We celebrated the twins 2nd birthday on July 6th. Last year we celebrated it on July 7th. It isn’t another quaint Kenyan tradition. The reason is pure Kenya.

The original documentation we had on the babies indicated they were born on July 7th. When we got closer to the adoption, we got information that one (we weren’t sure which one) was born on July 6th and one was born on July 7th. When the adoption was final, we were told that they were both born on July 6th. When we got the final paperwork, it said that one baby was born on July 7th and the other was born on March 7th. While still deplorable, if that were the case, you might understand the abandonment a bit more.

Our final final paperwork says July 6th. That’s our story, and we’re sticking with it.

The babies are at a fun stage of life. Katie delights in running down the hall and yelling `Daddy, I fasting.’ Ben enjoys Katie for the most part, but when he wants to get on her nerves, he puts his head on her shoulder and leans on her. This causes her no end of grief, but it is hard to discipline when you are trying not to laugh.

School ends on Thursday, and we say goodbye to our dorm guys. They will move on to dorm parents who are young and cool, and mostly, ones that can stay up later than 9:30 pm. It is hard to say goodbye; harder than I expected. We’ve had some of these guys for three years and most of the rest for two years.

In August of 2001, we had our first dorm meeting. Six different guys struggled with gas that night, and I remember thinking `it’s going to be a LONG two years.’

But as with so much of life, the road that we are given can be full of blessings, even if you are blind to its values at the beginning. I have been so blessed by being the dorm dad for these young men, and I would not have bet that I would have said that two years ago. We gave them giraffe necklaces (we are Twiga dorm, which means giraffe) and awarded them a bottle of Johnson’s baby powder. The reason?

When you are in ninth grade at RVA, you can go to video night and hold hands. Baby powder can reduce embarrassing sweaty palms.

I went to Nyakinyua School this week. It is a school more remote than most, and it was a tough drive to get there. There are 350 students, and three teachers. Against almost impossible odds, there does seem to be education going on there.

The headmaster told me that about 40 children are AIDS orphans. They live with grandparents, and that explained why so many of the children received their food and started running: they were going home to share it with their families.

As I was leaving, I saw a child, and I experienced that hit in the stomach feeling. Sometimes it is a look, sometimes a shape, maybe a smile, but one of the children will remind me of Ben or Kate.

It’s that point when this goes beyond trying to help needy kids.

I think about Ben and Katie and what their lives would be like.

It gets so personal.

Your pal

Steve