Court Report

It has been a busy time since my mom has been here. Obviously. I haven't even had time to write about it!

Yesterday, we started our day off bright and early, leaving the house at 6:30am.  Well, it was early...but not so bright yet.  We made it to Kibera (down the dreadfully horrible Ngong Road in morning traffic) in just less than an hour and a half!

Our court is in Kibera. My mom was a little amuzed at where we drove to get to this official courthouse.  She wasn't really expecting this.....

 

I should have known to not be worried or stressed about being on time....TIK!! (This is Kenya) Once there, our assigned police officer told us that opening had been delayed until 9:00.  No big deal, just one hour. Seriously, that is NOT bad. So, we just hung out for a little while. 

 

Julia thought she was such a big girl to sit down just like Mama.

Once the courts opened we were fast enough to get in and get a seat. Good thing, we were here for the long-haul! Our little girls did a great job. Well, kind of. Julia was talking too loud so I took her out and got her to sleep.  Kate went to sleep fairly quickly, but woke up in a very talkative mood. She had to be in court to appear before the judge, so we tried to keep her quiet so we were not ejected from the courtroom. After sitting for just a few hours listening to some interesting cases ranging from assualt, to theft to murder, Kate's parents were finally called up. Just two minutes too late. Literally. TWO MINUTES!! Irene had JUST walked out with Kate! 


The judge was not in a mood to wait so she put the case back down, going to the bottom of the pile. The bottom of the pile. The last case. The case was not called again until 4:00pm.  


I had an appointment with our landlord at 4pm so Mom and Julia and I left earlier in the afternoon.  Poor Irene and Kate (and all the people involved in the case) had to wait there ALL DAY LONG.  


The synopsis of the hearing: The wife to Kate's father testified against him! That is a BIG deal.  She stated that Kate's mother brought the baby to the house. She took the baby, called the father who came home from work, took the baby away and came back at 10pm without the baby and in a very "mad mood."  The wife never asked where he took the baby. 


Kate's mother testified that she approached the father on numerous occassions to assist with money for her care. When Kate got sick, she could not afford to take her to the doctor so she took her to the father. The father's wife agreed to help and took the baby. Kate's mom could not find her when she went back for her.


The father still testifies that he is not the father and has never seen the baby before. 


The judge's action?? Come back for a second hearing on May 28th. Nothing decided, nothing ruled, nothing even mentioned.  Simply, "return for second hearing on 28th May, 2010." 


So...Kate is with us for at least another three months!!  And we are SO happy to keep her!  In this case, we are caring for an "abandoned" baby who really was not abandoned. It is confusing, but we are actually caring for a baby whose mother really could not afford to care for her, and is now caught up in a court case that could take a long time to play out. Please pray for the Lord's will to be done; that Kate's mother would be using this time to efficiently prepare to take her back and care for her; and that Kate would know how much she is truly loved by God and the people in her life.  

Sorry for the long post.  I know there are a few people out there who have been dying to know the whole story so I wanted to share.