We are having a very difficult time posting pictures. We have been working on it for over 2 hours and only have this one picture to show. Believe me, we have some amazing pictures to come...please be praying for a speedy internet!

This one is for Lana...Write in your prayer journal...we are now at a place with hot water...that means no more cold showers Lana! We will be enjoying them in spirit with you =)

Oh...our piki driver is here, we gotta go.

Oh Lord, You are so good, so good to me

I am overwhelmed, speechless and in awe of our great God. He is so good all the time. He is faithful. Praise be to our Lord and Savior.

There is something about being in Africa that draws me nearer to my Lord. Maybe it is from being out of my comfort zone, being in a different culture, or being surrounded by suffering. Plans and details are continuously changing in Africa. It really is emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausting, yet one thing remains the same--Our God is faithful and He is the one who directs our steps. What a comfort it is to trust, lean on, and rest in our God. There truly is no greater joy.

So once again plans have changed.... Beginning last night, Lacey and I were feeling very unsettled about going to Gulu. We could not pinpoint the cause of this inner turmoil, and we could not escape the feeling. It continued all night. We discussed our thoughts with each other but could not put a finger on what was causing this anxiety. We began spending the evening in prayer. We prayed individually, together and with all four of us. I called Todd seeking advice, I poured into scripture, I sang praise and worship songs...neither Lacey nor I had clarity on what we were supposed to do. Did God want Lacey and I to go to Gulu or not? We were overwhelmed with this decision. We have known from the beginning that God has a plan and a purpose for us being in Uganda. We knew before we left Montana, that we would be staying together as a group of four and traveling North. There is a mission for us to accomplish. So why was there such confusion all of a sudden? We stayed up until 2am and had to wake up at 4am. We still did not sense any direction from God. Right before it was time to go, Erryn and Cheryl came into our room to find out if we were going. I broke down in tears with emotion I did not know was there. It was as if the Holy Spirit began speaking through me and expressed everything that was in my heart. We realized that for some reason, that only God knows right now, Lacey and I were not to go to Gulu. Proverbs 16 was on the forefront of our mind...It is man who plans, but it is God who directs the steps...commit to the Lord all you do and your plans will succeed...(paraphrased because I forgot to bring my Bible with me). Later that morning as it began sinking in that God has another plan for us, we began recalling other scripture...do not let your hearts be troubled...do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I cannot express the load that was lifted. We were in the center of God's will and He has a distinct purpose for us being called to a different location than Erryn and Cheryl. So we called our driver and set up plans to make our way to Jinja where Amani Baby Cottage is located. God had replaced that uneasiness with pure and complete joy. So here the next adventure begins...

We actually had to travel to Entebbe first to pick up the missing luggage from the airport. Last night when Erryn when to get her bag, she found out that I had to be the one to pick it up because all 12 bags were checked under my name for some reason. So Erryn completed her roundtrip of 3 hours with no luggage! So we set out for the airport (which turned out to be a 4 hour roundtrip). We had to check in at several different offices/desk/locations...quite the run-around. We had to go through security several times. As we place our backpacks on the x-ray conveyor belt, the guard said, "Why are you here in Uganda?" We told him I was adopting two children from Jinja. His next reply came immediately after, "Do you have any Holy Bibles with you?" Lacey and I froze and I think our eyeballs bulged in fear...was he confiscating our Bibles?? But Bibles are allowed here...every thought was flashing through my mind. Then the man said, "I am a born-again Christian...do you have any Bibles to give me? There are always people that need a Bible." We about fainted in excitement and relief! We told him YES! Eventually we went back to our driver (who was driving a four door sedan which held 6 pieces of luggage, our full size stroller, 2 back packs, 3 people, and five bags--the fact that this all fit is a miracle in itself) we started pulling out all the luggage and searching our bags to find the Bibles we had brought. Earlier we had given a majority of the Bibles to Erryn and Cheryl to take to Gulu, but we were able to find 9 more. Adelphi Christian Academy, these included the Bibles that were collected from Kindergarten, first and second grade! We took them to the man, whose name is Constantino. When he saw us coming with the Bibles, he shouted, "Amen!" This is while he is in the middle of his job watching people walk through the metal detector, scanning bags, searching people etc. The woman he was working with started pleading, "We pray! We pray! We want Bibles too!" We told him who had sent these Bibles with us and asked if we could get a picture to post on our blog. Unfortunately, it is illegal to take a picture in the airport. I tried though! Thank you to Mrs Payton and Mrs. Price's class for the Bibles. Pray for Constantino as he reads his new Bible and begins distributing these to others who need them. We praise the Lord for our lost luggage! We praise the Lord for the inconvenient 3 hour, unsuccessful trip Cheryl and Erryn made last night to get the bag. All of this led to God's perfect plan.

