"Safari za Omondis"

The faces of Anjela....

2009-06-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here's our little ham on vacation....crazy girl!!

Mama, why are you taking so many pictures??

Time Flies when you are having fun...

2009-06-27T06:48:00.001-07:00

Wow, was that really 5 days? The week really flew by...but I guess time does fly when you are having fun. And indeed we did have fun. We spent most days swimming in the pool, reading, sleeping, playing in the sand, eating, drinking lots of fresh fruit juice, and enjoying the air condition and all the hot water we could stand coming from the faucets. I almost forgot what a good hot shower felt like until this week. Amazing! We are home now and except for a bad sinus cold that I have we all feel refreshed and ready to dive back into ministry and everyday life here in Diani/Ukunda. We praise God for this week that we had to just be together as family. And yes we took lots of pictures with our new camera and I will be posting them shortly-----Allison.

2009-06-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Omondis are finally headed on a much needed, long awaited family vacation for the week....going to Turtle Bay...hope its fun, relaxing and rejuvenating for all 3 of us...

Anjela

2009-06-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Anjela's bad habit! Definitely not from us:)

Say cheese

Wow look how big I am!

Thank you baba for getting a new Camera - I love taking pictures!

When I grow up I want to be...let the pictures talk for themselves - Hahaha

Hope you had fun - time to get serious

A few updates..

2009-06-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I haven't updated the blog in awhile..please forgive me and thank you to all who have been praying for us...

A couple updates:

Finally after a week, the landlord sent someone to come and fix our bathroom sink pipe. Praise God!!
Last week Dennis' little sister Nelly was admitted to the hospital so I spent two days at the hospital with her. Thanks Sandra and Lisa for taking good care of Anjela for me since they don't allow children in the hospital. Nelly is doing fine now and is back to school.
DENNIS IS HOME!!! YEAH!! It was a great reunion Sunday night at midnight for our whole family. You should have seen Anjela's face, even in the midst of sleepiness, she couldn't stop saying, BABA BABA BABA!! Three weeks away from one another is just too much for all of us!
My computer is fixed and has a new hard drive, but I have lost EVERYTHING in it...including emails. So if you have emailed me in the last few months and have never gotten a response, please email me again.
We have a new camera now so stay tuned to new photos...
And please please pray for our friend Samuel. He was recovering at home from brain surgery after having a subdural hematoma but now they think his brain is bleeding again. Please pray hard for his recovery and that the doctors will have wisdom to know what to do, especially if that means he needs to go back to go in for surgery again. Pray for his precious wife Margaret. This is all so hard on her. And pray for their financial situation. They are very much in great debt after having to borrow money to pay for his hospital bills. Pray God will provide.

Another day with Anjela and Allison...

2009-06-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

I can't say I slept very much last night wondering if the pipe would bust again but thankfully it did not. James did a good job of securing it. I woke up and went straight downstairs to find the caretaker but apparently he didn't show up for work today. I reported the busted pipe all day but guess what??...NOTHING happened. Nope, no one showed up and no one even seemed to care. So still I wait again and pray that it holds another night.....

But I woke up very thankful. As I lay in bed last night i just kept thinking about how I had been gone for four nights and "just happened" to come home yesterday. And I actually considered staying another night in Mombasa instead of coming home. But if i would have waited and not come home i would have come home to a completely flooded house and everything would have been drowned in water, including all the electrical cords and surge protectors on the floor, and maybe even a fire..you just never know here in Kenya. WOW, God is good!!! And is in control of ALL THINGS!

Today Anjela and I had a good day. We visited our friends the Grossmanns for lunch and Anjela enjoyed jumping on their trampoline with the kids. Then in the afternoon we went and visited our friends Maria and Gil who just recently returned from the States. Anjela enjoyed swimming in their pool and splashing around. Now Anjela is in bed and I'm relaxing on the computer...God is good and we have great peace. We are half way through the three weeks Dennis will be gone. We are staying busy and visiting lots of people while he is gone.

Praying that tomorrow SOMEONE here at our flats will come and fix the pipes. Until then we pray that the ole duct tape will do its job to hold back the flood:):)

When it Rains...it GUSHES....

