8:30am CST from Julie: Team safe and sound back in the USA.  In New York, getting ready to depart.  Next Atlanta and then home sweet home!

10am CST from Julie:  Team safe and sound in a hotel in Abuja.  Very excited about "real" showers.  Everyone is smiling and healthy and...yep, Kim's tummy is doing fine!  Ladies on team had a hard time letting go of their babies this morning.  Exciting new for the day was Chris received the honor of naming a very tiny precious baby who had just arrived.  Her mother had died.  Her name is Carolyn ele ojo (God's gift).

finally an update

I will start with a big "sorry" for our lack of updates. Our team has had a few normal hurdles to contend with. Storms which have prevented internet use, babies sucking all life and energy from moms who have not been up all night in a LONG while, etc etc. We will try to do better. Anyway for family watching for any info on their mighty traveler I thought I would just write a bit about each team member. Chris-is surviving having 5 wives but he might say "barely". He has done great and the children love him. He is very popular in the early evening when he takes out the remote control truch we brought. He chases the children and they run, jump and scream to dodge the truck getting them. He has also worked tirelessly on scraping walls at the school. They are preparing for painting of the walls soon. The funniest thing yet was Chris dancing with the children today. YES I have video to share!!! Barb, She has been "doing it all". During the day she is teaching in the classroom, singing playing and all with a baby in her arms. She has also bbbbeen a HUGE help tending babies in the night. She is always the one to volunteer for duties that no one really wants. My best thought though is everytime we mention the cow she starts to bawl. Yes I mean big time crying!! The cow is set for execution at three today and barb is not happy at all. We her fellow brothers and sisters being the compassionate souls we are keep mooing quietly at her. Should be an interesting day tomorrow when we feast on Barb's friend. Emily has done great too, not easy being the only teen. Emily like to hang with the 5-8 yr olds. Emily has done it all too. She has scraped walls with Chris, taught in the school, tended a baby (all by herself) thru the night, and much much more. Everyday is a day of growth from emily and she is really starting to embrace the culture. Amy, is a work horse. She has just fallen in love with one of our babies (Ele). They are pretty much inseparable and we all refer to him as her baby. Ele was quite weak and sick when she received him but now he is healthy and actually getting a bit fat. Amy is the one who is always amusing us with her humor and teasing. Kim, is the rock star if I have to name one. She might be tiny and quiet but the girl is fearless and willing totry most anything. She has taken care of our sickest baby who only weighs 4 pounds and we have nicknamed the vomit comit. I am sure you know why. When you have him you get zero sleep just about. Not one complaint has ever left kim's mouth. She also has a great story to tell you all about her adventure to buy a cow. She was literally almost run over by a run away cow. Kim came making us aware that she has tummy issues even in the states. I can tell you she has never shyed from eating crazy food and the Lord has protected her. well enought typing all are well and anxious to share many stories when they ome back Julie

Friday 3:27am CST from Julie: Some of us are at the market today buying supplies with the Aland money.  Shopping for goods here is sooo funny!  We will try to blog tonight, we were all too tired yesterday.  Babies are NOT sleeping!

Wacky Days/Nights in Otutulu

Where do we begin....Tuesday in the wee early morning hours the giggles began.  As mentioned in our previous blog, the women are caring for 2 little baby boys whom need a lot of attention, love and care.  It was Barb and Kim's night to do the night shift with the little squirts and did we have a night of fun.  Not only did we have to wake up every 2 hours to feed it was the critters that added to our evening.  First it was a fairly large roach that started up high on the wall then ended up crawling on Barb's back followed by "the giant monster roach" that appeared on our wall scaring us silly.  We figured out that it must have crawled over the flashlight casting a very large shadow on the wall.  Then a few hours later we heard banging behind the armoire in our room.  It was already mentioned to us there is a bit of a rat problem around our apartment and was ready to take action if necessary.  Our traps had not come out yet but after hearing the many bangs the traps are now placed out ready to catch these pests. So far, 2 roaches made it their resting place.

After waking up we had a full day ahead of us.  We witnessed a medical case that was hard to see.  A father and mother brought a baby girl, 5 months old, Faith, who has Hydrocephylus (spelling?).  Prayers need to be lifted for Faith and her parents as she only has a few months to live.  It was off to school to do art class with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.  The kids enjoyed crayon rubbings, songs and marshmallows. What excitement these children had in doing this project and our time spent together.  We were taught "Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes" in their language, Igala.  It was fun for us to enjoy this time with them, too.  The afternoon brought time playing with the kids outside with baloons.  Oh did the kids light up when we came out with them.  What a joyous time we had playing and watching how much fun a simple baloon brought each of them.  Many pictures captured this moment for you all to see. 

These children are all so amazing and happy for us to be here.   Once we leave our apartment it is as if we introduced ourselves real loud for them all to come running.  They just know we have come outside because they are waiting for us to join them in play.  We are incredibly blessed to be here with these children meeting them, loving on them and attempting to learn names.  So many names to try to remember.  Thank goodness for cameras.

We all send you a big "hello" and our love. 

Posted by Kim

We're Here and Doing Well!

Hello from the MOM Orphanage in Otutulu Africa!  Our travels have brought us through many airports, long layovers, through many towns and BUMPY roads!  It was a 2 1/2 trip before we finally arrived at our ultimate destination.  We spent our first night at Hope Eden in Abuja.  It was a great place and we all learned how to shower with a pail of cold water and a cup to use to pour the frigid water over our heads.  The next morning we stopped by the Lakoja orphanage where we handed out, much to the thrill of the kids, Trix cereal and left them with a new blow up playhouse and slide set.  In return, they gave us two babies to care for the next two weeks.  The mothers of both of these babies had tragically died while giving birth.  The two new additions to our family are Jushua, a 3 week preemie and Ele, a 6 week old baby. 

We then departed for MOM and arrived mid afternoon.  Once there, we were greeted like we were rock stars with over 200 kids running out to meet us, all holding our hands as we got the grand tour. Today we made a trip into the market which is over an hour away from the Orphanage down, you guessed it, more bumpy roads.  Market was an absolute trip, with motorcycles, cars and people all swarming around like a bee hive.  One thing we learned was here in Africa, the cars and not the pedestrians, have the right of way.  With horns blaring and crowds moving, it was a challenge to cross the streets without getting pegged by a speeding motorcycle.  It was really an exciting experience, much different than going to our market in La Cantera!

While we were all dodging the cars and motorcycles, Barb stayed behind to care to the babies and play with some of the younger childern who don't yet go to school.  She said that while she was hanging out outside caring for the baby, at first a couple kids came out to hang with her.  Within a little bit, she had roughly  15 kids and aunties laughing and playing with her.  Barb used very sophisticated methods, like putting pipe cleaners in her hair to look like antennas, to attract the crowds.... if only we were around to take a picture of it!

The terrain around MOM is absolutely breathtaking, reminding several of us of the terrain found in Hawaii.  It is amazing to see such beauty serving as the backdrop of such poverty.  Even though the residents are poor, you would never know it by the smiles on their faces.  It has also been an absolute joy spending time with the kids at MOM who so appreciate the attention and love we try to give them.  A big thanks goes to our immediate families as well as our family at C4 for making this trip possible.  Nafedowe (We love you!)

5:54am CST:  Team arrived safely in Anygba and will now turn to go up into the bush.  The women have been assigned to very small and weak babies to tend to.  Please pray for Ele and Joshua that they may do well and improve in our care.  Also that the women stay strong - making it through feedings in the night.