A Note From Karen

Jambo everybody. About time you heard something from us, sivio? We had a great two weeks with Kelly and Lauren! Thanks for sending and supporting them.

Thanks too for all the good stuff that came with them! The chocolate was enjoyed daily, the clothes were a wonderful added blessing for the kids at Djadri's children's place in Bunia, and the other bits and bobs (English for bits and pieces)from different ones were appreciated as well.. Thx for the gadgets, Alex - and stuff for 'italian'.

I very much appreciated Kelly's contribution to my quality of life as she made our home 'liveable' (at least for me as the PeptoBismal dingy pink made me cringe) with the new paint job and totally transformed my filing cabinet. Besides that she helped out in numerous other places and ways (which are mostly covered already in the blogging reports I believe). A huge thanks, Kelly, for your contributions. It was great to have you here.

And Lauren! What can I say. What a privilege and blessing and what fun to have been able to introduce you to Africa! Thanks for being ready for anything! Thanks for coming.

with greetings and love to all
Karen

Last Day as a Mzungu

Yes, sadly this is our last day in Africa. We went to Kampala Pentecostal Church this morning and really enjoyed the music(no worries Alex, we got video!), and then went to the craft market for the last time with Alison and Katy. We met up with Gregg and Karen for lunch at Nando’s and had pizza, met some other AIM missionaries, and even ran into Lyn, from the office, as she waited to meet someone. It was a great last day in Kampala!

We came back to the house and finished up our painting of the hallway. We had put the first coat on last night and were nervous that we would NOT have enough to do a second coat on all walls, so we prioritized…but Karen likened it to the widow’s oil, as Lauren was able to paint all of the tops of the walls (they were obviously on the bottom of the priority list as MOST people don’t see them J ). We are now in the office for the last time, and the internet is down…so we are writing this blog and praying that we will find a way to get it posted…if you’re reading this then Praise the Lord…it happened!!

As we spend our last day as Mzungus, we just wanted to take this time to thank each and every one who took the time to read our thoughts, remarks and experiences on our blog. We have had so much fun writing every day…but not nearly as much fun as we have had LIVING each day! This has been an unforgettable experience and we pray now that we will return home CHANGED women…that may mean different things for each of us as we had unique experiences, but our common theme is that we can’t go home the same. This might be our shortest blog ever…and since Lauren has encouraged us to meet that goal J (Kelly is typing as Lauren is contributing)…we will not wax on…we look forward to seeing most of you in the upcoming days.

Love, Lauren and Kelly

P.S. Our small group prayed specifically that we would see at least one baby and one mother elephant...well God exceeded their expectations greatly....they also prayed I would see them at sunset...well we were not around the elephants at sunset, but we did see a beauty...that is the picture shown here :)

God is SOOOO Good!!!

To answer everyone’s question right off the bat….YES…I did get to see Elephants…TONS of them….and YES…I did cry. Not even b/c of the elephants, but I was just overcome by how good God is to me…and how much I don’t deserve it….and it hit me many times over the last few days.

But to begin…we boarded a bus early, early on Thursday morning. With us were Katy and Alison, two girls that Lauren had spent the previous 2 days with at Dwelling Places. They are from Scotland, and were fun to have along with us on the trip. Karen went as well!!! We got on a “post bus” meaning that it carries the mail to the small towns between Kampala and Mbarara where we were exiting. So, it took a LONG time…probably 6 hours in all…and we had many interesting passengers, including a goat! It rained the entire way up, so it was making me wonder what kind of a safari we were going to have. But it is rainy season so rain would NOT be unordinary!

We arrived in the afternoon in Mbarara and we were met by Dale Hollenbeck, who is an AIM missionary in Mbarara. He had volunteered to be our tour guide for the next 2 days, and he was the PERFECT guide!!! We grabbed a quick bit in Mbarara at a restaurant (we got chicken fingers and chips!!) and then got back into this non-4 wheel drive truck to head up to Queen Elizabeth Park (the non-4-wheel drive truck will be important information in the future!) That was about a 2 hour trip…and we knew we were getting closer when we rounded a bend and we saw monkeys EVERYWHERE….then we got into the park….we saw so many animals I’m not even sure I can remember them all..but for a while you feel like you are at Great Adventure or Disney…and then you realize you’ve only hit the tip..and there are just more and more packs of animals…its just amazing. And there are NO tacky marketing ploys anywhere….

