Blessings

So most of you in blog land probably already know that things are not proceeding the way we would have chosen.  Today I talked to the embassy and they will not reschedule the interview until we have brought in all the documents.  As of tonight (Monday) we still do not have the elusive passport.  Our lawyer is constantly telling us he expects to get it the next day and we keep not getting it.  We have also learned that apparently the commissioner in charge of the passport office is under investigation which is not helping things progress any quicker.  

Obviously I am disappointed and a little frustrated.  But, I am tired of whining so that is not what this post is about.  Instead, it is to remind me of the moments in the midst of disappointment and discouragement tht I have seen the love of God.

I would be lying if I said I had a great attitude today after talking to the embassy.  To be honest, while not surprised, I was crushed.  I tried to stay busy to keep my mind off things, but that isn't always easy here.  To add to my frustration, I was feeling really desperate to talk to someone, but I don't want to whine to people here...they are going to great lengths to help me feel welcome and supported and I don't want to make them feel bad about a situation that is clearly beyond their control.  Unfortunately, everyone at home was asleep (or should have been) and would not have appreciated that text.  So I was praying, okay whining to God, about this situation when out of the blue, I get a text...from my Daddy just saying that he wants me to know that I am on his mind and they are praying for us.  It was 2:15 in the morning his time.  What love, from both my earthly father and my Heavenly Father.  My daddy also offered to come and stay with me for a time or to send us money to help us with all the added expenses of changing plane tickets, extra lodging, food, etc.

So, later tonight, as things were winding down and I had time to think about all the "stuff" I could worry about, Chris texted me.  I know I am beating a dead horse that seems really unimportant in the scheme of things, but one of the things I have been stressing about is the Disney trip.  It is almost certain, at this point, that Annet and I will not be home for this.  I keep thinking about the huge amount of money and huge sacrifice Chris' parents made to get those tickets and I feel like a heel for "wasting" it.  Chris texted to say that his parents were okay with everything and later texted back to say that they had talked to Disney and they could get their money back except for about $50.  I know this seems so small, but it was such a burden lifted off of me and felt like a gift all wrapped up from God Himself .

That is two BIG blessings in the midst of a rough day and I really feel like they were gentle reminders that, while God hasn't always promised an easy road, He has promised to be with us as we travel the rough ones.  And, not only is He walking with us, He is loving us through them...even though we are totally undeserving.

So today, I am asking for prayers of Thanksgiving for little love notes from God.

And yes, I have a couple of specific requests as well.  Pray for Chris and I as we have to begin making some tough choices about travel dates and whether to have Daddy come or just help out financially.  

Also, please pray for me as I would be lying if I said all my feelings of discouragement have vanished.  And, while I know how stupid and shallow it is, I am feeling really bad about sending my family to Disney without us.  I feel disappointed that I am missing out on the experience and the memories and I feel like I am letting my kids down.

And please keep praying for Annet.  She is doing great, but this is a tough transition for her, especially as her mom keeps having emotional moments that must seem quite weird and random to her.

Thanks for all the continued love and support!

No One Ever Said This Would be Easy

Well, it would seem tht the roller coaster that is adoption has hit a low point.  We have an immigration interview scheduled for Monday.  We had to wait almost to weeks to get this interview...and Monday
morning, I have to call the embassy to postpone it.  Claudia wants me to try to get it rescheduled for Wednesday, and I am going to try with all my might to do that.  But the reality is...it is highly unlikely that we will be able to and that means there is no way we will be able to travel home on the first.

I wish I could say that I have just accepted this news and rejoiced in God's wisdom and timing,  I haven't.  The truth is, I am really frustrated with myself because I am so disappointed and discouraged.  We have known all along that this was possible, although I was worried about the interview itself and not the ability to even get it.  We knew there was no set timeline and we knew there could and probably would be roadblocks.  I am angry at myself for being so easily shaken.  I told Chris this morning (last night to most of you) that I was determined not be down today and was going to kick the devil in the butt by having a good attitude.  And I have really tried.

