When my parents came to visit us recently, our souls were filled. We spent two whole weeks catching up, playing games, driving around Kenya, making food from scratch, and having an all-around good time. Our boys reconnected with their grandparents, which meant extra attention and lots of book-reading, and Caleb has since asked us several times, "Which day are we going back to Michigan?" because having a great time with Grandma and Grandpa forces such questions to emerge. It was sooooo good to have them here!
When my parents came to visit, they helped us a lot. They pitched in with washing dishes, changing diapers, entertaining kiddos, and even helped with the Preschool class I'm teaching. My dad pulled out his piñata-making skills and helped create two heart-shaped piñatas for a Valentine's party for the kids, which they loved! I could never have pulled this off by myself with ten kids.
When my parents came to visit, they learned a lot about our life here. It was wonderful to give them a glimpse into our daily life, like homeschooling and living in community and finding chameleons and knowing where to get water when our filter isn't filtering fast enough. Eli also gave them a lengthy tour of the hospital, which helped them better understand the work of a missionary doctor. They ate ugali and sukumawiki, they visited a local church with us and saw chickens auctioned off, they slept under a mosquito net, and they laughed at how often a cow would block our path on the road. It was a true slice of life in Kenya, and it meant a lot to us for them to see and understand this life of ours.
When my parents came to visit, we went on safari! No trip to Kenya is sufficient without going on safari. Some of God's greatest creations live here in East Africa. It's marvelous to behold, truly. And we live less than two hours away from Maasai Mara, which makes it relatively easy and convenient to enjoy a safari and see these beautiful creatures and landscapes up close.
When my parents came to visit, it felt a little like home. Because, as we continue to say, "Whenever we're together, we're home." We're so thankful for the blessed time we had with them, and it was hard to say goodbye and realize anew that we won't see them again for over a year from now, but we're thankful for what we can get - and we got two weeks together! Furthermore, before my parents left Kenya, Eli's parents bought plane tickets to visit us in a few months also, which helped to ease this goodbye since there'll be another hello coming soon. We thank God for parents who are able and willing to come all this way, and we thank God for the memories made!
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