November 20, 2016
I can't believe it's been a year since my last post here! Lots of changes in the last year!
Emily:
Emily was married this past August. I can't believe it! She has a husband, and I have a son-in-law! His name is Igor Solomon Levit, and we really like him; he is already a part of the family. They are currently living in Michigan.
Emily and Igor's first dance and Mr. and Mrs. Igor Levit
There was even an RVA contingency at the wedding! Mr. and Mrs. Tilly and their daughter, Karissa (on the left), Rebecca, Robert Black, Julia, Emily and Josiah on the end, and Amy in the front in the peach dress.
Amy:
Amy turned 16 this past June and is currently in the 10th grade at Rift Valley Academy. I think her favorite thing about RVA (besides her friend, Kari Tilly) is Drama. Amy has been in two plays there now, and the camaraderie among the cast and backstage students is wonderful. This fall, she was in a play called "The Mouse that Roared." It was absolutely hilarious and extremely well done. The Drama Dept. at RVA is phenomenal.
This is Amy with her good friend Grant. Grand played the part of the US President. Amy was a University protester.
From left to right we have Gabby, Grant, Marjika, and Amy.
Josiah:
Josiah is in 9th grade at RVA this year. I can't believe he's in high school! He started in the middle of 8th grade last year, and though that was a wise choice, it was very difficult. I think he's beginning to find his stride. I think the thing that makes it most difficult for Josiah to be at RVA is missing his little sister, Chloë!
Roger and Josiah climbed Mt. Suswa in the Great Rift Valley with Josiah's 8th grade class.
Proud of himself for making it to the top! Behind him is their guide.
Chloë:
Chloë turned two in September and is talking up a storm around the house! Her favorite things are books, music, Sesame Stree, Veggie Tales, and her teddy bear! We are still waiting for the moratorium on adoption to lift...the Law Association of Kenya is working on it, but there are rumors going around that it could be anywhere from 5 to 16 years...*sigh* Chloë is full of spunk and energy! She's either going to keep me young, or make me old!
Chloë trying on Daddy's sunglasses and hat
Chloë waiting for a piece of her Cookie Monster birthday cake
May 30, 2015
It's been awhile since I've updated you all on how our kids are doing! Almost 2 years!
Emily:
Emily is back in the States now. She attended Patrick Henry College for one year, but then wanted to transfer to Michigan State to get a degree in Russian and Arabic for purposes of being a translator. Unfortunately, MSU dumped her in the "moving to Michigan in order to get resident rates" box, and told her she had to not only declare herself an emancipated female, but she also had to refrain from taking an higher education classes AT ALL for a whole year before applying to the school. She's been living in Michigan with Roger's parents, and just this weekend moved in with my parents in Flint. She's looking for a job in the Flint area.
Emily is also involved with a young man named Igor Solomon Levit. We are getting to know him over Skype, because he will likely become our son-in-law in a little over a year. They're coming to visit in December; we are inexplicably excited to see our precious first born, and also looking forward to meeting Igor.
 
Amy:
Amy is now a student at RVA. She is currently in 8th grade and will turn 15 in June. 15! I can't believe it! Where'd my little girl go? She's grown up right before my eyes! It's not been an easy year of adjustment for my Amy, but she's been a trooper. Scholastically, she's been fine. Learning to live in a dorm with 3 other girls in her room most of whom have been at RVA for some time...that's been a little more difficult. It's not easy figuring out how to live with girls who all miss their families and who all come from different cultures. It takes a lot of give and take, a lot of patience, and a lot of willingness to learn and grow. It can be a shock to find out that your family is...well, strange, really... ;-) and that a lot of people think differently and do things differently - and that that's okay.
 
Josiah is hopefully in his last year of home schooling. He's signed up to go to RVA in September for his 8th grade year, but he's stuck on the waiting list...at number 2 now. Thankfully, I have almost everything I would need to home school him one more year if necessary. But we're still hoping and praying. Josiah is 13 1/2 - and is now the second tallest in the family...which makes Emily really short (<3 lol) He enjoys playing golf, and is actually quite good at it. He pretty much enjoys any sport. Josiah is enjoying not being the youngest in the family any more, as well. He does the "big brother" role so well! He pitches right in and helps where he can; he's so good with little kids.
 
