A Long Road...

It is no surprise that things do not go according to plans (or wishes) in this country, and especially regarding children and the court system. 

We were hoping for a court date for sometime before Christmas break. We got February 14th. I guess I should be happy with that. My lawyer and the staff at her firm are. The other cases they filed the same day were given dates in July and October. 


So, what does that mean? What comes after that?

The minimum, best case scenario still has a number of steps before we make it to America. 


(1) This first court date will most likely result in the magistrate (judge) mandating a home evaluation and report from the Children's Department's social worker. 


(2) We hope that the second court appearance will result in the magistrate awarding me full guardianship of Julia.


(3) After attaining guardianship, we will go to Nairobi for permission to travel abroad. Who knows how many trips/meetings that will require!? This is a somewhat subjective process. There is no cut-and-dry scenario. There are no guidelines that say if you have "this, and this, and this," then you may have permission to travel. 


(4) After permission to travel (given by Children's Officials), we can apply for Julia's passport. This can be done as quickly as 1-2 weeks and is the most predictable of all of the steps.


(5) Once we have Julia's passport in hand and have the passport number, then we can schedule an visa appointment with the American Embassy. Depending on the time of year, the wait list calendar is anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months out. Even with guardianship, legal permission to travel and a passport, a visa is not automatically granted. 

Sooooo.....you can see we still have quite a road ahead of us. 


If you think the American court system is crazy, you should try being in a developing country. I know that things can be messy and long & drawn out in the American system, but at least there are laws in place and there are starting points. There are guidelines that lay out the way things are supposed to be. There is a working system in place. For those of you walking through it, I know it may not seem like the system is working, but compared to a non-existant system, America is very well developed.


There is nothing predictable here. I have never heard (nor have any of my friends who have done this) of two cases that have gone through the same process, or had the same timeline, requirements, or order of events. But in most all case, the outcome is the same. It CAN work. Julia CAN be "mine," and we WILL one day make it to America! And THAT is what gives me hope!

Did I know all of this before we began this journey?    Yes. 


Would I do it all over again?    Yes! A thousand time over, yes! 


I heard God speak so clearly to me about taking this little girl as my own, I cannot deny that this is His plan. 

I did not start this journey blindly. I talked to many, many people about it. I sought guidance from many. I have seen others walk through this process - the angst, the frustrations, disappointments....and waiting. But I have also seen the journeys end with the greatest of rewards, and I know it will be worth it!


I talked to my first lawyer about attaining guardianship of Julia in March. Our move to Nakuru put a huge delay in the process, but it was something that had to be done for the better of the whole ministry. Regardless of our move, it is just a long road. A hard road. An unpredictable road. A bumpy, curvy, pot-hole filled road. 

I would greatly appreciate your prayers as we wait until February, and then as we continue to move forward. I guess my main request would be that we DO move forward! 


Thanks to all of you who have been such a great support and encouragement! I truly appreciate you!! And you can bet I will keep you updated!