But the truth is...this experience is teaching me some stuff about me that I don't really like learning.  And maybe that is why we are going through it...man, discipline STINKS!

So, this is what I am realizing.  We have, for the most part had a dream adoption experience.  We have had some ups and downs, but it has been just over a year and we have legal guardianship of our daughter...that is crazy fast from what others we know have experienced.  We have been blessed with a lot of financial support, we have been loved on like crazy by our church family, and we have seen God work out some amazing things!

I have said all the right "holy" things about how faithful God has been throughout this experience and how He has worked so mightily...and he has.  But here is the thing, when things have gotten cloudy his week and paperwork wasn't getting done, my hope has plummeted!  I have said things and thought things like, God has worked everything out so far, He will be faithful in this.  And yes, He will...but that doesn't mean He will do it my way or in my timing.  God is still faithful even though we are losing our interview spot.  God will still be faithful when we aren't getting on that plane next Saturday night.  God is faithful even though I cannot seem to sleep here.  He is faithful when I start freaking about the cost of changing plane tickets and getting two together this close to the holidays.  He is faithful when I start thinking about the extra groceries and trips to Kampala and how to know when to get our tickets changed to.  He is faithful on the days that we don't have much to do and it feels like living three days in one.  He is faithful when I feel like we are putting other people out trying to make us feel welcome or because they feel sorry for us being stuck out on our own.  God is faithful and is with my other kids and family even though I am not.  God is faithful when I want to whine but know that I really need to just suck it up.  God is faithful and worthy of thanksgiving even when I have to reach pretty hard to FEEL thankful.  God is faithful.  But, man am I struggling with that.

To be honest, I keep waiting for my miracle.  I keep waiting for God to "show out" and work out every little detail so I can go around testifying!  I keep hoping for some out of the blue phone call saying the passport guy came into the office on the weekend and signed ANNET'S passport.  But the reality is: He is worth testifying about even without that miracle...He is God, Creator of life, Giver of Hope, the I Am, my Savior, my Hope, the Light of the World, Merciful and Just and Holy...all on His own.  he doesn't need me or my conditional testimony.

And if that isn't enough, I also realize how weak my trust in His grace is.  Because while I know that I know that I know we are saved through grace and that as a follower of Christ, I have not been promised an easy road, I keep kicking myself thinking that it is all my fault...I didn't pray long enough or hard enough, I haven't been faithful enough in my quiet time, I am being punished.  And while I know those arguments are theologically garbage...I am continually fighting the urge to do something to please God
and encourage Him to find favor with me.

So, maybe this struggle has nothing to do with me...or maybe it is my Loving Father's way of "creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within me."  (Psalm 51:10)

Boy, do I hope I learn this lesson quickly!

So, I really am at a loss to ask you how to pray right now, I guess just pray how the Spirit leads you.  For now, I am clinging to Romans 8:26, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

Today, I am Thankful for the Internet!

I realize after the last, depressing post, you may have thought I had given up and fallen off the face of the earth.  In actuality, I just ran out of Internet airtime.  I know, that is ALMOST as bad as falling off the face of the earth!

Not 30 minutes after publishing my last post, I got a call from Claudia and she made me feel so much better, mostly I think I was missing Chris and my kids like crazy!  I woke up to Lamentations 3:21-23 on my heart,


"Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness"

So, in the meantime, I have gone to Kampala for the passport interview.  Basically, I think they just want to verify that the person requesting the child's passport really is the legal guardian.  Unfortunately, after verifying that, it takes several more days to actually GET the passport, so we are still missing two vital documents in order to keep our immigration interview.  We are praying like crazy that a miracle occurs and we have them by Friday.

I also taught a little school to the missionary kids this week and started "formally" schooling Annet.  That has been fun because she is VERY exuberant...now if I could just convince her that the letter A is not called Annet!

