It's been awhile since I've written, but we're still here and kicking. The transition back into Iowa life for our new family has been exceptional. We've had so much help from family and friends that, looking back, I'm not sure how would we would have done it without them. The kids have done marvelously as well. They're very excited about all the new things they gotten to experience. They embrace new people, experiences, and weather (haha) with open arms and zipped up coats ;)
When we got back to the states, the first few weeks were essentially saved by my parents, Kristen's parents, and sister/brother in law. We had some financial help and A TON of babysitting help from them. Between them all, they did all the daycare between November 5th and Thanksgiving. This was a huge help. "Thanks" isn't even close to the payment they deserve for helping us out!
We'd been home for 24 hours when we decided to take the kids outside to play for the first time. We bundled them up and took them out. Ironically (or maybe through God's orchestration?), after a few minutes, some vaguely familar faces drove by. They pulled over and got out. It was a mother and daughter who have also adopted and we'd met them at a garage sale last summer. Through this random meeting, we found out that their daughter (Annie) was moving in 4 houses down from us. Also, she was planning to open an in-home daycare! Also, randomly enough, I'd tutored her in Geometry when she was in high school while I was attending UNI. So, not only does Annie have experience with adopted children, but she lives 4 doors down. The kids talk about "Annie's house" all the time. I'm starting to think that I've slipped from being #2 (behind Kristen, of course) to being #3 in the kids' eyes!
The kids have even taken to the cold weather and snow quite well (I know it's been mild so far, but in Africa, it never got below 55 degrees). They've been sledding and played in it quite a bit. Christmas was also a joyful time. In general, the kids have taken in all the new experience, places, and people exceptionally well. They love all the attention they get from family and friends.
On December 26th, we also got to officially adopt them in Iowa! On the way to the court house, I remember feeling like, "Oh, crap. Here we go again." Our experiences in Uganda made me feel like something would go wrong for sure. However, all of our family was there, the judge and lawyers were all in good moods, and we were in and out in about an hour (waiting room and all)! This was such a nice Christmas present :) Its now official!! Another huge reason why this is important is because we can now apply for the adoption tax credit on our income taxes this year! This should help pay off some of the loans we've incurred because of the adoption.
We've been blessed, to say the least.
Looking at the ground we've covered since we flew out on August 20th, it seems crazy. We've got a 4 year old and a 3 year old that act as if they've been brother and sister since birth. We've also got a house that looks like a tornado hit it eveyday. But, its all worth it :)
The only real headache we've had since landing in Iowa is getting the kid's health insurance nailed down. Its nearly done, but its made us quite nervous, especially since they both ALWAYS have runny noses and Viola has had a cough for several weeks now. Other than that, I'm not sure there's anything I could complain about.
Thank you all for all your support and prayer! I may have slit my wrists the long way if not for you ;)
Oh, and the kids love visitors, so if you haven't stopped by yet, please do!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Friday, November 9, 2012
Safe and Sound! :)
So, last you all heard, we were getting ready to fly home from Uganda. I'm so excited/relieved to tell you that we've made it home and that this transition time is going quite well. We've loved being back in familiar territory and most of all, seeing so many of you. So, here's the skinny on our long journey home!
The day before we left, the U.S. embassy granted us our visas to travel to the United States. However one slightly alarming thing happened. They told us we would need to give original copies of our court ruling and guardianship order to customs in Entebbe and in Chicago. This would have meant that we would have no original copies of these documents for our dealings here in the U.S. However, upon reaching customs in Entebbe, we found out this wasn't true.
So, we were off! Our flight took off from Entebbe around midnight. We'd been talking up the airplane for about a week with the kids, so they were excited to see what it was like. All in all, we couldn't have asked anything more from them. When we reached the plane, they just kept pointing at it and staring, wide-eyed. When we got on the plane, both kids were very excited about having there own personal TV's in the their seats. Gideon slept about 90% of the flight to Brussels, Belgium, but Viola was far too fascinated with flipping between different movies to go to sleep. She didn't end up going to sleep till about 3 a.m. However, when she went down, she slept like a rock until our descent into Brussels. Around that time, she got a little motion sickness and spit up quite a bit of whatever was in her stomach. Of course, I got to be the one to catch it all [in my hands, naturally]. Sorry if that was too much of a visual for you.
