Several years ago, I signed a contract with a company in Indiana. To celebrate, they said they wanted to go a Mexican restaurant. I had lived in Texas for years, and told them I ate lots of real Mexican food, and we could go someone else. They insisted, so we went.

When the waiter came over, he asked if I wanted to hear the specials. I said sure, and he said `We’ve got (I’m going to write this like he said it) fa-ja-tas. At that point, I knew what I was in for. I would say it was the whitest meal I had ever eaten.

Until yesterday.

Nancy and I had a few free hours, so we went into town for a date. I know she has talked of other things besides the Mexican food she ate in the states, but I don’t recall anything except that.

I was craving Mexican food, and we found a Mexican restaurant!!

I don’t want to alarm anyone, but based on the food we ate, the only scientific conclusion I can draw is this:

Africa is whiter than Indiana.

I didn’t know that was possible.

When you have twins, people assume that they do things in a similar manner, and it must be all sorts of cute. For whatever reason, our twins seem to do opposite things in similar situations.

Take for instance the mirror. After I bathe a baby, I dry them near a mirror. Ben will take a cursory look, probably looking for food or toys that he can dismantle. Once he sees they aren’t there, he isn’t much interested.

Katie, on the other hand, beams her brightest smile at the mirror, as if to say `I’m SO glad there are other quality people here BESIDES me.’ She has remained generally fascinated by her reflection.

I have a little song I sing to them that goes `Whose my favorite boy/girl in the whole wide world. It’s you, it’s you.’ When I sing `you’ I touch their noses. Katie flashes a brilliant smile. Ben uses it as an opportunity to stick his finger far far into the upper reaches of his nose.

The only thing I see that they both do is that before a bath, after I remove their clothes, both like to loudly pat their tummies. As with many things with the twins, I don’t know what this signifies.

The process of adoption has slowly begun. We had to have one more home visit by the social worker, who came when Nancy was still in America. I had fears of both children raging, but they were on their most charming behavior.

She did ask JT and Matthew what they thought about having a black brother and sister. Matthew said that he loved them because they were his brother and sister. She asked if when we went back to the states, what would they think if children teased them because of the color of their skin. JT said he didn’t think that would happen, but it wouldn’t change the way he felt about the babies. The social worker told us she would recommend us to the courts.

Last week we met with the attorney. She confirmed to us that since the law was changed in March, no one knows how to interpret it, so most courts have not heard any adoption cases. Our friends who were here last school year were granted a miracle in their adoption, but there have been very few miracles lately.

We were grateful that it would be one cost, not two, but even at that, the adoption will cost more than a month’s salary for us. All I could think of is how many babies need to be adopted, and on the $25 dollar a month the average Kenyan makes, how adoption would be impossible for so many of them.

The bad news that we got was that the adoption would probably not proceed until next year. The problem with that is that the elections are supposed to be in December, and there is some fear that the country will experience some turmoil. We want the adoption to be finalized so we can get out with them if we need to.

In Congo this week, all the AIM missionaries were ordered evacuated, because of the civil war there. We hope it doesn’t happen here, but last week Kenya was named one of the top ten most corrupt nations in the world. We’re just not sure what will happen.

The one thing we are sure of is that we picked names for the twins. For the first time, may I present Katherine Izawadi Peifer and Benjamin Ikhavi Peifer. The middle names are from the Luhya tribe, which they are from. Izawadi means gift, and Ikhavi means blessing.

What a gift, and what a blessing they have been.

Your pal

Steve Peifer

Masai father at the Namuncha School. (Note the ear; it is considered very attractive for Masai to elongate their ears like that)

Inside view of the washroom facilities at Kamuyu