After leaving the airport we traveled 3 hours to Jinja, to Amani Baby Cottage! WooooHooo! I get to see my babies!!!!!! We pulled in at 5:30pm to see everyone gathered around the grass and gravel driveway, cheering us in. Mama Gladys and Mama Edith came running up to me with Christopher and Katie dressed in their "smart clothes" complete with a headband in Katie's hair. They said they had been awaiting our arrival all day. I hugged both Mamas and then started talking, tickling, and hugging Katie and Christopher. They immediately started smiling and laughing and they came right to me! They look so good. Katie is smiling ALL the time (in December she was not feeling well because of her sickle cell anemia, and never smiled). I have been reunited with my precious children. Words cannot describe how satisfied my heart is. Katie is walking well and is so happy. She has the tiniest bird legs and arms, which I cannot wait to fatten up! We got to be there for supper time, potty time, bath time, play time and bed time. I prayed for them and got to tuck them in. I am delighted! Right before we left for the evening, Stacy came in to tell me one last thing...Katie has been assigned the same court date as Christopher! We serve a sovereign and faithful God. Praise Him!

Things are happening. God is at work. The Holy Spirit is present. We are in the center of His will. We are having a blast. I have so much to share and having a hard time finding the time to fit it all in. We are lacking in sleep and have not eaten all day, and because it is later in the evening, we need to take a piki (a motorized bike) back to our hotel. Rachel, Ariel and Katie have given us a great recommendation of a driver who we call to take us and pick us up. Lacey braved her first trip already! The wind felt great, and even though I was sitting side saddle, we made it! We are having so much fun! Thank you for your prayers. God is faithful.
Love, Jenny
P.S. Jaden, Kellen and Sage...I love you so much. You rock! I am praying for you! Christopher was looking at your pictures and pointing and trying to say your names!

**Pictures coming very soon!

We are here!

We arrived in Kampala yesterday and found out that we were missing one suitcase and we now have a 3-wheeled stroller! Today we are being reunited with our luggage, we shall see if there is a stroller wheel hanging from it!

True to Ugandan fashion, plans have changed a hundred times. We have now come full circle in our plans and will be travelling to Gulu and Kitgum tomorrow early morning. Erryn has her court date on the 12th and a major answered prayer...
****Her court date will be for both Nancy AND Bosco**** This is a huge praise!

We are loving being in this country. The landscape is so green and lush--absolutely gorgeous. We have already met so many Ugandans and have given out many suckers! We have taken so many pictures and have fallen in love with so many children. It is a beautiful place!

We had an idea...maybe you are wanting to have a glimpse of what it is like to be here in Uganda...so tonight and tomorrow and for the next couple days...when you hop into the shower, turn on ONLY the cold water! You may hear a few squeals, but you may begin quoting scripture..."I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ...or maybe singing songs like..."It's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day..." Sometimes being in less than ideal situations makes us more thankful, encourages us to look for the positive, and causes us to lean on our Lord a little more. So once again, we will welcome our cold shower!

I want you to know how much we are enjoying your comments. They are a priceless treasure to us during this time. We appreciate your prayers and know, without a doubt, God is listening and answering. It is such a comfort to know we have sisters and brothers in Christ praying us through this adoption journey. You are playing a critical part in this adoption by praying. Thank you.

Unfortunately we are being attacked by mosquitos at the moment and need to sign off. We will look for another opportunity soon.

P.S. Thank you Todd for your kind, encouraging words, your compliments, and your love for the Lord. I love you so much!

He said, She said.

Because I love Jennifer, my bride, more than my last breath, I will reserve the right and responsibility to provide some homefront perspective throughout this portion of the journey. Hopefully, it will provide an even more complete view of God's enduring grace, and His faithfulness to those who are a part of His family.

I am so thankful to be given the priviledge of leading this family. It is, by far, the greatest job God has given me. What makes it even sweeter is that I have a gorgeous wife who is the most trustworthy, Christ-like, and genuine person that I have ever known. She is my first pick every time for a teammate. In all, life is better with her, and it's tough when we're not together geographically.