Brussels was about a four hour layover. Gideon was all ready to go and explore the airport since he had 7 hours of sleep under his belt. Viola, however, was still very tired. So, Kristen left with Gideon to go to the transfer desk [we transferred to a different airline] and I got to sit with sleeping Viola, sip coffee, eat doughnuts, and watch the sun rise. It was quite pleasant. Even though we weren't home, that was the first real moment when I got to stop and think about the gravity of what we were finally accomplishing. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to our great God for the place he'd brought us to.
After Kristen got back, she informed me that I needed to take Viola over to the transfer desk as well to have them check our passports and paperwork. After all this was done, it wasn't too much longer before our flight into Chicago.
When we boarded the flight to Chicago, we were delighted to find out we'd been assigned the row right behind business class. This row has extra leg room and no seats in front of us for the kids to kick. Gideon was battling a little bit of a head cold, so the take off and landing for this flight was quite uncomfortable for him. After we were in the air awhile, both kids wanted their mommy [which is fairly typical]. So, I took a screaming Gideon to the back of the plane and rocked him in the bathroom for awhile. When I came out, the two flight attendants talked to me for around 15 minutes about our adoption, saying how awesome it was. After we went to sit down, they both came over and told us that the kids could sleep on the floor in front of our seats! They said 'We'll just tell the other flight attendants not to bother you.' Then, they brought us blankets and pillow from first class! For the rest of the flight, they were extra accommodating to us. The kids got to sleep for around four hours on the floor right in front of us.
The last scare of the trip was in Chicago. Upon reaching customs, they checked off on all the passports, but mine. A security guard came over and had us follow him to a back room. Mostly, this made us nervous because we only had about 90 minutes to land, go through customs, get our luggage, take a train to a different terminal, go through security, and find our gate for the flight to Cedar Rapids. After about 25 minutes, a security guard called me back and asked me a series of questions about the nature of the trip to Uganda and my job in America. I was glad when I learned he'd spent time in Waterloo. Once we made this connection, he let me go. I went back out to the waiting room to find a screaming Viola and a vehemently angry wife. After we left, I learned that Viola had run into an office where a meeting with several important-looking people from the Dept. of Homeland Security where seated. She got aBIG little swat for that.
All things considered, we made it to our gate, only to find our flight delayed. We got back to Cedar Rapids an hour later than expected. But it didn't matter because all of our family was there to greet us. For an hour or so, the kids played with their Grandpa's, Grandma's, Great Grandpa, Great Grandma, and Aunts. We were very happy to see how quickly they warmed up to all of them.
Since then, we've been making the transition into Iowa living. The kids were a little surprised with the cold weather and having to be strapped into car seats in the car. Other than that, they've loved all the toys and food they now have access to. They were pretty freaked out by the dog at first, but that's getting better as well. All in all, they're transitioning very quickly. We couldn't be happier with how this step of the process has gone.
Remember to pray for us next week as Kristen and I both go back to work. This will almost absolutely be a difficult time for them as they haven't spent time away from both of us at all since we got them.
Looking forward to seeing you all!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
The day before we left, the U.S. embassy granted us our visas to travel to the United States. However one slightly alarming thing happened. They told us we would need to give original copies of our court ruling and guardianship order to customs in Entebbe and in Chicago. This would have meant that we would have no original copies of these documents for our dealings here in the U.S. However, upon reaching customs in Entebbe, we found out this wasn't true.
