Dreams Really Do Come True

What does one do the night before going before the Court Registrar in Africa in hopes to be granted guardianship of a child from Uganda? Well... You listen to the ticking of the clock, the horns of the taxis, the voices of the pedestrians passing by, the gazillion toads croaking and the loud music blaring from the night club a mile away; you blink your eyes a million times trying to convince your brain that you are in fact tired and it's time to get some decent shut-eye; you toss and turn and check the time on your phone for the fiftieth time; you look at the precious baby sleeping next to you and become teary-eyed dreaming about the possibility of becoming her mother and most of all, you PRAY.

Morning couldn't have come soon enough. The sun crept it's way into our window and we were up and at 'em at the drop of a dime. First things first- time to make some tea; tea for baby, tea for me! Next came a quick bite to eat and then on to packing the diaper bag with any and all things we could cram into it - things that were sure to help Maisy be a content and cheerful girl while in town! 

Jackie went to Kampala this morning and so Ricky was home with us in the morning and drove us to court. Before we loaded up and headed out, Janna, Ricky, Andrew and I gathered around the kitchen table and prayed together. Our motto since being here in Jinja has been, "Do not be anxious for ANYTHING!". Our hearts were beating extra fast as you can imagine but we certainly didn't feel scared or uneasy.

We arrived at the court house one hour early. We walked around to the back of the building to the Court Registrar's office and made ourselves comfortable on the not-so cozy wooden benches. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. It was 9:45 and our witnesses were no where to be seen. Our appointment was at ten, though in Ugandan time, ten means ten ten or ten fifteen or perhaps ten thirty. We were especially thankful for "Ugandan time" today as our witnesses did show up - just a tad bit later than expected (Thank the Lord and thank you to all of you who prayed for these witnesses to comply). A few other cases were reviewed before ours and so we sat some more (actually, Andrew paced, haha!). Pretty soon, ten thirty rolled around and our case was called. Each of us filed in to the small room and found a seat. All the witnesses were asked some questions and were then sent out.

Maisy's biological mother, the interpreter (again, thank you for praying for this - having an interpreter for the biological mother was a blessing!) the lawer and Andrew, Maisy and I were all asked to stay in the room. At this point, they began asking the biological mother questions about her wanting to give her child up for adoption. Andrew and I sat quietly and listened as the interviewing went on but were never asked a single question. Finally, the Court Registrar excused us and left the room. We didn't quite know what was happening as he just got up and left with no explanation. We soon realized that he had gone to a meeting with the judge- who was supposed to be on her way to Kampala but got held up for some reason! After waiting around for quite some time, the Court Registrar returned to his office and continued to interview all witnesses, this time without us present. While the Court Registrar had been in the meeting with the judge, we came to realize that the biological mom's uncle had left his I.D. at home - this is not good news as you need I.D. to identify yourself to prove that we didn't just pay someone off the streets to pose as this person or that. Ready for this? The Court Clerk forgot to ask to see the uncle's I.D.!!! God. Is. Good.

The witnesses continued to be called in, asked questions and excused. As they came out, each of them approached Andrew, Janna and I, shook our hands and wished us the best. Another hour past and finally, Ricky said everything was over - Good news, WE HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED!!! We were astounded because it is unheard of for them to hear a case like this without having to ask any questions of the prospective parents. We found out later, that Jackie had a dream last night - that when we got to the courthouse, the Registrar had just set Andrew aside and had nothing to do with him.  She did not tell us about the dream because she didn't understand what the visions truly meant and did not want to freak us out not knowing the possible meaning. After today's events it is clear that dreams really do come true!

Ahhh... Sigh... We can breath again! First things first: Thank God. Secondly, celebrate by enjoying a latte at The Source!!! So now our paper work is being typed up and will be delivered to Kampala by hand to the judge on Monday. The judge will sign our file and send it back to Jinja. We have an appointment at the Embassy in Kampala on Monday for a Dr. appointment for Maisy and to pick up more paper work - this time for processing Maisy's visa. One thing at a time; step by step, day by day.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.