We went to the lodge for dinner and basically each got an appetizer for dinner so that we could get a yummy dessert as well. By the time we left the lodge it was closed and the park was closed….but one little problem….we were NOT staying at that lodge, so we had to somehow get through the park to the otherside. Dale, our faithful guide, got it all worked out and after a few phone calls and the Park Warden actually showing up, we were on our way..and then of course…what always happens when you just get started off…2 LARGE Hippos crossed in front of us….you know how it is  And we got to see a lion of some sort off to the right of the car! We did finally make it back to our lodge and bunked down for the night.

This will have to be an abbreviated blog, b/c I’m running out of time (Karen has graciously allowed us to be here until 8pm tonight while she is getting dinner ready at the house, and that is in 10 minutes!!!) But we will have lots of stories when we get home…lets just say, that we saw TONS of animals…those in the park, weird ones around the lodge, all kinds of stuff….we got the car stuck in a mud pit..and I mean STUCK….poor Dale was covered in dirt. He finally came around, got all of us together and then prayed….literally 5 minutes later a truck came with a tow rope and got us out. About 5 minutes after that, we saw another truck get stuck..it was obviously a guided tour, b/c the muzungos (white people) in the truck were NOT getting out to help push…so Dale got out in his muddy clothes and pushed that truck out of the dirt!! Our guide was definitely the best—not only was he helpful, but he allowed us to ride ON TOP of his truck…that was very cool! I have video of it, but NOT sure if it will make it over the internet to get on the blog…but it was very fun!

There is so much to tell and I just can’t begin to tell it all..so I’m going to have to stop, b/c there is something that God has been teaching me even tonight and I must share…it is more important than the fact that we saw TONS of elephants  (see I am growing!)

Lauren, Karen and I painted the hallway today when we got back from our safari trip, and we got to have a great discussion. I am coming home really burdened for ALL of our missionaries…and how we as a church can really reach out to them and be a family. I think it is SOOOO much more then just making sure that the paycheck gets to them. It’s personal emails, asking them on Monday, October 30th, how I can be praying for THAT missionary that week. It’s getting personal and seeing what we can do for them, how we can help them support their families, and basically how we can encourage our Bethel Family that is out serving God somewhere else. WE talk about them being and extension of our body, but we think that they can just exist out there and all they need is money….it’s like sending blood to the fingers and toes, but not having nutrients in there…blood is good, but it has to have nutrients in it or it is just blood….making sure our checks get there is good…but we need to get personal with our missionaries….so that when they are on the field they feel that they are a part of our body..and when they come home, they are excited to be a little closer and don’t feel like they are getting caught up for the last 3 years. We have some missionaries at Bethel that are fabulous at sending weekly emails…but others are not..and that’s ok..there are enough of us to keep in touch with them.

So…get ready…b/c Lauren and I are coming back pumped up…we are excited to share our trip with you…but I am speaking for myself now..I am even more excited to share my heart with you for our missionaries….to really reach out to them…and pray specifically for them…and make relationships with them…Africa is good about that…more important than getting the job done, is the relationship that you are working on while doing it….so….I’m hoping to bring some of that home with us!

This may be our last time on email until we get home…tomorrow we will be meeting up with Katy and Alison again for church…then doing some shopping with them before saying goodbye. We will then come back home and start packing as we will be leaving early Monday morning. If we do NOT get back online, thank you to EVERYONE who supported us financially…thank you to everyone who prayed for us faithfully…and a huge thank you to those who took the time to send personal emails and to leave us comments on our blog…we were only here for 2 weeks, but it was such an encouragement to us everytime we got them!

We are coming home…we’ll be happy to see everyone…but we are NOT happy to leave  Karen and Gregg say to say “HI” to all 

The Sweltering Heat of Africa

ahhh... yeah... I have NO idea... b/c it is BEAUTIFUL HERE!!!! The wind is blowing and it is just sunny and beautiful. I don't even think it is supposed to be like this b/c October and November is supposed to be the rainy season. And we have seen some rain... but today could not be any more perfect! I came into the office this morning and found a toad on the steps... we think he was sick because no matter how much they prodded him, he barely moved. He did jump up to the next step, but he was either very brave or very sick. He had 5 UK guys looking at them..one of them a frog/toad expert (yes..he was serious... I asked :))... plus 2 dogs sniffing him very excited. But I just went out to see if he was still there and he is gone. So either Shuni or Gizmo ate him (they are the dogs..not the UK guys :)) or he finally hopped away!

