prayed yesterday, in the midst of the gunfire time, that the Lord would post His soldiers outside our compounds and mission houses all over this city. And, that the people who would visibly be able to see them and just keep going, not messing with us at all. (I liked that prayer!!)

Rod checked the news a bit last night and there are reports that over 800 refugees have fled to Uganda. An interesting turn of events. It is always people who come to this country as refugees, as opposed to people leaving here. It is weird.

The sounds out there today are normal. A friend went out to the airport this morning and said that the roads seemed normal, just light with traffic, and the people were calm. It is nice to think that things may be calming down. However, with the “Million-Man-March” that is scheduled for Thursday, who knows what may happen. The Lord does, and we are thankful that He is in complete control.

The hardest hit area is still out in Western Province. There are some “shoot to kill” mandates in Kisumu town, so people are staying home, or have already fleed. We are praying that things settle down there.

That is all for now. Please keep praying for this country and her people. Please also pray for continued wisdom and discernment for our mission in decisions that need to be made. We are still at the point of just sitting still and waiting. We pray that it all stays that way! And, please pray that little Sally just stays where she needs to in the midst of this. I do NOT want to have to deliver a baby (premie at this point) and then have to deal with the instability here. Thank you for praying!

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10.30pm local time
Nairobi, Kenya

Well, today has been an interesting day! All started out very calm and easy. We had good rest last night, which, again we are thankful for. I had some severe pelvic bone pain last night, where I was unable to put weight on my left leg. Rod had to help me get to ready for bed. (Oh, what a wonderful husband I have!) I took a muscle relaxant that is specific for this, as prescribed by my doc here, and slept well all night.

I fell asleep last night thinking about where I would go if I needed to, under the circumstances. I first thought South Africa or London. We have friends with the Baptist Mission and we could get a recommendation of a place to stay there in South Africa. We have friends in London who could ask their church for a place to stay and doc info. Then, this morning as I was looking at a big map that is on our wall, and telling Rod about my thoughts, a great thought came to mind. Doha, Qatar! Qatar is a small little country beside Saudi Arabia and UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Why Doha?! We have some friends (Daryl and Angie Daniel) who live there, working with Texas A&M University. They just moved there a few months ago, and Angie is 36 weeks pregnant this week. It would be an easy transition, she would have the doc and hospital already identified, and we could go somewhere that Rod would not even have to be with us the whole time.

Then, I checked email. Angie had already written and said the same thing, without us even asking to come!!!! How cool is that?!

Then, with the day being as simple and calm and all of those things here, I was about to write her back and say, thanks but we’ll stay here. I laid in bed most of the day, until this afternoon when we got word from the “higher ups” in the organization. We were told that things out in Western (Province) were completely falling apart and the missionaries/nationals (the targeted ethnic group – Kikuyu -- that is affiliated with a Christian organization) are requesting evacuation. MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) and AIM AIR are gearing up to go get them tomorrow. The number is growing of how many people may be coming out.

Then, we were also advised that Cristiana and I should leave, get to a safe place where if the baby comes I will be in good care. There are a few reasons for that -- first, Rod needs to do his job, and he cannot do that properly with knowing that I am here and possibly needing him. He needs to know that Cristiana and I and the baby are all safe. Second, I do not want to have a baby here right now. Things here in the city are still well, but Thursday things could change, or they could not. We just don’t want to take that chance at this point.

So, here is the point of this email: Cristiana and I have reservations to fly to Doha Qatar on the 4.00pm flight tomorrow (2nd Jan). A friend is going with us to help me with Cristiana.

Here is the prayer request(s): please pray that we can get a doctor’s note to allow me to fly (at 34 weeks), that the airlines will allow me to fly, and that all goes well for us to get there tomorrow. We will also be separated from Rod for an unknown period of time -- hopefully only a few weeks or less. Basically that the Lord would open the doors to get us out. We do have back up plans for everything, from trying every airline at the airport, taking us anywhere they will take us, to simply getting over to Entebbe, Uganda, somehow.

But, we know that the Lord will take us where He wants us to be . . . PERIOD! Please just pray with us that He shows us that and, again, opens the doors -- literally, of the airplane -- to get us there.

We are so thankful for a close place to go, and more than anything a place that I know people, and a family who has kids who Cristiana can play with (Cyah, the oldest, was actually just a few months old here when Cristiana was born, we have an ADORABLE photo of the two of them when she was just days old!), and a place that has good medical care.

Lord, we once again put ALL of this into Your Hands! In Jesus Name, Amen!

Also, to all of you, please do know that I am ok. I physically do have pain still, but am taking the meds to get me through. I will do whatever I have to do protect this little child, and to what the docs say I need to do. Thank you in advance for praying for us! God bless!

Sorry if some of this seems disjointed, I feel very much that way right now as I am tired, but wanted to write!