Rwanda-Day 5

Today was once again very, very busy.  We started the day early, as promised.  We arrived at court by 7am and waited outside for a bit of time before standing before the President of the court (a judge).  Jon had to speak to him while our POA translated.  He did a good job of stating our case to the judge and the judge our Act of Adoption.  Tomorrow, they should give us a formal ruling at 4pm.

After court, we rushed to the orphanage to visit the kids and got a little extra time in again.  This morning, we met a couple of families who live in Kigali and visit the orphanage weekly to play with the kids.  They were so excited to see children placed in families.  We were so grateful for their words of encouragement and the many prayers they've said over our children.

After a long lunch, we visited the children again in the afternoon.  It is incredible to witness the bonds of each family growing stronger with each day.  It's hard for the kids and for us to say good-bye at the end of every visit.

We have learned much about the adoption process since we've been here.  This is an intricate process, carefully laid to protect the best interest of the children.  We are grateful to the government of Rwanda for paying careful attention to international adoption law.  It is very important that all steps are followed to the letter of the law.  What has become apparent to us is why each adoptive family's process is unique.  We rely on many people to be available and have time in their schedules to process each step of our adoption here.  Every step relies on the previous step, so it is such a blessing to get through the various processes in a timely manner.  It is so great to be here with a group of fellow adoptive families as well as our POA's, who are patient with God's timing.  It makes it easy to be fully present and have fun through it all.

Tomorrow, the Sisters at Home of Hope have a day of prayer, so we will not be able to see the children.  In the meantime, we will visit the Genocide Memorial in the morning and attend court for the ruling in the afternoon.  While I know it will be difficult, I am looking forward to spending time at the Genocide Memorial.  I have read many books and watched a few documentaries in the last couple of years on this time in Rwanda's history and have been thinking much about those stories as we've driven around the city.

If you are looking for a good book or documentary on those 100 days, let me know and I can point you to several.

On the home front...the kids are doing well, as expected.  It seems like we've been away from the 3 olders for much longer than 6 days.  It seems like it has already been weeks with all that has happened since last Thursday.  We miss them very much, but are confident in our decision to leave them at home.  This is a difficult schedule, an emotionally charged time, and we are left with little to give at the end of most days.  We are so, so appreciative of my sister and her family for caring for them so that we can give this time to our newest daughter.  It is a gift to baby girl as much as it is to us.

Finally, thank you.  Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us over the last several days.  We feel your prayers and love and appreciate the encouragement you have given us.  Thank you.