October 8,  2003
Hey my friend,
What a good prayer you have for commitment to wait as God unfolds “A Call to Prayer”. You know I have come to realize that as He is 
engineering timing He hems us in to wait by withholding what we are anticipating– so He engineers the wait whether we are patient or not! It is all grace when we can wait without anxious chaffing and I know that is what you desire.  
I used my American clippers to cut 7 heads of hair yesterday before the clippers refused to continue– so I will haul the rest to “Good Boys” salon in Wakiso Town this afternoon and pay shillings to complete the task. We shave the boys and girls heads right down to the scalp until their heads glisten in the light.   Recently one of the mamas went into the bush and broke off a leafy plant,   crushed it and rubbed the fresh shaved heads with it. 
I asked why and she responded, “JjaJa, it can keep the heads from burning and even the insects will stay away!” African hair is very coarse and the clippers got so hot after the 4th child that it was burning their scalps! 
 
This morning I will haul the 4 new ones to SOS clinic to get a blood test to see if they came to us with malaria. We were there the day we brought them to get them checked over and to get all started on antibiotic syrup for upper respiratory infections. 
 Flavia, housemother of cottage 3,  is believing that she too is having a relapse so we seek information for wise treatment today. I am completely in love with our new baby Chloe!   She got here on Monday and took her first steps yesterday! Mama Flavia and I shouted with such delight that we scared her and she sat down and began to cry!  
  Thank you – thank you for tending to the things you have this week. The way you have chosen to settle up financially is fine with us. We are grateful beyond belief. I am still not sure how we will celebrate but Casey seems okay with whatever comes.
She experienced some significant loneliness over the weekend and it was more painful to watch than to experience for myself. This place is most fine but there is a point in the evening when you feel the loss of everything familiar. God comes quickly.     We finally got a family picture taken for our prayer card.
That picture will always make me smile-we look so harmonious but James was mad because I woke him from a nap to take it and he still had sheet creases in his cheek-Casey was put out because she had come home ready to head out and visit and we told her she could not go to Melanie’s to play-I had just been on my back in that dress under a sink trying to tighten the faucet and was sweating up a storm?etc., etc,   
The tree behind us was pushed over during construction and was lying side ways and growing ugly and crooked. A dear guard here who loves trees helped us resurrect it and get it heading skyward again. I wanted to remember his kind service to us. Thought you’d appreciate the story behind the shot!
May God sustain you as you wait – the description of how He built excitement for the event when you could share about the information card that folks had received was priceless. He will do that again and again.
You have my love and His,
lissa