Go Get 'Em Tigers (by Thom)

Please forgive me for a sport indulgence here, but this has been an exciting week for me as a baseball fan. I grew up a Tiger fan, with my coming-of-baseball age in the middle of the Cecil Fielder, Rob Deer, Mickey Tettleton era. After college we moved to the Pittsburgh area and then the Cincinnati area. I’ve seen a lot of pathetic baseball over the last 15-20 years. I enjoyed watching the awful Pirates and Reds teams but they never filled that love I had for the Tigers. We moved here to Africa a year ago, so I’m sure this is some sort of Murphy’s law thing going on here, but I’ll tell you: I grew up a die-hard Buckeye’s fan and Pittsburgh Steelers fan and I’m more excited about the Tigers making the playoffs this year than I was for OSU beating Miami for the National Championship in 2002 or the Steelers winning the Super Bowl last year.
This has been such a special year. I’ve had to watch from afar, but wow - this is fun! “Go Get ‘Em Tigers” and “Bless You Boys!”
By the way, Amanda thinks that if things don't work out for the Tigers maybe we should switch our allegiances to the Minnesota Twins, for obvious reasons.

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Faux Pas (by Thom)

I almost forgot to write about this. It’s not really about the twins, but rather an embarrassing thing that happened to me a week ago. It was our first Sunday back at church since we got custody of Miriam and Hannah. I was very glad to get back and worship with others. We don’t really have a set church home here in Mali, but we often attend a church in the Badalabougou section of town. The service there is in French, which is unusual here – most are in Bambara. We meet outside under a lean-to. The service isn’t unlike a traditional service in the US: we sing, have prayer time, the music leader often has a devotional he shares, the preacher delivers his message, and we close with announcements and more songs.

In my first year here, I had never been asked to lead out in prayer in church. This was quite a relief, since I don’t have that much confidence in my French. I don’t mind speaking it, and I don’t have much trouble with it in general, but praying is a personal thing, and most people find it is one of the last things that you get comfortable with when learning a new language. After the service though, the pastor asked if I would pray. I kinda froze. After a moment, I started to pray. It was slow and probably agonizing for the better French speakers around me, but I muddled my way through it. At the end I closed with “amen” and looked up. The congregation was totally silent. It stayed that way for about 10-15 seconds, which felt like 10-15 minutes! Finally, a guy in front of me turned around and asked, “Do you know what you just said?” At that moment I realized what happened; I had prayed “Que Dieu nous blesse.” I wanted to say, ‘May God bless us all.’ “Blesse” is a funny word. It sounds a lot like our word ‘bless’ and so it’s easy to use, but it means something totally different in French. What I prayed was: “May God hurt us all.” I should have said, “Que Dieu nous benise”. Oops.

Mercifully, no one was upset with me, and several people understood the problem. We’ve now been living in a French-speaking culture for almost 2 years (since January 2005) and our language skills have gotten better, but there is still much room for improvement. There are many other words that we call “faux amis”, or “false friends”. They sound like English words, but mean something totally different in French. I thought I’d share this with everyone for the laugh, but also to better understand some of the difficulties of living cross-culturally and to better understand some of the challenges we face as relatively new missionaries in Mali.

Finally, I've decided to randomly include this picture. It doesn't have anything to do with anything, but in my biased opinion, the girls look great in blue!

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Blessings and Prayers (by Thom)

Life has been…. interesting…. the past couple of months. Hannah and Miriam came into our lives so suddenly and so much changed so quickly. With Hannah’s health problems early on it consumed most of our prayers and waking thoughts. Now that she seems to have gotten through the worst of it, we’ve been working on focusing on the future. Since she can’t drink formula that’s bought in Mali (anything with cow’s milk) we’ve had to import her soy milk formula. We’ve been getting it a can at a time, having people stuff a can or two into their luggage as they come to Mali. Realistically, though, that’s not a good long term solution. Amanda’s dad sent us a case of soy formula in the mail, but that didn’t arrive until about a month after it was mailed. The post office can be so hit-and-miss here that it isn’t really a long term solution, either. We’ve been praying a lot lately for something to happen that would allow us to be able to get enough formula to last us until we come back to the States next spring. This past Sunday that “something” might have happened.

We went to church for the first time since we got custody of the girls. We wanted to go before this, but with Hannah’s frail condition we didn’t think it was safe to expose her to so many people. At the church we attended there was another missionary couple who work for M.A.F. (Mission Aviation Fellowship). We were talking with them and mentioned how difficult it was been to get Soy formula milk, much less reach a long term plan. It turns out MAF is having a plane coming soon and they said they would try to get us 3 cases of formula. If this happens, I believe we’ll have enough formula to get us through to our furlough beginning in March! We’re praying now that this will happen and we’ll be able to rest on this issue.

Really quick, I want to mention our other prayer concern right now: we’ve still not gotten the birth certificate for the girls. This is basically the only thing holding up the finalization of the adoption process. We have people helping us, but because of the rainy season and poor communication with the very remote area of Mali where the girls were born is taking a long time. We need to finish this adoption process soon so we can begin the US naturalization process. Sometimes it seems the paperwork will never end!

Please continue to pray for these two concerns with us. Thanks for all the prayers so far. The pictures have been useful, but if you could have seen Hannah in person 2 months ago and today you’d really understand how much God has blessed her, and us.

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Birthday Surprise (by Amanda)

As most of you know by now (compliments of my husband) I turned the big 3-0 this past Sunday. We had a small dinner with our good friends here and that was nice, but the biggest gift I received was a gift from so many of you. If you do not know already, Thom had as many people as possible send cards and letters wishing me a happy birthday and if possible had you send a photo along. I was so blessed by the news from home and well-wishes from all of you. I received many cards and am still receiving them. It was very special day, to know that many of you are praying for me, some people whom I have never even met in person. I know that if we do not meet in this life, which I hope we will, that we will meet in heaven. I am still receiving cards which is wonderful it is like my birthday is lasting extra long. Thom bought me a photo album, so now I get to put together my photo and card collection together a little each day and I have enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for your prayers, your love, and gifts.

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New Photos of the Twins

Our friends were visiting last week and they took some photos of the four of us. Believe it or not, it's the first time since the first day that we got the girls that we've had a photo with all four of us. To see the full McMurray family, visit our picture pages here.

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It's About More Than Goat's Milk (by Thom)

We brought Miriam and Hannah home on August 12th. We actually began taking care of them a couple of weeks before that, but we were in Koutiala and Segou (two other cities in Mali) and couldn't bring them home to Bamako until we had been granted legal custody by a judge. It was in Koutiala we realized Hannah was allergic to cow's milk and formula that used cow's milk. Unfortunately, that's the only kind of formula we can get in Mali. In Segou we were able to buy goat's milk and Hannah did very well with that. For the first time in the two weeks we knew her she didn't fuss all the time and stopped her diarrhea. The man in Segou who helped us was able to get us a bunch of extra goat's milk which we froze and took with us back to Bamako. We were able to arrange more daily goat's milk with a local herder, but the quantity wasn't very much. Still, we took what we could get. The herder is a man of the Fulani ethnic group (probably the same ethnic group as our precious little girls). He and his family live near the Bamako airport and for a few weeks I drove out there very early every morning to buy the milk (our mission hires a Malian man who lives near there and gets the milk for me now each day, except on weekends). I've included a satellite image of part of Bamako tracing the route I drove each day. The trip is 5.5 miles and takes about 15 minutes each way.
The first several days I went out to the fields to buy milk were... Interesting. Everyone in the extended family wanted to talk to me. They were very curious: why's a white man coming out here? What does he need goat's milk for? What's he doing in Mali? I enjoyed talking with them, even if I don't like the fact I'm always a spectacle here. However, there was one person who never would come close to me: the family has a little daughter about 6 or 7 years old. Every time I came, she would scream and fuss and cry until I left. One day the dad picked her up and brought her over to me; you would have thought I wanted to eat her! She was so afraid of me. I asked and the dad confirmed I was the first white person she had ever seen. I felt sorry for her and devised a plan. The next day I brought Miriam with me to the fields. I opened up the car door and brought her out. Suddenly, everything was different. The girls couldn't stop grinning. She loved looking at my little Miri and no longer cried or fussed. The next couple of times I went she wasn't there, but about a week later I went to get my milk and she ran up to me and wanted to shake my hand!
God has blessed us with these girls. There is no doubt about that. He has heard the cries of my heart and the cries of Amanda's heart and He has answered us with more than we imagined and we certainly have found more room in our hearts than we knew existed for them. Still, the blessings haven't ended there.
Through the girls we been blessed with other, unexpected things - most notably new relationships. People have stopped us and talked to us, asking about our story. Everyone, without exception, has seemed genuinely excited for us. We've also developed new relationships even through this website, as we relay information about our girls and our lives in Mali. I pray all of this will lead to opportunities to share the love of Christ. Adoption gives such a beautiful picture of what we were and are and will be. Sin orphaned us. Christ sought us out. He longs for us to be part of His family.
Thanks to every one of you who has allowed us to be a part of your lives, and thank you for being a part of ours.

