Well, we have an announcement, we have a big change coming up in our lives. After wrestling with the decision for almost a year, we have decided to move back to the States. We love what we are a part of in Kenya but believe it is the Lord’s will for us to move on at this time.
Several factors have influenced our decision. One of the biggest ones is that we moved to Kenya in 2005, only 3 months after we got married. We have never really lived in America as adults and feel like if we are ever going to do so, we better give it a shot. Stu has also decided that he would like to pursue an MBA in hopes of being able to help businesses in developing nations prosper. A third reason is just a desire to be close to home and have Graham know his family. We’ve always heard people say that having kids changes everything, but we had no way of anticipating the strain that would come from bringing up a family without a support network (besides our wonderful friends in Kenya, but they are no substitute for Grandparents).
As of now, we are planning to leave Kenya by mid-May and move to the southside of Atlanta (Tyrone-ish, not sure where we will decide to live just yet) where Stu has accepted a job with Lauren’s Dad. It was a very difficult decision to decide not to move to Rome, which feels like home for both of us. However, this opportunity provides us with a job at a time when those can be hard to find, as well as provides Stu with additional business experience. Its also much more conveniently located to Atlanta for MBA classes if that works out.
To our friends in Kenya who are reading this, we just want to say that we love you and we are going to miss you more than you will ever know. You’ve made Kenya home for us for the past 5 years and your friendship means so much to us. We’ve still got several months so we hope to spend time with each of you before we go.
We’ve decided to use this blog as a way of helping us to wrap up and organize our thoughts about our time here. We’re both erratic journaler’s at best, so no record of our time really exists elsewhere. So we’re going to be posting a story each week about something or someone that has impacted us while we have been here. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading about the things we’ve learned and get a better understanding of why we love Kenya!
so excited for you guys! i know that's a tough decision and you will forever miss that place! I was only there a year and still have such vivid memories. BUT you will be so blessed by being near family and sharing your life in Kenya with those around you! Good luck and you are definitely in my thoughts and prayers!
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