Day 6

We are EXHAUSTED, but saw a miracle take place today - seriously - and I think that's the only reason we're still functioning.  So here goes (grab a cup of coffee - this gets long because I want Maggie to know all of it someday):

We leave the hotel at 6 a.m. to beat traffic - even then, it takes an hour and 15 min to get to our attorney's office.  Upon arrival there, the receptionist informs us that the IOM clinic likely isn't open today because it's Columbus Day.  ?!?!  We said our understanding is that it's a Ugandan-run clinic?  Yes, she said, but they observe both US and Ugandan holidays.  Oh.  Well isn't that nice?  Good for them.  We decide we're going to check it out anyway, and head over there with Stella, the social worker with the firm.

We arrive, and good news - they're open!  Happy dance.  Stella goes to the desk and chats for a while, then comes back and says we have a problem.  My heart hit the floor.  When someone says that in Uganda, it's usually a BIG problem.  The normal procedure is for families to come in, pay their fee, hand over their paperwork, get their file started and then come back the next business day for their appointment.  We were hoping for an exception - that we could be seen TODAY.  They see children only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.  Tomorrow is a Ugandan holiday (Muslim - something to do with the moon phase), so they are closed.  Next business day for children is Friday.  Oh, but guess what - the doctors are in training that day.  So we can't get an appointment until next Monday.  At which point they have to administer a TB test (which is fluid inserted under the skin and you wait for a reaction for 48-72 hours), so we wouldn't be finished with the IOM until a week from Wed. - - except they don't see children on Wed., so who knows when the test can get read and be finished.

I ask if we can go talk to the reception/scheduling guy.  Stella says Mark can, but I should stay put.  (Cultural thing - you know, a woman's place).

So Mark goes and pleads our case with the guy but he's not hearing it - there is a procedure in place, this is policy, yada yada yada. 

Mark comes back looking like he'd been punched in the gut.

And this is where Mark flips out.  He looks at Stella (and this isn't her fault) and says "Well, I'm leaving." 

?!?!  Say what?

I'm thinking "YOU'RE leaving? And the rest of us . . .?"  But he told me afterwards he meant "us."  I hope so.  :)

She looks back at him like he's crazy and then he tells me he needs some air and leaves the building.

My head is spinning at this point and I can't even comprehend what this means.  I do a fast calculation and it appears like we'll be stuck here for another two weeks, minimum.

Mark comes back (thank GOD!) and says we're changing our tickets and going home tonight or tomorrow, and Stella can finish up the medical process for us and we'll come back in a month or so and do the embassy stuff.  Stella says "ok." (What else can she say at this point?  She could tell Mark was on the verge).

So there's our plan.

But first we have to sit and wait to pay the fee and get our appointment time for next week.

So we sit for an hour, and finally get to pay our fee.  The gal at the "fee desk" tells us to go back and wait, and we'll be called again to receive our appointment time.

So we sit for another hour.

All the while, thinking "Really, God?  How can this be?  Why did you give us Maggie's passport in 2 days - RECORD time?  Wasn't there a reason for that?  This doesn't make sense!"

And all the while with Mark rattling on endlessly to Stella about everything that's wrong with Uganda.  Seriously said some things he shouldn't have.  But she found him funny, and she was fine with his tirade, thankfully.

The waiting room empties, and it's just us and a couple other people left.

A nurse, who has walked back and forth past us numerous times in the past 2 hours, approaches me and kindly says "Did you have an appointment?"

I tell her no, we've paid our fee, but are waiting for our appointment time, and isn't there any way we could please possibly be squeezed in today?
She says, well, let me see what I can do - and immediately grabs a doctor walking by.  Explains to that doctor that we've paid our fee, and could we have our exam?  The doctor (witch) says "No.  We are finished here today.  You come back next Monday."  And leaves. (It's 10:15 a.m.)

The nurse then goes over to the appointment desk and talks to Mr. Procedure, but he won't budge - yammers on about the TB test and the scheduling just doesn't work, etc.

The nurse then finds another doctor, explains the situation to her - - an angel in disguise - finally, someone who had a heart.

They devise a plan in which we have Maggie's TB test administered right now, and then read at her exam appointment on Wednesday.

Wait a minute - what?  Wednesday?

Yes, we'll make an exception for you - you bring her in at 7:30 and we'll check her out quick.

If I wasn't concerned about the cultural aspects of public displays of affection, I would have hit the floor and kissed their feet.

Mark grabbed the nurse and hugged her.

She was thrilled she was able to help us, and proceeded to apologize for the inconvenience this morning. 

COULD. NOT. BELIEVE. IT.

And oh, you should have seen Stella's face - remember, she's done this with several families.  She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

As we walked Maggie back to the lab, once again I felt like I was living someone else's life - a few minutes ago, we were talking about coming home, and yet here we were - the waters had been parted again.

The nurse gave us her name - Michelle - and told us to ask for her when we get there on Wednesday.

We just may use her name for Maggie's middle name. :)

As we walk out into the parking lot, Stella, still looking shocked, looks at us and says "that was A MIRACLE!  They made a special exception for YOU!"  I think she was stunned for several minutes.  As were we - so strange, being completely overwhelmed at what in the world to do next, and then having God step in and solve it.  Love having the front row seat to His hand at work, but oh my, the highs and lows - and the vast space between them - are exhausting.

And so we are watching this little spot on Maggie's arm, praying it doesn't react and get bigger (no, I have no idea what happens if it's positive).  After we're done at the IOM place on Wednesday, we'll head straight over to the embassy to have them look over our paperwork, and hopefully schedule our visa interview.

Our victory this morning was followed by a tough afternoon with Maggie - thinking she got overtired (she was up at 5:00), didn't like to get poked with a needle, and really didn't like it that Jack and Noah went swimming (she saw them in their suits) and she didn't get to (can't get her arm wet).  The combination of all those really set her off (even AFTER her nap) and by the end of the day, Mark and I were taking shifts off and on to clear (and cool) our heads.  This evening, she was delightful again.  ??  We braced ourselves at bedtime, but she only fussed for about 1 minute and that was the end of it.  Thank you, Jesus!

So I need some sleep!  I know I have one round of photos I haven't posted yet - haven't had the time, and the internet is not good most of the time.  Will try to post them tomorrow.

Prayer requests:

- No more difficulties at the IOM clinic - that we could be in and out quickly, with no hiccups.

- That the embassy interview could be scheduled quickly and that they would NOT ask for any witnesses (we realize this isn't likely, but it doesn't hurt to pray about it).

- Peace and calm for Maggie and whatever she's experiencing in her mind.  Patience for the rest of us.

Day 5

Nothing too exciting to report today (which is good) - just stayed around the resort today and continued our adjustment to Maggie, and her adjustment to us.  Things are progressing with her, which is good and bad - she's getting more comfortable with us, which is good, but with that, the defiance comes out too.  We've been trained that kids from orphanages will often be on their best behavior for quite a while until they "attach" to you and then start showing what's really going on inside.  We think we're already there.  The best behavior thing?  Long gone.  :)  So thankful we were prepared for what we are experiencing!  Also thankful we have Mary and Leighton here from TN, who are going through the exact same stuff with their 18 month old.

Remember the bedtime battle last night?  Well it continued at 3:00 a.m.  :-/   She got up and decided that was IT, she was done sleeping.  As Hamza would say, "oh my Lawd!"  Thankfully it was shorter go-round this time, and she finally stayed put and went back to sleep. 

Today brought more drama - mainly when we enforce something, such as quiet time, or taking something away that she shouldn't have.  That sets her off, but I think so far, we're winning.  :)  She doesn't realize we can be MORE bullheaded than her.  Ha.  Mark had a good analogy for it today - he said it's like breaking in a colt (interesting analogy for Mark, yes?), and he's totally right.  So I guess in some ways, this time spent here is useful in getting that process started, and making some headway before coming home.