So, we were off! Our flight took off from Entebbe around midnight. We'd been talking up the airplane for about a week with the kids, so they were excited to see what it was like. All in all, we couldn't have asked anything more from them. When we reached the plane, they just kept pointing at it and staring, wide-eyed. When we got on the plane, both kids were very excited about having there own personal TV's in the their seats. Gideon slept about 90% of the flight to Brussels, Belgium, but Viola was far too fascinated with flipping between different movies to go to sleep. She didn't end up going to sleep till about 3 a.m. However, when she went down, she slept like a rock until our descent into Brussels. Around that time, she got a little motion sickness and spit up quite a bit of whatever was in her stomach. Of course, I got to be the one to catch it all [in my hands, naturally]. Sorry if that was too much of a visual for you.
Brussels was about a four hour layover. Gideon was all ready to go and explore the airport since he had 7 hours of sleep under his belt. Viola, however, was still very tired. So, Kristen left with Gideon to go to the transfer desk [we transferred to a different airline] and I got to sit with sleeping Viola, sip coffee, eat doughnuts, and watch the sun rise. It was quite pleasant. Even though we weren't home, that was the first real moment when I got to stop and think about the gravity of what we were finally accomplishing. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to our great God for the place he'd brought us to.
After Kristen got back, she informed me that I needed to take Viola over to the transfer desk as well to have them check our passports and paperwork. After all this was done, it wasn't too much longer before our flight into Chicago.
When we boarded the flight to Chicago, we were delighted to find out we'd been assigned the row right behind business class. This row has extra leg room and no seats in front of us for the kids to kick. Gideon was battling a little bit of a head cold, so the take off and landing for this flight was quite uncomfortable for him. After we were in the air awhile, both kids wanted their mommy [which is fairly typical]. So, I took a screaming Gideon to the back of the plane and rocked him in the bathroom for awhile. When I came out, the two flight attendants talked to me for around 15 minutes about our adoption, saying how awesome it was. After we went to sit down, they both came over and told us that the kids could sleep on the floor in front of our seats! They said 'We'll just tell the other flight attendants not to bother you.' Then, they brought us blankets and pillow from first class! For the rest of the flight, they were extra accommodating to us. The kids got to sleep for around four hours on the floor right in front of us.
The last scare of the trip was in Chicago. Upon reaching customs, they checked off on all the passports, but mine. A security guard came over and had us follow him to a back room. Mostly, this made us nervous because we only had about 90 minutes to land, go through customs, get our luggage, take a train to a different terminal, go through security, and find our gate for the flight to Cedar Rapids. After about 25 minutes, a security guard called me back and asked me a series of questions about the nature of the trip to Uganda and my job in America. I was glad when I learned he'd spent time in Waterloo. Once we made this connection, he let me go. I went back out to the waiting room to find a screaming Viola and a vehemently angry wife. After we left, I learned that Viola had run into an office where a meeting with several important-looking people from the Dept. of Homeland Security where seated. She got a
All things considered, we made it to our gate, only to find our flight delayed. We got back to Cedar Rapids an hour later than expected. But it didn't matter because all of our family was there to greet us. For an hour or so, the kids played with their Grandpa's, Grandma's, Great Grandpa, Great Grandma, and Aunts. We were very happy to see how quickly they warmed up to all of them.
Since then, we've been making the transition into Iowa living. The kids were a little surprised with the cold weather and having to be strapped into car seats in the car. Other than that, they've loved all the toys and food they now have access to. They were pretty freaked out by the dog at first, but that's getting better as well. All in all, they're transitioning very quickly. We couldn't be happier with how this step of the process has gone.
Remember to pray for us next week as Kristen and I both go back to work. This will almost absolutely be a difficult time for them as they haven't spent time away from both of us at all since we got them.
Looking forward to seeing you all!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
Monday, October 29, 2012
Visas Approved!
Today was the day. Our interview with the U.S. Embassy was scheduled for this afternoon. I'm happy to say that all went well and our visas should be here on Wednesday afternoon! As I said before, we had both sets of grandparents come and I'm glad we did. Both sets of grandparents were interviewed for around ten minutes a piece. Other than that, they asked us some general questions about the paperwork and the previous history of both kids. Before we knew it, she said that both had been approved and that we could pick them up on Wednesday.
I think because everything else has been so difficult, I expected there to be some small glitch in our paperwork or with our case in general. I'm so relieved to have had it go well and mostly, to be able to make our flight this Thursday! This means we'll be back in the great state of Iowa on this Friday afternoon :)
It's been a long haul and Kristen and I are super excited to be home soon. Sorry for the short post, but there are no other crazy details to include this time! We'll see you all soon!!!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
I think because everything else has been so difficult, I expected there to be some small glitch in our paperwork or with our case in general. I'm so relieved to have had it go well and mostly, to be able to make our flight this Thursday! This means we'll be back in the great state of Iowa on this Friday afternoon :)
It's been a long haul and Kristen and I are super excited to be home soon. Sorry for the short post, but there are no other crazy details to include this time! We'll see you all soon!!!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Embassy Appointment = Monday
The fun around here just never seems to end.
On Wednesday of this week, we headed to the Embassy to drop off our paperwork. We assumed this would be a simple step since we were pretty sure we had everything we needed.
There were 3 issues with our paperwork. Viola's passport had the wrong birth month and the documents stating that the grandparents were terminating all of their rights were not sufficient. She also said she wanted all the affidavits from court. She said that if we turned in all of these things by Thursday afternoon, we could stay on schedule for our actual appointment on Monday. This meant, we would have to go back to the dreaded passport office and make trips to both of the kid's villages on Wednesday and Thursday.
So, once again, we found our 'short' day turning in to a long one as we stopped by the passport office and headed to Mpigi to get another document signed by Gideon's grandparents. We were grateful when our contact finally came and met with us on Wednesday [of course we'd already been there for 3 hours]. We were thankful when she said it would be done on Thursday. With that, we took off for Mpigi.
Thursday was basically the same schedule as Wednesday. We stopped by the passport office to check on things. Then, we headed to Nakaseke, Viola's village. We were on a pretty tight schedule as we were planning on driving two hours to the village, then coming back and picking up Viola's passport. Then we had to scoot on over to the Embassy and get everything submitted, all before 4:30. I got even more nervous as we hit road construction on the way out of town and it took us another half an hour to get around it.
This would also be Viola's first visit back to the village since she's been with us. When we ask her about her jaja [grandma] she always shakes her head 'no' as if she doesn't want to go back. When we got there, she demanded to be held by Kristen and I the entire time. At first, she wouldn't look at her grandma and she never did say anything to her or anyone else in the village. We were worried that this would upset them, but they were happy to see that she had already attached to us so much. We were only there about 25 minutes before we took off, back to Kampala... like we were in the Indy 500.
To save time when we got back to Kampala, we split up. Kristen, Gideon, and our caseworker headed to our attorney's office to pick up all the affidavits from court. Viola and I hopped on a boda boda [motorcycle taxi] and headed to the passport office to pick up Viola's passport.
I was quite nervous walking into the passport office as it was already 3:00. We didn't have much time to make it to the Embassy to keep our appointment. After being [only slightly] pushy with the man standing in front of the passport office, I got in to see the lady who had Viola's passport. She ordered me to wait and within 5 minutes, I was signing the release for Viola's passport! All in all, I don't think I was there longer than 20 minutes, which is pretty much unheard of for us!
We went to the Embassy and everything looked good! We got out right as they were closing and headed home in high spirits :)
So, we've managed to maintain our appointment at the Embassy on Monday. The last detail we're ironing out is the transportation for the grandparents for the Visa interviews. It isn't a requirement to have them at the interview, but at this point, we're taking no chances.
Its been another whirlwind of a week, but theoretically, the tough stuff is over. Our flight leaves on Thursday night at 11:59 p.m. So, hopefully, we'll be in familiar territory on Friday!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
On Wednesday of this week, we headed to the Embassy to drop off our paperwork. We assumed this would be a simple step since we were pretty sure we had everything we needed.
There were 3 issues with our paperwork. Viola's passport had the wrong birth month and the documents stating that the grandparents were terminating all of their rights were not sufficient. She also said she wanted all the affidavits from court. She said that if we turned in all of these things by Thursday afternoon, we could stay on schedule for our actual appointment on Monday. This meant, we would have to go back to the dreaded passport office and make trips to both of the kid's villages on Wednesday and Thursday.
