Tuesday, May 22, 2012

We have arrived in Uganda!!

We know you all have been anxious to see some pictures so here they are!!!
(Remember, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger if you want!)

Carrying 20 boxes out of the U-Haul and into the airport is not a small task. Good thing my hubby has strong muscles (and a strong dad to help!).

All of our luggage ready to be checked in!

The little Zai man was excited about his first international flight!

Having a snack...he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to eat on that big noisy airplane thing.

One last walk with Poppy.

Last family picture in the U.S.! About to board our plane.
Isaiah slept the entire first flight....and woke up with a crazy hairdo!

He was such a good traveller. We were so proud of him. He seriously was amazing!

Some friends of our who live in London picked us up and we spent our 10 hour layover with them. It was Martin's birthday!

The Durham family...  London's finest! It was so great to see them!

This is the first day we arrived in Kampala. Isaiah was so exhausted he just passed out on our bed and didn't move a muscle!

He was so tired yet still such a good boy the first day.

At breakfast the next morning Isaiah was fascinated watching the workers build.

The view from our guesthouse.

Isaiah loves this dog. Her name is Mimi! He's leaning in for a kiss here.

"Ewww mom, she licked me!"

Leaning in for another kiss.
"Oh man! She licked me again!"

So....Isaiah has started making super silly faces whenever we say, "Isaiah, Smile!" Apparently, this is his "smile." We're going have to work on it....

"Ok, Isaiah, smile again!" Oh dear....

And...one more time!

The guesthouse we are staying in until we find a place to live.

Driving our new car for the first time. Good thing Drew is a GREAT driver. The roads here are small, there's lots of traffic, and they drive on the left side of the road!

This was quite the road. We weren't sure we'd make it back up!

Exploring Kampala.

We are using our map alot! It's going to take us a while to learn our way around here.

Traffic comes from all directions!

Notice the cows in front of the gas station...


I love this little man. He can sleep through anything...even crazy traffic.

Not so much for me....Haha!

Such a sweet boy.

The view from one of the houses we looked at to rent.


"Isaiah, smile." Looks like he's getting the hang of this. We're improving! =)

Our new vehicle! A Toyota Rav 4. A HUGE thank you to those of you who contributed towards our car fund. We raised enough money to purchase this great car which will be a wonderful help to us during our time here.

Well, we know you mainly wanted to see pictures but we'll post a small update as well. =)

Things have been going so well since we arrived! Isaiah has adjusted extremely well. From the first night we were here he slept his normal 12-13 hours straight through the night and a 2 hour nap during the day. Praise the Lord! None of us really had any trouble with jetlag- we have all taken the time change (7 hours ahead) very well.

Another praise is that we were able to purchase our car the day after we arrived. We got a wonderful deal on a great car and it was such a blessing to get wheels so soon after arriving. It has really helped us do many things since we have been here. Thank you to those of you who gave so that we could afford this vehicle! We are so grateful!

Drew has been able to meet several of the people from IJM already. We are hoping to visit the field office tomorrow so Isaiah and I can meet everyone. We are so excited to be a part of this great team and begin doing the work God has called us to.

Next on our to-do list is to find a place to live. We have looked at many houses and apartments. Now, we just need to figure out which one would be the best setup for us. We feel like we're on House Hunters International! =)

Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! We will update again soon!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Our last day in the US!

The time has come! The day is here! Today is the day we board our plane and head to Uganda!!!!!  Our flight leaves at 9:20 pm, we have an approximate 8 hour flight to London, a 10 hour layover in London, and then another 8 1/2 hours to Entebbe, Uganda!

Before we head out we wanted to leave you with some pictures from our time here in Florida. We have had a wonderful time visiting friends and family these past two weeks. We have been blessed in so many unexpected ways and we have been confirmed in our calling.
Please pray for safe travels for us and that we would settle in quickly in Kampala. Hopefully you will hear from us again soon!
Wonder what he's thinking about?

Isaiah and Gigi were a great pair when we all went bowling!


We love this little man so much.

Zai and his cousin, Gavin have a wonderful Grandpoppy!!!

Zai and Gavin loved taking a bath together. =)

Cheesy smile. =)


Isaiah and Maryella had fun in St. Augustine!!


We got to spend a lot of time with our good friends Riley and Casey and sweet Maryella! We LOVE them!

Already driving his own car!

His first haircut where he sat on the chair all by himself... What a big boy!

Visiting Aunt Hazel.
Being prayed over by our sweet friends and family at our goodbye party!

Our bittersweet goodbye party. =(

Isaiah loves his poppy.

Saying goodbye to everyone.

The party tuckered Isaiah out!
Love all of these sweet women.

Isaiah and his friend, Josh had fun at the party!

Zai and Gigi at Frannie's birthday party.

He wanted the princesses off of the cake! =) Already going after the ladies.

Happy Early Birthday, Frannie! So glad we could celebrate with you!

Celebrating Drew's birthday!

Happy Early Birthday, Drew!

This little man loves him some oreos!!!!!!!!!!