we re coming home May 08, 2008 hello all... PRAISE GOD and thanks to my brother we are coming home. Richard was able to get a hold of someone is Washington DC and we have confirmed seats on tonights plane!!!! We are at the Hilton now and have tickets in hand. THANK YOU RICH... don't know how you did it but WE LOVE YOU!!! Don't tell, but Dad has been in tears all morning. Me too, but I'm the crazy white woman who everyone is used to see crying!! The boys are so excited, I may have to give them benedryl during the day. We are headed to the museum, then back to pack and give the boys a nap. Here is our schedule... we leave ET tonight at 10 15 our time on flight 500. We fly through DC and Chicago and land in Portland at 8 pm. We have no clue whose times zone that is... Joan maybe you can check and then touch base with Lynde. We'll call from Washington DC if we still have batttery power in our cell phones. oh yeah our flight from Chicago to PDX is on United 371. Keep praying... we wont breathe easy until we are boarded... see you all so soon. love, Denise, Dad and boys

wednsday TIA -this is Africa May 07, 2008 We were woken up this am by a powerful thunder, lightening and rain storm about 4 am... went to breakfast during a break in the weather. We said sad goodbye to our good friends the doctors from SA. We packed them a bag of protein bars and left over tootsie roll pops. They were very appreciative and said that the would be grateful for them while in the sudan. We got a phone call from our attorney and they moved up our appt time today. We took a quick walk for some last minute stuff and more bananas and bread. Gananew picked us up about 1 and we headed to the embassy. We breezed right through to the front of the line and answered a few quick questions and the boys were declared able to enter the \us. Usually it takes 48 hours to process visas, but we were told to return in 2 hours for ours. Praise God!! We headed to the hilton to try and get flights out... no flights today. To say we were a bit crushed was an understatement... There are no openings until May 13. We are still on standby for each day. Tomorrow all the regular seats are book and so to upgrade our tickets it would cost 700 per person. Neither one of us could speak. We are just so exhausted and close to home. I told dad it feels like a nightmare that I just cant wake up from. No matter how hard I try. Dad though has a plan. We will get up and head to the hilton. We will spend the day and constantly check in for any opeinings. If we can get 2 then we will just spend the money and upgrade 2 tickets. If not, then we try again on Friday. We will certainly keep you posted... please pray for our sanity and strenght. We just want to come home... We came back to the guest house... all of our friends and family have gone. Bis had a major breakdown of just grief at leaving Gananew. The boys love him and Graces Atenah. They talk about both of them every day. Yordi and I left to get pizza take out, but luckily Dad was able to get a very reluctant Bis to stop crying and join us. We got our roasted potatoe, spinich pizza- my choice tonight, and headed back to the Cozy place where the boys got injera shiro to eat. We went for a walk for more bananas and then came back and the boys colored for quite awhile. Another huge storm came rolling in and we raced back to the room. It thundered and lighteninged for over 1 hour. The boys took a shower and are in bed... Dad has learned how to Suduko, so he is hooked... Please keep praying and we will update tomorrow. We love you all and miss you terribly... Denise, Dad, and boys

Tuesday and a bit sunny May 06, 2008 hi guys, Today is tuesday and the SA doctors and dad are entertaining the boys while I check in with the world. We heard from Tefera and he said that due to the holiday they are backed up and not processing visas today. We have an appt for tomorrow at 330. I told him that we were really hoping to fly home tomorrow night, so he said he would see what he could do about getting them to bump it up or process the visa the same day. Please keep praying... of course this means that we still sit in limbo and cant really go and book flights quite yet. I will email the minute I know something. Pray for the South African doctors as well. They have been at the embassy for Sudan this morning and are having issues with their visas as well. We said good bye to Herrion this morning. We all had breakfast and then pictures and hugs goodbye. God really sent us all these guys to keep one anothers spirits up during these long days. We are seeing a bit more sun today so hope that we will dry out a bit... those of you who know me, know how much I dread being wet and cold!!! Yesterday, we hired the driver to take us to a museum, but it was closed . Instead we went up the Entoto mountains and oh my it was unbelievable. Dad even said he was worried about the brakes coming down. You wound up a tiny little road way up high. The view was breathtaking. Every where you saw little children with babies on their backs, and women bent over carrying huge bundles of wood on their backs. We toured the first palace and the church up on the mountain. Dad and I were huffing and puffing, then realized it was the altitude. We finished up buying our souvineers and today hope to tape my suitcase together so we can get it all home... yikes... That is it for now... we went and got bread, water, mangos, papayas and avocadoes for lunch... we want to stay close to the phones on the off hand chance something changes. Boys are doing good... little fits are getting less and less and they are starting to figure out that we are here and not going any where and that we mean business... Joan and frank thanks for helping out so much with the kids, and yes Molly loves strawberries!!!! Addie, Noah, molly and Tom- big hugs and kisses, thanks so much for helping out and being so good!! We'll see you so soon!!! I start to cry everytime I think of you... everyone asks about you guys and sends their love. mom hope Atlanta is good and we still plan on beating you home!!! Everyone else, thank you so much for all the prayers, notes, calls and support.... we sure couldn't make it without you all! Love, Denise