Chloe:
Last, but certainly not least, Chloe. What a little sweetie she is. If you've read previous blogs, you know her history, so I won't repeat it here. Chloe is now 8 months old (6 months, gestationally) and is a happy, healthy, chubby little bundle of joy. Okay...not so little :-) She's sitting up very well now, grabbing toys and playing with them, and basically being a constant reminder of God's grace, power, and love. Because of the government moratorium on any foreigners adopting, we are in the process of trying to get legal guardianship of her. This is almost as binding as adoption; we would be considered her parents. Period. She will even have our last name once the process is complete. We would still need permission to leave the country with her, then - if it's granted - have to return to the court here in Kenya on a specified date to prove that we've brought her back. We're hoping to have this process finished by the end of summer...we'll see. Chloe and Emily have never met one another, so we're looking forward to that happening in December.
 
August 29, 2013
Actually, I could have dated this post July 13, 2013 because it's about Emily's high school graduation from Rift Valley Academy.
The weekend started for us on Friday the 12th as Roger, Amy, Josiah and I made the 6 hour drive to her school campus. It's a beautiful drive ending in a lovely "hair-pin" curvy, slow drive down a mountain side. Friday night, we had dinner with Emily and her boy-friend (did I just say that word?) Alex at the school cafeteria, affectionately known as The Cafo.
This was Emily's last dinner there. Then later that evening, there was a gathering for the seniors and their families up at the auditorium of the elementary school. This was a very special time of remembering for so many of them. They showed pictures dating back from elementary school of trips the kids had made and fun times they'd had. Some of these students have lived together at RVA from the time they were in 1st grade! I can only imagine how emotional this weekend was for them in particular. I wish I had video to share with you of that special evening, but somehow, it got lost. There were a lot of laughs, and some tears. They students did a talent show - some of it very, very talented, others just hilarious. At the end, almost the entire group of senior men got up on stage and sang, "He Just Needs a Few Good Men." It was wonderful. Then, the parents were dismissed, and the seniors stayed for some special good-byes. They were put in a circle, and everyone went around the circle to say good-bye to everybody (I'm tearing up just thinking about it). Then, they were all given a candle, the candles were lit, and they were told to turn around facing the outside of the circle to symbolize taking their "Light" out into the world where ever they go. Beautiful.
The next morning was graduation. This was my first graduation experience at RVA, and let me tell you, it was amazing. We took some pictures before hand.
           
And then it was time for the graduation ceremony to begin.
Here she comes to the music of Pomp and Circumstance...
The ceremony was beautiful. I wish I could share it all with you here, but of course, I won't. I do want to share some of the music from the choir, however.
This is the honors choir singing "For Such a Time as This."
Then, they sang an RVA tradition...
It was so wonderful hearing all the names of the students graduating. Emily told me their principal practiced for hours to get all the names right...we're talking about students from all over the globe with last names like...Rakatumalala... :-) That's seriously one of the names. The other fun thing was that, this being Africa, the footware of the students ranged from all over the spectrum from spiky high heels, to Converse tennis shoes, to flip-flops, to...no shoes at all! It was a beautiful combination of formality and relaxation. I've never experienced anything like it.
Finally, the big moment came. Emily's last name being "Tate," she was one of the last to be called, but she walked up, received her diploma, and realized later when she had a moment to loo at it, that it had been personalized by one of her favorite teachers. There was a key taped to the inside. That may have caused Emily's first tears of the day. Mr. Wagner liked to throw his keys at her desk during class to make her squeal. It was a big joke all over campus.
   
At the very end, the students run down the aisle, jump, and hit a wood board placed over the door of the auditorium. Not too difficult for the young man she walked down the aisle with, but for little 5'2" Emily, it was not so easy. She managed to do it, though!!!!!
Afterward, it was time for more pictures, and more good-byes...
       
Then, it was time for the graduated class picture, and to toss their hats!
What a day. Finally it was time to pack up and go.
  
