Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the late post. Mark and Elizabeth aren't in Kenya. As many of you know, Mark has had some health problems over the last few months. His symptoms continue without any explanation as to what may be causing them. We were hoping and praying that we would still be able to make the trip but on the morning we were scheduled to leave, we made the very difficult decision not to go. The uncertainty of Mark's health was just too much to take with us overseas for 8 weeks.
The team we were supposed to lead is in Kenya right now and doing well. Two of the teammates who went to Kenya in previous years have stepped up to lead the trip and MTW is sending a staff member periodically to check on them and help with any problems.
Our plan is to make the trip next summer instead. Please pray for the team as they minister in Kenya and for us as we continue to seek answers in regards to Mark's health. Thank you for the support you have shown us as we prepared for the trip and came to this decision.


PS Some questions have come up as to exactly what is pictures in the ultrasound pictures we posted. The top picture is a frontal view of the baby's face and arms. The chicken wing looking thing on the top is the baby's right arm with his/her fingers near the face. At the tip of the fingers you can see the baby's right eye and if you can find that, you can pick out the nose and left eye. The second picture is the baby's open mouth (the dark spot in the center of the white blob on the right). The other white blob on the left is the baby's torso. Hope that helps.

ULTRASOUND PICS...HOT OFF THE UTERUS!



Check out a couple photos from the ultrasound today. Our baby did some good kicking and punching while on the monitor. We were asked to "look away" a few times so we wouldn't accidentally find out the sex. Nike (baby's nickname) yawned a couple of times...you can see his open mouth in the second pic. It was much more interesting as a video.

26 Days Left!

Hard to believe that we'll be on the ground in Nairobi in only 26 days. One impact of modern air travel is that you can travel half way around the world to a completely different culture literally overnight. This type of system shock wasn't so abrupt 100 years ago when it would take 2-3 months just to get to Kenya. In some ways, it would be nice to have a several week time of gradual transition, although I'm sure it wouldn't be so pleasant crossing the Atlantic by sea.

This week, as most of our logistical preparations are complete, we'll really be turning our attention more to spiritual preparation. This is long overdue, but we're only listening to the Enemy if we dwell on our own past sin. Extended times of prayer are what we need now...and we need to ask God to "help our unbelief" regarding this trip.

In other news, we are SO thankful that Elizabeth is feeling much better of late. Her morning sickness is now confined to the morning, while during the rest of the day she feels well. Her energy and mood have returned to normal, which is a huge blessing! She is also finishing her last few days of work at Hopkins. This is a bittersweet time, as she is leaving a job that she loves dearly. But, we look forward to being together more and being on the same schedule for a change.

Finally, here's one sight I look forward to seeing again soon: