1st Month in the USA

We have been in the U.S for a little over a month and are slowly getting settled. We flew directly into Chicago and Sophia and my Dad and a college friend of Dave's were at the airport to pick us up.

We stayed in a furnish apartment for the first 4 days while we waited to enter our furnished duplex that is slowly becoming home. My parents were with us for our first week and were a big help as we moved in to our Missionary Furlough home here in Wheaton,IL. It is a 4 bedroom duplex with finished basement which has a 2nd living room which is such a blessing. The place is fully furnished down to the linens and kitchen stuff! Our small air shipment has arrived and we have turned our downstairs den into our African hideaway! ( I still have several picture to hang and hope to have that done soon) I love our new place we are calling home and the only downside is we have one full bathroom( that is 1 shower for the 7 of us) but thankfully we do have a 2nd toilet!

We are really enjoying Wheaton! I had only visited this area for a day and a half so was not sure how much I was going to like it. I maybe still in the " I love everything" stage of culture shock but I am really enjoying it here. Wheaton has all the charm of small town America ( with her cute shops , restaurants and coffee houses) and then a short 45 minute train ride you are in downtown Chicago which is a really fun large urban place. I have already been 3 times to the city. We went once as a family and Sophia showed us around and we did a bunch of tourist stuff. The 2nd time was on Father's Day and we went to a Ugandan communities picnic! So much fun being with Ugandan's and of course the women put on a spread for the Fathers. We all commented it was like being with 40 Teopistas! Then the 3rd time it was just Dave , Sophia and I that went to see a play for Sophia's birthday.

The kids seem to be doing well so far. Timothy is in his 2nd soccer camp,  Ruth is enjoying the library and taking ballet classes,Ethan is doing summer soccer,Caleb is busy looking for a job, and all of the kids plus Dave are enjoying biking on all the fun bike trails around. We also became members of a community gym and I am enjoying going to strength training classes and Zumba!

We also have been busy just trying to set up for life here--visiting Churches( looking for our new church home), Drs appointments for school physicals and insurance, getting kids all registered for school and learning to shop -- with all the choices!

We have met several Rwandan and Burundian families that live close to us in an apartment complex. The funny thing is that there is both Swahili and English on the signs at the apartment. Who new we would live so close to an African community in the U.S.

We are having our first guests this weekend -- a couple that Dave is going to perform their Wedding in Aug from Rwanda but living in Indiana.

We miss our porch, pleasant weather, friends and worship at CCR!