"Apwoyo matek!"

I made the most delicious Christmas stollen I've ever made! I found dates and raisins in Gulu so we enjoyed the bread for breakfast this morning, sipped our Via coffee (thank you!), made a quick milkshake (horray for electricity and my blender!), and got the children dressed in their Christmas best in record time. We drove to Home of Love with the plan of meeting the rest of our missionary team there and walking to the local church. The local church never opened its doors... (???)

So Josh led us in a service which was just perfect for our large "family!" Then we ate a meal that Candis prepared at home and brought to us (wow!) and the children played on familiar ground. We had a cake (Jesus' birthday!) and some small gifts from our directors. Finally, exhausted, we headed home with yet another part remaining to our Christmas day - stockings for all the children!

They were a little surprised and mystified but soon caught on to unwrapping all the little presents - the best, of course, being match box cars from Mimi and Papa in the States!

Little Moses, full of life and enthusiasm always, kept saying "apwoyo matek!" (thank you very much!) in this goofy voice.

They hit a sugar high and then the end-of-Christmas-day mania. Once we corralled them all to bed, they crashed and were snoring before we hardly even could turn out the lights. What a treasure to have these two precious boys with our family this year for Christmas day!

(Snoozing on Baba Josh - when this little guy lets his defenses down, he's a real snuggle bug!)