Attorney letters...and an ALMOST court date:)

 I got an email from our wonderful Ugandan attorney, who proposed to the Jinja court, that our hearing be set for Oct. ..and he gave all available dates , which are every Thursday and Friday because that's when they hear adoption cases there. He sent the letter in on Sept. 12th and the Judge's assistant promised him yesterday that he would get back to him very soon with the date. So, I think it's finally going to happen...sometimes I wonder if it ever will! I keep up with adoption blogs of others adopting from Uganda and NO ONE has a date for Kampala. And the bad thing is...I don't know if they will any time soon:( I sure hope they do, so many babies ready to go home with their new family! I am so grateful for our attorney being proactive and switching the case to Jinja to move us along quicker.
Crazy thing is, the first dates were Oct. 3 or 4th, which is crazy because of travel and them being on a different time schedule, we would have to leave at the end of this month to get there a few days before. YIKES! Either way, just glad we are getting a date and moving along:)
I am getting so excited for a friend who is adopting 2 kiddos from the same orphanage (she also is going to court in Jinja and has same attorney) so she can give me the lowdown and also she can see Eliana and hug on her for us. And I will get new pics:)
Please pray for her and her husband (Natalie and Steve) to gain guardianship of their 2 children, Steven and Tracey. They are not related and are both almost 4.
That's all I have as to updates....thank you all for your love and support to bring little miss home.
Amy

Bumps in the Road

When I started this blog last year...I named it "Our Journey to Love in Uganda". I knew on this "journey" there would be lots of bumps and waits and upsets etc....but there's always a teeny bit in me that sees a challenge such as this process and thinks I think I can get through it without all of that...well...how humbling this ride has been!
I can't say we weren't warned! The endless paperwork, the massive financial responsibility, the waiting, etc., courts, judges, attorneys, directors, agencies, and then there's running your own family and life in the process. But, I honestly think that every little setback and "mistake" along the way, has been a part of this plan from the beginning.  I can't do this by myself. My husband can't do this for me. No one can get this adoption done. We are at the hands of an African government for crying out loud, of course I am not in control! ;)
So, I can sit and sulk, and talk about how stupid this is (waiting on Ugandan judges) or I can choose to learn what my lesson is in this wait. I think it's a lesson on PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, and ultimately, and most importantly, asking God for His guidance and not just a prayer to make it all end and get our baby home, but a prayer to thank Him for teaching us in this process, and that in His perfect time, this will all fall together.
It seems like a long time, but after speaking to most international adoptive parents, particularly African adoptions, this is completely normal, and really expected. There are very few people who go through it and don't have to endure some sort of bump in the road.
After speaking with our attorney, we have decided to move our case to Jinja court. Most cases take place in Kampala...but after court reopened in August there is only 1 judge who has reported back in and he is not at all favorable towards American adoptions. Our chances of coming home with Eliana if we went there are pretty slim. So, we are moving our case to Jinja and he said IF the registrar (whatever that is) reports this week, we will have our court date this week. And he is certain our court date will be in October. I am just happy we are doing SOMETHING besides sitting and waiting. All of us who are adopting from Uganda are in the same boat. So, next time I post, we will have a court date ! Please pray for that DATE!

An excerpt

I follow some pretty amazing blogs and I wanted to pass this along, as it describes very well my thoughts!

Staying on the Path

I came across The Brave Girls Club today, and this graphic just jumped out at me because of where I find myself in this adoption process.

I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy thing to do. Of course I knew that. I’ve said all along that the only thing easy about adoption is loving our daughter. But even knowing it was going to be tough, there are at least a dozen difficult things I didn’t know I’d face on this journey before I took the first step.

Honestly, most of the comments and reactions I’ve received have been positive. But sometimes I think that, because children are so tightly woven into their mother’s heart, the enemy attacks moms in a way that dads don’t usually experience.

I had one person ask me how I was going to keep her from becoming immersed in “thug culture.” I guess since she’s black, and we live in the south, to some people — that must be the inevitable outcome of her new life with us.

I’ve fielded intensely personal questions about financial issues, her family story and health history (including the assumption that she has AIDS — she doesn’t), crazy questions related to our motives for adopting her….

I know that most people are just curious and say what’s on their minds. They don’t know anyone who’s done this before.  And I think I’ve been gracious (or at least, I hope so) with my replies.

But I’m a thinker. And when people plant their thoughts into my mind, they immediately take root. And I wonder and question and research and pray, when what I really need to is perform the mental equivalent of spraying Round-Up on these weeds instead of allowing them to grow freely along my path.

I knew this process wasn’t going to be easy. And despite the agony of waiting forever, I can imagine that several months from now, I’m going to look back at this as being the “easy” time — like how pregnancy seems so hard until you’re several weeks into sleepless life with a colicky newborn and realize that you never before truly understood the definition of “exhausted”.

But in that sleepless haze, you also realize that you never before really understood the definition of “love”. And then the beautiful part is that with each child you add to the family, that love just multiplies.

So with every child, you get to live life at a level of love that was previously unknown to you.

It’s crazy how it works that way. That’s why I honestly believe that every child God places in my home — however he or she may come — is an blessed, welcome gift.

No matter how difficult the journey that connects us.

I’m tired, but I don’t think I’m anywhere near the end of this path. Still, I know with complete certainty that it’s the right one to take.