Another Good Day

We picked up Asher after breakfast this morning and headed into town. Renee stopped at a small coffee shop called Flavors to try and catch up on correspondence while Asher and I walked around the main street. Every time we stopped at a store front, Asher asked if we could buy Mac, Owen, or Sylvie a gift: “I want to buy Mac that toothbrush” or “I want to take that dress to Sylvie.” It was so cute! (Don’t worry, kids…we did get each of you a little something!)

After our outing, Asher and I headed back to the room. We colored for a little while, worked on a puzzle, and basically just spent quality time together. After a while, we curled up on the bed, stacked all the pillows, and began to watch Aladdin on the computer. I was so tired that I dozed off and on. It was a fun and relaxing time.

Let me tell you, Asher is a piece of work! He loves to organize and straighten, a fact that thrills me! There have been several times that I have been looking for a particular cord only to find it stuffed in a shoe or in my make-up bag. One time I knew that I had packed him a granola bar, but I couldn’t find it. Asher told me he had put it in the puzzle box so it would not get lost. Hilarious! Another thing…he is obsessed with being clean! Every time we come into the room, he asks to brush his teeth or take a bath. I love it! Today he told me he was going to the bathroom, and he came out with wet shoes where he had washed them in the sink. He’s going to fit right in at the Keck house!

There are also several American “customs” that I am trying to teach Asher, and he has been quick to pick up on them. He loves to show off how he can hold a fork the “American” way or how he is learning to put a napkin in his lap. I am trying to teach him the concept of germs, but this might be a harder lesson! He loves to touch and interact with everything, thus my missing telephone cord and power bar. This “Don’t touch that; it can have gems” is a hard lesson for him to learn and one that Renee thinks I should just give up trying to teach at this time. We’ll see how he does over the next few weeks. The major learning curve, though, is Asher’s desire to run off. At Amani the kids are free to walk around and play because the grounds are secure; therefore, Asher is free to go to the bathroom or to go outside and play. As a result, there have many times that he just wanders off without making a sound. This is definitely something I am going to have to work on!

All in all, we are adjusting to our new life quite well. I am so thankful for Auntie Renee, Auntie Suzanne, and Uncle Mike. None of us anticipated all that this trip was going to unfold, but prayerfully God is using it all to refine us. I have seen Jesus in Mike and Suzanne as they have humbly followed where God has led them. Please continue to pray for little Josie’s healing, for God to continue to anoint Mike and Suzanne with discernment, strength, and peace, and for our court date on Sept. 28. It would be wonderful to get our verbal ruling then and nothing short of a miracle to get the written ruling as well. Your prayers are felt, appreciated, and very much needed. Through all of this, we just want to see Jesus lifted up for His glory and our greater good.