2009-06-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well....where do i even begin...Let's start off with the good news, Physically i am feeling so much better!! Anjela is well also praise God. Last Friday Anjela and I decided to get out of the house after being cooped up inside for the last week while we have been sick. We went and stayed with two other families in Mombasa and had a wonderful time. Anjela got to attend two birthday parties..one for Ethan who turned 4 and the other for Alana who turned 3. We had lots and lots of fun. Then today we decided to venture back home across the ferry and back home to Diani...and thats when the chaos started again...(and if weren' t for my faith in Jesus I think i would begin to believe that the witchdoctors from the surrounding tribe have bewitched our home:(:))....After last weeks chaos and then a wonderful 4 nights away we came home to what i thought would be a quiet evening. We got home, i got on the computer to see if i could skype into this weeks Missionary Conference at Denton Bible with Dennis, it worked for a little while, then I started to cook Anjela and I dinner. It was about 7pm and thats when i looked into the washroom and noticed water trickling on the floor from the other bedroom and when i went to investigate saw the big mess and water dripping from the pipe under the bathroom sink...it wasn't a fast drip so i mopped up the water and i just decided to put a Basin underneath it and wait til morning to call the caretaker of the building. But just as i was looking closer and i put my finger on the place it was leaking........POPPPPPPPP........SWISHHHHHH...the pipe completely broke off and water was squirting like a fire hydrant everywhere....I didn't know what to do? There is no shut off valve for water in our place anywhere. So as water is quickly filling up the bathroom floor I am putting my thumb inside the pipe to slow down the gushing...and trying to get Anjela to bring mommy the phone..oh but no, Anjela decided it was much more fun to start splashing and playing in the water on the floor...so i had no choice but to release my finger letting the water flow, and run to get my phone....as i ran back to plug it again with my finger i got on the phone with James ( a dear friend and teammate of ours that helped me with my flat tire earlier in the week) and told him to get over as soon as possible. In the meantime the neighbor below us sent their househelp to come and knock on the door to tell us that water was leaking through their ceiling. All i could do was yell at her from the bathroom and tell her i know and to send some help. well she didn't...she just left and no one came until James showed up about 10 min later. He found me holding my thumb in the pipe and switching out basins to keep more water from gushing onto the floor. Oh my goodness what a sight it was!!! I wish i could have been a fly on the wall. And all this time Dennis is on skype all the way across the world in Denton not able to do anything but to say call James.:):) So James was a lifesaver again...he somehow managed to hammer some wood and plastic bags inside the pipe and put good old American duct tape (luckily i had some from the States i brought last year) around the outside to secure it til morning. And nope we still haven't found a water shut off valve and the caretaker isn't available after 6pm....My prayer is that what James managed to rig up will stop the flow and hold til morning when the caretaker arrives. I just finished mopping up the soggy nasty flooded bathroom and bedroom with towels am planning to sleep with Anjela in that bedroom tonight so i can hear if it ruptures again..and catch it before the house floods:) Needless to say i'm not sure i'll sleep well tonight. But i have James on call if it does.
Then tonight Dennis gave me the bad news that my computer's hard drive is complete damaged and they are unable to retrieve and of the data off of it, including all of Anjela's pictures from the last many months....this just makes me want to cry....
It just seems like the darts keep flying...and I've hit a wall. Please pray for me..may I stand strong and content and at peace in ALL circumstances.
God is faithful and in complete control...may I stand on that TRUTH!!
Tonight as i put Anjela to bed in what little strength I had left I managed to sing to her, "it is well with my soul" and "i love you Lord".......and she fell right asleep, oblivious to what was going on inside her Mama. Oh may i have the same kind of childlike peace tonight as I sleep...

His Mercies are New Every Morning

2009-05-27T05:15:00.000-07:00

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
Lamentations 3:22-24

This how I've described my morning and afternoon so far. HE IS FAITHFUL! Today I woke up feeling so much better. Anjela's fever is gone and she just has a little cold and congestion. We both are at home just resting and relaxing and enjoying being at home together. Our friend Marci stayed the night with us also and has kept us company. Our househelp Mary is feeling better and has really helped me out with cleaning and making lunch. I still dont have my normal appetite but her Mchicha and Sima (greens and boiled cornmeal) was just enough for lunch. Anjela is having a good day and has already started walking around the house saying "Baba, baba, baba gone? Hopefully she can talk to him later in the day...

When it Rains it Pours

2009-05-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

Isn't that how it always happens? When it rains it pours!! That's how i felt today. After Dennis left yesterday Anj and I were invited by some of our other missionary friends, the G's to come and stay with them for the night. Though I still was quite weak we went and relaxed at their home for the evening. I was so hungry after not eating for like 5 days, that i ate a lot of the fish their househelp cooked....It was so yummy but later in the night that yummy fish became my worst enemy...food poisoning...and you can guess where i spent the rest of my night...so now my tummy feels worse than when I first started with malaria...rumble rumble. And yes Anjela had some of that fish as well so you can imagine the diapers. Anyway, on to the next thing of the morning. While i was resting and Anj playing with the other kids the neighbor came in and said, i hate to be the barer of bad news but, you have a flat tire..YEP flat as could be....at that moment I have to say I wanted to cry but the only thing i could do was LAUGH out loud. I really thought he was kidding me..but nope he wasn't. Thankfully Michael had time to stay and put the spare on the tire and i called our friend James who came this afternoon and took the car to be repaired. (so thankful!!) After the morning was over the day really got better. But as I thought and prayed today, all I could think through it all was WOW...the enemy really wants to flatten us doesn't he? But as they say here in Kenya, Shetani ashindwe!! (Satan is defeated) Honestly the whole day I had great peace...peace knowing that I am not defeated. The victory has already been won. I am a daughter of the most high KING! And THE King holds everything and every situation in His hands. But yes of course I am human and in my human flesh many times wanted to throw my hands up and say, WHAT IS GOING ON? HOW MUCH MORE CAN I TAKE? But God has been so faithful during these last 24 hours and during the night when i was awake and running back and forth to the bathroom, the Lord flooded my mind with HIS Truths, truths such as,

Though the fig tree should not blossom

And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will exult in the LORD,

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

The Lord GOD is my strength,

And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,

And makes me walk on my high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Ephesians 6:10-13

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matt 11:28-30

When I got home today in the afternoon a friend from church, Mama Vicki came by to visit with her daughter and bring me some oranges, mangoes and mchicha (greens) from their shamba (farm). Anj had a good time playing with her friend Vicki and I had a lovely time visiting with Mama Vicki. She was a great encouragement to me. Then as she was leaving another lady, Mrs Ikanda stopped by and insisted on making me some Uji (like porridge) for me to drink so i could gain my strength back. (haven't felt like eating a thing). She's like a Mama to me. I praise God for showing me his love through these ladies. Now I am at home and relaxing on the couch with another single gal from our church. She's going to stay the night with Anjela and I to be sure we are ok. So sweet! Thanks Marci.

On another note, Dennis called tonight to say he arrived in Detroit safely and should be arriving in Dallas in the next several hours. Safe Travels Babe! I love you. All those in Denton please take care of him for me. -----Allison

Update on Us...

2009-05-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well, Dennis is on his way to America as I type...and yes we miss him already!

So here's some of my thoughts...
Thank you for your prayers for me...I KNOW beyond a doubt God is answering them. His grace and comfort have been overwhelming.

I praise God I am feeling a bit better though still very weak and tired and not quite ready to be back on my feet completely yet...this is how i found out... After Dennis left the landlord brought us the electricity bill which we've been waiting for a week. It had to be paid immediately or our electricity would be cut off. So i ventured out on my first outing since last week to go and pay. Anjela was content so i left her with our househelp so i could go quickly. As i stood in the line at the bank where we pay, I began to sweat and i felt a bit like i was going to faint. The teller just so happened to be a gal who attends our church and when she saw me and the state I was in she politely let me in front of the line. I was so thankful! Now I'm home laying down again, and Anjela sleeping. My first time with malaria has been miserable but I know it could have been worse so I'm thankful. Its just going to take several more days of REST to shake it completely i think. More than anything I've felt really sad for Anjela who has been so bored wondering why Mama can't get off the couch and play with her. I think we've watched "Finding Nemo" (her favorite movie) at least 3 or 4 times together since last week:):)

We the Omondis, are not going to lie to you, this last week has been quite hard on all of us. We all are pretty weary and worn actually. As many might know, Dennis had open heart surgery in 2003 for mitral valve stenosis and since then hasn't had any major issues. However in the last month or so he has experienced extreme and unusual fatigue and occasional chest discomfort. Saturday in the middle of trying to put some finishing touches on a difficult sermon he preached yesterday, Dennis began to feel fatigued with some chest discomfort and tightness. We've been saying maybe its stress but its the first thing he will get checked out when he gets to the States this week. And now Anjela is having some bad diarrhea and runny nose..hope its just teeth. Then Saturday night another fiery dart was thrown at us. My MAC laptop crashed and isn't responding to any of the repair we have tried, meaning I wouldn't have a computer and the email and communication with Dennis while he is in the States for 3 weeks. AHH! Dennis has had to leave his computer behind though so i will be able to communincate and he will try to find one in the States to borrow for 3 weeks. (if you know of any please let us know) And now this morning our househelp has come and she is also sick with a bad cold and fever......Wow....what else can i say?