And oh, do I miss home.  I think everyone else is doing better than me - today it really set in for me - missing my shower, my bed, my washing machine and dryer, my home in general, the smell of the air there, just good old American life.  We are really struck this trip about how HARD life is here for people.  It's just total chaos and insanity and stink and masses of people and filth, all. day. every. day.  Absolutely everything imaginable is different here and I've decided it's both physically and mentally exhausting - even staying in a nice place like this.  As a minor example, the restaurant doesn't open for supper until 6:30 - and we wait for our food for about 45 minutes every night - making it very late for the kids, but that's the culture here.  For them, eating at 6:30 is very early.  So Maggie is DONE by the time we get back to our room - which is likely a contributing factor to the bedtime issue.  Although tonight she didn't get out of bed once.  Like I said, we're winning.  :)

I don't mean to focus on Maggie's difficulties - just giving you a real picture.  She is totally delightful 80% of the time - smiley, lively, curious, funny.  She's repeating more and more of what we say, which is good - although today she chattered on and on and on in her language and we were dying to know what she was saying, so that's hard.  She's incredibly self-sufficient - she'll see me do something once, and she's got it down herself immediately.  It's amazing, but I can see her survival skills there.  She's orderly and cleans things up - Lane, Mark says she gets that from you.  :)  And she's brave - the resort had one of those giant blow-up slides today for kids, and she went up in the thing and down the slide with Jack twice, and then was on her own.  No fear whatsoever.   She also started going under water today all on her own (more than just the face in), with no suggestion from us.  ?!?  It's amazing.  This bravery will serve her well in some areas, and I'm sure cause us grief in others!
So anyway, we're here, we're fine, Jack and Noah are great, Mark is good (enjoying the workout facilities!), and mama just wants to come home.  PLEASE pray that we can get the IOM appt. DONE on Monday.  That would be a big step in us getting home quickly.

Day 4

WE GOT MAGGIE'S PASSPORT!!
Oh yes, yes we did!  With no errors, which we've heard is a miracle in and of itself!
After being told it would be a week or more (we applied on Tues, and Wed was a national holiday so they weren't even working that day), I was praying it would be Friday or Monday, but knew realistically that it wasn't likely.  We were shocked when the phone rang this afternoon at 2:15 and our attorney said "I've sent Hamza to get you, you need to get down there NOW!"  Well by the time Hamza got here (remember we aren't in town) and we got through traffic, we didn't get there until 4:00 . . . which turned out to be no big deal because we stood around with a whole big group of waiting Ugandans for an hour and a half.  We've decided these poor people must have insane stress levels - everything about everyday life here is so difficult, so chaotic, so unorganized.

I'll post pictures on our shutterfly site, but we all just stood outside waiting to go into this tiny little office to sign for and receive the passports - and the only way you knew it was your turn to go in was because someone would *speak* (not yell) the name out the window.  People were plastered to the wall, trying to hear.  We were so thankful for "our guy" Hashim - he was totally on the situation - had us stand off to the side - was on his phone, monitoring the exact location of our passports (we were waiting with the family from TN), giving us updates - when the thing was signed, when it arrived in the tiny little office, etc.  So at one point he calls all of us in - we go through the crowd of Ugandans into the building, and Mary and Leighton happened to be first, so they were waved in, and we stayed in the hallway at Hashim's direction.  Then some woman who worked there started YELLING at us to GET OUT because we were blocking the fresh air.  ?!?!  We looked at her bewildered, and she continued to yell GET OUT and pushed us out.  Back to the waiting group outside.  Sheesh.  Nothing like calling more attention to us, which we don't really need.