I have been taking Annet out every afternoon to play with some of her friends.  They go to school in the mornings but are usually at the playground in the afternoon.  It has been fun to watch her interact with them and see another side of her.  Today, one of the girls asked me if I was Annet's sponsor.  She said her sister, brother, and her had a sponsor and they prayed every day that their sponsor would come and get them.  It broke my heart.  There are so many children here I would love to bring home with me.

Oh, I cannot talk about the week without sharing my near death experience...and it had nothing to do with driving in Kampala!  I MIGHT be exaggerating a bit, but Monday night, as I was reading our goodnight book, Annet said look at the ??? (Insert word she uses for ant).  I looked at the wall and saw the BIGGEST spider I have ever seen crawling towards the floor!  People, it was HUGE and hairy and VERY scary!  Like any self respecting mother, I grabbed Annet and ran out of the guest house (hey, at least I grabbed the baby!). To my relief, the night watchman came to my rescue and took upon himself the task of spider removal.  He then searched the whole room and the bathroom for me to make sure they were spider free.  Oh, if you could only see me now.  Now that I know there are man eating spiders in the area, I feel the need to do a full room sweep each and every time I enter.  I also no longer sit with my feet on the floor and do a sheet check before crawling into bed.  AND, I get creeped out by every weird noise...as if the man eating spider is going to warn of his presence with creaking sounds.  I know I am being completely unreasonable, but now I know he is out there, and where there is one, there has to be more.  Imagine a whole colony of man eating spiders.  These are the things nightmares are made of!

Anyway, tomorrow, the muzungus are going to get together and celebrate Thanksgiving.  My contribution is bacon wrapped green beans because that is the only Thanksgivingy thing I know how to make that doesn't have canned something in it.  So far my attempts at converting American recipes to Ugandan cooking methods have been less than stellar so we shall see.  I have, however learned how to light the flimsy Ugandan matches and start the stove.  I am still afraid of using the match, though...so
 I improvise.  I light the match then a candle and then use the candle to light the stove.  I am such a nerd (Which according to my fifth grade tridents is a total compliment)!

So, how can you be praying:

Continue to pray for the immigration process and that we will get the paperwork we need.

Pray for Annet as she continues to adjust to her new circumstances.

Pray for Chris and the kids...and his parents

Finally, please pray that I will be able to sleep.  I know that sounds crazy, but I just cannot seem to sleep here.  I fall asleep and sleep well for a couple of hours and then just doze off and on the rest of the night.  I have tried sleeping without a fan and then with one to block out all the different noises.  I have tried reading...I have finished a lot of books because I just keep reading until I am done.  I'm not scared and don't really feel too stressed, I just cannot sleep.  I get up groggy in the morning, drag a lot of the day, and then at night, get revved up again, which is why it is midnight and I am blogging instead of sleeping.  Anyway, I am feeling the effects of lack of sleep, but I just can't find the cure.  Even one good night would be quite lovely at this point!

Ok, hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving Day.  I am so thankful for all of you, your prayers and support and friendship and also for the privilege of being a daughter of the King!  Blessings to you all!

Goodbyes Stink!

So, I had to say goodbye to Chris today.  He is out of days off work and has to return to the states.  I feel certain his parents will be THRILLED to see him and will not be able to turn over parenting duties fast enough!

I must confess...he was pretty ready to come home!  He missed the kids like crazy, but he also missed cold cokes, hot showers and American cuisine.  I really didn't expect him leaving to bother me too much.  I know, that sounds awful, but I'm in AFRICA...it is new and exciting and I am with Annet.  But it was HARD to say goodbye today!  It is hard knowing that in a day he will be hugging on my babies, taking warm showers, and getting back to normal.  I know that is whiny but it is true.  I miss my kids soooooo much and I am so ready to have a normal conversation with them.  These days of waiting are tough, too.  The people at the orphanage are great, but they have jobs and lives and "stuff" and the days here can get long!  Really long!