Last night we had a wonderful, delicious dinner of some type of shephards pie. You never know WHEN you will have REAL electricity (ie. not the power that Gregg miraciously creates from a battery), so the refrigerator can be off for many hours at a time... so left-overs need to be eaten rather quickly. So Karen took the meat, veggies and potatoes from Monday nights dinner, and created a casserole out of them..it was phenomonal!!! We had steamed squash and carrots which were delicious (is my Mom reading this..b/c I'm being serious... I think veggies here are more tasty... I asked..she put NOTHING else on it!). And then we had fruit and chocolate chip cookies for dessert that Karen had made. Then I just hung out in the living room for a bit and finished up my book. I've been trying to finish it (which is NOT hard) so that I could leave it here for Karen and other ladies to read. I took a picture of the living room this morning so that you could see the finished handiwork... remind you, we were only the labor... Karen was the one who put it all together. I think it looks beautiful... but I may be prejudiced. Gregg will be buying a can of white paint for us to mix with the last can of yellow paint so that Lauren and I can finish up the hallway before we leave... then there will be no pink. I guess we will NOT get a chance to do their bedroom, but Karen didn't seem to really want it, so that's fine :)


Today the three of us are in the office all day, until we leave around 5pm to go pick up Lauren and have dinner at someone's house near there. I spoke with Lauren on the phone last night for a few minutes, and it sounded like she was having a great time... learning and seeing lots, but having fun as well with the other 2 girls that are there with her. So that is good! I think Karen has done an incredible job of making sure Lauren got to see a lot of the ministry that she is praying about doing in the future... it will be a huge help to her as she continues to seek God for His will in her life. Hopefully by the end of today I will have finished up the files for Karen and any other projects that she may think of that could help... Right now Gregg is trying to figure out why when he plugs in the phone our internet connection goes dead. He is truly a jack of all trades, and appears to do it all quite well. I took pictures of them today, MUCH TO THEIR DISMAY, to show you how they look in action. For some reason my camera does NOT want to take a clear picture of Karen... she even turned and smiled for me for one, and it came out blurry... she has some suggested reasons why, but I'm not buying them so :)... so we will just have to get better pictures of her while on the safari for the next 2 days!

I am trying not to think too much of the next few days, b/c then that just means that this time is almost over. For those of you who helped me get here, either through money or prayer or both... I will NEVER be able to repay you. I have loved every minute of it, and I think as a church (Bethel Baptist) we should really look hard at sending over 2-3 people to each of our missionaries that we support... it would take some work and some planning... and people would need to be flexible... but I think that it is an encouragement to our missionaries and I think it is HUGE in helping us understand what it is like to be this far away from home and how much little things mean... every morning when I open my email and see that someone from home has taken the time to write me, it is huge... sure..they have the same thing here that we do..they get all kinds of little emails here and there from those in Uganda that they are working with... you know, "are you free Saturday night" or "what's the best way to get here"... so its not lack of emails, but more just communication with people from home. They have friends here, but I just think they also appreciate being remember by their family and friends at home. Mind you, Karen nor Gregg have really said much of anything... certainly have not complained... but I know how much it has meant to me to get those emails from my family and friends, and I've only been here 10 days! Of course I am sappy, so maybe a little bit should be attributed to that..but none the less..something for our missions committee to consider... really investing in the ministries of our missionaries..not just sending them checks! Of course if any of our missionaries are reading this and thinking, "I don't want 2 crazy americans staying with me..what a mess that would be" please feel free to tell me to zip my trap! I just get crazy ideas sometimes!

ok..sermon over... .sorry. This trip has just been so amazing. Once again, I'm not sure when we will blog again as we leave tomorrow morning for Queen Elizabeth Park. Lauren may get down to the office tonight to check emails and send something out about her last 2 days, as she has much to share... but then Thursday and Friday we will be gone. And it will depend on what time we get back on Saturday. But we'll make every effort, without distressing Gregg and Karen, to make a few more entries before we come home on Monday/Tuesday! Please continue to pray for us over these next few days as we travel to the Safari..and pray for Gregg as he stays home and continues working!