So, once again, we found our 'short' day turning in to a long one as we stopped by the passport office and headed to Mpigi to get another document signed by Gideon's grandparents. We were grateful when our contact finally came and met with us on Wednesday [of course we'd already been there for 3 hours]. We were thankful when she said it would be done on Thursday. With that, we took off for Mpigi.
Thursday was basically the same schedule as Wednesday. We stopped by the passport office to check on things. Then, we headed to Nakaseke, Viola's village. We were on a pretty tight schedule as we were planning on driving two hours to the village, then coming back and picking up Viola's passport. Then we had to scoot on over to the Embassy and get everything submitted, all before 4:30. I got even more nervous as we hit road construction on the way out of town and it took us another half an hour to get around it.
This would also be Viola's first visit back to the village since she's been with us. When we ask her about her jaja [grandma] she always shakes her head 'no' as if she doesn't want to go back. When we got there, she demanded to be held by Kristen and I the entire time. At first, she wouldn't look at her grandma and she never did say anything to her or anyone else in the village. We were worried that this would upset them, but they were happy to see that she had already attached to us so much. We were only there about 25 minutes before we took off, back to Kampala... like we were in the Indy 500.
To save time when we got back to Kampala, we split up. Kristen, Gideon, and our caseworker headed to our attorney's office to pick up all the affidavits from court. Viola and I hopped on a boda boda [motorcycle taxi] and headed to the passport office to pick up Viola's passport.
I was quite nervous walking into the passport office as it was already 3:00. We didn't have much time to make it to the Embassy to keep our appointment. After being [only slightly] pushy with the man standing in front of the passport office, I got in to see the lady who had Viola's passport. She ordered me to wait and within 5 minutes, I was signing the release for Viola's passport! All in all, I don't think I was there longer than 20 minutes, which is pretty much unheard of for us!
We went to the Embassy and everything looked good! We got out right as they were closing and headed home in high spirits :)
So, we've managed to maintain our appointment at the Embassy on Monday. The last detail we're ironing out is the transportation for the grandparents for the Visa interviews. It isn't a requirement to have them at the interview, but at this point, we're taking no chances.
Its been another whirlwind of a week, but theoretically, the tough stuff is over. Our flight leaves on Thursday night at 11:59 p.m. So, hopefully, we'll be in familiar territory on Friday!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
Monday, October 22, 2012
Passports? CHECK!!
We'll take the good with the bad.
The Good - WE GOT OUR PASSPORTS TODAY!
The Bad - The U.S. Embassy doesn't have an available appointment for us until next Monday. This means we have to reschedule our flight [again].
The Story - We were told we would get the passports by 10 a.m, but of course, these things never actually happen on time. Upon entering the Commissioner's office, a man scolded me sharply, saying the passports wouldn't be ready until after lunch and that we could not wait outside the Commissioner's office. After this, we got a hold of the lawyer's assistant and she was TREMENDOUSLY helpful.
She answered all our questions, phone calls, and worked very quickly. Around 11, she told us our passports would be in the next batch of those being called! Sure enough, they were. We had to leave to make copies of our passports for their records, but they squeezed us right in when we came back and we were out the door [forever!] by 1:00.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Embassy doesn't accept paperwork for immigrant visas passed noon, so we missed the cut off there. They're also only open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Lastly, their next available appointment isn't until next Monday. Therefore, we won't be traveling until Thursday, November 1st.
So, that's that. We'll see you all in November!
The Good - WE GOT OUR PASSPORTS TODAY!
The Bad - The U.S. Embassy doesn't have an available appointment for us until next Monday. This means we have to reschedule our flight [again].
The Story - We were told we would get the passports by 10 a.m, but of course, these things never actually happen on time. Upon entering the Commissioner's office, a man scolded me sharply, saying the passports wouldn't be ready until after lunch and that we could not wait outside the Commissioner's office. After this, we got a hold of the lawyer's assistant and she was TREMENDOUSLY helpful.