We are not the look for a "devil around every corner" type of people but we are beginning to really see ourselves in the middle of a battle," a battle not against flesh and blood", darts flying at us from every corner. But funny thing is I've heard this happens alot when husbands get ready to go on long trips:(:( Please pray for us over these next few weeks as Dennis is in America and Anjela and I remain here in Kenya. pray for our strength and endurance and encouragement. Pray we will all get back to our normal health. But also praise God for all the support we have here from friends all around while Dennis is gone.

Last Saturday I needed a little fresh air after having been bed bound for three days so I gathered enough strength and Dennis drove us to Word of Life and we just sat by ocean to think and pray together. It was a special and refreshing time for us as a family just to sit and talk to God as we looked at His magnificent creation. I am greatful we had these few quiet and restful moments before he left.

As I have layed in bed and prayed and read and listened to worship music, I am so thankful for the TRUTH of God's Word. He has reminded me time and again of Phil. 4:6-9

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. "

I am so thankful that I can find peace in the TRUTH of God's Word. His grace has been so sufficient and His peace has truely guarded my heart from worry and has been my strength. Though sometimes things seem to be going haywire all around us I don't have to worry or be anxious about anything. I pray to THE Father and Creator and King of Kings who is in control of all things. He is my strength and shield of protection. And what really spoke to me as I lay there in bed sweating and thinking and praying, was "WITH THANKSGIVING", and "IF THERE IS ANY EXCELLENCE AND IF ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, DWELL ON THESE THINGS." And I have to say, I have many things to be thankful for in the midst of these trials. And so I decided to instead of dwelling on all the seemingly bad and inconvenient things happening to us right now I would choose to dwell on the good and excellent and positive. These are to just name a few:

I am feeling much better than i was last Thursday when the malaria started. And my first time with malaria hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be:)

There is a good hospital just a mile or so from our house.

Anjela and I have a lot of support and encouragement and many friends around us here to help us and take care of us during this time.

Our friend and Kenyan teammate James is taking care of a lot of the responsibilities for us that I would have to take care of while Dennis was gone.

If the computer is going to crash its good it did it now around the time Dennis is traveling to the States and can take it home for repair

If Dennis has to have any possible problems with his heart the TIMING is good since he will be in the States and can have a check up at the cardiologist in Denton.

And a very personal one...as many know Dennis and I have been trying for a long while to also have a biological child of our own. Each month has been disappointing but we are so thankful God didn't allow it to happen these last few months. He knew I would have malaria, and malaria can be extremely dangerous to a pregnant mother and her unborn child. God knows ALL things and his timing is perfect!!

ALSO, for those who have been praying for Samuel...keep praying!! He is still in hospital and has had some swelling. Please pray for God's miraculous healing!!

African Initiation

2009-05-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well that so called flu or virus....well...its not. I took Allison back to hospital today cause she was feeling worse. And its positive she has MALARIA. Yep...she is now a real African. This is her first time having malaria in all the many years she has lived in Kenya. Please pray for her. She is feeling really bad with headache, body aches, chills and the works. The doctor gave her some strong medicine to take and she is now sleeping on the couch. Malaria makes you feel really bad and weak for many days. Please pray she feels much better by the time I leave for the States on Monday.. I really dont want to leave behind a sick wife!!!

2009-05-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Please keep praying. Today I have been very sick so i wasn't able to talk to Margaret myself but our friend Jacinta told us that Samuel is in a lot of pain and still in serious condition in the hospital. Please keep praying for his healing. Also pray for me. Have been at home sick with fever, chills and body aches all day. Was tested for malaria at the hospital tonight but it was negative. Must have a bad virus or something. Pray i feel completely well by the time Dennis leaves for the States on Monday. We all want to spend good time together this weekend before he leaves.

Keep Praying

2009-05-20T12:58:00.001-07:00

Please keep praying hard for Samuel. I wasn't able to talk with Margaret in length today but when i talked to her she sounded discouraged. All i could understand before we got cut off was that Samuel was in a lot of pain, (His head was really hurting) but the doctor's weren't telling Margaret anything or answering any of her questions. Please keep praying!!!