I better get to work... so have a good one :)

On My Own.....:(

Lauren left this morning at 7:30 am to go to Dwelling Places. Once again, had she been more awake I think she would have been excited. She will be staying there overnight, with 2 other young ladies (I think from the UK) and then will bring them back with her on Wednesday Night, where we will all stay at the Lewis Home until we head out Thursday morning for 2 day Safari Trip. So... .big, big prayer request... GREGG... .5 women in the house... I think 3 women in the house has been tough on him, although he is being a trooper and likes to get us into "discussions" (man's word for what they think are positive arguments) about different things. Lauren does much better then I do, as she is schooled in debate... .I throw in my 2 cents every once in a while, but that is seriously what it is worth... 2 cents. So now we will have 2 more ladies coming for the night. Unfortunately for him Matoke Inn (the AIM guest house here) is closed for electrical work! And their house is very nice, but small... so the 2 guests will probably sleep in the living room and then we'll be back in the small bedroom... showers should be interesting as I think the electricity is now off during the day and comes on at 10 pm... so this morning we ran out of hot water... .the water is on, so we have plenty of it... but the electricity I guess was not on long enough to heat up the tank. But Karen and Gregg really do have a very cute house which sits on top of a 2 car garage and is within walking distance to the office... so it is perfect for them... it may just NOT be perfect for 4 girls to stay with them :) But missionaries are told to be ready to suffer, so I'm sure Gregg will make it through just fine!

But... while Lauren is off holding babies and ministering to children, I now will HAVE to buckle down and get some stuff done in the office. We were in the office yesterday afternoon while Gregg and Karen were in their weekly "staff meeting" I guess (lasts 4 hours--so more like an elder meeting :)!! ), and I was going to start going through more files, but the DeTombes were here checking their email. We had met them on Sunday during the AIM day of prayer where we took care of the children. (the picture is of Anna and Katrina Carpenter two adorable MKs with Audrey Wollcott, the 19 year old that we have hung out with a few times since being here!). Anyway... the DeTombes, Cynthia and Jon have a 6 week old son, named William. They came to Africa in January and when asked if she should take a pregnancy test before getting some drug, she laughed, but then thought she probably should just rule it out... and low and behold she was pregnant. They have to be 25 or younger, and William was born here in Africa. So I am just amazed at them. So many young couples in the states today are scared to let you hold their new born, or have them around tons of people... Cynthia hands him over to Lauren and me just excited to share in the joy!!! There is definitely a missionary thought process I think... and if any missionaries are reading this, I hope this doesn't sound rude, b/c I truly think it is amazing and very God-focused. But even Audrey's mom, Debbie Wolcott told us that when Audrey was young, she got sick with a type of malaria and almost died... she's had a hard time ever since... but she never once mentioned thinking about leaving the field. Audrey has left RVA and is trying to complete high school from Uganda, with RVA sending her materials... but she has never once mentioned that she thinks she should be in the states. God is not less powerful in Africa... and despite what I may think, He is not put off at all about not having the "best" doctors or hospitals. If God wants to take someone home to be with Him, it does not matter if they are in Uganda (where there are some good hospitals, right Russ?), or Congo (not sure what is there) or Delaware... no matter of skilled human will keep God from doing His will... .whether that is to keep us alive or to take us home. Our human minds think that somehow we have a "better chance" if we are by sophisticated hospitals, but I'm learning more and more that if I truly believe that God is in control and sovereign, then quite honestly I'm not helping myself by thinking that I am in charge of my own safety or well being... or even success. This of course, does not mean that we should not use the tools that God has given us... but for those who have felt called to serve in Africa, those tools are here, unless after much prayer they feel that God is leading them back to their home country. What seems like an automatic to me (child is very ill... get somewhere that will know exactly how to heal them), its a prayer item that they are searching out to God (IF you would have us go Lord, please show us the way). And when Lauren and I discuss it, we sort of think its like moving out of Delaware b/c someone there gave you the measles or chicken pox... I know it's more extreme, but these missionaries know they are on the field by God's grace AND direction... so it is in God's hands. The DeTombes are a young couple, getting ready to go one of the islands and minister... and they couldn't be happier. We had just a great time hanging out with them and talking. Lauren has even come up with a GREAT project for our youth group--so get ready(it may mean some work and sacrifice for some of you) Something that we hope everyone will be excited to participate in, b/c if we were able to accomplish it, it would encourage Jon and Cynthia so much... but I'll let her tell you about it.

Godfrey is the man who can do anything here at the mission compound. If you need something, you call Godfrey. He has a great smile and also has a habit of putting flowers in the office every week. Right now he is standing in the office helping one of the boda drivers purchase some Bibles. Godfrey has a wife and kids at home, and I think he is a Christian... he is just a bright part to every morning, b/c when you come in, he always tries and comes from wherever he is to say "good morning!"