So then we start hearing talk of closing the office (it was closing time) and we were still outside.  My heart sinking, I thought we came THIS FAR and now we won't make it in.  By the grace of our Almighty God, we were one of the last - if not THE last - people called in.  But they wouldn't let Jack and Noah in the door.  So we had to leave them standing with the other Ugandans who were NOT getting their passports - but after a few minutes Mary and Leighton came out and were able to stay with them.  Thank heavens.  So finally inside, we were asked to sign some big book with our name, cell phone and email address (??) to get the passport.  And what a mess - there were papers all over the floor - no rhyme or reason to anything going on in there - people yelling - THROWING passports to each other - total insanity.  I happened to see a box of passports being knocked around - ones that were never handed out today because they closed the doors.  Crazy doesn't describe it.  When we walked out the door with that passport in our hands, I got choked up.  Jack and Noah actually had a conversation with a Ugandan couple who had been waiting there SINCE 11:00 AM this morning (this was at like 5:00!) and never got theirs. 

So while it may seem like no big deal to get a dumb little passport, we can all assure you, this was a miracle by God Himself - no question about it.  We are so relieved.  Oh, and a sidenote - I'm also so relieved I'm not sitting in jail!  I decided to discreetly take a couple of photos of the scene there - WHOOOPS.  Some lady at the security checkpoint at the entrance started screaming at me, and a heavily armed police officer came over to me and yelled "NO CAMERAS!  NO CAMERAS!"  I think I lost a year of my life.  Yikes.  No more photo taking in places like that!

We were exhausted by the time we got back, but Miss Maggie was WIDE AWAKE because she'd slept in the car the whole way back.  Uggh.  So we did what we could to wear her out, but at 8:30 decided it was bedtime.
Ha.
NOT on her itinerary. 
We knew this would happen but on night 3?  We buckled down and put her back in bed at least 15 times (she'd hop out and follow us the minute we turned and walked away).  She was MAD.  Oh so very MAD.  But this is the whole establishing authority thing we've been warned about, so at least we were well prepared.  She finally gave up and went to sleep.

Part of our struggle is she can be so stinking funny when she pulls an attitude, we have to try not to laugh.  :)  She does this funny chicken-wing thing when she's upset and at one point Mark looks at me and says "can I do that right back at her?"  Of course he wouldn't, but oh my word, funny.  And then Jack and Noah want front-row seats to sit and watch because they find the whole thing enormously entertaining.  Of course we didn't let them do that either.  And we reminded Jack that he had similar rebellious/stubborn qualities.  No idea where that came from. :)

So, that's day 4 in Uganda.  Here are the next steps, as a refresher:

• Next we need the "IOM" medical done (not sure what that even stands for).  We had to have her passport to do this, and this part must be done for our embassy interview.  We will go there very early on Monday morning, in the hopes of getting a same-day appointment.  PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS!  This is big, because Tuesday is another national holiday and it won't be open. 
• Once IOM is done, we can go to the embassy and request our interview.  At this point they verify all our immigration paperwork is accurate and complete (and I'm not kidding, we're going to need a PhD to fill this stuff out), tell us what witnesses we may need, and then give us an interview time (which only happen on Mon and Wed afternoons).
• Once the embassy interview is completed, they issue Maggie's visa, which allows her into the U.S.  THEN we can go home.

So please pray that we can get the IOM appointment done Monday!  And pray that we can continue to get good sleep - it's so important here, especially now with a 2 yr old!  And don't forget to GIVE THANKS that we have this passport in our hands! 

Days 2 and 3

Sorry for the lack of an update yesterday - we now have a 2 year old and find ourselves quite busy. :)  Good grief, it's amazing how quickly you forget what toddlers are like!

We spent some time at the orphanage yesterday morning when we picked up Maggie - and it continues to be Jack and Noah's favorite place in the world, which is still fascinating to us.  We took almost two suitcases full of clothes and toys, and there is NOTHING more fun than handing that stuff out.  Wow.  The orphanage director was overjoyed, and immediately started handing out clothes to all the kids and ALL the kids - even the little ones, even the boys, were elated.  We had kids stripping left and right as fast as they could to get their new items on.  It was absolutely adorable.  And then they all wanted to model their new looks for us.  I put pictures up on our photo site - https://5happycampers.shutterfly.com/.  They capped off our visit with a little concert - I tried to load a video of it but the internet connection here just isn't good enough - will try again tomorrow. 

