the plan! (part three)

first of all, a side note- I am moving out of my apartment at the end of April and staying with friends until I leave, to save money, and OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS, who let me accumulate this much stuff?!

anyway- the month of May will be spent visiting my sister and other family members, saying goodbye to friends, and preparing to leave.

AND THEN.

on June 21st I will leave Oregon and head 'home'. and here's what I plan to do from there (Lord willing):

for the first few months, I will live with my Kenyan sister Susan (pictured left on her wedding day), her wonderful husband Wilson, and my Kenyan niece, Eileen (named after me. more on that incredible honour later). (you can expect to see pictures exclusively of me with her in my arms for the next...10 years or so.) Susan and Wilson live in an apartment in the town of Ngong, about 20 kilometres from our VG land. they are
saving to build a house for themselves.

my immediate goal and focus is to acquire custody of 6-8 children, who I will take into my care. we will move into the home on our land as soon as the house is ready. we are about $6000 away from finishing the house- trim, tile, countertops etc. did any of my readers happen to win the lottery?

choosing the kids will be a process consisting of prayer, advice and recommendations from leaders in the community, the vote of the VG board in Kenya, and the help of our incredible lawyer, Franklin. I am not expecting this to be easy, but God sometimes throws us for a loop by working everything out quickly! whatever happens, I know he is in control and wants what is best for these kids. his love for these kids greatly outweighs mine, and I know he will set them in homes. amen!

part two: when, and how.

over the past ten years I've been to Kenya eleven different times for a total of 24 wonderful months on that beautiful red soil.

that's a lot of frequent flier miles, in case you were wondering.

I've always dreamed of living there- I mean LIVING there, not visiting- but I've been (almost) content just to visit. often. most of my friends know that my long term goal was to finally settle in Kenya, but it's never quite been the right time. there's always something to keep me here in Oregon. there's always so much to do.

but it's finally time. we have finally reached the tipping point, the point where my time and resources are better spent in Kenya than here in the US. the point where I can finally sell my car, give up my apartment, and invest in a better, faster, more awesome camera. finally give up on trying to keep my asthma, anxiety and insomnia under control, and just go home.

HOME.

I will be leaving in mid-June. I can't wait.