First the great news, Elizabeth is having a baby girl!!! They had an ultrasound, she's perfect and female! Due date is June 13th. We are all excited and anxious to welcome her.
The bad news is that the turmoil continues in Kenya with no real solution in sight. Despite the efforts of the international community and Kofi Annan the violence continues. It has degenerated into tribal conflict under the guise of political unrest. Long standing tribal issues and hatreds have been unleashed and the innocent suffer. The rape rate has greatly increased, people have no access to their medications so the death rate from HIV will increase as their virus becomes resistant and the infection rate will rise. The long term implications of all this will go on for generations. My return is still on hold, I am determined at some point to go back to do the work that will be even more important but at this point it's not safe. The kids in the orphanage and the village are still safe, the kids in the slums are not. Some have been found, many have scattered. Please pray for all of them.
Now the good news. I decided that while I was here I would use my time wisely. You all know how much my D boys mean to me, John, George, Brian and Sammy K. Well, with the help of the orphanage staff, Sr. Mary's and the American board of Nyumbani's approval I am bringing them to the US in December for a visit!!!! Nicholas has agreed to accompany them (4 boys who have never traveled? He's quite brave!). They will be here for about 3 weeks and we hope to travel from Madison through Iowa, Milwaukee Chicago to Washington DC, and New York. What I will need is help with the airfare. We are arranging for them to get medical care, George has a terrible cough, Sammy's eyes hurt all the time, John has had 2 surgeries on his leg. They are all well enough to travel but there would be long term benefit from the care we could give them here. People have asked if it would be cruel to bring them here and then send them back. Kenya is their home, other Nyumbani kids who have traveled overseas had no problem going back to Nyumbani and sharing their experiences. They will have so much to tell their friends and their mums. They can tell them that people here love and care about them, that there's a whole world out there that if they do well in school and take their meds they can take their place in that world.
We chose December because they know summer and they want to know what winter is. Whatever it takes we will find them some snow! They won't know until a few weeks before they leave that they are coming, things are obviously usually too uncertain and we don't want any disappointed kids. Protus is now working on getting birth certificates which will allow them to get passports. We're hoping visas won't be too difficult with all the connections we have.
If you would like to help (and please do!) you can make a tax deductible donation through the Nyumbani.org website, under comments earmark the funds for Visit US
There are 4 boys whose lives you can change, and you can hopefully meet them too!
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