Look at that – He’s ELEVEN!
So Micah’s birthday being in August seems to frequently be not ‘at home’. This year was the end of our time in Canada (in fact, Jonah & I flew to Kenya on his birthday)
This pattern has played out a bit in the past:
- Last year he turned 10 in Kenya
- He turned 9 in Rwanda
- He turned 8 in Michigan
- We were in France when he turned 7, 6, 5 and moved there just days before his 4th birthday
- And his 3rd, 2nd, 1st – and actual day of birth – were in Canada.
It’s of course pointless to try to describe a kid like Micah, such a paradoxical combination of characteristics: brave yet compassionate; thoughtful yet daring; at times the crazy & outgoing center of attention, other times quietly sitting reading and playing lego by himself for hours.
The life we have led the past decade or so has not always been easy for him – in some ways because of his ages at various moves and because of his personality – perhaps harder than for most in our family. Being thrown into French public school for his first ever day of school when we had arrived in the country just several weeks earlier, what we experienced in Bujumbura, more moves – but he sure has persevered and not only survived it all – but truly, truly thrived.
He is so at home here in rural Burundi, and it’s great to see all the things he gets to do that an 11 year-old kid loves to do. Yes – there are many and significant things that are lost from our being here, but there are some things that are really good.
So here’s some pictures of Micah over the past year – doing what he does, and loves best:
