Holiday Pictures

As many of you know, I was incredibly blessed by a visit from my parents this past week. We had a wonderful time and truly got to 'get away' for a while. Our time in Swakop and Etosha was lovely, and I've posted some pictures HERE if you'd like to see some of what we did :)
Enjoy

Year in review...

Well, I figured if a picture is worth a thousand words, I could say a lot with a little 'review' of the year with pics that highlight some of my favorite memories. So here we go...

Don't know if I can honestly say the studying part of the picture below was noteworthy, but the better part of my spring semester was spent doing just that - hitting the books with fun friends at our favorite study spot :)


We finally made it to graduation day on May 2nd - woohoo! Here is Kate, Meg, and I recreating a picture we took at our induction into nursing school:

To celebrate graduating, Meg, Carrie and I took an amazing trip to Chicago for a few days and had a blast exploring! Here we are at Millenium Park:
Birthday celebration with the Besties at the lake was a memorable few days with lots of laughs and loads of fun! This pic was post-scanoe competition :)
I spent my summer working at Lifetime and nannying Lo, Nay, and Adrienne Bailey, which was a blast! I love these kids!
The end of June brought a trip to Cleaveland to visit my friend Laura doing an internship there. It was so much fun to see her and explore 'little Italy' with her!
July 19th brought a very special day as I got to stand up next to my dear friend Amy in her wedding. She was a beautiful bride!!
I also got to spend a week at Young Life's Castaway Club Camp in MN with some awesome girls from Southeast High School in Lincoln. This was a wonderful way to end my years with these girls (whom I miss dearly!!) Here we are before our team volleyball competition:
August 29th my dear friends Dave and Rivers welcomed their second beautiful baby girl into the world, Lydia Rivers... who has already grown SO much!!!

One of my last weeks here Katie, Kris, Emily and I took a little trip to Lawrence for a night out/ concert... I laughed so hard I cried this night!
September 8th brought a tear-filled goodbye at the airport with my parents as I headed off for Namibia (apparently we decided to be 'team green' this day...)
My time here so far has provided me with some unforgettable memories, and growing experiences that I pray the Lord will continue to unpack in my heart for years to come. Here's me with my favorite Martin ;)
Here's Kristen and I in Swakopmund, Namibia at the sand dunes on holiday with my parents! 2008 was a wild year - filled with mountain top highs and rocky hard times. Through it all God has continued to be my sustainance, and sole source of joy when I felt I had nothing to be 'happy' about. He has grown my passion for his glory, his story, and his people, and I pray that these passions will grow exponentially in 2009 as well.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year!
Much Love,
Mackenzie

Children's Home Pics

Hello! I have posted some pictures of our week at the Children's Home in Windhoek HERE. We had a wonderful week and I think the kids did too!
I hope you and your family have a blessed Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

These verses have been running through my head all week. The significance of each of the names Christ was given before he was born overwhelms my heart. God knew exactly who he was sending before he came as a baby. Christ has been so faithful to fulfill each one of these names in my life throughout the past 4 months. I have had days when I had no idea what to do or where to turn and God was my Wonderful Counselor, he gave me wisdom, insight, and guidance in each moment I needed it. As he has directed and led me here I have become aware that he is Mighty God in my life. He has never left me, and has been strong and faithful through the many ups and downs. Just this week at the Children’s Home I got to see his fulfilling his role as Everlasting Father to the many orphans we worked with. They may not know the love of an earthly father, but they do have a heavenly father whose perfect love can fill them completely. Lastly, he truly has been my Prince of Peace. On a continent where ‘peace’ is not what rules, I am so grateful for the perfect measure of peace he gives my heart each day to make it through.

I hope and pray that the names of Christ come alive in your heart this Christmas season, as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior… Merry Christmas!

