Karibu Nyumbani Angela Grace (Welcome Home)

Psalm 92:4

For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands

The Lord has indeed made us glad!! We are happy to be back home in the heat and humidity of Mombasa. The Lord has been so good to us in carrying us this far and as we try to settle ourselves and get adjusted back to Kenya we are excited to share with you some more exciting Omondi news…

Surprise surprise, the Omondis have a big surprise….We have a new baby girl, a 6 month old, of course not biologically our own, but as close to our own as you can get…Her name is Angela Grace and here’s the story…..

Dennis has a brother who has a condition like a mild form of cerebral palsy and his wife is also a bit slow and has epilepsy. They both function on a very young level and aren’t very responsible b/c of their disabilities. Last year they had a baby girl. We met her in November when we were with Dennis’ family in Busia. At the time we could already see that baby Angela was not being taken care of very well. We cared for her and gave her lots of love and attention. By the end of that week she was like a new baby, smiling and laughing and acting normal. At that time Dennis’ mom mentioned that she was worried about Angela and wanted to take her to Mombasa with her, but she isn’t able to b/c she is a business lady and travels between Mombasa and Kisumu so much.

In November she briefly mentioned to us that she thought it would be good if we took Angela and raised her as our own. We weren’t really expecting that it might really happen, but since then we’ve been praying about it.Dennis is the oldest son and in the Kenyan culture he feels the responsibility of taking care of his brother’s children and the rest of the family. His brother’s children are considered his too. (It’s very common for children to be raised by other relatives here, especially if they have better means of taking care of the children).

We arrived in Mombasa just two weeks ago on a Wed. evening and Dennis’ mom had already brought baby Angela back here to Mombasa that same day. She came to visit us the day after we got here.

It’s been very apparent that Dennis’ family wanted us to take her. they brought her to our house every day for her to get used to us. We’ve been praying and have felt led to take her and raise her like our own child. Since she came to live with us last Friday the 11th we’ve really fallen in love with her and she with us. She’s already very attached to Allison and her Baba (Father in Swahili) loves to feed her and give her baths in her little tub.

We know it’s a huge and sudden responsibility and we are praying for God’s wisdom, strength and guidance. It’s a little overwhelming to be instant parents to a 6 month old baby girl but we praise God it’s gone very smoothly thus far. Angela is a really good baby. We see it as a great opportunity and blessing to bring her into our home.

We have already taken her to the pediatrician to have her evaluated. All of her blood tests came back completely normal praise God. She has had all her immunizations already and developmentally she looks great. She’s a great eater and sleeper!!! She has a small problem with her neck which causes her head to tilt to one side. It’s nothing serious, just something called torticollis; a muscle tightening that we hope a little physical therapy will help. We will be taking her to the physical therapist each week for a month and then we will be doing the therapy at home for her.

Right now she is living with us at our home and we are her guardians. (That just a normal thing in Kenya, and there are no questions asked since its family) We do plan to legally adopt her and will be pursuing that in the next week or two. The doctor at the hospital says it should be a fairly easy thing to do since she is Dennis’ niece. We would have to take a long trip to Busia and go to child services there with his brother and his wife and do paperwork. After that process, we have to get her a visa and passport and we can then bring her to America whenever we come. She will legally be our daughter and the first born Omondi child:)

SO THAT’S THE BIG NEWS!!! WOW. We are still in a little shock that we have an instant baby...not 9 months to prepare for one:) but she is a very beautiful, sweet and smiley baby. (When she’s not hungry, tired or wet:):)

Pray for us as we adjust to SO MANY things all at once!!! God has certainly been good to us and shown us so much grace as He has given us our own little Angela Grace!!

There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.
Psalm 86:8-9
Bath time in her blue tub

Sweet baby!!This is the little couch bed we rigged for her and her little mosquito net beside our bed until we can find a resonably priced bed for her. She loves it and she's a great sleeper.

She loves her new Mzungu Mama

This is her first bath at our home

Dinner time!!