We ended our day in a celebration dinner at our favorite restaurant in Nairobi...The Medditerraneo.
      
A great end to a great day. Congratulations, Emily!!!! We love you, and we're proud of you!
July 5, 2013
 Amy with Princess a few days after Princess returned home.
HER MIRACLE CAT
By Amy Tate
Five years ago, a
girl moved to Kitale, Kenya with her family.
Her name was Amy Tate. A few
weeks after arriving in Kenya, the Tate’s moved into a house in a neighborhood
called Milimani. It was a nice house and
had 4 bedrooms.
The
house also had 5 cats and 2 dogs. The
cats were Marsh, Punky, Princess, Lance, and Shadow. Amy immediately loved Princess, a beautiful
tortoise shell with wonderful green eyes.
Not only did Amy choose Princess, but Princess chose Amy.
A family
called Jamison actually rented the house, but they were in America and let the
Tate’s rent the house while they were gone.
The cats, dogs, and everything in the house belonged to them. When they decided they weren’t going back to
Kenya, they sold everything to the Tate’s, and gave them the animals.
Amy was
very happy, and once she asked her mom if she could have Princess, Amy was even
happier. Princess was the sweetest cat
Amy had ever seen and never scratched or bit anyone. Amy carried Princess around like a baby doll,
and although Princess did struggle to get down, she never scratched or bit when
Amy wouldn’t let her go.
During
her first 3 years with Princess, Amy found out a lot of things about her. Princess’s favorite spot to sleep was in
between Amy’s knees, she loved to catch
mice, and she loved Amy very much.
After 3
years of living in the wonderful house that had become home to Amy, the
landlord told the Tate family they had to get out. The news hit Amy like a rock, but she was very
thankful to still have Princess, her very dear cat friend. Moving day came 3 weeks before the Tate’s had
to go back to America for furlough, and everything was moved into a new house. When the cats were brought over, Princess was
placed in Amy and her sister’s shared room.
All the cats adjusted to the new house except for Shadow, who had run
away long before the move.
The day
came when Amy had to leave Princess and her new house behind. After being back in America for a while, she
was at a restaurant with her family and grandparents. Her dad turned to her and said, “Amy,
Princess ran away after we left and she hasn’t come back yet.” At that instant, hot tears rolled down Amy’s
face. She started crying and laid her
head on her dad’s lap.
After 9
months of being in America, Amy and her family returned to Kenya. There was a new family in town, and Amy and
their daughters, Ellie and Mei, became very good friends.
Every
night, Amy prayed and asked God to bring Princess back. Sometimes at night, Amy would dream about
Princess, and when she woke up, she would reach down between her knees only to
realize that her precious cat had not come back. After 2 years of praying that God would bring
her cat back, Amy gave up home when still nothing happened.
A year
after, Ellie and Mei had to move to a different house. A month after that, Amy’s mom woke her up at
11:00 pm. “Amy, do you have a picture of
Princess?” she asked.
“Yes,”
Amy replied in a curious way. She got a
picture of herself with Princess from her special box. Her mom looked at it for a minute.
“I
think we found her.” Amy was up in a
flash.
“Where?”
she asked.
“Ellie
and Mei’s. They sent a picture of a cat
at their house.” When Amy looked at the
picture they had sent, she started to cry.
Then they went to her friends’ house to see if it was Princess. It was.
“This
stray cat came to our window,” Ellie said.
“Dad tried to shoo her off, but she looked like the one in the picture
you showed me, so I stopped him.”
“Thank
you, Ellie!” Amy said and hugged her.
They took Princess home, and Amy’s mom and dad agreed to keep her
again.
Amy
went to her room where Princess was and buried her face in the soft fur that she had believed she would never see again.
THE END
I'm shy, but no one seems to care; I'm scared, but no one seems to notice. They try to make me go; they try to make me see, But anyone who knows my way, knows that's not the way for me. Lord, help me be more social And help me learn to love. For I know, that in You, Strength will come from above. Amen. -Amy Tate This has been a really big year for Emily, our oldest. First, in March she turned 18 years old. 
These last four years have been an incredible time of growth
in so many areas for Emily, both spiritually and physically. I’ll never forget saying good-bye to her the
first time we dropped her off there. It
was one of the most difficult things we’d ever done (and will soon be eclipsed
by leaving her in the States for college while we return to Kenya), but we knew
beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was where God wanted her; Emily knew it,
too. That made it only a little
easier. Roger and I cried most of the 6
hour drive home.
She has had some very exciting adventures while at school. Freshman year she earned the nick-name
Speedy-fingers, and she still holds the all-time school record for her typing
skills (139 wpm without mistakes).
Junior year, she worked as store manager in their Junior store (getting
experience throughout the year in restaurant management). She wrote the big drama for Junior/Senior
Banquet based on Pirates of the Caribbean (not a movie we recommend, but that
was the theme of the banquet).
  
