Day 742. Last night I was able to finish my update even though I was very tired, and I started editing a few pictures so I'd at least have those in the update, when I fell asleep before I was done. I woke up some time after midnight, finished it, and went to bed for good. The kids slept pretty well. Early in the morning the girl quietly walked up to our bed and climbed in without ever crying. She lay down on my chest. After a while Emmy came and also wanted to lie on me, so I slid her down to lie between us, and Emmy lay down on my chest. By 6 am Emmy started talking and asking for food. So we got up, changed their diapers, put their church pants on and went downstairs for breakfast.
Our host had a lavish array of foods out for us. She was really sweet, trying to help all the time. We all ate, and then went back upstairs to put the rest of their clothes on, get ready and leave for church. It was all not that easy. We put our suitcases in the neighboring room, so they can't get to them, and they did not like me leaving their room but kept crying for me. I had to get another set of clothes for them for after church and get our bag with Mali stuff ready. And so we left just before 8 am.
They were already getting tired, and all three fell asleep during the one hour drive to church in Wels. We got there ten minutes before the service started, parked right next to the entrance to the church, and unloaded all our stuff for the kids and the Mali table. We hadn't been at the church since the missions conference 2019, when I was pregnant with twins. Now we went inside with 2-year-old triplets. A lot of people know us there, and we were warmly greeted, and a table was set up in the foyer for us. We got seats in the last row, and then I went to set up the table, and it wasn't long before the little ones came running to be with Mommy. At 9 am the service started, but we weren't quite ready yet by that time. Worship lasted half an hour, then they had communion and announcements, and then it was our turn to go up front to speak for 3 minutes. We were ready, when they called our names. I was carrying Emmy, and Randy Sammy, with Tammy walking at his hand. I started by saying that I was pregnant with twins last time I was there, and then there were triplets, which made people laugh. At the end I invited people to come to our table, and then we walked back to our seats.
But we didn't stay there. Earlier we had been invited to bring the kids to the kids' program, and so we headed there then. It was for 2 to 6 year-olds, so just barely for them. A lady was telling a Bible story, when we walked in, and we all joined them. Our kids quietly listened. When she handed out rattles, they eagerly grabbed them to make noise. Then they all sat down by the table and were given juice, apples and grapes. Our kids didn't care for the fruit. Then it was play time. They were having great fun. Tammy found a doll and a stroller again and walked around with it. Emmy ended up in the toy kitchen. And we looked together at the big Noah mural with all the animals. They also had some clothes and hats to disguise themselves with, and Emmy enjoyed putting hats on.
Just before the service ended we left to go to our Mali table, so we'd be ready when the people come out. The kids were getting pretty tired and cranky, and asked for food quite a lot in the course of the day. They sat down by the table, and I got their snacks out they started eating. Once people started coming, I got very busy selling and singing books and talking to people: Randy was trying to watch the kids and keep them from tearing stuff off anywhere, but they still got a hold of quite a few things from our table. It was pretty challening at times. And sometimes they just wanted Mommy, and Mommy to hold them, which was difficult while signing books.
As people were leaving, new people were arriving for the second service. We went into the sanctuary for worship. After the announcements we went forward again, and I did my 3 minutes a second time. Then we went to the kids' program again. When we got there, they were all getting dressed to go outside. They allowed us to go into the room by ourselves, where they started playing again. As they were already really tired, Tammy did not want to leave the doll in the room, when we left to go to our table. The service went longer than expected, so we were by the table waiting. The church cooks every Sunday, and anybody who wants to can eat there after the service. We were given three meals, and as the kids were asking for food once again, we already went to get our plates. It was a good dish for them, rice with a sauce of vegetables and chickens. I split it up, and we sat down by the table. Tammy was eating a little, but Emmy nothing at all, and Sammy little. They didn't stay seated long, but started running around. The young lady at the cash register didn't have anything to do yet and started playing with them, chasing them in circles, and I could hear them laugh a lot. It was nice to have someone else keep them busy, so we could eat our food at the table.
I was just finishing the cake, when people started coming out of the sanctuary, and I left them to go to the table. Once again it got pretty busy, and once again they wanted Mommy, and they tore some things up or out. I even took a picture one time, when Tammy had pulled all the brochures out. It started slowing down, and the pastor came by to talk to us. He ended up praying for Sammy's healing, which was great. Once he was done and had left, I started packing up our materials on the table. Not that many people were left any more. I looked around, saw Sammy with Randy, saw Tammy, but no Emmy. I asked Randy who didn't know either where Emmy was, and asked Tammy. I started calling him, then we started walking around all over the church looking for him, and telling people we were looking for our third child who had disappeared. After a few minutes of searching and not finding him, all kinds of thoughts started going through my mind and worry set it, and I started choking up and sobbing. Where could he be? Had someone taken him? Why could nobody find him? Would I ever see him again? I was standing back at the table, lost and wondering what to do, when suddenly the cashier lady from earlier came with Emmy in her arm. I was so relieved! He had been with her in the corner by the cash register. I'm just surprised he would stay away this long from us, when he was already so tired, and that Tammy wasn't with him playing there. At that point I was just glad. We loaded up the car and left.
