Hi family -
I woke up this morning not feeling very brave, or strong, and really feeling like we are entering the unknown . . . actually, really just scared to death. And I thought I'd be "real" with all of you so that when God gets me through this, all the glory will be His, and it will be a testament to His faithfulness. I've not yet been able to get my head around all of this - it's so big - way bigger than anything Mark and I could accomplish on our own. But I know that's when God does His best work - in our weakness, and in our complete surrender. Don't get me wrong, I know my God is in control, He goes with me, and there's not a place in this world that He can't reach - but right now I need my "head knowledge" to connect with my heart (and stomach!). So thought I'd send some specific prayer requests for you to pray for over the next couple weeks:
- safe travel, getting there without any hitches
- good rest
- that God would prepare Maggie's heart for us
- for just the "right amount" of bonding - that she would get to know us, but not be heartbroken and confused when we leave
- protection of health for all of us - especially in regards to what we eat/avoiding the water, etc.
- that we would make a good impression on the orphanage - we were reminded by Bethany this morning that we are the "trail blazers" - the first family adopting from this orphanage, so it's a new and fragile relationship, and important in terms of future adoptions from there.
Lastly, in the midst of my struggle this morning, we received Maggie's June assessment (the first we've received since her referral) - I felt like it was God's timely reminder to me that she is the reason we're doing all of this! I've attached it so you can check it out. There are some pretty cute pictures!! And she has a little friend we could bring home for one of you . . . ?? :)
**Now, looking back, it's amazing to see how God answered EVERY ONE of this prayers!!**
First Update
Hi family!!!
It feels so good to finally be able to get in touch with you! I'm going to try and update you once a day - and I'm sorry ahead of time if I give you too much info - I'm going to print these when we get home for a journal for us - so this is just as much for us as you! :)
Travel went well until we arrived in Africa. :) The 13 hour flight really wasn't bad - super nice plane, seats that reclined more than average ones, and we had more space than U.S. planes, but we still couldn't sleep. :( They fed us THREE times - all for free (well, included in the ticket price) - so that broke up the time. We had TVs at each seat, so for Mark and I, it was fun to watch where we were flying. We flew directly over Benghazi - yikes. :)
Anyway, we got to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and that was a shock. In fact, Mark was so shocked, I had to take over in the airport. :) It was very obvious we were in a 3rd world country. It basically consisted of one room - PACKED with people - hot (no A/C) and smoky (you can smoke anywhere over here). We had to wait a while to even find a seat to sit down. Anyway, then on the 2 hour flight from there to Kampala, the boys CRASHED. Fell asleep so hard we had a difficult time waking them up. Which didn't help their disposition for arrival in Uganda.
Arriving here was weird - no signs or directions on what to do or where to go. The plane (and it was a huge one) unloaded in the parking lot-type area and we walked into the airport. We figured out how to obtain our visas, and then had to stand in line for an hour to get them. !! Again, quite hot and we were all DONE. Once we got out of baggage claim, our driver (Humza) and social worker (Stella) were waiting for us with a sign - it was funny how relieving it was to have someone know us. We've definitely learned what it feels like to be a minority - on both flights, we stuck out like sore thumbs. African people are very formal - there was not a pair of shorts or a tshirt anywhere on the flights except on the boys and Mark. We were very underdressed.
The drive from the airport to our hotel took over an hour - but the boys zonked outy again the minute we got in the car so they missed the whole thing. Noah would try and wake up and look around but couldn't stay awake. Frankly I don't think my mind could comprehend or process everything we saw - it's absolutely overwhelming. Millions of people, extreme poverty and filth everywhere. It's just shocking to see it in person. We arrived at the hotel and everyone was very helpful in getting us moved in - Mark joked about our "entourage" - Humza, Stella, and 3 people from the hotel. It's nice by African standards - there was a layer of dirt on everything, so I used an entire canister of wipes (that I had brought from home) to clean. The beds are SUPER HARD, but all in all, it's quite nice compared to what's around us. I was too tired last night to get online and type anything - we went to bed and slept 12 hours. The boys think sleeping under their mosquito net is the coolest thing. :)
So today, we got up and went to the orphanage - spent 2 hours there. It was the most overwhelming/overcoming thing I've ever done in my life. It's located in the middle of a bunch of shacks - we couldn't believe it when we pulled in. Humza and Stella went with us - Stella stayed long enough to introduce us. When we got out of the car and walked to the gate, Maggie was on the upper level deck (I use that term loosely) waving at us. :) She was just precious - and fully aware of who we were and what we were doing there! We couldn't believe it. Her "mamas" there said she's been terribly excited the past few days. They said - and this will get you - she woke everyone up this morning at 5:00 because she wanted to sing "praise songs about what God has done for her." Can you believe it?? She sang a little "hallelujah" song for us - oh my word. She's very shy - but took a strong liking to Mark right away (WHAT IS IT WITH HIM???), was fascinated with the boys and did fine with me.
