Kris and Kim in Kenya: A season of receiving

Most people think of the time between (“American”) Thanksgiving and New Years as a season of giving. We’re inundated with messages and advertisements pushing us to give the right gifts this holiday season. This year, however, Kristopher, Dominic and I have been going through a season of receiving. Of course there have been many times in our lives when we have received more than we have given. This season, however, has been particularly humbling. As “strangers in a foreign land” we have so little to give back. It feels like all we do is receive, receive, receive. This blog post is dedicated to publically thanking all those people who have given so much to us, in big acts and small, over the past few months – our gratitude is all we can offer for now, and our promise that while we will never be able to pay you back, we will do our best to pay it forward.

Our sincerest thanks, in no particular order, to:

Several missionaries in Nairobi who befriended us during a difficult transition, welcomed us into their homes, showered us with food, rides to the grocery store, encouragement and insights
Dominic’s teachers and school principal in Nairobi who were warm and welcoming even though we were there for only 12 weeks, and who made Dominic’s transition to Kenya fun and memorable
A former co-resident who made a generous donation in advance to cover my student loans for the whole year
Kristopher’s parents who agreed to meet us in Washington during our brief visit for my brother’s wedding, so that we wouldn’t have to get on another plane to visit them in Montana
Our church in Salt Lake City who surprised us with a care package of thoughtful gifts and encouraging messages, sent via a short-term volunteer
Our new co-workers and neighbors in Kapsowar who have been kind, patient, and supportive as we learn the basics of our new community – from how to get water and electricity, to reminding me for the 10^th time how to order labs correctly
A volunteer who welcomed us to our new home with flowers and house-warming gifts, and has invited Dominic over for dinner several times so that Kristopher and I can relax for the evening
Our many friends at World Medical Mission for their support, both emotional and logistical

Finally, since no blogpost is complete without picture, our thanks to our new sister-in-law Elyssa, for agreeing (for reasons unknown) to marry my little brother Andrew. We returned to North America briefly in December/January to celebrate with them. Again the pictures in no particular order, because reorder pictures is tedious :)