She answered all our questions, phone calls, and worked very quickly. Around 11, she told us our passports would be in the next batch of those being called! Sure enough, they were. We had to leave to make copies of our passports for their records, but they squeezed us right in when we came back and we were out the door [forever!] by 1:00.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Embassy doesn't accept paperwork for immigrant visas passed noon, so we missed the cut off there. They're also only open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Lastly, their next available appointment isn't until next Monday. Therefore, we won't be traveling until Thursday, November 1st.
So, that's that. We'll see you all in November!
Friday, October 19, 2012
10 hours... in the dirt.
My o my we've had a heck of a week. And as you may have guessed, this week ended with a bang [not a literal one of course]. For those of you that can't handle the anticipation, this story ends on a somewhat good note, so hang in there!
Today we arrived at the immigration office at 7:30, thinking that we would be issued our passports around 9:00. Our plan was to rush over to the U.S. Embassy and set an appointment for Monday. This seemed fine and dandy since that portion of the Embassy closes at 10:30 on Fridays. From there, we'd planned on taking the children to the park and watching them play while we proceeded to drink ourselves into oblivion [just kidding].
Around 9:30, we finally got a hold of the person who had been helping us. He took us to a waiting room where he said we should wait 20 minutes. With that, he left. As time went on, we became anxious since it was almost for sure that we would miss going to the Embassy. Around 11, we decided to take matters into our own hands and go to the commissioner's office and inquire about our case. To our surprise, the secretary said she'd been waiting for us and we were ushered in to see the commissioner!
The commissioner had very little to say. He asked us a few questions and then asked us to send in the man who'd been helping us. Of course, we could not find this man anywhere. He wasn't answering his phone either. In desperation, we reached out to another contact that we've made at the immigration office. This man is a lawyer and also a former classmate of our adoption case worker. He sent his assistant to retrieve the files from the commissioner, but he was unsuccessful.
Finally, a couple hours later, we found the person who'd been helping us and sent him to the commissioner. When he came back, he informed us that the commissioner wanted to review the files and that he would call him later. Once again, a couple hours passed and we had not heard from the man working on our case. Also once again, we finally got him on the phone. He said he was coming to meet us and that we should just wait for him. After 20 minutes, we went to where he said he was previously - still no sign of him [needless to say, we're quite frustrated with him]. Now, we're approaching 5:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, so we're pretty sure he has left and we've basically given up hope of getting anything done.
On one last walk around the premises, we ran into the lawyer that had tried to help us earlier in the day. He was upset that the commissioner held our file and told us to follow him. We went to the commissioner's office and he asked us for the case file numbers. We gave him a blank look, telling him that we were never given the case file numbers. At this, he walked into the commissioner's office and closed the door. After about ten minutes, he emerged with our files!
He told an assistant of his that he was to come in tomorrow [Saturday] and get the printing of the passports started. He also enlisted the help of the commissioner's secretary in helping us get where we need to be on Monday morning! Next, he gave us the personal contact of another assistant and told her [in front of us],
"These passports are my personal matter and they WILL be DONE no later than 10 a.m. Monday."
Lastly, he gave us all of his contact information and told us that he loves to help cases like these because it makes him happy to play a part in giving kids a second chance.
Needless to say, while we felt deflated most of the day, we were very happy by the time we left! All in all, we'd spent 10 hours at the immigration office that day and the kids were very irritable. To make matters worse, the waiting area is a courtyard outside. Its very dusty and dirty and it even rained on us at one point.
We didn't get done what we wanted, but we're feeling optimistic about next week. If we can get to the Embassy early enough, it's possible that they will give us an appointment on Monday as well. If this happens, we could maybe still make our flight on Tuesday night. AND even if it doesn't, we should be able to travel sometime next week!
Even with the current trials, we're feeling so blessed to have Viola and Gideon. It's been awesome to see the prayers be answered in big and little ways while we've been in Uganda.
Whew... hope to see you all soon. Happy weekend [and hopefully, our last one here].