Then we got some pictures of Maggie with her special "mamas" and the staff and kids prayed over Maggie before we left - such a precious moment.  The time we spend there is always so draining - so, so hard to see what we've seen, and yet we've been so touched by these precious little lives.  Our hearts are marked by those kids forever.

Since leaving the orphanage, we have been getting reacquainted with Maggie and learning how to be 5 instead of 4.  She was very nervous and scared at first, but seems to be coming out of her shell quite well today.  Even had a little temper tantrum when Mark wouldn't allow her to swing from the mosquito nets in our room.  :)  Go figure.  All in all, she is doing really well - very curious, has an awesome laugh, and repeats many of the things we say.  She is totally attached to her big brothers, and them to her.

And so our days will continue to look like this - staying close to our resort and by the phone - until we get the call that her passport is ready, which we are PRAYING will either be tomorrow or Monday.  That would make a huge difference in shortening the timeline of our trip.  So we'll leave you with that prayer request - and for bonding between us and Maggie, and continued protection of health for all of us.  Thank you!

Uganda - Day 1

Disclaimer: We WILL be changing this blog title to FIVE Happy Campers once we get home!

Our trip was uneventful, which was good - just super long.  Hamza's (our driver from our first trip) smiling face was waiting for us at the airport, which was so comforting to have someone we know here!  He took us straight to our hotel - we were a little concerned for a bit because you leave the main highway and take a dirt road for 10-12 minutes to get here - and by dirt road, I mean the offroading kind.  But it is BEAUTIFUL!!!  It cost more than we wanted to spend, but we've already decided it's worth every dime.  Mom and dad, you will appreciate the fact that there is massive security here - it's gated, and there are armed guards at the gate - they check every car that comes through (including underneath with big mirror things!), and every bag and every person is searched.  So we feel very safe.  There are gorgeous views of Lake Victoria everywhere we look.  There's an amazing pool, which Mark and the boys are enjoying right now; our rooms are huge and modern; the staff is really friendly - they met us at the check-in desk with hot washcloths and fresh squeezed pineapple juice.  :)  We get breakfast and dinner included with our room, and the food is awesome - which is a huge relief to not have to worry about where/what to eat like we did last time.

Hamza had to pick us up this morning at 6:30 to get us to our attorney's office at 8:00 (actually we were still 20 min late) - the traffic is just horrendous.  Maggie was there waiting for us, and she's just as precious as ever.  We could tell she was very scared and nervous, but we did manage to get a small grin and she whispered each of our names, so she definitely remembered us.  That was all we heard from her all morning - but that's fine, we expected it.  From the attorney's office, Hamza took all 5 of us to the passport "office" - oh my.  Everything is an adventure here. We drive up and there's a large group of Ugandans waiting outside this gate - our guy named Hashim met us there, and ushered us right past the whole line, up to the front.  We were cleared to go in, and once through the gate, we were still outdoors, but went under a huge tent, with desks at both ends, and many, many people sitting in line waiting in each area.  Hashim tells us to sit so he can go do "his thing" (his words!), and he'll be back.  We sat and waited about 15 minutes.  We then see him appear at the front of one line (without waiting), getting all our documents stamped.  Then he motions for us, and escorts us to the front of the line in the opposite area, where a woman looks at Maggie, takes the file I'm holding, and we're done.  Hashim tells us we can leave, and he will stay to make sure our file gets "moved along."  That was it.  Crazy!!  I can't tell you how awkward we felt - the only white people in a couple hundred Ugandans that got escorted to the front of every line and were out of there in about 20 min. while everyone else there waits HOURS.  It's no wonder Americans are not very well liked.  Anyway, he told us he thinks we should have the passport Monday or Tuesday.  We are praying for Friday or Monday.  :)

We then went back to the attorney's office and got our file from them, at which point Alice (our atty) informed us the embassy will likely want to interview all our witnesses - including Maggie's father.  Obviously this made us really nervous, but she acted like it's totally normal, and they can get the witnesses there when they need to be.  Ugggh.  We are going to pray that the embassy won't ask for witnesses, that they'll just accept the witness affidavits.

