Back in the frigid US of A

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that we’ve already been in the US for two weeks already!

We were supposed to fly out of Nairobi on December 19^th, but all of the flights through London were cancelled because of the weather. People were getting pushed back 5+ days, so we weren’t even sure that we’d be scheduled to make it back by Christmas… so I decided to just pay the extra money and get different tickets so we could make it  home to be with family for Christmas. We flew out at 3:40am on the 20^th on Turkish Air, went through Istanbul, and after a delay in Chicago, finally made it to Wooster (via Columbus) around 2am on the 21^st. I am so glad that we bought the Turkish Air tickets, because we were able to have almost two whole days at the Ramsays’ with all of the siblings and spouses together.

Since Colleen’s sister, Adrienne, and her husband, Matt, were leaving on the 23^rd, we celebrated Colleen’s birthday and Christmas Eve two days early on the 22^nd, and Christmas on the 23^rd. It was so wonderful being in Wooster with everyone, though the cold was quite a shock to our systems. It is amazing how quickly we got used to no Midwest winters after missing two of them! Here’s a link to an album of photos from Christmas in Wooster with the Ramsays.

On Christmas day, we headed to Kentucky to see Colleen’s extended family (on both sides). We had a great Christmas dinner with the Ambrose clan at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Tom’s. There was so much snow in Berea! Here’s a link to an album of pictures from our time in Berea with the Ambroses.

 

Then on Boxing Day (the 26^th), we had a get together with the Ramsay side at Happiness Hills, the retreat center that is owned and operated by Colleen’s grandparents (for more info see the Facebook page or website). It was a combination Christmas party, welcome home for us, and baby shower for Brian and Michelle (Colleen’s brother and sister-in-law), who are due in early March. It was so great to see so much of the family all at once, and we really enjoyed catching up with people we hadn’t seen since Adrienne’s wedding last summer. We’ll put up some pictures of our time with the Ramsays soon.

After Kentucky, we met our friends the Mostads in Lexington, including their little boy, Jeremiah, who was born while we were in Kenya!  Here's a few pictures of us with the Mostads, and one of Jeremiah.

We made it to my parents’ house in Greenwood, IN, on the 27^th, and celebrated Christmas the next day. We’ve enjoyed being in the Indianapolis area, spending time with my family and seeing old friends. We’ll be in Indy until this Friday (the 7^th), before heading to Chicago for the weekend to spend more time with Colleen’s sister, Adrienne (and her husband, Matt), and other friends.

Eventually we’ll land in Wooster, since we are living with Colleen’s parents for the next few months while we figure out what is next for us. I am going to continue to work remotely for WGM Kenya for a few months, and Colleen is going to help take care of the Ramsay’s dog’s puppies. (See more info about the Golden Doodle puppies at doodlesbyrosie.blogspot.com.)

 

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The holidays have been tough on us emotionally… we had imagined and dreamed about having the triplets with us for Christmas, so, while it has been so wonderful celebrating with our friends and family, it has been very bitter sweet. We were both struggling to hold back tears Christmas morning and during the Christmas Eve service in Wooster. It is difficult to be here, not knowing what it next for us, and knowing that the triplets are back at the Baby Centre, but we are slowly learning to trust the Lord again and rely on Him even though we don’t understand the “whys.”

We don’t know what is next for us… we’re supposed to take the next few months to visit friends and family and try to sort through that, but honestly, it is hard to know where to start. Do we go back to Kenya, or stay in the US? If we stay, where should we live and what should we do?  We would appreciate your prayers as we try to seek the Lord above all, instead of seeking answers for what happened and what we should do next.

Other than the weather, it has been nice to be home, but we really miss Kenya, especially our friends at Ngata AGC, at the Baby Centre, and in the WGM family. 

We want to say a special thanks to those who have supported us the last year and a half. It has been an incredible journey, and we’ve learned so much – it has been such an encouragement to get messages letting us know that people are invested in what we are doing and are praying for us.

We’d love to see as many of you as possible, so please call or email us if you can.

Happy 2011!

Cason

 

Our last few weeks in Kenya were quite busy packing up and saying goodbyes, so we didn’t get to update much on the blog of facebook.  Here’s an attempt at catching up and sharing all that we were doing in late November and December (in addition to budget meetings and office work… neither of which photograph particularly well…).   

Here’s a link to some of our last ones from the Baby Centre.

The Ngata United Football Club that I had helped start back in September 2009 hosted a December football tournament before I left.  Click Here for the link to the album.

      We really miss our youth group at Ngata AGC, and were fortunate to have a few last events and get-togethers with them before we came back to the US.  Here’s a link to an album of pictures from our last weekend with the youth in Ngata.

 

And finally, here’s a few more from our times in Wooster and Berea…

   

Thanks so much for reading.  We’re going to continue to update the blog over the next few months as we seek the Lord about what is next for us.  Thanks so much for your prayers and support!