Holiday (also known as vacation)

December 17-21 we went for holiday (vacation) to Nairobi. We had a nice time. I (Jenny) had two good doctor appointments. The babies are growing, hopefully about 3 pounds each (as of Dec 18). I'll have another ultrasound and doctor appointment after the boys and I get settled in Karen, a western suburb of Nairobi. The boys and I move to Karen on January 9th. Bed rest didn't happen as much as it probably should have while we were in Nairobi, but after the bumpy ride home, I've renewed my efforts at laying around or "baby protection," as we have decided to call it.

Picture of Jessica and Max after recessional.
We went to our first wedding in Kenya on Saturday, Dec 19th. There are some differences. Two weddings were scheduled at the church that day. The first for 10:30am and the one we were to attend at noon. There is Kenyan time and mzungu (white person) time. The bride for the first wedding showed up at the church for her wedding at 12:10pm. If Jessica had been there already, the pastors would have married them first. But people were on their cell phones and Jessica and Max decided to go for their pictures since they knew the first bride was late. We were also talking to people at the church and when we heard about the delays, we stopped and picked up lunch for a whole bunch of us. We arrived just after 12:30, but several Kenyans who hadn't called to find out how things were progressing showed up at 1pm. I heard another missionary asking them how they knew that they could come at 1pm for a noon wedding. I didn't hear their answer, so I asked my neighbor. She said that instead of being time-oriented, Kenyans are event-oriented. They know that they can show up later than the scheduled time and be part of the event.

Max, Jenny, and Jessica
A difference that I had not seen before was that Max and Jessica had to sign their marriage certificate in front of everyone as part of the ceremony and then Jessica had to put it in Max's inside suit coat pocket and button his suit. (She didn't rebutton the suit at first and the pastor whispered to the best man who walked over and told her to buttton it). Then they were able to continue with the ceremony.






Another difference was that when they placed the rings on each others fingers, they had to hold the hand above their heads to show no ring and then the placing of the ring. A difference leading up to any wedding that we know about from attending church is that for the three weeks prior to a wedding, an announcement, also called a bann, must be given at the churches each of them attend. That is to allow any current spouse that may not have been disclosed to say, "Hey, I'm already married to the person." It sounds funny, but things like that are usually done for a reason. Wedding banns have been announced around here since the time when the British controlled the area, but it has continued as a church requirement and we've met people here at Scott who grew up with fathers who are polygamists.

Isaiah and Nate looking "smart" (dressed up).
Isaiah did a great job as the ring bearer. Max and Jessica had a lovely wedding. We were worn out as a family after the wedding and reception, so we decided to extend our stay in Nairobi by a night. On Sunday, Dec 20th, we had a great relaxing day. We went to a swimming pool. I enjoyed feeling weightless!! The boys got to splash and play and laugh. We really needed a restful day and are so thankful that we got to have one as a family.






This is our Christmas picture for 2009. We were all dressed up for the wedding.

It's December and it's HOT out.

Hello everyone!

We are finding it hard to believe that it's December already. The weather is getting warmer. We are still in the rainy season and we are getting occasional rains. We praise God for every bit of rain that we get. Since we live in an agricultural society, we have become MUCH more sensitive to how the weather effects livelihoods. Farmland and gardens surround us and people depend on that food to grow to be able to eat.
Mangoes are coming into season, so fresh mangoes will be readily available. A gardener also informed us that the largest tree in our backyard in a mango tree. He also said that because the tree is old, it may only produce a small number of mangoes and that they won't be very sweet. We learn new things all the time. Avocados are not in season now, but we enjoyed approximately 13 cent avocados regularly when they were in season. (The avocados went well with the homemade salsa and homemade tortillas that I learned how to make).
Another reason that it is difficult to believe it is December is that we are not bombarded by advertising. We don't have a television (and we don't miss it, except for watching college football) and the stores don't seem to be decked out for Christmas. Most of the "holiday" advertising that we see comes through our email accounts. I must say that it's a wonderful relief to not be bombarded by materialism. We have set up a nativity scene and are in the process of making some homemade decorations. We don't even know if it is possible to get a Christmas tree, but a wreath would work too. (We improvised with a wreath at seminary one year and survived quite well). :)
For family updates, Todd has completed teaching and giving final exams as of yesterday. He is surrounded by stacks of papers and finals to grade. Yesterday he took the boys up into the big tree house in our backyard to celebrate being mostly done with the semester and to take a break. We are hoping to take a tiny vacation next week to Nairobi. Our initial hope was to take a two day safari and see big game. After asking my doctor, we were strongly advised against going on safari for the sake of the babies, and have decided to follow the doctor's advice.
I (Jenny) am starting on bedrest or "rest as much as possible" with my feet up. Things are looking good with the babies. I had 6 different meetings last week, including another ultrasound. We are as positive as we can be that both babies are girls. They measured at approximately 2 pounds each. I got to interview a pediatrician who agreed to attend the delivery (Kenyan law requires a pediatrician to be present at delivery and it was strongly recommended to me that I find a pediatrician and not take whoever might be assigned). I really liked the pediatrician and I think he's English. I'm trying to keep this experience as international as possible. :) My physical health is doing very well at this point in time. Though the doctor is concerned for me and the babies this last trimester. He is keeping a close eye on me and so the boys and I will move to Karen, just outside Nairobi, on January 9. I have 2 househelpers now and will probably need 2 or maybe even a third for overnight, depending on how strict bedrest becomes. It has been really special to see how God has been providing everything. In Karen, we will live at a guesthouse on the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology campus. The boys will have space to play outside (within a gated community) and I won't have to deal with any stairs or mosquito nets (Nairobi is higher in elevation than Machakos, so Nairobi is essentially a malaria-free zone). I had been praying that God would allow a student named Jessica to be the nanny for the boys in Nairobi and God has said "yes" to that prayer. She will be done with school here at Scott tomorrow and gets married next weekend. She is from Oregon and is marrying a Kenyan man named Max. Jessica and I have delevoped a friendship during this time that I have been here and Isaiah and Nate love her. It is such a relief to me to have someone who knows how to work with kids, likes my kids, knows how to cook American food, and who I can easily communicate with be willing to work for me for a couple of months. I'm really thankful that God has allowed this opportunity to work out to my benefit because Max has been unable to find a job so far. I'll have to shift my prayers to allowing Max to find work, starting in March.
Isaiah and Nate are doing well overall. They are having some troubles with all of the adjustments. I overheard Isaiah telling someone, "My mom can't do that because she has babies." It's been difficult to adjust to no wrestling with mommy and no rough-housing. I haven't been able to carry the boys or chase them for quite some time. I remind myself that this is only a season. They don't understand that some things will change back. Though we will have to come up with a new normal (if there is to be such a thing as normalcy) after doubling the number of children we have.
Isaiah and Nate are growing up so much. We have been working on Scripture memorization with Isaiah and Nathanael has learned the verses too. We were practicing with Isaiah at the dinner table the other night and Nate ended up prompting Isaiah. We were slightly shocked and decided to test Nate. It was amazing. He has been listening and learning! Both boys love to pray. Nate's standard meal prayer is, "Thank you God. Amen. For food." Isaiah prays much like Daddy.
Well, I think that will be all for now. I'd better post this before I do anything else. We hope and pray that everyone is doing well and enjoying a not-too-busy holiday season.