There are 24 kids there - 16 girls and 8 boys - and I decided immediately that if most people could visit an orphanage like that for even 5 minutes, there would be no more orphans in the world. I wanted to snatch up a bunch of the others. A couple of them, you could tell, were starved for affection - 2 other little girls and a little boy wanted us to constantly pick them up, or just wanted hugs. To say it breaks your heart is a gross understatement. And the nannies there were wonderful - very kind, gentle women - I don't know how they keep up with all the kids. The director wants Mark and I to call her "mama" and the boys to call her "grandmamma." She was amazing - big woman, with big hugs for all of us - several times.
We got out our gifts, and oh my word, was that a hit. It was amazing to see how EXCITED they got about the littlest things - just pure joy. Bets, you had emailed me about donating money - what I'd actually like to do next time is come with a suitcase or two full of clothes and toys/cars/jewelry - so any contributions we can get to that effort would be great. I had brought some Hello Kitty necklaces and bracelets (from the $1 aisle at Target) and they were overjoyed with those. So, so happy to get them, and wore them so proudly - coming up to us all the time and showing them to us. The other big hit was inflatable beach balls - we only brought two, but could have used 20. And their clothes were really ragged - most full of holes and worn out. Mom, the director got most excited about that green/white striped shirt you sent. I could tell clothing is a big need. The kids all had amazing manners as well - they get down on their knees in front of you to say thank you.
Anyway, 2 hours there was literally all I could handle. Mark even said he felt like we'd spent a whole day there. It's just a sensory and emotional overload. Worse yet, it was hard on Maggie when we left. Stella had to leave us right away, and I nearly panicked, but there was a male Ugandan social worker there named Isaac who spoke English so he was very helpful. A couple of the nannies spoke some English as well. It's exhausting and somewhat scary to not be able to communicate very well. Stella and Humza speak some English, but it can be hard to understand at times.
So the bad news of the day - there's been a major misunderstanding between Bethany and the orphanage - the director and the nannies there were MORTIFIED to hear (from us!) that we would be going back to the U.S. without Maggie, and would be returning to get her. They thought she was leaving on this trip. They were very clear that she will be heartbroken. This is really upsetting for us. Please pray that somehow this gets worked out - that the orphanage understands this is out of our control (they sort of seemed to think we could prevent it), and most of all, pray for Maggie's heart, and that she would understand we are coming back for her.
While on prayer requests, pray that we would find some level of comfort here - everything is quite scary - we don't feel like we can go anywhere, and we haven't figured out how/what to eat. We've been surviving on protein bars and granola bars we brought from home, but those will run out. This is just not at all like a normal trip or vacation.
Much, much love to all of you - missing you already - even just being able to talk on the phone. Oh, and we don't think Mark's phone is working, so don't plan on texts (like we thought we could). We'll be checking email. Please keep praying - that's the only way we are surviving - God's grace and mercy and protection!! Anne :)
Day 2
Hi family!! We are exhausted, but I'm determined to get an update off before
we head to bed. Today was good -
so incredibly surreal - so many times I think "am I really here and are we
really doing this?" It's kind of like my head knows these things but it hasn't
connected with the rest of me. I don't think I really knew or understood
"surreal" until now!
We picked Maggie up at 8:15 - the ladies from the orphanage had her all dressed "up" (meaning really cute clothes, not the torn, worn out ones - they must have a special "stash" they pull from on days like this). They told her to do her "model walk" and oh my word it was the cutest thing - hands on her hips and wiggled across the room - she definitely enjoys "showing off." It was so funny. Anyway, she was excited to leave, so we went back to our hotel - she almost fell asleep in the car on the way (and it's only 15-20 min). Our driver's car broke down on the way (he's a super nice, helpful guy, but has an older car - no A/C - the alternator broke today). So he called someone else and they picked us up within 5-10 minutes and took us the rest of the way.
