Big Appointment Day, Prayers NEEDED!!

Today was the big appointment at the adoption authority. Our facilitator met us there (one of his nice drivers picked us up) and after a bit of a wait, we went into a small room where lots of women were rushing around looking frazzled. No one looked at us, or seemed to notice we were there! The women began looking through huge plastic three-ring-binders trying to find our boys. No luck, they shrugged their shoulders. Nothing is on a computer, just plastic pages with papers and pictures inside. It was a worrisome wait. Our facilitator took matters into his own hands and began to look in the books, eventually finding them both. If you can't find their files, they don't even exist to the government, apparently! We got a few pictures of them when they were younger, which was wonderful (I brought some pictures I had printed out from their Reece's Rainbow profiles and we were able to swap them.)

Then things got bad. Since Lucy is in another orphanage, they said we needed a separate appointment for her. Yes, we were already there, and all the files were on the desks, but we would have to come back. Problem is one of our papers will be dated a year old on Jan 11th, and you have to have an appointment one month before that paper has its first birthday. Our facilitator tried to get them to accept the nice updated paper we had brought, but they would not relent because the other one is still valid. Yes, I know this makes no sense.

So, we are stuck. If we cant get another appointment by Friday, we don't get to adopt Lucy. It is as simple and as stupid as that. Our amazing facilitator is trying to get that to happen, but I have no idea how likely it is. It will be a stressful couple of days, running to meet the boys and get paperwork from their orphanage and moving closer to them (somewhere in another city about 100 km from here, and no, I don't know what its called or how far 100 km is.)

 Everyone said to be prepared to know nothing that is going on and to just follow people around and do what they tell you, but it's crazy in reality. In my real life, I can make decisions, make things happen, know what is up. Here, I am like a child: "Sign here. Sit here. I am picking you at at 9. I will tell you later.) It feels very helpless and terrible. Especially because we are the ones who care about Lucy and want her. But we can't do anything.

I think that this would all make me depressed if it were not for the fact that I understand reality. Reality is that God has a plan that will be accomplished and that he is in total control. I have nothing to fear, nothing to worry about, no reason to fret. I am actually a child, a beloved one, and my father cares, knows, loves, and works. He knows Lucy too. If he intends for her to be in our family, it will happen.

So we really have no idea when we will be coming home, and what is going to happen. We "may know more tomorrow" or may not. This is a good time for us all to pray. Pray that we can rescue her! And pray that the boys will welcome us into their hearts and bond with us. We will see them on Thursday morning, and we can't wait. I am rather nervous, and hope they will like me. I bought extra toys, just in case! Thank you all who are still giving to help us, and to all of you who are faithfully praying for us and these precious little ones!!