monday May 04, 2008 Today is monday morning and unfortunately the US embassy is closed for a holiday. Tomorrow morning Tefera will go to the embassy and get us an appt for tomorrow afternoon. If all goes well, then we will receive our visa on Wed and we will fly home that evening. Please be praying... we are so close. I am making this quick as we have lost electricity and water already a couple of times this am and I have lost this email 2 times. Today it is still raining... we are damp and cold. We are going to brave the mud and rain and go finish up our souvineer shopping and maybe find a museum. The boys have some energy to burn. Funny note, kids, Mom and hayden you'll appreciate this... went to dinner last night. Ordered a pizza, waitress comes back... no pizza today. Ok veggie soup... no veggie soup... ok ministrone soup... no soup... ok we are good. A few minutes later... french fries.. no french fries... WHAT.... so the boys ate injera and dad and I split a spagetti and a cappachino. Another evening sitting outside with all the guys eating goodies from home!!! Gonna go while this email is still on... mom hope you are enjoying Atlanta... well call you from DC. Dad says hi. Tom, Addie, NOah and Molly, love you lots and we'll be home for survivor hopefully!!! Big kisses!! Hayden, Rudie had all of his shots, so if you had been bitten you would have been good!!! No worries. Love, Denise and dad and kids

sunday May 04, 2008 Hello there, we had 24 hours with no electricity so I am trying to catch up with emails. Dad and the boys are asleep taking naps... he always seems to voluntteer to lay down with them!! It is pouring rain here today and everyone and everything is just damp and cold!! ICK The boys are afraid to get rain on their heads and they freak out trying to get me to wrap something around my head. We have seen people all over walking with plastic bags tied around their heads. We had a low key day yesterday. We went for a long walk and then back to the guest house. Pretty cloudy so dad sat outside without his hat and now his head is the color of a tomatoe!! We moved up to the garden rooms- we are neighboors with the 2 south african doctors on motorcycles and Herrion. We have spent tons of time late afternoon and night laughing and talking... mom everyone has enjoyed the goodies from home you left. We decided they must have moved us up there to keep some piece and quiet down by the cafe. We all just hang out eating mangoes and fresh avocadoes. We also go across the street where a man sells us fresh bread that his wife makes. He is always so nice and the big hunk of bread cost us about 50 cents. Today we went walking in the showers to the Yoli building where we have been eating dinner. Addie you friend Mekedes works there at the number 1 fitness club in Addis Ababa. She gave us a tour and got the 3 boys hair cut appts for later today. She said to give you a big kiss and say hi. The boys are very excited to get a hair cut!! We had a lunch of bread jam, and fresh avocadoes!! The boys love them! We haven't heard on weather the embassy is open tomorrow or not, but we will find out. No news on what day we will get to fly home, depends if the embassy is open tomorrow or not. Got to go- the thunder and lightening is picking up and I'm afraid we\ll lose power. Love to you all, thank you for all the prayers and messages. They are the hightlights!! Joan, thanks for taking care of Molly. Addie thanks for taking care of noah, molly and daddy!! Hope you are all doing good. We are doing good, so don't worry. I've even gained a few pounds back!! love, Denise