They're Still Doing Great!

This is Kelly again... Jamie Jo asked me to blog to let you all know that they are doing very well in Ethiopia, everything is going as scheduled, but they do not have a computer. She has told me that they have been swimming lots and Tiki loves it!!! Jamie must be going a little insane as she texted me the other day that she thinks injera is GROSS... she must be sick or something because injera is AWESOME!!!! Anyone who has been to ET and had injera will concur.... Really, I'm sure a lot of you are not at all surprised by this news :)))

The Braners will be home by this Saturday, so please continue to pray!!!

Safari Saturday

Whew! What a day Saturday has been! We had our first overnighter with Tiki (not his official name because I haven't talked to Andy about it yet. . .) and he did great! I woke up to a text at 4a.m. and when he heard me stirring, he said, "MaMa?" So, we've been up for a while! We head to the National forest in the East of Rwanda (looked across the lake to Tanzania) and it was wonderful!

Our safari was the REAL African experience. . .there were EIGHT of us in this tiny Toyota Corolla (or somthing) from 1980 bouncing down these trails barly fit for a Jeep. We got to see everything! MANY MANY MANY giraffes and they were so close! Tiki tried chasing them. . .the guide wasn't too happy about that! We saw buffalo, antelope, baboons (Tiki's favorite), zebra, hippos, monkeys and tons of birds! I wish I could post pictures, but I took them on my nice camera and Hays's computer won't let me upload them. Big bummer!

It was great! Nine (or so) hours in the car with Tiki on my lap. . .you don't bond much better than that! And now. . .a safari, three flat tires and a great meal later. . .we are relaxing back at the Ambassador's home. . .taking showers and then we'll call it a day!

Tomorrow we are off to Ethiopia! Good-bye Rwanda. I feel a little bitter sweet about taking Tiki from his country. . .we'll be back!!!

Pray that immigration goes smoothly tomorrow. I have heard that depending on which officer you get in the airport in Addis, it can be a long and confusing ordeal. Prayerfully, we'll get the "right" guy!!!

Many blessings and MUCH LOVE from East Africa!

WE MISS OUR FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday. . .Business Finished!

Today was a long and productive day! We are officially ready to take Jean de Dieu (Tiki?) home with us to the United States! We started early and got him vaccinated for Yellow Fever (required for Ethiopia). Then we ran all over town looking for a certin ointment to put on some fungus spots on his head (no worries). After that we headed to the Ministry where we sat and waited for our "To Whom It May Concern" and WE GOT IT!!! That is the letter we have been needing! After waiting an hour and a half to get that document notarized, we headed to the Immigration office where I was supposed to pick up his passport. They told me that I needed to come back on Monday and in a rare moment of strength when faced with authorities, I told them that it was unacceptable because they told me that it would be ready today and I sat there until they finished it. Then Tiki and I headed to the US Embassy to get our "brown envelope" so that we can be ready for our visa appointment in Ethiopia.

We came back to the Ambassador's home and Tiki got his first bath. . .a MUCH NEEDED first bath and now he is taking a late afternoon nap. We're officially family!

Not too exciting, but I am SO THANKFUL that we have all of the paperwork! Now we can just enjoy our weekend (we're headed East for a little safari early in the morning).

Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to one another! GOD IS GOOD. . .ALL THE TIME!!!

P.S.

Okay, about his name. . .Jean de Dieu Rukara. . .I have NO idea what we are going to call him! Ruk just does not fit! Jean de Dieu seems so difficult but here it rolls off the tongue nicely (but I cannot picture his high school girlfriend calling him that--yes, I have tought about that). Also, the people in the orphanage call him what sounds like "John Doe" and if you ask him his name, that is also what he says. He CANNOT be a "John Doe" his whole life. That just seems so sad! I LOVE the name Tiki and he LOVES to repeat it whenever I say it. It also fits him and his personality. Hays agrees. I'll have to run that one by Andy, though! We'll see. . .but for those of you monogrammers (Alison Brawner), please don't do anything that says "Ruk" because that will NOT be his name! :) Oh, and John just seems too boring four our family. . .no offense to the Johns of the world (my favorite one being Pastor Lindell), but I just need something great to go with Hays and Dax! There is the name update!!!!

Hi! It's Me!!!

Hi there! It's me and I am finally in civilization and I have internet access (and electricity and water and flushing toilets and NO roaches)!!!

Hays and I are staying at the US Ambassador's home and we are SO excited to be here! I think we would be excited no matter what, but compared to where we have been staying (which was a place that blessed us so much), it is heaven!

More on the Ambassador residence later. . .you don't care. . .you just want to hear about Jean de Dieu Rukara Braner and see pictures!





So, our first meeting went wonderfully! As Kelly blogged the other day (thanks, Kelly, by the way), all day long (on Saturday) he was jumping up and down at the orphanage saying, "My MaMa's coming! My MaMa's coming!" When I heard that my heart melted and jumped at the same time! He was timid for about one minute and then he was fine. He sat in my lap and we looked at that scrapbook I made him this summer. He loved seeing his family. . .he loved seeing the picture of him the most and then I think Gabby was his favorite to look at!

