Day 1 of Eight Days with the Nephews!

The long awaited day is here!  Troy and Matthew (my nephews from Kansas) arrived this afternoon.  As we were sitting around the table today, Tom mentioned how unbelievable it was to have some of our extended family with us.  I'm thinking and hoping this will only be a start of a series of visits from our loved ones!  We've been anticipating this visit since it was just a dream last summer and our own kids have been so eager for their cousins to experience some of the Africa they know and love and carry in their hearts and a life that is so difficult to explain to one who has never set foot on African soil.  One daughter was text-ing numerous times throughout the afternoon to see if they'd arrived YET.  Another said she could hardly concentrate on her teaching because her mind was always with her cousins who "should be arriving now and seeing their first sights of her beloved homeland."

So... they (the nephews) gave me permission to follow their week "on blog".  They are hoping it will answer all the questions their moms will have and they won't have to explain/talk too much when they get home!  I'm hoping it will serve as a "conversation helper" as they seek to find the words to describe the sights and smells of their visit. Our internet has been unbearably and unusually slow these days so we hope the blogging will go forth as planned.

Air France arrived with them as scheduled at 4:23 pm.  We sent Porter #16 inside the baggage room with a sign indicating that they were to follow him, since we were only allowed as far as the parking lot.  The porter called to say that he'd found them so we knew they would come out sooner or later.  It was "later"  but they walked out smiling with all their luggage piled on the cart.  It's not permissible to take photos at the airport so couldn't get that one, but we were so glad to see them.

Our faithful taxi-man Moussa transported us and the luggage home.  About a block from our home we saw a bright orange stocking cap suspended on a pole at the gas station advertising Midwest seed.  Gordon, we'll settle up later.  Our neighbor wears it morning and evening in this "cold" weather.

I was amused by the variety of suitcases the family found to send.  One of the zippers broke in transit so the whole thing arrived in a large plastic bag.  My favorite was the one sealed with baling wire and duct tape!  Ingenious.  That's a keeper.

Of course, it was the contents of the suitcases that interested us and they were filled to capacity with good and glorious things. It was definitely Christmas in January.  Many thanks to Florene and Terry for all your work. 

Later that evening, Tom had Bible study with a couple of students on our porch so they were the happy recipients of a couple of farm hats the boys had brought.  (Ernie, don't look too closely, I hear they came from your stash!!!)

What fun we are having catching up on their lives as well as them learning about ours.
More tomorrow.