Update on Samuel's Surgery

2009-05-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers. Praise God, Samuel's wife Margaret called us and informed us that Samuel's surgery went well and he is actually talking. We give all glory to God for this miracle and thank you for standing with them in prayers. We appreciate all the emails and text messages we have received from people to check on his condition - He has a long road to complete recovery.

Please keep praying for him and his family. Pray that he heals quickly and stays free from infection and other complications. Pray also that God would provide the family with the financial means to pay for his hospital bill.

Pray for Samuel

2009-05-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Many of you may remember our dear friends Margaret and Samuel and their baby son John. They were the first couple to get married in our church last year. Allison has become very close to Margaret and has been meeting with and discipling her each week. Recently Samuel fell very sick. He finally had a CAT Scan done last week and it showed that he has a blood clot and bleeding in his brain (has a subdural hematoma). He has finally sought medical attention and will be having surgery tomorrow morning 7am (which is tonight around midnight American time) to remove the blood that is in his brain. Samuel is around 25 yrs old and is in very serious condition and will be having this procedure at a government hospital just outside Nairobi. Needless to say we are very concerned for him and his dear wife and son. Please pray that God would give the doctors great wisdom and steady hands and that Samuel would recover quickly and stay free from infection!! Pray also for Margaret. This has been very tough on her. Pray that God would give them great peace and strength during this time and that He would also provide all that will be needed for the hospital expenses. The top picture is of them just before they were married last year and the other of all three of them at Valentines this year.

Thank you all for your love and prayers!
Dennis, Allison and Anjela Omondi

A Car has been provided

2009-05-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Praise God...the same day Dennis sent out an email he has a car to drive. God is good and certainly provides. We were overwhelmed with the number of emails we got from our friends back in Denton offering to let Dennis use their car, rent him a car, or look for him a car. Thank you everyone for your prayers. Dennis is very excited about seeing everyone in Denton at the Missions Conference. He leaves a week from Monday to head to Denton. Please start praying for Anjela and I now as we remain behind in Kenya. Going to be hard not having Baba around.. We already miss him and he hasn't even left yet:):)--Allison

CAR NEED

2009-05-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

As I (Dennis) prepare to come for the DBC missions conference at the end of the month, one of the things I will need while I am there is a car to use to get around in the DFW area. If you or anyone you know has a vehicle they would allow me to use, I will be very appreciative.Please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly. The dates I will be needing a vehicle are: May 26-June 6 and then June 9-13th.

God Bless you all for your prayers and continued support. I look forward to seeing you all in the short time I am in Denton. Again, please remember my dear Allison and Anjela who will have to remain in Kenya when I travel to Denton.

Back from Busia

2009-05-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well we are back from Busia now and getting back in the swing of everyday life here in Diani; ministry and relationships. We were happy to come home and find the rains are beginning and the nights are a bit cooler. With the rain comes lots of mosquitos though so time to use the mosquito nets again.

Our trip to Busia went really well. The long drive there was a bit eventful but we arrived safely. We had a bad puncture in the cold pouring rain just outside of Nairobi which forced us to have to stop, remove all our luggage and everything from the back to remove the spare tire. Not being used to the cold weather we were actually shivering as we waited for Dennis to change the tire. Luckily we came upon a petrol station where the tire was repaired. Then we thought we were doing well until the car started shaking severely and forced us to have to make another stop, this time for the night in Nakuru cause it was getting dark. But in Nakuru we found a good mechanic to repair the car and we were on our way the next morning.

Our stay in Busia with Dennis' family went very well. Anjela really enjoyed meeting her new little brother David but was a bit shy towards her biological parents. She was very clingy to Mama but as the week went by she opened up and let them play and hold her. Baby David is a cutie-pie and has lots of hair. We were very happy to find that he is being taken care of very well by his mom, the second wife, and the other ladies living at the house. They call him King David. He is the only boy born in the family since Dennis so he's held very high. He loves to be held and has the cutest smile. He has one dimple like Anjela but on the opposite side of his face. I enjoyed taking my sweet friend Betty along with us. She and I had lots of fun together and she helped out tons with Anjela. Anjela had an amazing time running around the dirt compound, chasing the cows and goats and chickens. She learned to say "mbuzi" (she says mbushy) and "ngombe" while she was there. (goat and chicken in Swahili) I'm so glad i brought lots of clothes for her cause i can't tell you the number of times i had to change her clothes after she fell in the mud, water, and even the cow poop.