Emily has also had many challenges – some she chose, like
taking Statistics and Physics this year in school even though they are
difficult classes for her. Emily has
never been one to shy away from a challenge.
God only knows what worthwhile challenges await her
in the future. Roger and I are so proud
of her.
   |
| Josiah's birthday snake...oh, I mean...cake. |
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| Josiah getting his own tools. |
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| A little birthday party... |
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| Happy Birthday, Josiah! |
We celebrated Josiah's 11th birthday on October, 20th. We had a little party with a few friends...The Radford's and the Tinsman's. Happy Birthday, Josiah! We love you!
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| Amy and Cooking in Josiah's closet |
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| ...Hiding up HIGH in Josiah's closet! |
My Amy turns 12 three weeks from today, and in 6 weeks she'll finish up her 5th grade year in school. I can't believe she'll be a Junior Higher! Today while doing spelling, I looked up and thought. Wow, Amy. You really look cute today. Since we hadn't done a school picture in about 3 years I pulled her outside and snapped a few.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
OUR 40 DAY FAST IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We had a 40 day fast of any sort of screen. I'm glad we went to Kijabe last week. It helped to not think about it. It seemed like forever, but I made it through. - Amy
Saturday, May 12, 2012
So, we've been at RVA all week for Home School Week. We came down with friends of ours from Kitale - the Beagle family...Amy (the mom) and her girls, Ellie and Mei-Lin. This is a week that RVA welcomes homeschoolers to come, get standardized testing, have some home school classes (this year was microscopes, writing workshop and something else...) and also go to actual classes with a "Titche Pal." A Titche is a British word for an elementary school student. It's been a long week, but a good one, and, of course, we've been able to spend time with Emily who is a Junior at RVA as well.
Today was Junior Store, Carnival, and Garage Sale day. It actually started last night with donut orders!!! The Juniors put on a "store" the last term of their Junior year. It's HUGE!!!! They make home made donuts of all kinds - that actually taste like American donuts!!!!!! This is something unheard of in Kenya! Glazed donuts, chocolate covered, powdered, apple fritters, boston cream, etc. Then this morning, the Juniors sold breakfast. Things like Crepes, donuts again, egg "mcmuffins," juice, coffee, etc
After lunch it was time time for carnival. This is where the school puts on all kinds of fun games for the children to participate in. Basketball shooting, tic-tac-toss games, eating donuts hung from a string without using your hands...things like that.
For lunch, Junior Store was back on. Cheeseburgers, Taco salad, corn dogs, and ice cream. Emily was the acting manager!!!! It was fantastic -)
Finally, it was time for the garage sale...something my friend Amy and I had been looking forward to all week. It's a huge event where families who are stationed at RVA ... well, its a garage sale; you know what they do!
Not only are we bringing home a few needed items from the garage sale, but all week long, there was a curriculum swap! So, we are bringing home quite a few free home school supplies as well!
Looking forward to being home tomorrow.
Amy, sweetie, you look beautiful! You will be in Jr. High before Aly LOL! We don't call it Junior High till 7th :) Hugs and Love, Miss Angel
ReplyDeleteAngel,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, our elementary school went from K - 5. Then Junior High was 6 - 8. That's why I call it Junior High :-)
Thank you so much for sharing all of this, Julie. What a beautiful account of the last four years of your lives. Excited to be seeing you again sometime this year. Love and (((hugs)))
ReplyDelete