Thoughts

I woke up this morning early and didn't want to wake Jan, so I put the MP3 earphones in my ears and settled down to listen to some music. And on the second song, I began to weep. It's a song called simply "Jesus..." by Rich Mullins. Oh, it touched me so deeply. If you get a chance, find it somewhere and listen. You will be blessed. The heart's deepest desire is to be a part of Jesus' story, and to have Him whisper to us our part in His story, and to know we are His. After this beginning, all the rest of this day can be terrible, and it will still be okay. But it won't be terrible.

Bibi and Zawadi came for a few days. They arrived yesterday on the ferry from Dar es Salaam. "Bibi" is Swahili for grandmother, and she's Florence, Bob's mother. Zawadi is Bob's niece. Her name means "gift." She truly is. She's 8 years old, and she helps out tremendously with Gilbert. She plays with him and entertains him and watches him, a truly priceless gift. She also likes to play with my hair. I'm tickled at feeling a little hand in my hair, on my neck, even in my ears. Jan gave Zawadi a lock of her hair before she left. Bibi is also a precious gift, bringing helping hands with dishes and cooking, and helping to discipline Gilbert.

We said good-bye to Jan several hours ago, as she got on the airplane that was to take her back to Nairobi, Kenya, then to Amsterdam, and finally to Dallas. She loved her time here, and is taking back many pictures and videos of her time in Zanzibar for "my friend Connie." Pray for her to have a safe journey. She was a great assistant at Wilberforce's birth. She found out what Ashlea already knows, that you work hard as a midwife's assistant. And I truly am thankful for our time together. And I think that she encouraged Bob and Rachael with her presence and her laughter and her love.

This morning we all had a time of worship together, something I've been looking forward to, but what with the move, and swimming, and cooking, and the birth, we haven't done. So it was precious. We all shared, we sang some, and we prayed, and we read the Scripture. We shared our hearts, especially Bob and Rachael. It was good.

I just examined Wilberforce and he looks good. He has no signs of jaundice. I took his footprints and rejoiced that I don't have to do a newborn screen on him. This is what used to be called the PKU. It requires a heel stick, and I usually don't like to do it at all. So since we are not in the US, and it's not required, I am glad that I don't have to hurt him. Small blessings. Sigh of contentment.