Much Love,

Mackenzie

Fish River Canyon

This past week I had the opportunity to go on a little road trip to a few places in southern Namibia. It was a wonderful time! Kristen, Heidi, Catherine, and myself packed into a bakkie (small pickup) and traveled to Fish River Canyon. It was an amazing sight - breathtakingly beautiful! The silence from the top was unmatched! We were disappointed to find out you are only allowed to hike in the canyon with a guide during the months of April-September because of the heat, but were still able to hike around the top and catch some unforgettable views such as this one:

Me at the Canyon... it's the second largest canyon in the World!
Thursday we were able to spend the day canoing down the Orange River, which was a blast! Here is Catherine and I before we started the trek:
On the drive back, we stopped at a place called 'Giants Playground', and climbed some rocks - here I am at the top :)This week we'll be in Windhoek running a Christmas program at a Children's Home. We'll have around 15 kids who are left at the orphanage for the holiday, and will be spending the day doing songs, crafts, games, and bible stories with them - should make for a great week!
I hope that as the Christmas season is approaching quickly, the Lord is setting your heart in awe of the magnificent birth of Christ!

Much Love,
Mackenzie

Longing to be Used

“This is true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy” (George Bernard Shaw)

Oh how I long for my life to be used up for a mighty purpose. God is the only giver of life, and while he certainly doesn’t need us, he still wants us. We were made to seek and serve him.

More from Windhoek next week.

Much Love,

Mackenzie

Christmas at Lebensschule

This Tuesday we celebrated Christmas at Lebensschule. It was a blast, and very fun to see the kids excited and the teachers working hard to make the day special.

Steph, one of the girls on my team (who we are sadly saying goodbye to this weekend!) was able to buy a new outfit for each of the kids. This was quite an exciting thing for them as many of them have only a couple articles of clothing.

Here are the kids opening their presents:

This is a picture of Steph and I with some of the kids in their new outfits… so exciting :)


This is a picture of me with the teachers who work there

I was able to give each kid a jar of peanut butter to take home for the break with some money from my family (Thanks!) Many of the kids eat only what we feed them at school, so access to food is a struggle for many of them when school is not in session.

Here is Clinton with his jar!

On Thursday I got to go to Kwakwas Primary School where Kristen has been teaching. It was really fun to see where she spends her days, and they had a special Christmas Program on Thursday. The school is sponsored by Coca-Cola among a few other places, so they each received small gifts as well after a special visit from ‘Father Christmas’. You should check out Kristen’s blog at the link to the right for more fun pictures.

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. I know I am truly grateful for how far the Lord has brought me, and that He continues to sustain me daily!

Much Love,

Mackenzie

Pictures

We had to say goodbye this morning to two members of the 'original 6' U.S. girls. Cathi and Alli (front row in blue and back row in brown) headed to Windhoek for de-brief, and will be flying out tomorrow. We will miss them dearly, and Rehoboth certainly won't feel the same without them!














Last weekend we had the fabulous priviledge of going to one of two 'cinemas' in all of Namibia to see High School Musical 3. We were able to take the Rowell girls, as well as two of the Rineer's girls (Christy is pictured here). We had quite the day and loved the movie :)


















This is Luzelle and Fabiola, who live at the hostel at Rehoboth High School that Kristen and I have been spending time at. They are awesome girls who are totally interested in learning more about the Lord, and a huge source of joy in ministry here!













This is Nadiene. She's about 3 and has Tuberculosis. We brought some pipe cleaners last week to occupy our down time and she wanted to make some glasses... pretty cute :)

Perspectives

My perspective on how things are going here changes on a daily (sometimes hourly!) basis. Some days I feel like things are really great: like God is near and at work in the people around me, and that he is growing me in really refreshing ways. Other days are a bit harder, and include feelings of hopelessness and heaviness, frustration at language barriers, and inability to share life giving words with people I meet. And while I certainly don’t enjoy the up and down roller coaster of these feelings, I have found beauty in one thing: my feelings are only my perspective of what is going on around me. Truth tells me that God is near whether I feel him or not. God is at work in the hearts of people here in Rehoboth whether I see the fruit of it or not. God is working out his Sovereign purposes here, and it is a privilege to be a part of it, and even get glimpses of it as he sees fit to reveal it to me. And so in times when my feelings don’t align with truth (which is more often than I wish!), I plead with the Lord to give me a Kingdom perspective: his eyes, his heart, his wisdom, his responses… and I will continue to plead for these things as long as I am on this journey of sanctification.

Turkey Day and Theatre Room

Last Saturday evening my team celebrated Thanksgiving a little early, but definitely in as traditional of a fashion as we could arrange. They don’t sell turkey here, so we went with chicken instead, but were able to have green bean casserole and pumpkin pie thanks to my mom who sent the supplies for us! It was quite a feast, and we had wonderful fellowship around the table talking about how grateful we are for who the Lord is, and what he has done in each of our lives.

From the left: Bernie (who joined us last week from the Republic of Ireland and will be in Rehoboth for 6 months), MollyBea, Me, and Alli:

It was a wonderful evening, and though it could never replace being at home and sitting around the table with my blood family, God has been good to provide a family-like feeling among us here.

On Wednesday, I got to spend some time in the ‘theatre room’ (or operating room as we would call it) at the hospital. I started helping a doctor at his clinic in town this week, and he welcomed me to help in the ‘theatre’ where he operates 3 days a week. I was a little leery of what the conditions would be like given the questionable hygiene and sanitation of the rest of the hospital, but was quite impressed by the sterility of things there.

Here I am all scrubbed up and ready to go:

*Only if you’re medically interested: One of the surgeries I saw was an old-school appendectomy. Quite interesting to watch them pull out the intestines looking for the appendix, as in the States it would all be done through a scope. All of the surgeries were considerably more bloody than they are in the States, as there are no cauterizing instruments used, only blades and scissors. One thing that really made me chuckle was the involvement of the surgeons in the process… they did everything! From putting in the IV, to anesthesia, to helping transport the patient to recovery after the procedure was finished, the surgeons did it all. Never seen that happen in the U.S. ;)

I hope you are doing well!

Much Love,

Mackenzie

Okahandja

On Tuesday morning I woke up extra early and headed to Okahandja, a town about 2 hours North of Rehoboth, with a woman named Crystal, who works for an organization called ‘Orange Babies’. Orange Babies sponsors 5 orphanages and many other projects throughout Namibia, and is headquartered in Windhoek. So after making the journey to WH to get supplies, we headed further North to Okahandja, where we helped run a little ‘clinic’ at a settlement camp for displaced Namibians. Orange Babies has been distributing food and formula to parents in the settlement camp, and to ensure that the parents are not selling the food, the children who receive it are asked to come to a clinic once a month to be weighed, measured, and generally checked out. I got to help out with this process, seeing over 200 kids in a few short hours. I gave out vitamins and de-worming (kills intestinal parasites, etc.) medication, which will hopefully help the kids gain weight and absorb more nutrients.

Here is the table of deworming meds right as the clinic opened:

And here is the after picture:

Needless to say my hand was stained red afterward from opening so many of those little bottles! Trying to force little kids to swallow medicine they don’t want to took me back to my Peds clinical days, wiping the medicine off my face, out of my hair, etc. as it was spit back out at me by one little mouth after another :)

I had to say goodbye to Martin, who I’ve grown to love, this week at the hospital. He was being taken to Windhoek, by who I assume was Social Services. It was harder than I thought it would be to say goodbye to his precious face, and not knowing what he was headed to made it all the more difficult. But it was good to have the opportunity to pray over him before he left, that God would protect his vulnerable heart, that he would come to know and love the Lord at an early age, and that he would walk with Him all the days of his life.

Kristen returned to Namibia yesterday, after being gone at her brother’s wedding for the last 10 days, and what a welcomed return it was! It certainly wasn’t the same without her here, and it was so fun to have her back and get to hear all the stories of fun had by the old YAMS crew in Texas!

Happy early Birthday Dad… wish I could be there to help you celebrate!!

Much Love,

Mackenzie

Buy A Donkey

Okay, so really the phrase is spelled ‘Baie Dankie’… but that is exactly how it sounds! It means ‘Thank You!’ in Afrikaans, and always makes me laugh hearing people say it to one another.

Anyways, I just wanted to send a BIG ‘Baie Dankie’ to my Grandpa, who for his birthday asked for donations for the soup kitchen, and to feed people here. I have been able to buy more meat for the porridge, carrots, and potatoes. I have also been able to get apples each week for the kids at Lebensschule, who in many cases are not fed outside of what they are given at school. Many thanks also go out to my family who gave money… it will be put to use feeding people for months to come!! Thanks again!