So, Karen is back from dropping off Lauren at Dwelling Places, so I need to get to work and help her!! Please pray for that... that I will be able to do as much for her as possible and encourage her. I feel that I've been able to help other people, and are scheduled to help some others with publisher and stuff..but I haven't done much for Karen yet... .so please pray that I will be able to do that... .I don't want to leave here and it not have been an encouragement to her ! Also pray for Lauren today as she is ministering and LEARNING at Dwelling Places.

Our days are starting to get numbered and I don't think either of us is ready to come home quite yet!!! So we are trying to get as much into every day as possible! Thank you for all of your comments... it is so much fun to come in every morning and see who has read the blog :)

Just Another Day In the Office

But instead of seeing cubicles in front of me, there is a tree that has a weird growth coming out of it that looks like a cow, I think. Instead of getting comments from Doug and Kenny, and seeing Allison sitting across from me, Suni and Gizmo, the compound guard dogs, are laying outside snoozing until the next unknown person walks ANYWHERE NEAR the compound, giving them a reason to get up and bark! (They have to earn their keep you know!).Some BBC radio station is playing in Lynne's office, and currently, "Hallelujah" is playing. It is 80 something degrees outside, but a nice breeze blows into the open window every once in a while. On my way to lunch, instead of searching the parking garage for my car, I heard this incredibly loud noise, and there were 2 weird and amazing birds sitting up in the tree...one flew down and landed in the yard right in front of me. Oh yeah..and the other different part...I'M IN AFRICA....I still don't think I quite believe it myself :)

so yeah...it's not just ANOTHER day...but I sure do feel at home pretty much. Last night after dinner, I went back to the house and put on the second coat of yellow paint in the living room. I was just starting to roll the wall in the kitchen when Gregg called to say they wanted to lock up the mission guest house, so I needed to come home. My stay up late, get up late, way of life is definitely NOT the norm here. Everyone is in bed it seems like by 9ish and then is up at the crack of dawn. I'm not sure really why...it may be b/c you never know when you will have electricity and during the day at least you can still function relatively well without it...who knows...but they certainly do work hard.

After a wonderful night's sleep in the guest house (I had a fan!!!!), I got up this morning and started to work on the project that Karen had left me. I had emptied the filing cabinet and had to paint it with black paint and then put everything back in it...but NOT everything as she wanted me to clean it out and organize it. Somehow I find it easier to organize stuff when I know what the stuff is...so I'm going to need to go through everything and see what we have. Anything I think she doesn't need, I will put aside and then have Karen go through it when she gets back.I have put the second coat of paint on the filing cabinet, but I didn't do a good job. There are drips all over the front..I've never worked with oil based paint (as was very obvious when Gregg came down to the garage this morning and inquired WHY I had put the brush into water....b/c that's what I always do with the brushes...:( Thankfully Godfrey, who takes care of everything on the compound here, found something to put the brush in to salvage it, and then gave me a new brush to use...I'm such a dork!). But it is painted, not well mind you, but painted. So now the long process of going through everything begins.

Lauren and Karen will get back tonight around supper time. I'm sure they have had a wonderful, educating 2 days at the island, I can't wait to hear all about it. I think this weekend we are doing some fun things (not that all of this has not been fun, but you know what I mean). Karen mentioned something about a pool...so we'll see! And the best news for all of you, is that Lauren will be back tomorrow so she can give you an update on her trip :)

In my time in the word this morning I read Psalm 9...and here is an excerpt....

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

I don't know whether it is an African thing, or just a "Lewis thing", but I have been amazed at the prayers during the meal...so much during the day has not gone as planned...maybe we had not water (which we have not for 3 days now), or the electricity had gone out, or someone arrived that they were not expecting...on and on...which leaves even more work for tomorrow and more catching up to do for them...but their prayers are just filled with thanksgiving at the beginning...I don't even remember hearing a "and give us..." anything. So this morning when I read that I just sat for a while and tried to recount God's wonderful deeds...I didn't even come close to counting them all...but I certainly don't do it enough at home..just something that has me thinking.

Thank you for all of your prayers, comments and emails! And thanks to my brother who is posting pictures for me..I could not get it to work and he does a MUCH better job at it! :)

We rode on bodas!!!!