Annet is staying with us at the guest house now, and that is a HUGE blessing.  I think it was confusing her a little spending the days with us and then going to someone else's house at night.  Thursday, we went to pick her up like normal and she fell apart, I mean FELL APART!  She screamed, kicked, cried...you name it for at least an hour non stop, of course, that was also the day that the people from Global Outreach (their umbrella organization) were there for like the first time in two years!  We gave them quite a welcome!  That is when we decided it was best to just let her come on and stay with us.  It has been great!  Such an amazing time with her!  She even got to Skype with the kids with us on Friday.

So, where are we in the process?  We are HOPING for an interview with immigration next Monday.
IF that goes well, there is a small possibility we could head home by our Dec. 1 target date.  However, it is really a miracle that we even have an interview scheduled because we do not have all our required paperwork yet.  The girl at immigration penciled us in but told us that if we don't get the required papers, we will lose it.  Unfortunately, we cannot get the papers until the judge signs the ruling which he has not yet done.   We are meeting our lawyer Monday at the passport office...I'm not sure why because that is one of those things we can't get without the court order, but I am hoping, praying and trusting.

Now, for complete, ugly, brutal honesty.  I came knowing full well I would be staying longer than Chris and that it was quite likely I would have to stay past Dec. 1.  I came knowing that there could be hang ups along the way.  I came after reading a million blogs outlining what could go wrong and knowing we were not in for a smooth, clean ride.  So, I know that we have been super blessed so far and that I have no right to complain.  I really cannot even believe how I am feeling because a part of my heart will always be in Uganda.  But I am so ready to come home!  I am so ready to introduce Annet to her brothers and sisters.  I am ready to show her her room and watch her play babies with Lilly.  I am ready to start school with her and have a normal routine.  I am ready to be able to get in the car and go to the store whenever I need to.  I am ready to just hug on my kids until they push me away!  I am DYING for a Diet Coke (yes, I know that is shallow, but I'm being real, here) and a hot shower and to sleep in my bed.

I did not want to say goodbye today and I do not really want to be here by myself for the next two or more weeks.  For the first time since we have been here, my resolve is slipping.  To be honest, this is so far out of my comfort zone, I don't even know how to process it.  I am blessed with a "git 'r done" husband.  I don't usually have to do the meeting with lawyers and stressful interviews...he does that.  So as I sit here tonight, in a silent room and no distractions, the what ifs are beginning to crowd in.  God has been so very faithful through this whole process and has shown His power over and over, so I don't know why I am faltering.  If we have to stay longer, He will provide the strength to get through.  If our case gets sent to Kenya, He will be with Annet until we can get her.  If we don't get our paperwork in in time...He is still God and is still in control.  And while I know all these things, tonight, I am a little sad and a little lonely and a lot ready to know we have made it through the legalities, I have survived an international flight with a stubborn four year old, and our family is complete and all on one continent.

So, for those of you that have not gotten sick of my whining, my specific prayers tonight:

*safe travel for Chris and rest during the flight.  He will get into Nashville around 6:30 Sunday night and has to be at work Monday morning

*continued presence with the children and with Chris' folks who have gone way above and beyond caring for them

*Annet as she continues to adjust to a million changes!  She has been a trooper, but I know things are tough and a bit confusing right now

*our immigration process.  MY desire is that we will get the paperwork, have a good interview and be able to fly home as scheduled...this is almost impossible, but we serve that kind of God.

*strength during the waiting and a willingness to accept His will when it differs from mine

*PRAISE-little Richard that I mentioned in the last post is doing SO much better, it was prayer, folks so keep 'em comin'!

He Sets the Lonely in Families

For the three of you that have not already heard, we are a family of seven!   Yesterday, we were appointed legal guardians of our sweet girl.  We know many of you are waiting on pictures...we will post them soon, if we can get them to post, but we aren't sure if we have to wait for the written ruling, which we will receive next week.  Just to be safe, we are waiting until then.

