Rain on the Rooftop

As I type this latest blog, the rain is pounding on the metal roof of my house. I am sitting on my couch surrounded by kids. There is a little girl on my left, a little boy snuggling on the right, and Dale is on the end, still plugging away at his math assignment for the day. The little girl is singing to herself, but the deafening noise of the rain on the iron sheets is drowning out everything. I am incredibly happy just to be here in Kenya, after I nearly got stranded in Uganda with immigration complications.

I don't want to say too much about the situation with immigration, as it is still something of a work in progress, but the scare in Uganda has significantly altered our future plans. It now appears that it will be necessary to take my two boys back to the USA every six months, and then return to Kenya if I want to keep my family together... at least until the time that Ishmael and I have been married for 3 years. After the 3-year mark Ishmael will be eligible to adopt the boys, making them legitimate dependants, and therefore eligible for dependant passes. (Currently, Kenya does not recognise step-children as dependants.) After the same 3 year period, I should also be eligible to apply for dual citizenship, and I could also apply for passes on the boys behalf.

Its a frustrating and rather heart breaking situation. The expense of flying back and forth to the USA is huge. I am desperately hoping that Ishmael will be granted a tourist visa so that he can travel to the USA with us, and that I will be able to find some seasonal work to help with the financial strain. But while we're away from Kenya, what will happen to our farm and our animals? Will we lose everything we've worked so hard to establish?

This has been a hard lesson for me in "let go and let God". I have to trust that God in heaven knows what He is doing, and how he will work this situation for our ultimate good. There has to be some reason for all this craziness, I just can't see it yet. In the mean time, I am determined to treasure every precious moment I have with my family here, and every amazing gift that life in Kenya has offered me... including these two beautiful African kids who have by now fallen asleep to the sound of the rain, with me as their pillow.  (I've included a picture of one of my sleeping companions, obviously taken when he was awake!)