Derek, Kristen, Viola, And Gideon
Today we arrived at the immigration office at 7:30, thinking that we would be issued our passports around 9:00. Our plan was to rush over to the U.S. Embassy and set an appointment for Monday. This seemed fine and dandy since that portion of the Embassy closes at 10:30 on Fridays. From there, we'd planned on taking the children to the park and watching them play while we proceeded to drink ourselves into oblivion [just kidding].
Around 9:30, we finally got a hold of the person who had been helping us. He took us to a waiting room where he said we should wait 20 minutes. With that, he left. As time went on, we became anxious since it was almost for sure that we would miss going to the Embassy. Around 11, we decided to take matters into our own hands and go to the commissioner's office and inquire about our case. To our surprise, the secretary said she'd been waiting for us and we were ushered in to see the commissioner!
The commissioner had very little to say. He asked us a few questions and then asked us to send in the man who'd been helping us. Of course, we could not find this man anywhere. He wasn't answering his phone either. In desperation, we reached out to another contact that we've made at the immigration office. This man is a lawyer and also a former classmate of our adoption case worker. He sent his assistant to retrieve the files from the commissioner, but he was unsuccessful.
Finally, a couple hours later, we found the person who'd been helping us and sent him to the commissioner. When he came back, he informed us that the commissioner wanted to review the files and that he would call him later. Once again, a couple hours passed and we had not heard from the man working on our case. Also once again, we finally got him on the phone. He said he was coming to meet us and that we should just wait for him. After 20 minutes, we went to where he said he was previously - still no sign of him [needless to say, we're quite frustrated with him]. Now, we're approaching 5:00 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, so we're pretty sure he has left and we've basically given up hope of getting anything done.
On one last walk around the premises, we ran into the lawyer that had tried to help us earlier in the day. He was upset that the commissioner held our file and told us to follow him. We went to the commissioner's office and he asked us for the case file numbers. We gave him a blank look, telling him that we were never given the case file numbers. At this, he walked into the commissioner's office and closed the door. After about ten minutes, he emerged with our files!
He told an assistant of his that he was to come in tomorrow [Saturday] and get the printing of the passports started. He also enlisted the help of the commissioner's secretary in helping us get where we need to be on Monday morning! Next, he gave us the personal contact of another assistant and told her [in front of us],
"These passports are my personal matter and they WILL be DONE no later than 10 a.m. Monday."
Lastly, he gave us all of his contact information and told us that he loves to help cases like these because it makes him happy to play a part in giving kids a second chance.
Needless to say, while we felt deflated most of the day, we were very happy by the time we left! All in all, we'd spent 10 hours at the immigration office that day and the kids were very irritable. To make matters worse, the waiting area is a courtyard outside. Its very dusty and dirty and it even rained on us at one point.
We didn't get done what we wanted, but we're feeling optimistic about next week. If we can get to the Embassy early enough, it's possible that they will give us an appointment on Monday as well. If this happens, we could maybe still make our flight on Tuesday night. AND even if it doesn't, we should be able to travel sometime next week!
Even with the current trials, we're feeling so blessed to have Viola and Gideon. It's been awesome to see the prayers be answered in big and little ways while we've been in Uganda.
Whew... hope to see you all soon. Happy weekend [and hopefully, our last one here].
Derek, Kristen, Viola, And Gideon
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
ONE WEEK??? [boda scolding]
Alright folks, we've had one whirlwind of a week so far. We've left the house every day before breakfast and not been home till supper-time two of the days. We've driven to several offices, waited in several lines, and skipped several child-naps. This is a recipe for disaster, but our kids have handled it relatively well. They seem to be good at finding things to entertain themselves [this includes what may possibly be the best video of the trip so far].
Today was the miracle we were hoping for :)
We went to the immigration office to see about our passports yesterday. To our dismay, some lady told us we did not have the necessary paperwork and that we needed four more documents. We had all the information they wanted in other supporting documents, just not in their format. So, we went back today - ready to do some work.
