A time to embrace JOY.

JOY. An emotion that is priceless. It has been indescribable being back for the Holidays with our families. Christmas was simply great. May you enjoy some of our Christmas moments with our beautiful family... camera died right before we got to my parents house for dinner... (I'm sure my mom got great pics)! Spending the last year in Burundi was nice as we shared it with our Chinese, German and Burundian friends; (a Christmas we will never forget as we shared on the book of Luke and saw Gin's eyes light up!) Although this year, it was filled with many many emotions.

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We have the greatest joy in the world knowing we were in the midst of our family in this precious time, at the same time trying to cherish every moment knowing just a week later we are returning back home to Burundi. (That contains a joy all in itself, as we are about to take in precious orphaned children who are so broken)... We always find ourselves divided. Isai continually reminds me "Let your heart be where you are". He explains, when your in America let your heart follow you and not remain in Burundi that we can give our all to those we love. And visa versa of course...

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On a side note, Malaki got dedicated today at our home church "Orlando House of Prayer". We look forward to all the Lord has in store for him. Malaki meaning God's messenger; Daniel meaning God is my judge. A powerful name, for a powerful child of God born with purpose and a calling to help usher in the coming of the Lord.

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Off to Maryland to share and visit with one of our partner churches on Thursday and early next week... we begin our 2 day trip back to Burundi via Ethiopia! We have to sleep in Ethiopia due to our layover; can't wait for Isai and Malaki to see the beauty of this land! All our love...

Hip Dislocation... I think not!

Yes! We took Malaki to a pediatric orthopedic doctor yesterday to get his hip dysplasia checked out... After a few xrays the doctor explained some eye opening things with some future advice on the side; and declared that Malaki's hips are just perfect. He had been previously diagnosed with partial hip dislocation and now everything is aligned and good. Glory be to God.

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It was funny, after months of research and googling things concerning health, Isai and I felt like we knew quite a bit... When talking with the doctor we were explaining how alot of people in Burundi have a limp to their walk and we thought it had to be because of hip dislocation... The interesting thing is, its generally because of tuberculosis. We got Malaki checked out in the first place because of his continual "hip clicking" that we heard ALL THE TIME. The reality is, when there is hip dysplasia, there will be a hip clunk, not click; those very specific words are vital to diagnosing at a young age! Good to know, huh?!?

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In the end, I wonder if we were really connected with that doctor because of Malaki's hip, or because the Lord intends for him to train doctors and medical workers in Burundi one day. Only time will tell, as he continued to ask about the work in Burundi and the needs for medical doctors like himself; you could see a passion in his eyes and a burden in his heart. End of story, Malaki is healthy, happy with 2 front teeth, and strong. This my friends, brings peace and joy to our hearts. All our love...

Malaki Daniel.

Handsome and amazing he is. Often goes by Mal, Kai, Malakiah, Malakiki and the list goes on. Papi's humor and personality, mami's sensitivity and strong will (I think he picks that up from both sides!)... Today I stand grateful for him as I look deep into those brown eyes of his. A joy he has brought to our hearts.

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As we prepare to leave for Burundi our nieces and nephews are asking "will you bring baby Isai with you"; meaning his ashes. They have asked this every time we come back to visit, but this time, yes. We will bring his ashes with us to spread on our land. A place where orphaned children will be restored and given a hope for the future. Amazing pictures of our little one, Trey... a big thanks to you. All our love...

moments, friends, endless joys...

Oh, how nice it has felt to be back in the midst of family and friends... great moments where I just sit back and remember what it is to have a belly laugh, a nice conversation with a close friend and just being here for Christmas. Simply priceless. To think we return in 3 weeks Burundi, to think 4 weeks have flown by...
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On a side note, Malaki's first tooth came in! He is approaching 7 months and boy does time fly. All our love...

Family. Away from family.

Cape coral, enjoying our family away from family as we share with one of our partner churches the progress that is taking place in Burundi! In the midst of becoming nothing, we have become something. This is one of the phrases Isai used this morning in his preaching.... as he shared how in the midst of our brokenness we have come to see the person God created us to be. Great day, great friends, grateful for this time. Enjoying Arianna's 12th birthday today, how fast they grow up!!! One of our favorite pictures.... Zianna our niece kissing Malaki. All our love...

A reality.