So for those who like details, we headed back to Kampala for the third time yesterday.  Our court time was 12:00 but we have learned that that is really just a suggestion!  Our lawyer wasn't there right at twelve and another group beat us in to the judge.  So the wait began.  This time, it was about three hours or so.  Finally our lawyer got there. He went in to check on how things were going.  Evidently, that is where some confusion arose.  He told us later that he said that he was going into the court room and when we saw people start to leave to go in there.  None of us heard that.  We saw people start to leave and Claudia frantically began to text and call him.  He didn't respond.  Chris was asleep on one of the benches and we were watching the doorway waiting for Isaac (the lawyer), when he walks through the door asking why we didn't go in.  We had no idea what he was talking about!  He then informed us that he had had to jump up and kind of push in front of the lawyers for the next case before they stared to argue the case, otherwise we would have been waiting another three hours.  So, the judge just read the ruling to him...we weren't even in the courtroom!

The funny thing is, Claudia was questioning him and chastising him because we weren't there and he was chastising us for not being in there and Chris and I just kept asking for the ruling.  Finally, we just gave up trying to find out from Isaac and read it ourselves!  Not exactly the court experience we were expecting but all that matters is that the sweet girl is ours!

She also did great both Thursday and yesterday when we took her into Kampala and Thursday it was just us so I think we are making progress!

In other news, in my last blog I mentioned one of the children, Richard.  He has sickle cell and has not been doing well.  He was in the hospital in Jinja all last week and came home a couple of days ago.  Thursday, he was very lethargic and Friday, they made the decision to take him into Kampala.  He did not get a good report.  He is a very sick little boy.  Please friends, you have done so much for us praying for this adoption.  We are now asking you to bombard Heaven with prayers on behalf of little Richard.

Our next step is immigration.  We have to wait to get our written ruling and her passport, which we will probably not get until Friday so we are hoping o get an interview the following Monday.  Chris will be gone by then so I will be on my own...well except for the BEST adoption advocate ever, Claudia.  This is the stage I am most nervous about so please continue to keep us in your prayers.  Hope everyone has an amazing weekend and please remember Richard in your prayers.

Off Roading, Court & Grasshoppers

I know, the updates are few and far between...let's chalk it up to African time.

We have had a lot of noteworthy experiences since I last blogged.  The first came on Saturday when we went with a group of teenagers to a new church plant.  Two of the GSF staff members are starting a plant in the village of Buundo where GSF is located.  They found a building to rent at a good price that someone had begun to build and run out of money.  The structure itself was fine, but there was just an unleveled dirt floor and lots of plants grown up around it.  We went with the group to help level the land and get ready for the services that will start this Sunday.  The site is close enough to walk to, but since we had lots of tools and water, we drove.  Oh, how I wish I could adequately describe that drive. It began on a bumpy dirt road...the pastor of the church was standing next to the road to guide us.  Suddenly, he instructed us to turn.  Chris and I looked at each other...turn where?  It just looked like woods to us, but as we turned, we saw we were on a tiny trail that went around someone's field.  We began driving through this overgrown area, only to find the trail growing smaller and smaller.  The missionary finally stopped to put the car in four wheel drive.  It was unreal, if you have ever gone on the safari ride at Animal Kingdom, it doesn't even come close to what it was like driving through what Chris describes as the bush.

Sure enough, out in the middle of people's potatoes and cassava stood a mud brick building with an opening for a door and several openings for windows.  The teenagers began slashing, which is basically the Ugandan method of mowing the lawn.  They take their slasher and swipe it back and forth, cutting down the growth.  In the meantime, some of the men began hoeing the dirt inside the building.  We soon discovered that the teenagers were not trimming grass, rather they were cutting down someone's potato crop.  Tis was discovered when they excitedly found a potato they had slashed up...and began EATING it!  A hard, raw potato!  And they were so excited, like an American kid who found a hidden stash of candy!  They stopped the kids from that task but before long the men(Chris included) had the ground leveled...I was shocked at how quickly it went, and they began pouring water on the dirt to pack it down.