Then we took Maggie back to the orphanage so we could finish unpacking, get organized (it literally took us hours), and get some rest before taking custody. We are dealing with some serious jet lag and felt like we needed to be a little more "stable," if that makes sense.  We'll likely be in bed at 7:00 again tonight!  We also wanted to go to the orphanage to give them our gifts, and ask some questions about Maggie's routine - and didn't want to take her back there after we'd taken custody of her.  When she leaves, we want it to be for good.   And so that day is tomorrow - can't hardly believe that tomorrow we become a family of 5!  I always thought I'd be panicky at this point, but I'm not - I have peace, which is such a relief.  Of course that may change!  :)  And Jack and Noah are so ready for this - they really touch their mama's heart with the love they have for this little girl that they hardly know.  They couldn't stop touching her today, holding her hand, fighting over who got to hold her, etc.  Renee has talked extensively to us about how our primary focus in the coming weeks is we need to make her feel safe, and as she sat in the passport "holding tent" today with her big brothers on each side, holding her hands, I felt confident that she will indeed feel safe soon.  :)

So, prayer requests for now:

1) That God would miraculously make that passport appear QUICK - Friday or Monday!

2) That the embassy would NOT ask for witnesses, and if they do, that they can be located and brought there in a timely fashion.

3) That our bonding would happen quickly, and that we can all continue to get GOOD SLEEP - even with Maggie's arrival.

Preparing to return . . .

So about the time we got our guardianship order, Mark's assistant quit, sending him into a state of panic about leaving the office for any length of time.  His salary is 100% commission, so if he's not at work - and there's no assistant helping him out with his accounts - we have no income.

Then, we learn from our Ugandan attorneys that the process in getting Maggie out of the country changed somewhat, and would take longer than anticipated.  We even employed the help of our senator's office to see if we could expedite the process, but there was nothing they could do.

Next?  The terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya.  Right next door to Kampala.  Watching the news video of that attack gave us chills, as it took place in a mall identical to the one we frequented in Kampala - a touristy/American-ish mall with the exact same grocery store we went to nearly every day.   Unnerving, to say the least.

But God continued to answer our worries and fears, faithfully through His word, as He always does.  Prior to our first trip in June, for some reason I can't really explain, we focused heavily on Psalm 91.  Noah memorized it in it's entirety, and my mom and I started memorizing it as well.  It brought me great peace at that time.  So a week ago, as we were watching the coverage of this terrorist attack and our worries and fears were peaking, I sat down to do my BSF lesson.  We're doing Matthew this year.  But on this particular day - the scripture for this part of the lesson?  Psalm 91.  I couldn't believe it.  Actually, I should, though, shouldn't I?  This is GOD we are talking about. He listens. He speaks.  He cares.  Why should we be surprised when He shows up with exactly what we need?

In the next day or two, God also gave me this, twice in one day, in completely different places: Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.  John 14:1  :)

So we bought our plane tickets.  We are taking a giant leap of faith, going blindly into a very uncertain and unstable process, but knowing this: Our God is sovereign.  He provides. And His plans are perfect and do not fail.  Ever.  We are exactly where He wants us - utterly and completely dependent on HIM.  Not ourselves, not the Ugandan government, not the U.S. government.  Knowing that it will take 10 different miracles to get Maggie out of Uganda, but knowing HE can do it.

Trusting Him is not always easy - in fact sometimes it's downright hard - and it requires a conscious choice.  Right now we feel like we are looking at scaling  Mount Everest . . . but if our situations and circumstances were easy, and we could accomplish things in our own power, what reason would we have to lean on our God?   We've learned God graciously allows difficulties in our lives to draw us closer to Him, to know Him more intimately.  So we know these steps of faith are for our growth, bonding us closer to our Savior, and following Him makes all the insanity of this process worth it.  He is worth EVERYthing.