A reality I have recently come to know has really hit quite hard in my heart. As I repeat the words over and over again in my head I try to make sense of it. Is it harder to be in Burundi half way across the world from our families or is more challenging to be in their presence. Its quite funny, I remember for months Isai and I anticipated this trip knowing Malaki would meet all of his family members and them in return would absolutely fall in love with him. We talked about how amazing it would be to be together with our loved ones again... (and truly, it has been unforgettable). Although the point I am grabbing at is, being in Burundi... we never could of imagined how important it is for Malaki to have his aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents around; simply because we never experienced it before. Being here, I think often to myself. Cease the moment, appreciate the weeks we have with our loved ones, build memories and savor precious moments. This of course sounds relatively easy. Although, I find myself in a battle within my heart... realizing how nice it is to simply be around family. In Burundi, its easy to be caught up in the work we are doing there and downplay the emotions of being away from our family. As it is a work that bursts out from our inner being, a work that brings us joy and pain, a work that the Lord created us to do...

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Today, I find a new reality. Its no longer Isai and I... I am believing that the Lord will give us wisdom to not only maintain the relationships we have with friends and family, but to allow Malaki to enjoy, appreciate and to deeply love his family here in America as he grows up in Burundi. I have come to see that time brings depth to relationships and surly the Lord has granted us time. At the end of the day in the stillness, I can still hear the cries of orphaned children, and somehow, at some point everything comes together once again. All our love...

Samuel David.

Our nephew. Safe, sound and in mommy's arms. 7.03 pounds, 20 inches and simply just... perfect. Samuel David Salvador, can't wait to see the plans the Lord has for you. All our love...

walker, sipper, repeat.

Malaki's first moments with a walker and sippy cup... and boy does he love it! Home sweet America, I can say! The first few days of transition for him were a little tough, but today his happy personality and sense of humor seems to be returning!... Thank God! Just wanted to share some beautiful moments with you all, enjoy! All our love...

Congo... oh Congo.

Congo River, Orlando Florida! Not the Congo we live next to living in Burundi! Interesting enough, Congo is just 15 minutes from the Capital of Burundi, Bujumbura. Isai and I took out our amazing niece and nephew to go miniature golfing... oh how we love them. Moments like this are memories written upon our hearts as we laugh and spend time with them. How time passes and they go from being children to.... the "double digits". As you may of noticed I am trying to refrain myself from using the "teenager" word as its still hard to accept! :o) But yes, children do grow up, unfortunately even in our absence. Sometimes I believe its the hardest on the kids, being so far away from them as they usually measure your love by the time and attention you give into their lives. I think the older they get, the more they can understand that even though we aren't at every football game or class presentation, we wish we were and love them nonetheless. However, its a hard place. May God grant us to be connected and loving in such a way that it will overflow the months and years we are missing in their beautiful lives as they go through joys, pains and just simply "growing up". It breaks my heart to know my niece is going to be playing soccer and I can't be here to coach her through it... oh how the Lord knows! Did I mention how much I love these kids! Today we get to love on my side of the family... truly. can't. wait. All our love...

Taste just like strawberries...

Taste just like strawberries, is what I used to tell my parents as I sucked on my finger... Malaki seems to think the same about his BIG... big toe! When I walked in on him sucking his big toe, he looked at me like "What?"! Malaki is loving on his Abuela in the top picture... so happy to be with the family!

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Its interesting to say the least that as days go by, I find the "American life" to be less and less normal to me finding comfort in the life we have grown accustomed to. This is a good thing though, as the reality is that Burundi is our home and we should make every effort to enjoy our lives even in the midst of living in a 3rd world country following the call of God. Although I have to admit, being around family is like a kiss from God. It feels so good to be a part of their lives once again, something we truly wish we could do always; counting our absence in their lives and theirs in ours as the biggest sacrifice and challenge we have faced.
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Beautiful days ahead of us, catching up with those dear, dear to our hearts. All our love...

Around the world...

We are off on our journey!

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Burundi!

Ethiopia!

Rome!

America!

We made it to America! What an amazing trip we had... When we arrived to the airport they changed our seating from the middle of the plane to the first row behind first class. Truly the favor of God. We were in the airplane for about 23 hours (in the airport for about 36 hours!) We had a 10 hour layover in Washington Dulles... don't thing we'll be doing that one again; really it was a bit hard at the end of our stretch! Malaki did amazing, and really exceeded any expectation we had... he slept, ate, played.... repeat!