We decided to walk back to the orphanage with a small group.  It was FASCINATING!  We would be walking through the "woods" when all of a sudden, there would be a small clearing and a mud hut.  Sometimes several children would be sitting outside watching us go by.  The young boy guiding us showed us his hut and explained that his roof was leaking, so a little way down, he had begun constructing a new hut.  He showed us the skeleton he had completed and was waiting to collect enough mud to begin filling in the walls.  He also showed us an oven where they bake the mud bricks and showed  us a field of grass they use for the thatch roof.

On Monday, we made the two hour trek to Kampala.  We THOUGHT we were just going to court, but Claudia, who is helping us with the Ugandan side of our adoption, had many more plans.  First, let me just say that driving in Uganda is unlike any experience I have ever had.  Leaving the orphanage, we drove on a red dirt road for close to an hour.  because of all the rain, the road is filled with bumps, potholes, dips, etc.  I'm not entirely sure how cars even keep any sort of shock system around here.  There are also pretty much no traffic laws and there are usually about three cars driving side by side in one lane.  At the same time the body bodas ( motorcycles that people hire to get them places) are weaving in front of and between all the cars.  It is CRAZY and a little scary!  I feel really blessed that we made it to Kampala alive!

We started out going by the American embassy to pick up a form to get a medical exam.  We then went to a mall to get pictures made for her passport and for the medical exam.  We also exchanged money while we waited for the pictures.  We left there and headed to the place where the medical exams are done.  The place was PACKED!  No worries, hurricane Claudia stepped in and let them
know we needed to get to court and they got us in!  We left there and went to the courthouse and
stopped by a little cafe for some takeout samosas...delicious!

And then began the wait!  We arrived at the courthouse at about 2:00, our case was presented at 7:00.  But I am NOT complaining, apparently, that was a good day.  About 6:00, the lawyer came and told us we could go ahead and go to the courtroom, the judge was in the middle of a case when we got there...I do not have the time or space to describe that experience, but it was interesting.  While he was finishing up, Claudia leaned over and told me not to be surprised if he postponed our case until the next day.  My heart sank.  The thought of another day like this was hard to accept...so I stared praying.  We didn't know it, but there was actually one more case ahead of us.  That lawyer took her seat, the assistant read the case and the judge immediately told them it was late and he was postponing their case until the next day.  I prayed harder!  Our case was then presented to the judge...and he began to ask questions, I was so relieved when I realized he was going to hear us.  I don't know why he cancelled the case I front of us and heard ours, but I'm pretty sure the prayers being raised up all over the place had something to do with it.

This post is getting REALLY long, so I'll just get to the good part.  After interviewing the momma and the daddy and me ( yes, I was scared to death), he announced that he would render his ruling on Friday. That is AMAZING!  One of the missionaries here said they had never heard of a ruling going that quickly.  Claudia said that she feels good about getting a positive ruling, so we are praying and expectant for good news Friday.

NOW, for the really interesting part, on the way home from Kampala, Claudia discovered a road side vendor selling fried grasshoppers....evidently, November is grasshopper season.  She had told us that any visitor who comes during grasshopper season HAS to try them.  So, she made sure they had been fried with onions, bought a panful and passed them around!  Yes, I tried grasshopper and yes, they were actually pretty good ( by the way, apparently, they remove the legs and wings before frying).  I'm not sure if I could have eaten them if it hadn't been dark, but peer pressure got the best of me and I popped one...or two...or three in my mouth. AND CHEWED AND SWALLOWED!  I now feel I have really had the Ugandan experience, I hope I still have all my friends when we get home.

So, things are going well and your prayers are being heard!  A few specifics you can keep praying for:

Pray that things go smoothly and favorably on Friday and then pray as we begin the immigration process, I think I am just as nervous about that.