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Doctor Visit Joys (by Amanda)

I never thought I would say this, but I love doctor visits. Each time we go I get excited to see how much our girls have grown. This last visit was no exception. I told Thom last week that I thought that Hannah may have reached the milestone 6 lbs marker, but wasn’t sure, just hopeful. So yesterday when we went it was with anticipation to see the results and we were not disappointed. Hannah was actually 7 lbs and Miriam was 9 lbs 3 oz! They are both taking off like weeds and Hannah is finally starting to gain on Miriam. When the doctor saw them she said that they really are beginning to look similar. I was so joyful I almost cried because I now have two healthy normal-size babies. God really answered my prayers for Hannah. I praise God for my two girls they are both such a blessing and I continue to pray that God will work in their lives - both physically and spiritually.

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Greetings (by Thom)

Something that’s very important in Malian culture is greetings. Whenever there is a major change in someone’s life it is imperative that you go and greet. This is true for weddings, deaths, births, and the sort. We’ve had several of our Malian friends stop by our house in the month since we brought Hannah and Miriam home. Pastors, colleagues, and other friends have all come by to sit and talk and give blessings on the babies and us as we raise them.
Last week I was at the bank standing in line when I heard someone behind me say “Thomas?” I turned around and saw the wife of our landlord. She asked me how Amanda was, and the house, and the rabbits (she had given us 2 rabbits as a gift when we rented the house). Everything was fine, I said, and then I told her about the twins and the adoption process.
Last night she came by the house to greet. We had a very nice time talking about the girls and talking about life in Mali. I found it very interesting that she would say, as a Muslim, she’s concerned by the growing influence of Islam in Mali. Islam here can be quite different that Islam in the Middle East, and she told me that times are changing and the strict Muslims are gaining influence here. Just one example would be the stricter diet requirements. We also talked about the girls and how they’ll be able to speak 3 languages fluently (English, French, Bambara) and how we can already see differences in their personalities (Miriam is more active and fussy; Hannah is calm and quiet).
It was a good time and something I love about Malian culture; relationships are so important here.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

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September 10th, 2006 (by Thom)

Our girls, Miriam and Hannah, were born July 10th, 2006 so today they are two months old. I think this occasion calls for pictures! We've been posting new pictures of the girls every couple of days. Click here to see them.
We were hoping to have adoption paperwork finalized by now, but we've been having some difficulty getting their "acte de naissance" (birth certificate). This is something we're totally dependent on others for, so we have no choice but to wait and pray. Everything else has seemingly gone so well though that we have full confidence that the Lord will provide this detail too.
We have another doctor's appointment this Wednesday. It's just a regular check-up and weigh-in. We're expecting to find out that Miriam is now over 8 pounds and Hannah will be over 6 pounds. This may not sound like much, but compared to 2 months ago, this is huge!!
Thanks for continued prayers.

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A Day With Help (by Amanda)

Miriam and Hannah are doing so well it is a joy to hold and play with them. With all the concerns in the beginning it was hard to take time and enjoy many of the little baby things. Now with them both healthy I find more time to sit and just enjoy the baby-moments - although at times it is difficult with two because they often want attention at the same time. This morning, though, the girls got all the attention they could ever want. We have a new family joining our Mali team and Thom and I had the privilege of having them over for dinner last night. They have four children - ages 12 to 6 and the 12 year old is a girl and loves to hold babies so this morning I had them over again. Rachael and her sister Joy helped hold babies all morning; it was wonderful! Even the older boy held Miriam. What a blessing for me to have these wonderful children come for a time and share in my joy. I would ask that you would pray for this family as they adjust to life here in a Mali and also that you would continue to pray for the soy formula my dad mailed: that it would get here soon so we can continue to see Hannah grow in strength and size.

