Tonight, we celebrate...

We have the visas in hand.

Lamentations 3: 22-23

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

The journey no doubt continues once we get home.
We are currently only guardians, and will finalize the adoption and citizenship process once we are home.

In the meantime, the girls keep smiling. Scot overheard Aisha talking to her doll and saying, "May I please see your passport?"

Our time here has been fruitful. We visited the girls' families for the last time yesterday, and saw their humble beginings. I know that the girls cannot comprehend the differences between America and Uganda yet, and I am sure that the more time they spend in the USA, the less they will remember their younger years spent in plaster and thatch shanties with outdoor dirt floor kitchens. Old blankets hung where doors or windows would be. They did not have mosquito nets in their rooms, and slept only on an old mattress lying on the floor. Whatever we may think or feel about these accomodations, the girls were proud to show us where they were born, and clearly had very fond memories forged there.
Many hours where traveled over bumpy dirt roads. Many samosas have been eaten. Many pictures taken.
While both good and bad memories have been made here, Scot and I are both very happy to be returning home.

The perspective we've gained can only be one achieved through personal experience.
No photos or words can convey what we have seen, heard, and felt since we have been here.
I have always considered myself a patriot, and I can still say with certainty that I love the USA.
We do plan on returning some day to renew the spirit that we have gained while we were here, and to have the opportunity to enjoy more of the country, and less of the government buildings.

I am going to take some time away, maybe about 5 days or so, to really focus on my family.
I will upload more photos later.

Thank you for your prayers, emails, and support.

Love,
The Wilgings

Coming Home!!

The calf is roped, feet tied, hands thrown in the air, call it, "TIME!!"

I am both optimistic and fearful even as I write this post.
Today, we pick up our visas.
Tomorrow, we board a plane.

Monday was our appointment with the embassy. As usual, we had a hiccup.
When we went on Friday to have our paperwork reviewed, it was pointed out to us that on one of the papers, Flavia's birth father's name was misspelled, but that, "We could fix it."
Now we had already used some white out on other papers, so we figured that would be the same for this error as well.
When we showed up to pay for the visas on Monday as we were told to, the woman asked if we got the new corrected document from the lawyer's office.
We looked blankly at her and said, "You never said to get a NEW paper, you said we could fix it."
She shook her head and said, "No, you need a new paper."
I ran downstairs to where our phone was kept in a locker, and proceeded to frantically call Rashid repeatedly every 5 minutes for almost a half hour. Luckily he was already going to meet with our lawyer about another family, so I needed to catch him before he left his office.
God was with us, and got us the new paper that very day before our interview.
The rest of the interview went smoothly and we were granted the visas, then told to pick them up Wednesday, which is standard.

We then went home to book a flight. Then had another hiccup.
I have been watching the flights diligently and noticed the prices going up, up, up. Most flights were averaging $1700-2000 per person, 36-43 hours total.
Imagine the thrill when I found 4 tickets for a 26 hour flight at $1300 per person.

Now imagine our panic when our bank card kept getting blocked.

Apparently our bank has a limit set on how much can be charged on the debit card, and we were going over it.  We attempted to call the bank, and learned that the touch-tone system was not compatible with our borrowed over-seas phone.
::This is the part where I started to panic thinking I would never see U.S. soil again::
Luckily for us, a loving family member let us borrow their card, and all was right with the world.

So, pending no more hiccups, we should be boarding Turkish Airlines Thursday morning at 5:20 am local time, and arriving back to Albuquerque on Friday night.

Please pray for visas in hand, and safe travels. This has been enough excitement for one month already.

Boda Bodas

For those of you that don't know, I'll explain what "boda bodas" means in a minute.
Let us first set the stage for what was one of the most exhilarating and adrenalline-pumping days that I have had in a while. This will be a long post, so make sure you've got a little time for reading about our little adventure.
So we left off with needing to collect the girls' passports before we could make an appointment with the embassy.
Warning: the following story WILL have disgusting images and might scare the families of those involved. Don't worry, we're alive to tell the tale ;)

The passport office, well, it sucks.
Everywhere you go in Uganda, you pass through security checks. They check your purse, you get the metal detector wand thingie waved over you, and pass through rought iron gates with barbed wire and armed guards.
This place is no exception, as it is like a military compound.
The buildings are single-story metal and stucco.
They are placed like a maze to create paddocks, surrounding dirt floor courtyards with benches covered by a large canvas tent for shade- if you are lucky enough to find a seat under it.
Hundreds of people are scrambling to get passports, and some have waited up to six months for one.
It's hot, every one is tired, and social graces are thrown out the window.
Up untill now, we have been dealing with the passport office through phone calls and having Rashid talk with one of the employees. We were told to come this time because they would be ready.
The first visit to the passport office was a brief one as we were told they currently aren't available, they were taken to the controller's office because they couldn't find our reciept. Not to worry though, he would settle it, and we could return tomorrow. Okay, fine.
On our way out, Flavia needed to use the bathroom, so I found the public restroom there.
She came out of the stall with a look on her face that I had not seen before. She simply shook her head. I came in to see what was the matter, and saw that they were pit latrines. (A hole in the ground that you squat over).

Now people, God tells us to protect what we place before our eyes for a reason. Sometimes images get burned into your head that you just cannot get out.

There was crap, everywhere. I looked down to see that my child had attempted to squat over the pit, and as her shoes slid in the fecal matter, the cuff of her pants grazed the floor. She was still leaving poo-tracks as she walked out. Whilst trying not to vomit and panic, I made her walk over to a grassy area and wipe her shoes and asked if she could hold it instead. Thank the Lord we brought medical gloves with us! We went home without appetites that day.

We returned the next day as told, this time with extra toilet paper and hand sanitizer in my purse. I made the girls go to the bathroom before we even left, twice. By the time we got there, most of the seats under the shade were taken. Scot and I took turns sitting. We were told that the passports would be ready at 11 am. By 1:30, I was started to get a little upset and feared that my children would need to use the bathroom any minute now. (A really nice man showed us one hidden in the back that the employees use that was actually clean.)
I couldn't sit still any more, so I got up to stand- then lost my seat permanently. Another 3 hours, and a notable sun burn later, we collect the passports. Oops, Aisha's name is wrong.
He told us that he would reprint it. So we waited- for another hour and a half.  By 6 pm we were the only people left, and our guy just disappeared. Rashid called him and we went to the controller's office. We were told that we couldn't get it tonight, and that we could come back tomorrow at 9 am and it would be ready.

We knew we were under a time crunch. The embassy is only open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until 11 am. Today is Friday.  Experience taught us that the passport would not be ready at 9 am, and we knew that if we didn't get to the embassy today to verify paperwork and make an appointment, we would be set back another week.
9 am comes and goes. 9:30. 10:00. 10:30... 10:55- the corrected passport was placed in our hand.
Now I  already told you that the embassy closed at 11. But God decided otherwise today.
Scot called the embassy and begged them to stay open saying that we just got th passport and we would get there as soon as possible. They said if we can get there in less than 15 minutes, they would wait.

"Challenge accepted!!"

Kampala has the worst street traffic I have ever seen. There are no stop lights, no street signs, no real traffic laws except to keep it movin', and yet somehow it works. Boda bodas are motorcycle taxis. Being smaller, and having no fear to weave through and around buses, cars, pedestrians and opposing traffic, even on sidewalks if need be, they can get you where you need to be faster than any other mode of transportation. We discussed the potential danger, and talked with the girls (who were ALL for it by the way) and agreed that we would do it. We told the boda drivers to be extra careful, drive slower than usual, and that we would pay them well if they delivered us safely.
Flavia rode with me and had the biggest grin on her face the entire time because this was her first ride on a motorcycle.  With my hair flapping in the wind, and a death-grip on the driver,  I kept my eyes closed and prayed, and next thing you knew, "We are here madam."

::A-thank-you-Jeeesus!::

Again we get through the obligatory security check and run to the embassy office. We were seen within 5 minutes, and the most wonderfully sweet and patient woman helped us to correct and organize our paperwork and gave us our interview appointment for Monday at 3 pm. (I hear they keep their appointments there.)

So, we're back on schedule.
NO MORE BODAS, and if all goes well, we may be booking a flight home next week.
Sorry if I scared you Mom, and Daddy, you know I always think of you when I'm on a bike.

Love ya'll...hope to see you soon!