We could tell she was scared once we got here - very serious look on her face, and she just sat still for a while. We all desperately wanted to know what was going through her mind. I pulled out a Dora doll that we brought, and she lit up when I gave it to her - that helped. After a while, she started to warm up and smile - Mark even got her laughing, which was the first we'd heard from her. We just messed around in the rooms - did some puzzles I brought (mom - those foam ones we bought at TJMaxx) and she LOVED them. She knew exactly what to do, which shocked us - and she did them correctly for the most part. We also had a ball, and she loved, loved, loved playing catch - I told the boys it was good they got a sister who loves a ball. It was interesting to watch - when she'd throw it to us, she made sure to include everyone - each of us had a turn. We thought that was interesting for her age. We taught her how to say our names (Jack, Noah, Mommy, Daddy), which is PRECIOUS. I don't know that she could tell you who matches up with what name, but she can say them!
That's one difficulty is the language barrier - she'd say a few phrases but we didn't know what she was saying. :( I did learn the word for "potty" and she did great with that - went 3 times while she was here and no accidents! She was TERRIFIED of the faucet in the sink, though - but I figured out if I turned it on low, and had my hands in there too, it was ok. We are thinking she hasn't seen much indoor plumbing before (their bathroom is outside- we haven't seen it, but we know they "wash hands" in a kiddie pool filled with water).
She ate everything we put in front of her - peanuts for a snack, peanut butter sandwich and banana for lunch - and Jack and Noah introduced her to cheeseballs (the chip kind) and bbq chips - she loved both. :)
After lunch we all piled on the bed to watch "the Lorax" - she was super tired, rubbing her eyes, etc. - all of her info says she never takes a nap, but thought we'd have some "quiet time." Well she fell asleep within 10 minutes between Jack and Noah. She slept for almost two hours - I'm sure this whole process is very scary and exhausting for her as well. After her nap, we tried out the pool, but she was really scared of it. She sat on my lap on the edge and splashed her feet around in the water, but that was about it.
Taking her back (at 4:30) was hard - she didn't look very happy - although we could tell she was still tired - she nearly fell asleep again in the car ride back. She did ok when we said goodbye - waved, etc. and we were happy to see her talking with two of her friends (wish we knew what they were saying!!).
Overall, we were really impressed - she's smarter/quicker than we expected and definitely self-sufficient. Which is sort of sad - we can tell she's had to "survive," so it will be interesting to see if that fades. She even cleans up after herself - picks up stuff, arranges pillows on the bed, etc. ???
We don't get to have her tomorrow - we have appointments with the Bethany office and our attorney - hopefully will get some process questions answered. We'll have her again Friday.
So it was fun, but so very exhausting!! After dropping her off, our driver dropped us off at the mall so we could have pizza again for supper - but then we had to walk home which was a little more than Jack or I could handle today. He dealt with some jet lag last night - couldn't sleep - only got about 4 hours, so he was really struggling by the end of the day. The thing that got to me today is just how dirty everything is - oh my word, the dirt is everywhere and the pollution is terrible - and just the stench of exhaust and sewer all the time. Our driver explained that his power windows frequently don't work because the dirt builds up in them. !! I'm also starting to understand our emissions laws in the U.S. - by the time we walked back to our hotel, both my eyes and throat burned and I felt covered in filth. We all enjoy a shower at the end of the day!!
And the traffic here is perfectly insane. Mark was just reading in his Uganda book that the biggest danger to foreigners here is a car accident. Great. Generally speaking, you drive on the left side of the road (the steering wheels are on the right side of the car), but no one really pays much attention to that and vehicles swerve in and out and between, whether or not it appears they will fit. There are no traffic laws, and the motorcycles (boda bodas) are the craziest drivers here - they are constantly swerving in between cars - we've learned they have an extremely high fatality rate. We saw one get hit today, luckily no one was hurt. Our driver appears to be safe and responsible so far - just pray it continues that way!!
Ok, that's it for now - more adventures coming tomorrow, so we need to head to bed! Please keep praying - that's so important to us - there are times I have a quiet moment and know I need to pray, but can't always form logical thoughts and don't even know where to begin. So we desperately need you clear-headed people standing in the gap for us. It's critical and we couldn't be more appreciative. Love you all so, so much - more tomorrow!
Anne :)
We picked Maggie up at 8:15 - the ladies from the orphanage had her all dressed "up" (meaning really cute clothes, not the torn, worn out ones - they must have a special "stash" they pull from on days like this). They told her to do her "model walk" and oh my word it was the cutest thing - hands on her hips and wiggled across the room - she definitely enjoys "showing off." It was so funny. Anyway, she was excited to leave, so we went back to our hotel - she almost fell asleep in the car on the way (and it's only 15-20 min). Our driver's car broke down on the way (he's a super nice, helpful guy, but has an older car - no A/C - the alternator broke today). So he called someone else and they picked us up within 5-10 minutes and took us the rest of the way.