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Some of the family has already seen Malaki and has fallen in love with him. This is a sad reality I have come to, to see how much Malaki loves being around the family and is smiling and smiling... and just cheezing away! I say its sad, because without experiencing these moments its alot easier to be half way around the world raising our son so far away from family. Now, having experienced a glimpse of what is to come; may God give us grace. There is a purpose to his calling upon our lives; calling us to respond to the cries of His children in Burundi regardless of the sacrifice. I hope we can appreciate these moments to the fullest and treasure them deep within our hearts. It sure does feel good to be back in the US as a family.... All our love...

What to hope for...

I am writing this post with a grin on my face as it has been such a hectic... unbelievably crazy week. From wrapping things up with the repairs on the houses, to signing for the land we will build on, to packing... and on top of that, Malaki and I have had a mean cold. To say the least, its been crazy, but we remain with so much anticipation in our hearts to return to the US to visit all our family and friends. .

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We had friends come visit a short time back and she told me... just a mommas luck that right when its time to fly around the world to visit the family... their babies are teething. Thank you Sara for the heads up...! Malaki is usually a really happy baby with a sense of humor just like his Papi; although for the last 2 days "he has been crying a cry he has never cried before!" Pretty sure those nice strong teeth of his are making their entrance. The interesting thing is, he's fussy all day except for when I put him on my back. Really, he loves it and feels close, calm and collected. Now the question is, walking through Washington Dulles International Airport will I give him the comforting possibility to go on my back.... I could only imagine the commotion it would stir! haha. We will see. Oh, the differences in cultures around the world! We will be flying from Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. until Thursday night. Excited for Malaki to get a small glimpse of Rwanda, Ethiopia, Rome and the US... All our love...

Like father, like son.

Watching "finding nemo" is how yesterday's looong day ended for Isai and Malaki. I had to take a picture of this because Malaki was fussy and the second Isai grabbed him to watch a movie, he throws a big smile on... literally.

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2 nights ago, Malaki was sick with a high fever and vomiting alot; in the morning we decided to bring him to our German doctor in the next province over about an hour away. Living here, when a fever arises its not always just a simple cold or virus but can be much more complicated like Malaria or Typhoid Fever; in that case, its always good to have a good doctor around. Malaki just had a virus and is feeling much much better now. Thank God! The doctor even called today to see how he was doing... this was nice.

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In the afternoon, we had some friends come over who wanted to record some testimonies to help us bring awareness of the condition Burundi lies in, while we are back in the US. As I could of already imagined some of the things we would hear... I never could of prepared myself for the stories and experiences they went through. One of the girls on the worship team at the church was compelled in heart to speak her story and how God is doing a miracle in her heart.

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She shared about when she was 1 1/2 years old, rebels came into her house and killed her 4 siblings with machetes. They slashed her face 2 times thinking she was also dead. She survived this massacre and remained with her parents who also were alive. Throughout this time, she expressed the hatred and anger that grew rapidly in her heart... looking at herself in the mirror believing she would never be loved by anyone. 5 years later, more rebels came and shot her father to death right in front of her, also shooting her in her legs. Once again, she survived. As they raided her house, removing the metal sheets from the roof and taking away everything they owned; the rebels brought everything to the forests in which they lived. A short time after, they exiled them from their land leaving her and her mother with nothing in a state of hopelessness. At this point, she was broken, confused and angry... wondering who could do such a thing to their family. Just three years ago, she began attending a local church and saw hope for the first time. She began to love people and in return be loved. She knew God would give her the grace to forgive those who did those things to her family. Today, she is being restored to the beautiful child of God, she was created to be. She wants to be a doctor, and believes in her heart she is beautiful beyond the scars left from the past. She has an attitude for the future and knows God has done a true healing and miracle in her heart.

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Really, her story blessed me and once again reminded me of the unthinkable pain and circumstances these people have passed through. The Pastor was even telling us about how people used to dig holes and put little children into them, then pounding the sticks into the holes to kill them, by stabbing them over and over again. Out of the 3 friends we had over, 2 of them watched their father's being murdered and to this day have to bear that memory. There is such a need for restoration and hope even though these days most ethnic problems have ceased. Truly God is making a way for them and responding to their cries... All our love...