And so we are chin-deep in logistics, packing and organizing.  Trying to anticipate anything and everything that we will need - this isn't like packing for a normal trip - if you forget something, you are likely out of luck - you can't just run to the nearest Target or WalMart.  Even Noah was quizzing me tonight about whether or not I had various medicines.  I should just turn the whole show over to him - he'd likely do it better! :)

Coming Home . . .

Coming home brought nearly as much culture shock as going over there.  A highlight?  Food!  Being able to eat whatever, without worrying about whether or not we'd be sick a few hours later.  Upon arriving in D.C., we immediately hit Starbucks - oh my word, BEST LATTE EVER.  Then the kids bounced between Dunkin Donuts, Wendy's and Annie's Pretzels (we were confined to our concourse).  We flew into Denver and stayed over night there before driving home - and our senses were just assaulted by the good roads, the order, the cleanliness and the beauty of this country - and the fresh air!  Oh, the fresh air.  I don't think you can truly appreciate it until you've lived without it for a while.

All the while, our hearts and minds were hurt and confused.  We didn't know where to park our thoughts, except on God.  Once we arrived home (to a house lovingly stocked with yummy food and clean happy doggies!), I was unpacking in our bathroom and I flipped my little daily bible verse calendar that I keep by the sink to June 24, our court date.  I HAD to know what God had to say to me on that day.  He didn't fail me - it said: "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  John 13:7.  I was floored. 

Over the next few weeks, we waited for DNA test results and came to grips with the fact that should the adoption proceed, we would have to return TWO more times - once to testify, as we had not done that yet, and then lastly to pick up Maggie.  The test results came back positive - this man (named Hajji) was in fact Maggie's father.  And by the time the results came in, Ramadan was in effect.  Because Hajji is a strict Muslim, he decided he could not "sign his daughter over to pagans" during his holy time.  (The pagans would be us).

So we waited.  3 more weeks.  Constantly wondering what this man would decide, after hearing reports that the village women were trying to convince him to raise Maggie himself and not allow her to be adopted by Americans.  And wondering what effect his holy period would have on him, his conscience, and his heart.

But, true to his word, he showed up at our attorney's office the Monday after Ramadan was over, and signed the consent to the adoption.  One major hurdle removed!

And yet another one remained.  He would need to appear in court, and be questioned by a judge about whether or not he understood what he was signing.  The hitch was that we were to appear WITH him.  At the same hearing.  Which opened us up to great risk - what if he didn't show up?  What if he changed his mind?  What if the judge and his interrogation tactics (severe!) caused Hajji to gain a conscience and back out - - which, legally, he was entitled to do!

So we came up with the idea of asking the judge if we could have 2 separate hearings - one for him, to wrap up his consent, and some time after that, one for us.  Let him get his consent on the record and then we would come back for our portion of the hearing.  We were warned, over and over, that the judge would say no - that's just not how things are done here.  But we got them to agree to at least ask.

So our law firm scheduled a meeting with the judge to present our request.  The email message we got that day knocked us off our feet.  The judge denied the request for two separate hearings.  Instead, he said he didn't need to see us again AT ALL and he would just rule on our case after Hajji's testimony.  No hearing for us - no testimony needed from us.

Say what?!? 

Did he really say that? Oh yes, YES HE DID!

God came through in a way we didn't ask for or imagine.  Seriously one of the most amazing, breathtaking days of my life.  I knew, that day, that Maggie was ours.  Not only that, God had revealed Himself to us in a way that there was NO DENYING this was HIS hand at work.  "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine . . ." Eph. 3:20!

Hajji appeared in court when he needed to, and the hearing went according to plan.  Now all that was left was to wait for the judge's ruling.

Which came on September 5th - my birthday!  Does God love us or what?!?  What a day.  What a God.

The last step before being approved to travel again was to get the written guardianship order in our hands - which we were told would be at least 3 weeks.  Ha, not on God's timetable.  We received it in one week.  And then the roadblocks started popping up . . . .