Also while we were there Dennis was able to finish putting in the plumbing and got the water running through the pipes of our little one bedroom house there in the compound. (we've been working on building this since 2005.) We painted the room in the bedroom and put glass in the window panes just in time for us to be able to sleep in the house the last two nights. It was a good but dusty nights sleep and Anjela and i walked away with bad colds from it but we are so happy to have officially "opened" our little house. Its still got a long way to go but its in shape enough we can sleep there when we go upcountry to visit his family.
Here's some photos of our time upcountry:

This is one of my favorites. Anjela is sitting on my back. She's quite a ham these days. And David is sitting in Betty's lap.

Have no idea what she is sticking her tongue out for

King David himselfI love this picture... Anjela is not sure what to think..but David is having a fun time

Big sis and her little brother in Busia

Anjela with her biological Mom, Nyaseme

Here's our little house...to be continued...

Me, pouring water from the well

Traveling to Busia

2009-04-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to ask you faithful blog readers to pray for us. We are traveling to Busia (all the way on the other side of the country bordering Uganda) to visit Dennis' family including his Mom, brother and sis in law (Anjela's biological parents), and all the other relatives that will show up when we get there. We will also get to meet Anjela's little 5 month old biological brother David for the first time. Its going to be a very interesting time for all of us.We also hope to put some of the main finishing touches on the little house we are building there so that its to the point we can at least stay the night in it. We leave at 5am in the morning (monday) on our long, mostly bumpy and dusty 2 day journey to the other side of the country on the border of Uganda. We will be in Busia for one week and then start traveling back on the 27th, stopping in Nairobi for a few days to follow some of Anjela's adoption paper work. We should be back in Mombasa by the 1st of May. Please please pray for safety for us as we drive. Dennis will be driving most of the way and I will assist as needed. Anjela usually does very well in the car but its a very long journey so even more perseverance is needed. I am also excited that we will be taking my sweet friend Betty along with us. Please pray for safety and that our time in Busia will be a very fun and pleasant time with family and meeting baby David. Also, I am praying it will be a time of REST away from the heat and busyness of our day to day life in Mombasa.

Camera Woes....

2009-04-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

What are we going to do...our camera stopped working completely!!! No Easter pictures this year!! Looks like for the next month until Dennis can go to the States we will have to do without and rely on others to take pictures of Anjela for us...here's a few that were sent to us this week from one of the American gals at the Southeastern Seminary 2+2 classes last month we went to. Hope you enjoy.

Anjela was the loudest and most active and most talkative of them all. And i think she went down that slide over a million times. And as you can see she loves to put on other people's shoes and walk around. Wish you all could see her nowShe's such a big girl and such a drama queen!!! She makes us laugh every single day!

Hmmm...who am I impersonating here??

Bubble time is my favorite time!!

I even like the way they taste. Mama thinks thats disgusting

Here I am sporting my new Southeastern shirt Auntie Kimbo brought me from SEBTS

Wheeeeeeee...

This is my favorite past time....trying on visitors shoes then modeling them around the house

Here's my cheesy grin!

Here's my look when Mama says its time to get off the slide and go home

Clap for me please...

I'm such a big girl..I can do it all by myself

Me and Miss Christin on the seesaw...yeah!!

2009-04-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

For all you faithful Omondi-blog-readers, so sorry its been so long since we've written or sent an email update....life has just gotten away from us. This week i realized just how time flies!!! This week was a "special" week for us as we praise God for His strength, grace and mercy that has carried us through this last year. Yep, on the 2nd of this month we celebrated that we have been back in Kenya exactly one year now. With this one year mark, on the 11th also comes the wonderful 1 year mark that Anjela has lived with us as our daughter. Though still unofficial according to the government, because we are still waiting for the lawyer to call us to court, we praise God for the blessing she has been to us. We could never describe the joy she brings to our family. She is growing so fast and talking so much. She can repeat anything that you tell her to. I think the funniest and most clear thing she says is "don't do that". Sorry we haven't posted any pictures lately. Unfortunately our camera is dead and we are thinking we will have to wait til Dennis comes to the States in May to get a new one.
With the excitement of our one year mark also brings a little sadness to my heart...its been over a year since I've seen my family and most of my dear friends back home in the States. I've really missed you so much. I was really looking forward to coming to the States in May for the Denton Bible Missions Conference but at this point b/c Anjela's adoption is still ongoing most likely Dennis will be coming to the States in May by himself. I am excited for this opportunity he will have but sad as i think about the hugs me and Anjela will miss and sad I will not be able to introduce everyone to Anjela right now while she is so young and at such a funny age. (18 mos now). But through all of this i trust that God has a plan and He knows what's best for all of us. Dennis has to renew his US resident card sometime between Sept and Dec. of this year so we all hope to travel together to the States at the end of the year. Maybe we can celebrate Anjela's 2 year old birthday (Sept 23) with everyone back home. We'll see...----Allison