He and Hays ran around and played and I got a VERY small briefing. He was dropped off at the orphanage when he was two. . .which probably means that he was left at the market and after a couple of days, social services brought him to Home of Hope. He told the nuns that his name was Dieu (God) and so they named him Jean de Dieu (John of God). Rukara apparently means "black." Hummmm.

When he and Hays got done playing, I was standing with the nuns, and he ran straight to ME and yelled "MaMa!" and jumped in my arms. No better feeling in the world!

We have gotten to spend every day with him since Saturday. We pick him up at 8:00 and run errands and play and then take him back at 5:00. Dropping him off rips my heart out each day. We cannot keep him overnight until we get our "To Whom It May Concern" letter.

On about the third day, I got to meet the nuns who live in the actual home where Jean has been staying since he was four. They told me that he is a "naughty" boy (they told me that while laughing). The naughty part was not a surprise to me after spending three days with him. He is in to EVERYTHING. He is naughty, but in a very typical curious little boy way. Right now he is just testing me to see where I will draw the boundaries. He makes a terrible face when I say "no" but I can tell that it is all show! He is going to be fun and funny and he is going to fit into our family perfectly!

He won't speak English to me. I feel like he CANNOT, but then he will speak some English to people on the phone and so I know that is part of the testing! I think the language barrier is going to be more difficult than I expected, but we will manage (I definately do NOT have a plan for managing, but without a plan, I just have God--which is where I need to be).

HE IS TINY!!! He weighs 36 pounds and he is about 4-5 inches shorter than Dax. All of the clothes I brought him are beyond too big! (He loves to be carried and is always jumping in my arms, so I'm glad he is small for that reason!) The doctor is a little worried about how small his head is and how small he is in general, but prayerfully with lots of Mac 'n' Cheese and McDonald's french fries, he'll be the size of a six year old in no time!

There is my little update. Tomrorow is Friday. We have a BUSY day! He needs to get some shots. We need to get our "To Whom It May Concern" letter so that we can pick up his passport and then go to the US Embassy and get the final approval to leave Rwanda with him! Whew!

Please continue to pray for PATIENCE for all of us! Please pray that we get our paperwork! Please pray that we enjoy one another! Just continue to pray!!!

Gran'ma, our evening with Ambassador Symington tonight was amazing! We had a wonderful meal and great converstaion! His wife is delightful! His son, Stuart, is here for the year with two friends from Yale. I am so thankful to be here!

Maggie, Dax & Gabby. . .I miss you guys! You will love your new big brother! Get ready for some fun!

Andy (if you're reading this). . .I miss you like crazy! You're really going to enjoy your new son! I cannot wait to see you with him!!!

Lesley, thanks for watching my kids! I could NOT do this without you!!!

For all of you worry warts (Melissa), there WAS a plane crash here. . .I was not on it! :)

We are happy! God is good! I will continue to give further details in the next few days while I have internet service!

A Little Update from Rwanda

This is Kelly again! I talked to Jamie Jo this morning and wanted to let you know that she is still doing well! She is getting to know Ruk a lot better, and has even taken him to the doctor. He weighs 36 pounds!!! The doctor thought maybe there was a mistake in his age, but when he looked at his teeth, he was sure that six was very accurate. I am certain once he gets to America (and has a few McDonald's burgers) that he will fill out nicely. So far there has not been any paperwork glitches either, and if all goes well, they will be in Ethiopia on Sunday.

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!!

They Made It!!!!

This is Kelly blogging for Jamie,and I just got off the phone with her. After traveling for 44 hours, they finally made it. I'm overjoyed by the news that they were able to MEET Ruk for the first time pretty soon after they arrived as well, and everything went GREAT!!! Jamie says he is VERY small... even smaller than Dax, and that he is probably a size 4... WOW! Jamie says that all his teeth are coming in and is not the toothless guy we have seen photos of. She also said that he was very sweet and affectionate with her, and that he called her mommy already. This is a great sign as it shows he is open and ready for a family!!! Jamie was told that all day long he was chatting away that he was going to meet his mommy today! Sniff, sniff!!! Hays and Ruk hit it off real well too and didn't have any of that awkward and shy first time to meet you syndrome. They played for over an hour, and Hays had a BALL with his rambunctious and playful brother, Ruk. Lots of hugging and kissing were involved when they parted, but they are excited that they get to spend the whole day tomorrow together. Other than Jamie and Hays being drained mentally and physically, they seem to be doing GREAT!!! Jamie plans on blogging tomorrow and uploading some of the many pictures that she took.... CAN'T wait to see!!!

God has been so good, but please continue to pray for them all like MAD that they would be kept safe, that bonding would take place, and that all the details of the adoption would seamlessly fall into order.

WE LOVE YOU JAMIE, HAYS, AND RUK!!!!!!!