Yesterday was quite an exciting day! We left around 11:30am and took bodas to the end of the road. Let me try and explain what bodas are (and I apologize if I am getting the spelling wrong!). Basically we paid these men 500 shillings to get on the back of their motorcycles and zip along the road to take us to a destination. It was FUN! I have to admit it is wierd not to HOLD onto someone. When I ride on my dad's big Harley, I normally can grab onto him to get on, steady myself etc. But on the bodas you are somehow supposed to be able to get on without touching the drivers. Lauren has a HUGE advantage in this as these are smaller bikes, so she just swings a leg over and looks VERY graceful! I on the other hand, almost fell off one yesterday when I tried to swing my leg over without holding onto the driver, and caught my flip flop on the seat and had to quickly put my other leg down, before falling off. We have ridden 3 times now...2 times in the city and once from the AIM office to the bottom of the road. In Kampala was VERY interesting...they just zip in and out of traffic and pass things that in my mind it does not seem we have time to pass..it is CRAZY...but fun. At one point yesterday, Karen told the bodas where we were going, we got on..and then I saw Karen go one way on the Boda and Lauren was way ahead of me...it occured to me that I had no IDEA where I was going so they could take me anywhere...Lauren and I would have no idea if it was right or not :) ...but in a few minutes I saw a blonde head and knew all was well :)

We went to Sam's restaurant yesterday and had FRENCH FRIES!! They called them chips, but they look and tasted like french fries to me! We then went to the bank, where we saw these incredibly large birds that Karen HATES...and they were nesting in the trees. We really wanted to take a picture of them...Karen has cautioned us about taking pictures in town as people will then ask for money from you...so we asked her if we could, and she said to ask the 3 ARMED guards that were at the door. So I did, and he smiled and said yes. Hopefully I will be able to add the picture to the blog. These birds are GIGANTIC storks!!!


Then Lauren really wanted a picture of the armed guards, so we went in and asked Karen about asking to take his picture...she thought we were pushing it :) ...when we got home we told Gregg and he said we should have asked...he thinks they would have enjoyed it...2 american girls asking to take their picture...oh well :) We then went to the craft market and had a lot of fun bartering and buying some things! We went to the "mall" as well. As you walk around the city, its very interesting. Because you just act like its all normal..like you would see the same things at home. This way you are not gawking and gasping everywhere you go, and making it even more painfully obvious how much of a tourist you are...and yet...seriously when would I ever see a boy on a bicycle with about 20 chickens tied on the back...yeah..that's normal :) So you do a lot of talking in your head...at least I do...but then again everyone knew I was not really right in the head :)

And yes..we did see the famous MANHOLE. Since Joanne brought it up first I feel that I can talk about it...we took a moment of silence...nah, just kidding Russell. Karen pointed it out and said that when she and Gregg were in the city the next time after it had happened they had it barricaded off and stuff...it is still open but now just has some sort of palm leaf sticking out of it. I made sure to look down and up and all around as I walked :) and am thankful that my brother learned this valuable lesson for me.

We got home last night to no electricity..but Gregg somehow gets us some...I asked if it was a generator and he said no...he later on explained what it was, but I didn't really get it..but we had light! Which was good. Not enough electricity to run the refrigerator, but enough to eat dinner with and then play 5 Crowns. We had bangers and mash for dinner...Lauren has this thing with taking pictures of food..not sure why :) ...I think its because it keeps her OUT of the picture. anyway she wanted to take a picture of this "uganda meal", and then Gregg told her it was actually british...so no picture. But it was a good meal:) We had this incredible fruit salad for dessert...bananas, pineapple, mango and then passion fruit mixed in..it was amazing. We also enjoyed decaf coffee and some american chocolate :) lauren and I are a tad nervous we will have eaten all of Karen and Gregg's gifts while we are here :)

Lauren had a headache so she went to bed...but I stayed up and taught Gregg and Karen how to play 5 crowns. They got it easily...I don't think it will become their favorite game as Gregg kept saying that there was much to remember in this game...but they were good sports anyway and played all the way to Kings! :)

This morning, Karen and Lauren left around 7:30am for the islands. They will be staying there over night tonight. Lauren I think would have been more excited if she were more awake :)...but I think she is very happy to go and see the children on the island. I don't know much about it, and will just let her tell you more when she returns. I am currently at the office trying to figure out how to make our pictures smaller so that I can post them on here! My job while they are gone is to clean out Karen's filing cabinet and make it usable for her and to finish up the painting in the living room hopefully. It would be nice to get that done, so that we could put the living room back together while Karen is away! I will be staying at the guest house for tonight and getting meals there!

So...I guess I should stop typing and actually get to work :) It has just started to rain here, so it will most likely cool down some! Thanks for all of the comments! And of course for the prayers!!! We need those!