Update day 18

::sigh::
So we didn't get the passports last week.
The judge forgot to sign and seal the papers needed, so we had to wait 2 days to get them.
By the time we did, the passport office was closed, and the man we were working with went on vacation.
It is Tuesday the 18th here as I write this, and we are going to go into town and see if we can't get them today.
Once we get the passports, we can make our appointment with the Embassy to get visas, and then we can bring the girls home.
Many have asked if we have met with the girls' fathers yet, and the answer is yes.
They were at the original court meeting.
Aisha was indifferent to her father. He is a much older gentleman, and she was much younger when she was sent to the orphanage, so I don't envision that they bonded too much.
Flavia was very happy to see her father. She gave him a hug, but then resumed her coloring.
It was awkward of course.
The gentlemen gave us phone numbers and email addresses to contact them.
We are struggling with this because Flavia's father has already asked another family who has his other children for money.
That happens a lot around here. Everyone has a story to tell you, everyone needs more money.
One guy walked up to the car window and angrily said to Scot, "You're a white man, and you have much money, so you need to give me some."
Another young-20's man approached us while we were on a walk and struck up a conversation with Scot about "What's America like?" and then he told us about his home country, and what he does for a living, but then got into how they don't pay him enough and he requested money for airtime for his phone.
Scot has become very proficient at politely telling everybody "No."
We worry that these men might make the girls feel guilty since they are in America, and then put us in the middle to ask the girls to tell us to send money, and then if we don't, we're bad people. We also don't want the girls feeling like they need to work to send their own money to these men. Flavia's father has a job, and was financially capable of taking care of her, it's just his second wife didn't want the kids, so they were all sent away.
I can see where Aisha's father may struggle more, but the stories we heard about him being nearly blind do not seem to be true.
Pray for us on that one please.
Gotta go, our ride is here.

Love you all!!

Day 11 Update

Wow. Prayer REALLY works. Either God is listening and has his hands all over us, or all of the mishaps that we were told to expect are going to come at once very soon.
So far, we have finished the girls' health exams (both cleared for immigration), recieved our final court ruling and are now officially guardians of the children, and we learned that their passports are ready for pick up tomorrow.
I cannot express to you how quickly this is proceding in the context of adoption.
We still have a few hurdles to clear, so please pray that the passports are indeed ready and that we have all the necessary paperwork, that we are able to secure an appointment with the embassy in due time, and that the interview will go well there. I still cannot say when we will be coming home, because there are no guarantees in this process.
All I know is that so far, we have been most fortunate.
Thank you all for your prayers, and please keep them coming.

Also, please pray for the continued health of our girls. We think Aisha had malaria, so we treated her for it, and she is doing just fine now. We hope that we all can avoid any other illnesses along the way.
I do not know what vaccines they have had (if any) so we will take care of all that when we get home, but we need to keep them safe in the meantime.

We will also be meeting with the girls' fathers one last time, and we hope that the girls will handle the psychological and emotional stress that will certainly come as well as possible. They continue to be excited to come to America, and have now started asking "When? Tomorrow?"

Scot and I are having to learn how to be parents one day at a time, and that includes the good with the bad. Like all normal children, they are starting to test the waters. We are engaging in biblical discipline, and sought the counsil, wisdom, and guidance of the couple that runs the orphanage here. They were a tremendous help! Please pray for us that we do this properly. We continue to point the girls to scripture as often as possible, especially when there are very relevant verses to apply to a particular situation.  The family here gave us a book to read called Sheparding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. A very good read for all you out there that are also struggling in the discipline department.

We miss you all very much, and again, cannot be more grateful for your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement!

Love,
The Wilgings

PHOTOS!

Here are just a few of what we have taken so far. Here we are doing puzzles. The girls are already solving 100 piece sets!

 

The fine art of funny faces

 

Donig laundry the old-fashioned way. Which actually gets the clothes notably cleaner.

The village near the church.

Gangster squad ready to go to our first court date.

Home sweet home for now...

 

The girls went to get their TB tests today and took the needles like champs. We will return to the immigration office to finish the physicals on Monday. Tuesday we see the judge for our final ruling. If all goes well, we can get the passports and finish our interview with the embassy to get the girls' visas and come home.  Thank you for your steadfast prayers, and know that they are being answered. Our time here has been very good. People have been very kind and hospitable, and we are well cared for. Please pray for our daughters as they are having good days and bad. They have had a few breakdowns during very busy and overwhelming days, and the magnitude of all this change is not lost on them. They are excited about coming home with us, but it does not make the loss of what was once home any easier.

Now if you'll excuse me, my daughter wants to brush my hair- and you just don't say "no" to that.

 

Love and miss you all!!!!

Update

I can't upload any photos right now because the internet signal is weak, but we have taken many (and the girls have become quite the avid little photographers as well). We will try to post a few when the signal is a little stronger.