Traveling to Nairobi

2009-02-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

Please pray for us as we travel to Nairobi for the next week. We fly out tomorrow afternoon. I have been invited by SEBTS and Kimberly Samuel to come and help teach/facilitate the missionary women's class for the new Southeastern Seminary 2+2 wives on the field as their husbands attend their modular classes. Dennis and Anjela will also be going. Dennis will sit in on some of the men's classes and help Dr. Nelson teach some of the cultural classes. Anjela will be in the kids class with the other missionary kids and be loved on by the volunteers coming from the States. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to the fellowship with other M- families. It will be so nice to get away from the heat for a week as well. And the big bonus..we get to spend a week with our dear friend Kimberly Samuel!! (if you dont know her you should...she's been part of our lives since the day Dennis and I first met!) And then she and Dr. Nelson and Graig M. will fly back to Mombasa to spend the weekend in the heat with us before they go back to the States. May this next week be a wonderful time of encouragement for all!

Sore Foot

2009-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

Pray for Allison. She had some minor surgery on my foot a couple days ago. I dont remember if I mentioned that way back in April of last year when we arrived in Kenya I was unpacking our bags and a picture frame had broken and big piece of glass went deep in to my foot. Well it healed but i think a small piece of glass remained because it continued to hurt when I walked. A few months ago a doc tried to open it up and explore but couldn't find anything. It healed over but continued to hurt even worse. This week i finally went and a doc opened it up deeply but couldn't find anything. He removed a bunch of scar tissue that had formed inside and a bunch of other yucky tissue. He sewed it up and i've been in pain since. I went back to the doctor today to make sure it wasn't infected and it wasn't so he gave me a shot of pain medicine (they love giving shots in this country) and some other anti-inflammatories. Praise God I am now better. Looks like i'll be walking with the help of some crutches for the next few days however. We travel to Nairobi tomorrow so this should be interesting. Please pray for quick healing and that this would take care of the annoying foot pain I've had for almost the last year now.

Pray for a Miracle!

2009-02-26T13:57:00.002-08:00

Please Pray for Anjela's adoption. At this point Dennis might be coming to the States to Denton for the annual DBC missions conference in May by himself and Anjela and i will have to stay behind in Kenya for over two weeks. We still can't leave the country with her. We will be so disappointed and this will be very hard on us all. The lawyer keeps coming up with new things we have to do before going to court.Now he is saying we have to get Anjela's biological parents ID cards (which by the way they have never had made.Wish they would have told us this months and months ago.)Getting these IDs could take forever. Dennis has his brother in law working on this for us in Busia. And then even after we go to court we still have to get Anjela a passport and then go to to US Embasay in Nairobi to try to get her a VISA. And this could take forever. And we need to have all this done by May. Its going to take a miracle! Please pray!

Approved to Adopt...but still not yet

2009-02-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

This week we got a call from Little Angels saying that they have approved us as "able to adopt", however they still have to approve us to adopt Anjela. They had their official visit to Busia to visit Anjela's brother and wife (Anjela's biological parents) but they are waiting for the social worker to send her report. Then they will meet again and decide to approve or not approve us legally to adopt Anjela, THEN....we will have to hire a lawyer and go to court...Kenyan court that is...so please please keep praying. It just keeps taking so long!! All of this was suppose to be finished by the end of January..but this is Kenya my friend, what actually gets done on time?!? What was I expecting? Please pray this can all be done quickly so we can get Anjela's passport (another long process) and then a Visa (an yet another process) so we can actually travel by the end of May to be at Denton Bible's mission conference. If we dont have all this completed, Dennis will have to travel to the States by himself and me and Anjela stay behind in Kenya.