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Babies Growing (by Thom)

Saturday Amanda shared that we finally got some soy milk formula for Hannah. While we thought that soy would help her we weren't sure, and I was admittedly a bit concerned. However, a few days have gone by and Hannah is eating more than ever! We're mixing her soy milk with the goat's milk that we can get here. This gives her the fat and vitamins she needs from the soy with the maternal benefits of the goat's milk. Hannah has been gaining weight lately and everyone who sees her comments on how much healthier she is looking. It's true - she's now over 5 pounds and growing. Our househelp Jeanette even mistook Hannah for Miriam yesterday. If you saw the two of them next to each other 2 weeks ago you'd understand how much that mistake meant to us!
Speaking of Jeanette, her baby is now about 5 months old and is doing very well, too. When Alifahan was born we shared our concern here for her. She was very sick at birth and for the first couple of months it wasn't known if she would live. Today little Ali is very alert and playful and can sit up. I came home yesterday and she was playing with an empty Dr. Pepper bottle on the floor. It was exciting to see how well she's doing - partly because it gives us continued hope for the improvement of our own little ones.
I've included here a photo of Hannah when she was 30 days old and at 52 days old. What a difference! For more pictures, go here.

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Soy Joy (by Amanda)

It is with great joy that I write this update. Today was an exciting day. We got our first amount of Soy formula. We have been waiting for some stuff mailed from the States that hasn’t arrived yet, but yesterday we got some from a woman who came from Holland. She was nice enough to give us room in her luggage for the formula. I started using a little today; I am introducing it to Hannah slowly so her body can adjust. She seems okay so far and that is good news. Everyone has been incredibly kind and helpful to Thom and me with these girls and I just praise God that we got the formula today. I have high hopes that before you know it Hannah will look so much like Miriam it will be hard to tell them apart (well not too much alike). I thank you all again for your prayers and soon we will hopefully have the shipments from the States with more soy formula. God has really protected our daughters and for that we are truly blessed.

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How Things Stand Now - the Girls

We had another doctor's visit this week. It was full of encouraging news. The pediatrician said Hannah is continuing to recover well. Aside from an ear infection in Miriam both girls are doing well. We also had the twins weighed and measured. Hannah came in at 19.3" and 5 lbs 1 oz (an increase of 9 oz from the previous week) and Miriam was 20.9" and 7 lbs 10 oz (an increase of 7 oz). If you saw the last post on the girls' weights you might be wondering about Hannah. It turns out we had a 'language-gap' moment and misunderstood the doctor last week. She was actually 2.05 kilograms, not 2.50 kg. Well, communication difficulties are part of cross-cultural living...
Some more encouraging news was that the doctor said we only needed to come every-other week now for check ups and weighing. It's nice she has confidence in the girls' health.
We've added more pictures of the twins to our picture pages. Click here to see them. We've been adding new pictures every couple of days or so lately.
Finally, we want to thank everyone for caring and loving our girls without ever seeing them in person. Last month almost 5,000 people visited this website. That was 3,500 more than any previous month. It's pretty obvious what the difference is! We received so many encouraging emails and messages on this blog. It amazes me that churches held baby showers for a couple they hardly know who live all the way in Africa! We know we've been blessed - abundantly so. We look forward to thanking as many of you as possible in person next spring when we return to the US for our furlough.

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How Things Stand Now - the Adoption Process

We told you recently about having the social worker visit our house. I wanted to finish that story and let you know how things stand now on the adoption process.
The day after meeting with the social worker who has been assigned to look out for the welfare of Miriam and Hannah I met with her again. We finished up the paperwork that morning. She mentioned that now things were done from our end and she would present our case to the judge. Normally the case can sit in front of a judge for 6 or more months but our lawyer had been pushing the judges to rule quickly here. Afterwards we talked with our lawyer and he said he's hopeful we'll have a ruling making the girls legal ours early in September! The process has gone better than expected to this point.
As of today, we're just waiting to hear the next thing. There's nothing we can do except pray the Lord continues to keep His merciful hand in this adoption.
After the adoption comes through we will begin to make the girls American citizens. We need to finish that by February because we'll be returning to the United States for our first furlough March 1st, 2007.

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