It was 2 pm, they were tired, and we had a half-hour drive ahead of us, going to Linz to meet with a friend. In fact we knew we'd be there before her, so we were in no rush. I was hoping they'd sleep in the car, so that they'd be able to enjoy the playground. Sammy fell asleep first, but he also woke up first, after about half an hour. Tammy and Emmy wanted snacks again, and not long after that they both fell asleep. Thankfully there were no meltdowns before that today. When we parked at the playground, Sammy was up and the other two were asleep, so we stayed in the car. Randy got Sammy out of his seat and had him on his lap, and he pretended to drive. Then he pushed the horn, and the loud honking woke Emmy up. A few minutes later our friend arrived with her two children, one a baby, and the other just over a year older than ours.
It was great seeing her again. She's the one who has come to Mali more often than anybody, before having children, namely five times, and the first time she stayed half a year. With Emmy awake, we went on the playground, where there were no other children, and our kids started playing, while she and I were catching up. After a while Emmy was asking for Daddy, so we walked to the car. W found Daddy asleep as well. Emmy climbed into the car and woke him up. All that ended up waking the girl up as well, and so we all went to the playground together. They started playing hard, really looking up to the 3-year-old. There was a scooter there, and Emmy was the first one on it, for the first time ever, and impressed me when he did it correctly, having one foot on the board and the other on the pavement, pushing. Then Tammy went on it, with my friend pushing her in circles.
Tammy loves babies, and they call all dolls babies, and so Tammy was very interested in the 4-month old. She waved at him in the stroller, which was just too cute. And Emmy gave the baby his finger that the grabbed. At one point they were all standing around the stroller, looking at him.
When we had first arrived there just before 3 pm, we heard African worship inside the building there. I figured an African church was meeting there for their service, probably Nigerian. I was curious, and when people started coming out, we addressed them. We still had our African shirts on, while we had changed the kids. We ended up talking to a whole group of people who was amazed at what I was telling them. I also had our Malian picture book out for my friend to look at it, and they looked at it as well. We were invited to come to their church, and they left with our brochures. What an interesting encounter!
It was getting late. My friend finished looking at the book, and we said our good-byes. It was 5 pm, when we left there, and we had a one hour drive ahead. By that time tiredness and exhaustion had hit me big time. I had a headache and could not keep my eyes open and felt like I could barely function, but you don't have that luxury, when you have children. All three were tired and somewhat cranky, but I was glad that none of them fell asleep this late in the day. I had to keep telling them that we were arriving soon.
And at 6 pm we did. They were really glad to get out of the car. They had spent 2.5 hours in the car today, and 3.5 hours yesterday. We went inside, where the table was already set for dinner. We sat down to eat. I was still feeling absolutely terrible. Tammy ate a little, but Emmy didn't want to eat at first, and then ate some while he was with Randy. Sammy sat in the high chair, and our host started feeding him. They were also having fun with her husband who was smiling at them and playing with them that way.
Once we were done eating, we went upstairs and then to the bathroom to bathe them. Emmy was already terribly tired and crying the whole time. We did a quick bath and took them back upstairs where we put their pj's on and then put them to bed. Tammy was in a great mood and very active, with no interest in lying down. Sammy enjoyed the freedom to be able to crawl out of bed, and did so while laughing with joy. Emmy was so tired he was crying and just wanted to sleep. In the end I ended up lying down by him, and Randy lay down by Tammy, which is the only way she stayed down and fell asleep faster than expected. I was moving over to Sammy a few times, which Emmy did not like and protested. Thankfully Sammy fell asleep, and then I stayed at Emmy's side. I had my computer there with me so I could start working. After he fell asleep, I moved to our bed to work.
I was still very tired, but feeling better. I had 200 pictures of the day to go through, but really wanted to get my update done. I started writing, and my eyes were falling shut again, when Emmy woke up crying. Both Randy and I tried to get him to calm down and lay back down, but it took a long time before we succeeded. Again I sat on the floor by his bed writing, while he was falling asleep again, and finally I was able to leave.
I'm glad Randy got to go to bed early and wished I could have too, but hopefully soon. Thankfully we're not going anywhere in the morning.