Also pray for our sweet girl.  She has left the toddler house and is staying with Claudia.  We are spending as much time with her as we can but she is VERY shy and really not sure about all this.  Yesterday, we took her into Jinja for some shopping.  I think everything got to her, but she had a MELTDOWN in the middle of one of the shops and was crying for Auntie Claudia.  Two muzungu in a shop with a screaming African toddler is a rather frightening experience.  We left the shop and took her for a brownie and soda and she calmed down, but we realize that this is going to be a really tough transition for her...and us.

Please, also keep the children of GSF in your prayers.  There are four teens here that are about to age
out and are in the process of being resettled back into their home communities.  This is a hard transition.

Also a little boy Richard who has sickle cell is having a lot of health problems.

Thanks again for all your prayers and for caring about what is going on with us, we love all of you and can't wait for you to meet our sweet girl!

Welcome to Uganda!  It has been an interesting few days.  There isn't much to say about the flight except it was LONG!  All went smoothly and we purchased the all important stroop waffles in Amsterdam...they definitely lived up to their reputation!  We got into Entebbe, Uganda about 10:30 Wednesday night.  We stayed in a beautiful guest house and got a good night sleep.

Thursday morning, we got up and headed toward Kampala.  We exchanged money there, bought phone minutes and wifi access, had our first unsuccessful trip to the embassy (no adoption business on Thursdays), and went grocery shopping.  We then headed toward the orphanage.  We stopped once at a nearby market for vegetables.  I think this is a must when traveling to Uganda.  We sat in the car while a mob of vendors swarmed us with their goods.  Claudia was amazing...evidently having LOTS of experience in this area.  Which was a good thing, because I truly believe I would have ended up  somehow purchasing the whole market!

We arrived at the gate at GSF and were welcomed by singing, dancing and drumming.  It  was here we were privileged to meet our sweet girl for the first time!  She was a bit shy and not sure about us, but we did get a smile or two out of her!  We tried a fresh, organic pineapple that was amazing and I had my first ever mango (I know, I am sheltered)...it was not yet ripe and not so amazing, but I am told that I HAVE to try again when they get a ripe one.  We have also been told that it is grasshopper season in Uganda and that we cannot leave the country until we have tried one.  They have assured us they are delicious!

Thursday night we got settled in and went to one of the missionary's houses for dinner.  Then we headed back to the guest house for bed!  We slept in Friday morning and took a nice FREEZING shower because we are not smart enough to figure out how to get the hot water heater to work!  The
bathroom is the epitome of the Ugandan experience because not only do we get to enjoy freezing showers, there are some "pet" lizards that like to hang out behind the toilet.  Every time you flush, one of them jumps out and runs up the wall.  I know it is going to happen every time and it still scares the begeebees out of me!

Yesterday we walked around and toured the orphanage  and spend some time with our princess in the toddler house.  There is really no way to describe the toddler house.  Think of the scene in Toy Story 3 when the kids come in from recess and find new toys.  That is about as close as I can get to the experience of a muzungu (white person) entering the room.  The kids go NUTS!  They crawl all over you.  They love Chris' bald head and they love my long hair...what is left of it after they have taken the "necklace" (rubber band) out of it and "washed and fixed" it for me.  Believe me, a part of me IS staying in Africa!

We also got to eat lunch on the porch while watching monkeys jump and run from tree to tree...amazing!

Today, our girl is sick! She is running fever and not feeling well.  One of the aunties in her house had all of the other toddlers sing to her and pray for her.  This afternoon, we are going t o help get a building ready for a church plant that some people from the orphanage are starting.

Next week, we will have our first court date and we are going to start helping at the orphanage.  I am going to be he helping to home school some of the missionary kids and I may get a chance to teach some classes in the primary school and Chris is going to help get a mentoring program started.

We will try to keep posting but the Internet here is very temperamental so it may be several days
between posts.  Thanks for the continued prayers!