We continue the bonding process. The girls have their moments of being solemn, but they are short-lived, and they are starting to communicate more.
In their culture, it seems to be discouraged for the children to express their grief, so they try to conceal it. When you ask if they are okay, they try to hide their face and won't respond. Flavia did not want to eat breakfast this morning (which is unusual, because these kids are eating more than we are), and I asked if she was okay. She hid her face again, and I asked her to come to me. She came over and I asked if she was sad. She raised her eyebrows once (which in Uganda means "yes").
Scot took her downstairs to her bed and she immediately laid on her bed and played with her doll. We gave a little alone time if she wanted to cry. I came down about 5 minutes later and we talked.  I was able to figure out she is nervous about court. She says she still wants to come to America though, and they are enjoying learning everyones' names and faces in our photo albums. They are particularly fascinated with cousins Brian and Matthew.

They are very respectful, affectionate, and helpful little girls. The orphanage has taught them the value of hard work and cleanliness, so they make beds and do laundry readily. (They were confused and uncomfortable with me washing their undergarments because in this country it is considered disrespectful to ask someone else to wash your delicates.)

The girls love to sing hymns and Sunday school songs about Jesus. Flavia even sings in her sleep!
I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful the church service was.

Church is a 4-5 hour event. I will not be able to ever explain with mere words how the Holy Spirit was truly in our midst.
We met in a brick and mud tiered arena that sat about 150 people, where slim tree trunks held up tarps overhead to block the sun. The chairs were plastic dollar store variety. The pulpit was two 2x4's holding up a plywood book rest.
The people gathered, some from as far as a five mile walk through the jungle.
We sang, Rashid preached, Scot spoke to the crowd about our adoption and education.
These people gave testimonies about how God is working in their lives. They raised their hands in praise and sang loudly and beautifully. They were very kind to us, and cooked us a delicious traditional Ugandan meal.

It is amazing to me how with all our modern comforts that we easily feel we do not have to rely on the Lord as much as we should. These people hang their very existance on the provision of God. Every meal. Every article of clothing. To heal every injury and illness.
The village has no local hospital. The people have to travel a minimum of several miles, on foot, to get to the nearest city with grocery stores and medical clinics. They trust that the Lord will provide for them, and He has, and He does.

Day 1

Since we are blessed to have internet at the moment, I'll try to catch you all up to speed since our departure.
The first leg of our 3-leg flight had a little hitch in the giddyup.
We were supposed to leave Albuquerque at 8 am to fly to Washington DC, then to Brussels, then to Entebbe.
Well that plane's engine wouldn't start.
Luckily, we met a wonderful man named Doug that worked for the airline, and he understood how important it was for us to get going, so he immediately arranged a diversion through Chicago instead.
The few extra hours of waiting made for shorter lay over time in between flights, but after that, it was all smooth sailing.
Thank you Doug!

The flights had us in our seats for a total of about 22 hours.
Now I fancy myself a semi-pro couch potato, and there were movies included on the flights, but I couldn't wait to get off of those things.
By the by, if you get an opportunity to fly on Brussels Airline, take it.
They give you ice cream!

We landed in Entebbe about 20 minutes early because we had a tail wind pushing us along.
Luckily Pastor Rashid was there with the girls already waiting.
They ran to us smiling and gave us hugs, and held our hands.
Pastor Rashid told us that they recognized us getting off of the plane, and they jumped up and down.
On the 20 minute ride to the orphange, the girls cuddled up with me in the back seat.

We got to our family apartment, and looked over the pictures that we had sent to them a few months ago. They had some questions about who some of the people were, and they giggled at a picture of me in shorts. (Women don't wear those here.)
We got them ready for bed, and then Aisha started crying. I couldn't figure out why, but I kept telling her it was okay, and Scot gave her a doll. She stopped crying after about 5 minutes, and then fell asleep.
She seems to be much better today.

We have been spending time getting to know each other. They have been singing hymns to us, and we worked on puzzles. We watch them play with their dolls (which they named Angel and Dana ::giggle::). These girls already know how to do hair better than I do. They speak to each other in their native tongue, and then look at us and giggle... which I won't lie, makes me super paranoid.
They speak english fairly well, but not as well as we thought they might. They seem to answer agreeably to all our questions, which makes me wonder if they are trying to be nice, or if they have no clue what we are saying.
Oh well, it'll all work out.

We're going to head out for a little walk. It has been raining all day and finally stopped.

We'll be in touch!