Here is a picture of some of the kids we served this week – they all run to the tent straight from school to get their bowls filled with soup:

Also, the rainy season officially began last week! It has been a glorious relief from the intense heat, and I have been thrilled for the moisture in the air. It has rained nearly every day since it started, bringing clouds with it, but the rain only lasts about an hour before clearing off. Reminds me of Colorado rains. Because it rains hard and the sun returns quickly, there are rainbows almost every day. This is a picture of one I saw outside my window on Wednesday… isn’t it beautiful!Much Love,
Mackenzie

Repaving Roads

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that a system that produces beggars needs to be repaved. We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to think, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I read this quote earlier this week and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Jesus showed compassion by teaching people, feeding them, listening to them, touching them and countless other acts throughout the gospels. We are commanded to ‘put on’ compassion (Col 3:12). So what does this look like in the context that I currently find myself in? That is the question I have been wrestling with.

I want to help ‘repave the roads’ of Rehoboth. The ‘system’ here seems to have produced a lot of things, but souls filled with the life and joy of the Lord because he is seen as the treasure he is is not one of them. While I know that I will not be here long enough to see the entire road repaved, I desperately desire to be a part of laying a few bricks, that will hopefully spur a few more to do the same, and so on and so on.

So what does compassion look like? I could just give the children outside the shop here a dollar or a piece of bread or an apple. The hunger in their bellies would be temporarily satiated, but what about the hunger in their souls? In some instances, I walk away, frustrated at my lack of ability to communicate with the person… at my missed opportunity to share the bread of life with them… and I know that our interaction was not in vain, but to leave any sort of lasting impact on these people, I must be giving them something that can fill them more than just temporarily. That is the compassion I long to show to the people of Rehoboth: the compassion of Jesus, that unites acts of mercy, grace and kindness with life-giving, truth-soaked, soul-sustaining words. Please pray for wisdom and discernment, as I seek to learn how to best do that in this town.

A bit of this... a bit of that

Here are a few random things I have been up to over the last week or so:

- Last Saturday the girls on my team and I got to head back to Windhoek for the first time since orientation. It was such a fun day. WH is a bigger city, as I have mentioned, and we got to spend time at a mall, involving eating ice cream at 10:30 am (hey, we were excited!!) Overall it was a fun-filled, refreshing get away, which I was very thankful for!

- Ruth Rowell, who has been here with her husband and two youngest daughters, returned to the UK to be with one of their older daughters who has been ill since they left. She is missed by all already, and we are praying for a safe, speedy return.

- Kristen and I have continued to spend time with the girls living at the hostel at Rehoboth High School, and it has been SO good! Below is a picture of Taimi, myself, and Fabiola, who I have been able to spend great time and conversation with.

- Things at the hospital are continuing to go well. I really enjoy my time there, and the babies we have been caring for are starting to get to know us, which is really fun. I added a few more pictures, with little stories as captions if you want to check them out, click the slide show on the right.

- Also, Kristen will be headed back to the good ‘ol U.S. of A. on Tuesday of this week to join friends and family for the wedding of her brother Matt to his fiancée Shea. Pray for safe travels, and an enjoyable time while she is away… she will be missed!

Well, I think that about rounds it up. Hope all is well with you.

Much Love,
Mackenzie

Slowly but surely...

I think I've figured out how to get a web album, and have tried to upload some pictures onto it. Right now, they are just ones from the hospital, but I'll try to put up more as I go. Hopefully if you click on the mini-slideshow to the right it will take you to the cite!

Adventure in Africa

On Monday afternoon, we took a little ride in the back of an open-air truck to see some paintings on a rock just south of town. This is the landscape as we drove:

The vastness of the desert really is quite breathtaking!

We shared the road with horse drawn carts…

And were careful of the donkeys on the side of the road…

These were some of the incredible rock formations we saw:

I think the ones on top look so cool… like they are perched up there!

More of the rocks – they just ask to be climbed!!

Kristen and I on the rocks :)

Thats all for now...
Much Love,
Mackenzie

Divine Appointments

You know those days and times when you are so aware that God, in his sovereignty, plans out each interaction and conversation you have? I was blessed with a week of just that… divine appointments. Let me elaborate:

On Tuesday, Kristen and I headed over to Rehoboth High School with the hopes of meeting some students there that we would be able to build relationships with. We prayed the whole walk there that God would draw us to the right group of students, and that doors would be open for conversations, and God answered our prayers in huge ways. We had no more than walked in the gate, and a group of three girls were sitting on the sidewalk. We asked if we could sit with them, they graciously agreed, and friendships that I hope will last the duration of our time here were born. It turned out that Malorye, Toniyella, and Rachel were waiting for the Rowell family to return to their flat so they could braid Jaydon and Courtney’s (the 2 younger girls) hair. We got to sit and talk with them while they did so, and even had the privilege of hearing them sing! (I tried to post a short video of this here, although i'm not sure if it will work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_M9LU3q6oU) Absolutely divine.

