Jack Myhre, a 20 year journey

Twenty years ago today, God gave us one of the greatest gifts of our life.  We had evacuated from war in Uganda, and were taking refuge working at Kijabe.  Scott was my OB (not our preference but choices were limited) and after months of displacement, illness, terror, uncertainty . . a healthy big baby boy joined our lives.

(The weight of responsibility seems to be sinking in for big brother Luke. . )
Back in Uganda, his baptism party descended into a tribal conflict, his first birthday party Scott missed because he had a potentially fatal infection, and we spent the next few years of his life trying to hold on in spite of frequent temporary evacuations.

Grammy and Grampy came to visit

The "balongo" (twins) . . these two have stuck together through thick and thin for 20 years.

And so he grew up, playing football every day, fiercely determined to do anything his big siblings did, riding a bike with no hands and running miles and reading everything in sight.  He said the deepest things, big thoughts, tender heart, a "great dane who thinks he's a lap dog" a friend once said and that summed him up.

Fearless and funny, loud and boisterous, a "one-man tomato".  Until one day he was taller than the rest of us and playing three varsity sports and debating in MUN and surrounded by a diverse group of great friends from all over the world.

And then he was graduating and heading out of Africa to go to school in America for the first time.

God's last-minute provision of an amazing scholarship allowed him to join Julia at Duke, for which we are ever grateful.  More sports with club football and rugby, more studies with engineering, more fun with intramurals and motorsports and Cameron Craziness, more friends and fellowship.

Which brings us up to this 20th birthday.  This is a young man who is . . . . 

A scholar and a gentleman

A gifted artist

A creative cook and barista

An athlete playing in a rugby tournament today (praying for MY birthday gift, no injuries please!)

A loyal loving little brother

And a delightful son to us his parents and to the many others who have helped us raise him.

As you can tell from all the photos, another birthday apart makes us miss him even more.  Today he'll be playing on the Duke men's club rugby 7's team in a tournament, and serving as the official Duke yearbook photographer at the Duke-UNC basketball game.  Happy Birthday Jack.  We love you.

Watch out world.  Here he comes.