We could tell she was scared once we got here - very serious look on her face, and she just sat still for a while. We all desperately wanted to know what was going through her mind. I pulled out a Dora doll that we brought, and she lit up when I gave it to her - that helped. After a while, she started to warm up and smile - Mark even got her laughing, which was the first we'd heard from her. We just messed around in the rooms - did some puzzles I brought (mom - those foam ones we bought at TJMaxx) and she LOVED them. She knew exactly what to do, which shocked us - and she did them correctly for the most part. We also had a ball, and she loved, loved, loved playing catch - I told the boys it was good they got a sister who loves a ball. It was interesting to watch - when she'd throw it to us, she made sure to include everyone - each of us had a turn. We thought that was interesting for her age. We taught her how to say our names (Jack, Noah, Mommy, Daddy), which is PRECIOUS. I don't know that she could tell you who matches up with what name, but she can say them!
That's one difficulty is the language barrier - she'd say a few phrases but we didn't know what she was saying. :( I did learn the word for "potty" and she did great with that - went 3 times while she was here and no accidents! She was TERRIFIED of the faucet in the sink, though - but I figured out if I turned it on low, and had my hands in there too, it was ok. We are thinking she hasn't seen much indoor plumbing before (their bathroom is outside- we haven't seen it, but we know they "wash hands" in a kiddie pool filled with water).
She ate everything we put in front of her - peanuts for a snack, peanut butter sandwich and banana for lunch - and Jack and Noah introduced her to cheeseballs (the chip kind) and bbq chips - she loved both. :)
After lunch we all piled on the bed to watch "the Lorax" - she was super tired, rubbing her eyes, etc. - all of her info says she never takes a nap, but thought we'd have some "quiet time." Well she fell asleep within 10 minutes between Jack and Noah. She slept for almost two hours - I'm sure this whole process is very scary and exhausting for her as well. After her nap, we tried out the pool, but she was really scared of it. She sat on my lap on the edge and splashed her feet around in the water, but that was about it.
Taking her back (at 4:30) was hard - she didn't look very happy - although we could tell she was still tired - she nearly fell asleep again in the car ride back. She did ok when we said goodbye - waved, etc. and we were happy to see her talking with two of her friends (wish we knew what they were saying!!).
Overall, we were really impressed - she's smarter/quicker than we expected and definitely self-sufficient. Which is sort of sad - we can tell she's had to "survive," so it will be interesting to see if that fades. She even cleans up after herself - picks up stuff, arranges pillows on the bed, etc. ???
We don't get to have her tomorrow - we have appointments with the Bethany office and our attorney - hopefully will get some process questions answered. We'll have her again Friday.
So it was fun, but so very exhausting!! After dropping her off, our driver dropped us off at the mall so we could have pizza again for supper - but then we had to walk home which was a little more than Jack or I could handle today. He dealt with some jet lag last night - couldn't sleep - only got about 4 hours, so he was really struggling by the end of the day. The thing that got to me today is just how dirty everything is - oh my word, the dirt is everywhere and the pollution is terrible - and just the stench of exhaust and sewer all the time. Our driver explained that his power windows frequently don't work because the dirt builds up in them. !! I'm also starting to understand our emissions laws in the U.S. - by the time we walked back to our hotel, both my eyes and throat burned and I felt covered in filth. We all enjoy a shower at the end of the day!!
And the traffic here is perfectly insane. Mark was just reading in his Uganda book that the biggest danger to foreigners here is a car accident. Great. Generally speaking, you drive on the left side of the road (the steering wheels are on the right side of the car), but no one really pays much attention to that and vehicles swerve in and out and between, whether or not it appears they will fit. There are no traffic laws, and the motorcycles (boda bodas) are the craziest drivers here - they are constantly swerving in between cars - we've learned they have an extremely high fatality rate. We saw one get hit today, luckily no one was hurt. Our driver appears to be safe and responsible so far - just pray it continues that way!!
Ok, that's it for now - more adventures coming tomorrow, so we need to head to bed! Please keep praying - that's so important to us - there are times I have a quiet moment and know I need to pray, but can't always form logical thoughts and don't even know where to begin. So we desperately need you clear-headed people standing in the gap for us. It's critical and we couldn't be more appreciative. Love you all so, so much - more tomorrow!
Anne :)
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