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to visit with a young girl in the hospital that was brought to Rehoboth on Tuesday for her safety. She has later staged AIDS, a few infections, and found out upon admittance that she is 4 months pregnant. She was hungry for company and conversation, and we got to talk some about what was coming next and what led her to the situation she is in (the hurts seemed woven into every thread of her life). As I prayed for this girl, her unborn baby, her heart, her worth, and her void only Jesus can fill she wept uncontrollably. I was able to continue to visit her each day and got to share the gospel with her on Friday. Please pray for her and continued healing in her body, mind, and spirit. Absolutely divine.

I could continue… but for now I will leave it at that :)

These pictures really have nothing at all to do with the post, but they’re always fun :)

This is Alli (the other RN) and myself at what we think is the best street in Windhoek :)


This is Mudder, who helps run the 'soup kitchen' on Wednesdays. You pretty much can see all that there is. The table to the left is where we prepare all the meat and vegetables, and the pot on the right is where the cooking happens. Here she is getting ready to 'stir the big pot' :)

Much Love,
Mackenzie

Settling In

Mora…Good morning!

As I sit here, I feel like I’m at a loss for where to begin… everything and nothing comes to mind all at the same time. There are so many feelings and emotions behind stories that seem so unable to be articulated that I feel like attempting it would cheapen the reality. I don’t really know what is considered ‘blog-worthy’, so bare with me as I’ll hopefully get better as time goes on :)

This week looked quite similar to last in terms of how my days were filled. I got to spend time with a few homebound patients, work at the soup kitchen and spend a few days at Lebensschule (LS).

On Thursday I brought a little craft to do with the kids there, and here is a picture of me, Harold, Eldine, and Endonsia working on it:

Like I mentioned last week, doing projects with these kids is so amazing – there is no ‘right way’ to do art, and however it turns out, it’s their creation. I wish I could convey the looks and smiles that overcome the faces of these kids when they are encouraged and affirmed… it really is priceless!

Here are Clinton (L) and Harold with their finished products:

I love those faces!

There is one little girl at LS, in particular, that has been pulling on my heartstrings since I first saw her. Her name is Audrey and she is 4 ½ years old. She had meningitis as an infant, along with TB, and as a result, is still wearing size 3-6 months clothing. She is malnourished, has seizures, a protruding VP shunt, and a myriad of other issues, but her eyes are captivating and I can’t help but hold her close to me whenever possible. Here is a picture of her and I sitting outside in the shade… from what I can tell, she can see (they tell me she’s blind, but she tracks quite well), so I like to show her the world ;)

Personally, I’m doing well, and ready to jump in head first at the hospital on Monday (tune in next week to see if I’m still treading water!). Kristen and I are also hoping to partner with the Rowell family to meet and develop relationships with the high school students who live in the hostel at the school. They have free time from about 4:30-7 every evening, and typically hang out around the courtyard and field behind the school, with no where to go and very little options of things to do. As we spend time there, we are praying that relationships will be quickly established with great depth and opportunities to share the gospel, so please join us in prayer about that!

The team here in Rehoboth is incredible and I have been so blessed by our Sunday afternoon meetings. I can’t remember what I’ve already shared, so I’ll bring you up to speed- here is Rehoboth we currently have:

• the Rowell family, hailing from Coventry, England, including Paul who is teaching at the HS, Ruth, who often works at Lebensschule, and their two wonderful daughters Jaydon (11) and Courtney (9)
• Catherine, from England as well, is teaching at a farm school outside of Rehoboth. She has a few years teaching experience under her belt, is a wonderful source of creative ideas, and is a blast to be around!
• Heidi, from Mannitoba, Canada, who is teaching at a farm school about an hour from Rehoboth (unfortunately, none of our 3 teachers are at the same school!). She has been here a year and will be here for about a year more!
• Steph, also from Canada, has been working at Lebensschule since last October, and has been a wonderful bridge onto that scene. Sadly, she will be heading home shortly.
• Then there’s my smaller team, which I’m sure you’re acquainted with by now ;)

Here is a pic of the group at our meeting last Sunday at the Rowell’s flat at the hostel:

L to R: Cathi, Paul and Ruth Rowell, Steph, Me, Kristen, Catherine, Heidi (on floor), Jaydon and Courtney. This was after a meeting at the Rowell’s flat at the hostel.