First, we needed to stop at the U.S. Embassy. About fifteen minutes down the road to the embassy, we realized we'd forgotten our cell phone. After a successful meeting at the embassy to verify that we're doing everything correctly, we went to the passport office. We got there, hoping that our case worker would be waiting for us, since we had no way of contacting him. We waited and waited and he did not show. Then, I remembered that he had me write down an immigration employee's phone number in my Ipod yesterday. We borrowed someone's phone and called him [and paid the man, of course]. We waited an hour and called him again and this time we were successful! He came out to greet us and take us back to an office.
Another man took the reins from this point. He ushered us into 3 different offices over the next hour, often budging in front of several people. I'm very thankful for him as he was doing all of this without knowing us or having received any extra payment for his efforts. After all of this, he said our passports would be ready in 1 week. We were shocked and upset. However, after some negotiation and some "tangible appreciation," he told us he would have the passports by tomorrow!!! So, we're praying that he sticks to his word and that we actually can go and pick them up tomorrow.
A big reason that this is important is because the immigrant visa office at the U.S. Embassy is open on Friday only until 10 a.m. If we had to get the passports on Friday, we might not make it to the Embassy in time. On Friday, we will make our appointment to process the visas. This means our appointment should be on Monday. Since visas take two days to process, we'll be filling out a request to have them expedited. If granted, this would ensure that the visas be done on Tuesday. This is hugely important.... BECAUSE OUR FLIGHT IS THAT SAME DAY [thankfully, it doesn't leave until 11 p.m.].
So.... the short version for you simple-minded folk:
If the guy at the passport office keeps his word and we get the passports tomorrow and we're granted expedited visas, we'll be in Iowa one week from TODAY!!!!!!
Words can't express how excited we are at the prospect of being home on our scheduled day [well, our second scheduled day]. So keep these processes in your prayers and we'll hopefully see you all soon!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
Today was the miracle we were hoping for :)
We went to the immigration office to see about our passports yesterday. To our dismay, some lady told us we did not have the necessary paperwork and that we needed four more documents. We had all the information they wanted in other supporting documents, just not in their format. So, we went back today - ready to do some work.
First, we needed to stop at the U.S. Embassy. About fifteen minutes down the road to the embassy, we realized we'd forgotten our cell phone. After a successful meeting at the embassy to verify that we're doing everything correctly, we went to the passport office. We got there, hoping that our case worker would be waiting for us, since we had no way of contacting him. We waited and waited and he did not show. Then, I remembered that he had me write down an immigration employee's phone number in my Ipod yesterday. We borrowed someone's phone and called him [and paid the man, of course]. We waited an hour and called him again and this time we were successful! He came out to greet us and take us back to an office.
Another man took the reins from this point. He ushered us into 3 different offices over the next hour, often budging in front of several people. I'm very thankful for him as he was doing all of this without knowing us or having received any extra payment for his efforts. After all of this, he said our passports would be ready in 1 week. We were shocked and upset. However, after some negotiation and some "tangible appreciation," he told us he would have the passports by tomorrow!!! So, we're praying that he sticks to his word and that we actually can go and pick them up tomorrow.
A big reason that this is important is because the immigrant visa office at the U.S. Embassy is open on Friday only until 10 a.m. If we had to get the passports on Friday, we might not make it to the Embassy in time. On Friday, we will make our appointment to process the visas. This means our appointment should be on Monday. Since visas take two days to process, we'll be filling out a request to have them expedited. If granted, this would ensure that the visas be done on Tuesday. This is hugely important.... BECAUSE OUR FLIGHT IS THAT SAME DAY [thankfully, it doesn't leave until 11 p.m.].
So.... the short version for you simple-minded folk:
If the guy at the passport office keeps his word and we get the passports tomorrow and we're granted expedited visas, we'll be in Iowa one week from TODAY!!!!!!
Words can't express how excited we are at the prospect of being home on our scheduled day [well, our second scheduled day]. So keep these processes in your prayers and we'll hopefully see you all soon!
Derek, Kristen, Viola, and Gideon
FYI: "Boda" means motorcycle. Enjoy!
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