However, while I was thinking about our family and thanking God for His sovereignty and perfect plan, He pointed my eyes toward Psalm 145;

"I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Everyday I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness in unsearchable.'

"One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty; and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.'

"The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all and His tender mercies are over all His works.'

"All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures througout all generations.'

"The LORD upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.'

"The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

"My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever."

Jennifer and I pray that our children will see God at work around them, and praise His works to their children and grandchildren. And, just like when Moses came down from the mountain, we pray that the reflection of God's awesome glory is what others see in our family both now and for generations.

Still almost there!

Yes we are still in Dubai. After 7 cups of coffee and 14 meals we are still here! We thought by now, after only a few short hours, one of our loyal blog readers would have responded by now. But sadly, no comments yet.

As you can tell no sleep, lots of caffiene, and hanging out with friends makes us crazy, giddy and goofy. We are learning to have fun in whatever situation we are in...not that we would want to take up a second home in Dubai...

Just as much as you LOVE hearing from us, we love hearing from you. So the comment challenge is on...we would love to receive a comment from every single person who follows our blog. So gather your thoughts, hit the comment buttom, and start sending us messages!

One last thing...to those of you who are not aware, there are four of us travelling together (well actually 5 when you count Jesus)...Erryn and her mom Cheryl, Lacey, and me (Jenny). Erryn is at the same stage in the adoption process as I am, so she will be bringing home her two children along with my two. Follow her blog as well to get a different perspective on our Uganda adventures.

Remember, post your comments. Follow the directions below if you are having difficulty...
1) At the end of this post, click on "comments"
2) If you have a google account fill in your username and password
3) If you do not have a google account, there will be a place to click on "sign up here" on the comment page
4) You will follow the directions to create a google account (I wanted to walk you through this step as well, but when we tried clicking on "sign up here" it was written in Arabic. We are not yet fluent and I am hoping yours will be in English)
5) Finally, write your comment and then submit it.

We are off to our gate... We love you and appreciate your support and encouragement.
Love, Jenny & Lacey

We're almost there!

We are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates right now! God has been so good. Everything has gone so smoothly and we believe God has paved the way for us. Thank you prayer warriors! Here is a list of some of our miracles and answered prayers...

* Knowing our bags were borderline overweight, and praying before we approached the counter, once again God showed us HE IS FAITHFUL! The airlines chose not to weigh any of our bags.

* By airline standard one carry-on is permitted. However, by the grace of God, we were allowed 3 a piece, no questions asked.

* Good Health, Good Conversation, and Good Flights.

* Emirates allows two bags to be checked per person. Each additional bag is $135. We believe God softened the heart of the Emirates supervisor. He made the decision to waive half of the overage charges.

* Originally, none of our flights had us seated next to each other. Thanks to the willingness of our fellow passengers, people moved, seats opened, and with hardly any effort on our part we were seated together.

* One bag was lost in New York. We were easily frustrated after getting the run around, until the Lord reminded us how blessed we are. In the midst of a very busy New York airport, with people scrambling everywhere, we jumped on an elevator to find that God had chosen only one to share the ride. It was a blind, deaf, and mute man. We felt as if the wind had been knocked out of us. Who are we to grumble over a lost bag?? We were immediately reminded that we are so easily distracted by our circumstances, and that our focus must remain on Christ. Thank you God for that lost bag and the gentle reminder to keep our eyes fixed upon you. Isn't it amazing how God can bring good out of these small hiccups? (By the way we found the bag!)

* On arrival in Dubai we received a complimentary meal at the airport.

* Erryn found out via email that there is a trustworthy woman in Kampala who has graciously offered space in her home for our extra supplies while we travel to Northern Uganda.

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We are in the middle of a 12 hour layover, 8pm to 8am. We have been succesful at using up 5 of those hours so far. We have had lots and lots of funny moments, lots of laughter. It has been great "girl time." We are doing well, just a little (or a lot) tired. The farther we get from "home" and the closer we get to Africa, the more it sinks in--we are bringing home our children!!!! As we push our stroller, that is packed to the brim and overflowing with carry-ons, through the airport, we have gotten many looks of terror or shock and questions... "Are you forgetting something?" or "where's the baby?" We have treasured the response..."We are going to get our children and bring them home!" Oh, how I have longed to say those words.

Stay tuned...Next stop, Entebbe, Uganda!

READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME!!!!!