Well, for ‘not having much to say’, I’ve certainly written a lot ;) Hope you enjoy the weekend!

Much Love,

Mackenzie

Hoe gaan dit

Hello! Hoe gaan dit? (pronounced ‘Ooh hond it… that means ‘how are you’ in Afrikaans) J ‘Goed’ (said ‘hood’ like you might be clearing your throat) means good, and thats what I hope you are! Another week was successfully completed, and I am excited for some rest this weekend. This week was interesting, as my days were filled with a variety of things, and it is still difficult to grasp what my weekly routine will look like. There is a Doctor (John) and a Nurse (Margaret) who will be plugging Alli and I into the hospital here in Rehoboth, but John is on leave until October 1st, and Margaret is in Windhoek for a conference until October 3rd, so I will not be jumping into that scene until then. In the mean time, we have made a few home visits to patients with TB, HIV, and paralysis. These have been interesting, as I am quickly realizing not as many older people speak English as I had been anticipating. Another issue that I foresee remaining an obstacle throughout my time here is the lack of information about people’s medical status that is available. 2 of the patients I visited were paralyzed (I assume), but no one knows why, or what their prognosis is, which makes it difficult to plan care appropriately. I guess this is what all that ‘critical thinking’ in nursing school was about ;) On Wednesdays I will be working at a ‘soup kitchen’ (involving a small tent, a large pot, and an open field) that the church in Rehoboth sponsors. It was a sobering experience for sure, to see the reality of children and adults alike in this town who are willing to go to great lengths for a hot meal. There are 3 women who work together preparing the meal, and I will continue to work beside them on a weekly basis. Pray that language barriers would be broken so that this time would be spent effectively. The rest of my days have been spent somewhere unexpected: Lebensschule. Lebensschule is a center for children in Rehoboth who are handicapped or disabled. There are about 20 children who come on a daily basis who’s functional and cognitive abilities vary hugely, and they are such special children. My heart is easily captured by their smiles, laughs, and small hands in mine. Below are some pictures of the center and the kids. I’m praying I’ll be able to spend 1-2 days a week here loving on these kids who need attention and interaction desperately. Personally, I am doing better and feeling more adjusted each day. It has been one of the most difficult transitions I’ve ever experienced. For so many reasons, leaving home was something I grieved, and more than once I have felt that I do not have the faith or strength to continue on here, and then I am reminded that this is how faith is built: by stepping out, trusting the Lord, and being dependent on him alone to sustain me. Psalm 121 has been read many a time this past week, and God has allowed me to experience peace through faith in Jesus (Rom 5:1). Well, that’s about all for now. I’m thinking I’ll try to update this once a week, and it will probably be Saturdays :)
Much love Mackenzie
… enjoy a few pictures…




This is Omaanna. She walked over 30 minutes for a hot meal at the ‘soup kitchen’. She said next week she would curl her hair so that people in America could see there are beautiful women in Africa who are 98 years old!!

Here is a picture of some of the kids at Lebensschule. I want to introduce you to all of them individually, but I will do it over time J The little girl in Pink in the top left corner is Tamela, and a precious ray of sunshine!!

Clinton is about 4 and while I think he is developmentally appropriate cognitively, it is hard to get an accurate idea. Clinton is non-verbal because his tongue is fused to the bottom of his mouth. Watching him play is a blast!!

Rodney and I have become quick buddies, and I must admit, I'm quite partial to him :) I love how excited he gets when he is stimulated – this is the face he makes when I wiggle my fingers in front of his face!!

Lulu with her art project. Doing activities with these kids is so much fun because they haven’t had much exposure to it, and often I’m guessing don’t feel successful at much. To watch them beam after completing their pictures was priceless.

Well, thats all for now!